Pawlenty's Fiscal Stewardship

From the LA Times:

"Tim Pawlenty's philosophy of fiscal management can be summarized as 'kick the can down the road,'" said former Minnesota Gov. Arne Carlson, a Republican, referring to what he calls Pawlenty's pattern of "engaging in heavy borrowings and shifting costs to local governments, including school districts, while not confronting the state's serious challenges."

Carlson, who endorsed Pawlenty when he first ran for governor in 2002 and backed Barack Obama for president in 2008, represents an older and now much-maligned brand of moderate Republicanism once dominant in Minnesota. He and like-minded critics take issue not only with Pawlenty's abilities as an economic steward, but also with the core of his governing philosophy: that his approach of limiting taxes and spending would stimulate economic growth.

Even some of the ascendant conservative Republicans — those who worked closely with Pawlenty and share his philosophy — offer criticism or muted praise. They are frustrated with Pawlenty for different reasons, citing his support for the tax increase on cigarettes.

"'Health impact fee' was a euphemism. It was a tax," said Jason Lewis, a conservative Minneapolis-based talk radio host, who says he has a "love/hate" relationship with the former governor. He lauded Pawlenty's political skills but lamented what he said were moderate positions Pawlenty had taken through the years.

This is the heart of the dilemma we now face.  Republicans refuse to raise any taxes, even though taxes have been frequently cut at the federal and state levels for almost 30 years, while Democrats decry all spending cuts.  There has to be a middle ground.  The Bush Tax Cuts should not have been extended completely for the next two years, and should all go away in 2012.  The federal government is going to have to work with doctors, hospitals and other interested parties to rein in health care costs.  Instead, we have Republicans proposing dramatic cuts to all spending while recommending that there be no tax increases, and sometimes proposing even more ridiculous tax cuts, while Democrats can only find budget cuts in the bloated Defense Department.  This insanity will not end well.