People in Minnesota are furious over the state government shut down. About 23,000 state workers have been furloughed. Marriage licenses aren’t being issued now and state parks have closed. Campers have been evicted. Water and electricity have been shut off. No flags are flying over state buildings, starting Friday.
The private sector will also be hit as professional licensing and alcohol licensing will not be done. Pharmacies won’t get paid by health and human services. State highway construction ground to a halt. Rest stops were closed. Wayside rest areas are closed also, causing a danger to weary travelers over a holiday weekend. Even the race track will be closed because of state regulation. $1 million loss in revenue is projected.
According to the Washington Post:
The details of the Minnesota government’s shutdown show what can go wrong when no agreement can be reached. Last week, a judge ruled that only core government functions — public safety, welfare programs, care for residents in state facilities such as prisons, preservation of the government financial system and necessary administration functions — would continue if the government were shuttered.
When lawmakers failed to fend off the shutdown, about 20,000 state workers were officially laid off.
The governor shut things down. This is the paralysis that comes from two sides not being able to reach an agreement on the budget. There was also an impasse 6 years ago.
Do the people of Minnesota have a right to be angry? Should the governor shut down the government when a budgetary agreement could not be reached? Why didn’t they wait until after the holiday? Wouldn’t most people pay a little more in taxes to be able to have services? I think most of us acknowledge that there is just no free lunch.
http://www.startribune.com/opinion/otherviews/124888594.html
“We have met the enemy and he is us.”
Pogo
Here’s a chance for Minnesotans to get off the teat of the government. Just think if some of these programs were privatized or regulated through private agencies.
Marriage Licenses? We’ve had that discussion about getting gov’t out of marriage.
Rest areas? Danger? So…there’s no exits with restaurants, hotels, etc?
Race Track? Why should that be affected? Strange.
Here’s their chance to knock of the shackles of government dependency.
Mr. and Mrs. Traveler just walk their dog up to McDonalds and let it relieve itself over behind the junipers.
Get real. You know, an awful lot of people want and like state services.
Who wants a life of pay toilets. I guess you want to fish without a license also? No state parks. No federal parks. You know what happens when land is privatized like that. See Rock Mountain. And if it is worth seeing, only those who can afford it can enjoy the beauty.
Ever been to Sedona, AZ? The McCains live near there, up Oak Creek Canyon. SEveral of the red rock canyons have been bought be private enterprizes and developed. The establishments are either beautiful gated communities or very costly resorts. Million dollar plus homes or $400-500 dollar a night establishments.
Those places are just out of reach for the average person. Part of a government’s job is to preserve our resources for all of us and for those who come after us. Man has a natural tendency towards greed. That often gets in the way of preservation for ALL.
Cargo, I have never met a person so hell bent on propping up the rich in my life.
I agree with Cargo here.
Because the govt can’t regulate the betting at at Race Track it has to shut down? Really? Does that mean every Denny’s has to shut down because there are no health inspectors?
I also haven’t seen a McDonald’s off a highway ‘charge’ to use a toilet.
We’re not saying get rid of ALL government services — just the ones the govt has no business being in.
I *want* a police force to keep the poor people off my yard, after all. 😉
You see, there you go….taking it to the extremes…..
I said nothing about selling off parks. Fishing without a license? No…those fees are well managed and dedicated to managing the wildlife and fisheries. But I have fished without a license. But where did you get that I want to privatize parks and such? Now….hiring a private agency to run them….that might be better. That would save benefit costs to the state. And I say that as one that has thought of going into the Park Service.
I was talking about services. So…who judges how safe cars are? A private agency. Why not privatize things like that?
The services will still be there. Garbage collection? Private. Public utilities? Private. Liquour sales? If not private, should be. How am I propping up the rich when I’m trying to give more power to the private citizen? It is the rich that get politically connected and then can control how things from the gov’t can be allocated.
If a service is privatized, it is less dependent upon politics and its doesn’t have single point failure. You can always find another competitor.
I support state and federal parks. I’m not a complete libertarian. But I do see that a growing dependency on government for services is not a good thing.
Perfect example: who regulates the quality of business? The BBB. If you check with them, and you find bad reports, would you use that business?
We’ve gotten so used to the gov’t doing things that we stopped realizing that private agencies are available to some of the things needed.
Cargo, I was just responding. I put your name at the end, after my general remarks. Don’t go all paranoid on me. That’s MY job–to go paranoid.
Those weren’t extreme answers actually. If there were no rest stops, that is exactly what would happen. Why should McDonalds pick up the load for the state? Who does doggie doodle duty when 500 dogs relieve themselves out behind the yucca plants?
I bet at least 500 dogs stop at any Virginia rest stop on any given day.
When putting everything in the hands of private citizens, the not so wealthy often can’t afford private services. I was actually thinking about parks and recreational things. I know people who bitched about paying $20 to go to one of the national parks. They felt they couldn’t afford it.
marin, I think there have to be inspectors at all the gambling sites because of the nature of gambling.
I wondered if the state cops were doing routine patrol in Minnesota? As long as the state is involved in marriage, and one has to have a license, then one needs to be able to purchase said license. You also would need a civil union license regardless of the status of marriage.
I do think you all prop up the rich and penalize the poor.
You see, there you go….taking it to the extremes…..
I said nothing about selling off parks. Fishing without a license? No…those fees are well managed and dedicated to managing the wildlife and fisheries. But I have fished without a license. But where did you get that I want to privatize parks and such? Now….hiring a private agency to run them….that might be better. That would save benefit costs to the state. And I say that as one that has thought of going into the Park Service.
I was talking about services. So…who judges how safe cars are? A private agency. Why not privatize things like that?
The services will still be there. Garbage collection? Private. Public utilities? Private. Liquour sales? If not private, should be. How am I propping up the rich when I’m trying to give more power to the private citizen? It is the rich that get politically connected and then can control how things from the gov’t can be allocated.
If a service is privatized, it is less dependent upon politics and its doesn’t have single point failure. You can always find another competitor.
I support state and federal parks. I’m not a complete libertarian. But I do see that a growing dependency on government for services is not a good thing.
Perfect example: who regulates the quality of business? The BBB. If you check with them, and you find bad reports, would you use that business?
We’ve gotten so used to the gov’t doing things that we stopped realizing that private agencies are available to do some of the things needed.
My view it is not so much government doing everything, it is there is no threat to the elected bodies if they bend, break, avoid the rules. For the many years as a Contracting Officer and Comptroller in the Military, I had to play by those rules – I was allowed a 3% variance (+/-) on my budget…and if I did not make damn sure where the funds where, the Big Hotel on the Kansas Plains awaited me. Along with loss of pay, reduction in rank, and Dishonrable Discharge.
No such Sword of Damocles exists for the politicos…maybe it should. Manage the funds or somewhere interesting other than Club Fed.
A modest tax increase on the wealthiest 2% of state residents would resolve the whole thing.
So says the guy living off government retirement, I presume? Who do you think pays your benefits?
@Moon-howler
“marin, I think there have to be inspectors at all the gambling sites because of the nature of gambling.”
What about the nature of medicine? Should not a government employee oversee a doctor as he cuts into me? Should they not oversee a nurse dispensing my medication? How about lottery ticket vendors? That’s gambling but they don’t have a bureaucrat behind the counter watching as the vendor slings slurpees and lotto tickets.
I just don’t get it.
Starry, how about we tax the 50% of people that don’t pay taxes? What if those 2% choose to leave the state? Look at what happened in CA when they did the same.
Raymond’s point is that there isn’t an incentive to reign in govt spending from the politicians. The system can and will eventually fail when we spend more than we can fund and the check comes due.
@Starryflights
Starrry, I know who pays my military retirement benefits….and I know what my Social Security and FICA amounts are. I choose the occupation, I accept what happened leading to my disability. I also know the “great benefits” via retired pay is not a guarentee and the Veterans Administration is a failed promise.
My point was on there is no accountability by the elected when they do not follow fiscal law, rules and procedures. It is only once outside the great domes the axe may fall.
You’ve got that right, Raymond. For those of us not in that “great dome,” one way to have your day ruined very quickly was for a green eyeshade, military or civilian, to show up at your door and state in their usually lugubrious tone: “Something is not right with this accounting your division submitted.”