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How you may be affected if (when) Per00|er
the state government shuts down "Slices of Life"
Bylean Doran Matua, Editor, St. Cloud State University will
and DanieUeBrower remain open. MnSCU and the
It seemstheStateofMinnesota State Budget Office have worked For the love of rhubarb
couldn't have picked a worse time
than the Fourth of July weekend
to shut down. Then again, no one
is' really choosing a government
shutdown. It's about to happen
because a new state budget can't
be agreed on by legislators and the
governor.
We hope this research we've
done won't be needed. We really
hoped we wouldn't even have to
write this, but here it is.
Government offices run by the
State of Minnesota will close at
4 p.m. Thursday, June 30, and plan
to stay closed until the budget
impasse is resolved. State employ-
ees are having to spend much of
their work days preparing for the
shutdown rather than doing their
particular jobs. This means that,
even if the government doesn't
shut down, there will be a backlog
of work in many offices.
Perhaps the first thing you'll
notice if/when the State closes
Thursday afternoon is that you
won't be able to buy a Lottery
ticket. The Minnesota State Lot-
tery is a state office, and the pro-
gram will be turned off.
Let's hope you didn't schedule a
camping trip to one of Minnesota's
beautiful state parks this week-
end. They'll all be closed. Can't get
a fishing license either.
You'll still be able to launch
your boat at a public landing,
but the Department of Natural
Resources, run by the state, won't
be out protecting you or wildlife.
And don't count on rest stops
along the way to wherever you're
going this weekend. State-run rest
stops along highways and flee-
ways all around the state will be
closed. You'd better make other
arrangements.
The Minnesota Zoo is sched-
uled to close in the event of a shut-
down.
Local impacts
Keep in mind that this state
shutdown only affects state-run
offices. City and county offices
should stay up and running as
usual. In most cases, expected
state funding would be postponed
by a state shutdown and cities and
counties would be able financially
to work around such delays.
All 32 Great River Regional
Library branches will remain
open and all programming con-
tinue as scheduled. (Their funding
is based on a calendar year and is
not yet in jeopardy.)
Area school operations will
continue in summer mode. While
expected July state payments may
be delayed by a shutdown, reserve
funds should be able to tie them
over temporarily. There will be no
staff cuts, and no student days will
be affected unless the shutdown
goes on for a long time.
Jails are run by counties, but
state prisons will remain in oper-
ation. Parole officers are county
employees, so parolees will not go
unsupervised.
State payments to hospitals
and nursing homes would not be
made during a shutdown. While
staffing and services may not suf-
fer in the short-term, the impact
from a long-term shutdown even-
tually could pose problems for
both employees and patients.
out a deal that keeps these univer-
sities running during a shutdown.
The Stearns County Licensing
Center will remain open, and you
can renew driver's licenses (so long
as they still have the forms). You
won't get a permanent replace-
ment license until state offices re-
open. You also can renew license
tabs (while they have the forms).
WorkForce Centers will be
closed for job searches and job
training. This is deemed "non-
essential."
Tuesday the Stearns County
Board of Commissioners decided
to continue the West-MetroCorri-
dor Project, relying on state-cer-
tified inspectors and private con-
tractors rather than on MnDOT.
Installations of the public
restrooms in Willow Creek Park
has already been delayed by the
impending shutdown as there
is a backup now to get required
plumbing permits. It could be a
month- plus the time of an actual
shutdown- before that project can
proceed.
Kimball's planned street
repairs are being funded federally,
by the USDA. This project will not
be affected by a short-term state
shutdown.
The costs of a shutdown
No matter your political stance
on the issue, here are some facts
that might make you feel ill.
• The closing of state parks rep-
resents a loss of about $1 million
a week to the state, but about $12
million a week to local tourism:
near state parks.
• The Lottery takes in an aver-
age of $2.3 million a week for the
state. During a shutdown that
amount will be $0.
• Loss of income and sales tax.
(As many as 36,000 state employ-
ees who are laid off won't be pay-
ing income tax, and probably
won't be buying much either.)
• Delays in construction projects
will cost valuable time and money.
• When unemployment claims
rise, the state will have to bor-
row federal money to meet those
claims; all that borrowed money,
plus interest, must be paid back.
Benefits of a shutdown?
There is very little on the up-
side of a shutdown.
• You won't have to pay extra to
drive alone in the commuter lanes
in the Metro area.
• You can explore your local
county parks, which will stay open
no matter what happens with the
state. Try calling Lake Koronis
Regional Park near Paynesville for
campsite and camper-cabin avail-
ability; (320) 276-8843. Or call
Stearns County Parks at (320) 255-
6172 ext. 2 for information about
their parks. Most counties have
park information online too.
• Pawn shops and high-interest
pay-day lenders could be very busy,
both with people looking for loans
and those looking for bargains.
Again, here's hoping that no
one needs this information. In
the event of a shutdown, try to
get what you need done before
4 p.m. today (June 30). Just remem-
ber that you can't count on win-
ning the Lottery to solve anything,
since you may not be able to buy a
ticket for awhile.
TCN Omce will be CLOSED
Fri. Jul, v I after3 ).m.
and onda,.6 Jul ! ,4
www.tricou ntynews. M N
opinio n Thursday, June 30, 2011
MN
:::::::::::: Z:-:& ........ .... NIili
traveled to my mom's plot, and
then, finally, to my own backyard.
Something that's been around for
nearly a century has earned a place
in my family's hall of fame, not to
mention our recipe books.
My grandma's stint with the rhu-
barb was finished long before mine
began; yet I feel connected to her
through our red stalks. I imagine
her harvesting the plant decades
ago on the farm. Her days were
filled with hard work and her hands
showed it. In old photographs, I
can see them, working hands that
were thick, strong and gnarled. My
grandma and her rhubarb, I guess
both were winter hardy and tough.
Not to mention versatile and
resourceful. Generations ago, good
folks like my grandma didn't have
the luxury of superstores or the
availability of produce sitting on
grocery shelves year-round. She
had to make do with what she had.
In the early summer months, that
meant cutting, cooking and can-
ning the rhubarb so it would be
available during the long winter to
keep everyone healthy and hearty.
I'm not as winter hardy as my
grandma was. She'd probably take
one look at my hands and know
they'd never last a day working on a
farm. Times change. Rhubarb does
not. At least not in my experience.
My rhubarb has provided my
family with the sustenance of its
tart goodness for three genera-
tions. It is reliable, versatile and
tasty. Something that's managed to
be around for so long, and proven
itself winter hardy, well, I can't think
of anything sweeter.
Jill Pertler, award-winning syn-
dicated columnist and author of
"The Do-It-Yourselfer's Guide to
Self-Syndication" is collecting
fans on Facebook on her Slices of
Life page. Rhubarb recipes will be
posted later this week. E-mail her at
pertmn @qwest. net;, or visit her web-
site at http://marketing-by-design.
home. mchsi.com/.
For as long as I can remember,
I've been in love with my rhubarb.
It's a one-sided relationship,
to be sure. If there can be such a
thing as a relationship with a gar-
den plant.
It may sound counterintuitive,
having a soft spot in one's heart for
a fruit that can't even be described
as sweet (nor return my affections
for that matter), but my devotion
isn't for the rhubarb, per se. It's what
the rhubarb represents.
It starts with humble begin-
nings, when the rhubarb emerges
from the soil in the spring, look-
ing more like an alien than a plant.
Its curled leaves erupt from the
ground like a gnarled hand. While
not pretty, rhubarb enters the world
thick and strong.
That's because rhubarb is a
tough piece of produce. There's
nothing tender about rhubarb. The
large, heart-shaped leaves may
connote visions of romance, but
let's not forget they are poisonous.
Beyond the leaves, the stalks are
fibrous and stringy, not juicy and
soft like watermelon or strawber-
ries. You have to work with your
rhubarb in order to bring it to a
sweetness and consistency consid-
ered worthy of dessert status.
Even so, rhubarb is a versa-
tile vegetable (so versatile some
might mistake it for a fruit). It is a
welcome ingredient in everything
from sauces and jams to breads
and cakes. Its tartness provides a
complimentary background to the
sweet flavors of other fruits. Best of
all, it can withstand winter temper-
atures that fall to double-digit neg-
atives. It is extremely winter hardy.
Because of its culinary achieve-
ments and robust durability, rhu-
barb, in general, is worth my atten-
tion. But my very own rhubarb,
growing in my backyard, deserves
my love. The reason for this is sim-
ple: my rhubarb is old.
It has been with my family for
generations. The plants came from
my grandma's garden, originally,
IF'
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