February 5, 2004 -- NEWS RELEASE -- State Representative Al Juhnke rep.al.juhnke@house.mn
281 State Office Building, St. Paul, MN 55155
651/296-6206
3951 Horizon Hills Circle, Willmar, MN 56201
320/235-4442
JUHNKE: LITTLE NEW IN STATE OF THE STATE ADDRESS
Rep. Al Juhnke found little that was new in Gov. Tim Pawlenty's State of the State Address Thursday, since most of what he talked about were proposals he was already discussed over the past several years.
"The only thing that was really shocking was the Governor's change in attitude on expansion of gambling," Juhnke, of Willmar, said following the speech. "I don't know what that means, but it's
certainly a retreat from his previous staunch opposition. If he seeks to renegotiate the Indian gaming compacts, the tribe will certainly want more, and that could open the door to more Las Vegas-style games that we currently don't permit in Minnesota."
Juhnke did applaud the governor for paying some attention to rural issues this year, in contrast to his 2003 speech. Particularly welcome is his support for measures to bolster the livestock industry and expand the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP).
The education finance reforms that the governor said would be coming out later this year could also be positive for rural schools, if the proposal addresses the problems of declining enrollment and the funding discrimination against rural schools.
But much of what the governor said had a strong political flavor, Juhnke added.
"He talked over and over again about not raising taxes, and we in Rural Minnesota understand that's simply not true - property taxes and all kinds of fees have gone up," Juhnke said. "He also paid little attention to the immediate problem of unemployment in the state - painting an airy vision of a global economy, but offering little or nothing to people who need jobs today."
Finally, the governor's mention of his death penalty proposal got only a lukewarm response from legislators, which likely signals it is "dead in the water," Juhnke said.
