Maybe secrecy works
Go Deeper.
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The vacation is over. It's back to work.
I had planned to spend most of the day -- and night -- at the Capitol for the "greatest show in town" -- the last hour of a session. Alas, goodwill and bipartisanship decided to make a comeback over the weekend and the governor and all the pols gathered for the singing of the unofficial state song -- Kumbaya.
The initial reviews have been fairly positive. The exception is the process by which the agreements were reached. Says the Star Tribune editorial:
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While there's much to admire about Sunday's agreement, the process that produced it was not pretty. It was the result of two weeks of private talks between Pawlenty and a handful of legislative leaders. They were shielded from public scrutiny while hammering out the year's most important decisions.
And yet, the process seems to have worked.
One of the reasons I started the Minnesota Fantasy Legislature last year was to provide some illumination on the work of 201 legislators, instead of just a half dozen or so "leaders." But maybe the reality is that a half dozen or so legislators, a governor, and a closed door is what leads to session results that -- as the Star Tribune editorial said -- "will move this state in a positive direction, in ways big and small."
Your opinion?
