This is compromise - Our view: An ugly agreement better than shutdown

We spent the last week watching Republicans and DFLers engaging in blow hardy hyperbole regarding the steps needed to reach a biennial budget for the state.
Some might call Gov. Tim Walz and his DFL bobos a bunch of tax-and-spend liberals. Some will make the argument the GOP-controlled Senate rewrote the book on obstructionism. In the end, besides a lot of hot air, neither the Republicans or the DFLers got everything they wanted and had to accept less than they promised heading into the session earlier this year. It is what we call compromise.
Gov. Walz didn’t get the 20-cent increase in the gas tax he sought for the next four years (plus an inflationary index). The GOP wasn’t able to bring an end to the health care provider tax many Minnesotans rely on to afford quality medical care. DFLers got a 2 percent increase in the basic education formula for the teachers that help keep them in power.
The DFL won’t get what it wanted on gun control. The GOP won’t wage a fight on the abortion issue this time around. There will be a tax cut for some families. The state will use some of the $1 billion rainy day fund to fund new spending.
As highly informal and unscientific as The Chronicle’s editorial page poll was last week, it did indicate a desire for compromise rather than partisan gridlock. Lord knows the dog-and-pony show going on in Washington, D.C. offers a daily look at how well that works. Our state lawmakers aren’t quite that bad.
The DFL will tout the investment in education and the effort to maintain health care for those in need. The GOP will trumpet the victory over the proposed gas tax increase. Both sides will claim individual victories. Neither side can claim they got everything they wanted.
Is that a bad thing? Even though we supported the notion of a moderate gas tax increase to fund maintenance and expansion of roads, like expanding Highway 212 from two to four lanes from Chaska to Norwood Young America, the idea of compromise is far better than gridlock. Will we see that expansion and the benefits of it anytime soon? We hope so.
A well-maintained road system, reasonable taxation, quality and affordable education, accessible health care, truly realistic and reasonable gun rights, and Internet throughout rural Minnesota are all barometers of high quality of life. They will not be enjoyed without compromise.
If the electorate decides the time has come for change, we believe Minnesotans are smart enough to make the transition in a reasonable and realistic fashion. Elections reflect the ebb and flow of what people want and how badly they want it.
People around the country make a big deal of Minnesota being the only divided state. We’re a little red, a bit blue. We’re purple. It could be worse.
Best of all, neither side can claim the other side is responsible for a shutdown of state government. The city, school district and county won’t have to scramble for short-term funding while state lawmakers figure out how to end a stalemate that ran beyond the start of a new fiscal year.
We should congratulate ourselves for being able to disagree civilly. Sure, there are issues where we may not ever agree. As long as we accept the differences and continue to work on areas where we can find common ground, Minnesota will be just fine.

-jm