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During Gov. Pawlenty's state of the state address, in a nod to the era of post-Obama bipartisanship, he made a point to mention that "...today, we're not Democrats. We're not Republicans. We're Minnesotans."

Unfortunately, in approximately 24 hours when he presents his budget framework to the Legislature, that spirit of brotherhood and conviviality will be dragged off faster than the Palin baby's grandmother. In fact, the over/under for the Democratic response to the Pawlenty plan, which will consist largely of recriminations and indignation at the way the poor lost lambs struggling on the lowest rungs of the societal ladder are left to fend for themselves during these end times, is approximately 12 minutes. And, like any other apocalyptic disaster movie, the script is utterly predictable -- a deja vu inspiring plot featuring annoyingly attractive people staring deeply and soulfully into one another's eyes when the omnipresent threat of inclement weather/robots/zombies/pirates/aliens/volcanoes/incontinence doesn't require frantic flight and a hailstorm of hastily aimed bullets. But deep within the screenplay, in a place where studio-mandated rewrites feared to tread, there remains a few seconds of art. And while a passing moment of truth and beauty can't salvage the film, weighed down as it is with performances by Neve Campbell, Tara Reid and Clay Aiken along with dialogue by George Lucas, it does offer a reason to Netflix it.

The truth, of course, is that, while he does offer up some intriguing ideas to bridge the yawning abyss known as Minnesota's budget, Gov. Pawlenty is profoundly wrong on how to bring prosperity back to our once thriving business community.

Without details, it's impossible to offer comment on the likely demolition of human and social services. And with little to no information available, there's no way to provide an encouraging slap on the ass for Gov. Pawlenty's creative approach to cost-cutting. On Tuesday the Defenestrator will have a detailed breakdown of the proposed budget. However, right now we can say one thing -- the philosophy offered for long-term growth is the same -- a top-down approach that seeks to reduce the costs of doing business but ignores the realities of the situation Minnesotans, both rich and poor, find themselves mired in. And that reality is simple, no matter how much you reduce costs, if consumers are still forced to raise funds by putting their virginity on eBay or taking a chance on a former Nigerian minister of finance, there's no reason for businesses to increase production, let alone hire additional workers. It won't really matter how much they're saving through JOBZ regions or other reduced taxes, because no one will have money to buy their products. We've heard this stilted dialogue before. This is just the sequel.

70 percent of our economy rests upon the backs of the consumer. These are the same stalwart souls our governor described as being seated at the kitchen table allocating their ever-tightening budgets. Budgets that leave little room for spending of any type. Until the burden on these families is reduced -- credit once again becomes available, wages keep pace with inflation and health care costs return from their decade-long sojourn in the rarefied land of lollipops and unicorns -- families will be more likely to make a blanket fort under their tables than to venture bravely forth, checkbook in hand, to buy the goods on offer at Best Buy and Target. And while Minnesota wants a slice of the green economy, incenting consumers to install alternative power sources and other sustainable technologies would likely be far more effective than using tax incentives to convince photovoltaic vendors to set up shop in dark corners of our state that haven't seen the sun since the stygian chattering of the old ones crawled across the land.

And if the blinding light of logic isn't enough, the proposed reduction of Minnesota's corporate tax rate, from the current 9.8 percent to 4.8 percent over the next six years, will move us from the horror of rubbing shoulders with economies like New Jersey, New York and California to keeping company with economic powerhouses like Alabama, Michigan and Mississippi. Essentially, we're being promised an Oscar-winner, but getting the next "In The Name of the King," complete with Ray Liotta chewing the scenery as he tries to convince us that this time JOBZ will actually work. And really, don't we at least deserve "Wanted?" If nothing else, Morgan Freeman could train us all to be master assassins, thus opening up a world of opportunity for Minnesotans in Iraq, Israel and Afghanistan.

If legislators want to put more money in the hands of consumers, they'll have to truly get creative. Capping the amount insurance premiums can rise in a year would help workers get ahead of inflation and put pressure on insurance companies and HMOs to be creative in reducing the rising cost of health care. Mandating banks work with homeowners to stave off foreclosure would be another way, especially given that banks often lose far more in foreclosure than they would by modifying loan terms. Unfortunately, both liberals and conservatives are so mired in ideology and focused on "winning" that they seem completely incapable of doing anything but delivering rehashes of "Titanic" and "Driving Miss Daisy."