Two weeks to go in the session, and there's no clear end in sight. If anything, the House Senate and governor appear as far apart as ever. Let's review: The Senate DFL majority wants to raise income taxes on the state's highest earners to spend more on education and health care. The GOP-controlled House wants to cut health care to provide money for education, although not as much as the Senate. The governor says the DFL tax plan is "profoundly stupid," and he's still promoting a state-run casino to try to bring in more revenue.

MPR's Michael Khoo has a look at the budget situation, starting with the DFL tax plan:

For the past couple weeks, the Senate has passed a string of spending bills to fund everything from environmental programs to state government to education. All have attracted bipartisan support. One -- the K-12 appropriations bill -- passed unanimously. So Senate Democrats say their tax plan is simply recognition that those investments come with a price.

DFL Senate Majority Leader Dean Johnson says Minnesotans will support the tax hike if they understand it directly funds popular state services.

"Common, everyday folks who are going to work today, they want to know that their children are in school getting an education. They want to know their sons and daughters are over here at the university or in the MnSCU system getting a competitive education. And they want to know they have a health care system that has some kind of a safety net," Johnson said.

In the Pioneer Press, Bill Salisbury takes a look at the role the minority leaders might play in final negotiations:

It takes 68 votes to pass a bill in the House, so Republicans could approve legislation on their own if they stuck together. But they don't. A few GOP mavericks have flaked off on every major budget bill so far, and [House Speaker Steve] Sviggum has had to rely on a handful of DFL votes to pass those measures.

"No bill is going to pass the Minnesota House without Democrats supporting it, so I have to be involved," [Minority Leader Matt]Entenza said last week.

DFLers have a slightly more comfortable margin in the Senate, but they, too, have had to depend on a few Republican votes to pass some of the big spending bills.

"I think Matt and I are going to be relatively important in this whole process when it gets down to the tail end here," [Minority Leader Dick] Day said.

"Of course, all politicians think they're a helluva lot more important than they really are," he added with a chuckle.

And neither minority leader has so far managed to derail either house's majority.

Meanwhile the Star Tribune has done a poll. On Sunday it showed a majority of Minnesotans support a mix of tax increases, spending cuts and fee increases to balance the budget. Today the poll shows support for a gas tax increase slipping. Not too surprising given the price of gas these days.

One reader of this column, Sheila Hart, e-mailed the other day with a response to Gov. Pawlenty's criticism of the DFL tax plan:

Anybody who wants to leave MN because their taxes will go to the 11 percent can go, and I'll take that job so I can have the pleasure of earning over $166,000! How does this equalizing tax affect jobs coming into the state? How greedy can people get that they not only throw themselves into the trough but want every drop? Pay those taxes. Pay for your own health care too while you're at it. My cost for health care is 10 percent of my income. Match that, and the state's health care system will be in good shape.

What do you think? I'm happy to print opposing opinions. Two weeks to go.