See if you can detect the pattern:

1. Republicans propose budget cuts decreases to budget hikes to some government service or another – whether it’s fire departments, public education, welfare…whatever.
2. The bureaucrats and politicians – pardon the redundancy – warn of dire consequences; layoffs, drastic curtailing of “service”, immense dislocation.
3. The cuts pass.
4. The various bureaucracies adjust their budgets to the new reality and, somehow, manage to carry on.  Just like most of the families they “serve” manage to do.

Do you recognize the pattern?

Of course you do. Every single state, county and city bureaucracy went through that play during the last session.  At the faintest hint of budget cuts decreases to demanded increases, schools warn that they’ll have to lay off half their teachers and crowd 80 kids into a classroom;  police departments warn that they’ll have to turn criminals loose from jail; public works warns the streets will collapse into the sewers, meaning you’ll have to drive to work through sewers.

And MTC inevitably cavils that they’ll have to slash routes and double fares.  Indeed, that’s exactly what they did.

And now that the proverbial rubber has hit the road?

Enh.

The predictions were dire: [No!  D’ya think? – Ed] Twin Cities bus and rail fare hikes as high as $4 and a dramatic loss of riders.

But transit officials dropped threats of fare increases and service cuts as quickly as ink dried on a budget deal that cut state general funding for transit by 40 percent.

Do you smell a rat, too?

The quick reversal this week renewed suspicion by some critics of the Metropolitan Council that it had enough money to keep transit rolling without drastic measures, even with reduced state funding.

“They were overplaying their hand and being the drama queens,” said Rep. Mike Beard, R-Shakopee, chairman of the House Transportation Policy and Finance Committee.

Mike Beard is a smart guy.

The Metropolitan Council defends its contingency planning as valid because earlier versions of a transit bill called for even greater cuts in state funding than what was finally enacted.

“This was not drama,” said Met Council Chair Susan Haigh. “This was real.”

Of course it was.

And it was also theatre.  It’s part of negotiating.

And this blog is doing it’s little bit to make sure people know it when they see it.