The Free Congress Commentary
Minnesota's Pawlenty & Colorado's Owens: Setting the Conservative Pace In The States?
- By Paul M. Weyrich
- June 11, 2003

There is a competition of sorts as to who is the most productive conservative governor in the nation.

Governor Tim Pawlenty in Minnesota just wrapped up a highly
productive session, even though one house of his legislature (the state Senate)
is in the hands of the opposition party. True: there are a few conservative
senate Democrats who will support the Governor, especially on social issues,
but how much he managed to accomplish under these circumstances is truly
a measure of his skill.
Contrast Pawlenty to even as skillful a politician as President George W. Bush who in the preceding two years had a Democrat Senate for most of the 107th Congress. While the President's agenda flourished in the House, almost everything (except where he was giving away territory to the liberals) died in the Senate. (Now in the 108th Congress, the President has a comfortable margin in the House and a one-vote margin in the Senate. Vice President Cheney has already cast more tie-breaking votes so far in this Congress than any Vice President has done since Spiro T. Agnew in Richard Nixon's first term.)

Well, out in Colorado Governor Bill Owens is certainly in the running for the most productive conservative governor in the nation. Much like President Bush, Gov. Owens has a comfortable margin in the state House but just a one-vote margin in the state Senate.

During his first term, the governor had a Democrat-controlled Senate and, although a single Democrat would occasionally vote for the governor's programs, he is finding that having control of both houses is much more to his liking.

At a recent meeting of conservative activists in Washington, a young aide to the governor who had just opened up the Washington office for the State of Colorado, handed out a two page flier entitled : "Governor Bill Owens: Moving Colorado's Conservative Agenda Forward: 2003 Legislative Victories." Here are some of the items that Governor Owens got through:

No new taxes and a balanced budget. The governor has pledged that so long as he is governor, there will be no tax increases. Consequently, he made $1 billion in spending cuts.

School Vouchers. You may have heard of the voucher programs in Wisconsin or Ohio. Well, the bill the governor recently signed provides vouchers for 20,000 school children who can now choose a non-public school to meet their needs. Considering that Colorado is a smaller state then either of the other two, this will clearly be the most far-reaching program
yet.

Concealed Carry legislation. Colorado now has a uniform legal standard for the issuance of a right to carry a gun permit.

Parental Notification on abortion. In 1998, voters approved a ballot initiative calling for parental notification when a minor seeks an abortion. But court challenges have kept the bill from being enforced. By adopting the governor's legislation, the governor believes the legislature breathed new life into the law and makes it enforceable as well.

Preventing voter fraud. Now, thanks to the governor's initiative, Colorado requires a valid form of photo ID to vote in primary or general elections.

Requiring the Pledge of Allegiance in the Classrooms. And the governor signed into law a requirement that students in Colorado's public schools recite the traditional, non-abridged pledge.

Stopping Frivolous Lawsuits. The governor signed legislation that protects home builders from frivolous lawsuits and triple damage awards while preserving consumers' protections against unscrupulous builders.

There were many other items listed including: protecting children from Meth labs; attacking child pornography; putting violent criminals in jail; protecting our homeland and combating illegal immigration; and helping small business offer health insurance.

This is an impressive record by any count. Just as President Bush has his stray Republican Senators now and then, so does Governor Owens. Also, the rules in the state Senate do not permit the sort of filibusters that the Democrats make ample use of in Washington.

The young man who now represents Governor Owens in Washington was asked if
Governor Owens had 2008 in mind with this move and his impressive legislative record. To my shock and surprise this sharp young man replied "To be honest with you, I believe he does, at least in some respect." All of those accomplishments and an honest governor besides.

I sure don't mind governors calling to our attention their solid conservative accomplishments. By all means, let them compete with their agendas. If these achievements hold up, one or the other of these governors surely deserves to be on the Republican ticket in 2008. They will
have proven that they can govern and are ready for prime time.

Governor Pawlenty's Homepage http://www.governor.state.mn.us/

Governor Owens' Homepage http://www.state.co.us/gov_dir/governor_office.html