Yikes! Minnesota going dry!

[3113]

And not by choice! Did you know that the government of Minnesota has shut down? Well never mind all the other problems this is going to cause, here's the one that's really worrying...

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.

All Minnesota AHers! Let us know how you're doing in this time of crisis. This is no time to put on a brave face. We know you're in dire need. Please. How can we help? Can we send you anything? Whiskey? Scotch? Vodka?

http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS3duhtTihB7LoXJSHuMDfqFa9m_ZywU0jIf2JRXtWRMqVaPsi96w
VM has agreed to share his beer.

Oh, and there's this other bear who says he's willing to make deliveries...kind of a funny looking bear, isn't he?

http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTe4aNyG64KvwH2mY-txxMTE6dHghGaht23J64tXPLId74gj-gvLQ

 

[oggbashan]

But if the state has shut down, surely there is no one to prosecute anyone for purchasing liquor without the cards?

Or will other states start bootlegging into Minnesota?

During the 1970s, parts of Wales were dry on Sundays and Sunday Trading Laws were very strict. But there was a loophole. The laws did not apply to sea-going vessels. A group of traders bought an old car ferry The Duke of Lancaster, moored it on the North Wales coast, and started selling alcohol and running a Sunday market on board.

When the laws changed, the business folded, but the old ferry is still on the coast.

Any scope for similar initiatives in Minnesota such as Indian Reservations, transit lounges? Surely the free market will find a way to meet the demand.

 

[stephen55]

VM has agreed to share his beer???

http://thewordin365.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/bear.jpg


...I don't think so...

 

[Handley_Page]

Perhaps it depends on the brand. . . . .

 

[ravenmx]

Miller now has to pull all of there beverages off shelves because their brand license expired.

I was also reading today that if the shutdown continues much past July cigarettes are going to be tough as well because the state is not handing out the tax stamps that must be put on the bottom.

 

[bronzeage]

They say people get the government they deserve.

This will be an interesting test of people's tolerance.

 

[ravenmx]

Well when you have a 5 billion dollar deficit tolerance tends to fly out the window. The part that kills me is they want to raise "sin" taxes. Cigarettes, alcohol etc.

Typically when you raise those and count that money as income to lower your deficit, you cause the people that are buying them to quit because the price is so high and then you are left wondering why that income is not coming in.

The other problem is more people are hurting then maybe they realize. Bars, resorts (fishing license), the elderly (many services shut down), the disabled (services again) and so on and so forth. At some point when do you realize that your at a impasse?

 

[R. Richard]

It's time for the bootleggers to step up!

 

[R. Richard]

As you can see, the mere suggestion of bootleggers was sufficient to send the Governor diving for cover. Comment?

Dayton Agrees to Republican Budget Proposal From June 30
Special session could be called within three days

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton sent a letter Thursday to House Speaker Kurt Zellers and Senate Majority Leader Amy Koch, saying he "reluctantly" agrees to accept the Republican budget proposal from June 30.

Dayton said accepting the offer would bridge a $1.4 billion gap between him and the Republican leadership. The governor says he has "serious reservations" about the GOP plan, but Minnesota’s government shutdown must end.

With an agreement in place, Dayton says he’s ready to call a special session to end the shutdown within three days.

"If this gets resolved and gets Minnesota back to work in the next few days, then it doesn't matter what people say about me,” Dayton said.