They say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting a different result.
The Timberwolves are a sort of humorous example that comes to mind. Each offseason, Minnesota’s NBA basketball team “hopes its luck will change” in the annual NBA Draft Lottery, which determines the order in which NBA teams get to select the best college basketball players. But every year, the T-Wolves’ draft luck never changes; they always draft right where they’re supposed to, which is never quite high enough, or, like earlier this week, their draft slot actually drops.
But for a more relevant example of insanity, do we have to look any further than St. Paul, where our legislators and governor get together every year to make laws and set the path for our state government, and always seem to depart like bitter second graders fighting over space on the playground swingset?
The insanity is more ramped up every other year, of course, the big budget years in which the legislature and governor attempt to craft a gigantic biennial budget to keep the state operating for the next two years. The 2009 session that just concluded in colossally failed fashion earlier this week is the latest example of their insane behavior. Maybe Minnesotans are just as insane for expecting anything different.
Tuesday, DFL leaders hopped on a plane and stated their case at airports all over the state, while Gov. Tim Pawlenty stayed in St. Paul and prepared to unilaterally cut programs and unallot funds that had been earmarked to agencies and local governments that, initially at least, were counting on those dollars. He did squeeze in some media time of his own to rip the Democrats. The DFLers managed to avoid touching down for a quick “media availability” at the Crookston Municipal Airport, which is probably for the best, anyway.
So who’s more at fault? The thinking here is your governor. Sure, citizens don’t like tax increases, but how can you erase a deficit that, without federal stimulus dollars, would be well over $6 billion, and even with stimulus money factored in, is still $4.6 billion? Pawlenty thinks you can do it by shifting some money around, delaying payments to things like school districts, slashing budgets and borrowing a billion dollars. Yes, the guy who claims to be so fiscally responsible simply wants to borrow a 10-figure sum.
To erase a deficit that massive without leaving local governments and school districts high and dry and cutting programs that help people who need the help most, you need some additional revenue, and that should come through taxes, not borrowing. And tax opponents, just you wait, your property taxes will go up next year as a result of this year’s insanity in St. Paul, as local governments realize that they need more revenue to offer the services that people need and want.
The fact is, Minnesota has been short on revenue during much of Pawlenty’s time in office. As a result, a state that used to be seen as a leader in so many areas is now, in reality, merely mediocre.
In this space and elsewhere during Pawlenty’s reign as governor, when it’s been time in recent springs to criticize the actions of our legislators and governor, a “throw the bums out” tone has been common, as in, vote them out in the next election. But what’s the point in electing more politicians to perpetuate more insanity?
We’d be insane to think that anything we could do at the ballot box would bring about a different result.
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They say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting a different result.
The Timberwolves are a sort of humorous example that comes to mind. Each offseason, Minnesota’s NBA basketball team “hopes its luck will change” in the annual NBA Draft Lottery, which determines the order in which NBA teams get to select the best college basketball players. But every year, the T-Wolves’ draft luck never changes; they always draft right where they’re supposed to, which is never quite high enough, or, like earlier this week, their draft slot actually drops.
But for a more relevant example of insanity, do we have to look any further than St. Paul, where our legislators and governor get together every year to make laws and set the path for our state government, and always seem to depart like bitter second graders fighting over space on the playground swingset?
The insanity is more ramped up every other year, of course, the big budget years in which the legislature and governor attempt to craft a gigantic biennial budget to keep the state operating for the next two years. The 2009 session that just concluded in colossally failed fashion earlier this week is the latest example of their insane behavior. Maybe Minnesotans are just as insane for expecting anything different.
Tuesday, DFL leaders hopped on a plane and stated their case at airports all over the state, while Gov. Tim Pawlenty stayed in St. Paul and prepared to unilaterally cut programs and unallot funds that had been earmarked to agencies and local governments that, initially at least, were counting on those dollars. He did squeeze in some media time of his own to rip the Democrats. The DFLers managed to avoid touching down for a quick “media availability” at the Crookston Municipal Airport, which is probably for the best, anyway.
So who’s more at fault? The thinking here is your governor. Sure, citizens don’t like tax increases, but how can you erase a deficit that, without federal stimulus dollars, would be well over $6 billion, and even with stimulus money factored in, is still $4.6 billion? Pawlenty thinks you can do it by shifting some money around, delaying payments to things like school districts, slashing budgets and borrowing a billion dollars. Yes, the guy who claims to be so fiscally responsible simply wants to borrow a 10-figure sum.
To erase a deficit that massive without leaving local governments and school districts high and dry and cutting programs that help people who need the help most, you need some additional revenue, and that should come through taxes, not borrowing. And tax opponents, just you wait, your property taxes will go up next year as a result of this year’s insanity in St. Paul, as local governments realize that they need more revenue to offer the services that people need and want.
The fact is, Minnesota has been short on revenue during much of Pawlenty’s time in office. As a result, a state that used to be seen as a leader in so many areas is now, in reality, merely mediocre.
In this space and elsewhere during Pawlenty’s reign as governor, when it’s been time in recent springs to criticize the actions of our legislators and governor, a “throw the bums out” tone has been common, as in, vote them out in the next election. But what’s the point in electing more politicians to perpetuate more insanity?
We’d be insane to think that anything we could do at the ballot box would bring about a different result.
