Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton is a scion of the Target family, but we forgive him for his ties to the union-busting behemoth. Dayton wants to raise taxes by a tiny amount in order to balance the budget without savagely cutting setate services. The GOP is refusing to compromise.
The state has been shut down since July 1, and today Dayton is taking his case to the public (today he's in St. Cloud) with a series of roundtables along with the youtube video above. In it, he said,
I believe the future of Minnesota is at stake. Our way of life, what makes Minnesota special and successful, hangs in the balance.(Sound familiar?)
Marketplace explains how the shutdown affects ordinary Minnesotans (not much, but it will get worse):
Critical functions like highway patrol, health services and even the zoo are still open. But political scientist Steve Smith says the inconveniences are mounting: like trouble getting a building inspection or a driver's license.And, we learn, from MPR,
About 300 bars, restaurants and liquor stores around Minnesota are unable to buy alcohol right now because of the government shutdown. A court appointed referee overseeing the shutdown will take up their case today.The Minnesota Independent -- a newspaper in a very Republican area -- supported Dayton's budget if it did as much as possible to protect state services and prevent cuts to social programs. Opines the independent:
Our policymakers need to protect those services because doing so will protect our vulnerable residents. The Independent spoke with two people Friday who rely on public transportation for social and health reasons. A woman from Marshall feared that her way of living, her quality of life, will suffer because she wouldn't have a way to get around to do her volunteer work or get her meds. A man who lives outside of Tracy worried about how he will get his wheelchair-bound wife to Marshall every day for treatment and therapy.There'll be a rally tomorow at the Statehouse in St. Paul, according to the tweetosphere. @DubMasterC tweets:
Spread the word. If u r sick of the #mnshutdown come to the capitol on wed @ noon. Dem, rep or indie, dont care.Follow Dayton's roundtable today live here at the uptake.
