Daily Herald editorial

We watched with disappointment as the Minnesota Legislature frittered away months in St. Paul, demonstrating that the lessons of 2011 have not carried over to 2012 — namely, that delaying action on significant issues until the last moment seldom produces optimum results.

Beyond passing a few agenda-motivated measures that either led to a constitutional amendment referendum or quick vetoes by the governor, Minnesota’s lawmakers accomplished almost nothing during the vast majority of their 2012 session. Like most Minnesotans, we had hoped for better after the disastrous 2011 session during which delay and brinksmanship led to a state government shutdown. Less than a year later, lawmakers left to the closing moments decisions about issues that have simmered throughout the session. To name just a few: Whether and how to help the Vikings build a new stadium; whether to borrow money, and how much, for roads bridges and jobs-related projects; whether and how to reform state tax laws.

The basic parameters for a decision on each of these were known, or should have been known, for months, and constructive leadership would have brought them to the decision point in an orderly manner. Lawmakers like to point out that the process of making laws is complex, convoluted and opaque to outsiders. But that should not be an excuse because those things, too, are within the control of those elected to conduct the state’s business. Certainly it makes little sense to pass bills that most rank-and-file House and Senate members don’t even have time to read before a final vote. Nor does it make sense to extend an already-too-long session.

As this is written the Legislature is still in what are expected to be its final hours, and it is possible that major decisions will have been made. Minnesotans should ask whether deadline pressure really leads to good decisions. Most often it does not.