Why Would The Government Shut Down Websites? Are They So Terrible That They Need Constant Human Interaction Or Is the Government Trying To Punish Americans? The Latter Is The Answer.

Government Shuts Down Websites People Need, As Obamacare Sites — Not Shut Down — Simply Don’t Work

October 1, 2013 by Sam Rolley 

To make the controversial government shutdown affect the American public in ways that probably weren’t necessary, several Federal agencies were advised by the White House to either shut websites down completely or display static homepages with disclaimers that information would not be updated.

Meanwhile, websites for the newly opened Obamacare exchange remained open—they just don’t work.

The following websites have been shut down by the government:

• nasa.gov: “Due to the lapse in federal government funding, this website is not available. We sincerely regret this inconvenience.”
• loc.gov: “Due to the temporary shutdown of the federal government, the Library of Congress is closed to the public and researchers beginning October 1, 2013 until further notice. All public events are cancelled and web sites are inaccessible except the legislative information sites THOMAS.gov and beta.congress.gov.”
• archives.gov: “We are unable to blog, post to Facebook, or tweet during the Federal Government shutdown. (This does not apply to the Federal Records Centers.)”
• ftc.gov: “Unfortunately, the Federal Trade Commission is closed due to the government shutdown.”
• nps.gov: “Because of the federal government shutdown, all national parks are closed and National Park Service webpages are not operating. For more information, go to www.doi.gov.”
• usda.gov: “Due to the lapse in federal government funding, this website is not available. We sincerely regret this inconvenience.”
• census.gov: “Due to the lapse in government funding, census.gov sites, services, and all online survey collection requests will be unavailable until further notice.”
• trade.gov: “Due to the lapse in government funding, the International Trade Administration website you are trying to reach will be unavailable until appropriations are enacted. We sincerely regret this inconvenience.”

And these sites are operating at partial capacity:

• nsa.gov: “Due to the Government Shutdown, this site is not being updated.”
• sec.gov: “SEC Operating Status: The SEC will remain open and operational in the event the federal government undergoes a lapse in appropriations on October 1. Any changes to the SEC’s operational status after October 1 will be announced on this website. The SEC’s current operational plan in the event of an SEC shutdown is available here.”
• fbi.gov
• cia.gov
• aoc.gov: “Due to a lapse in government funding, this website is not currently being updated.”
• arctic.gov           
• atf.gov
• usgs.gov             
• usbg.gov: “Due to a lapse in government funding, the U.S. Botanic Garden is closed until further notice. All programs, events and tours are cancelled while the garden is closed. Information about reopening will be posted here when available.”
• doi.gov                
• bop.gov              
• bls.gov: “This website is currently not being updated due to the suspension of Federal government services. The last update to the site was Monday, September 30. During the shutdown period BLS will not collect data, issue reports, or respond to public inquiries. Updates to the site will start again when the Federal government resumes operations. Revised schedules will be issued as they become available.”
• cdc.gov: “Due to the lapse in government funding, only web sites supporting excepted functions will be updated unless otherwise funded. As a result, the information on this website may not be up to date, the transactions submitted via the website may not be processed, and the agency may not be able to respond to inquiries until appropriations are enacted.”
• cbo.gov               
• consumerfinance.gov   
• fema.gov: “NOTICE: Due to the lapse in federal funding, portions of this website may not be updated and some non-disaster assistance transactions submitted via the website may not be processed or responded to until after appropriations are enacted.”
• fec.gov                
• fdic.gov               
• federalreserve.gov        
• gsa.gov: “As a result of a temporary government shutdown, GSA.gov is not being updated at this time. More information on GSA’s shutdown procedures is available.”
• oge.gov               
• gpo.gov: “The Federal Government is shut down due to a funding lapse. Consequently, gpo.gov will not be updating information for the public until funding is restored. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.”
• bia.gov                
• bjs.gov                
• mmc.gov: “The Administration does not want a lapse in appropriations to occur and has expressed its willingness to work with Congress to avert such a lapse. However, prudent management requires that agencies be prepared for that possibility. To that end, the Marine Mammal Commission has prepared a shutdown plan to be implemented in the event of a lapse in appropriations. Please click here [PDF] to view the Commission’s plan.”
• nigc.gov: “The NIGC is open and normal operating procedures are in effect. Due to the government shutdown, mail service is suspended at NIGC offices. Please contact the region offices directly with any time sensitive matters.”
• nhtsa.gov           
• nist.gov               
• noaa.gov: “Due to the Federal Government shutdown, NOAA.gov and most associated web sites are unavailable. However, because the information this site provides is necessary to protect life and property, it will be updated and maintained during the Federal Government shutdown.”
• nrc.gov                
• nwtrb.gov          
• osc.gov: “If the federal government shuts down as of October 1, 2013, the U.S. Office of Special Counsel will cease most of its operations for the duration of the shutdown. The processing of most complaints will be suspended, and all filing and processing deadlines will be extended by the number of days the government shuts down.”
• occ.gov                
• ofr.gov                
• peacecorps.gov               
• prc.gov: “Because of a lapse in appropriations, the Commission is currently closed and will reopen when funding has been approved. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.”
• rferl.org              
• rfa.org
• bbg.gov: “U.S. international media activities under the BBG that are deemed ‘foreign relations essential to national security,’ such as news programming and distribution, are excepted from the shutdown and will continue.”
• sba.gov: “Due to the lapse in government funding, only websites supporting excepted functions will be available unless otherwise funded. As a result, the information on this website may not be up to date, the transactions submitted via the website may not be processed, and the agency may not be able to respond to inquiries until appropriations are enacted.”
• supremecourt.gov         
• sss.gov: “Due to a lapse in appropriations, Selective Service System (SSS) operations are currently shut down. Please note that any information on this website may not be up to date, any transactions submitted via this website might not be processed until after appropriations are enacted, and the agency will not be able to respond to inquiries until appropriations are enacted.”
• secretservice.gov: “NOTICE: Due to the lapse in federal funding, this website will not be actively managed. This website was last updated on September 30, 2013 and will not be updated until after funding is enacted. As such, information on this website may not be up to date.”
• cfa.gov: “In the event that the shutdown lasts for an extended period, the Commission of Fine Arts staff will notify the public on this website about the status of the next meeting of the Commission of Fine Arts, currently scheduled for Thursday, October 17. We will be unable to resume operations, including notification about the schedule of meetings, until funding is appropriated by Congress for the new fiscal year.”
• uspto.gov           

If you tried to sign up for Obamacare today on one of the exchange sites the White House didn’t order shut down in its temper tantrum, you likely saw something that looks like this:

Or this:

And had an experience like this:

In other words: