US Government Spending Problems - Shutdown

The US government spending shutdown is on, stuff happens as they say. I'd like to draw attention to the plight of US museums. US collectors and dealers think "they are always going to be there" and going to continue to function at the same standard, and are thus suuposedly the best place for the rifled antiquities of the rest of the world. But today's events remind us that even in the USA, their continued functioning depends to a large extent on nothing more than historical accident. As we see, you just need enough tea-party extremists in the government to have the whole lot crashing down. Remember the old argument about guarding sites to keep the looters out? How many BLM guards are out in their jeeps today patrolling ancient sites in the USA and how many 'twitchers' are out there with their shovels assuming that BLM staff are sitting at home today?

Causes:
BBC, " US government shuts down over budget", 01 October 2013
BBC, " US brinkmanship tips over the edge" 01 October 2013

And effects:
BBC, " US shutdown: Who will be affected", 01 October 2013

Sara Johnson, 'Washington, D.C. Closes Its Doors on the First Day of Shutdown Architect October 1, 2013.
Karen Tumulty and Lori Montgomery, Washington braces for prolonged government shutdown      October 1, 2013,
Jeremy Polacek, 'How the Looming US Government Shutdown Will Affect the World of Art', Hyperallergic, September 30, 2013.

and for a slightly pessimistic view: 
Martin Wolf, 'America flirts with self-destruction, Financial Times, 2nd October 2013.