Stay Classy, MN.

The news just gets worse. There is noone to process fishing licenses. Expect rampant lawlessness this summer, if anyone can find some beer.

If the shutdown goes long enough, they may run out of cigarettes as well. There will be a bunch of sober, nervous fishermen storming the Capitol.

Here in OK, at least in the Tulsa area, a 1.75 of 80 proof Smirnoff is ~$28 after tax.

The State Police are still going. Unsurprisingly they were out in massive #s on the weekend of the 4th. Conservation officers are still going (possibly with reduced \numbers, I'm not sure) but you can't buy a fishing license.

The(grossly oversimplified) MN budget crisis in short with small #s:

.. a few years ago...

GOP Government: Crap, we're going to be short, but there's nothing we want to be blamed for cutting. I know, let's borrow $100 form the education fund.

GOP Governor: We're short again, let's borrow another $100, because raising taxes is always evil and we should never ever do it, but we can't be blamed for actual cuts either...

...time warp to present...

Dem Governor [to GOP controlled legislature]: Umm... guys, are you planning on paying that money back that you took out to avoid raising taxes when even you couldn't find anything to cut?

GOP Legislature: Sure we'll pay $200 back to education and also cut the education budget by $200. Voila! The money gets "paid back" and we don't have to actually pay our bills. As a bonus, it'll be cheaper later. And we can share the blame for stealing the money with the now Democrat governor.

Dem Governor: How about no? I'll agree to cuts X, Y and Z, but you can't both not pay back education and cut their budget. That's just ridiculous, we'll need to raise taxes.

GOP Legislature: No! Taxes are always evil and we should put our fingers in our ears and go "lalalala" whenever anyone mentions reality and actual numbers.

Dem Governor: Hmm.. well we need to pay it back somehow, I know let's exclusively tax the very tip top and not tax anyone else so that I can't be blames for taxing (many) of my constituents.

GOP Legislature: How about no?

Dem Governor: Hmm.. well we need to pay it back somehow, I know let's exclusively tax the very tip top and not tax anyone else so that I can't be blames for taxing (many) of my constituents.

GOP Legislature: Well, to make sure we can spread the blame of ou rpast financial irresponsibility we're going to make sure we never pass a budget that would require raising taxes. But because we know we that's actually the correct answer [editors note: though the governors particular flavor of raising taxes is not the correct answer, he's far from blameless in all of this] afford it we're going to always include the screwing of education to ensure you have to veto it.

Essentially the budget shortfall is almost entirely the fault of the GOP's past actions, and so they get the lion's share of the blame. The stare down itself is because neither side is willing to levy taxes in a reasonable manner to pay for the GOPs past misdeeds with the education budget. The GOP at all, and the Dem's to more than the top couple %. So the remainder of the blame gets divvied up.

By this point, the lost income to the state has easily passed the total amount the deadlock is over, and continues to grow. Welcome to politics when you get elected on a "I'll never raise taxes no matter what" platform knowing that the income is going to need to be increased because you (or your buddies) already wrote the checks years ago.

Note: I simplified by only including education because it was easier to type. The GOP actually raided a few other funds that it doesn't want to have to pay back and is similary looking to "pay it back" by cutting the budget by the same amount it stole, eduction was just the most obvious example.

RossD wrote: I don't understand what your are trying to say? There is no problem with the beer sales or brewing of beer in Wisconsin.

Love New Glarus. Spotted Cow is my one of wife's favorite beers. Wish I could get it here in MN without going to Wisconsin, so I have to grab some whenever I'm in WI.

However, you may want to become more informed with the goings on in your own state.

Funny you mention New Glarus specifically though:

Deb Carey is not happy. "I'm so pissed off I can barely see," the founder of New Glarus Brewing Company says about the changes to beer wholesale licensing that the Joint Finance Committee approved Thursday.

keethrax wrote:

RossD wrote: I don't understand what your are trying to say? There is no problem with the beer sales or brewing of beer in Wisconsin.

Love New Glarus. Spotted Cow is my one of wife's favorite beers. Wish I could get it here in MN without going to Wisconsin, so I have to grab some whenever I'm in WI. However, you may want to become more informed with the goings on in your own state. Funny you mention New Glarus specifically though:

Deb Carey is not happy. "I'm so pissed off I can barely see," the founder of New Glarus Brewing Company says about the changes to beer wholesale licensing that the Joint Finance Committee approved Thursday.

I got a couple liquor stores I hit in Hudson on a regular basis, when my friends that are in the west metro wanna get their spotted cow on. I'm east metro, so I can be there in 20min. And then I get money... and sometimes pie.

In reply to keethrax:

I didn't hear anything about that.

stuart in mn wrote: If the shutdown goes long enough, they may run out of cigarettes as well. There will be a bunch of sober, nervous fishermen storming the Capitol.

Smokes are damn spendy in WI as well... like 2 bucks a pack more. That'll make em REAL cranky here.

RossD wrote: In reply to keethrax: I didn't hear anything about that.

Yep. I only did because I'm a huge New Glarus fan.

Looks like the impasse is over:

http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/dpp/news/politics/mn-shutdown-dayton-agrees-republican-budget-july-14-2011

Governor Dayton said: "Ignorance and arrogance are a very dangerous combination,” Dayton said. “Makes a democracy difficult to function.”

There are some people in DC who should take the same hint.

Awesome, more budget cuts and crap that's going to affect me. What REALLY gets me is it kinda proves to me how rich folk really do control everything. What's another 25k in taxes to the top 10% (I'm using a random here). Which means, when it comes time to do this E36 M3 again, it's going to be even worse. I'm moving to Canada.

mndsm wrote: Awesome, more budget cuts and crap that's going to affect me. What REALLY gets me is it kinda proves to me how rich folk really do control everything. What's another 25k in taxes to the top 10% (I'm using a random here). Which means, when it comes time to do this E36 M3 again, it's going to be even worse. I'm moving to Canada.

I've been starting to question the whole "supply-side economics" thing myself.

If it works so great for us plebians, why have real wages stagnated since it's implementation?

Gotta love the ol trickle down theory. I haven't seen squat from the rich... other than getting looked down on because I drive dirty cars through their neighborhoods. My problem is- what are they doing other than creating their own vicious cycle? Sure, we'll make...budget cuts. Sorry, schools, you're berkeleyed. Roads? You're berkeleyed. So- we have A- a bunch of fudges that are going to go without the proper education to be able to succeed in life as demand for increased knowledge to even get in the damn door rises... so the rich kids that can afford private tutors and fancy college are the only ones that will qualify for the jobs that they don't even need because they're already rich. So- you got the fudges, and the fudges are going to A- work at some BS job like McDonalds that is likely going to pay dick, or B- turn to crime, which=stealing my damn car. DO NOT WANT.

We also have B- screwed roads. So, I drive my car down the road and it hits a pothole and I torch my LCA and my shock on the right front. NBD for me, I can fix it myself. But what about the precision alignment I'm going to need after I fix that mess? Fudges aren't going to do it, they're too busy being undereducated working at Mcdonalds, or they've already stolen my car so I can't even take it anywhere to be ABLE to break it. Seems to me that richie rich is lining their pockets while trying to wipe their boots on my door step. Call me unhappy. And if they shove a bunch of pork on that bill that includes that STUPID football stadium.... i'm gonna riot.

DoctorBlade wrote: I wonder how many people have bootleggers in the family?

My great grand-uncle was a moon shiner. My grandfather is pretty sure there's a line of fence in Washington with bottles of booze still under some of the posts.

Salanis wrote:

DoctorBlade wrote: I wonder how many people have bootleggers in the family?

My great grand-uncle was a moon shiner. My grandfather is pretty sure there's a line of fence in Washington with bottles of booze still under some of the posts.

My dad has friends that are 'shiners currently. Mostly for their own enjoyment, but I've been privy to a jar or two. Lemme tell ya, REAL shine, corn and all...... will turn your face inside out.

As far as the roads issue, I read an answer on the Tulsa County web site that summed it up nicely, and likely applies to many areas in the country.

To summarize:

"In the last 40 years, Tulsa's land area has increase by 300% while only increasing 12% in population."

Lot of more infrastructure to maintain, with out the revenue to do so.

Salanis wrote:

DoctorBlade wrote: I wonder how many people have bootleggers in the family?

My great grand-uncle was a moon shiner. My grandfather is pretty sure there's a line of fence in Washington with bottles of booze still under some of the posts.

Heh. My grandfather did deliveries, and knew where all the places to pick it up was. As well as all the best illegal casinos and best dinners. Strange guy. :)

^ Sounds like a dude worth partying with.

mndsm wrote: Awesome, more budget cuts and crap that's going to affect me. What REALLY gets me is it kinda proves to me how rich folk really do control everything. What's another 25k in taxes to the top 10% (I'm using a random here). Which means, when it comes time to do this E36 M3 again, it's going to be even worse. I'm moving to Canada.

i live 50 miles from the North Dakota border.. it's starting to look a lot better on the other side of the Red River.. problem is that i like my job, and if i moved to ND i'd still be paying MN income taxes unless i found a different job..