Pork Spending

These days it's hard enough for Pennsylvania families to think about meeting their obligations let alone piling on more debt. But that's exactly what outgoing Gov. Ed Rendell did this week, when Pennsylvania State Treasurer Rob McCord signed off on Gov. Rendell's final $650 million bond issue, after Auditor General Jack Wagner refused to do so.

While table games have been in Pennsylvania casinos for more than a month, I don't know if Gov. Rendell has tried his luck. But it would be a safe wager that he's a fantastic poker player. Why? For eight years, he's been able to bluff, bully, and stare down anyone who opposes his tax-borrow-and-spend agenda.

As part of the state budget deal, Gov. Rendell secured $600 million in new borrowing for pork-barrel projects, including $10 million for the "Arlen Specter Library" at Philadelphia University and another $10 million for the "John P. Murtha Center for Public Policy." These monuments to politicians have sparked outrage, but represent only the tip of the iceberg in Pennsylvania's debt-fueled pork spending.

A Taxpayer's Budget 2010: Responsible Spending for Pennsylvania identifies opportunities to cut over $4 billion in wasteful state spending in Gov. Rendell's proposed FY 2010-11 budget. The report also offers a series of recommendations for resolving the current revenue shortfall and reducing the size and burden of government on Pennsylvanians.

Gov. Rendell proposes balancing the state budget with a combination of new and higher taxes, another federal bailout, and additional state borrowing. When confronted by opposition to additional taxes on working Pennsylvanians, Gov. Rendell and the special interests who feed on tax dollars frequently ask, "What key services should we cut?" But the burden should be on those who demand more from workers and businesses to demonstrate that all current expenditures are an effective and appropr

Press-release economics has long been part of a political charade in which lawmakers use other people's money to fund their political gain. In Pennsylvania, agencies such as the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) offer a plethora of subsidies to entice businesses to move to or stay in the Commonwealth. State lawmakers also have the ability to dole out funds, commonly known as WAMs, to businesses, non-profits or other entities of their choice. DCED or lawmakers

Gov. Rendell, of course, didn't declare war on all special interests - only those who oppose his tax-borrow-and-spend agenda. For example, while he lambasts the natural gas industry for opposing yet another tax upon the several it already pays, he gives a pass to the special interests clamoring for more of its money.

Throughout the budget process, Rendell has used this same tactic, called a "Washington Monument" ploy. From claiming education would be set back decades, to asserting state police would have to be laid off (allowing child predators like Roman Polanski to roam free), to drumming up fears of social service agencies closing, Rendell has used the most politically popular programs in the state budget in an attempt to garner support for tax hikes. However, a look at how the state is actually using t