Residual Forces

Gov. Tim Pawlenty who made serious gains in the good will department with the fiscally responsible people in the state when he line item vetoed the Bonding bill, has just erased all those gains. 

The Central Corridor light-rail line, which has become a pawn in back-and-forth negotiations at the Capitol, is back in a budget proposal made by Gov. Tim Pawlenty on Wednesday.

There will be a voter revolt this November. (Barring major mishandling by the Party leadership, fingers crossed) Republicans will pick up seats in the Minnesota House. Pawlenty and Legislators are mortgaging the future of Minnesota’s children on all these pork barrel pet projects. 

Central Corridor is a boondoggle waiting to happen. Pawlenty did the right thing when he put it back on the wish list shelf. He made up for his betrayal of the taxpayer when he allowed Hennepin County to raise taxes with out a vote on the Twins tax in 2005. The rumors of him not fighting hard to sustain his veto during that Friday afternoon meeting with Republican House members still irks many fiscal conservatives. 

But his rekindled sense of fiscal sanity in cutting out the Corridor was a breathe of fresh air for many of us who see Minnesota headed toward unsustainable Government spending. But it was short lived and now I’m left to wonder if Pawlenty does have another job he will make his legacy out of. 

When in DC I was asked about Pawlenty in terms of Vice President. Of course I answered honestly and said that it would be a terrible idea. I said both McCain and Pawlenty are Big Government Republicans. Pretty solid on taxes, but terrible on spending. They are cut from the same mold. McCain needs a rock solid limited Government Conservative to balance the ticket, not pick a ticket mate that is just like him. 

I don’t think Tim pawlenty wants to be the guy who is remembered as destroying the Midway of St. Paul. I don’t think he wants to be remembered as the guy who allowed state spending to increase exponentially at a time of recession. I don’t think he wants to be remembered as the guy who has committed the state to programs, projects, and policies that will have lasting negative ramifications and huge costs hurting the state economy and forcing Minnesota citizens to sacrifice freedom, choice, and treasure. 

Pawlenty has been a decent Governor, but he has been a terrible fiscal, limited Government conservative. Like Bush has stumbled and ruined what could have been a good legacy. Bush’s, and Republicans in Congress along with him, blew it in the first half of his second term. 

Pawlenty has to have plans for the future. I don’t think being a former Governor is enough for him. I think the time spent on the campaign trail with McCain has gone to his head and rekindled the self-serving Republican in him. He is supporting flat out liberal energy and environmental problems. He is expanding the burden of Government on citizens and taxpayers. Now he is not all bad, but neither is the soon to be former President. But what they have done wrong (and those things are mostly when they worked with the Democrats on liberal agenda items) will leave lasting headaches and painful, costly policies for future generations to deal with. 

Does he really want to be another Arne Carlson? As in a former Republican Governor who left behind a legacy chalk full of liberal agenda items and policies all marked accomplished. That guy was on local morning news this AM, and he still puts a bad taste in my mouth when they introduce him as a Republican. He’s a liberal. Just look at his tenure and listen to what he says. 

So what will Tim Pawlenty’s legacy look like if his last public service act is Governor of Minnesota? What will Minnesota, and more importantly Republicans, think of his time as Governor? Unfortunately I am not too happy with his tenure so far. Central Corridor just happens to be the perfect example of how he is not acting in the best interest of all Minnesotans, let alone limited government conservatives. 

The DFL is testing him beyond, what I fear are, his limits. They are hitting where it hurts and trying to drive the final wedge between him and his base to destroy his aspirations for calling DC his home. 

Will he be known as the Republican Governor who signed into law policies that hand over control to bureaucrats  in California who get to make every single thing in Minnesota cost more, ban the sale and purchase of certain necessities deemed as tabu by feel good environmentalists, and force us all to drive Specs that have room for your arse and a bag of organic groceries? 

(long rant I know)Back to get back to the point. If the DFL will build a state park and Vet’s hospital, he’ll sign on to the billion dollar boondoggle that will destroy a historic park of our city, create added congestion rather then reduce it, and add millions in annual operating costs to already over taxed citizens at multiple levels. 

Pawlenty can save his legacy from being just another Arne, but he has to act sooner rather than tomorrow. The clock is not just ticking, the alarm already went off, Pawlenty hit the snooze button with his veto-palooza. But can he sustain the courage and backbone he had when he did that? It seems to come and go far to often to keep him from being just another Arne kinda of former Republican Governor. 

He must be trying to create an image and personality that will serve him in the recruitment to another position. Secretary Pawlenty? But of what?

Saudi Arabia of renewable energy…… how’s that working out for us?