Countdown to the shutdown

07/03/2005

Star Tribune
July 3, 2005

6 November 2004: Pawlenty prepares for the session determined to stick to his no-tax pledge, which contributes to decisions to push hard for gambling expansion and cuts in health care programs.

5 January 2005: Willingness builds among mainstream religious leaders to lend their voices to oppose further reductions in social programs.

4 January: Pawlenty’s proposed cuts to “welfare health care” stir passionate resistance from advocacy groups and DFLers.

3 March: A $945 million bonding bill is passed and signed, applauded as a sign that the session would be marked by cooperation and success. But a major incentive for compromise disappears.

2 April: Pawlenty’s efforts to raise revenues through “fees” culminate in a proposed 75 cent-a-pack cigarette “fee” that brings an open break with low-tax advocates.

1 April: The gambling proposal, on which Pawlenty had counted heavily, breaks apart in the face of conservative resistance and the reluctance of northern Minnesota Indian bands to join a partnership with the Canterbury Park racetrack.

0 June: With hopes rising for a last-minute compromise, the DFL-controlled Senate adjourns hours before the deadline and the shutdown begins.