What is a Government Shutdown?

Government Shutdowns are a peculiar phenomenon occurring primarily on the planet Earth, and specifically within certain democratic systems that have somehow convinced themselves this is a reasonable way to conduct business.

The concept is breathtakingly simple: when the people elected to run a government cannot agree on how to spend money they don’t actually have yet, they respond by shutting down the very government they were elected to run. This is rather like a restaurant closing because the chef and the manager can’t agree on next month’s menu, except the restaurant still charges you for your meal and the chef and manager continue to be paid.

During a shutdown, “non-essential” government workers are sent home without pay, which raises the fascinating philosophical question of why a government employs people it considers non-essential in the first place. Essential workers, meanwhile, must continue working without knowing when they’ll be paid, which most economists agree is not typically how employment works anywhere else in the galaxy.

The Guide notes that tourists visiting Earth during a shutdown may find national parks closed, passport offices shuttered, and various public services suspended. This is considered by many to be an excellent metaphor for government in general.

Shutdowns typically end when one side blinks, both sides compromise, or—most commonly—when enough citizens complain loudly enough that politicians remember they’d quite like to be re-elected.

The Guide’s researchers remain baffled as to why this practice continues, but then again, they’re also baffled by Earth’s continued insistence on digital watches.