The number one job of the Legislature is to set the state’s spending priorities through the budgeting process.  In trying to be everything to everyone, the Legislature has failed the citizens of Minnesota.  The Legislature should decide how to spend YOUR MONEY by the Constitutionality, efficiency and effectiveness of programs and agencies.  It will take political honesty and courage to hold state government accountable as it’s likely to result in the reduction, consolidation or even elimination of some state programs.  But it’s the common sense solution that Minnesota families understand because they do it every day:  you can’t spend money you don’t have.

Here are some other principles that should guide the budgeting process:
- long term thinking is required: no tricks, shifts, or borrowing that delay and compound the deficit problem.
- the Legislature will lead by example: no per diem or year round housing allowance; reduce the number of committees and their budgets to 2006 levels; merge and/or eliminate the myriad of commissions, boards and councils.
- stop the practice of passing omnibus bills; this is where pet projects and special interest items are snuck into legislation, usually to the benefit of a select few at the expense of the rest of us.