July 20, 2010
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Who's "Certifiable"?
By Senator Mike Folmer

"He's certifiable!"  That's what Governor Rendell said about me in 2006 during my first state budget when I doubted his cost estimates.  Four years later, I'm still questioning the Governor about his spending, taxing and borrowing.  You just can't tell me $10 Million for an Arlen Specter library and/or a Jack Murtha facility makes any sense.

To me, controlling spending is the key to reforming governments, protecting taxpayers, and avoiding higher taxes.  Unfortunately, with billion dollar state budgets and trillion dollar federal budgets, tax moneys are treated like play money:  there's little understanding of the costs.

Most people understand what $100 is because they can hold it in their hands and they know what it can buy.  However, few really know, understand, or appreciate what $100,000,000 ($100 Million) or $100,000,000,000 ($100 Billion) is.  Yet, such figures are regularly thrown around by state and federal officials.

When Governor Rendell came to office, the state budget was $20,306,542,000.  During his eight years, spending has grown by 38 percent ($7,736,595,000):  to $28,043,137,000 (don't forget:  he proposed spending nearly $1 Billion more, $29,029,507,000).  Neither Pennsylvania's population nor the cost of living has risen this fast over these past eight years.  Government has simply grown faster than the ability of the taxpayers to pay for it.

During my nearly four years in office, I have worked to ensure the Commonwealth is squeezing every penny out of each tax dollar.  Among the many expenditures I have questioned are no-bid, sole source contracts, agreements between the Pennsylvania Department of Education and Intermediate Units, and the use of federal stimulus moneys (I'll never understand why some people think federal moneys don't come from the same place – taxpayers).

While the General Assembly was successful this year in stopping tax increases – so far (we return in September to consider possible natural gas taxes) – we face a structural deficit of approximately $5 Billion next year as federal moneys dry up, the costs of eight years of borrowing come due, and other costs continue to rise (most notably state pension costs).

In the interim, consider how much we are spending under Pennsylvania's new 2010 – 2011 budget of $28,043,137,000:  approximately $76 million per day, $3 million an hour, $53,000 a minute, and $889 a second.

Imagine holding nine $100 bills in your hand.  Look:  they're gone in the blink of an eye (one second)!  That's how fast the Commonwealth is spending your tax money.  Who's certifiable?

Higher taxes and budget gimmicks aren't the answer.  Pennsylvania state government needs to live within its means just like taxpayers do.