Candidates for governor react to the State of the State

Several of the candidates for governor weighed in on today's State of the State speech. Gov. Pawlenty, who gave his eighth and final State of the State, won't be seeking reelection. There are more than two dozen candidates running to replace him. Here's the statements from some of the candidates. I'll post the other statements if/when they come in....

Democrat Mark Dayton:

"Today, Governor Pawlenty gave his final State of the State address. It was refreshing to see him delivering a speech in Minnesota for a change.

"Governor Pawlenty owes the people of Minnesota an apology for abandoning them during this very difficult time to pursue his far-fetched presidential ambitions. There are over 217,000 Minnesotans without jobs, and he doesn't want the one he has. The difference is that many unemployed Minnesotans are in danger of losing their small unemployment checks, while Governor Pawlenty is assured of his salary for the entire year and a taxpayer-funded mansion to live in, whether he does his job or not.

"I have driven through 32 Minnesota counties during the past 22 days, and the state of our state concerns me, as it concerns the Minnesotans I'm meeting with along the way. In addition to serious unemployment, Governor Pawlenty's financial mismanagement has left a trail of broken promises with school districts, cities, counties, and townships.

"They have managed their financial affairs responsibly; he has not. Yet, they are being forced to pay the price for his fiscal folly. Euphemisms like withholding," "shifts," "unallotment," and forced "borrowing" disguise the harsh facts: the State of Minnesota is broke under Tim Pawlenty's failed leadership, cannot pay its bills on time, and cannot keep its financial promises to local governments. Minnesota's towns and cities depend upon those promises to provide essential services, like police and fire protection, snow plowing, road salting and sanding, which protect the lives of Minnesotans.

"As the state faces yet another budget crisis, with a serious revenue shortfall caused primarily, according to the Governor's own financial experts, by a drop in revenues, he still insists on protecting the wealthiest Minnesotans from paying their fair share of taxes. Meanwhile, Minnesota schoolchildren suffer in overcrowded classrooms, and their older brothers and sisters cannot afford the rising tuitions and other fees at our state colleges and universities. Additionally, over 100,000 Minnesotans have lost their health insurance during the past two years. Minnesota deserves--and desperately needs--a better leader.

"I've promised the people of Minnesota strong leadership during this challenging period, and Minnesotans know I keep my promises. I've promised a fair tax system that makes Minnesota's wealthiest pay their share, and I'll use that additional revenue to stimulate job growth, improve our schools, and provide local governments with the support they need to deliver the essential services that keep Minnesotans safe. These are my promises to Minnesota, and if elected Governor, they will not be broken."

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Democrat Paul Thissen:

I went into the State of the State address hopeful and unfortunately the Governor's address was predictable and I left disappointed.

I agree we must slow the growth of spending by spending smarter. I agree we must create jobs. I agree we must maintain funding levels for education. I agree we must cap the unsustainable rate of property tax increases. But, I don't agree with the governor's path. His proposals to cut are just as predictable as the legislatures reaction to his speech.

Governor Pawlenty's priorities are clear but he consistently misses the point. Health care isn't about insurance, it's about care. We can't create just any job. We need to create good paying jobs; jobs that deliver meaningful income that allow individuals and families to contribute to our economy, not just get by. We can't just keep education funding levels flat, we must invest.

Minnesotans have already felt the pain of Governor Pawlenty's cuts. And he promises more with his budget on Monday. We need a governor that is going to find creative ways to ease the pain to his constituents, not further the burden by eliminating programs and cutting deals with corporations.

Under a Thissen Administration, Minnesotans can expect a progressive tax system, investment in early and higher education and a health care system that delivers on behalf of the patient, not a corporate bottom line.

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Democrat Matt Entenza:

"With joblessness rising and Minnesota's credit rating in peril, the governor is doing same-old, same-old - not presenting the new ideas we need.

"He talked today about facing challenges. We certainly do face them. And we have overcome them in the past - but we've overcome them because we've had leaders with vision.

"Yesterday, we learned that a top credit ratings agency had lowered the outlook for Minnesota 's credit from stable to negative, in large part because our leaders have spent our savings on short-term fixes instead of ensuring our long-term success. Because of the lack of leadership in St. Paul , we are now hamstrung; we're less able to do things that will enable us to grow jobs.

"No vision, no real ideas for how to make Minnesota work again. That sums up the state of the state under our current leadership."

Matt Entenza's campaign for governor of Minnesota is about growing the economy, creating jobs all over Minnesota by focusing on the potential of clean energy, and refocusing on education as the engine of future job creation and economic competitiveness. Entenza was a white-collar crime prosecutor prior to representing St. Paul in the Minnesota legislature for 12 years, including four years during which he also served as House Minority Leader and led the DFL to significant gains. In 2007, Entenza founded Minnesota 2020, a think tank that has been an important voice for progressive policy positions and which he chaired until April 2009. Entenza is a graduate of Worthington High School in Worthington , Minn. , Macalester College in St. Paul , and the University of Minnesota Law School.

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