True North

According to Tarryl Clark’s statement, bipartisanship was the byword this session. Here’s that portion of her session-ending press release:

In contrast to previous sessions, the 2008 session saw less partisan bickering. “I think that’s because people saw that there wasn’t much to be gained by finger-pointing and ‘partisanship for partisanship’s sake,’” said Clark.

It wasn’t that long ago when parts of the DFL leadership were saying that Gov. Pawlenty was irrelevant:

Those ongoing discussions do not involve Republican Pawlenty.

“He’s not really a factor,” Senate Transportation Chairman Steve Murphy, DFL-Red Wing, said of Pawlenty. “He wants us to compromise to his position; that’s not going to happen. We’re going to pass a bill, the governor’s going to veto it, and we’re going to try to override it.”

It wasn’t just Sen. Murphy who sounded this note:

Pawlenty’s “hard stance has kind of taken him out of the debate,” said House Majority Leader Tony Sertich, DFL-Chisholm. “Since the beginning, he’s been the roadblock, and he’s consistently, I think, taken himself out of the negotiations, but if he’s willing to enter back in, we’re always willing to listen,” he said.

For all their talk about bipartisanship, there wasn’t much bipartisan action until gov. Pawlenty turned the tables on the DFL in the bonding bill. That’s when he took a $925 million bonding bill and turned it into a $717 million bonding bill while vetoing the line item out for the Central Corridor, among other things.

After that, Democrats knew that Gov. Pawlenty held the cards. That’s when they knew they’d have to cooperate with Gov. Pawlenty on his terms. Property tax relief is a perfect example of the difference a veto makes. Here’s what last year’s bill included:

Marquart’s proposal would cost $543 million, most of which would come from a new, higher income tax rate on couples earning more than $400,000 a year. The new property tax relief money would spend:

• $223 million to increase refunds.
• $133 million to lower school levies.
• $83 million to increase aids paid to local governments.
• $104 million to fill gaps while the property tax system changes.

Compare that with this year’s property tax relief:

• Property taxes capped for three years, with allowances for population growth and inflation.
• Tax credits for veterans and military personnel of up to a $750 credit for disabled vets or military service members.
• Permanent property tax relief, including $460.5 million worth of relief over the next 3 years plus an additional $25 million for direct property tax relief to homeowners.

In other words, it’s totally different than the bill that the DFL passed in 2007. Here’s another statement that I have to challenge:

“It was grueling and, at times, exasperating, exhausting and difficult,” said Clark. “We stuck to our principles, the governor stuck to his and, in the end, we worked out compromises that had broad, bipartisan support.”

that’s nonsense. Health care is a perfect example of the DFL coming alot further in Gov. Pawlenty’s direction than his coming their direction. when I attended Tarryl’s health care forum at Whitney this January, the entire conversation centered on singlepayer. The reform bill that was finally ironed out includes tax credits for uninsured people to buy private insurance. That accounts for 5,000 of the 12,000 new people who will be covered by this year’s reforms.

Honest people would readily admit that single-payer and privately purchased health insurance are as similar as black and white. Therefore, the notion that the DFL held to its principles while essentially adopting the GOP’s plan is pure spin. Then there’s this line:

“Finally, the successful override of the governor’s veto of the transportation plan early in the session was a message that a bipartisan coalition could be formed to pass a bill if it was a high enough priority. It made the governor more amenable to compromise than he could have gotten away with before last year.”

There isn’t any doubt that the override was a political defeat for Gov. Pawlenty and the GOP. That said, it was a short-lived defeat. When final week negotations finished, the DFL moved alot closer to the GOP’s positions than vice versa. It’s worth noting that the Wayward Six quickly returned to voting with the majority shortly after the override vote.

2 percent cost-of-living increase for nursing homes

Which is what the GOP called for LAST YEAR.

Extensive bonding projects for transportation, economic development, higher education, natural resources, and a new veterans’ nursing home

That’s the vets’ nursing home that Keith Langseth omitted from the original bonding bill. I don’t think many people would agree that that’s a DFL accomplishment if the voters knew that the DFL opposed that.

Giving voters the opportunity to pass dedicated funding for the outdoors, arts, and the environment

Another tax increase is an accomplishment? Dedicated funding for “the outdoors, arts, and the environment” is nothing more than budgetting on autopilot. Whatever happened to legislators taking the budget process seriously? I can’t for the life of me see the virtue in that measure.

Cross-posted and comments welcome at Let Freedom Ring.