Tuesday, March 08, 2011

The LuLac Edition #1502, March 8th, 2011

PHOTO INDEX: GOVERNOR TOM CORBETT AND LT. GOVERNOR JIM CAWLEY AT THE GOVERNOR'S BUDGET ADDRESS.

SLIMMING DOWN

Governor Tom Corbett announced his first budget of his term today and as widely expected, the new leader of the Commonwealth is putting Pennsylvania on a diet.
Corbett proposed $27.3 billion in spending is , a decrease of about 3 percent from this year's budget. The plan operates on the assumption that improving state tax collections will help produce a surplus of more than a half-billion dollars by the end of the current year. With that anticipation in mind, Corbett expects growth by 4 percent next year.
"The substance of this budget is built on four core principles: Fiscal discipline, limited government, free enterprise and reform," noted Corbett before a packed gallery in the State Capitol as he addressed a joint session of the General Assembly.
Corbett essentially told the Legislature that there was no money in the budget for WAMS. (Walking Around Money). “It isn’t in there” proclaimed the Governor as he observed members of the Assembly thumbing through the budget plan.
Education, the cornerstone of the Rendell administration took the biggest hit. It was a wide spread cut that went from kindergarten to universities. the governor proposes cutting about $550 million, or 10 percent, from money for instruction in K-12 public schools and eliminating all $260 million in grants that are being given this year to school districts to invest in learning, including pre-kindergarten, full-day kindergarten and class-size reduction in kindergarten through third grade.
He advocates spending cuts of about $625 million — more than 50 percent — for the 14 state-owned universities in the State System of Higher Education, plus Pitt, Temple, Penn State and Lincoln.
In a move that will surely get a rise out of the Teacher’s Union, Corbett sought to eliminate state support for teachers' advanced degrees.
State Libraries got a 1.9 percent cut. That is significant because under the Rendell administration the libraries in the last 2 budgets were cut by more than 35%. So in a strange sort of way, a loss was a win.
Corbett wanted the local school boards to not raise property taxes above the rate of inflation and said he wanted a referendum for those districts who wanted to raise taxes so that the decision stayed with the tax payer and not the government. Corbett made no apologies for his embracement of the Marcellus Shale oil drillers. He told the General Assembly that he wanted Pennsylvania to be the new Texas and envisioned an era of economic dominance for the Keystone State by stabling the Commonwealth as the national hub of the oil drilling industry.
To that end, the new Guv tabbed Lt. Gov. Jim Cawley to head a 30-member Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission with a mandate to develop proposals addressing the impact of gas drilling on the economy, local communities and the environment within 120 days of its first meeting. "Let's make Pennsylvania the Texas of the natural gas boom," said Mr. Corbett
Corbett, urged the formation of a panel to study privatization of government services, including the Liquor Control Board and the state system of selling wine and alcohol. It's among many functions currently being done by government that Corbett said he'd would like to examine to see if it would be better and more cost-effective in private hands.
Thanks to revenues from oil leasing to drillers, Pennsylvania’s state parks and state forests was one of the few items spared the agony of Gov. Tom Corbett’s day of fat trimming.
The State Police also got a bit of an increase with Corbett saying that the safety of the residents of the State is paramount and that this year alone he authorized two new training classes.
To recap, the new budget cuts government spending by 3 percent, most of which is done by consolidating programs, targeting inefficiencies and reducing or eliminating discretionary financial grants.
Corbett proclaimed, “I'm proposing something we haven't had in a long time: a reality-based budget. To the people of Pennsylvania, the taxpayers who sent us here, I want to say something you haven't heard often enough from this building: We get the picture. It's your money. The electorate, its trust scraped to the bone by lies and half truths, isn't going to stand for another broken promise. I said we'd cut. I'm not asking you to read my lips. I'm asking you to read my budget."

8 Comments:

At 7:07 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

The Governor said something that is sadly lacking from most elected officials; The Truth. We have to spend less, because we have less to spend. Wow. Common sense.

 
At 8:38 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Yes, and those cuts must come at the expense of the poor and middle class. Of course, for that you have to read between the lines.

But people are getting for what they voted, no doubt about that--and they're getting it good and hard!

 
At 9:22 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I for one am tired of carrying the poor on my back, so I am glad for the cuts. actually he hasn't fine far enough. time to embrace self reliance and destroy the welfare state. those that are strong survive. funny how you fucking liberals are all.for evolution in theory, but not in practice.

 
At 10:40 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Here's your reality, public schools with 40 or more kids in a class, and water fountains taped off because you can't drink out of them.

Hey, if we can't afford it, we can't afford it..but the cheerleaders should know what they are cheering for.

 
At 8:16 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I am gonna write it... F the less fortunate. Isn't about time we stop paying for the least productive members of society. How many times do I have to hear that we are hurting the less fortunate. We have created a class of less fortunates. Generational welfare given to whores who spread their legs and accept seed from any willing donor.
People who walk into welfare offices and demand their "pay!"
Enough. It is time to stop having our incomes looted and given to the collective based on their needs.
If you can't take care of your needs then fail.

 
At 12:32 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Actually de-districting schools may be an answer. Go back before they created mega school districts. Quality of education was considerably higher and taxes/expenses were lower

 
At 1:19 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

How about reducing the overpopulated, overpaid, over per demied, over perked state assembly?
They are the largest single group of whores in the state. That said, I cant disagree with the folks who are tired of carrying the people who for no good reason dont pull their own weight!Cutting back on education is dangerous, but maybe to some extent necessary. We are in tough shape and its time we faced it, but we need to face wasteful government now! As far as Gas Drilling goes, tax the hell out of them and regulate. They want the gas bad enough, they'll pay and follow rules or face stiff fines.

Waverly Bob

 
At 7:49 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Only a few problems with taxing the hell out of any industry.
they pass the cost on, so the middle class is screwed.
they hire fewer people, so the middle class is screwed.
they pull out of the area, the middle class gets screwed.
they take more short cuts, the middle class and environment are screwed.
a reasonable tax is not a bad idea, but then eliminate state income tax so the middle class will at least break even.

 

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