Rendell secures $300 million in budget deal for pet projects
Gov. Rendell managed to win hundreds of millions for pet projects - most of them in the Philadelphia area - in his final budget.
Rendell secures $300 million in budget deal for pet projects
Gov. Rendell managed to win hundreds of millions for pet projects - most of them in the Philadelphia area - in his final budget.
As part of the deal approved by the General Assembly on Saturday, Rendell gets $298 million to hand out for projects over the next six months as part of the economic development borrowing bill. Two of the projects will honor two of the state's leading Democratic powerbrokers - the late Rep. John Murtha and outgoing Sen. Arlen Specter.
One is the "Arlen Specter Library Project Center" at Philadelphia University and the other, in Johnstown, is the "John P. Murtha Center for Public Policy." Each project calls for $10 million in state money, according to Pittsburgh Tribune Review.
The move did not sit well with lawmakers, including in Rendell's own party. One western House Democrat and Rendell supporter on most policy issues, told Capitolwire: "Why would we cut library funding for the blind and disabled, for people across the state, but pay for libraries to commemorate Specter and Murtha? Talk about tone-deaf!"
About one-third of the money, including the library -- $97 million -- will go to Philadelphia, the newspaper reports. Add in the suburbs and the total for the southeast is $158 million, more than half the total amount.
In addition to the library and policy center there is $25 million for unspecified community or business revitalization projects in Ambridge, Bristol and Chester, among others and $10 million for an unspecified hotel at Fourth and Race Streets in Philadelphia and $1.5 million for construction, renovations and infrastructure improvements “for an industrial facility” in Montgomery County.
Some conservative activists are assailing the projects as wasteful pork at a time of economic hardship. Others tell Capitolwire that previous governors - Ridge, Schweiker and Casey - did the same thing, showering their home districts with a bunch of cash on the way out.
Rendell is expected to sign the budget either Tuesday or Wednesday.
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After all is said and done, a deal is still a deal. Every legislator who caved in, just to say we passed a budget (once) when Nov. comes around. Vote them all out!— FJG JR- How dare Fast Eddie rail republicans for cutting the budget when then deals it out in pork. This "man" is disgusting.— CD75
- man was I wrong, I though evans one million on a jazz festival was a joke, but this rendell pork deal is unreal. People are hurting and he does thi.,I always believe since I was a kid that, politicans didnt care and this proves it to me.— rocky1234
- Good bye Fast Eddie, you are a disgrace, and you will not be missed.— chrissmith
- The legislators that voted for $300M for Eddie to P!$$ away may be sorry in November— Ken K
- thanks Ed...if the $850M doesn't come from Congress, will this be cut or will workers be laid off....— herbie
- I love these politicians who are UPSET with business as usual, particularly with fast Eddie and his paybacks, but the money is still going to the pet projects. No one stopped it.— GarnetValley Mike
- Who are the cronies benefiting from the $300 million? Who actually owns the hotel at 4th and Race?— p.e.poole
Comment removed.- Vinny_Fumo, PA is a cesspool? That is some pretty strong language. There are things with which one might not agree, but I don't think PA is a cesspool. Tom19061 has the right attitude. The Philly and Pittsburgh areas are set to receive a good (and based on population, fair) amount of this money. Yes, we are spending more money than is coming in, and those who are angry about it have a right and duty to be so. Those people also have the duty to present coherent arguments instead of presenting what one could only consider to be electronic spittle-filled ranting. Vinny_Fumo and other users, using all caps is absolutely annoying. Just type without holding down the Caps Lock button. It is easier. One might be able to type more coherent thoughts this way. Take the finger that is normally on the A button, and slide it over about 1/4-inch to the left and press it down so that the Caps Lock button light turns off. This allows one to place proper posts instead of angry rants that seem as if the writer is yelling at people. I didn't vote for Rendel, why are you yelling at me and other readers who might not have voted for him?— gfstallin
- “A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government. A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover that they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy…” – Alexander Fraser Tytler, Scottish lawyer and writer, 1770 Earmarks should not be included in proposed bills. Each earmark should be reported to the public (transparency) and should include: The sponsor, the amount, the purpose and the local or national benefit to the public. Earmarks should be voted on separately, based on merits only. A bill coming before Congress should have a theme, an easily distinguishable commonality. Any proposals, additions, or amendments must match the theme of the proposed bill. If not, a separate vote is essential. Congressmen should not force millions of taxpayers to fund their pet projects by burying them in otherwise worthwhile legislation. It’s our money they’re spending, not theirs.— andystrum
