Gov. forces debate
Don’t count Gov. Ed Rendell out when it comes to political smarts. The Republican lawmakers had backed him into the corner by swiftly approving Rendell’s budget that he had hoped would never see passage. To veto the entire package would have given critics ammunition that Rendell is little more than a tax-and-spend Democrat who isn’t serious about furthering an austerity program. But to approve it would doom any clout the governor hoped to have in presenting the second, and most important part, of the budget package: education reform.
Rendell found a way out. He exercised a little-used tactic of the line item veto and struck $4 billion in basic school subsidies from the $21 billion state budget. This forces Republicans who hold a majority in the House and Senate back to the bargaining table to rethink the way education is financed in Pennsylvania.
The governor this week will present his plan. As with the first part of the budget there will be things to like and things to hate. But most of all there will be issues to debate. A full airing is needed.
It would be hard to find anyone in Pennsylvania who sincerely believes that no reform is needed. Many protest that the state has fallen far behind in its obligation to fund public education. Property owners complain that they are shouldering more of the burden than they should, and the governor plans to offer relief. But the money must come from somewhere. Most likely a hike in the state income tax will be proposed. Raising taxes is never popular, especially if taxpayers don’t believe there will be a return on investment as more money doesn’t equate to better education.
Then there is the issue of gambling. Initially it appeared that it would be confined to adding slot machines to casinos but a movement is on to expand state-sponsored gaming even more.
How lawmakers handle these issues will affect Pennsylvania for many years to come. A full and robust public airing is called for and the governor’s line item veto has set the stage.