Pawlenty's gamble

By Chuck Kajer

Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty has taken the biggest gamble of his political career in announcing that he would use his line item veto and unallotment powers to balance the state's budget, rather than calling the legislature back for a special session.

To many of his supporters, he comes off as a hero. He is leading the charge against new taxes and unchecked government spending.

That all sounds great now, but the budget cuts, which will be deep and affect virtually every area of state government, will have a profound effect on many Minnesotans.