Minnesota Unable To Balance Budget -- Will Close the State's Two Horse Racetracks

Update

July 2, 2011: Second day of government shutdown. This is why some folks have lost "faith" in government. It appears along with horse racing, the big things affected by the shut down include a) the lottery; and, b) visiting prison inmates.

Mussette Wade, 37, hoped to buy Minnesota Lottery tickets at a Minneapolis gas station. But the state shutdown prevented her from doing that. "I usually buy scratch-offs once a week when I get paid," she said. "It's just something I leisurely do."

Wade was more upset by a bigger shutdown inconvenience: She was not able to visit a friend who is incarcerated in a Minnesota prison. Staff cutbacks at correctional facilities have ended visitation rights for inmates.

If these are the things that cause the most consternation with a state government shutdown, I can see why no one in state legislature got too excited about the deadline.

Original Post

Link here.

I can sorta see why the state government couldn't come to terms on balancing the budget. It appears the issue that garnered the most concern, based on number of words devoted to the issue in the article, was the closure of the state's two horse racing tracks.

The state's two horse racing tracks, which require a handful of state race officials on hand, would close. 

The closure of Canterbury Park racetrack at the height of the season has thrown horse racing into disarray, with jockeys, trainers and owners scrambling to make adjustments.

Jockey agent Jesse Lomeli, who has come to Canterbury since it opened in 1985, drives thousands of miles from his home in Guadalajara, Mexico, to represent riders at the track.

"The thing that makes me sad is the government is getting in the middle of our business,'' said Lomeli, who will return to Mexico if the track closes. "They're keeping us from working and making a living. We're just trying to make a go of it, and they're putting the brakes on us.''

We're talking a "handful of state race officials" here. 

But based on the article, all essential services, including schools would remain open.

Oh, the zoo would be closed to the public, also. Zoo operations, like water, feed, and vet services, would still continue. It's hard to believe the vendors in the park are losing money.