Posted on 02/09/2016 12:17:09 PM PST by Olog-hai
Gov. Tom Wolf warned lawmakers on Tuesday that Pennsylvania's finances are a ticking time bomb amid a record-long budget gridlock, as he sent them a spending proposal for the coming fiscal year with no full plan in place for the year that began back in July.
The first-term Democrat delivered an approximately $33.3 billion plan for 2016-17 to the Republican-controlled Legislature as he tries again to break down resistance to a multibillion-dollar tax increase that has held up passage of a budget for the current year.
Wolf delivered his message in a blunt, 25-minute speech that prompted objections from most Republicans, but allies said Wolf sent the message that people need to hear about the state government's crisis.
Billions of dollars for prisons, hospitals and schools remain in limbo and, without a state tax increase to close a massive deficit, the governor warned that schools will lay off thousands of teachers, the state's social services safety net will spring huge holes and local governments will raise taxes. ...
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Gov. Wolf is truly delusional and obstinate. He does not get that he is a Governor from the Left End of the Democrat Party dealing with a Legislature that is overwhelmingly Republican. No amount of holding his breath and stamping his feet is going to get them to do things HIS way.
Cutting spending is never on the table.
We gotta you know, give the government more to spend.
I wish I could get annual cost of spending increases the way Wolf wants for PA’s bloated government.
It would make my life a lot easier.
Just force people to pay more than make the hard choices to get spending under control.
No wonder there’s budget gridlock in Harrisburg.
It would in DC. Those “Republicans” cave at any opportunity.
Its always more and more taxes.
The last governor of Pennsylvania (RINO Tom Corbett) raised gasoline taxes 27 cents a gallon (another billion a year) to pay for mostly Philadelphia mass transit. This was just two years ago and now the rat Wolf wants to raise taxes even more. It never ends. Six years ago, it was Fast Eddie Rendell raising taxes through the roof (for teachers union) and pushing the casino scam, pretending the slot revenue would help keep property taxes low. The taxes NEVER go down, ever.
I'm no fan of George Will, but he once said something that made a lot of sense: There is nothing inherently wrong with gridlock. Gridlock can be a very good thing.
The only time bomb is if the Republican legislature gives in and turns on the spending spigot for him. If the Republicans hold firm, they will have a budget that doesn't increase much and keeps the state relatively more stable. Don't get me wrong -- Pennsylvania has a lot more it can cut -- but the state ain't gonna go broke because of this budget impasse.
I agree that Gov. Wolf is a very evil man. How did the people of Pennsylvania elect such a loser? What is the difference between Wolf and Bernie Sanders?
Where are the Republican speeches detailing the waste and fraud in PA’s CURRENT spending?
You can’t win if your only tactic is “holding your breath”!
To underscore your point, Pennsylvanians are now paying an 18% tax on wine and liquor for recovery from the Johnstown Flood of 1936. Although the cleanup and recovery from the flood was complete by 1942, the “temporary” tax, which was initially set at 10%, was raised to 15% in 1963 and 18% in 1968, which is where it stands today - 80 years after the flood.
I’m with you there. I’d be more than happy with gridlock that lasted throughout Wolf’s term.
Ping.
I see. The foolish voters of PA cut of their noses to spite their faces! The people of Virginia did a similar thing to vote in McAulliffe, another Democrat loser.
We also have an evil Attorney General who believes that men and women are fully interchangeable. Maybe he is another lawyer who failed basic biology.
IF NJ is any indicator, cutting spending IS on the table; these states in the northeast can’t continue bleeding employers and taxpayers. Chris Christie refuses to increase any taxes without cutting others; it is an uphill battle but something has to be done. When Newark NJ looked for the usual funds from Trenton a few years back to pay their cops, the funding was refused and 160+ cops were let go - the well is dry.
If Wolf keeps this crap up, Pa. stands a good chance to go for Republican candidates in November, imo. I have hope.
The schools can strand to lose some teachers and the welfare net needs to shrink.
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