The most amazing thing about a possible state government shut down is how little things will change for most people -- at first.

Walls will not fall down, the air will still be breathable and everyone (with the exception of up to 40,000 state workers) will still have their jobs.

Pennsylvania government's "vital" functions also will still function normally. State police will still patrol, the emergency management agency will still be around in case of emergency, and state liquor stores will still be open (although the stores' status as "vital" is all about how they earn, rather than cost, the state money.)

But that does not mean that everybody will remain unscathed if Monday rolls around without a state budget agreement in place.

Regionally, Shikellamy State Park will close. That means boaters who still have their vessels tied up at the marina will not have access to them. Campers and bathers at R.B. Winter State Park west of Mifflinburg will get a chillier-than-normal reception, too. That facility also will close, evicting campers from the park.

Repercussions of the shutdowns will ripple out into the community. Businesses that benefit from traffic to those parks will feel it first (although local, private campgrounds may gain a windfall of displaced RVs.)

In addition, the state's vaunted new slots casinos also will shut down, halting another tourist attraction -- and shutting off another revenue stream.

For an administration that takes pride in promoting Pennsylvania tourism, it seems odd that Gov. Rendell's brinkmanship with recalcitrant Republicans will help push people away.

But the real damage will come further down the road if the budget impasse lasts deep into the summer. School districts, for example, may not get state money. State roads may not get scheduled repairs.

And it's all over a $250 million difference of opinion in a budget of at least $27 billion.

Of course, the differences of opinion go deeper than a few million dollars. They center on the role of government in transportation, health care and energy. Those issues are indeed important and deserving of much debate. But they can be debated at any time.

Neither side will win much of anything in a protracted shutdown except more citizen ire and more voter scorn.