Michigan State Shutdown Imminent

An appeal to reason
Originally uploaded by Apocaplops

As negotiations continue in the Capitol, it is becoming clear that partisan politics will not allow legislators to agree on a budget for the next fiscal year, causing the state to suspend all nonessential services. Sounds awesome, don't it? Well, not surprisingly most people I talk to see this as a bad thing, and are embarrassed at how their elected leaders are conducting themselves; putting politics before the welfare of the state.

Luckily, I live in the state capital, so I figured I'd go on down to the Capitol building to see what was going on. I packed my digital SLR (with fresh batteries), expecting to see perhaps some protesters, news crews, and angry citizens voicing their concerns. I hung out for about an hour and only saw the woman pictured here protesting, however. There were about a dozen news vans parked around the Capitol, all just hanging out waiting for a break in the story. I asked one passer-by what they thought about the state being shut down, and he had no idea what I was talking about.

I may go back up again, as one of my favorite things to photograph is a protest, but the prospect of one happening seems dim. Perhaps that could change, should the lawmakers actually shut down the state.