Tim Pawlenty’s Legacy for Minnesota

It Wasn’t What They Expected

Republican Presidential hopeful Tim Pawlenty has claimed that he did a great job as Governor of Minnesota.  Well he left office late last year and on Wednesday there was this report on the mess he left for them to clean up.

With less than two days before being forced to lay off 22,000 workers, close state parks and halt road construction projects, state leaders were still discussing how to erase the state's projected $5 billion budget deficit for the two-year budget cycle that begins Friday.

Without a budget deal by then, "only the most critical functions of government involving the security, benefit, and protection of the people" would continue, Ramsey County Judge Kathleen Gearin said in her ruling Wednesday.

The problem, seems eerily familiar

The budget crisis was complicated months ago, when voters sent a Democrat to the governor's office while giving Republicans control of both houses of the Legislature. Despite a five-month legislative session and hours of closed-door meetings, DFL Gov. Mark Dayton and GOP legislative leaders have made little progress in reconciling their differences over how to solve it.

The Legislature tried to balance the budget through cuts. Dayton vetoed most of them, saying they would hurt Minnesota's most vulnerable residents. He wants to raise taxes on wealthy Minnesotans, but Republican leaders so far have insisted on capping spending and are against adopting new sources of revenue.

How does this turn out?  Well now it is Friday and in Minnesota

 on the eve of a holiday weekend, residents were likely to find the state’s parks, historical sites and the Minnesota Zoo closed, hunting and fishing licenses no longer being issued, and that state’s lottery system and racetracks unavailable. Minnesota’s 84 major rest areas along highways were closed. Thousands of state employees were expected to be sent home without pay, and contractors were to be told to walk away from hundreds of road construction projects already underway.

Thanks former Governor Pawlenty, they could not have done it without you.