Rep. Ron Erhardt sez get to work

I like Representative Ron Erhardt. Although he's a Republican, he's a moderate one. He has long recognized that we need more transportation funding, for example, and he also knows that even suburbs like Edina, which he represents, needs a good transit system (the people who clean the office buildings and work at the strip malls in outer ring suburbs usually can't afford to live there if they aren't teens living at home). Today, he has an editorial basically telling Pawlenty, Sviggum, and Dean Johnson to sit down and get to work. To them I would add minority leaders Dick Day and Matt Entenza, along with people like Larry Pogemiller and Phil Krinkie (as reader J.R. suggests). The margins are too close in both the House and the Senate to ignore the minority parties.

One point Rep. Erhardt makes is about how Sviggum is totally beholden to Pawlenty. There is absolutely no independence at all. Since when did the Governor pass budgets? I am pretty sure that the constitution says that the legislature passes appropriation legislation. The governor doesn't even need to be involved if the legislation passes with veto-proof majorities. It's time to cut the cord between Pawlenty and Sviggum.