Governor, legislative leaders emerge from taxing meeting
Democratic legislative leaders today (March 26) emerged from a meeting with Gov. Tim Pawlenty on global budget issues unhappy and disappointed — Senate Majority Leader Larry Pogemiller, DFL-Minneapolis, questioned the governor’s fitness in crafting a budget.
A little later in the afternoon, Pawlenty offered his appraisal of the meeting.
“Well, I think the legisaltive leaders of the DFL just expressed their strong desire to raise taxes and I expressed my strong desire not to,” said Pawlenty.
He told Pogemiller and House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher, DFL-Minneapolis, explained Pawlenty, to focus on areas of agreement, not differences.
“I don’t think it’s a blow up,” he said.
Rather, Pawlenty styled the disagreement over taxes as a “legitimate policy difference.”
It’s not a new debate, Pawlenty said.
DFLers argue that the governor is anything but pure on taxes.
They point to property tax increases and the cigarette health care impact fee, for instance, as evidence of the Pawlenty-factor in taxation.
