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The 2007 Session can best be described in the scenario of a child peering into a large plate glass window of an enormous candy store. The child’s mouth waters at the sight of the many tempting treats. The child then darts through the doorway – first to the chocolates, then the lemon drops, hot cinnamons and of course gummy bears, loading up on virtually every type of candy in the store.
Finally the child heads toward the check out counter to pay for their cache of goodies. As the clerk starts to total up the cost of the child’s ambitious desires, the child’s eyes start to widen as well as sadden with the ever growing total. When the clerk finally rings up all the desired purchases and presents the child with a total, there’s a gulp and a long pause.
The child looks up at the clerk and softly admits that they don’t have enough money in their piggy bank to cover their “planned” purchases. The clerk with a stern voice suggests that they return some of the candy to the shelves, picking only a few items. But rather than wanting to make some choices, the child then asks the clerk if perhaps they could cut a deal. The clerk looks back at the child and explains – NO DEAL! Recognizing that it was a lost cause, the child then decides to reduce their desires and puts back a significant portion of their selected candies. After completing their purchase and leaving the store, the child then tells all of his or her friends what a big meany the store clerk is at the candy shop.
In this story, the child is of course the DFL leadership, coming to the Capitol in January with broad and deep desires of increased funding for health care, education, transportation and a potpourri of other spending. In our story, the clerk’s role was of course that of Governor Pawlenty; the shop keeper who had to keep the desires of the child in check.
During the last four months the Governor repeatedly stated that $3 billion in additional spending was the limit; certainly Minnesotans would accept that a 9.8% growth in state spending was enough. It wasn’t until the final hours of the legislative session that the DFL majority in both the House and Senate acquiesced and rushed to complete most of the major spending bills in a fast paced rush to the end.
It is unfortunate that the final resolution of the session left the citizens of Minnesota shortchanged on several fronts.
First, the K-12 education funding bill exasperates the spending differential between urban school districts and those districts in suburban and rural Minnesota. It’s partisan politics at its worst given that it impacts the education of thousands of children.
Secondly, one of the key points of the DFL agenda both during the 2006 election and at the start of the 2007 session was property tax relief. Session ended with no change in property tax policy and $70 million directed to selected cities that contain only half of the State’s population, in hope that somehow, somewhere and some day, it will result in reduced property taxes.
Lastly, transportation funding. Once again, transportation was one of the DFL’s stated highest priorities and yet it came down to an all or nothing strategy. The DFL would not settle for minor increases in transportation funding and therefore the session ended with no increased transportation funding. Unlike the child in the candy store when told to put some of the candy back, the DFL opted to walk away. Their all or nothing approach left Minnesotans with no net gain.
While left shortchanged by the actions of the legislature, at least the taxpayers were held harmless from the $5 billion in proposed tax increases.
Hats off to Governor Tim Pawlenty and a stalwart group of House Republicans who stood strong for fiscal restraint and discipline, recognizing the importance of living within our means.
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