Democrats push for higher debt in Pennsylvania

I have a new nick-name for the Democrats who control the House Appropriations Committee: "The Enablers."

Gov. Ed Rendell has an enormous appetite for spending other people's money, having increased government spending in Pennsylvania by $7 billion since he came to office in 2003. But the government can't do it alone. He needs the Legislature to assist him in spending those billions. That's where the "enablers" come in.

The Harrisburg Patriot News reports that the Appropriations Committee voted along party lines earlier this week to raise the state's debt ceiling.

All 21 Democrats on the committee supported pushing the state deeper into debt to help fund Gov. Ed Rendell's pet projects.

In case you'd like to remember the legislators who want to sink the state deeper into debt on Election Day, here's a list of the 21 Democrats: Chairman Dwight Evans, Vice Chairman William F. Keller, Secretary Josh Shapiro, H. Scott Conklin, Dan Frankel, John T. Glloway, Thaddeus Kirkland, Bryan R. Lentz, Kathy Manderino, Michael P. McGeehan, Tim Mahoney, John Myers, Charelle L. Parker, Joseph A. Petrarca, Sean M. Ramaley, Dante Santoni Jr., John J. Siptroth, Matthew Smith, Greg Vitali, Don Walko, Jake Wheatley.

The 14 Republicans on the committee voted against raising the debt limit.

The move to put Pennsylvania deeper into debt comes from Gov. Ed Rendell, who wants to spend $1.1 billion more in the general fund budget for the fiscal year starting July 1, and borrow a few hundred million more to fund other projects.

Rendell wants the Legislature to increase the state's debt limit by $750 million, all of which would immediately be spent on building projects. He also wants to borrow $270 million to rebuild bridges and other infrastructure. It would be the fourth time Rendell has pushed to raise the state's debt limit since he became governor in 2003.

The House Appropriations Committee also voted by the same 21-14 margin to support Rendell's plan to provide tax rebates ranging from $200 to $400 to about 475,000 of the state's lowest-income working households (who don't pay taxes). I guess "rebate" sounds better than "handout" or "free money."

But neither measure drew any Republican support in the twin 21-14 votes, signaling trouble for the bills' chances for final passage. Democrats hold a 102-101 majority in the House of Representatives, and Republicans have a 29-21 majority in the Senate.