What if We Don't Raise the Debt Ceiling?

Given the daily budget talks in Washington and lingering questions surrounding whether or not our elected officials will actually raise the debt ceiling, I have been thinking about the consequences should our representatives fail us -- triggering a default.

Predictions include not paying members of our armed services and Social Security checks not going out on time. If, however, the US Congress is forced to shut down its website, I suggest the illustration below as the new default page.

The image is a visual expression of my frustration with partisan gridlock in Washington. It was sparked by the talks surrounding the debt ceiling, but I am afraid it could work for just about anything these days. If you don't get the context, it is a play on Twitter's fail whale. The image below is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonComercial license. So Interwebz, do with it what you must. A collection of variations can be found here. The original fail whale image was created by Yiying Lu and is not so licensed. Ms. Lu retains all rights.