# How much of the US government would have to be killed/destroyed before it collapsed? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 3, 2008, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-the-us-government-would-have-to-be-killed-destroyed-before-it-collapsed/470925 "2008-11-03T21:20:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2008, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-the-us-government-would-have-to-be-killed-destroyed-before-it-collapsed/470925/41 "2008-11-04T21:20:00Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > No he couldn’t. The Constitutionally required quorum for the House and Senate is a simple majority. Without at least 218 Representatives, the House can’t conduct business and therefore can’t elect a Speaker… It’s a simple majority of the total _membership_, not the total number of seats. Vacant seats won’t count against a quorum. ---
**Author:** ![greatshakes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/58956e/32.png) [@greatshakes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/greatshakes)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-the-us-government-would-have-to-be-killed-destroyed-before-it-collapsed/470925/42 "2008-11-05T07:00:27Z")
> [@chacoguy420](#): > > Al Haig.😃 I thought that he was already in charge. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-the-us-government-would-have-to-be-killed-destroyed-before-it-collapsed/470925/43 "2008-11-05T15:39:22Z")
> [@](#): > > by \*\*Obsidian \*\* > In order to answer the OPs question, I’m wondering if someone nuked DC and all 50 state capitals, the government would implode. I doubt it. If there were a significant number of vacancies at the federal level, the state government officials would nominate their cronies as replacements. If there were a significant number of vacancies at the state level, the county commissions would promote themselves. If there were a significant number of vacancies at the county level, municipal officials would move upward. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-the-us-government-would-have-to-be-killed-destroyed-before-it-collapsed/470925/44 "2008-11-05T16:25:11Z")
President Dale: \*“I want the people to know that they still have 2 out of 3 branches of the government working for them, and that ain’t bad. \*”😃 ---
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-the-us-government-would-have-to-be-killed-destroyed-before-it-collapsed/470925/45 "2008-11-05T18:29:08Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > President Dale: \*“I want the people to know that they still have 2 out of 3 branches of the government working for them, and that ain’t bad. \*”😃 I was going to post a similar line from this movie earlier, but failed (for whatever reason): > [@Grandma Florence](#): > > Hahahahah! They blew up Congress!! 😃 Tripler Tee hee. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2008, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-the-us-government-would-have-to-be-killed-destroyed-before-it-collapsed/470925/46 "2008-11-06T00:57:50Z")
I think it would depend on how they were killed. If they were murdered one by one, you don’t have issues, if they are killed in say, a nuculear blast, it becomes problematic No special skills are needed for Congress. You don’t need to learn the rules, 'cause the rules were made by Congress itself. In fact 'cause most are lawyer, you might in theory, get better quality. The real problem would be in a nuclear blast, how much of the little workers would be out. For example, you can do without almost all of the management of a public transit system, but if you kill all the bus drivers it stops. An attack might unite people or it may panic them and set off riots. If this happend, well look at how much trouble the LA cops had with the Rodney King verdict. I remember after 9-11, they were repairing the John Hancock building and a huge piece of scaffolding fell down and killed a couple of people. I worked at the Westin across the street, and the cops completely panicked. They had no idea how to restore order. They were screaming “It could be a terrorist attack, we could have hundreds injured.” In Chicago when the subway caught fire, it’s was chaos, so I doubt if a city like Chicago, can barely manage a response to a stuck subway on fire, that a real tragedy, would start riots asap, with people panicking or trying to grab food or whatever. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-the-us-government-would-have-to-be-killed-destroyed-before-it-collapsed/470925.md?page=2)