Opinion
Pa. taxpayers fed up with tiresome budget fight
As the Shenango Valley's state Rep. Mark Longietti manned a government information booth at the recent Italian-Slovak Festival in Farrell, one question was constantly posed to him:
“When are you going to pass the state budget?”
Obviously, he had no easy answer. Democrats and Republicans have been sparring over a budget for a month beyond the June 30 deadline.
It was a pertinent question because the state’s failure to pass a budget is hurting a lot of people. It affects more people than just state employees who are without paychecks.
An article in The Herald Thursday pointed out that the state’s inaction has cost Mercer County more than $30,000 in lost interest because the state hasn’t paid its bill for Children and Youth Services expenses.
The county has advanced about $2.5 million that the state has yet to reimburse.
How can shortfalls like that be made up without layoffs or raising local taxes?
On a good note, there is some hope that state employees will be paid if Gov. Ed Rendell has his way. He proposed a plan that would allow many of the 80,000 state workers as well as government vendors to receive money if the budget impasse continues.
Whether the House and Senate will agree to the plan is questionable.
Rendell wants the Democratic-controlled House to approve the Republican-penned budget that has passed the Senate. He would then pare it down with line-item vetoes, but could pay the workers and companies that do business with the state.
However, it shouldn’t have to come to tricks to get a budget through the General Assembly. There is a budget deadline set. We elect legislators and expect them to do their jobs properly.
There is no reason that a budget can’t be worked out by June 30. In fact, it’s the law. If legislators and governors can’t meet that deadline, they should be run out of office.
When it comes to electing a new pope, Roman Catholic cardinals are sequestered and work until a pope is elected. If it comes to that, legislators may need to do the same thing.
We are all tired of these political games that are hurting state employees, companies that work with the state and all taxpayers.
And we don’t need Larry the Cable Man to tell them: “Git ’er dun!”
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