Welcome to Pennsylvania...home of....NOTHING!

[The Doctor]

Because the Pennsylvania state government could not come up with a budget after 8 days of NOT having one, as of today, (Monday, July 9) we are in a partial government shut down. Thousands of people are losing their jobs and many businesses are being closed.

A look at how some state services would be affected by a partial government shutdown:

FUNCTIONING:

• Health care for the poor, food stamps and cash assistance

• Prisons

• State police patrols

• Agriculture Department inspections of restaurants, farms and amusement rides

• Health and Agriculture Department laboratories

• Health Department inspections of hospitals and nursing homes

• Health Department immunization clinics

• Highway Department bridge and highway safety inspections

• Job placement, unemployment compensation and worker compensation services

• Liquor stores

• State lottery

• Board of Probation and Parole

• Emergency management awareness and response coordination

• National Guard support services

• Teacher certifications and background checks

• Electronic filing of birth records

• Property tax/rent rebate program

CURTAILED:

• Highway Department road maintenance crews

• Public works projects

• State purchases of goods and services

• Custodial services at state buildings

• State Department business license processing

• Insurance complaint responses, rate reviews and agent licensing

• Labor Relations Board and the Bureau of Mediation

NOT FUNCTIONING:

• Environmental impact permitting

• State park cabins and campgrounds

• Driver license offices

• Contractor payments

• Grant programs

• Civil service testing

• Welcome centers

• Museums and historic sites

• Slot-machine casinos

• Revenue Department tax collection, enforcement and auditing

• Highway occupancy permitting

• Inspector General investigations and prosecutions

• Birth and death certificate satellite offices

• Fire Commissioner loan processing

• Banking Department license processing and consumer assistance

• Technology services for state agencies


Source: http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070709/NEWS/707090314/-1/NEWS01

SUPER!!!

[Mark]

That is absolutely ridiculous! Heads should roll for this.

[The Doctor]

I agree. I'm talking to a friend of mine about it now and she pointed out that since the grants programs are shut down, kids who were getting grants for college are now screwed over. She's losing $7,000 from this.

Oh but at the same time, instead of closing the casinos as they originally planned with this, slot machine casinos are temporarily allowed to stay open. Fuck you Rendell, you worthless scab.

[Dr. Octogonapus]

They already worked out a deal (http://cleveland.cox.net/cci/newsnational/national?_mode=view&_state=maximized&view=article&id=D8Q9GIT80&_action=validatearticle) so you don't have anything to worry about.

Typically when they don't push a state budget through in time like this, they end up working one out in a hurry. I think this happened in Minnesota a couple years ago and they had a new deal worked out within a couple days as well.

[Christopher]

Wow, I hope everything ends up fine over there... it looks like a chaos and it's always the general public that suffers.