Even When We Agree, We Can’t Agree That We Agree
In light of the recent passing of Yogi Berra, a phrase came to mind that seemed to come straight from Berra’s mouth and which perfectly describes our budget impasse: Even when we agree, we can’t agree that we agree.
When Gov. Tom Wolf stopped by my office the week I was sworn in back in January, I was impressed with our conversation. We talked about our plans and what we both hoped to accomplish in the coming months. He invited me to a reception at the governor’s mansion to discuss these issues further. I was looking forward to working with a new kind of governor – the guy who toured the state in his Jeep, defying critics and expectations.
Unfortunately, that initial good impression has long since worn out. What he has brought to the bargaining table since that time, and throughout the ongoing state budget process, is more of the same old partisan rhetoric. As Yogi Berra would say, “It’s like déjà vu all over again.”
More than 90 days after the governor vetoed the General Assembly’s original budget plan, the governor and his legislative allies have blocked two attempts to get funding to some of the state’s most vulnerable entities – including schools, rape crisis centers, domestic violence organizations and food banks.
Believe it or not, the governor and the General Assembly agree on 275 of 401 line items in the budget, including a potential agreement on basic education funding! We agree on nearly 70 percent of the budget, but the governor keeps vetoing our attempts to end the impasse for one simple reason — he wants more tax dollars to spend, including a 14 percent income tax increase, and a broadened sales tax base, which in effect would kill any progress we have made in building support for property tax elimination.
Meanwhile, in reality, nonprofits like the Victims Resource Center in Wilkes-Barre have taken out lines of credit, which they will have to pay back with interest, just to keep their doors open! The Victims Resource Center already took out a $100,000 line of credit that will carry it for only a few more weeks.
Likewise, according to the auditor general, schools across the state have borrowed more than $346 million to meet expenses and keep classrooms open. Interest and fees on these loans could reach $11.2 million dollars. All of this is happening because the governor won’t budge on his multi-billion dollar tax wish list.
An end to pointless partisan fighting is long overdue. We are all Pennsylvanians. I hope the governor will return to his promise of being a different type of governor, but so far it has been all talk and no substantive action. It’s very frustrating to see emergency funding allocations vetoed, when we have already reached bipartisan agreement on nearly 70 percent of line items. We should distribute money to these organizations, rather than force them to incur unnecessary debt at taxpayer expense. It seems government has truly reached a new low, because even when we agree, we can’t agree that we agree.
By State Rep. Aaron Kaufer (R-Luzerne)
Representative Aaron Kaufer
120th Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
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