Day 8 Of Shutdown: No Action, No Urgency
ST. PAUL (WCCO) -- Day eight of the Minnesota government shutdown could be called the day of "no:" No talks scheduled, no progress, no urgency and no signs of a compromise.
Outside the state capitol, the weeds are growing faster than budget offers. The normally well-tended flowers are all but dead from lack of water.
Heading into the weekend, the Gov. Mark Dayton's office is silent.
The two sides haven't met since Wednesday, and no new talks are scheduled.
Even the state Democratic Party chairman can't get into the building, so he blamed Republicans outside.
"I think they think it's in their best interest to keep government shut down. I absolutely do. It's very clear in the last 6 months, with their lack of movement, that this is something they wanted. This is something they planned for all along," said Ken Martin.
Republicans are focusing on Dayton's cook, who was declared an essential state worker, and who Dayton is paying out of his own pocket.
"Why can't he pay to keep the rest stops open? Why can't he pay out of his own pocket so veterans can get their tuition grants? Why can't he keep a state park open? He's choosing to pay a chef," said Michael Brodkorb, Minnesota's GOP Deputy Chair.
Dayton's office says 21 people have been laid off on his 40-person staff.
Neither the Minnesota House nor Senate has laid anyone off. They're paying workers out of cash reserves.
State Workers Amid Shutdown
State workers who have been home more than a week face growing uncertainty.
"I'm frustrated, frustrated more than anything and it's starting to border on anger," said Jim Ullmer, who is a commercial truck inspector for the Department of Public Safety.
Ullmer has been with the department for nearly 27 years, working to keep unsafe trucks off the road.
"It makes you realize, when you are off, exactly how much you miss your job," said Ullmer.
His state vehicle sits idle in his driveway, and he spent the eighth day of the shutdown watching his 18-month-old granddaughter at his Crystal home.
"What is her future? If you aren't going to have the state services we provide, the quality of life goes down," said Ullmer. "It's my way or the highway, and I work on the highways, you know? There are potholes and dangers out there and, unfortunately, ideology wise, I think we are heading into a pothole."
Brian Lindholdt, of Minneapolis, is a state highway maintenance worker who repairs problems like potholes and guardrails. He says the state shutdown puts more strain on his family. A father of three, he also has to take care for his sick father.
"It's not so much me, it's the kids. That's my main priority, make sure they are taken care of," said Lindholdt. "It's real life and they treat it as a joke."
Ullmer says many state workers in his AFCSME local 3142 union aren't sure if they should start looking for part time work, but most are already making changes.
"You don't go out and go to dinner. You don't do improvement projects you might have had planned. You don't go on vacations you might have been thinking about. Maybe instead of going to a Twins game, you say, 'I'll listen to it on the radio,'" said Ullmer.
Ullmer believes that he and the more than 20,000 other workers will be left to make more sacrifices.
"I don't have a lot of hope," he said.
