Capitol Retort: Forecast turnaround; joint effort; heavy lift

Question 1: Holy turnaround, Batman! A 2022-23 budget shortfall once projected at $4.7 billion, then trimmed to $1.27 billion in the red, now stands — according to the revised February economic forecast — at $1.6 billion in the black. What happens next at the Capitol is utterly predictable — Democrats will want to spend more; Republicans will want to cut taxes. But in your mind, what should happen next?

Rob Doar, political director, Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus: I think the volatility of the projections is a sign for us to pause and wait and see. We’re still in the midst of a rainy day, so I think it’s good to be cautious and just see what the future actually holds.

Dennis Smith, attorney, former GOP House member: I think the Legislature should look long and hard at spending priorities and spend a reasonable amount of money and have some means testing in programs. Just because a program received money in the last budget doesn’t mean that they need the same in this budget. It could be more, it could be less. But also they should use that $1.6 billion to add to our savings, because as we witnessed in this last year and a half, economic uncertainty could happen at any time.

Deb Hilstrom, attorney, former DFL House member: I think that the House and the Senate will come together on some budget priorities. But if the rainy day fund was depleted during this pandemic time, we should make sure that the state puts money into that. And if there were other disaster funds that the state depleted, we should make certain that those funds are full, so in the event this pandemic continues, or if there are other issues that arise, the state has an emergency fund that they can go to when the Legislature is not in session.

Brian McDaniel, attorney, conservative lobbyist: I think that this makes it extraordinarily unlikely that there will be any kind of revenue raisers in the upcoming budget. I think it does make it easier to provide substantial relief to the hospitality industry — a group of people who have been just devastated and decimated by the pandemic and the shutdown. While it appears that other sectors are returning, theirs certainly has not yet. I think that this money should be dedicated to providing relief to the hospitality industry, both bar and restaurant owners and employees.

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Question 2: Minnesota House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler is pushing hard for a marijuana legalization bill again this year, but Senate Republicans are still resistant to taking their first toke on the legislation. Seems kind of inevitable that someday it’s going to happen. What’s behind the remaining resistance?

Doar: I think there is opposition from both parties. I think, looking at the makeup of the major parties in Minnesota, it’s pretty clear why the DFL is pushing so hard. But I also think that that there’s actually sufficient resistance within Winkler’s own caucus that it is preventing absolute action. I mean, they could easily send a bill over to the Senate, but they’re not doing that. I know a lot of Greater Minnesota Democrats whose districts aren’t for it, and a vote could hurt them and even potentially cost them the majority. But he also has to try to hedge against the emergence of the pot parties. So I think his play here is to make a really big show of trying, then just blame the Republicans.

Smith: It does feel inevitable. Fifteen states in our country have approved marijuana use. And the decriminalization of casual use is gaining momentum as the type of reform that we should be using in Minnesota. I think the resistance is partially related to public safety, about how can we keep our roads safe. These other 15 states have figured that out and I think we need to explore what they have done to see if it’s workable in Minnesota. [Editor’s note: On Saturday, after these interviews were conducted, the state of Virginia became the 16th U.S. state to approve adult-use marijuana legalization.]

Hilstrom: There is a national debate going on and there are national implications. Some states have done it well; other states have not done it well. I can’t speak to what the specific resistance is at the moment. But I hope that any process that moves forward takes into account what other states have done well and what other states have not done well, to make a bill that works for Minnesota.

McDaniel: I agree that this is something that is eventually going to happen. I think that the lack of existing infrastructure — both regulatory and commercially — makes it tough to envision how a roll out of recreational marijuana can be done safely, effectively, smartly and fiscally sound. I think that it may take a while longer to get certain segments of the Senate comfortable. The less political it remains, the better chance there is that that will happen.

Question 3: Your proud correspondent is within 100 pages of finishing Leo Tolstoy’s “War and Peace,” after nibbling at its edges over the course of a decade. What’s the heaviest lift that you’ve completed recently that makes you most content with yourself?

Doar: I think I’ve been able to successfully get my kids into an online learning routine just in time for them to be getting back into school full-time.

Smith: I’ve been reading a lot during the pandemic and I recently finished two books. Number one is President Barack Obama’s autobiography (“Promised Land”), which was very interesting. And also, I finished Ayn Rand’s “Atlas Shrugged.”

Hilstrom: You know, at a time of COVID, people aren’t doing any heaving lifting of any kind, right? [Laughs.] My heaviest lift has been the transition at a time of COVID to working from home, working with family around and having the opportunity still to enjoy being at home and enjoying time with family. That’s a heavy lift, right?

McDaniel: To quote Sam Malone from Cheers, “There’s a movie?” (That’s what I would say about “War and Peace.”) My biggest lift? I’m a lazy man, I’m trying to think: What have I done Um … I have happily completed numerous household projects and managed to keep all children and most of my pets alive.