Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati has called on Gov. Ed Rendell to end "public scare tactics" and begin sincere negotiations on a 2009-10 state budget.From a press release issued today by Scarnati:
"In order to sell something that is not in the best interest of Pennsylvanians, which is a massive increase in the personal income tax, the Governor has come to his final option…threatening a doomsday scenario in the Commonwealth," Scarnati said. "However, if we are to get to the point of significant progress on this budget, the Governor must be forthright with his information to the public."
Scarnati noted several examples of the Governor scaring and misinforming the public, including statements that state parks will close, hospitals will shut down, and most recently that 800 troopers will be laid off if the Senate Republican version of the budget is enacted. These accusations by the Governor have all proven inaccurate.
"In fact, at a recent hearing of the Senate Law and Justice Committee, a representative of the Pennsylvania State Police alluded to the fact that the Governor's comments were a bit of sensationalism, and no trooper has ever been laid off as a result of budget shortfall," Scarnati stated.
After viewing a videotape in which the Governor also said the Senate GOP budget would result in untracked sex offenders, State Police Deputy Commissioner Jon Kurtz said, "That is sensationalizing. Those are all political statements that are being made for a purpose."
Senator John Rafferty, Chairman of the Committee, and other senators asked why the state could not simply shift the funding formula to use more money from the Motor License Fund. They pointed out that there is no statutory requirement that the percentages remain at their current ratio of 73-27, which is the percentage of Motor License Fund to General Fund.
Scarnati stated, "This is not a time when we should be creating panic or misrepresenting the facts. The Governor needs to realize that the people of Pennsylvania cannot afford a tax increase and that they will not be led down the road of false representations.
"I continue to hear the Governor comment on how the numbers will drive the process and quite frankly, I agree," Scarnati added. "The numbers I see for a tax increase are zero votes in the Senate Republican caucus and I am not sure he has the required number of votes in the House of Representatives to pass his tax increase budget. Those are the real numbers that drive this process.
"At this point the full House has yet to vote on the Governor's tax increase budget or consider our proposal, Senate Bill 850, which cuts spending and includes no new taxes," Scarnati concluded. "In the meantime I respectfully request that the Governor stick to the real facts and not scare the citizens of the Commonwealth with information that is far from reality."
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