Letter: Republicans, We Haven't Forgotten the Shutdown

As much as it feels like the Republicans in St. Paul would like to think we've forgotten or forgiven the government shutdown of last summer, as Election Day draws nearer and more and more campaign literature shows up in my mailbox I think about it more and more often.

Last summer's debacle, caused when the Republican legislature decided it would like to cut infrastructure and social services rather than tax those who could most afford it, ruined vacation plans and, more importantly, caused many people who work for the state to go for 3 weeks without wages.

A few weeks ago when I received a big mail piece from the Kirk Stensrud campaign claiming how the Representative has done so much for education in Minnesota and I had to laugh since one of the gimmicks used to close the budget gap was the largest delay in school payments in Minnesota history, along with a tobacco bond deal that could end up costing the state $500 million dollars down the road, and potentially much more if cigarette sales continue to decline.

That kind of money management doesn't work for businesses, and it doesn't work for Minnesota either.

Mollie Stenslien

Minnetonka