Not mincing words, the editorial page of the Worthington Daily Globe says Democratic and Republican legislators "spent more time dilly-dallying and criticizing than compromising" during the just-completed session.

Failing to reach agreement on solving the budget deficit, the Legislature left matters in the hands of Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who promised to unallot $2.7 billion -- in his own fashion -- to balance the budget.

"Pawlenty will make cuts that will indeed save money at the state level, but make things far more difficult at the local and county levels. His decision to deeply slash health and human service expenditures will leave thousands without coverage — and potentially create further negative economic ramifications," the paper says.

All in all, the paper calls the session "an ugly, forgettable one."

And "it will be interesting to see just what transpires in the Minnesota elections of November 2010," it says.