As one who has worked in and around state government for 39 years, Gov. Mark Dayton can take a long look backward. With Wednesday's State of the State address, he combined that capacity with a long look forward at the challenges Minnesota faces as the baby boomer generation retires, the population grows more diverse and 20th century infrastructure requires renewal.

The long view Dayton offered is fitting context for a legislative session that, in only its first days, some observers are already writing off as unimportant and ineffectual. At 10 weeks' scheduled duration, the session will be uncommonly brief and burdened with election-year partisanship. But it can and should matter to Minnesota's future.

As Dayton said, the issues on this session's agenda are far from trivial. They put this state at a crossroads. State lawmakers can ignore history and repeat past mistakes, including excessive tax cuts at the top of an economic cycle and underinvestment in transportation, clean water and preschool. Or they can adjust their positions to guard against deficits and to address unmet infrastructure and workforce needs that will hobble this state's future prosperity if they are neglected now.

Dayton is a survivor of state budget deficits dating to the early 1980s. He knows the toll they took on economy-building state services, particularly education — a toll he suggested might include the educational underachievement of nonwhite students.

He's keen to avoid a return of red ink. "My No. 1 priority in this legislative session will be to protect the fiscal integrity of our state government," the DFL governor said, to what seemed to be DFL-only applause. Minnesota would be well-served if that priority were embraced by both parties.

Dayton's chance to put money where his mouth is will come Tuesday, when he is due to submit a mid-biennium proposal for budget adjustments to the politically divided Legislature. He should go lightly on new spending obligations that continue in subsequent years. With a $900 million surplus forecast through June 2017, the state can afford some additional spending, but one-time measures should be favored.

Similarly, the House Republican majority and businesses seeking a major tax cut should heed Dayton's signal to curb their appetite. Dayton did not utter the word "veto," but he signaled resistance to any tax cut that takes a growing bite out of state revenues in subsequent years.

Dayton put his bully pulpit to fine use when he introduced Asma Jama — a woman attacked with a beer mug in November in Coon Rapids because she was not speaking English — and invited the audience to show "her, and all Muslim-Minnesotans, the open arms and respect they deserve." It provided the occasion's biggest applause line.

Legislators who were listening for a shiny new idea or a game-changing offer of compromise did not hear one from the two-term governor. Neither did he serve up much red meat to partisans. But in a ceremony rich with pomp at McNamara Alumni Center at the University of Minnesota, Dayton spoke as one who takes governing seriously and respects those in both parties who are its stewards. Compared with the rhetorical lowlights that have been on display in the presidential campaign this year, this State of the State address was a reassuring counterpoint.