Pawlenty touts 'innovative spirit'

In his fourth and final State of the State speech before he stands for reelection, Gov. Tim Pawlenty described Minnesota in 2006 as "strong, hopeful and prosperous" and still near the top in quality-of-life rankings.

The address in the packed House chamber on Thursday blended several key themes that Pawlenty has developed in recent months.

He itemized 16 major accomplishments -- including solving the state's budget deficits -- and ticked off six top state rankings in health, education and the economy.

"Our people are working. Our students are learning. And our citizens are healthy," he said.

He also outlined 29 proposals in education, health care, the environment and jobs creation that he would like passed.

Using the soaring rhetoric that governors perennially bring to the speech, the Republican governor coined the phrase "lighthouse state" for Minnesota, using the imagery of Split Rock Lighthouse on Lake Superior. He cited historic ways in which Minnesota had served the nation, saying, "We are a beacon of hope, optimism and the innovative spirit to get things done."

"I want this historic building to be a lighthouse again," he said of the 101-year-old State Capitol.

In response, DFLers and allied groups focused on themes of taxes and program cuts.

Despite claims to having balanced the huge deficits with no state taxes, opponents said, Pawlenty actually raised property taxes and fees and seriously damaged middle- and lower-income groups with his program cuts. And the rest of his initiatives amount to creative but trivial window-dressing.

The Alliance for a Better Minnesota, a coalition of labor unions and liberal groups, contended that Pawlenty had forced local property taxes to rise an average of 32 percent over three years and that he had raised fees by almost $900 million.

The group also accused him of leaving 77,000 more citizens without health insurance, cutting programs for schools and the elderly, and causing steep hikes in tuition.

Pawlenty's only reference to the bitter budget fights and deadlocked sessions over the past three years was this: "While it hasn't always been pretty, we've accomplished a great deal together."

Among his top claims to accomplishments were what he called the "biggest financial turnaround in Minnesota history," regaining Minnesota's status as an "education innovator" and instituting new state education standards.

His top legislative priorities in each of four categories -- almost all 29 of which had been promoted earlier -- include initiatives for early childhood, classroom funding, and math and science standards; directing that providers more aggressively market health insurance plans for less than $200 a month; developing a long-term strategic plan for conservation, including a constitutional amendment to dedicate funds for natural resources, and imposing a cap on property taxes and overhauling the corporate tax "so we don't punish job creation."

Pawlenty also repeated calls for docking the pay of legislators and the governor if they don't meet legislative adjournment deadlines; encouraging legal immigration and "cracking down" on illegal immigration and a constitutional amendment that would ban same-sex marriage.

A brief display

The latter two of those again provoked accusations that Pawlenty's agenda was "divisive" and designed to build on resentments in the majority culture against racial minorities, gays and lesbians.

When Pawlenty talked about revitalizing "the traditional family structure," Rep. Karen Clark, DFL-Minneapolis, rose and briefly turned her back to the podium. She was joined by her desk mate, Rep. Ron Latz, DFL-St. Louis Park.

Clark, who is openly lesbian, said the demonstration was unplanned. "Some things you just can't sit down for," she said, adding that she thought the legislation was a form of "bigotry."

Pawlenty's spokesman, Brian McClung, said Pawlenty had no comment on the display.

Response

The top leaders of the DFL legislative caucuses, Senate Majority Leader Dean Johnson and House Minority Leader Matt Entenza, dismissed most of Pawlenty's proposals as inadequate and diversionary. They noted that he barely touched on higher education, one of the state's most important functions.

Although Pawlenty was applauded about 60 times in the 40-minute speech, Entenza said he noticed that many Republican legislators stayed seated or did not applaud his calls for school vouchers and the marriage amendment.

In general, Republicans roundly cheered the speech. State party chairman Ron Carey said that it showed Pawlenty had "the right ideas to strengthen our state" and that DFLers should "cease their shrill partisan attacks."

Charles Kyte, executive director of the Minnesota Association of School Administrators, said he found a lot to like in the education proposals. Raising requirements for algebra, chemistry and digital literacy are "very good," he said. Pawlenty's education record "has been checkered," Kyte said, but he said the current set of proposals has "a reasonable chance" of passing.

Wayne Cox, executive director of Minnesota Citizens for Tax Justice, a group financed by labor unions, said listeners heard "a very likable Timmy the Dreamer today. Unfortunately, we get his evil twin Trimmy at budget time."

Dane Smith • 651-292-0164 Dan Wascoe contributed to this report.