Mr. E's Crazies List 2010! Part 2

2.  Tim Pawlenty

I've really got to hand it to Tim Pawlenty.  He went from being a fringe contender for the Crazies List to number two in the overall running.  He made great strides back when he made his illegal unallotments, but myself (and I'm he too) were a bit disappointed with the crazy points that earned him.  However, this week he came roaring up the charts by not only vetoing a DFL sponsored bill that kept the bulk of his cuts intact (2.5 billion out of 3 billion isn't a bad ratio) and vetoing a health bill that would get more low-income Minnesotans health insurance (plus save that 500 million he refuses to find through tax increase).  Finally, to top it off, he went on the governor's fishing opener without finishing negotiations with the DFL on a budget.  Again, I say bravo to Tim Pawlenty for really putting in some effort this week to earn a spot on the Crazies List 2010.

Now, I will admit that I am not a huge fan of Pawlenty.  However, if you asked me to point at what I dislike about him, I would have trouble naming more than a couple of things (1. He's rigid... 2. His way of "balancing the budget" is to delay payments to schools.... "we can do it all with spending cuts" he says...)  My big push against him is: what has he done over the past eight years?  I honestly don't know.  He didn't raise your taxes.  Your city raised your taxes... but he didn't let the state.  Beyond that I can't name a single good idea for the state of Minnesota that he has brought to the table (and that was not a good idea).  This man presumably wants to run for president and his best idea is no new taxes.  Again, I think that's a noble ambition except when I'm the twenty-something year old who will need to pay the national debt down the road.  Thanks a lot no new taxes pledge.