by Charley Shaw
Published: March 17, 2010
Tags: Ann Lenczewski, Richard Cohen, Tim Pawlenty, Tom Bakk, Tom Rukavina
DFL legislators are nearly ready with the first portion of their planned “three-tier” solution to Minnesota’s current $1 billion budget deficit.
by Paul Demko
Published: March 17, 2010
Tags: Brian McClung, Dick Cohen, Larry Pogemiller, Lyndon Carlson, Tim Pawlenty, Tom Hanson
When Gov. Tim Pawlenty included $387 million in anticipated federal FMAP (Medicaid) funding in his proposal to solve the state’s budget deficit, Democrats gleefully attacked the move as budget gimmickry. They pointed out — repeatedly — that the money had not yet even been appropriated by legislators in Washington.
by Betsy Sundquist
Published: March 17, 2010
Tags: Alan DeKruif, Cy Thao, David Carlson, Debbie Johnson, Jack Baker, Jason White, Jeremiah Ellis, Jeremy Kalin, Jeremy Lindman, Jessica Webster, Jim Carlson, Jim Vickerman, Katie Hatt, Kevin Dahle, Kim Hummel, Lisa Fobbe, Margaret Anderson Kelliher, Marion Greene, Marty Seifert, Michael Brodkorb, Michelle Benson, Mike Garber, Mike Kaess, Pat Pariseau, Patrick Munro, Rena Moran, Rob Lambert, Robert Barrett, Russell Goudge, Sheldon Anderson, Steve Dille, Steve Murphy, Taylor Gronau, Ted Daley, Tom Nordyke, Tony Schmitz, William Paulsen
If it’s possible to judge a legislator’s re-election vulnerability solely on the number of challengers that he or she attracts, then Lisa Fobbe, Jim Carlson and Kevin Dahle should probably watch their backs.
by Steve Perry
Published: March 17, 2010
Tags: Larry Pogemiller, Paul Demko, Tim Pawlenty
would start in earnest in session 2010. The state was facing $1.2 billion in near-term deficits, a sum that even Gov. Tim Pawlenty — whose entire career has been predicated on promises of no new taxes — was unable, or politically unwilling, to solve through cuts alone. His fight with the DFL-controlled Legislature promised to be nasty, brutish and long, and if it held any silver lining at all, it was that the state would finally begin to whittle away at the $6 billion - $8 billion fiscal cluster-bomb awaiting it in 2012-13.
by Dane Smith
Published: March 17, 2010
Tags: Ann Rest, Bush Foundation, Dane Smith, Humphrey Institute, Obama, Paul Marquart, Peter Hutchinson, Sandy Rummel, Terri Bonoff
Bush Foundation President Peter Hutchinson frequently has used the phrase “bowling in the fog” to describe the frustration of community leaders who are forced to make decisions without enough research and evidence.
by Charley Shaw
Published: March 12, 2010
Teachers’ union is a lone — but loud — voice of opposition to omnibus bill The words being used to describe this year’s omnibus pension bill are more dramatic than those from previous legislative sessions. Legislators and lobbyists are referring to it as “shared sacrifice,” and one GOP state representative even used the term “bailout.”
by Paul Demko
Published: March 12, 2010
Tags: Chuck Samuelson, Joe Mullery, Kurt Zellers, Michael Paymar, Tina Liebling
Cops shouldn’t be allowed to “eat what they kill.” That was the message conveyed by Rep. Tina Liebling at Thursday’s hearing before the House’s Civil Justice Committee. The Rochester Democrat was seeking support for legislation that would overhaul the state’s rules governing forfeiture of property associated with criminal activity.
by Betsy Sundquist
Published: March 12, 2010
Tags: Al Franken, Betsy Sundquist, home foreclosure crisis, M&I Bank
Sooner or later, you’re going to become a statistic. At some point in your life, you could find yourself in an automobile accident. You might get cancer, or be struck by lightning. You might win a game show, or the lottery, or be elected to political office. My husband and I became statistics last year. We held one of the 23,019 mortgages in Minnesota that were foreclosed in 2009.
by Betsy Sundquist
Published: March 12, 2010
Tags: Joe Atkins, Tim Pawlenty
It was a textbook example of the government stepping in to help — perhaps helping a little too much.
by Charles C. Haynes
Published: March 12, 2010
At a time when American students rank an abysmal 21st in science literacy when compared with students around the world, state legislatures should be passing laws to strengthen science education—or at least refrain from enacting bills that make matters worse.
