Posted on 03/28/2008 8:59:28 AM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
HARRISBURG -- With a section of a Pittsburgh bridge dropping 8 inches and an Interstate 95 support pillar cracking in Philadelphia, Gov. Ed Rendell is turning up the heat under the Legislature to provide infrastructure repair funds more quickly.
Mr. Rendell sent a letter to all 253 legislators yesterday urging quick passage of a $240 million "supplemental debt authorization."
His program of borrowing would enable state officials to fast-track repairs on some of the state's 6,000 bridges classified as structurally deficient, along with fixing ailing highways, repairing "state-owned, high-hazard dams" and beginning flood mitigation projects.
Also yesterday, Mr. Rendell called on legislators to expedite action on an economic stimulus plan he proposed in his budget speech in February.
He did admit, though, that he's dropping one of the more popular aspects of that program -- a one-time tax rebate of either $200 or $400 for lower-income families.
In February, he had proposed a rebate along the lines of the one already approved by Congress and President Bush. In May, the feds plan to begin sending out $600 checks to single taxpayers and $1,200 checks for couples filing jointly.
Mr. Rendell had suggested one-time rebates of $400 for two-parent families or $200 for single-parent families, subject to income limits. But he said yesterday the idea hasn't generated much support in the Legislature, and the time doesn't seem right for such state-issued "stimulus checks." He may take another look at it next year.
Mr. Rendell said the rest of his stimulus program is needed because the national economic slowdown is finally catching up with Pennsylvania. He said the state hit an all-time high in January with 5.8 million jobs, but that is now declining...
(Excerpt) Read more at post-gazette.com ...
Get rid of the unions, along with the 18 guys standing around watching 2 guys work, and you would not have one quarter of the taxes and things would get built far more quickly.
Casinos and putting toll booths on Interstate 80 was supposed to cure all of the Keystone State’s ills. HA!
It used to be that when we crossd the border into PA from Gnu Yak we would laugh about the condition of the roads. The opposite is true today because Gnu Yak would rather pay the Education Mafia $16,000 per pupil per year for a second-class public education. Can’t wait to move out!
$700 million for a convention center no one will use but no money for bridges and roads. you gotta love rendell.
If Rendell actually succeeds in turning Route 80 into a toll road here in PA, even democrats will be disgusted with him.
Ours didn’t cost as much, but the same is true in Toledo. An empty white elephant that no one but the newspaper and the politicians wanted. The people voted it down over and over, but they got around it somehow and built it anyway. No money for anything else, though. And now you can’t smoke in it.
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