Guest Blogger: Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty

Gov. Tim Pawlenty / October 22, 2010

When I was first elected Governor of Minnesota, the state budget had grown an average of 20.5% every two years for four decades.

This spending path was unsustainable. That’s why as governor, I held the line on taxes and spending. We’ve cut average annual budget increased to about 2% and this biennium we actually cut real government spending for the first time in Minnesota’s 150-year history. Thanks to these tough choices, Minnesota now stands ready to lead the nation out of the recession.

A recent editorial in the Wall Street Journal points out that federal spending has increased by almost 22% during President Barack Obama’s first two years in office — the same unsustainable rate that we had in Minnesota before I was elected Governor. Well, I have a message for President Obama and his liberal allies in Washington – If we can control government spending in Minnesota, the and of Humphrey, Mondale, Wellstone and now U.S. Senator Al Franken, then he should be able to do it in Washington. (more…)