Jeff Harris – 7/8/07

This page was last updated on July 9, 2007.

Blame Rendell for budget mess; Jeff Harris; Beaver County Times; July 8, 2007.

The Times neglected to mention Mr. Harris was a 2006 Republican candidate for state representative of the 14th Legislative District.

Below is a detailed critique of the letter.

“Gov. Ed Rendell has increased our state budget by 30 percent during his short time in office, from $21 billion to more than $27 billion.

“Now, he is trying to force more new taxes, new borrowing and even bigger spending increases down the taxpayers’ throats by threatening to furlough more than 25,000 state employees next week.

“The governor insists on adding several major amendments to the spending bill, none of which need to be included in the 2007-08 budget. Rendell’s energy, health care and transportation initiatives can all be addressed after the budget has been passed. His stubborn attitude of ‘my way or the highway’ is the root cause of this entire fiasco.”

[RWC] Don’t members of the opposition party always make this claim about the chief executive, regardless of government level? Mr. Harris could be right, but it’s a criticism we always hear regardless of the governor, president, et cetera.

“Rendell and his Democratic allies in the General Assembly are not thinking about the average Pennsylvania taxpayer who has to pay for this bloated budget.

“I am proud that our Senate Republican leaders, who hold a 29-21 majority in that chamber, have said many of Rendell’s demands are on issues that need more review, and they refuse to be bullied into accepting them now.

“I am disappointed that our own state Sen. Gerald LaValle supports Rendell’s increased spending and higher taxes. We will remember next November.”

[RWC] Before we give Senate Republicans too much credit, remember this.

First, it was a Republican-majority General Assembly that OK’d Mr. Rendell’s previous profligate budget and tax increases.

Second, during the Ridge/Schweiker years, commonwealth spending increased an inflation-adjusted 24.4% with a Republican-majority GA despite a stagnant population and a state economy significantly under performing the rest of the country. To be clear, this does NOT include local spending. This is nearly the same as Bob Casey’s 25.4% over the same number of years with a Democrat-majority GA. Had a Republican governor submitted exactly the same budget as Mr. Rendell, I have little doubt GA Republicans would have lined up behind it.

Don’t get me wrong; Mr. Rendell is a big taxer/spender. Recent history, however, shows that PA elected Republicans tend to be big spenders themselves.