Governor Mark Dayton caused Minnesotans much concern Monday night when he fainted during his State of the State speech.  The question of his health was heightened Tuesday when he announced that he had just recently been diagnosed with prostate cancer, and would be consulting with doctors at the Mayo Clinic next week on treatment options.

We join all Minnesotans in wishing the governor good health, a quick recovery from whatever caused him to faint, and successful treatment for his cancer.

The governor indicated Tuesday that he considers himself fit and able enough to carry out his duties, and indeed he did deliver his budget message Tuesday morning as planned.

We are sure the Republican leadership in the Legislature, who were deeply concerned for his health on Monday night, will give his budget proposals a thorough going over. The budget plan calls for $45.8 billion in spending, a $1.2 billion increase that uses nearly all of the expected $1.4 billion surplus in state funds.

The governor’s budget calls for a two percent increase, about $371 million, in the state’s education funding formula, and more money — $75 million – for expanding pre-k classes in school districts around the state, a pet proposal of his.

He also calls for a new health insurance choice for Minnesotans buying insurance on the individual market, extending the MinnesotaCare program to them.

Republicans on Tuesday resumed their opposition to the governor, pushing back on the amount of spending and an over-reliance on taxes and tax increases in areas the Republicans feel are regressive, including the governor’s proposal for a gas tax increase to help fund the state’s long-term transportation needs.

So, it will be politics as usual again. We’re sure Dayton would not expect Republicans to cut him any slack because of his health issues, and Republicans are not likely to back down on budget and policy, despite their sincere concern for the governor’s health.