Tom Corbett isn't the flashiest or most charismatic governor in America. But I'm beginning to think he may be the dumbest:
Gov. Corbett toured a Malvern factory powered by state-of-the-art robotics Tuesday, then hit the automatic-reset button on a replay of the state university tuition wars that dominated the battle over his first budget proposal last year.
Corbett insisted to reporters during his tour of the high-tech Siemens Medical Solutions plant that his 2012-13 plan for a steep new cuts in state aid to higher education - including 30 percent less money to state-backed schools such as Pennsylvania State and Temple Universities - could be dealt with by reducing campus operating costs, not by raising tuition.
Let's think about this. Corbett is touring a manufacturing plant driven by robotics -- proof that the kind of assembly line jobs that once existed for high school grads have disappeared, and that our economy now needs college grads with math and science training to design these high-tech devices. And he chooses this as a venue to defend his jihad against public universities for the middle-class in Pennsylvania. Brilliant.
Corbett's right about one thing -- universities are bloated and inefficient, and smart cost-cutting is one part of the solution. But in the end Harrisburg needs to work with college administrators to pour any savings back into making higher education more affordable, not more expensive. If he really wanted to create jobs in the Keystone State, Corbett would push for efficiencies that would lower tuition -- not raise it -- and also bolster community colleges and vocational training. I guess Grover Norquist wouldn't sign off on that plan, unfortunately.
Corbett has more leeway in the budget than he lets on -- in some areas he's actually increasing spending. This is what's more important to the governor than sending Pennsylvania kids to college:
For instance, Corbett’s budget proposal provides $1 million in anticipation of a voter ID bill passing. This bill was introduced by state Republicans last year, but did not pass. It would have required that voters show a government-issued photo ID before being allowed to cast a ballot. Critics argued that the bill would disenfranchise senior and minority voters.
Also, as we like to say here at the Daily News in front-page headlines...WTF?
Another area that gets more funding this year under Corbett's proposal is the state’s Alternatives to Abortion Services Program. The budget allocates more than $6 million to it, which is a slight boost from last year.
The relatively-unknown program, which is run by a contractor, funds counselors throughout the state who work to convince pregnant women not to have abortions. It is paid out of the Department of Public Welfare’s budget — which has otherwise seen massive cuts under the Corbett administration.
So the same conservatives who've been telling me we need less government spending and more personal freedom have no problem with spending millions in taxpayer dollars to tell women what to do about their pregnancies? That makes about as much sense as going to a company that needs smart college grads and defending your decimation of the state's universities. I guess this all makes the very existence of Tom Corbett Exhibit A for why we need to improve education in Pennsylvania. Severely.
I was listening on the radio today to a conversation between Julie Mason (of POTUS satellite radio) and a political reporter for the Inky. Sorry I missed his name. Julie told him that she believed everyone in Pennsylvania seemed depressed, even while folks in other states were cheering up. She asked the guy from the Inky what he thought--he agreed that PA people were sour about something, but could not think what it was. Clearly he has not been following your posts! It was obvious to me that everyone in Pennsylvania was miserable over their recent poor choice of governor (although I can think of three or four state governors who are even worse than Corbett).— Archimedes- Democrats are behaving like a petulant teenager that has had their credit card taken because they went over their credit limit. Everyone has to tighten their belt, even the welfare class. It is not fun, but it in necessary. — chris_r
- Great, repubs will fight funding anything that will help women not get pregnant, but will fund a group that will tell them to stay pregnant. So, they are claiming government interference in one while promoting government intrusion in another. Don't you just love the hypocrisy.— mike l
- You don't need "funding" not to get pregnant. Getting pregnant requires a specific act. There is no hipocricy , we want government out of ALL healthcare decisions, period. Pay for your own damn college and your own damn condoms. — tooly
- Bingo. — michael_b
- You're Exhibit A, Pantload, and a perfect example of the need for Voter ID— philly2flag
Comment removed.- At least we aren't Minnesota, who elected a governor who is mentally ill.— Mr. Smith
- By the way, it would have taken 30 seconds of research to find out that it was Gov. Casey, a Democrat, who added this grant to the state budget...but Bunch doesn't do research.— tooly
- That's because Siemens will pay you sufficiently to afford to pay your OWN student loans. Your argument is therefore invalid.— Col. Nathan R. Jessup
- So kids, if you got pregnant during a romantic evening this Valentine's day, Mr. Bunch wants to make sure you have your choice, as long as that choice is abortion. Heaven forbid the Planned Parenthood death factories have a little downtime. Hey, maybe we could use some of those robots to do abortions.— jmc
- conservatism at its finest. cut education for our children while protecting the interests of out of state gas and oil giants. wow.— slanted and enchanted
- Bubbles gonna burst— Mr. Smith
- Colleges are blaoted and inefficient, so in Will's world we need to throw more money at them. Makes perfect sense. The funny part is that Corbett's fudning cuts will actually ferret out how badly these universities are run. They won't make the necessary cuts to keep tuition in line, instead they'll simply jack up prices again.— RG
- Bunch...you are insane. It is not my obligation to fund the college education of other citizens. Period.
Tom Corbett is doing a WONDERFUL job in PA by bringing solid fiscal repsonsibility & common sense into managing the taxpayer checkbook. He should be widely applauded.
The only folks who do not care for him are those left wing loonies who always feel entitled to the contents of other peoples wallets to fund endless big government babysitting services. Bunch- get a real job, fund your own way through life and stop feeling entitled to everything, at others expense. You are professional caliber leech.— kelprod2
Will Bunch, a senior writer at the Philadelphia Daily News, blogs about his obsessions, including national and local politics and world affairs, the media, pop music, the Philadelphia Phillies, soccer and other sports, not necessarily in that order.
E-mail Will by clicking here.
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