To: State Employees (who find themselves on-camera with one of the local TV stations that are devoting slavering coverage to the (DFL side of the) shutdown.
From: Mitch Berg, schnook taxpayer.
Re: Priorities
Dear state employees:
Sorry about the whole shutdown situation. You do realize that Governor Dayton could end this whole thing at any moment by accepting the balanced GOP budget that’s been on the table for almost two months.
But I’d like to talk with those of you that’ve been on camera with Channels 4, 5, 9 and 11 on every single newscast for the past couple of weeks, asking how you plan on getting by without a state paycheck.
“Prioritize!”, some of you say. “Gotta pay the rent and the mortgage”, you intone.
“It’s tough out there”, one of you actually said.
Just a quick question, asked with all due respect; what do you think all of us in the private sector have been doing?
That is all.
People try to live within their income so they can afford to pay taxes to a government that can’t live within its income. -Robert Half
“It’s tough out there”, one of you actually said.
I’m almost amused by that statement given how economic conditions have been for those of us in private enterprise compared to how government has fared.
Government employees, consider this the tiniest introduction to what the rest of us have been going through since 2008.
“It’s hard out there for a pimp.”
“Prioritize!”, some of you say. “Gotta pay the rent and the mortgage”, you intone.
Mitch wrote – Just a quick question, asked with all due respect; what do you think all of us in the private sector have been doing?
How about this alternative? – Just a quick question, asked with all due respect; what do you think the legislature is asking the Governor to do?
Kermit bringing it with a Three-Six Mafia reference. West side is the best side, yo.
Fearless prediction: Traffic will be even lighter than normal for the day before a holiday weekend.
To the “laid-off” workers: “Well, the world needs ditch diggers too.”
“Well, the world needs ditch diggers too.”
“Unfortunately, the shovel ready projects weren’t as shovel ready as we anticipated.” – Barack Obama
The other thing Dayton could have done (and I’m speaking as a state employee) is sign off on what’s been agreed upon for weeks in separate departmental bills, and leave us with a shutdown only affecting specific departments/programs. Of course, limiting the impact of the shutdown has never been his goal.
Unless you count shoveling money to the bankers.
“Well, the world needs ditch diggers too.”
These days they use a directional drill goes under ground and then pulls the utility (gas line, fiber optic cable, etc) back from the other side. This drill requires one guy steering the drill and another to attach the utility when the drill gets to the pull back point. Obama will learn that like his ATM example, this machine has eliminated the need for ten guys doing ‘shovel’ part of ‘shovel ready’ work.
Well the Obama administration (and to a similar degree Mark Dayton) have been actively shoveling. There just isn’t a huge demand for manure in the federal or state capitols. It’s like carrying coal to Newcastle. Or opening a TJ Maxx on 5th Ave on Rodeo Drive.
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donlokk:
You’re probably smarter than 99% of your fellow state workers. Not to mention seeing through their lies. I believe your union president is Mike Bunnsing. I got a tape message from him on a number that my caller id said was “Unknown Caller”
In it he asked the Republicans to meet governor Dayton half way. Um last years budget 30 billion. Dayton’s proposal $37.1 billion. Halfway $3.6 billion. Republicans offered a $4 billion spending increase. Mike they already met the governor halfway if you haven’t been paying attention.
Walter Hanson
Minneapolis, MN
“You do realize that Governor Dayton could end this whole thing at any moment by accepting the balanced GOP budget that’s been on the table for almost two months.”
And more than that: he should.
The only reason he doesn’t like a “piece-meal” budget approach is that it would provide him with less leverage.
A shutdown happened? I heard Mad Mark was reporting saying “put a lime in the coconut and call me in the morning”.
Dayton takes a hard run at negotiations:
Brudder bought a coconut, He bought it for a dime
His sister (AFBM) had anudder one she paid it for a lime
He put de lime in de coconut, she drank ’em bot’ up
He put de lime in de coconut and called de doctor, woke ‘im up
And said, ‘Doctor, ain’t there nothin’ I can take?’
I said, ‘Doctor, to relieve this belly ache’
I said ‘Doctor, ain’t there nothin’ I can take?’
I said, ‘Doctor, now lemme get this straight’
You put the lime in the coconut, you drink ’em bot’ up
Put the lime in the coconut, you drink ’em bot’ up
Put the lime in the coconut, you drink ’em bot’ up
Put the lime in the coconut
You’re such a silly Gov???????
This shutdown has done the worst thing possible – it has alerted me to the world of the MN lefty Twitterverse.
Oh My DFL-Approved Deity.
There is no comment so inane, so instantly disproven, or so optimized to scare City Pages readers that it would not be spit out and retweeted.
Seriously kids, Soros isn’t paying all of you. Stop offering to work for free.
Best part of the evening was watching Mike Pomeranz on KARE 11 admit that the governor refuses to call the legislature back into session. Pomeranz looked like someone shot his dog.
This becomes the laboratory for the national shut down. I think MN will survive in the end. If the GOP in Washington holds Professor O’Barry’s feet to the first we can force him to make spending cuts by not raising the debt ceiling untils he does.
Unfortunately GOP stands for: Golfers Old Party
Scott, I think that song describes Quantitative Easing, and the prescription for more Quantitative Easing.
My God….MY GOD! The government shut down and….I made it to work this morning! HOW CAN THIS BE?!?!? THE GOVERNMENT IS NOT WORKING AND I WAS TOLD THE WORLD WOULD COME TO AN END!!!!!
***Gasp***
Well, I’ll just have to hope that tomorrow, I can make it another day!
Here’s a way to highlight just how phony this piecemeal approach is.
The governor is agreement on the $14 billion education bill.
He’s in agreement on the $5 billion transportation bill.
It’s quite obvious that his extra spending of $1.7 billion is in the other bills.
It’s quite obvious that his tax increases will go to the other bills.
There is no reason to hold these bills hostage unless he’s using them inflict pain on the state of Minnesota which his veto of the transportation budget clearly did to get leverage to try to get his tax increase.
Walter Hanson
Minneapolis, MN
I had a little problem with Quantitative Easing that was solved with more fiber in my diet.
With the Gov shut down I’ve found myself looking upward waiting for the sky to fall…..waiting…..waiting…..waiting…..hmmmmm
Day one of government shutdown; sky has not fallen yet here in Waseca. Will keep you posted, unless of course Waseca simply falls off the edge of the world into Iowa.
Where Governor Jimbeam has decidedly less power…….secession isn’t sounding so bad right now. “Oh I wish I were…..in the land of hog farms….county fairs and big old red barns….slip away……slip away…..slip away…. to Hawkeye Land! Oh I wish I were a Hawkeye, away, away….in Hawkeye land I’ll make my stand, to live and die a Hawkeye….”
From the Strib:
“Republicans continued their almost evangelical crusade against higher taxes”
No mention of the DFL’s “Almost evangelical zeal” to raise taxes. Gotta love the Strib.
http://www.startribune.com/politics/statelocal/124824189.html?page=2&c=y
I saw that “Evangelical” bit, too. The Strib knows what words scare its core readership the most.
Strib???? No way! I’d rather hug a tree!
If a tree falls in the woods, and there’s no one there, does it avoid bankruptcy?
Bubba declares the “sky has not fallen yet here in Waseca”.
There is no more Waseca. From now on it will be known as Targeton.
Gotta love the Strib.
No. I don’t.
Waseca still standing strong. Hawkeye flags all around, looks like secession is imminent.
And we have no Target store here in Waseca.
Haven’t verified this, but the person that told me has no reason to lie.
He commutes into St. Paul from New Richmond, WI. Claims that the Welcome to MN sign had a big white banner across it this morning with a big, red CLOSED spray painted on it. He noticed it too late to take a picture, but said he noticed several people behind him quickly pulling over to the left lane and slowing down, ostensibly to take one.
If it did happen, it’s hilarious!
oh god, sounds like an urban legend but Boss I’m going to dig and see what I come up with