A Better Shut-Down Plan

Yes, the game of blink has begun in Minnesota. Will Governor Dayton or the state legislature capitulate in the midst of the massive governmental shutdown resulting from the failure to settle a budget? Republican lawmakers had suggested approving a short-term budget to keep the government running, but Mr. Dayton said he wasn't interested.

It is difficult not to see Dayton's refusal as anything other than a strategy of inflicting maximum pain for political gain. For example, the department that issues hunting and fishing licenses is closed, but the enforcement department is still running to apprehend any sportsman who dares to proceed without the license that is impossible to obtain. Some of the departments targeted for closure defy rationality. The lottery, that money-generator for our state government,is shut down. The Minnesota Zoo is closed for the viewing of animals, but not for an evening concert series. Given the hefty $18 dollar admission fee for a day of animal viewing, it is inconceivable that it wouldn't be fiscally responsible to keep the revenue flowing in, since animal care and feeding costs must still be borne during the shut-down. It seems that Dayton & Company hope that throngs of sportsmen, lottery players, and families wanting to see polar bears will shout the legislature into submission.

Dayton's wisest course of action on behalf of Minnesotans, other than simply agreeing to the reasonable budget proposed by the legislature, would be to shut down his own office. Please, Gov: your toadies would still get unemployment benefits.