Gov. Ed Rendell delivered his annual budget address to the Pennsylvania Legislature Feb. 8. Rendell wants to spend $25.4 billion dollars for the fiscal year starting July 1. State spending since Rendell took office has risen at twice the rate of inflation.
The governor is proposing $1 billion in new spending, but hasn’t figured out where the additional $1 billion in revenue will come from, other than some vague notion that the state’s economy will prosper if he’s re-elected and the money will pour into state coffers. What Rendell should have said was, "If you re-elect me, you can expect a massive tax hike in 2007 to pay for state government." But that would be telling the truth and Rendell is the consummate politician. The truth is the last thing he’s got going for him.
The speech was vintage Rendell. The governor cut state support for community libraries in each of his first three years in office. Now he wants to spend an additional $75 million on libraries. In other words, he wants to give back the money he took away since 2003. Does the image of a carnival huckster operating a shell game come to mind? All Rendell has done during his first three years in office is move money around from one pile to another.
Rendell pretends to be the "environmental governor" but he proposed cuts in environmental programs. He claims he’s pro-business, but he recently vetoed a bill that would have cut businesses taxes by $500 million. His proposed 2006-07 budget would cut state support for agriculture, tourism, public health and job creation programs.
In the same breath, Rendell wants the state to increase the minimum wage from $5.15 an hour to $7.15 an hour. But he told the Legislature that it doesn’t have to act on that request until 2007. This is the same governor who campaigned in 2002 on the need to raise the minimum wage. What kind of message does that send to Pennsylvanians who have been working for $5.15 an hour since 2002?
Rendell’s speech contained 7,560 words. He droned on for 63 minutes. He mentioned "property taxes" only six times in the speech. He devoted less than one minute to the discussion of property tax relief.
If you ask Pennsylvania residents what the most pressing issue facing them today is, almost all would say property taxes. Rendell skirted the issue. Maybe it’s because he has failed to deliver on his promise of property tax reform in each of his first three years in office. Maybe all Rendell wanted to do was bring casino gambling to Pennsylvania. Rendell has $12 in campaign contributions — much of it from the gambling industry — as he prepares to dupe voters into giving him another four years in the governor’s mansion.
Here’s all Rendell said about property taxes:
"We have made great strides together, but we do have unfinished business. First, of course, is dealing with property taxes. This challenge has defied easy answers for more than 30 years in Pennsylvania. I both appreciate and respect the depth of thought, length of debate and creativity of ideas that have come forth in both chambers in support of greater property tax reductions than those we will provide with gaming funds. But first we should all remember that when we expanded gaming in July of 2004, we entered into a compact with the citizens, a compact that guaranteed that every homeowner would get property tax relief and that the tax dollars generated by gaming would help fund it. I have called you into a Special Session to ensure that we meet the principles of that compact. As I said when I did so, our citizens are losing their patience and the signs of their discontent are growing stronger. I ask you to pass a property tax relief bill that I can sign before the end of this month so that Pennsylvanians will know, once and for all, that property tax relief is certain."
Rendell promised property tax relief while running for governor in 2002. Rendell promised property tax relief in 2003. Rendell promised property tax relief in 2004. Rendell promised property tax relief in 2005. Rendell promises property tax relief in 2006. Do you believe him? How many more chances are Pennsylvania taxpayers willing to give Rendell?
There’s an old saying that goes: "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me." What happens when we’ve been fooled four times in a row? Who’s fault is that?
Since the state Constitution was amended 36 years ago to allow governors to succeed themselves, every incumbent has been re-elected to a second term. Voters should remember Rendell’s broken promises when they go to the polls on Nov. 7. They should send a clear message that they’re tired of empty promises from politicians by denying Rendell a second term.
Tony Phyrillas is a political columnist for The Mercury in Pottstown, Pa. E-mail him at tphyrillas@pottsmerc.com
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