Let me see if I understand this. Republicans at the Capitol have two budget plans, and DFLers have half a plan. On Wednesday the DFLers in the Senate released their plan for about $1 billion more in spending than the governor has proposed, but no tax plan explaining how they would raise that money. And in doing so they handed their Republican opponents a club which the GOP immediately used to bash the Democrats. MPR's Laura McCallum has the story:

"I believe this budget will come down to a battle for the heart and soul of Minnesota's future," Johnson says. Johnson says the budgets proposed by Gov. Tim Pawlenty and House Republicans would lead to higher property taxes and higher fees, and would rely on gambling money. He says the Senate DFL budget will not include any of those revenue sources, but he wouldn't say what taxes would rise to pay for the new spending.

"I have direction from my caucus that my lips are sealed like a cardinal in a conclave voting for pope," Johnson, who is a Lutheran minister, said.

Johnson says options being discussed include higher taxes on cigarettes, clothing and upper-income Minnesotans. He says the Senate tax bill will take shape in the next couple of weeks.

Gov. Pawlenty says that's too late, since there's only about a month left in the session. He says the Senate plan shows a lack of leadership.

"If they're going to jack up our taxes -- or try to -- then at least have the courtesy and the courage to put it on the table before the 11th hour of the legislative session so we can have the debate," says Pawlenty. "But they're running, they're hiding, they're ducking, they're bobbing, they're weaving, and they need to be called out."

Sen. Larry Pogemiller, DFL-Minneapolis, who chairs the Senate Tax Committee, says he'll begin working on a plan today. But Pogemiller has never been one to worry too much about legislative deadlines. Meanwhile the House is proceeding with its two-track budget process, with one plan counting money from gambling and the other not. MPR's Tom Scheck has a look at debate over the House health and human services budget:

"I can't kid anybody, I don't have a magic money tree. For those who say don't do this, don't do that, give me an alternative. I don't have that," Bradley said.

Several DFLers on the committee are offering alternatives. One of their options would cut outside consulting contracts for the Minnesota Department of Human Services.

DFL Rep. Paul Thissen of Minneapolis says House Republicans are also operating under the false illusion that they can't raise taxes to meet current budget demands.

"Everybody so far has talked about that these decisions are being forced upon us, that these cuts of all of these people off of health are being forced upon us. That's not really true, and I think we need to get that out on the table. We did have other choices, we're just not allowed to talk about it," Thissen said.

There's more fallout from the security problems with the state's license tab Web site. The Legislative Audit Commission held a hearing on the issue Wednesday. The Star Tribune has that story:

Sen. Thomas Neuville, R-Northfield, asked Legislative Auditor James Nobles if he could offer assurances that the problems with the Department of Public Safety's motor vehicle website are unique among state agencies.

"I can assure you it is not the only agency with a problem," Nobles replied.

He said later that auditors over the years have noticed weaknesses in online security while conducting other reviews of agencies. "We haven't found any so bad to cause us to recommend a system be shut down," he said. "But we found a lot of problems."

Finally Howard Dean was in the Twin Cities Wednesday to speak to an ACLU gathering. One of the things he talked about was the fallout from the Terry Schiavo case. Here's the item from MPR:

The chairman of the Democratic National Committee says he believes the Terry Schiavo case will provoke a backlash against Republicans.

Howard Dean, who unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination for president last year, spoke in Minneapolis Wednesday night to an audience of about 1,000 people. Dean says people will remember how Congress and the White House intervened in the Schiavo case.

"That is really an issue that really did mesmerize America. And I know the Republicans think oh well, it's all going to be gone by 2006 and 2008. That's not going to be the case. People were really scarred by that debate because for the first time they really did come to understand how overreaching the Bush administration is and how far these fundamentalist zealots will go in taking away people's innermost privacy," he said.

Dean says Tom DeLay and other Republicans running Congress are extremists who are outside the American mainstream, and he says they are dangerous to democracy.

Listen for Dean's whole speech on Wednesday's Midday.