Catch and release?

Gov. Pawlenty made his annual trip to Joe's Sporting Goods this morning to get his fishing license and tackle. Roger Rucci is the gentleman helping him get his gear. The governor's fishing opener will be on Leech Lake this year.

Pawlenty seized on the fishing opener theme during his trip to Joe's by comparing his fishing practice with his recent vetoes:

"I'm going to practice catch and release just like I do with the DFL tax increases and budget through the roof bills. We do a little legislative catch and release when they send me these big tax hikes and spending bills. We're going to do the same on the lake this Saturday."

This is sure to catch the ire of DFLers in the Legislature. So here's the question -- Is the rhetoric getting hotter as the days get closer to the end of session? Does it help or hurt?

Oh, it's cheap shots again now, is it? Just for that, they should send him a "help the crippled widows and orphans tax hike" bill, so he can get a photo op killing that one, too.

Better still: how about a bill proposing more state money for the families of deceased MN veterans--or state compensation for veterans reassigned to combat duty? Let's see him catch and release that, the flip-flopping little weasel.

Why is Pawlenty getting all of the coverage? Many of us voted for the very investment that Pawlenty is shooting down. Why don't our views get any news coverage?

I believe the recent health and human services bill Pawlenty vetoed was roughly 10 billion dollars total, and cost about 170 million (Berglin's math) to 275 million dollars (Pawlenty's math) more than the governor's original proposal. Unless I'm missing something, that's only about a 2 or 3 percent difference with no tax increase attached to it. That's in "another galaxy" or "through the roof"?

Steve Sviggum gassing to the press about the changes to the welfare laws was particularly hypocritical, since the budgets passed in 2003 pushed a bunch of people on MinnesotaCare out of work and onto the relief rolls to qualify for Medicaid.