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Minnesota is staring deep into an ever-widening abyss that, unfortunately, has gone from staring blankly back to a potentially $7 billion glare. And to find solutions to address the monumental clusterfuck that has become our state budget, the DFL held listening meetings across the state this past week looking for a magic bullet lodged in the minds of the "common people."

In other words, they're crowdsourcing the deficit.

In theory, this is a spectacular idea. Legislators often have a skewed sense of priorities and ideology so a reality check from Minnesota residents certainly has value. Plus, when dealing with a deficit equal to more than 10 percent of the total budget it's vital to get good ideas from whatever source you can, whether said source is a farmer from Jackson or a burnout from Austin with an unwholesome fascination with Johnny Lang's sister and a Spam fetish.

But the best of intentions have a way of going awry, and the DFL's listening sessions are no exception. What may have once been a noble plan to leverage our fair state's collective intelligence has become nothing more than public relations - an extended photo opp coupled with impressive grandstanding by cherry-picked government officials and like-minded executives from a variety of non-profits and businesses.

Ordinarily this would be a non-issue. Grandstanding at political events is as old as time itself, or at least recreational drugs. However, these events were billed as a chance for the common man to speak his or her mind to legislators and play a role in solving the state's budget conundrum. With only two hours allocated to each session and more than a hundred people signing up to speak at each event, each Minnesotan would only receive two short minutes to offer up their concerns and suggestions.

Compounding the issue was the fact that the DFL had already selected these assorted mayors and executives to hold court - taking precious time away from the heartfelt ideas from all corners of the state. Granted, some of these ideas involve donkey shows at Canterbury Park, but the intentions are pure even if the methods involve Tijuana-esque forms of entertainment.  And when the stated objective is to listen to the collected teachings of Inver Grove Heights, it seems painfully suspect to solicit advice from individuals who already have the wax-encrusted ear of government at their beck and call.