Corbett cuts $72M from state budget, calls for action on pension reform

Pittsburgh Business Times ^ | July 10, 2014 | Paul J. Gough

[Tamzee]

Gov. Tom Corbett blasted the General Assembly and line-item vetoed more than $70 million from the budget but signed the rest of it into law Thursday.

The line-item veto removed $65 million in proposed spending from the General Assembly's own funding, which he said was equivalent to the legislators' surplus, as well as $7.2 million from general appropriations.

(snip)

Corbett reserved more ire for the General Assembly in what he said was its failure to address the public-pension crisis, an issue he has campaigned for big changes including a move toward a 401(k)-style system for new state employee and public teacher hires. He said 163 school districts around Pennsylvania have been forced to increase taxes due to high pension costs, and he said 63 cents on every new dollar of revenue to the state government goes to pension costs.

(snip)

[Tamzee]

This article is from a few months ago but I did a search and couldn't find it already posted. I thought it might be valuable regarding his re-election this November.

[Tamzee]

this is also good info regarding Corbett vs. Wolf:

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2014 ALEC-LAFFER State Economic Competitiveness Index

http://alec.org/docs/RSPS_7th_Edition.pdf

PA is page 107

Pennsylvania is now ranked 33 out of all the states with Utah ranked 1 and New York ranked at 50

2010 PA ranked 43 under Rendell
2011 PA ranked 41 under Corbett’s first year
2012 PA ranked 40
2013 PA ranked 34
2014 PA ranked 33

Corbett has brought PA up 10 places in state rankings from 43 to 33 in his few short years as governor with regard to economic growth and tax burden

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[Timber Rattler]

Corbett will never get past his .28 per gallon gas tax hike, his deliberate refusal to defend Pennsylvania's constitutional man-woman marriage provision when it came under legal assault, and also the state GOP-E's effort to crush his Conservative challenger in the primary. He also listened to the Rob Gleasons of his party far too much, while ignoring his base.

It's now time to pay the piper.

[Russ]

Maybe so but electing Wolf governor is too high a price to pay. I know it will happen but Wolf’s plan for raising taxes will make .28 per gallon look like chump change. Corbett might have little to offer but Wolf has absolutely nothing...

[Geoffrey]

Agree, and would add failure to eliminate state run liquor sales and raising cig taxes in Philly for a phony school budget shortfall.

He cut 70 million. The budget is like 29 Billion.

But the other guy is so much worse....but how can you reward Corbett with your vote? Argh.

[PGalt]

Interesting. Thanks for posting.

http://www.usdebtclock.org/state-debt-clocks/state-of-pennsylvania-debt-clock.html

[Tamzee]

The gas tax was eliminating an artificial cap on the tax on fuel distributers, needed because we allowed a Democrat into the governorship that turned our roads intto 3rd world infrastructure. Fighting gay marriage would have been utterly useless for him to do because we allowed PA to be taken over by left-wing judges and a left-wing Attorney General. A Governor can’t wave a magic wand and do anything he or she wants, they are stuck with the rest of elected officials we give them.

These problems are now US paying the piper for letting rabid left-wingers into office already.

Regarding Corbett’s “conservative challenger”, I wish he had really had a decent one. Guzzardi was a joke. Just a few years ago he made political contributions to the Green Party and vile Democrat toads like Senator Menendez and Congressman Chris Carney.

http://www.campaignmoney.com/advanced.asp?pg=1&searchtype=contributors&cycle1=06&lname=Guzzardi&fname=Robert&work=&occup=&zipcodes=&fdate=&tdate=&state=PA&cycle2=14&cmtetype=&cmtename=&cmteorg=&igc=&cmteparty=&cycle3=14&cndoffice=&cndtype=&cndlname=&cndfname=&cndstate=&cndparty=&orderby=&reccnt=69&recamt=103130

[Timber Rattler]

Whatever.