So much has already been said about a possible Minnesota government shutdown tomorrow, I hesitate to add even a single word to the flood of opinion. The Commentary River is well over its banks and some good people may lose their homes while familiar words swirl around them.
Maybe we need to impose strict verbal austerity measures.
Use your talking points.
Three lines, five, seven and five.
No new syllables!Gold Horses look down
No one can clean their stable.
Mountains of manure!My closed state park is
Beautiful without me there
Or so I suppose.Government is the
problem that cannot be solved
with just a hammer.Here’s a compromise.
You can adopt my viewpoint
Any time you like.
Trail Baboon 
All those talking heads –
Round and round but nowhere fast.
Where is the aspirin?
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Good morning all:
don’t need any goverment
I’m going back to the stone age
do you want to go?
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Core functions for me
Saving babies still goes on
Will miss my colleagues
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Rise and Shine Baboons
The government shutdown looms
Republican logic?
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no its damn dayton
wants to tax rich? communist!
republican chant
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Baboonish Haikus
Are a delicious sweet binge
of rhythmic op-ed
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Need we remind you?
You are accountable to us.
Get it done. Dammit!
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I may need to needlepoint that one!
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elected yes men
act like they know best for us
can we unelect?
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Too many pink slips,
Looming on the horizon.
Loungerie Party?
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if only you could
enjoy time away from it
government b.s.
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I don’t look good in pink…or in lingerie for that matter.
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A litany of issues,
Irrelevant partisan posturing .
Throw the bums out!
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legacy t paw
left us screwed blewed and tatooed
make him president?
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SSSNNNOOOORRRRRRTttt!!!
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I miss the days
Of mannered civil discourse
Perhaps a pipe dream
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What a good idea
Wish the newsfolks would join us
In this shorter mode.
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‘Spose we can convince
Arne Carlson to come play
Show them how it’s done
(Arne Carlson is the only Republican I have ever voted for – and would again…not sure he could run now on the GOP ticket)
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Where are Arne Carlson and George Latimer when we need them?
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If they have any sense, they are as far away as possible from St Paul…maybe holed up in a cabin in the woods together with a few beers.
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You’ve got a point. A cold beer right about now, sure sounds good.
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used to be substance
now its tv they want
politics screwed up
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Create a crisis
and use it to get your way
a stinking strategy
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Loons call on the lakes.
Loons bluster in the state house.
I know which I choose.
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Like!
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Me too.
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thank you Babooners
for the grins and respite from
all that malarkey
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Missing from the debate
Civility, courtesy and common sense
Politics as usual!
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Zoo animals fed,
but not admired by public.
Tigers in pink slips.
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Nice visual there.
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Children lose daycare
As eleven hours strike, but
My paycheck will clear.
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Baboon Haikus don’t mind
An extra syllable thrown into a line
We are flexible!
Wish our elected officials were, she adds wistfully
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A little levity at this point would feel good, though I know this is no laughing matter.
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perfect
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Representation
but eschewing taxation
and this works out how?
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Wow… “eschewing” in a haiku. Seriously cool!
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No representation
Without taxation
Grover Norquist sucks
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Drive to Chicago….
Wisconsin rest stops: open.
Union hearts: broken.
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😦
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sort of like getting the trains to run on time?
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Nobody can blink
Promises made must be kept
Dumb game of chicken.
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Nice… welcome to the trail, Keith!
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…or, welcome back. 🙂
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Aaaahhhhh……..
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Countdown to shutdown
Pigheaded politicians
Block resolution
Second try, it will probably post twice now. My apologies to the trail (and to pigs everywhere).
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Some crazy deadline
The fish have not grown up yet
The time has run out
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Krista’s Sad Situation
Young fish will suffer
No way to get their supper
Deadline equals dead fish
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I’m wearing a pink slip
All computers going down here
Hope it’s over soon
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Really, this has just been an awful week. We’ve had to ship some of the muskies out of here before they’re ready – then, just today, one of my coworkers was made essential in order to keep the fish alive. There are still some muskies in the hatchery, and some channel catfish, but most of them already went out and they were still too small.
We’ve had to spend the week working on things we would never otherwise do and other things we would usually have a little time for in July. Now we’ve been told we have to turn off all the computers, printers, fax machines, shut down network devices, archive our e-mail, lock up tightly, empty the freezers (bye-bye to the fish samples for testing), unplug everything and clean it out, take personal belongings home and DON’T COME BACK UNTIL YOU ARE CALLED. It’s been an incredibly busy and demoralizing week. There have been lots of memos that begin, “Dear valued state employee.” Really.
There was a union conference call Monday night. They said that some Republican legislators have been taking bets on how long the shutdown will last. One of them called state employees “beasts.” I know they’re rabble-rousing, but I don’t think they would make that up.
I have to go now. I have to put a message on the voice mail system that says to call back when the shutdown is over. Taxpayers are paying me to do really stupid stuff right now.
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Krista, so sorry for your pain. I still can’t believe this is really happening, but I guess it is. All I can say is, I sure hope the voters will remember this come next elections and send a strong message that this sort of thing is completely unacceptable. Good luck.
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Krista .. hang in there. I lit a candle for you and the other “valued state employees” on gratefulness.org. It stays lit on the site for 48 hours. Hopefully by then, our blockheaded politicians will have gotten their act together.
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Krista (and I believe Beth-Ann too), I am so sad for you-this is all just so wrong-headed. Beyond the lack of paycheck, you make it so clear that you really do care about what you are doing for everyone in this state to make it the wonderful place it is (or can be). I’m not so sure the same can be said of the “bullheads” who are making this mess.
Stay strong and know we are behind you. I made the first financial contribution to a political campaign in a long time today. Let us know what else we can do to help.
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who is the genius who decides you unplug the freezers?
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Everybody buckling.
Just got e-mail from the zoo-
Closing tomorrow.
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Thanks for the support! Unlike Krista my job function was declared critical and I will be working. 189/1500 folks will be working in the health department. Tomorrow we will need to figure how as a skeleton crew we can manage. You forget how many simple things become complex. We have no postage machines and are not allowed to buy stamps. How can we mail out lab results? I promise to update all the lovely folks on the trail!
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That is good news, Beth-Ann, but for the love of wool, can I bring you a book of stamps or something? Good grief!
Good luck getting through this.
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I hope they don’t have you working double time.
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Krista, thanks for telling us what it’s like. It just all makes me crazy, makes me want to live somewhere else, makes me really wonder about our democracy… I was SURE they were going to pull out something at the last minute.
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Great idea, esp. as coping mechanism. I’ll toss these out:
Could be productive
instead I’m closing up shop
dumb use of State time
I don’t finish job?
Bad news. Pols don’t finish job?
More time for their views!
Not get a budget?!
Now at July Fourth parades
crowds shout nasty things.
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Nice, Starved, very nice. But we are NOT beasts!
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