{"id":9056,"date":"2021-06-16T19:59:08","date_gmt":"2021-06-16T23:59:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/marcstier.com\/blog2\/?p=9056"},"modified":"2022-07-03T20:04:08","modified_gmt":"2022-07-04T00:04:08","slug":"this-year-we-need-to-pass-a-budget-for-the-people-not-the-powerful","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/marcstier.com\/blog2\/?p=9056","title":{"rendered":"This Year We Need to Pass A Budget for the People not the Powerful"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.penncapital-star.com\/commentary\/this-year-we-need-a-pa-budget-for-the-people-not-just-the-powerful-opinion\/\"><strong>Originally published by the PA Capital-Star on June 16, 2021<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-US\">The General Assembly has two more weeks to pass a budget for\u00a0next year.<\/span> \u00a0<span lang=\"EN-US\">This year,\u00a0the budget can be\u2014and must be\u2014different\u00a0than recent budgets.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-US\">This year we are coming out of a pandemic that created vast suffering for workers,\u00a0local businesses, and our communities.\u00a0Millions of Pennsylvanians\u00a0took on hazardous work\u00a0during the pandemic at very low wages. They deserve\u00a0<\/span><span lang=\"EN-US\">just compensation. They deserve a<\/span><span lang=\"EN-US\">\u00a0reward.<\/span><span lang=\"EN-US\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-US\">Thousands of small businesses remain on the brink of closing. They deserve help.\u00a0Communities all over the state\u00a0are\u00a0trying to return to normal. They need assistance.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-US\">And\u00a0all\u00a0of\u00a0the\u00a0suffering\u00a0has\u00a0r<wbr \/>evealed\u00a0deep\u00a0inequities in our society.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-US\">Before the pandemic, some of us were already aware that \u2026<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<ul>\n<li><span lang=\"EN-US\">millions of Pennsylvanians are not paid wages that lift them or their families out of poverty.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span lang=\"EN-US\">educational opportunities are not distributed fairly to kids who live in low- or moderate-income communities, or who are Black or Hispanic.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span lang=\"EN-US\">the state invests less in higher education than almost all other states and, as a result, Pennsylvania ranks at the bottom of college affordability and at the top of student debt.<\/span><\/li>\n<li>the state ranks near the bottom of all states in public health spending.<\/li>\n<li>most working people cannot afford to take time off from work to care for their family members who are sick or in distress.<\/li>\n<li>affordable childcare is not available to many Pennsylvanians.<\/li>\n<li>too many Pennsylvanians are stretched thin by housing costs.<\/li>\n<li>and that our roads, bridges, and transit systems are crumbling because their maintenance is so underfunded.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-US\">Now,\u00a0because of\u00a0the disaster created by the pandemic,\u00a0more of us\u00a0know this.\u00a0And the vast majority of Pennsylvanians want to solve these problems.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-US\">Imagine\u00a0a Commonwealth in which\u00a0all kids\u00a0can go to a good school and get the post-secondary education or training that is right for them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-US\">Imagine living in a community in which\u00a0every worker\u00a0has\u00a0a decent wage;\u00a0dignified work;\u00a0and access to\u00a0affordable housing, health care, and\u00a0childcare.\u00a0Imagine how much\u00a0more equal\u2014and productive\u2014our\u00a0economy\u00a0would be\u00a0if everyone\u00a0had\u00a0the means to live a decent life and we ensured\u00a0that\u00a0all children could\u00a0receive the education and training that lets them, and us,\u00a0benefit from\u00a0their talents.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-US\">This year, we have the means to create a Commonwealth that more closely resembles our dreams. Thanks to a fast economic recovery, aided by the American Rescue Plan (ARP), the state is running a $3 billion surplus. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-US\">And it has received $7.3 billion in federal American Rescue Plan funds. That gives the Commonwealth $10 billion to invest in <\/span><span lang=\"EN-US\">us <\/span><span lang=\"EN-US\">\u2014 to address the immediate needs of recovery and begin to fix problems that the General Assembly has failed to address for years, if not decades. And spending that $10 billion would not cost us a dime in taxes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-US\">House and Senate Democrats have put forward bold plans to address these issues. But the Republicans, who hold the majority in both chambers of the General Assembly, have said practically nothing. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-US\">Once or twice, a\u00a0Republican leader or spokesperson has said we have deficits to fill. And they have blamed Democrats for those deficits.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-US\">These talking points\u00a0are not\u00a0just\u00a0untrue,\u00a0they\u00a0are the moral equivalent of claiming that the vote in Pennsylvania in 2020 was tainted in some way.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-US\">There is\u00a0no\u00a0deficit this year\u00a0and\u00a0there\u00a0won\u2019t be one next year.\u00a0There is a huge surplus\u00a0and a massive federal recovery plan\u00a0waiting to be tapped\u00a0this year and\u00a0the\u00a0next for the\u00a0benefit\u00a0of\u00a0Pennsylvanians.<wbr \/>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-US\">And, if deficits do return when federal money runs out, the cause will not be overspending. State spending as a share of gross state product fell 12 percent below the average between 1997 and 2011.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-US\">Any deficits in the future will be the result of the deep cuts made by Republican General Assembly majorities in corporate taxes, which has cost the state more than $4 billion a year. Those tax cuts were sold as the path to economic growth and job creation. But they have no more attained that goal in Pennsylvania than in other states where tax cuts led to deficits not prosperity.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-US\">Why\u00a0won\u2019t the\u00a0Republican\u00a0leaders of the General Assembly\u00a0act?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-US\">Sadly, the answer appears to be\u00a0that\u00a0Republicans\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0shar<wbr \/>e our dream of a Commonwealth without glaring economic inequality; inadequate education at all levels; and unaffordable housing, health care and childcare (And perhaps, more cynically, they simply don\u2019t want President Joe Biden or Governor To Wolf to have a success of any kind.). <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-US\">We don\u2019t have to\u00a0settle for a government that does little\u00a0but keep taxes low for\u00a0the richest Pennsylvanians and powerful corporations. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-US\">This year,\u00a0we have resources\u00a0from\u00a0the federal government\u00a0to\u00a0move closer to\u00a0the\u00a0Pennsylvania\u00a0of our\u00a0dreams.\u00a0Shame on\u00a0the Republican-led General Assembly if it\u00a0stands in our way.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Originally published by the PA Capital-Star on June 16, 2021 The General Assembly has two more weeks to pass a budget for\u00a0next year. \u00a0This year,\u00a0the budget can be\u2014and must be\u2014different\u00a0than recent budgets. This year we are coming out of a pandemic that created vast suffering for workers,\u00a0local businesses, and our communities.\u00a0Millions of Pennsylvanians\u00a0took on hazardous work\u00a0during the pandemic at very low wages. They deserve\u00a0just compensation. They deserve a\u00a0reward.\u00a0 Thousands of small businesses remain on the brink of closing. They deserve help.\u00a0Communities all over the state\u00a0are\u00a0trying to return to normal. They need assistance.\u00a0 And\u00a0all\u00a0of\u00a0the\u00a0suffering\u00a0has\u00a0revealed\u00a0deep\u00a0inequities in our society. Before the pandemic, some of us were already aware that \u2026 millions of Pennsylvanians are not paid wages that lift them or their families out of poverty. educational opportunities are not distributed fairly to kids who live in low- or moderate-income communities, or who are Black or Hispanic.\u00a0 the state invests less in higher\u2026 <a class=\"continue-reading-link\" href=\"https:\/\/marcstier.com\/blog2\/?p=9056\">Continue reading<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1896,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[107,201],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p35YuU-2m4","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcstier.com\/blog2\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9056"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcstier.com\/blog2\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcstier.com\/blog2\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcstier.com\/blog2\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1896"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcstier.com\/blog2\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9056"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/marcstier.com\/blog2\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9056\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9057,"href":"https:\/\/marcstier.com\/blog2\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9056\/revisions\/9057"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcstier.com\/blog2\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9056"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcstier.com\/blog2\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9056"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcstier.com\/blog2\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9056"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}