Big news! There was a government shutdown last week, which was probably kind of expected, having seen the dysfunction between parties that exists within our government. And, while that can't exactly be fixed until the next election cycle, understanding what actually happens when the government shuts down is pretty important, because it truly affects a lot of people.

One of the biggest and most well-known effects of a government shutdown is that governments literally shut down. People don't get paid to go to work and things don't get done. Need to call someone for help with your taxes because we just passed a new tax bill? Oh...right. The government shut down so you wouldn't be able to call anyone who works on that.

A lesser known effect of a shutdown is that NASA also shuts down. So whatever cool space projects we're working on are on hold until whenever the government opens back up. And, even if you've been working on something that is time-sensitive for months, you still can't go into work--even if that means restarting a project and essentially wasting any time that was spent on the project before the shutdown.

And the military, always at the forefront of government spending, only has essential personnel report to work. This causes a big strain on families because military bases are small towns in a sense. This is like everything in your town closing forcing you to go to the next town to go get milk or bread because the grocery store is closed. Or maybe you aren't cooking tonight and have to drive to the next town over to go get dinner because the restaurant is closed. What's more is that service members are technically furloughed (not paid for the days during which the government is shut down) even though two weeks ago they would have been payed and, projecting in the future, would expect to be paid that wage. Imagine not having the money you needed for food or rent this month because of something completely out of your own control. Frustrating to say the least.

And probably the most pertinent of issues facing all Americans today is the closing of the Center for Disease Control. Flu is running rampant through the continental United States. With the CDC closed, accurate tracking of data and information dispersal to the public is severely slowed or stopped altogether. This makes it difficult to get flu shots and track new and active cases of the (potentially lethal) disease.

And finally, Service Academy sports teams like the Air Force Academy, can't play sports, travel to games or host them when the government shuts down. And that's just kind of sad.

Yes, the government shutdown has ended, but people's knowledge of what that actually entails is only growing as people search on Google, "What happens during a government shutdown?" It's so important to understand how many thousands of people are affected by the shutdown when, to the average American, it just seems like Congress can't get anything done.