The collapse of effective government in the United States does not mean the collapse of effective government in America. This is because most of daily life is conducted through, and supported by, the governments and institutions of individual states. The closing down of the Federal government is one thing, but the continuation of all the State governments is another. If the world’s oldest modern democracy has a problem with the concept, it is because there is too much of it.
On top of the layer of democracy which enables each State to fashion it affairs according to its traditions and preferences, there is another layer much less sensitive. When the Constitution of the United States was written it was in the belief that it was a voluntary union of independent democratic states, forged to assure collective security and a viable currency. The federal union derived its authority from the individual states. It was not intended it would enforce its authority upon them. For this reason many checks and balances were built into the institutions at federal level which made for impasse in the absence of either consensus or a clear majority. If this makes the United States ungovernable, essentially that was the intention. The United States was not formed to govern. It was formed to protect.
Not all agreed, but sufficient ambiguities were incorporated to enable both sides to interpret their wishes as met. The test came seventy odd years later when the democratic process at federal level failed absolutely and civil war ensued.This was afterwards said to be about slavery, mostly to justify the appalling slaughter unmatched to this day. In fact it was about the limitations and powers of federal government; slavery was the catalyst, just as Obama-care is today. In 1861 America was the only civilised nation not to have abolished slavery, just as in 2013 America is the only such country not to have a system of universal healthcare.
The argument today is not about the money, any more than then it was about the slaves. It is, just as before, an argument about who has the authority to decide what. In 1861 it led to war. In 2013 it could lead not to war, but to default. Nobody knows how bad that could be, but just like the civil war, it will be many times worse than people expect. That is why it must not happen.