Michigan shut down over right-wing tantrum

I think "Waaaaah!" must be the Republican Party's new slogan.

At midnight, Michigan state government was shut down because the Republican-controlled state senate refused to approve a budget for the new fiscal year.

Naturally, the Republicans are blaming...the Democrats. Because (according to them) the Democrats have run the entire world since the beginning of time.

Um, it was the Republicans who wouldn't approve the budget. Idiots.

As a result, state services are closed. And tens of thousands of public employees are laid off. All because of a one-party temper tantrum.

If Michigan elects a Republican to statewide office any time soon following this episode, I'll just eat my hat.

The parallels between this and Newt Gingrich's ill-fated federal government shutdowns of 1995 are uncanny. The difference is that those shutdowns were a culmination of Newt's tantrum that resulted when President Clinton wouldn't let him play with the controls on Air Force One. (Newt even admitted this to reporters.)

Lots of Americans are still owed back pay for that outburst. Maybe the Michigan GOP should have waited until that was resolved before throwing their own little fit.

(Source: http://freep.com/article/20090930/NEWS06/91001001/1318/State-officially-shut-down)