Pawlenty sets limits on spending

We’re probably starting to sound like a broken record, but thank goodness for Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty. Someone in state government has to be an adult and that responsibility has been taken up by the second-term Republican. This week, the governor vetoed about $200 million in borrowing projects lawmakers had approved. This still left more than $700 million in the state bonding bill, but the weeping and wailing among legislators began before the veto ink had even dried.

The specific projects Pawlenty scuttled aren’t of particular concern to us. We’ll let the governor and his Democratic foes debate the “merits” of these projects. Perhaps some will make it back into a session-ending grand bargain. Whatever. The key is that Pawlenty warned lawmakers to prioritize and they didn’t. He forced them to suffer the consequences.

Lawmakers are likely to face a similar result when it comes to balancing the budget. The state faces a $935 million deficit. Democrats, who lead the House and Senate, are likely to send the governor a package that includes dipping deeply into the state’s budget reserve and raising taxes. Spending cuts will take a back seat, forcing the state to face more budget problems in the future. Our state representative, Bob Gunther, a Fairmont Republican, says his House colleagues can count on Pawlenty vetoing this plan.

The most important fact in all of this is that it isn’t just political gamesmanship. There are real consequences to the state overextending itself, especially in times of economic difficulty. Prolonging that difficulty is one reality. Creating a state that is a burden to taxpayers, instead of their ally, is even worse.