Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Minnesota shutdown: Unintended consequences - Updated

I was just thinking last night I hadn't heard any news about this in a while. Looks like the Minnesota shutdown is getting ugly:
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.
It's only a few hundred bars right now. The cigarette vendors are likely to totally crash first. Also, too, the state stands to lose millions in tax revenue from the lost sales. GOPers are of course blaming the Governor for their own refusal to negotiate a realistic budget that would reopen the state offices. Cause that's how they roll...

Update: Not rejoicing in anyone's misfortune and feel bad for their workers, but good to see it's not just the little guys who are going to suffer the losses:
The state's government shutdown, now in its 13th day, will soon force MillerCoors to pull its beer from Minnesota liquor stores, bars and restaurants. A state official says the law requires the company to remove products like Coors Light, Miller Lite and Blue Moon imminently. [...]

Neville says MillerCoors must remove the beer because they did not renew their brand label registration with the state before the shutdown began. By law, brewers must renew those registrations -- which show the label on each brand of beer -- every three years.

Maybe now that it's the big Republican supporters losing the big bucks, they'll be able to get the GOPers to negotiate. [Via Atrios]

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]

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4 Comments:

Blogger tyreea said...

"Maybe now that it's the big Republican supporters losing the big bucks, they'll be able to get the GOPers to negotiate."

The US Government is borrowing $.43 on every dollar it spends. Most State governments are also in huge trouble. And out there, on the internet, there are thousands if not millions of people who think that "negotiations" can fix this. The only thing that can fix this problem is a government that stops piling on debt and cuts deep to pay off the debt it has accumulated. Let's eliminate Obama's tax cuts if you want, but the deep cuts are coming, or bankruptcy. And most of us won't go the way of the radicals and choose bankruptcy.

12:53:00 AM  
Blogger Capt. Fogg said...

Deep cuts or bankruptcy? Look, the tax cuts were sold to us in the 80's as a sure fire way to increase government revenue. It's never worked at all - not even a tiny bit, so why don't we just give up on the idea that you can run a multi-trillion dollar war with a military budget bigger than we had in WW II on the increased revenue the Republicans promised?

We're in debt because we cut government revenue and we cut government revenue because a few people wanted to get richer. They didn't and you probably didn't either. You want regime change in the middle east and you want to be at war for decades? Well then you need to pay for it and maybe you need to decide there are things America needs more than war. What about making some war profiteers who got no bid contracts pay some taxes?

9:51:00 AM  
Blogger Kevin McKague said...

Libby, do you follow @amanjo on the Twitter? She's an out-of-work Minnesota state employee who has had some of her tips picked up by national web coverage of the shutdown.

11:41:00 AM  
Blogger Libby Spencer said...

Thanks Fogg. I don't have time to answer the silly trolls. If I want GOP talking points I'll watch Faux.

Kevin, I don't follow her. I rarely follow people I don't know who are doing topical stuff. I just want for RTs of the important stuff or check out their profile page once in a while. Which the same strategy I use for some of the big important tweeters who are too prolific. Makes my stream too fast.

8:39:00 AM  

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