Who’s Shutting Down Minnesota?

The Republicans have already passed a budget, but Governor Dayton won’t sign on to the deal unless it includes tax increases, a demand Republicans will not accept. Who will blink first?

State shutdown would be a leap into unknown

In 19 days, Minnesotans could endure the most wide-reaching government shutdown in state history, with little sense of when it might end.

Across the vast enterprise of state government, agency heads are scrambling to come up with closure plans. State leaders have no real playbook for blinking off such an enormous government machine, so they must wade into an array of wrenching decisions and legal scuffles, knowing they risk turning Minnesota into a national spectacle of partisan gridlock.

“We the citizens will lose immeasurably,” said former Gov. Arne Carlson, adding that Minnesota could become a test case for a wave of shutdowns in politically deadlocked states. “It raises serious questions about where America is going and where Minnesota is going.”

See also:
A shutdown looms, questions linger
State layoff notices sent as questions dominate
Minn. workers warned about shutdown layoffs
Minnesota sends layoff notices to prep for shutdown
Government shutdown would mean hiring freeze
OPINION | A shutdown ain’t nothin’ but a shutdown
No good from shutdown
AFSCME Urges Minn. GOP Lawmakers to Compromise, Avoid Shutdown
New lawmakers willing to negotiate, but not on taxes or total spending
A Q & A about Minnesota budget, possible shutdown

If the Minnesota government shuts down, who will be responsible or, to put it another way, who should take the blame? To find the answer, let’s go back to the 2010 election. Minnesota voters, for the first time in four decades, overwhelmingly swept the Republicans into control of both chambers of the legislature. Mark Dayton, on the other hand, was barely elected Governor by the narrowest of margins after a close recount. The message Minnesotans sent was crystal clear, they want lower taxes and less government spending, period. Minnesota is already one of the most highly taxed states, additional taxes would only make the state less economically competitive.

/so take your tax increase fixation and shove it up your ass Governor Dayton, the people have spoken, the Republicans have passed a budget, and if the Minnesota government shuts down, it’s your [expletive deleted] fault!