Michigan / US shuts down - or does they?

Well, it's almost 5 AM and I can't tell whether Michigan is open, closed, or what, but it certainly is confused.

The www.Michigan.gov page (4:38 AM) says this:

SHUTDOWN TAKES EFFECT State legislators failed to reach a comprehensive budget agreement, so the partial shutdown of state government is in effect as of 12:01am, Monday, October 1. All non-critical employees - those who received a notice of temporary layoff on Friday, September 28, are asked not to report for your regularly schedule shifts until further notice. Please continue to check this website and monitor media outlets for further updates, and please urge your legislators to agree to a comprehensive solution to Michigan's budget crisis that will end this shutdown as soon as possible. Thank you.

The Detroit Free Press says this: (4:40 AM)

TATE OF CRISIS

Senate approves tax on services, averting a state shutdown today

BULLETIN: 4:20 A.M.: LANSING -- The Michigan Senate early today approved a 6% sales tax on a wide range of service, averting a partial government shutdown that would have left about 35,000 state workers off the job this morning.

It appears, wildly guessing here, that the people who maintain the government web site, having been laid off at midnight, are not on the job to update the web site to show that they are no longer laid off.

Some clarifications don't help:

Our department is one of the largest, and we've done our best to communicate with the staff as frequently as possible," said T.J. Bucholz, a spokesman for the Michigan Department of Community Health.

"In general, we all remain concerned about not having a budget. It has an impact on an awful lot of people, an awful lot of my friends."

The state has been divvied into two groups: essential and nonessential workers. Wicklund was informed she's nonessential, she said Sunday.

"That's a little harsh," she said. "It's kind of one more blow."

She said state workers have been told that once they're laid off, they're no longer considered state employees.

If they choose to work on their own time, they won't get reimbursed, she said.

They have been told they'd keep their health insurance, however.

Other advice has suggested that the government can't pay bills because of constitutional restrictions, but it will continue to pay "essential workers." (who, what, exempt the constitution?)

Sigh. Oh yes, Michigan is not alone.

Today the entire federal US Government enters a new budget year without a budget either.
They're used to this, so it should only take 2-3 months of the 12 month year or so for departments to know whether they can hire people or not. This has become so commonplace it doesn't even make the news anymore.

The Heritage Foundation ("Leadership for America") tells us

September 24, 2007

Budget Delays Should Not Cause [US] Government Shutdowns

by Brian M. Riedl

WebMemo #1633

With [US] Congress once again set to miss the October 1 deadline for funding the government for the next fiscal year, Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) and Representative Jeb Hensarling (R-TX) have proposed the Government Shutdown Prevention Act.[1] The bill would ensure that delays in passing spending bills would not result in a government shutdown. The current system of relying on continuing resolutions wastes time and tax dollars and jeopardizes important government services.

Problems with the Current System

Congress has enacted all required spending bills by the fiscal new year in only three of the past 30 years; in only 8 of the past 30 years did Congress complete on time one-quarter of the bills.[2] When Congress misses the deadline, it must pass continuing resolutions to keep the government running at current spending levels until the final bills are passed. This system has several problems.

... etc.