By Dave Anderson:
Pennsylvania is supposed to pass a budget before the start of the fiscal year. Today is the last day of the fiscal year, and it is likely a budget will be passed and signed before midnight. If that occurs, it will be the first on time budget in eight years. Last year, the budget was delayed by three months as the state Democrats wanted a higher expenditure level paid for by increased taxes and using fewer one time reserve funds while the state Republicans wanted a lower expenditure level and draining most one time reserves.
I had thought that this year's budget battle would be an atrocious slog as each side could read a calendar and see a disputed budget as a great base motivator ---"They're going to raise your taxes on Marcellus natural gas extraction" versus "They're going to make grandma eat cat food and ride her scooter to the doctors as all bus services are being defunded..."
I was wrong. Both parties decided to punt on using the budget to differentiate as the Tribune Review's lede illustrates:
The state Senate is set to vote today on a $28 billion spending plan that cuts programs and counts on $848 million from the federal government that Congress hasn't approved for Pennsylvania.
The state is counting on money that is unlikely to be approved as Washington is embracing Hooverism to complement the states' mandated pro-cyclical fiscal policies. This is a great magic asterisk as the money won't be there, but decisions have been deferred to at least the second week of November which is the 'important' thing.
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