Concentrate on Resolving the Budget, Not Winning and Losing

Let's just skip the part about who is at fault for the Minnesota government shutdown for the moment. Rather, let's concentrate on what is the framework for a resolution. Here are some suggestions for movement on these talks:

1.  Let's focus on the budget numbers. Forget the social issues.

Let's focus on the narrow issue at hand. Forget abortion. Forget voter ID. Forget the redistricting plan. Those are partisan issues that have had their own problems for a long time. The budget is hard enough to find a resolution for, so why muddy it up with policy issues that have proven to be harder to find common ground on, then the budget numbers?

2. Get rid of the partisan talk for now.

When something is proposed, don't frame it in terms of what you want your hard core supporters to hear. Let the reports of the ideas being proposed stand or fall on their own merit. Don't poison an idea with a preconceived notion.

3. Remember that a lot of people have lost their paychecks.

The time for rigid ideology is over. Find a method of compromise. Get this budget done, even if it takes a make shift patch to fix it for now. Once people are back to work, then the political complaints and arguments can resume into next year—an election year. But right now, get this resolved with whatever means possible.

4.  Do what it takes to allow everybody to claim partial victory.

In politics, winning and losing has too much importance. But it is still the reality. The language of a resolution is just as important as the resolution itself. So, if something needs to be labeled with a more palatable name than what it actually is, then go with it. Language is the least of our problems.

Right now, the budget impasse looks bleak. But somewhere, somehow we have to hope that somebody will do what is right for the people that need this to be resolved. The answer requires consideration of real compromise—not budget rigidity.

It is time to finish this.

-Dave Mindeman, mnpACT!