美国明尼苏达州政府关门危险未决（双语）

　　Minnesota girded for what could be a lengthy government shutdown, as the holiday weekend passed without Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton or Republican lawmakers returning to the bargaining table.

　　美国明尼苏达州已为可能旷日持久的政府“关门”事件做好了准备，原因是国庆假日周末结束之后，该州州长、民主党人戴顿(Mark Dayton)和共和党议员均没有重新回到谈判桌上。

　　The state closed its government Friday, the beginning of its fiscal year, after Mr. Dayton and Republicans controlling the legislature were unable to agree on how to close a $5 billion gap in the two-year budget.

　　明尼苏达州政府在新财年之初即上周五(7月1日)关闭。此前，控制州立法机构的戴顿和共和党议员无法就如何在两年预算安排中弥合50亿美元的缺口达成一致。

　　Conflicting campaign promises staked out by each side will make reaching a compromise difficult. Mr. Dayton, the first Democrat elected governor in 20 years, told voters he would raise taxes on the state's wealthiest residents to help balance the budget. Republican lawmakers, who took over both houses of the legislature for the first time in nearly 40 years, campaigned on pledges not to increase taxes.

　　由于双方在竞选过程中做出的承诺相互矛盾，因此将很难达成妥协。戴顿是20年来首位当选明尼苏达州州长的民主党人，他曾对选民说将提高该州最富有居民的税收，以帮助平衡预算。而近40年来首次同时控制参众两院的共和党议员则在竞选时承诺不加税。

　　Mr. Dayton wants the state to spend $35.7 billion over the next two years, while Republicans favor a $34 billion spending plan.

　　戴顿希望未来两年明尼苏达州的开支为357亿美元，而共和党议员支持的开支计划是340亿美元。

　　The governor wanted a break in negotiations until at least Tuesday, said Michael Brodkorb, a spokesman for the state's Republican senators. GOP lawmakers met at the Capitol over the weekend to work on offers that Mr. Dayton might accept, he said. 'The governor is the only one who can call a special session, so he's in the driver's seat as to how long this shutdown lasts,' Mr. Brodkorb said.

　　明尼苏达州共和党参议员发言人Michael Brodkorb说，戴顿本希望谈判的休会期至少到周二。他说，共和党议员上周末在议会大厦召开会议，准备拟定戴顿可能接受的提议。他说，州长戴顿是唯一一个可以召开特别会议的人，所以他控制着政府关闭的时间长短。

　　More than 20,000 state workers were furloughed Friday and told to apply for unemployment benefits, and state-park campgrounds were closed. Critical institutions such as state prisons, courts and the highway patrol continued operating.

　　明尼苏达州政府的2万多名政府雇员上周五被解雇，还被告知去申请失业救济。另外，多家州立公园关闭，不过州立监狱、法院和高速公路巡警队等重要机构仍继续运营。