Well done, Gov. Corbett!

Our new Governor here in PA has submitted his first budget since his election, and it is a 3% reduction overall from last year's... with no increase in State taxes proposed at all.

That's a big accomplishment, knowing that the state is going to lose more than $300 million per year in Federal revenues that are under the axe in the new GOP-controlled House. The biggest cuts are to the education budget... 10% of State primary and secondary education spending has been eliminated, and 50% of State higher education spending is gone. All public (state-level, anyway) employees will have their salaries "locked" at current levels for two years, including teachers.

Local Dems argue that "thousands of students" will be denied the opportunity to attend Pitt, Temple, PSU, or Lincoln universities... but I ask if those universities actually offer THAT much of a better education than the smaller schools like Mansfield, Bloomsburg, University of Scranton, Marywood, or King's College? Our Katey is looking at attending Mansfield University for about $8k per year... while PSU is asking for $60K per year. Is the vellum that the degree is printed on that much better at State College? Temple wants $35k per year (without housing, I should add), but is there a guaranty that graduates will make that much more than those coming from East Stroudsburg University or Lock Haven, which only charge $10K? Won't the revenue of these smaller colleges and universities go UP if the big houses charge beyond the means of the average student to attend? Won't the material and means of education rise accordingly if student body numbers grow? I think they will.

I guess the alumni associations for places like Temple, Pitt and Penn State will have to give more to the schools than they do to liberal political campaigns and THEN students will be able to go to these schools again, with the assistance and aid they so desperately seem to need.

Tom Corbett is doing very well, so far, I think...