Shutdown in Minnesota

It has now been six days since the government of Minnesota shut the doors of 46 public agencies and left 29 others functioning with minimal services. And according to some experts, the “shutdown” could take a while, even perhaps becoming the longest in U.S. history.

The cause of the closure has been the inability of the governor of Minnesota, Democrat Mark Dayton, and Congress to reach an agreement to confront a public deficit of $5 billion.

Since the U.S. does not have the authority to issue debt, the states are required to balance their budgets each year.

In accordance with his electoral program, Dayton proposed combining important cuts in public spending with an increase in taxes for the 7,700 millionaires that reside in Minnesota, which constitute less than 2 percent of the population.

Nevertheless, the Republican majority in the state Congress refused to accept any form of tax increase, a measure that has become a real anathema for conservative politicians throughout the country, especially after the rise of the tea party.

To increase revenue, Republicans propose cutting spending for schools and include this year’s collection of taxes on tobacco with next year’s.

In the meeting that took place Wednesday between Dayton and the leaders of the House of Representatives, the governor offered a compromise: increased taxes on tobacco or fees for some health services. It seems that the proposal continues to be unacceptable for the Republicans. “It has always been about spending. Adding additional tax increases at this point, it is pretty clear to us things went backward today,” declared Kurt Zellers, House speaker, as he left.

This is the second time in six years that the Minnesota government was forced to close its doors. The last time was when Governor Tim Pawlenty, a favorite in the Republican primaries, was in office.

During these days, the only agencies functioning are those that provide services that are considered essential, like those related to the judicial system, law enforcement and veterans’ services. In total, only 15,000 to 36,000 public employees are working. For example, the construction of highways was left paralyzed, natural parks were closed during the peak season, and the lottery is no longer issued.

A problem similar to Minnesota’s took place in other states, like Washington, where the governor and the congressional majorities are from different parties. Traditionally, the bitterly partisan political polarization was mostly a problem for the institutions in national politics. Nevertheless, polarization continues to expand throughout the country, which causes the same problems of governance that exist at the federal level to transfer to state governments.