Playing ‘chicken’ with state budget stupid
Citing a federal law that may or may not be applicable, the Rendell administration has warned that if a budget deal has not been reached by June 30, “nonessential” state employees will be furloughed on July 1 without pay. It’s regrettable that Gov. Ed Rendell and Republican legislative leaders have become boringly predictable in their inability to move beyond the usual political strutting to find common ground on a state budget in timely fashion.
The governor presented his budget in early February and here we are once again with the state’s workers and citizens set to pay the price for the failure of the politicians to do their jobs.
Using state workers as a bargaining wedge is simply not acceptable, in our book. Shutting the state down for a day or week or however long it takes is just plain wrong, because the art of compromise is no longer part of the common political repertoire.
We will grant that there should be sanctions for failing to accomplish the job of passing a budget by the constitutionally required end of June 30.
Those sanctions, however, should fall on lawmakers, the governor and his Cabinet. No deal, no pay. Punish the perpetrators, not the innocent victims.
It is sickening to see how much time is wasted avoiding an early resolution of budget issues everyone knows promise to be challenging.
Playing “chicken” up to and beyond the June 30 deadline is unbusiness-like, immature and idiotic, given how it only serves to further blemish the standing of both the Legislature and the administration in the eyes of the public.
Why not try a different tack this year? Surprise us and get the job done on time.