(Opp, Alabama) As the aftermath of the longest US government shut down unwinds, libertarians are reassessing their values. Long known as loud critics of the government - and for repeated calls to disband it- online libertarian communities are calling for a reevaluation of those beliefs, and advocating a world where all government goes away, but not SNAP benefits.

“Them was some hard weeks,” said Scooter Pullham, a Tuskegee resident. “Why is it the meter man comes by every time to cut your power, but the food stamps can just stop. We need to end all the people in charge, except the ones that do what we want.” He gestured to the jumper cables he uses to provide power to his trailer. “These ain’t illegal. I got them from a store parking lot.”

Scooter’s concerned are echoed strongly in libertarian circles. Shaken by the shutdown, and how food payments suddenly stopped, many now call for a limited form of government - one where they pay no taxes, follow no laws, but are given free money for food twice a month. “This really helped us crystalize our message,” said Jessup “Freedom” Strucker, a Libertarian podcaster for ‘Strucker Nation.’ “We don’t want anyone in our business or in yours… but we do want money to keep coming to us for food. We thank the government for shutting down to remind us of this… just do it again without the food part.

Part of the new messaging is a new Gadsden flag, featuring the same “don’t tread on me” slogan, but featuring a snake coiled around a box of macaroni and cheese. Strucker says libertarians are stronger for knowing where government should end, and handouts begin. “We accept that we need limited help, but that help should come from us all. When something doesn’t help us, though, you can leave that part out.”