Playing Politics With Budget Cuts

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The State of Minnesota has a budget deficit of more than $900 million.  At present, Governor Tim Pawlenty and the Democratic-controlled Legislature are working to whittle that number down to a reasonable amount.

On some of the programs where the budget axe is likely to fall, questions have been raised.  Are the cuts merely a way for the state to say, "Sorry, we just don't have the money right now"?  Or is the governor trying to impress Republican party bosses with his leadership skills, and his refusal to raise taxes?

As everyone knows, Pawlenty has been barnstorming the country with his "unofficial" 2012 presidential campaign.  He's made speeches, gone on TV shows and pressed the flesh at conservative fund-raisers to promote his agenda without actually being a candidate.  Yet poll numbers show that not many folks know anything about the governor beyond his home state.

Here's some examples of how Pawlenty's political ambitions have been getting in the way of doing what's right for the state:

• Asking Attorney General Lori Swanson (a Democrat) to look into the legality of the health care bill, which was signed into law by President Barack Obama.  This might result in Minnesota joining a lawsuit with 12 other states to challenge the new law's constitutionality, hoping that their conservative pals on the U.S. Supreme Court might see things their way.
• Threatening to zero out $2 million from the general fund of the state's public broadcasting stations.  The Legislature is considering cuts that are less harsh, but has little chance against Pawlenty's veto pen.  Whatever happens, expect more "pass-the-hat" programming.
• Wants to cut funding for the Minnesota Film and Television Board, including incentives for filmmakers to shoot movies in the state.  Without it, studios would have to find someplace else that would play the role of Minnesota.

This gives Pawlenty the opportunity to tell the GOP faithful that he's willing to stick it to the liberals in Hollywood and Washington, so long as he's saving his state a few bucks.  However, he's hurting plenty of people in the process.

But things may be changing.  The Minnesota Supreme Court is currently deciding whether the governor's practice of slashing programs single-handedly via a little-used law called "unallotment", without any input from the Legislature, is unconstitutional.

If the court rules against Pawlenty, the governor might have to find new ways to impress the GOP on his electability if he ever wants a four-year lease on the White House.  Everyone else can count the days until he finally leaves office to hit the campaign trail.