Thursday, July 1, 2010

Pennsylvania's Budget Is A Political Document Meant For Incumbent Protection

As you will hear in the Youtube video below Rep. Matt Gabler states that WAM money is back in the Pennsylvania budget. Yet, from Eachus's office Brett Marcy this comment back on May 09, 2010.

"We have worked hard to trim costs and find ways to improve efficiencies," said Brett Marcy, press secretary to House Majority Leader Todd Eachus, D-Luzerne.

His boss had this comment reported in the Citizen's Voice today concerning the passing of the budget.

The budget is responsible and frugal yet provides funding to help education and economic development, said House Majority Leader Todd Eachus, D-Butler Township.

The cuts hit programs big and small but not the legislative budget.

While a $23 million homeless assistance program might face a $189,000 reduction during an economic recession, only $58,000 was squeezed from $5.8 million in expense accounts for state Senate and House members in the proposed 2010-11 budget.

While 600 libraries statewide will likely be forced to swallow a $5.5 million reduction in a $60 million state subsidy for operations, the $20.7 million in state House "special leadership accounts" will have to deal with $206,000 less in funding.

And while there will be $500,000 less in emergency mortgage assistance for people who have lost their jobs - at a time when the state unemployment rate is 9.1 percent and the local unemployment rate is 10.3 percent - the General Assembly reduced its $10.8 million budget for "incident expenses" by only $109,000.

Overall, the budget to operate the General Assembly increased by $1.3 million, from $299 million to $300.3 million.


Here's what the Grand Jury investigating Bonusgate had to say about those special leadership accounts.

Among other reforms, the grand jury said the Legislature should:
— Eliminate, or at least make more transparent, the special leadership accounts that give House leaders millions of dollars in discretionary spending to control.

Eachus just can't give up his bad spending habits.




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