Minnesota State Government Shuts Down

Republicans Fight for Corporate Power Grab Following Wisconsin, while the poor and middle class are hurt.

The post and live blog below are a collaboration between Patch and HuffPost reporters.

Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton (D) and top Republican state lawmakers failed to reach a budget deal to avert a government shutdown ahead of a midnight (CST) deadline.

“I really believe I’ve done everything I possibly could and offered everything I could possibly think of,” said Dayton addressing the state of the negotiations from his office on Thursday night. “This is a night of deep sorrow for me because I don’t want to see this shutdown occur.”

The Democratic governor and state GOP lawmakers had been engaged in contentious talks to close the state’s $5 billion budget gap — much of it left behind by GOP presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty, who declined to seek a third term in the 2010 election.

To see the full Huffington Post report go to:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/01/minnesota-shutdown-2011_n_888363.html