Well, despite what it looked like only 20 minutes ago (they really need to have play-by-play commentators on the TV live feed) the House managed to pass all of the essential bills just under the wire. The transportation lights-on bill had already been passed earlier so the lack of an override doesn’t mean a special session is necessary. So, unless the Governor vetoes one of the major bills it looks as though the legislature has avoided a special session. This is the first legislature to pass a budget on-time since 1999. That’s a feather that the DFL and the legislative leadership can put in their caps.
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Related Posts: Novak Tears Into T-Paw, Dirty Sexy Money, The Call is Getting Louder: DFL Calls on Pawlenty for Special Session, Again, Kelley In?, Fred Phelps Hates Minneapolis, And Gays, And America, And… And…,
17 Responses to “I’ll be damned, the Special Session’s in the Governor’s Hands”
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This is also the first Legislature since 1999 where the Democrats controlled both legislative bodies. Finishing on time really demonstrates nothing more than the natural ability of the Legislature to function more efficiently when both bodies are controlled by the same party.
The big story, the one the public will notice, is the Democrats over-promised and under-delivered this session, and were totally out-flanked by the Governor and the House Republican minority. Further, they revealed their claim of being fiscally moderate is fraudulent.
That’s gonna be a lonely feather.
What has the greater affect on people’s lives? Finishing session on time or managing an anorexic 2 p ercent and 1 percent education funding increase?
What a pathetic effort from Democrats. Witha huge surplus and strong majorities they sure peed all over themselves.
Sorry, but the only people impressed by an on-time adjournment are legislative staff - and none of them will be changing their votes. If that’s the best headline the DFL takes away from this session, then it’s a failed session for the DFL. Unfortunately - really unfortunately, in fact - the DFL also walks away having failed to pass tax increases, and having made Pawlenty look fiscally moderate by comparison. Who, among DFL leaders, was not listening when Pawlenty said that he would not sign a tax increase? And who, among DFL leaders, failed to appreciate that they lacked the votes to override a veto in the House? I won’t even call this a miscalculation - I’ll call it a total state of denial about the political realities at play.
Even the Strib is half conceding that the DFL leadership was totally outflanked. Who wins in the current situation? The GOP governor who now has all of the media focused and waiting for his statements whether and why he will veto the DFL bills? Or the DFL legislative leadership, sitting idly, waiting for the governor’s reaction, and bragging about finishing on-time? If Pawlenty vetoes, and then calls a special session, he’ll have days, maybe weeks, to explain, unencumbered by a sitting legislature competing for media attention, why the DFL bills stink. Great, just great.
And in all of this, I have to wonder: where in the hell is Larry Pogemiller and his empty threat of “just wait” as a means of explaining how the DFL was going to beat Pawlenty in the end game? I really felt that John Hottinger was the absolute epitome of DFL leadership incompetence … until this past week. Will the Minneapolis liberals who insisted upon Pogemiller - and the hopeless tax increases - wake up and realize that they totally screwed up this session for the party? I couldn’t be more disgusted by the whole mess.
WTM got it totally right - Republican’s won big. The Dem’s need to do a much better job of justifying all the myriad of tax increases they proposed.
I guess there’s a reason that Pawlenty was re-elected in the face of a huge anti-Bush headwind.
One correction - If the Governor vetoes the tax bill (and it appears he is going to) then there is no need for a special session. It is a widely known fact that the legislature doesn’t need a tax bill to fund government. All laws are already in place to do that.
Of course there’s a reason Governor Pawlenty was re-elected: there was an attractive third-party candidate, and the endorsed DFL cnadidate made really stupid remarks just before the election.
I wouldn’t go bragging about electoral mandates if I were the Governor.
I read the details in the paper this morning, and wow, Pawlenty sure kicked the Democrats’ asses.
Maybe if we hadn’t spent the early part of the session screwing around with bills about call centers and freedom to poop, we could have gotten more done at the end.
WTM is right.
The Democrats were so eager to get their “Blame Pawlenty” tour started they backed down from a fight that could’ve produced results. Cowards.
Wild - no new money for roads - but fewer weight restrictions on massive trucks! Fascinating…the lack of care for infrastructure..indeed the drive to undermine infrastructure is stunning.
The lesson - Minnesota does indeed have a strong governor system. Of course this was pretty clear back in 2003…so maybe it’s time to build the party - and get serious about running a solid gubernatorial candidate - not just a party guy who is owed something; maybe it’s time for an honest evaluation about how the DFL remains a good-old-boys club..and that this undermines its potential.
It would be nice in 2010 to avoid another Hatch or Moe deal. At both of those conventions people learned the DFL is about guys collecting on favors..so many people were turned off… And even at entry-level volunteer positions gender defines what one gets to do…chicks get to be precinct-chairs and answer phones! For local races - first time candidates who are guys can be rising stars - first-time candidates who are chicks are more likely to be sacrificial lambs…paving the way for the next election. Yes there are exceptions - but overall this is true…just something to think about…Why join up and be treated like Becky Lourey or Judy Dutcher?
demure one,
I’m not going to fault you for your ignorance on the truck weight issue because it’s something most people don’t read much about. But the truck weight increases actually require semis to add additional axles. What happens is even though the weight of the truck increases, the way the weight is distributed on the roads makes for less wear and tear on our highways and interstates. In terms of wear and tear, it’s actually a good thing.
As for no money going into transportation, that was the choice of the DFL. They could have worked with Pawlenty to build $1.7 billion in road projects this year. The money would have come through bonding paid for by the new money going into highways under the MVET amendment passed by voters last year. As I’ve said here before, it would have taken more than ten years (not counting inflation) to build the same roads Pawlenty proposed in just one year.
demure one,
right on.
Had Pawlenty not vetoed the Transportation Bill in 2005, the MVET would not have been voted in and monies for roads would have begun to amass. That is where the Guv messed up because in 2005, it was a BiPartisan Bill that would have had enough votes on both sides to be overridden had it been able to come to pass.
kathy,
The MVET *should* have been voted in. There is no reason for sales taxes on motor vehicles to be going outside of transportation (as 40% of them did for decades). There are plenty of ways to fund transportation; the DFL simply chose once again to not fund transportation.
Chris — Budgeting by constitutional amendment is a bad idea, no matter where the money is supposed to go. Sales taxes aren’t supposed to be user fees, but are supposed to be part of the state’s general revenue, to be used as deemed necessary.
MVET was a mistake, and a great way to change the subject and avoid accountability for the earlier failure to pass a transportation funding measure.
Randy,
It wasn’t budgeting by constitutional amendment. Motor Vehicle Exise Taxes should have been used for transportation all along. There is a difference, if you’ve ever bought a car you’ll know this, between the regular sales tax and Motor Vehicle Exise Taxes.
The point is that if you wanted to build roads in Minnesota, Pawlenty had a plan to build $1.7 billion roads in one year. The DFL rejected it in favor of their risky tax scheme. It didn’t work and now the citizens will pay the price for yet another year. Next year, the $1.7 billion will probably cost over $2 billion thanks to the DFL’s inaction.
Randy! You and I seem to be on the same page here.
I believe it’s MVST Motor Vehicle Sales Tax….
And uh - thanks Margaret!