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The 2009 Legislature's finale was far from its finest hour. A rush job that ran roughshod over rules and protocol in both chambers sent one more $1-plus billion tax increase to Gov. Tim Pawlenty. Along with a $1.8 billion payment and accounting delay for schools, the hastily hatched bill allowed leaders of the DFL legislative majorities to claim that they had balanced the state's 2010-11 budget before the mandatory midnight adjournment. That claim is likely to have a short shelf life. Pawlenty has already vetoed a similar tax bill, and the 11:50 p.m. Monday version is expected to face the same fate. Its structure does not permit its dismantling via line-item vetoes. A veto will give Pawlenty what he said last week he wanted -- the opportunity to balance the state budget unilaterally. That may be good news for those who share the Republican governor's view that reducing state spending by roughly $2.5 billion, and using more than $4 billion in one-time money, is the right way to erase a $6.4 billion deficit.
