An Ingenious Suggestion

by Shaker GoldFishy, who, with his partner The Captain and their adorable dog Cooper, resides in the great state of Minnesota.

So, in the last Minnesota state elections, Tim Pawlenty left the Governor's office (we aren't sure what he's gonna do next, right?) and was replaced by progressive Dem Mark Dayton. At the same time, control of both houses of the legislature flipped to the GOP. (Just our luck, huh?)

Before the election, the budget battles meant the executive branch blocking tax increases and cutting funding to crucial programs while the legislature pushed for the opposite. Now the tables have turned, and the governor is dealing with a legislature that wants to slash as much as possible, despite the effects on the state's most vulnerable citizens.

Recently, the legislature proposed a ridonkulous cut to the state's Health and Human Services Budget. The cuts are poorly detailed and would undoubtedly lead to massively destructive results for the elderly, people with disabilities, and the financially disadvantaged.

So, DFL-er Tina Liebling—who was my rep before we moved out of town last year and is an OUTSTANDING progressive legislator that does her best to call out her "friends across the aisle" in a no-nonsense yet light-hearted way—submitted an amendment to counter the proposed cut:

The commissioner of human services shall purchase a Mega Millions lottery ticket, using existing resources. The commissioner of management and budget shall book a savings of $304,00000,000 from implementation of this section.

She then released a statement explaining, "Purchasing a Mega Millions lottery ticket is just as reliable as the budget proposals put forth by the Republicans. It's a nice dream but you can't take it to the bank."

Even though the situation TOTALLY stinks, because Minnesota is just another state with huge budget issues and a political deadlock that is hurting our citizens, that is hilarious.