Apparently, there were no casualties in the Battle of St. Paul.

Sure, some legislators suffered through a few cuts. And the commanding officer even received funding to keep his homestead open (even though he doesn't live there).

But unfortunately, this was a battle that was completed just for the sake of finality, making it clear that a similar skirmish will appear in the near future.

We're pleased that legislators figured out some way to balance Minnesota's budget. What's not attractive is how it was done.

Officially, terms like "delayed payments" and "speeding up tax collections" are being thrown around.

For us common folk, it sounds more like a shell game.

It's funny how everyone seems to be pointing fingers, yet there's no commanding officer to lead this battle in making sure this state continues in a fiscally responsible manner.

Minnesota needs that leader. Just putting a Band-Aid on some cuts may get us to the next battle, but we sure won't win the war.

And in this battle, jobs could be lost if legislators let this shell game continue for much longer.

Playing games isn't the answer. Organizing a plan and finding a solution to this state's budget mess is.

Who's going to step up and lead us into battle?