The great divide on the Pennsylvania budget

What to make of the new $28.3 billion state budget signed into law July 4 by Gov. Ed Rendell? It depends on your political leanings.

The conservative Pittsburgh Tribune-Review calls the budget a "crock."

From today's Tribune-Review editorial:

We're not sure how Pennsylvania legislators are going to cover their secretive, sorry and pickpocketing political behinds over their fiscal 2009 budget machinations. But mark our words, every last party leader who participated in this outrageous charade -- regardless of affiliation -- should be tossed from office in November, as should every legislator who acquiesced with a "yes" vote.

The liberal Pittsburgh Post-Gazette calls the budget a "good compromise."

From today's Post-Gazette editorial:

The budget, which represents a 4 percent spending increase, did not require a tax hike. A compromise measure as all budgets are, this one did not address health care and did not give the governor everything he wanted on the issue of energy.

The one thing both newspapers agree on is that the budget process needs more transparency. Rendell and a handful of political bosses in a locked room is not the way to decide how to spend billions of your tax dollars.