Brady Bunch wrote:

Yes, I have also contacted Saylor, Wagner and Wolf and let them know my thoughts.  I don't expect much from it, as I have written Saylor and Wagner before and did not receive any response (probably because I disagreed with them).

Due to the lack of responsiveness from Saylor and Wagner and the role all 3 of them play in the on-going political circus that is Harrisburg, I don't see myself voting for any of them in the future (I never did vote for Wagner)

 

Good for you. I have received responses from Wagner & Wolf. I used to get responses from Saylor, but haven't for a while now. I have been told by some (I'll include my federal legislators here) that they disagree with me, but I still offer my input on a regular basis. What I don't tolerate is when the response is that I "don't understand" the issue. This is utilized quite a bit by one in particular . . . Scott Perry. This is an often used debate tactic by a person that has no factual/credible defense for their action/inaction. I am always clear that I am a registered Independent voter, retired manager/business owner with 1/2 my career spent in international business, and veteran of the U.S. Navy. My undergraduate degree is with a major in Political Science and advanced degree in business management. I take pride in the fact that I actively make myself aware of credible information on issues and for someone to tell me that I lack the ability to understand an issue, does not sit well with me.

I tend to believe the old saying: "We get the government we deserve".

Here is the response I received from Gov. Wolf:

Dear :

Thank you for your correspondence regarding the current budget impasse. I understand the challenges that service providers, school districts, and others are facing due to the impasse. I am doing everything I can to mitigate the effects of the impasse and am working hard to reach a final budget agreement. I have announced my support for an appropriation to be included in a final budget to reimburse school districts and small nonprofits for the interest payments incurred on loans as a result of the budget impasse. The commonwealth will continue operations for all critical functions that impact the health, safety, and welfare of our citizens. More information regarding the budget impasse can be found at http://www.pa.gov/Pages/budgetFAQs.aspx.

Over the last four years, schools across Pennsylvania have suffered from $1 billion cuts that led to massive layoffs, huge property tax increases, and the elimination of valuable programs.  I have seen dedicated teachers and committed students who simply do not have the resources they need. The Commonwealth credit rating has been lowered five times from 2010-2014. That is why I have proposed a commonsense severance tax on natural gas extraction. My budget also fixes the budget deficit, cuts taxes to create jobs with good middle-class wages, and reduces the total tax burden on the average middle-class homeowner.

The budget passed by Republicans failed to include a commonsense severance tax, does not restore cuts made by Republicans to education over the last four years or reduce property taxes, and the Republican budget would increase – rather than responsibly address – the structural budget deficit. Indeed, the Republican budget leaves a huge deficit that would require cuts of at least $1 billion dollars to education funding on July 1, 2016.

I am still fighting for a budget that will move Pennsylvania forward. During this impasse, I will continue good faith negotiations with the General Assembly to find a compromise budget that adequately invests in our children’s education, fixes our structural deficit, and provides property tax relief to Pennsylvanians.

The people of Pennsylvania deserve a fiscally balanced budget. They deserve an end to the gimmicks, cuts, and underfunding that have prevented service providers from delivering critical services to our most vulnerable. They deserve investment in education and for oil and gas companies to pay their fair share, and they deserve relief from rising property taxes caused by Republican cuts to education.

There’s no reason why we can’t have the most dynamic economy and the strongest middle class. We still have the most innovative, resilient people anywhere. But the reality is that times have changed, and ideas that may have worked in the past simply aren’t working anymore. Now is the time to take the bold steps necessary for Pennsylvania to succeed in the modern economy.

          Sincerely,
                TOM WOLF
           Governor





Still no word from rep. Saylor.

Last edited by Rongone (10/21/2015 9:44 am)

Conspiracy Theory wrote:

So it's all the other side's fault?

BTW, what's a 'structural' budget?

 

No, not the 'other side's fault'.

It's our fault. The voters fault. The people of Pennsylvania's fault for electing these people to serve in the government, expecting them to do their jobs, but not forcing them to take responsible action on issues. Then, worst of all, re-electing them.

Write, call, e-mail, show up at a town hall and question these bozos. Wake up people . . . It's up to you.

Conspiracy Theory wrote:

My post should have been in 'sarcasm font' Ron 

I understand CT. But I still stand by my premise.

BTW for a definition of Structural budget deficit :
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Structural_and_cyclical_deficit
 

Last edited by Rongone (10/21/2015 2:20 pm)

Hey just because there is a budget crisis, that doesn't mean you can't go on break for a couple of weeks.

From Pennlive:


State senators will bug out for two weeks starting Wednesday - should they stay and get a #PABudget deal?

If you weren't paying attention to the Pennsylvania Cable Network this Tuesday afternoon as the state Senate went through its paces, then you probably missed this one:

As is so often is the case, the 50-member chamber adopted a resolution authorizing it to go into a recess from voting sessions -- this time from Oct. 28 until Nov. 16.

In general, these votes tend to be pretty pro forma exercises and are passed with nary the bat of an eyelash.

But with the state budget nearly four months late, minority Democrats offered an amendment that would have kept the chamber continuously in session during that two-week window.

It didn't happen. The motion was tabled. And the recess resolution, as it's known, was approved along party lines Tuesday afternoon.

"It's extremely disappointing that something is more important in our home districts instead of trying to reach an agreement on the budget," said Sen. Art Haywood, D-Philadelphia, who led the unsuccessful push.

This would be where we pause to point that rank-and-file lawmakers have exactly zero role in budget negotiations. Those will continue regardless of whether the Senate is in session or not.

It's an untidy truth, but a truth nonetheless.

That's because such agreements are negotiated between, maybe, six or eight senior legislative leaders and the administration. When there's a deal, rank-and-file lawmakers review the legislation and put up votes. 

Until or unless that happens, there's precious little for backbenchers to do except hoover up per-diem payments and wait for something to happen.

And, right now, legislative leaders aren't even in engaged in face-to-face talks with Gov. Tom Wolf.

With the four caucuses borrowing money to stay afloat, sending those not essential to the process home until they're needed seems like pretty sound fiscal stewardship, some have argued.

A per-diem, by the way, runs around $150 a day. Multiply that by 49 senators (there's one vacancy), and then by 14 days, and you get $102,000 or thereabouts (depending on who takes them). 

We'll add that the Senate just borrowed $9 million from PNC Bank to stay afloat until the impasse ends.

The origination fee on the loan will run $25,000, or a little less than a quarter of what's needed to pay lawmakers' food and hotel bills during that same time period.

But that's not the way Haywood sees it.

Keeping backbenchers in town would "pressure" majority Republican legislative leaders into cutting a deal with the Democratic Wolf administration, he argued.

"Some Republican senators said to me, if I have to stay here that long, my wife is going to kill me," he said. "That's pressure to get it done. A number of senators have businesses in home districts have to operate. Some have small children. That's pressure to get it done."

Haywood said he's willing to skip per diems if it means getting a budget done.

But, let's face it, not all his colleagues may be so magnanimous

Jennifer Kocher, a spokeswoman for Senate Republicans, said rank-and-filers are free to hang around Harrisburg if they want to - a voting session (where there would likely be nothing to vote on in any case) isn't required for that.

"Many of our members have indicated that they have faith in our leadership to perform negotiations," she said. "They are in district working with schools and social service agencies that are struggling with gubernatorial vetoes because of their funding plans."

What do you think?