Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty caused jaws to drop and made headlines in December when he suggested that Minnesota and other states refuse Washington's offer of an economic stimulus.
"The states should substantially fix their own problems," Pawlenty said in Philadelphia, where the National Governors Association was meeting with then-President-elect Barack Obama. "The bottom line is many states have spending patterns that are unsustainable and growing faster than the economy."
Pawlenty's stand had merit despite its cool reception back home, where a state budget deficit was threatening to grow toward $7 billion. Offering fiscally irresponsible states billions in emergency funds condones out-of-control spending and encourages continued bad budget behavior. Rather than pumping in more money, we "need to put a limit on the nation's credit card or, better yet, tear it up," Pawlenty said.
So his administration's decision this week that it would "spend all federal economic stimulus money that it can get its hands on -- estimated at $4 billion," as our Capitol bureau's Don Davis reported, seemed an abrupt about-face.
"We're not bashful about accepting our share of the money," the governor told the Washington Post at the annual meeting of the National Governors Association in Washington, D.C. "If you're paying the tab for the pizza, it's OK to have a slice even if there are some anchovies on it."
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Before crucifying Pawlenty for his seemingly conflicting comments, consider how foolish he or any other governor would be to maintain a hard-line stand against Washington's help. Pawlenty is a savvy politician with principles, and he isn't shy about expressing them. But he isn't stupid.
By taking the stimulus money, Pawlenty can help Minnesota's bottom line while positioning the state as a leader in his crusade for fiscal responsibility. Wherever there's discretion, he and other state leaders can make sure federal funds are used to create and maintain good-paying jobs and to pay for necessary transportation projects. Some 60 transportation projects touted by Pawlenty yesterday during news conferences in Duluth, Rochester, Mankato, Cambridge and St. Paul served as solid examples. The $180 million from the feds includes nearly $31 million of work in St. Louis County.
A year and a half ago, the Gopher State became symbolic of the need to improve bridges, roads, rail lines and other ailing infrastructure when the Interstate 35W bridge collapsed into the Mississippi River in Minneapolis. President Obama's stimulus is an opportunity for the state to lead by example when it comes to resisting pork and funding projects that bolster the bottom line while putting Minnesotans back to work.
Even if doing so doesn't cause jaws to drop or headline writers to drool.
