06/02/2011 - Duluth News Tribune: State view: Republicans in St. Paul refuse to lead, unwilling to follow, by Cynthia Moothart
https://secure.forumcomm.com/?publisher_ID=36&article_id=200588&CFID=350020076&CFTOKEN=72120021Also ran in: Fargo Forum, Grand Rapids Herald-Review
State view: Republicans in St. Paul refuse to lead, unwilling to followRepublican lawmakers took control of the statehouse in January promising that they would deliver what Minnesotans “want.”
By the close of this year’s session, it was clear they have no idea what that is. Or maybe they just don’t care. Either way, only 43 bills, out of some 1,700 introduced, had enough support to even reach the governor’s desk. And a quarter of those were so politically charged they rightfully were vetoed.
This legislative session was supposed to be about setting state budget priorities for the next two years. Instead, Republicans hightailed it out of St. Paul after wasting months introducing bills that stood no chance of becoming law.
Some can be shrugged off simply as goofy, like the state printing its own currency. Minnesota would have to secede from the United States in order for that to happen. Others were just plain mean – like plans to eliminate Meals on Wheels, end pay equity for women and close down the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Gov. Mark Dayton said he will not call a special session to settle the state budget until a comprehensive plan is nailed down, which must happen this month to avoid a government shutdown.
It’s difficult to imagine that day could come given the hard line Republicans struck, refusing to negotiate even after the governor offered multiple compromises to jump-start talks.
As it is, only 27 percent of state residents back Republican plans to erase Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s $5 billion deficit through spending cuts alone. When it comes to their priorities, support drops even further: Just 8 percent back reductions in health care for low-income, disabled and elderly residents.
The vast majority, some 63 percent of Minnesotans, side with Dayton, who proposed nominal revenue gains, mixed with savings, to balance the state’s budget. His plan asked that those with earnings at the very top of the income ladder pay marginally higher taxes to lessen the load on middle-class workers and families.
Some Republicans are attempting to explain away widespread unpopularity for their efforts as representing courage in tough times. That’s a hard sell given the vast majority of bills introduced this session had nothing to do with jobs or the economy. And the few that did, independent nonpolitical sources calculate, would worsen the situation of both.
So we’re back to the question. Do Republicans lack a clue what Minnesotans want or do they just not care?
Given their dim legislative record this year, answering that question hardly seems the point: Republicans this year proved they are unfit to lead and, equally, are unwilling to follow. And either way, what they did just isn’t acceptable.
