U.S. shutdown would not reach all operations

If the government shuts down after Friday, your mail will still be delivered. So will Social Security checks.

But you can forget about visiting the Liberty Bell or Independence Hall, because national parks will close.

You can continue to defend yourself if you happen to be on trial - federal courts will stay open, at least for a couple of weeks.

But the IRS will stop processing paper tax returns. And if you should be waiting for a loan from the Small Business Administration, well, the check is not going to be in the mail.

In Philadelphia as across the nation, a government shutdown would leave some federal services untouched while stopping others in midmotion. Untold sums in reduced business, late payments, and missed paychecks would ripple through the economy, potentially affecting local companies and workers.

"For the people in Philadelphia who are really hurting, this could really be a problem," said Mary Ellen Balchunis, a political scientist at La Salle University. "In this environment, people are living paycheck to paycheck."

Basically, only federal agencies that protect safety and property - for instance, the military, FBI, and Coast Guard - would continue to operate.

Police and firefighters, who are generally funded by local and state governments, would keep working. The Postal Service, which is self-funded, would deliver mail.

The current spending bill expires at the end of Friday.

Joel Naroff, president of Naroff Economic Advisors in Holland, Pa., predicted that the national economic harm of a shutdown would be "relatively mild."

"Ultimately it's not going to be a huge impact, as long as it's not particularly long," he told Bloomberg News.

In Washington, lawmakers have been trying to reach a compromise that would set spending levels for the next six months.

Obama administration officials estimate that if the government shuts down, 800,000 federal workers will go without a paycheck, sure to put a drag on the economy.

People with travel plans could be vexed because passports would not be processed. In Philadelphia, at least, there was no last-minute rush Wednesday.

"For us, right now, it's a normal day," said Orlando Rivera, regional director of the Philadelphia Passport Agency, near Second and Chestnut Streets.

Air-traffic controllers would continue to direct planes. Soldiers would continue to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan, though many civilian workers at the Defense Department would be placed on hiatus.

At the IRS, the handling of paper tax returns, which make up about 30 percent of all returns, would be stopped. Electronic filings would continue to be processed. The shutdown would turn off the IRS information hotline a week before the April 18 filing deadline.

Governors have warned that a shutdown would affect state budgets and contracts, resulting in delayed federal payments and program cuts. Nonprofit agencies that depend on federal funding could face hardships as payments and grants are held up.

With spring break approaching, the closings could affect the plans of families who, in a tough economy, were counting on low-cost or free visits to historic places. Sites operated by the National Park Service would close, including some of the nation's best and most visited landmarks in Philadelphia.

"While the government shutdown would certainly impact some of our visitor attractions, all other Philadelphia museums, attractions, and tours would be open, including the National Constitution Center and historic Philadelphia," said Danielle Cohn, spokeswoman for the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau. "It's also the start of the Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts, so there's still plenty to explore in Philadelphia."

If the government closes, people planning to travel to Washington this weekend for the Cherry Blossom Festival parade, or to visit the Smithsonian Institution, will find the museums shuttered and the parade canceled. You can still see the blossoms.

Government shutdowns have occurred numerous times since the 1980s.

During the Carter and Reagan administrations, shutdowns of several days were common. But in 1995, during the Clinton administration, the threat of a shutdown became a political weapon. A three-week fall stoppage brought blame to Republicans and cost them votes at the polls the next year.

A similar who-is-at-fault drama is playing out in Washington now.