Minnesota State Guvmint shuts down, will anyone notice?

[Hosakawa Tito]

No End in Sight... Hehehe, reminds me of the Belgium guvmint shut down. I'm waiting to hear from Lemur about the horrors of less guvmint. Meanwhile we can peruse the apocalypse from this article.

State parks were barricaded, and campers, Boy Scout troops and everyone else were sent on their way. Heading into a holiday weekend in a state that savors its summers outdoors, licenses for fishing, hunting, trapping, boats and ATVs were unavailable for purchase. And all around the State Capitol — the place where all the troubles began — the streets were eerily empty and official buildings locked, plastered with hand-taped signs that offered a gentle explanation: “This building is closed until further notice due to the current state government service interruption.”

Hmmm, so people just docily take no for an answer. License? We don't need no steenkin' license. My boat, ATV, car, and fishing pole work just fine without a license. Remove the barricades and use your parks. They belong to you, not some bunch of bureaucrats.

Even as the state found itself with no approved budget, certain state services deemed essential never stopped. State police patrol and prison operations went on, as did payments to the state’s schools and payments for food stamps, welfare benefits and some programs for the disabled.

Public safety, education, and most benefits for the poor and disabled are operating. So far so good.

But even within state agencies, officials found themselves sorting through what must keep going and what ought not. Most prison guards stayed put, for instance, but the state Department of Corrections said it was ending family and volunteers’ visits and yoga classes for prisoners and — if the shutdown lasts long enough for service to lapse — prisoners will see no more cable television.

No more visits, yoga class, or cable tv for convicted/incarcerated felons. My that is an outrage. We'll probably be getting a nasty note from the Feds & UN over that.

Until we hear from our man at ground zero, Lemur, we'll just have to endeavor to persevere. Like many families, guvmints don't have a revenue problem. They have a spending problem. When money is tight families have to economize, make hard choices between wants & needs, so too do guvmints. Bureaucrats greatest fear; being found to be unneccessary.

[Fisherking]

What is a Minnesota daddy? Can you drink it?

Anyway you already know that Lemur will blame the Republicans. But just like dancing, it takes two sides to reach an impasse.

Someone better call Jessie back from Mexico and see how to put things in order.

[Lemur]

Wow, I'm getting invoked a lot here. You both are aware that I live in Wisconsin, not Minnesota, correct? I know all northern states look the same to you people, but still ...

[edit]

Going on-topic: The biggest impact looks like it will be on construction crews and contractors, since MN has such a short construction season. Shuttering bridge and roadwork in the Great White North can have big, nasty, cascading impacts, especially when you're already on a tight schedule.

[Fisherking]

I know for sure you are in Wisconsin. I will leave out the cheese jokes. But who else would know there was a Minnesota? Everything between Montana and Michigan is pretty much flat and frozen most of the year, so yes it all looks the same.

That is of course unless Minnesota is the western most province of Sweden.

[Strike For The South]

Hosa, correct me if I'm wrong but as a CO doesn't New York State pay pay yor salary?

[Hosakawa Tito]

Wow, I'm getting invoked a lot here. You both are aware that I live in Wisconsin, not Minnesota, correct? I know all northern states look the same to you people, but still ...

[edit]

Going on-topic: The biggest impact looks like it will be on construction crews and contractors, since MN has such a short construction season. Shuttering bridge and roadwork in the Great White North can have big, nasty, cascading impacts, especially when you're already on a tight schedule.

Hehehe, you do get invoked a lot, probably because of your keen observation skills, insights, and opinions. Ya don't see any hoards of refugees decending upon the Badger State? No movement of the Cheese Head National Guard to the borders of the realm ? Ya know, I forgot about the Swedes, FK. They could deploy their lutefisk weapon of mass destruction in a frenzy of desperation and pick off their neighbors before they could defend themselves. What kinda cheese goes with lutefisk and Miller Lite, Lem ?


As far as roadwork is concerned. I live in the part of New York State that doesn't count, as far as the powers that run this Banana Republic are concerned. They manage to start multiple road & bridge jobs at one time, totally bork traffic flow, not complete any of them on time or budget. Sometimes I think less is more works better.

[Lemur]

What kinda cheese goes with lutefisk and Miller Lite, Lem ?

I think I just threw up in my mouth a little. Oh, and the locals in my part of the state are all about Bud Lite, not Miller Lite. Heathen.

Sometimes I think less is more [roadwork] works better.

Problem is that the contractors and companies that are doing the roadwork will be taking a serious hit. Like I said, here in the frozen northern wastes, construction season is short, so delays can cascade badly. No margin.

If the mindless hordes of Swedes try to invade Wisconsin, we will fight them to the death. Our cheeseheads will vanquish their lutafisk-popping barbarians.

-edit-

Remember, Fargo takes place in MN, Mystery Science Theater in WI. MN is responsible for Prince, WI for The Onion.

[Hosakawa Tito]

Hosa, correct me if I'm wrong but as a CO doesn't New York State pay pay yor salary?

Actually, the only money New York State has is what they confiscate from the people who pay taxes. So to be more precise, it's the people who pay more in taxes than they receive in benefits who pay my salary.

[Hosakawa Tito]

I think I just threw up in my mouth a little. Oh, and the locals in my part of the state are all about Bud Lite, not Miller Lite. Heathen.


Problem is that the contractors and companies that are doing the roadwork will be taking a serious hit. Like I said, here in the frozen northern wastes, construction season is short, so delays can cascade badly. No margin.

If the mindless hordes of Swedes try to invade Wisconsin, we will fight them to the death. Our cheeseheads will vanquish their lutafisk-popping barbarians.

-edit-

Remember, Fargo takes place in MN, Mystery Science Theater in WI. MN is responsible for Prince, WI for The Onion.

I can understand ya not liking fish jello, but picking imported Bud over yer homeboy Miller? Who's da heathen!
My money's on the cheeseheads, but this could get ugly.

[Strike For The South]

Actually, the only money New York State has is what they confiscate from the people who pay taxes. So to be more precise, it's the people who pay more in taxes than they receive in benefits who pay my salary.

Meh, We can debate how much of the cow we can hack off at a different time. If you went to these peoples houses and showed them that you put in a honest days work do you think they would oblige you and still pay your wages? No, they wouldn't. I'm just pointing out the whole "Sons of liberty" theme this thread has taken probably would be different if it Was Albany.

I just lol at people reveling over government shutdowns. It's every pseudo 18 year old liberitarians wet dream. I'm surprised you subscribe to tea party fever

[Lemur]

I can understand ya not liking fish jello, but picking imported Bud over yer homeboy Miller? Who's da heathen!

I've also seen a suspicious amount of Bud Lime being consumed. Whatever, all of those beers taste like soda water to me. I'm all about The Grumpy Troll. They have a stout that actually tastes better than Guinness. No joke.

In terms of Wisconsin patriotism, the big thing is Harleys. Just about every tax preparer, CPA or insurance agent can be seen out on them on Saturdays, weather permitting.

Don't government shutdowns usually wind up costing more than the status quo? Strange bit of business. From that I've heard on the radio, both the governor and the assembly have a reasonable share of blame for this one. Most of the blame, however, should go to the MN voters. They elected a Dem governor in 2010 on a platform of tax increases and budget reductions. Then they also elected a GOP assembly in the same year on a platform of no tax increases and budget reductions. Both the governor and the assembly are doing what they said they'd do. Stupid voting public!

-edit-

Also, a small measure of blame should go to the previous governor, who apparently used all sorts of accounting tricks to push expenses and accounts due forward to when he would no longer be in office.

[Hosakawa Tito]

Meh, We can debate how much of the cow we can hack off at a different time. If you went to these peoples houses and showed them that you put in a honest days work do you think they would oblige you and still pay your wages? No, they wouldn't. I'm just pointing out the whole "Sons of liberty" theme this thread has taken probably would be different if it Was Albany.

I just lol at people reveling over government shutdowns. It's every pseudo 18 year old liberitarians wet dream. I'm surprised you subscribe to tea party fever

Yeah, you got me. Maybe I'd feel different if it affected my department. Cuomo Announces Closure of 7 State Prison Facilities.

Reveling over government shutdowns? Hardly, but unfortunately many of the politicians calling the shots are the same morons who mismanaged this fandango in the first place. Kicking the can down the road for future generations to pay can no longer be an option. Someone has to start being the responsible adult, but we're stuck with the ones that were elected. Some of which are only concerned with staying on the gravy train and making sure "shared sacrifice" doesn't include them. Perhaps if the media would do it's job and ask all these tax and spend politicians what they are sacrificing along with the frontline workers would be a good start. After all, the benefits frontline public employee workers get are just the crumbs that fall off managements' plate. Maybe if it was hammered on in the media as much as public employees have been over the last few years the pain would be more equitably shared. I haven't seen any of that, have you? So, short of doling out the Gabby Giffords treatment to some of them, what do you suggest? Or is the prospect of turning into a Grecian welfare state appealing to you?

See what happens when I drink beer in the early afternoon...

[Strike For The South]

I'm all for responsible spending but I am also for responsible taxing which makes me a Commie/Terrorist/Kenyan depending on the day.

In other parts of the world I'm called an adult

[HoreTore]

I'm highly offended that you people confused Sweden with Norway.

Bastards.

Now apologize, before I get the longship ready....

[Fisherking]

I'm highly offended that you people confused Sweden with Norway.

Bastards.

Now apologize, before I get the longship ready....

What? Are there more Square-heads living in MN than Swedes? Someone must have died.

Anyway it is not the west most province of Norway. That would be Poulsbo, WA.

http://www.visitkitsap.com/kitsap.asp

The guy with the beard is a good friend of mine: http://vikingfest.org/history.htm

[HoreTore]

A place named Poulsbo must be danish. Pål is norwegian, poul is danish(and paul is english). Say the word out loud. Note the gutteral and awful sound you just made. Doesn't sound like the harmonious and melodic norwegian language, now does it...?

Anyway.... You mentioned lutefisk. Which is our crappy and uneatable foodstuff, it doesn't belong to those smelly meatballs to the east! They write the name for their version differently, but as swedish is impossible to read, I wouldn't know how they write it.

[Populus Romanus]

Nope, its Finnish. I've been there.

[Fisherking]

A place named Poulsbo must be danish. Pål is norwegian, poul is danish(and paul is english). Say the word out loud. Note the gutteral and awful sound you just made. Doesn't sound like the harmonious and melodic norwegian language, now does it...?

Anyway.... You mentioned lutefisk. Which is our crappy and uneatable foodstuff, it doesn't belong to those smelly meatballs to the east! They write the name for their version differently, but as swedish is impossible to read, I wouldn't know how they write it.

No when the town was named it was Paulsbo. Or what ever the place in Norway they came from was. When they sent an application for a Post Office the postmaster general misread the handwriting so the name became Poulsbo.

My wife speaks Norwegian. She has little trouble reading Swedish and Danish. She can’t understand much when it is spoken though. She reads the Old Norse from the Icelandic Sagas too though so maybe that helps.

But hop into your long ship just the same. The sea voyage might do you good and I would like to see what TSA dose when you get there.

[Ironside]

Anyway.... You mentioned lutefisk. Which is our crappy and uneatable foodstuff, it doesn't belong to those smelly meatballs to the east! They write the name for their version differently, but as swedish is impossible to read, I wouldn't know how they write it.

Det stavas "lutfisk" på svenska, men uppenbarligen kan du inte alls läsa det här. Och jag tror du blandar ihop det med "surströmming", som verkligen kan användas som ett luktmassförstörelsevapen.

Translation for everyone except Horetore :

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

It's spelled "lutfisk" in Swedish, but obviously, you can't read this. And I think you mixed it up with "sörströmming", that really can be used as a weapon of smelly mass destruction.

No when the town was named it was Paulsbo. Or what ever the place in Norway they came from was. When they sent an application for a Post Office the postmaster general misread the handwriting so the name became Poulsbo.

My wife speaks Norwegian. She has little trouble reading Swedish and Danish. She can’t understand much when it is spoken though. She reads the Old Norse from the Icelandic Sagas too though so maybe that helps.

Paulsbo has to be changed someway even before. Closest Swedish word would be Pålsbo, but Pålsby is even more likely.

I'm not sure how much Norwegian differs within the country (they got two different languages, Bokmål and Nynorsk), but with the Nowegians I've spoken to, it's like a heavy accent. You'll understand almost all of it, with a bit of focus.

[HoreTore]

At any rate, it's translation is "paul's city", so I don't think its a place in the ol' country, rather some rather ambitious settler....

And no, Ironside, we don't have two languagues. We have to written languagues, but none of them are oral. When we speak, we instead have a myriad of different dialects. Some of them are hard to understand for foreigners, some of them we don't understand ourselves either. More so when spoken quickly. Fortunately, most of us brush up and talk the oslo-dialect when talking with people with limited knowledge.

Anyway. It sure isn't as bad as skånsk... It's good that Anna Anka is out of the news now, I would've killed myself if I had to endure more of her nose.

[Ironside]

And no, Ironside, we don't have two languagues. We have to written languagues, but none of them are oral. When we speak, we instead have a myriad of different dialects. Some of them are hard to understand for foreigners, some of them we don't understand ourselves either. More so when spoken quickly. Fortunately, most of us brush up and talk the oslo-dialect when talking with people with limited knowledge.

Anyway. It sure isn't as bad as skånsk... It's good that Anna Anka is out of the news now, I would've killed myself if I had to endure more of her nose.

True, poor explaination from my side. It became two written laguages after a half-failed writing reform iirc. I do have some vague memories that the regions were Nynosk is mostly used, the dialects are easier to understand for Swedes or something. Might be reversed even. One is easier to read for a Swede anyway.

And what's this? You mean you don't like people less useful than Paris Hilton and makes you wonder how the hell some people get famous?

[HoreTore]

Anka is a prostitute with full time employment. That's ok, what's not ok is her dialect...

[Hosakawa Tito]

I'm all for responsible spending but I am also for responsible taxing which makes me a Commie/Terrorist/Kenyan depending on the day.

In other parts of the world I'm called an adult

Perhaps you missed this part of the article.

Even as the state found itself with no approved budget, certain state services deemed essential never stopped. State police patrol and prison operations went on, as did payments to the state’s schools and payments for food stamps, welfare benefits and some programs for the disabled.

And failed to compare it with this part.

But even within state agencies, officials found themselves sorting through what must keep going and what ought not. Most prison guards stayed put, for instance, but the state Department of Corrections said it was ending family and volunteers’ visits and yoga classes for prisoners and — if the shutdown lasts long enough for service to lapse — prisoners will see no more cable television

Can you pick out the responsible spending/responsible taxing parts from the irresponsible wasteful part? I know you can, and I also believe that we have more in common in determining what's responsible in how taxpayer money is spent. Most state budgets are rife with irresponsible nanny-state waste of taxpayer money. State spending = taxpayer spending. People who received more benefits from the taxpayers than they payed in taxes have no "skin in the game", why should they be allowed to vote?
Ironically, the Bush tax cuts made the divide between the income-tax payers and the non payers wider by exempting from federal income taxes a large number of low-income earners. What happens to a society where as many people pay into the system as take out of it? It becomes divided, permanently.
We have a system where 50% of the people pay payroll taxes and very little income tax and the other 50% pay payroll taxes and most of the income tax. It’s insidious because lower-income people think they are paying their payroll taxes to fund Medicare and Social Security. In theory that’s correct, but we haven’t used Medicare and Social Security taxes solely for that purpose since LBJ was President.

[Lemur]

Yo Hosa,

Just a note, but the majority of state-level services are usually funded by taxes other than income tax, no? Sales tax, fees, etc. I know that jacking up every fee was part of how MN's previous budget problems were solved. Seems as though the quesion of income tax is more relevant on the Federal level than the state.

[Hosakawa Tito]

Lemur, I'm from the state of New York. You've lived in the Empire Vampire State before so you have experienced that "giant sucking sound" emanating from Albany. State income taxes, for us 8%, are just another part of the shakedown. Sales tax 9%, Medicaid 4.3%, School Tax rate 17 cents per $1000, County Property tax the same. Plus various consumption taxes, fees *a tax by a different name*, licenses, registrations, etc...

I'm speaking from a "New York state of mind". If one could tax & spend to prosperity than New York State would be Economic Utopia. I can assure you all it is the exact opposite. New York doesn't have a revenue problem. It has a systemic spending problem that no other state or the fed should emulate. That is the point I'm trying to make. New York has been and has continued to kick the can down the road in fixing the spending problem. How many other states have similar issues?

I get frustrated getting up before dawn to drive to work, passing by houses of people still in bed, some of whom are either able to work but can't find a job or others who are too lazy and comfortable on state benefits to even try. New York makes it too easy & convenient not to work, and much too easy to game the system. I am drug tested by my employer, New York State, to hold & keep my job. Those that collect welfare, medicaid, food stamps from the state are not. If ya got money for recreational drugs than ya don't need benefits intended for the truly needy. There needs to be put in place, policies that incentivize the need to work and help to carry the load. How many other states have similar issues? I have no problem helping the truly needy & disabled, but if your only handicap is laziness than I don't care to subsidize that behavior.


@ Strike: you'll be a full fledged and blooded adult when you get a job and help pay for all these taxes.

[Lemur]

Sure, I remember the NY state income tax, and lord knows I paid tens of thousands into it, maybe more. I was a high earner in NYC. Then again, I was getting a lot of value back in the form of police, public trains, good roads, etc. And everyone I knew was gainfully employed, so I lacked exposure to the welfare/disability cheats who have your blood riled.

I guess I'm some sort of closet Scandanavian. I like to work hard and earn, but I don't mind taxes if I get value back from them in the form of good public services and a stable society.

[Tellos Athenaios]

I guess I'm some sort of closet Scandanavian. I like to work hard and earn, but I don't mind taxes if I get value back from them in the form of good public services and a stable society.

... that also explains why you ended up in Wisconsin.

@Hosa: forgive me if I'm wrong but isn't the whole idea behind yoga classes for inmates that they'll have something else to focus on beating up other inmates or drugs sidelines?

[Samurai Waki]

I love you guys... Both state and federal government misappropriate the hell out of taxes; Does that mean taxes are bad? Hell no, but Republicans want to eat their cake without paying for it, and Democrats have already ate their cake and left an IOU.

[B-Wing]

Rather off-topic, but my current residence of Birmingham, Alabama is proposing a "non-user fee" to fund their new sewer system. What that means is that, since the local government can't quite pay the project off, they want to charge people who don't use the sewer to help pay for it. I think it's brilliant. If the federal government would take that idea and run with it, maybe we could tax citizens of other countries for not living in ours. Would the UN be cool with that?

[Strike For The South]

HI DAD!

But I have a job, hell they even gave me a 401k and an insurance package. Now it is true I recivied a federal refund but that is where working fulltime and being a fulltime student is rewarded. The feds don't count on that! The Fools!

I don't however own any property and that is how the State of Texas gets you

Let's be honest "shutdown" is a msnomer when all those services are still running and yes the parts you bolded are foolish. I just took issue with the glee like op. I like being a poliecmist