Coal in all of the stockings?

The rest of the week looks to be light on political news. But the next few weeks could be brutal for state government.

On Monday, the Jobs Task Force will meet to discuss the state's unemployment picture, the availability of credit in the current markets and the debt service guidelines in Minnesota.

The Economic forecast will be released on Wednesday and no one is expecting the news to be good. Last Tuesday, Governor Pawlenty suggested that it could be a "pretty significant revenue shortfall" which will make the upcoming session more challenging than people expect."

And on Monday, December 9th, the Legislative Commission on Pensions and Retirement will hold a hearing on a projected shortfall in the public employee pension funds.

Feast on that.

Happy Thanksgiving.

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