Posted on 07/21/2009 4:44:05 PM PDT by Big E
The state House voted 49-150 this afternoon to defeat the Senate's $27.1 billion budget proposal, which sends the budget discussions to a House-Senate conference committee. No plan was announced for the committee to start work. Its meetings must be held in public. Many expect closed-door negotiations between legislative leaders and Gov. Ed Rendell to continue while the committee does its work.
The state has been without a budget since July 1.
The Democrats control the State House by a very slim margin, and have passed Rendell's budgets calling for the tax increase, which works out to be a 16% increase in state income taxes. The Republicans control the Senate by a margin of 30-20. So far, they have resisted the Democrat budgets. Many State workers have not been paid this month, as Rendell insists there must be a budget before they can be paid. They will make up any missing checks when the budget is passed.
I have been emailing my State Senator urging him to stand strong against yet another tax increase. I urge all other Pennsylvania residents to do the same. I fear that as this drags on, our weak-kneed GOP Senators will cave in to the temptation to compromise, and only raise our taxes 10%, instead of 16%. Not another nickel! NO MORE TAXES!
Remember when Rendell’s last increase from 2.8% to 3.07% WAS ALSO SUPPOSED TO BE TEMPORARY?
He’s a lying son of a bitch.
Many State workers have not been paid this month,.... You are wrong. State employees who are paid on the 17th of the month got full pay minus 3 days (July 1,2, and 3). Those paid later (the next week) will lose their pay for that period. MANY who are not paid from the General Fund will not lose any pay. I realize this does not help those who do lose pay, but the stand the legislators take against Gov. Spendell will be a blessing in the long run. His new hope of legalizing Video Poker machines is to pad the pockets of his ex Chief of Staff, who owns a company that will receive exclusive rights to market the machines in PA, which means Spendell and the Dems all get a kickback. Bite the bullet, like our Revolutionary forefathers did.
The socialist Rendell will do anything to increase taxes instead of reduce the size of government. The people need to raise their voices loudly to stop any tax increases.
Don’t you love how Goldwater was totally and utterly right. How in in 1964 he predicted that LBJ’s grand social welfare experiments like Medicare, Medicaid were going to bankrupt the country. The whole ugly b*tch is coming down. Obama is the death rattle. There will be no Medicare in 50 years, yes we may flirt with socialized medicine but within one generation it will be a steamy pile of wreckage.
Good report.......thank God in PA you have a way to fight the tax and spend nightmares there. (IN NC THE DEMS ARE IN TOTAL CONTROL IN THE GOVERNER’S OFFICE AND IN THE LEGISLATURE ....AND THEY CAN’T AGREE ON HOW TO REAISE OUR TAXES EITHER);....
But thank God for this good news. Keep calling and writing and giving the Repubs backbone ......as I am sure they are under tremendous pressure from thug Rendell.
I am optimistic that this healthcare debacle is going to be rejected in the House.
You may find this interesting. I learned a few new things.
I saw a poll where the budget is being blamed on the Democrats 2:1. Good. Also, I think around 65% of people surveyed did not want their taxes raised. Good again. Still, Rendell is holding the State workers hostage in hope of pressuring the GOP Senate to accept the tax increase. I let my State Senator know that I will enthusiastically vote against him if he votes for one more nickel in taxes.
Rendell has bee pulling this crap every year he has been in office. It is a tactic with him. He is a dispicable human being.
I actually don’t remember the 2003 tax increase being temporary. Guess I wasn’t paying attention back then. I remember my taxes went up, I guess it turned out to be 10%... which I think is less than Rendell wanted. So now he’s back for round 2, another 16%. Temporary tax, ri-i-i-i-ight.
Then they have another bill in the Legislature, which if passed, will give the counties the ability to raise the sales tax another 1%. They just keep taking and taking and taking.....
Thanks for the ping. I’ll be so glad when Rendell’s gone. I actually know Republicans who voted for him.
2008 looked bad for the GOP in PA — not so much the results but the registrations flipped massively toward the rats...I’m hoping that things aren’t as bad as I thought....
I don’t have a good feeling about politics here in PA. People are looking for handouts, plus a lot of working people seem to be clueless. They voted Rendell in.
So far the script is going the way Obama thought…except he ran into us, that pesky group of people awake. Barry is pissed and this piece of garbage looks like it may not emerge in its current form.
We are on to their tactics. We have to keep up the pressure.
2010 should be an interesting year!
It appears that most of those who marched on the Capitol steps yesterday were SCIU members. Many of them work in health and welfare areas.
The President has stated that the new Federal Healthcare plan will reduce costs so that it can be funded. How many of us thought that meant reducing fraud, costs of tests,waste, etc. etc. as a means to that end.
Now I see well crafted TV, Billboards, radio spots and newspaper ads, paid for by SCIU ,urging a prompt resolution to this State budget impasse.
Are these budget problems in several states a smokescreen? Are they spearheading the reform?
Just about all ads asking Republicans to give in are from SCIU or other Social Services agencies. The Commission on Women has some nurse worried about defunding for women, children, etc. Their whole budget is a duplication of Dept. of Public Welfare. Some other nurse is worried about cuts to WWII patients (who the Feds do or SHOULD pay for all their costs such as the soldiers and sailors homes, VA, etc.. To answer your question, though, YES. The unions are doing their damnedest to get more money, more jobs (more money)and the States are falling for this ruse. There is much that could ACTUALLY be cut, but the Pubs are only asking for a lesser allotment for 2009-20010. The CUTS are, in truth, not there.
Could be that the "system" is being implemented without passage of the Healthcare legislation.
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