romising to save higher education and give tax cuts to middle-income families, the House DFL members announced their state budget plan Thursday morning at the governor’s mansion. The plan comes three days after Senate DFL members released their own budget plan. The House DFL proposal does not cut higher education as the governor’s plan proposed. It does raise income taxes for couples making more than half a million dollars per year. “It’s the age-old debate of de-funding institutions or de-funding consumers,” Gov. Tim Pawlenty said Thursday. Lou Harvin, DFL caucus public affairs director, said the plan asks people with money to pay their share. “Somebody has got to pay. Rather than do it the way the government is doing it, we’re just asking people who have money,” he said. With five weeks left in the legislative session, both parties say they want to avoid a special session. “I think this would be a particularly bad year to go to a special session,” Pawlenty said. Because of the war in Iraq and the budget crisis, he said, Minnesotans do not want to see their Legislature is not getting its job done.