With abrupt deal, Minn. shutdown still upsets many

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The abrupt agreement on a budget deal to end Minnesota's government shutdown makes some people wonder what was the point.

Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton dropped his call for new taxes and Republicans agreed to spend more than they wanted. That deal came out of a proposal top Republicans made on the eve of the shutdown. But no agreement came until Thursday, 14 days into the nation's longest state government shutdown in recent memory.

If details fall into place, lawmakers could be back at the Capitol as early as Monday to start erasing a $5 billion deficit and turning the state's lights back on.

But people who had their lives disrupted say political leaders could have avoided the shutdown altogether since elements of the deal were there before it started.

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