I spent some time at the Capitol on Saturday and learned something. As bad as this shutdown looks from the outside, it's even worse close up. There was no movement in negotiations this weekend, and there doesn't appear to be an end in sight. The talks were about "concepts" and "process," not about specific proposals to balance the budget. The gridlock was firmly in place. Two things might change that.

One, Gov. Pawlenty may have just been stonewalling over the weekend. Because he believes DFLers deliberately shut down parts of government to make him look bad, he may have been content to let them feel the heat over the weekend. After all, how much worse can it get for him politically once the shutdown happened? By taking all his previous offers off the table he let Democrats know the shutdown problem is now theirs to fix. Maybe he'll come back to the table this week after letting them sweat for a while.

Two, July 15 is the new deadline. That's when the state will actually have to pay the major costs of the shutdown in severance pay to the 9,000 laid off state workers. It's also when those workers are officials laid off. That seems to be the only major pressure point in sight.

There is a third possibility. That is that the shutdown will drag on through the summer in the same sort of twilight zone of non-negotiating we've seen the past few days. Let's hope that's not what happens.

Now let's turn it over to you.

Bonnie writes:

As one of the 9,000 "nonessential" workers, I just want to share that each one of us has a story and a family that is being affected by this situation. We are not being paid. We can ask for our vacation time in to replace the lost wage, but not until we resume work. So, in the meantime, we receive nothing. We may be able to use vacation pay, but we cannot go anywhere because we have to be at work the day following the long overdue decision making of the Legislature. Some vacation...

The interesting part is that the legislators are receiving bonus pay while we are unpaid, yet it is their inability to make decisions, to come to consensus, and act as leaders ought to act that have created the problem, but we are the ones that are paying for it. The taxpayers will pay as well.

While I wait, I won't be spending money. Neither will 9,000 others and their families. So, if you are a Minnesota business owner, expect a loss during this time. You will not have the business of those 9,000 plus their spouses and children. The average Minnesotan may not feel the pain with us right now, but it is only a matter of time before the pocketbook of the average Minnesotan will be affected.

Another reader, Maria, praised former Gov. Jesse Ventura for his ability to shake up the two party system, and went on to talk about taxes:

Without the safety nets I pay for through my taxes, I shudder to think what we would look like now. I have been told that there is a place in Indiana, where people are given tents to set up along other tents, all filled with people 'without'. I talk to other people in other states and no one has what we have. And sadly may not have again.... the desire to creat opportunity for all residents. I am not wealthy in money, but I do feel very fortunate that I have been able to contribute my tax dollars to a long time 'safety net' that is nothing short of a humanitarian necessity.

I am shocked and perplexed that the government shutdown, is because of the effort to both protect and destroy the very 'Minnesota Essence' that drew me to love this state and its people.

Jarek halftek sent me this note:

I am appalled. This is a place where seven commissioners, voting 4-3, can effectively levy tax over one million residents of Hennepin county. Yet, it is also a state where over 5 million people have no functional government. Sixty-seven senators, 134 representatives, and one governor are deadlocked. If seven elected officials can govern one million people, why do we need over 200 to govern 5 million people?

If little over 50 percent vote can pass a resolution at the county level, how come we need all--the Senate, the House, and the governor-- to fully agree in order to pass a bill?

Maybe it's time to simplify legislative process by forming unicameral legislature.

And we'll end today with this comment from a reader named Susan:

The fact that a portion of state government is operating leaves the remaining 9,000 state employees hostage to a group of political ego-maniacs. What incentive is there, at this point to resolve this for us?

Well, as an employee of the Department of Transportation I can tell you the impact. While most Minnesotans think highway projects are on-going - this shutdown only allows CURRENT projects to proceed. That is, projects that have already "broken" ground. The remaining projects - those in design development, those that were bid or bid and not awarded in June have been suspended. Whatever progress our department was making to get more projects going than in any other administration has been effectively thwarted. Every day this stand-off continues will mean that it will take that much longer to restart these numerous projects. As an example, there were 58 pages of consultant contracts that were suspended on Thursday - those contracts ranged from pre-design, to environmental investigation to final design. All that work has stopped! It may take a year or more to get things back on track - Can our highway infrastructure suffer more setbacks?

Remember, everytime you buy gasoline, the department of Transportation is funded through the gas tax - the money is just sitting in the bank right now - just waiting for the authorization from the legislature to USE it. Yes, there is a request for an increase in the gas tax - and yes, that would allow even more projects to go forward - but, at this point we couldn't get those projects done as we are getting backed up on the existing projects.

Minnesotans wake up! This silly game has got to stop....our legislators have effectively acted like any other terrorist organization - they have captured a group of state employees and are refusing to let them go until their demands are met. We are pawns in this game and don't deserve to be treated this way.

Please contact your legislator and tell them how you feel. Thank you.

No, thank you. Keep those comments coming. This column is much better when you talk instead of me.