Corbett and most teabagger legislators signed a pledge with Grover Norquist, an anti-tax activist in DC. The pledge is that they would never ever raise any taxes, no matter what. This even includes taxing natural gas extraction, even though every other state with a natural gas industry taxes it.
Corbett has to go back to Norquist to ask the grand poobah to issue a royal edict about whether any new fee is actually a tax. Norquist is famous for saying that he wanted to strangle the finances of government and shrink it so much that he could then "drown it in a bathtub."
He's a great column on this matter and on the massive slashing of public transit service that is happening in the Pittsburgh area because Corbett has refused to carry out the recommendations of his own transportation funding commission.
http://www.post-gazette.com/...
Great column in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Excerpts:
"Next week, Gov. Tom Corbett is expected to unveil what will amount to an ambitious "non-plan" for dealing with the state's transportation budget shortfall. Transit systems from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia are in big trouble, but Mr. Corbett remains curiously detached from what will happen to the state's overall economy if service cuts on the scale threatened by the transit agencies go forward... there is the equally nihilistic prospect of inadequate funding of the construction and repair of roads and bridges that we all use every day. How is Pennsylvania supposed to attract investment if public transit has collapsed and our deteriorating roads are clogged with commuters forced to drive to work?
Ever since then-gubernatorial candidate Tom Corbett got religion from tea party activists who opposed him in the 2010 Republican primary, he has been more Catholic than the pope when it comes to taxes.
Mr. Corbett's short-sighted opposition to taxing Marcellus Shale natural gas extraction at any rate makes Pennsylvania the laughing stock among energy-producing states that have no such compunctions, but at least it reflects his administration's ties to an industry that supported him in the primaries and the general election... What is perverse, unacceptable and infuriating is Mr. Corbett's unwillingness to raise motor vehicle registration and licensing fees that have remained static since 1997, when Bill Clinton was president.
The governor is determined to face the taxpayers in 2014 true to his pledge to never raise taxes. If he has no other accomplishments to brag about, Mr. Corbett will at least be able to boast to the Grover Norquist wannabes that haunt his dreams that he watched our roads, bridges and transit systems go down the toilet without flinching. That's leadership, folks."
To read much more about what is happening in PA. Government, please check out the links at the following:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/...
Those links describe a $955 million cut in funding to public schools over 2 years (aimed mostly towards the poorest school districts), a $250 million business cut proposed this year that will be funded by massive cuts to public universities, prohibiting people from getting food stamps if their household has more than $5,000 in assets, kicking tens of thousands of people off of medical assistance (many because they simply didn't get new paperwork filed in time to keep their benefits), our brand new Voter ID law (which happens to take effect November 1), and more.
While this is happening, our Governor right now is touring France and Germany.
For some satire on this subject, you can also check out:
http://www.dailykos.com/...
http://www.dailykos.com/...
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I finally figured out Pa. Governor Tom Corbett. He is modeling himself after Ron Swanson - who played the City Manager who hates government on the TV show Parks and Recreation. He's some excerpts from Ron Swanson's wikipedia entry. See if it sounds familiar:
http://en.wikipedia.org/...
"Ron is an extremely strong advocate for small government; despite working in a city hall job, he believes all government is a waste of taxpayer money. He explains his ideal government as, "One guy who sits in a small room at a desk, and the only thing he's allowed to decide is who to nuke." Ron believes the park system should be privatized and run entirely by corporations for profit, as exemplified by the business model of the Chuck E. Cheese's chain of family entertainment centers. He advocates for program cuts wherever possible, and purposely tries to hire people who are bad at their jobs so they will slow the government down.
Ron particularly despises talking to members of the public,which is why he deliberately designed his office to be uninviting to visitors, in part by mounting a double-barreled, sawn-off shotgun on a swivel atop his desk aimed at the guest chair, so it will be pointed at anyone who wants to speak to him.
In one episode, a new city-wide effort is implemented to make government officials more accessible to Pawnee residents, an idea which Ron condemns as "my hell". As a result, he seeks to hire an assistant who will shield him from the public and allow him to continue doing nothing. After interviewing several candidates, he chooses April Ludgate, convinced her constant apathy and negative attitude will suit him perfectly.
In "The Master Plan", state auditors arrive and announce that due to the city's crippling budget problems, they have to slash each department budget by up to 50 percent and briefly shut down the government completely. While Leslie is horrified, the anti-government Ron is delighted by the idea, becoming so giddy that he asks the auditors if he can watch and eat snacks while they slash staff.
The character's traits were partially inspired by a real-life elected official the creators encountered in Burbank while researching for the show, who favored as little government as possible and admitted, "I don't really believe in the mission of my job. ... I'm aware of the irony." "