Lincoln Blog

July 03, 2008:

Here it is July 3rd, the day before our national celebration of independence and - technically - there is no state budget. It is three days after the budget deadline and although a "framework" for the budget appears to be in place, no actual budget has been passed.

Worse, precious few details of the "framework" agreement have emerged. Governor Ed Rendell and the other very few power players who actually have a say in budget matters are refusing to let out details lest the budget deal come undone.

This is what legislative life is like in the era of reform?

Is not our state's budget process supposed to be open and transparent, fully debated and vetted before final passage? Instead, we the people of Penn's woods are completely in the dark about how our money - yes it is OUR money - will be spent. Further, most legislators haven't a clue as to exactly what the spending plan will include.

Not only do most of the folks constitutionally mandated to approve the budget not know the details, they won't be fully aware of what it is they are voting on when the vote actually occurs later today or at some point in the near future. In other words, the overwhelming majority of our legislators will be spending billions of dollars of our money without knowing exactly what they are spending it on.

Given the reluctance of the Governor and budget negotiators to be forthcoming with details you have to wonder what it is they have agreed to that they feel public exposure would cause it to come undone. This is a process aimed at subverting the will of the people, not acting in accordance with it.

Most of the 253 legislators who will vote on the budget have but two limited options: vote the entire budget up, or vote it down.

They should vote it down.

It would be better to plunge Pennsylvania into a budget crisis and trigger a real debate over spending priorities than to give into the Soviet-style behind Kremlin doors process that has evolved so far.

Aren't you glad we've had state government reform? At least they aren't voting on it in the middle of the night.

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