Local Republican lawmakers are concerned the Rendell
administration could be bargaining away the state’s future with an
increase in spending during a gubernatorial election year.

“It reminds me of Wimpy and Popeye,” state Sen. Joe Scarnati,
R-Brockway, said Wednesday in response to Gov. Ed Rendell’s
proposed 2006-07 state budget. “I’ll eat your hamburgers today and
pay you back tomorrow.

“This really concerns me.”

The deputy majority whip was not alone in his thinking. Both
state Reps. Martin Causer, R-Turtlepoint, and Kathy Rapp, R-Warren,
feel the same way – how will the Legislature be able to reconcile
holding the line on spending while agreeing to Rendell’s hikes for
biomedical science research, education, increased troopers and for
public libraries.

Under the current form, however, cuts will come in the sectors
of public health, powdered metals, fire departments and the Science
in Motion program, which was eliminated altogether.

“When you raise spending by a billion dollars and at the same
time have no tax increase and have cuts, the governor is really
juggling money around,” Causer, who is up for re-election this
year, said. “The devil will really be in the details and we’ll have
to look closely at what he is proposing to spend money on. We don’t
want ourselves to be in a situation where we are forced to have a
large tax increase down the road.”

Rapp, who is also up for re-election this year, said while the
federal government is looking at cutting programs as well, “the
governor said Pennsylvania will be enhancing its program regardless
of what funding we get from Washington. Our concern is where is the
money going to come from for these programs.”

According to Scarnati, his conservative district favors more
controlled spending, noting the state currently has a robust
economy that is bringing revenue in.

“There’s all kinds of ways to make our economy better and still
lower taxes,” Scarnati said. “We could reduce the personal income
tax with that revenue.”

While Scarnati said governors have been putting together
politically-charged budgets during election years for decades, the
lawmaker said “If we really mean to get serious about what
Pennsylvanians are worried about, we have to control spending. This
money belongs to the taxpayers.”

The lawmakers said Rendell’s budget does call for business tax
cuts.

“Nothing is better than helping the job creators and families,”
Scarnati said.

Rapp echoed that thought, calling the cuts “amazing.”

“He (Rendell) had just vetoed legislation that would have done
that,” Rapp said.

On the local level, Causer said the budget calls for the
complete elimination of the successful Science in Motion program,
which is currently used in the local school districts through the
University of Pittsburgh at Bradford. The program is seemingly on
the chopping block each year.

“It’s a popular program, particularly in a lot of Republican
legislators’ districts,” Causer said. “I understand how important
it is and Pitt-Bradford does an excellent job of taking care of
that program in our area. Every year it is cut, and every year we
have to go back through and restore funding for it.”

Rapp said she is also concerned about cuts in funding for
hospitals, community access, child support enforcement, centers for
independent living and higher education councils.

“I am sure when the public and special interest groups learn of
the cuts they will let us know about it,” Rapp said, adding funding
has been restored for the black fly program.

Each lawmaker agreed, however, with the additional funding for
basic and special education, for public libraries – which received
a proposed 23 percent hike in funding, something Bradford Area
Public Library Director Linda Newman called “the most positive news
we’ve had out of Harrisburg in quite a while.

“It’s about time,” Newman said in light of devastating cuts in
funding two years ago. “While we’re encouraged, there is still a
lot of work to be done.”

The lawmakers also called Rendell’s call for property tax reform
by the end of the month unrealistic.

“That is an ambitious time frame, but anything is possible,”
Causer said.

Scarnati said “Pennsylvanians have been adamant that raising the
personal income tax and broadening the sales tax is not where they
want to go. The first step in a thousand mile walk begins with the
first step. We have to get moving.”