Following the December Budget Forecast that revealed a $4.8 billion budget deficit, House Democrats issued a press release that began:

BUDGET DEFICIT DEMANDS DECISIVE ACTION
Legislative leaders will take strong and decisive action to address a projected $4.8 billion shortfall for 2010-11 and an additional $426   million in the current budget year.

Since then, however, House Democrats have been anything but strong and decisive: One bill passed off the House floor during the whole month and more than 30 committees canceled their meetings, including six canceled meetings while Democrats were celebrating the presidential inauguration.

Three weeks into the session, Minnesota Democrats announced that their top priority is…waiting for federal money.  State government is spending $2 million per day more than it takes in and the Democrats top priority is to wait and see how much federal debt gets sent Minnesota’s way.  To date, they decline to offer their own plan for how to balance the budget deficit and consistently refuse to answer questions from the press about when or if they will propose a tax increase.

Here is a timeline of Democrat’s inaction since the budget deficit was announced last year:
December 4, 2008: Forecast reveals $4.8 billion deficit; Democrats pledge strong and decisive action
January 6, 2009: Legislative session begins; Democrats refuse to share the sacrifice by cutting per diem
Noon, January 12: Six weeks after pledging strong and decisive action Democrats announce that waiting for federal money is their top priority
3 p.m., January 12: Democrats unveil a spending proposal that would add $2.5 billion to the budget deficit - with no way to pay for it
January 20, 2009: 6 committee hearings are canceled while Democrats celebrate the Obama inauguration
January 29, 2009: House passes its first bill of the year

Looking ahead, the next budget forecast is due out on Tuesday, March 3.  Under temporary House Rules, they have to set budget targets by Saturday, March 28, meaning it could be the end of March before Minnesotans know how the Democrats plan to balance the budget.

Meanwhile…Minnesota is hemorrhaging jobs.  While Democrats spent the month canceling meetings and generally doing nothing, here is a list of some of the companies that announced job cuts since the legislative session began:
Opus Corporation, Andersen Corporation, Delta, G&K Services Incorporated, Marshall & Ilsley Corporation, Alliant Techsystems, ING, Fair Isaac Corporation, Hutchinson Technology, ValueVision Media Incorporated, Seagate Technology, Schwan Food Company, Target, Best Buy, HCMC, Caterpillar, Polaris, Ecolab, Ameriprise Financial, Ainsworth Lumber, Celestica Incorporated.

Phil Sterner and the rest of the DFL need to decide what’s important.  And then finally get off their rear and do it!