We understand the concern about paychecks not going out to Border Patrol agents and the like, but the government-shutdown scenario usually evokes images of Washington itself turning into a ghost town.

Guess what? It’s already empty.

Of the nearly 300,000 federal workers in Washington, most aren’t bothering to show up these days at those great stone buildings that people think of as “Washington.” A post-pandemic report this summer by the Government Accountability Office found that 17 of the federal headquarters buildings surveyed were at 25% or less capacity.

[I daresay most people who work in the private sector wouldn’t notice it all, save for a vague impression of expanded liberty. But even that would be illusory, as much of the government would still operate, especially enforcement activities. We’ll only really notice it through the media, which will be in full-on hysterics over the prospect of it. — Ed]