No Beer. No Cigarettes. No Government

What, no beer?  No cigarettes?  What in the hell is going on?  The Minnesota government shutdown is no joke, especially when the essentials are being denied to its populace:

Hundreds of bars, restaurants and stores across Minnesota are running out of beer and alcohol and others may soon run out of cigarettes — a subtle and largely unforeseen consequence of a state government shutdown.

In the days leading up to the shutdown, thousands of outlets scrambled to renew their state-issued liquor purchasing cards. Many of them did not make it.

Now, with no end in sight to the shutdown, they face a summer of fast-dwindling alcohol supplies and a bottom line that looks increasingly bleak.

Come Labor Day, cigarette smokers will be in the same bind.

The state has stopped issuing the tax stamps that distributors must glue to the bottom of every pack before it’s sold for retail.

Tax stamp?  That sounds awfully familiar.  Where have I heard of tax stamps before?  Oh yeah, that’s one of the complaints our founding fathers had back in 1700’s, but I digress. 

It took the denial of some of the basic food groups to bring the recalcitrant, Governor Mark Dayton back to the bargaining table:

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton and Republican leaders went behind closed doors at 2 p.m. Thursday to discuss a budget proposal with additional conditions that could end the state government shutdown. The trio emerged shortly after 5 p.m. to announce a "framework agreement" has been reached.

The meeting began after the governor sent a letter Thursday morning to House Speaker Kurt Zellers and Senate Majority Leader Amy Koch, saying he "reluctantly" agrees to accept the Republican budget proposal from June 30 if it will end the government shutdown .

“Despite my serious reservations about your plan, I have concluded that continuing the state government shutdown would be even more destructive for too many Minnesotans,” Dayton wrote in the letter. “Therefore, I am willing to agree to something I do not agree with – your proposal – in order to spare our citizens and our state from further damage.”

See what happens when Republicans stick to their guns.  Hopefully, the D.C. GOP will take notice.

Source: Dayton Agrees to Republican Budget to End Minnesota Shutdown http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/dpp/news/politics/mn-shutdown-dayton-agrees-republican-budget-july-14-2011#ixzz1S8XWrgge
http://www.startribune.com/politics/statelocal/125459928.html