Government leaders on both sides of the aisle are freaking out at the thought of a potential government shutdown. To the Republicans, it's mostly a fear of a ginned up media public relations nightmare, which is about as true as that time a unicorn walked in a Seven Eleven and got a six pack of beer at gun point.

For the Democrats, a shutdown is a great oppurtunity to point their fingers at the Republicans and blame them for parks closing, White House tours ending, and no more naval air shows. You know, things Americans enjoy. The government would never do something like cut its own bloated self. No, it would rather punish you, Mr. or Ms. Taxpayer. How dare you support a Republican, ever. Thou shalt be punished.

Lest we forget, during government shutdowns, Social Security still mails checks. The Post Office remains open. The Federal Reserve continues its daily routine. Every single government employee involved in providing “for the national security, including the conduct of foreign relations essential to the national security or the safety of life and property” continue operating. All employees involved in “essential activities to the extent that they protect life and property” also continue to work.

Newsflash! America and her people can, have, and will survive if the government shuts down. In fact, maybe we'd all be better off if the blowhards in Washington DC were given some extra time off - then at least they couldn't mess anything up for a few days, right?

Here's a question that needs asking, whenever we hear people saying they need government. Whatever happened to self-reliance? Why aren't we championing rugged-individualism and personal independence?

Could it be that the government is afraid that if a shutdown lasted long enough, people might re-learn how to fend for themselves? *gasp* The problem for big government is that it needs to be needed. When big government isn't needed, nature dictates that it must shrink... and eventually possibly go away altogether. For the people on Capitol Hill who make their living off a bloated government, that's what we call a "conflict of interest."

(Side note to dudes in the pic: they're not your funds. They're what the government stole from your hardworking neighbor to give to you. How about some gratitude? Or at least honesty. Maybe write, "GIVE US YOUR MONEY!")

Remember, we survived a government shutdown before, AND the GOP won a historic, landslide victory after that shutdown! So much for a public relations "nightmare." As Ben Shapiro pointed out:

Every time Republicans argue that government shutdowns end the world, they campaign as Democrats. Last time the government shut down, America somehow avoided the zombie apocalypse. Republicans should have trumpeted that fact from the highest turret: the federal government operating at 80 percent capacity did not hurt you. Might it not be worthwhile to slash the budget in accordance with that basic fact?

Instead, Republicans fearmonger over a government shutdown in the same way Democrats do, tacitly endorsing the Democratic view of Americans as circling in orbit around the godlike government. Besides, “We don’t care about a government shutdown because the government sucks anyway” is a far stronger negotiation position than “We hate shutdowns, too.”

Amen. Dear John Boehner, Mitch McConnell, et al, stop fearing your loss of unmerited power, admit that government sucks, and shut it down.

For America.