Schools closed. Building permits were on hold. Renewing a driver's license was impossible.

Many basic functions of Puerto Rico's government were unavailable Monday as the U.S. commonwealth ran out of money and imposed a partial public-sector shutdown — putting nearly 100,000 people — including 40,000 teachers — out of work and granting an unscheduled holiday to 500,000 public school students...

...Puerto Rico is saddled with a $740 million budget shortfall because the legislature and the governor have been unable to agree on a spending plan since 2004. Conflicting sales tax proposals have been floated that would allow the island to secure a line of credit so it could pay public salaries through the end of the fiscal year on June 30. The island currently has no sales tax...

...Overnight, the leader of the Senate proposed a 5.9 percent sales tax that he said would raise enough money to pay off an emergency $532 million line of credit that the government needs to finish the fiscal year.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060501/..._rico_shutdown

holy crap.