[Coral-List] U.S. Shutdown: How bad could it be?

[Jim Hendee]

Aside from a likelihood that the U.S.G. will be unable to accept new
patients or answer hotline calls regarding diseases, while the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention will no longer be able to perform
disease surveillance and toxic waste cleanup projects; and aside from
the fact that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms will have to
delay the processing of applications pertaining to alcohol, tobacco and
firearms; and aside from no recruitment of U.S. Border Patrol officers;
and aside from no federal child-support cases; and aside from the fact
that there will be the closure of national monuments, parks, sanctuaries
and museums (resulting in the loss of million in visitors' revenue); and
aside from the fact that there will be no services for veterans,
including health and financial services; and aside from the fact that
federal contracts will be significantly impacted; and never mind the
fact that over maybe a million federal employees and their families will
be affected (and hundreds of thousands of supported contract employees);
and ignorning the fact that the Fed pays a portion of the costs for
special education and education services for low-income kids, and school
lunches;and not crying over doctors not getting their Medicare and
Medicaid payments; and averting our eyes to the federal courts shutting
down; and skipping over the fact that foreign passports and visas will
not be processed (thus no tourist dollars); and discounting the fact of
the Social Security Administration closing; and forgetting for a moment
that NOAA, NTIS, NSF, USGS, NPS, FWS and a whole bunch of other federal
acronyms will be converted to D.O.R. (dead-on-road); the worst thing
that will happen is that Coral-List will be halted during any U.S.
government shutdown.  Horrors!

So, if you've got anything important to say concerning the coral reef
environment, let 'er rip now, or perhaps not hear a thing until after
the Shutdown happens!

    Cheers,
    Jim