So I know I ave written about PA Governor Corbett's budget recently, but I am still up at night and I am still wondering. Bottom line, I want you to wonder with me. Sorry (not really).
Here a couple of items that seem so logical to me. I want healthy conversation, I want to know what I am missing, where I have erred. Please do tell me.
Why would you cut:
1. Education, K-12: Why, after $900 million cut last year do you take another swipe at Public Education. ALL children are entitled to a free and appropriate education…or is that just for the "good" zip codes?
The link between a poor education and jail time is undeniable, so why not educate (pro-active) than jail (re-active)…oh wait, jails are for-profit institutions, and oh wait, folks who run jails make campaign contributions…oh my!
2. Education, Part 2, Colleges: So if you happen to make it to 12th grade and want to go on to further your studies, POW! You have been cut by 20-30%, thats on top of 18% from last year! Getting that degree just cost a heck of a lot more. Does that mean depending on your zip code, again, education is only for the wealthy. I do not believe college is for all but could a state school not cost $30-40,000 a year? Please.
3. Department of Agriculture: huh, we need food, we need farmers, gosh knows its a hard job. Under Corbett's budget (and in all fairness, Rendell cut them twice too) Funding would be eliminated for agricultural research, agricultural promotion, education and exports, hardwoods research and promotion, and food and marketing research. Boo!!! Farmers are fabulous!
4. Transportation: Our roads and bridges are crumbling, but are not addressed in this budget. Its only going to get worse. No one likes a tax increase, but do we want to have bad bridges?
5. Environmental Protection. The Governor’s Budget cuts every line-item in the office of Environmental Protection. Ummmm, this could be scary.
Why wouldn't you cut, or tax (I know its a bad word):
1. Natural Gas: check that, I don't want to tax it, I want to stop drilling NOW. Its a short term gain in jobs and money for land for a very long time of pain in wrecked communities. The gas is getting into places we don't want it to be in (like drinking water). When folks can light up their faucets, its not good. We are missing the common sense chip, big time here!
2. Businesses. They can take a tax cut if they buy new equipment, despite a resulting $200+ mil revenue shortfall to the state. Huh, could we even that out a bit? Maybe only a $100 million dollar hit?
3. The county having block grants sort of scares me…what if your county does not like your town? What if there is a difference of opinions in what a great town is? Could disparity now become a tool of your county leadership?
Look, clearly I do not have the answers, but I do know the cuts above scare me and are part of the values I hold near and dear to me, like education, kids and our environment. I know no one likes new taxes but aren't some things just worth it?
I liked these graphics on our state budget, sometimes pictures help.
Showing posts with label Governor Corbett. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Governor Corbett. Show all posts
Monday, February 13, 2012
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Money, Money, Money...
My grandfather was a wonderful man. He could do math in his head at warp speed, he loved his wife and he gave his money and time to many charities. Why am I sharing this? Well, first, I miss him almost everyday and second because he taught me a couple of very important things. One of the most important things he taught me was that we should take care of the young and the old. The young because they were new to the world and they should have a good start and the old because everything we had, they helped us get.
Governor Corbett forgot that yesterday in his budget for 2012 - 2013. He also forgot the value of a college education and to help those less fortunate. He did not forget his contributors though, as the Gas folks are still not paying taxes on what they rape from our environment and the possible negative environmental impact. I understand no one wants to raise taxes, yes, that takes guts, but our State's priorities are out of whack. If this budget is a statement of our values (and certainly it is a statement on what Corbett values), then we are in need of some life lessons and value adjustments.
Now down to brass tacks.
Here is a summary of Corbett's budget.
Pre Kindergarten and Kindergarten throughout the State will suffer with $100 Million less through the cutting go the Accountability Block Grant Program. Locally, the William Penn School District lost $400,000 in the Accountability Block Grant Program. It funded our Full Day Kindergarten program. Our kids need full day Kindergarten, in my opinion, but it will take 5 WPSD board members with the same values as I have to make that statement.
I will also say that while Corbett did not raise taxes, he did make it so that local school districts, will probably have to just to keep up with the bare minimum. We have increase in health care, a pension issue (a problem we did not make, I might add) and teachers salaries to deal with. I say Corbett, you are a chicken...you passed the taxing on to us and you know darn well you did.
PLEASE NOTE: Do not even tell me that teachers do not deserve what they are paid. I dare you to go into a class room for three days in a row. You pick the grade and the district. Really, walk in their shoes before you bash them. AND how dare you bash teachers, really, do you want a more dumbed down society? We support Football, Baseball and Basketball unions, but not the Teachers Union...are our values that warped?
The deep cuts to college will make college financially unreachable for even more. Do I believe that everyone should go to college, no I don't. I love my plumbers, electricians and roofers. I think we should be more respectful to our crafts people but college is a good fit for many. Why cut their funding? Again, do you want a more dumbed down society?
Read up on Corbett's Budget, make up your own mind. I know money is tight but does this budget show our values as a state? Why not educate kids and cut prison funding (an educated kid is way less likely to go to jail). Why cut services to the poor, why not help them get off of social services. Did we create jobs? Should we cut funds to PennDOT, Department of Environmental Protection, Penn State, Temple...speak up folks. Its our state too!
Governor Corbett forgot that yesterday in his budget for 2012 - 2013. He also forgot the value of a college education and to help those less fortunate. He did not forget his contributors though, as the Gas folks are still not paying taxes on what they rape from our environment and the possible negative environmental impact. I understand no one wants to raise taxes, yes, that takes guts, but our State's priorities are out of whack. If this budget is a statement of our values (and certainly it is a statement on what Corbett values), then we are in need of some life lessons and value adjustments.
Now down to brass tacks.
Here is a summary of Corbett's budget.
Pre Kindergarten and Kindergarten throughout the State will suffer with $100 Million less through the cutting go the Accountability Block Grant Program. Locally, the William Penn School District lost $400,000 in the Accountability Block Grant Program. It funded our Full Day Kindergarten program. Our kids need full day Kindergarten, in my opinion, but it will take 5 WPSD board members with the same values as I have to make that statement.
I will also say that while Corbett did not raise taxes, he did make it so that local school districts, will probably have to just to keep up with the bare minimum. We have increase in health care, a pension issue (a problem we did not make, I might add) and teachers salaries to deal with. I say Corbett, you are a chicken...you passed the taxing on to us and you know darn well you did.
PLEASE NOTE: Do not even tell me that teachers do not deserve what they are paid. I dare you to go into a class room for three days in a row. You pick the grade and the district. Really, walk in their shoes before you bash them. AND how dare you bash teachers, really, do you want a more dumbed down society? We support Football, Baseball and Basketball unions, but not the Teachers Union...are our values that warped?
The deep cuts to college will make college financially unreachable for even more. Do I believe that everyone should go to college, no I don't. I love my plumbers, electricians and roofers. I think we should be more respectful to our crafts people but college is a good fit for many. Why cut their funding? Again, do you want a more dumbed down society?
Read up on Corbett's Budget, make up your own mind. I know money is tight but does this budget show our values as a state? Why not educate kids and cut prison funding (an educated kid is way less likely to go to jail). Why cut services to the poor, why not help them get off of social services. Did we create jobs? Should we cut funds to PennDOT, Department of Environmental Protection, Penn State, Temple...speak up folks. Its our state too!
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