Monthly Archive for March, 2007

Minnesota has long been a state above the national average. Better schools, better health care system and a better economy. In fact, our unemployment rate has been below the national average for 30 years. That’s an incredible streak…that just came to an end

Minnesota’s rising unemployment rate pulled even with the national average for the first time in more than three decades. The jobless rate nationally and in Minnesota was 4.5 percent in February.

Wait a minute. This doesn’t make sense at all. Didn’t Tim Pawlenty just get our state out of the top ten in taxes? I thought this was the greatest accomplishment since the Minnesota Miracle (or maybe the Miracle on Ice?) Using his logic, shouldn’t our economy improve relative to the rest of the country now that our taxes aren’t holding back business?

I guess not.

You know why that isn’t happening? Because Tim Pawlenty doesn’t get it. Minnesota is a state that has been successful for generation after generation not because of our tax policy, but because of our belief in the value of a good investment, especially in education. Business choose to locate here despite taxes that are a little higher because we have a highly educated work force with a strong work ethic.

Let me remind you of a few key facts.

1. In 2003, for the first time in Minnesota history, we CUT money from the K-12 budget
2. Over the last 6 years, tuition at public colleges and universities in Minnesota has skyrocketed
3. As a result of a dramatic decrease in state funding to local governments (including schools) property taxes have increased some $1.7 billion since Tim Pawlenty took office

In light of this, why is ANYONE surprised that our economy has hit the skids. We are rapidly falling back into the pack. If this keeps up, pretty soon we will be ‘just a cold Omaha.’

Thanks for nothing Timmy.

From the Star Tribune:

Gov. Tim Pawlenty is in Iowa today, stumping across the bellweather state with U.S. Sen. John McCain, whose presidential campaign has recently hit a rough patch.

Even before his three public appearances with McCain, Pawlenty was singing the Arizonans praises this morning on a Des Moines talk radio station. He called McCain “a very strong person and leader. The best sermons are lived, not spoken.”He’s a common sense conservative,” Pawlenty said of McCain, while describing himself as a “conservative fiscally and socially.”

Hmm… is somebody looking for a spot on a national ticket? Pawlenty had the following to say on the subject:

Pawlenty deflected speculation that he’s angling for the vice presidential spot on a McCain ticket. “I’m committed to staying the governor of Minnesota,” he said. “I’m just doing this because I believe in him, not because I want a job or a position.”

How very noble of you Mr. Governor. Come on, are we to actually believe that if he got a VP offer that he’d refuse? I absolutely would not fault him for saying yes, I would fault him for saying no! — It’s a shot at being the Vice President of the United States! He’d be nuts to turn down that kind of opportunity.

So, that being said, here are my thoughts:

• Governor Pawlenty’s desire to be Vice President concerns me only to the extent that it hinders his ability to govern (and I would contend that it presents a rather large barrier to his current effectiveness in the form of ridiculous grabs for Conservative cred like holding up a no-new-taxes-pledge)
• If he gets a VP offer and doesn’t take it, he’s loony.
• What does bother me is saying you’re not going to do something if you’re going to do it. But we still don’t know if he actually will, so that’s for a later date…
• Down the road, if a DFLer ever is in the situation that our current Governor is (and monkeys fly), I request that Conservatives hold that person to the standards I have laid out above (again, when monkeys fly).