Pawlenty says US must address spending imbalance
Former Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty took a break from stumping for GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney for an appearance at the University of Minnesota Monday. The former GOP presidential contender promoted education reform to ensure students are getting the best teachers and learning options. He also said vast US natural gas deposits could be "an absolute game changer" for US energy policy. He also said the US needs to revamp entitlement spending if it hopes to tackle the growing national debt. "People have been timid and afraid of these issues, "said Pawlenty. "They shouldn't be leaders are going to have to step forward and address these specifically; Medicaid, Medicare [and] Social Security."
Pawlenty also told an audience at the Humphrey School that he doesn't think the country will be in a position to make the major adjustments it needs until one of the political ideologies becomes the nation's standard bearer. "One side or the other is going to have to substantially prevail to get quantum change." Pawlenty added that he hopes it's his side.
Asked whether he was considering running for governor or for the US senate in 2014, Pawlenty replied, "I haven't ruled anything in or out."
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