Gov. Tim Pawlenty plays Jenga with Minnesota budget

February 3, 8:41 AMSouth St. Paul ExaminerRob Shirk

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Jenga by Hasbro

South St. Paul's native son Gov.Tim Pawlenty gathers his economic team in his office to play Jenga with Minnesota every once in a while.

Jenga is a game by Hasbro where, blocks of wood are stacked in a tower and as the players remove the blocks, the tower becomes unstable to the point where the stack falls down and the loser is revealed. Loads of family fun. It's a pretty good game, actually. Non--video based. Our Minnesota Games Examiner can tell you all about the video stuff, if you want.

The best player uses Minnesota as the tower and solemnly reaffirms his his blood oath at the alter of The Taxpayer League of Minnesota to never, ever raise taxes. Keep taking the blocks out until you jettison, for instance, the block called health care. You'd be compelled to do so as there are no more blocks available to make it more stable by adding a block or two. You must subtract. Every time. No exceptions.

Gov. Tim Pawlenty will not raise taxes even as county hospitals like Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis and private hospitals like Regions Hospital in my neighborhood of St. Paul already have a huge burden of Charity Care, largely due to massive cuts in the budget. Apparently keeping the Jenga tower stable is far more important than having the citizens of Minnesota come crawling on their knees on the frozen tundra to a hospital or clinic under-insured or uninsured completely.

Why should the solution to this big, broad problem -- a problem caused by shrinking income levels and tax levels from all sources -- come down narrowly on vulnerable populations and the institutions that are the safety net for the state? -- CEO David Wessner of Park Nicollet Health Services.

It's because vulnerable populations that need a safety net (remember those?) don't have the clout that the Taxpayers League of Minnesota has. Of course, you could create a new revenue stream and raise the taxes up so Minnesota can take responsible care of its citizens. His economic team denies to look at the hidden costs. The costs don't disappear, they merely get shoved onto another plate; like yours, if you have health insurance.

 The alarming rate of costs associated with health care affects every state in the union but it is extremely hard to see how other states grapple with this behemoth when the governor's head is stuck in the sand of a special interest group. Raising taxes may not be an answer but to not even consider it is foolish, childish, and easy, but you have to look, first.

We can't run away from this problem. We need to be thoughtful about how we're going to spread this burden. Then we need to get back to our reform work, so we can have permanent solutions -- David Wessner

It is not too hard to see your neighbor and friend, newly huddled under the unemployment umbrella, facing an uncertain future with no health insurance. Who's going to help you, now, buddy? Just gut the economy and do not raise taxes. All you have to do is remove one more block and the Jenga tower will be stable. How about removing the block for responsible police or fire protection, the disabled and infirm? Oh, yeah, Tim Pawlenty has already removed those blocks--and a lot more.
 

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