SHUTDOWN: Reactions from the Capitol Steps

As midnight neared Thursday evening and a budget deal between DFL Gov. Mark Dayton and the Republican legislative leaders looked less and less likely, thousands of Minnesotans—including many laid-off state workers—flocked to the steps of the capitol building for a "candlelight vigil" sponsored by two unions, AFSCME and MAPE. Attendees wore glowstick lanyards around their neck, waved signs and chanted "We want to work" and "Tax the richest."

DFL Rep. Rick Hansen of Mendota Heights waited outside the capitol steps Thursday evening trying, he said, "to be as receptive as I can to constituents."

He said he was worrying about the consequences of a shutdown.

"What if we have a tornado?" he asked. "What if we have a flood?

"There's things we take for granted that public services provide."

While he would have preferred to prevent a government shutdown, he said that "if we adopted the budget the Republicans proposed, we would have had massive layoffs permanently."

"Considering how the Republican majority's positions are, I don't think we could have ended up any differently without individual legislators saying they want to avoid the shutdown."

Hudson, WI, resident Bill Dunn's father and great-grandfather both served as Republican state senators in Minnesota, and Dunn commuted to his job as a clean water revolving fund coordinator at the Pollution Control Agency in Minnesota until he was laid off as part of the Minnesota government shutdown.

He came to the capitol steps Thursday night.

"My father and my great-grandfather both served in this building for more than 30 years combined as Republicans and they never shut down the government."

Dunn refused to be upset about the shutdown.

"There's nothing I can do," he said. "Besides, I'm one of the lucky ones financially."

But his two children were more disturbed.

"My 12-year-old daughter cried that I wasn't going to be able to pay my bills."

Chet Jorgenson, a Stillwater area analyst for the state's commerce department, came to the capitol steps vigil after he was layed off from his job.

In his job, he protected investors from stock and bond scams, he said.

"Now even legitimate businesses are going to have to wait to get licensed and folks who are ripping people off are not going to get caught as fast."

"For people who are defrauding consumers, there's no 'cops on the beat.'"

For his own part, Jorgenson said "We're worried about paying the bills if this goes very long."

"We've cut back spending dramatically. We normally do childcare in Stillwater, and we're not going to let our son stay at the daycare there during July because it's too expensive."

Eagan residents Brenda Byrne and Gary Lundquist both fix traffic signals for the Transportation Department. Byrne was laid off, while Lundquist was one of the three traffic signal maintenance workers retained by MnDOT our of a department of 50.

"It's going to inconvenience a lot of people," Byrne said. "If you've ever been at a flashing light in a lot of traffic, you're going to be swearing."

It also takes a personal toll.

"It screws up my summer," Lundquist said. "I can't take any vacation. I can't even take a day off."

Byrne: "I just get to stay home and don't spend money, don't go anywhere."

Sally Krusell, a fundraising director for the local DFL in Edina, came to the capitol steps Thursday evening.

She works at a nonprofit agency.

"We need a middle class because consumer consumption creates jobs."

"They're the No-No Boys," she said of the Republicans. "They don't compromise. It's my way or the highway."

Nyssa Towsley of Apple Valley came to the capitol steps Thursday evening as part of her internship with AFSCME.

She's a senior at the University of Minnesota, where she's majoring in political science and women's studies.

She said the budget will concern her in the long run.

"I'm concerned about tuition hikes and, since I graduate soon, the state of the job market."

"I feel like the Republicans were being really stubborn. They were not willing to meet the governor half way despite the fact that he's extended a hand towards them."

For complete coverage of the shutdown, click .