It's been almost two weeks since the Minnesota government shut down. And, until today, I didn't believe there was much hope for a comeback any time soon since the Republican house and the Democratic governor have not been able to see eye to eye on much of anything.
So far, none of the sad stories have moved them...
- Not the thousands of poor and disabled folks whose funds have dried up...
- Not the government workers who've had to postpone house loans, college tuition and everything else other than basic necessities due to no income. (By the way, the legislators are still paying themselves.)
- Not the new adoptive parents camped out in a motel room in Wisconsin with a two week old baby because they can't get the legal papers signed to bring him home to Minnesota,
- Not the closing of the rest stops on the highways so you can't stop at a place like Goose Creek Rest Area (but I guess if you were truly desperate you could just use Goose Creek.)
But the headlines in today's paper tell us that hundreds of bars and restaurants in Minnesota are running out of alcohol because their state issued purchasing cards need to be renewed. Maybe this is the impetus these lawmakers need to turn the corner in what so far could be called anything but negotiating.
I heard a guy with the Minnesota Licensed Beverage Association being interviewed on the radio this morning. The host asked how serious this issue really is. The guy answered,
We could run out of beer this weekend.
Yes, it's that serious!
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