A three-day Republican protest against DFL spending came to an end today (WED). Republicans delayed the end of the special legislation as long as they could to demonstrate their dissatisfaction with a $12 Million-dollar increase in state social spending... But today their time ran out, and the House passed the spending bill on a vote of 76 to 53. Still, the Republicans declared it a moral victory. Minnesota Public Radio's Martin Kaste reports: On Monday, House Republican Steve Sviggum knew very well he wouldn't be able to muster enough votes to defeat the increase in spending on social programs, but, thanks to official House rules, he WOULD be able to delay that vote for three days. That gave him THREE DAYS to trash DFLers for what he calls their "addiction to spending" -- a three-day sermon that culminated this morning on the House floor with what Sviggum called his "last stand" on behalf of Minnesota taxpayers: