Corbett Gets Ready to Blame the Feds for 4,000 Phila. School Layoffs; Complete Gridlock continues

[JPZenger]

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20130624_In_Pa___it_s_6_days_until_change_or_6_days_to_sameness.html

Harrisburg is set up for complete gridlock this week. Major iniatives and the budget are supposed to be passed, but nothing is going to happen.

Meanwhile, Corbett is setting up a strategy to blame the Federal government for the 4,000 layoffs in the Phila. school district and other urban school districts. He is asking the feds to forgive a $100 million overpayment that was made years ago to PA., so it can go to PA. urban schools. I wonder whether the HHS secretary even has the authority to forgive the repayment. He also is blaming the federal sequester, which has cut federal funds to low income school districts.

The teabaggers who control the horribly gerrymandered PA. House are trying to avoid any more funding for mass transit or urban schools.

Additional update at:

http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2013/06/corbett_optimistic_about_lawma.html#incart_m-rpt-1
----
Meanwhile the right-wingers are back in court this week still trying to get PA.'s Voter ID law to be in effect in time for the next Governor and Legislative elections.

[aquart]

1. If you want to make sure government doesn't work, vote Republican.

[malthaussen]

2. Corbett for President?

I'm kind of surprised Mr Corbett's name hasn't been bandied about for the GOP nomination come 2016. Isn't he the beau ideal of a GOP executive?

-- Mal

[JPZenger]

3. Corbett reveals effects of federal sequestration on education funding

http://gantdaily.com/2013/06/24/corbett-issues-statement-on-federal-funding-cuts/

The federal sequestration cuts for education are very real, and are just now becoming painful. Corbett released details today on the extent of these cuts in PA. They could continue and get worse for many years. Because federal education funding is targeted to serve schools with high rates of poverty, the cuts disproportionately fall upon schools with high rates of poverty.

-----
The following piece describes how Corbett is trying to put together a deal to help reduce layoffs in the Philadelphia School District without providing any additional state dollars:

http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/off-mic/item/56436?linktype=hp_blogs

[JPZenger]

4. Delay corporate tax cuts to help fund public schools

The Repubs like to present a false choice - if they adequately fund public schools, they would have to increase everyone's income tax rate.

They never talk about another choice - DELAYING the new $360 million in state corporate taxes that are in this year's state budget. These tax cuts are one part of a series of corporate tax cuts that have been put into effect over the last few years.

Or, they could actually close the Delaware Loophole in an effective way, which allows multi-national corporations to hide the profits they made in Pennsylvania in the State of Delaware. Thousands of corporations use a Delaware subsidiary with a mailing address in a small non-descript Wilmington office building to hide their profits.

Many other states have closed this loophole, but PA. still has not. Even when they discuss a half-hearted bill to sort of close the loophole, they want to use the revenue to pay for other corporate tax cuts so that Grover Norquist doesn't get made at them.

After all, the state has really pushed the problem down to school districts, who have had to increase property taxes to make up for lack of state funding.

http://www.pennlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2013/06/state_budget_reverse_education_cuts.html