Who knew? Shutdown casualties shatter stereotypes The Associated Press - By NANCY BENAC - Associated Press 6 hours ago WASHINGTON (AP) Taking out a mortgage. Getting married in a park. Going for a fall foliage drive. Cashing a check. Who knew that so many random activities of daily life could be imperiled by a shutdown of the federal government? Americans are finding that "the government" entails a lot more than the stereotype of faceless D.C. bureaucrats cranking out red tape. And so it is that two dozen October weddings, including nine this week, are in jeopardy because they're scheduled for monument sites on the National Mall. .... Want to take a drive along Virginia's popular Skyline Drive to take in the fall colors in Shenandoah National Park? Not till the government reopens. .... Consider the Wisconsin farmer who can't cash a check for a cow he sold. Ben Brancel, the state's agriculture secretary, said that because the farmer has a loan from the Farm Service Agency, he can't cash the check without both his own signature and one from an FSA official, unavailable during the shutdown. .... Ready to buy your first house? Borrowers applying for a mortgage can expect delays, especially if the shutdown is prolonged. That's because many lenders need government confirmation of applicants' income tax returns and Social Security data. Mortgage industry officials say they expect bottlenecks on closing loans if the shutdown stretches on for more than a few days. In addition, low- to moderate-income borrowers and first-time homebuyers seeking government-insured mortgages for single-family homes from the Federal Housing Administration can expect longer waits because of sharp reductions in FHA staffing. Even workers who get their paychecks from a state government aren't safe from the ripple effects of a federal shutdown. An assortment of state workers around the country are on furlough because the money for their jobs includes dollars from Washington. .... "As time goes by, more and more people see these little things that they took for granted," said Ed Lorenzen, a policy adviser at the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a nonpartisan group pushing for spending discipline. He said the shutdown could serve as a reminder that "you're not going to be able to the balance the budget just by cutting spending in Washington that doesn't affect people." .... http://entertainment.verizon.com/ne...p-who_knew_shutdown_casualties_shatter_ste-ap
