Larry Pogemiller

Gov. Pawlenty got off an international flight from Iraq and Afghanistan and immediately took to the domestic airwaves. The health care reform plan is a “joke” he told Fox News, and President Obama is ”scamming the American people” — with “false advertising,” he added on Minnesota Public Radio. On his WCCO-AM show this morning, Pawlenty interviewed Colin [...]

Legislation to rejigger the state’s redistricting system passed the state Senate last week. Stakes are high, as the state may lose a congressional seat after the 2010 U.S. Census, and whether it’s Michele Bachmann’s in the Sixth District or someone else’s will be decided during redistricting. But some people closest to the work of shaping Minnesota’s political boundaries last time around say the system worked pretty well.

The budget stalemate continues at the Capitol with no resolution in sight. The latest salvo comes from Gov. Tim Pawlenty. In a letter sent to Senate Majority Leader Larry Pogemiller and House Speakers Margaret Anderson Kelliher today, the governor chides them for failing to come up with a credible plan to close the state’s $4.6 [...]

Fresh off criticisms of partisanship by possible 2012 DFL challenger RT Rybak, Gov. Tim Pawlenty has sent a letter to state Democrats outlining areas of compromise on the state budget. As the Pioneer Press’ Rachel Stassen-Berger notes, Pawlenty lists three areas where he’d budge:

• “Significantly reduce” his use of nearly $1 billion in borrowing.
• “Accept [...]

His plan offers tax breaks for corporations, but steep spending cuts for higher education, local governments and health and human services. Plus, it relies on more than $3 billion in one-time fixes, dubbed “gimmicks” by Democrats.

How many postage stamps does it take to run a state Senate office? That was the sticky issue debated today during the opening Senate session of 2009. Noting the emergence of email as a tool to communicate with constituents, along with the state’s looming $4.8 billion deficit, Sen. Amy Koch (pictured) proposed that the number of stamps allocated to each legislator be reduced from 5,500 to 3,500. “This is not a big cost savings,” the Republican from Buffalo acknowledged, “but I did a little math and it’s over $56,000.”

Will state funding for education take a hit in efforts to close the gaping $5.3 billion state budget deficit? State Senate Majority Leader Larry Pogemiller thinks so, noting that since cuts could affect all state departments, it’s optimistic to expect education’s 40 percent share of the state budget to remain unscathed. Schools officials contend that, after years of underfunding, there’s no fat left to cut. Meanwhile, Gov. Tim Pawlenty has vowed to protect schools funding. With no resolution yet in sight, school officials statewide are wondering if — and when — their districts will feel the pinch.

An un- usually unified group of Minnesota state leaders expressed concern Monday about a proposed merger between Northwest Airlines and Delta Airlines.

Speaking at a press conference in the governor’s reception room, Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty said he was “very concerned” about the possible impact the merger could have on the state.

“I’m extremely concerned about [...]

Gov. Tim Pawlenty vetoed a tax bill Wednesday night over language that would have required the state to take inflation into account when preparing a budget, as it had before 2002.

“When legislators and the Governor assemble the state budget, we shouldn’t assume that every program should grow on autopilot. We need to examine every taxpayer [...]