Posted on 12/23/2015 5:01:18 AM PST by Nextrush
With Christmas fast approaching and the public's attention in other places, the pieces appear to be falling in for Democrat Governor Tom Wolf to get the 30.8 billion dollar budget he wants along with 2.2 billion dollars in tax increases over the next 18 months.
It looked like the big spending deal approved by the Republican controlled Senate 43-7 was being shot down in the House last Saturday when a pension reform bill was shot down in flames.
But now a group of the mostly liberal Republicans in the House, mainly from the southeastern part of Pennsylvania, have stepped up.
On procedural votes yesterday plans to send the governor a stopgap budget were gutted so his original 30.8 billion dollar plan could be inserted into legislation that is apparently going to be voted on today.
One vote to change rules to insert the big spending increase involved support from 23 Republican House members.
A close 100-99 to gut the original stopgap budget plan also occurred. This key vote involved 16 Republicans going with Wolf including two from Central Pennsylvania, John Payne of Dauphin County and Adam Harris from Franklin, Juniata and Mifflin Counties.
Payne's and Harris's phone numbers are being broadcast on WHP Radio this morning.
Another unusual aspect of yesterday's vote, according to Representative Steven Bloom from Cumberland County, were the absences of two Democrat State Reps., who were recorded as YES votes.
HOW CAN THE REPUBLICAN 'CONSERVATIVE' SPEAKER MIKE TURZAI ALLOW THIS? DOES HE HAVE ANY POWER OR HE WINKING AND NODDING HERE?????????
A marathon session of the State House is set to start at 9am this morning. If they approve the budget with the big spending increase it goes right to Governor Wolf for his signature.
After that the House will have to vote on the new taxes to cover that budget.
The State Senate will get to come out in the open with a tax plan hitherto kept secret when they start meeting at 1pm.
Likely Pennsylvanians will see higher income and or sales taxes......
The approval of the tax plan could come any time after the spending plan maybe early Christmas Eve.
Or maybe they'll wait till New Years Eve for that one, but I'll 'bet' Christmas Eve to bury public knowledge of what they are doing.
It looks like they are headed that way at this late hour.....
I repaired electronic equipment of all sorts in my career. There is a common saying “the most expensive part will always blow to protect the fuse.”
This is a fricking politician. That “fuse” that is supposed to protect the taxpayer, treat the taxpayer’s money like it could never be replaced, respect the Constitution and the wishes of his constituents. Nothing could be further from the truth in practice. Next to a journalist, they are the lowest form of human.
PA ping.
PA is heading toward the same mess that is dooming IL. It will just take longer.
Rinos are always at the heart of our misery.
The corrupt, rotten-to-the-core Republican Party is beyond repair. It must be destroyed.
And this state is full of them.
Like Franklin Graham, I am through with the Republican Party. I will remain registered Republican through the May primary so I can vote for Trump (Pa. is a closed primary state). Then, they can go to he##!
If they do this on Christmas Eve there is going to be an explosion of anger. It will likely rival the outrage over the pay increase of a few years back.
Though higher taxes were a foregone conclusion once Wolf became Governor. I was expecting it to happen in January when local school districts started shutting down and Mommy was forced to stay home from work.
Some of the average Joe’s who are wandering around complaining the loudest about tax increases are Democrats who voted for Wolf. Bunch o’ putzes!
Under Rendell, the public sector unions exploded and that always comes back to bite taxpayers..
Corrupted institutions are the problem.
They backed away if they are telling us the truth according to media reports suggesting ‘disagreement’.
BUT THE STATE HOUSE AND SENATE CAN BE CALLED BACK ON SIX HOUR NOTICE AT ANY TIME ACCORDING TO MEDIA REPORTS.
They could use the cover of the Christmas-New Year holiday period to ram something through quickly at any time.
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