Unpoetic License
Posted at 5:10 AM on June 17, 2009
by Dale Connelly
(21 Comments)
I fell down the sing-song rhyme rat hole yesterday afternoon while trying to digest reports of the Governor's solo spending decisions.
I couldn't get it out of my head that "unallot" rhymes with so many other words, a person might end every line of a stupid little poem with the same sound and still summarize the whole situation in a completely superficial way.
I convinced myself that there was an admirable economy in that.
But why anyone would actually try it is a mystery, even to me.
The news is grim, with peril fraught
the die is cast, and here's the plot.Our economic juggernaut's,
de-juggered by a credit clot.We'll do an un-spending onslaught
Un-buying what we thought we bought.They tried to work it out, but fought
And all that talk has come to naughtThe state is short the cash it sought
So now the Guv will un-allot.For cities, then, what has Tim wrought?
Upon your balance sheets, a blot.For counties, too. A sticky spot.
There's less that jingles in your pot.The poor, the sick and lame got caught
As for the U? A feast it's not.We'll hold the checks for schools a jot.
And claim we simply ... um ... forgot.Is there a lesson? What was taught?
Un-compromise is so un-hot.Unkind and so Un-what-we-ought.
Un-what-we-need by quite a lot.
On a personal level, the best economic news in this development is that the process of arranging these lines kept me out of the malls and coffee shops for a couple of hours. That amounts to a savings approximately worth the cost of a medium decaf mocha and a new pair of pants.
But you have to admit, what the Governor has done is not especially easy or particularly pleasant. If your family constitution gave you the power to unilaterally unallot within your home budget - cutting expenses without having to seek the approval of your loyal opposition - how fair-minded would you be?
I might slash the cable TV expenditures. But if I did that, I'd darn well have to zero out the golf budget as well, or face harsh criticism.
Comments (21)
Just a little reminder - the FIRST order of business when the MN legislature became predominantly one party was that they raised their own wages - in spite of the severe objection of the minority party. I could go on, but I won't.
Dale - don't know how you do it day after day - so clever, insightful, and fun - thanks! our little ecosystem runs pretty smoothly here on the farm. if i cut the goats' grain allotment there would be about a half cup less of the "fines" (waste they leave) to throw out twice/day. so the RWblackbirds, MN state rodents, red squirrels and assorted voles and mice would have less. that would affect the food supply for the snakes, raptors, coyotes that eat the above "fines" eaters. on and on and on...... (i'm not clever enough to go further) so no unallotments for us.
Dale & Mike, Thanks for John and Tall buildings. I almost missed it because a friend chose the wrong moment to call me from Sweden on Skype...luckily the connection wasn't working and I got back on Radio Heartland just in time!
Onward to 19 years, I guess.
Good Morning. If I remember history correctly, Congress was not a paid job way back in the beginning. They did it as their civic duty. They had their own jobs back in their home states. They only met part time to help handle the problems of this country. I am sure if this was the case today, there would be no pet projects and fighting about which party had the best ideas. They would want to get finished to get back home to work.
As for poetry, well, It can make light of the serious and make us feel better. I have never been good at rhyming and making sense in putting lines together.
Roses are red
Violets are blue
The economy is in dread
and the government too.
Best that I have this morning, have a happy day!
I'm not sure, but did our statesmen and women stick around for the full session this year? I can definitely recall the countless pay raises they've allotted to themselves, but I also remember several sessions where the near second vote of the year was to cut the legislative session short.
Think of the money we could've saved if we didn't have to pay for that end of session vacation (among other things).
mmm hindsight.
As a single parent, I AM in charge of the family constitution and spend alot of time thinking about what's getting unallotted at any given time. It's a fairly long, although unfortunately not glamourous list. Aaah, the power!
Morning Heartlanders!
Dale,
Thanks for the rhymes. In your unallotment you felt the pain of less caffeine and no pants.There was a conservative columnist who challenged his colleagues to name a government benefit that they received and were willing to cut.
I'd feel better about this allotment if the governor unallotted a little of his own caffeine at the same time he took services away from the most vulnerable Minnesotans.
When I was unemployed we were on "the economy plan" where trips to McDonald's were limited to sale french fries and big glasses of water. Without realizing it I unallotted Big Macs!
Happy rain!
Dale, if you'd really like to keep yourself out of the malls and other shopping areas for extended periods of time, you could apply your poet's pen to the sestina. ;-)
Good morning, all.
I am still eavesdropping, thank you all for being there. I thoroughly enjoy the music and the conversation. THANKS!
We long ago had to un-allot
Popular? Oh no, it was not
Daughter understands her lot
But wishes sometimes for things un-bought
I was quite impressed when Daughter so easily grasped one day that I made some choices so we could keep others. She wanted to know why I didn't by brand X anymore and I explained if I bought brand Y then we had more money for books and the occasional extra treat for her. She seemed happier with books than the name brand. Smart girl.
Budget negotiations are tough in all instances I've encountered but those lacking reason and empathy would reflect that, anybody thinking unreasonable and unfair this morning?
Of course all boom economy budgets have fluff, the bigger the budget the more fluff in it. Hooray for boom times!
Of course if we lived in "unreasoable and unfair" in our homes we'd have to fix it and would likely know how.
What to do with the Capitol? I surely don't know.
Thanks for the jolly tunes Dale!
p.s. (noticed while poking around the mp3's on my computer that sam cooke has a nice version of summertime.)
Thanks for playing Cliff Brunzell's version of Summertime yesterday (I was reminded by hearing Billy Stewart today). Cliff is an old friend I've lost touch with and haven't heard play since the morning he played at the state fair with Dale and Jim Ed. The jazz recording is a treat.
It is just so mean spirited to hurt the most vulnerable.
"oft and oft and oft,
Goes Christ
in the stranger's guise."
So there, Pawlenty!
Ah, I'm laughing, as usual, Dale. By the end of your poem, I was in Dr. Seuss land... are there any songs about his characters or that would remind us of them? Horton (maybe something by Johnny Horton!) the Grinch (well, there's the song from the musical), Sam-I-Am? or... I'll google and see...
A few years ago, Lora and I saw Gov. Pawlenty at Grand Ole Creamery in St. Paul. Maybe by now he's cut back on his ice cream consumption.
Last winter we were at Punch on Grand Ave. and Norm Coleman was in line right behind us. I kept looking at him, thinking, "He looks familiar," and was just about to ask him if he was from Sioux Falls, when Lora noticed him and whispered, "Oh my God, that's Norm Coleman!" and quickly hid her Al Franken button that she wears on her purse. I raised her to be sensitive to everyone's feelings, even republicans!
I remember our son asking why he couldn't have a GI Joe Aircraft Carrier like his cousin's. We pointed out that we saved up $ so that we could take trips to see his Auntie Sue in CA, vacation with my folks in Colorado... Like Daughter, Anna, he got it!
On the personal front, my full-time employer unalloted everyone’s wages by 10% in April for at least six months. For us, this mostly means continue driving & fixing cars well in excess of 100,000 miles.
On the city front, as Jim has mentioned I am indeed the mayor of Albert Lea (part-time). The governor’s unallotment yesterday amounts to $336,000 this year, and $778,000 in 2010. We’ll try to work through it with as little pain as possible.
Are those blue moon songs some how related to the budget problems and Pawlenty's budget cuts? Maybe it should be Blue Moon of Minnesota.
yep, i'm like sherrilee---i already AM the boss
of all that i can see
(at home, i mean)
the pantry's lean...
my choices? continue to give to charities i really care about, learn to cut my own hair (i'm getting better!!) and my little boy's, switch from really good coffee to pretty good tea, and always buy what's on sale at the grocery store...
i cut out netflix, switched to lower-cost afterschool care for the boy, and we're just gonna wear the clothes we have, darn it.
no unallotments for the cat, but unallotting for plants (doing seeds this year). have unallotted for books and visiting library more often.
am also attending all possible graduation parties for the free food (heh heh)
i'd nix the cable too but then i'd have to cut back the book budget
- Become a Member
- Member Connect Accounts
- Leadership Circle
- Sustaining Members
- Member Discounts
- Become a Sponsor
- Tax Information
- Planned Giving
- Vehicle Donation
- Donate Stock