Unfortunately, allowing "the posturing Yahoos on the Hill" to close down an important exhibition -- not to mention the Smithsonian and other cultural institutions -- is one way to bring home to John Q Public just how !@#$%^&*+ the situation is. Too many of the middle class think that "government services" are primarily a transfer of wealth from their pockets to those of the perhaps-deserving poor. As long as the Post Office continues to function, and the tax collector continues to siphon away at our paychecks, the majority of folks think that "essential" services continue. --Bayla Singer [log in to unmask] or [log in to unmask]