The GOP-controlled Commonwealth government has passed the first budget reduction since 1970.

Back then, Milton Shapiro was not yet governor, Richard Nixxon was president, and Tony Boyle was running the mineworkers. And the Picksburgh Stillers were 4 years away from their first Super Bowl. Ray Shaffer was Guv and was a Repub.

Kudos to Guv Corbett for coming thru with his campaign promise.  8)

Oh goody funding to vital social services and education have been cut to the bone.  If Corbett is so proud of keeping his campaign promises why does he feel the need to blame cuts on the Federal government?  I was under the impression he'd be proud to cut social services for the disabled and elderly.

How did they cut spending?
???

How did they cut spending?
???


3% across the board for starters.  11% cut in education.  700+ jobs gone in the Department of Public Welfare.  Park Service were cut by about 20%.  No tax increase, no increase of revenue period.

3% across the board for starters.  11% cut in education.  700+ jobs gone in the Department of Public Welfare.  Park Service were cut by about 20%.  No tax increase, no increase of revenue period.


I know!  Let the homeless clean the parks in exchange for camping privileges!
:)

I know!  Let the homeless clean the parks in exchange for camping privileges!
:)


Legitimate campers have revenue potential homeless people just take up space.

Legitimate campers have revenue potential homeless people just take up space.


No, I don't mean state parks.  I mean city parks!  They clean, repair, and rebuild all day, then when the crash in make shift campsites near the golf course and under the fountain, they'll have red badges letting the cops know to leave 'em alone!
http://www.inthe00s.com/smile/13/icon_thumleft.gif

No, I don't mean state parks.  I mean city parks!  They clean, repair, and rebuild all day, then when the crash in make shift campsites near the golf course and under the fountain, they'll have red badges letting the cops know to leave 'em alone!
http://www.inthe00s.com/smile/13/icon_thumleft.gif


Municipalities are usually so anti-homeless they're willing to send them by bus to another town.  Out of sight out of mind as the saying goes.  There's also another drawback to that.  It puts municipal workers on the unemployment line.  Why pay someone who requires benefits when you can pay virtually nothing.

3% across the board for starters.  11% cut in education.  700+ jobs gone in the Department of Public Welfare.  Park Service were cut by about 20%.  No tax increase, no increase of revenue period.


The state colleges are all crying foul, how will they get by. Wah wah wah. Meanwhile on the campus where I live, Penn State just broke ground on a $2mm fitness center boondoggle. And they just added another sport and coach to the payroll  My opinion, this is more evidence that Corbett shoulda cut Penn State's allocation by more than the 20% he already did.

Nearby Seneca Valley high school just approved a $1mm press box renovation at their football field.

More cuts are needed until this nonsense stops.

Oh goody funding to vital social services and education have been cut to the bone.  If Corbett is so proud of keeping his campaign promises why does he feel the need to blame cuts on the Federal government? 

First off, the former Rendell Administration had left Corbett with a budget that would have been $4.6 billion in the red.  Eddie had planned on shaking down drivers on Interstate 80 for about $450MM per year to fund the general budget, but the O'bama administration, in a brief moment of fiscal rectitude, rightfully told Rendell to jam it.

Pennsylvania was (and still is in many ways) living on the Federal Plantation where it does the Fed's bidding to get Federal money (which really is commonwealth money since, after all, the Fed gets its money from the citizens of the states).  The Rendell budgets for the past few years were propped up by Federal "stimulus" pork money, which now thankfully is disappearing.

So Corbett had to cut spending for that reason as well as quite a few more.  I saw some of his rhetoric about withdrawn Federal money and I wish he had not gone down that road.  Just cut the state spending and you don't have to kiss the feet of those jack booted thugs in Washington.

The PA budget is broken out 43.5% for Health & Human services, 38.9% education, and protection of persons and property at 11.2%.  That's 93.6% of items that people decry as "untouchable".

Education "cut to the bone?"  In 1980 the Commonwealth spent $4 billion, and in 2009 it spent $25 billion.  After adjusting for inflation and student populations, that is a 133% increase in per-pupil spending. Pennsylvania's per-pupil education spending (K-12) ranks #12 amongst all 50 states.  Take a gander at the frivolous spending done at commonwealth school systems... the new football stadiums, the astroturf, the $1 million press boxes, the fitness centers, the featherbedded administrator and "teacher aide" positions, none of which existed back in my day when the American school systems and students  fared considerably better than they do today.

The state colleges are all crying foul, how will they get by. Wah wah wah. Meanwhile on the campus where I live, Penn State just broke ground on a $2mm fitness center boondoggle. And they just added another sport and coach to the payroll  My opinion, this is more evidence that Corbett shoulda cut Penn State's allocation by more than the 20% he already did.

Nearby Seneca Valley high school just approved a $1mm press box renovation at their football field.

More cuts are needed until this nonsense stops.


Same with UMass.  They opened a swanky fitness center a couple of years ago.  When I was there I used to workout with the rusty free weights at the Totman gym!
;D

If the PA legislature is anything like the Mass legislature, there will always be slush funds for new buildings and precious little for maintenance of old buildings.  Priorities go to sports, research science, and whatever will pull in corporate finance.  Spending cuts will continue to diminish resources for humanities, maintenance, student services, and so forth. 

The beatings will continue until morale improves!
http://www.inthe00s.com/smile/07/ohwe.gif