SEPTA considers cutbacks (Philadelphia, Harrisburg, Penn: school districts, sales tax, cost)

[MikeNigh]

Do they plan on expanding the roads with those changes? The whole region would lock up.

[pman]

Originally Posted by rotodome

In typical tea-party fashion, Corbett is on a kamikaze mission to inflict as much damage as possible in the name of ideology. He knows he's not getting reelected.

But how many 'doomsday' plans can Philly take?

corbett supports giving septa more money. all this corbett hate (much of it but not all of it justified) is allowing people to forget he's not a dictator, a new governor will still be dealing with metcalfe. the reason we don't have transit funding is the rural legislators and the city democrats both voted against transportation funding

[gwillyfromphilly]

Originally Posted by pman

corbett supports giving septa more money. all this corbett hate (much of it but not all of it justified) is allowing people to forget he's not a dictator, a new governor will still be dealing with metcalfe. the reason we don't have transit funding is the rural legislators and the city democrats both voted against transportation funding

Please don't tell me your letting Corbett off the hook on this issue? This guy is worst than Gov. Chris Christie when it comes to transportation funding.

[BPP1999]

Originally Posted by gwillyfromphilly

Please don't tell me your letting Corbett off the hook on this issue? This guy is worst than Gov. Chris Christie when it comes to transportation funding.

PMan is at least partially right. Corbett's own party voted for a plan that would provide $500M for transit. It's the rural legislators like Dick (sic) Metcalfe in the PA House. I'd love to see the rural counties fend for themselves if SE PA seceded. I still think SE PA plus South Jersey would make for a fantastic 51st state.

[pman]

Originally Posted by gwillyfromphilly

Please don't tell me your letting Corbett off the hook on this issue? This guy is worst than Gov. Chris Christie when it comes to transportation funding.

not sure what you mean by off the hook but he's not the reason we didn't get a transportation funding bill last year. in eight years rendell was unable to secure anything but a debt driven solution. corbett is the reason it wasn't pushed when he first took office. please don't tell me you're letting the philly legislators off the hook for voting against it are you?
corbett is a bad governor because he refuses to tax natural gas against the public's will and can't get any of his agenda through (liquor, transit, or pensions). he cut education without being equally heavy handed in other areas. still, it would be myopic to think he is the only problem in harrisburg. it's full of awful legislators and philadelphia's are usually anything but exemplary. in order to make sure we couldn't buy wine in private stores like the rest of the country they voted against transportation funding so we got screwed twice. no, I don't blame corbett for the fact it failed except that he's not particularly good at lining up votes.

[Debbie1125]

Originally Posted by BPP1999

It's the rural legislators like Dick (sic) Metcalfe in the PA House. I'd love to see the rural counties fend for themselves if SE PA seceded. I still think SE PA plus South Jersey would make for a fantastic 51st state.

Too bad there isn't a way that the state income and 6% sales taxes from residents of Pennsylvania's two largest cities, and their surrounding suburbs, can't be stopped from financing the rest of the state. Not to mention the fact that rural counties benefit from things like tourism and the casinos since most of them are located in areas with significant populations.

[pman]

Gov. Tom Corbett this morning called on the state House to follow the Senate's lead and approve a transportation bill in the next three weeks.
Standing under the rust-stained Liberty Bridge along First Avenue, Downtown, the governor praised the Senate for passing a $2.5 billion bill to increase funding for roads, bridges and public transportation earlier this week. Although he said that is "more robust" than his $1.8 billion proposal, Mr. Corbett called it "moving in the right direction."

Read more: Gov. Corbett urges state House to pass transportation bill - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Originally Posted by Debbie1125

Too bad there isn't a way that the state income and 6% sales taxes from residents of Pennsylvania's two largest cities, and their surrounding suburbs, can't be stopped from financing the rest of the state. Not to mention the fact that rural counties benefit from things like tourism and the casinos since most of them are located in areas with significant populations.

one of the items in the failed transportation bill would have allowed regional transit areas like SEPTA's service area to implement regional taxes, now illegal.

[BPP1999]

Originally Posted by Debbie1125

Too bad there isn't a way that the state income and 6% sales taxes from residents of Pennsylvania's two largest cities, and their surrounding suburbs, can't be stopped from financing the rest of the state. Not to mention the fact that rural counties benefit from things like tourism and the casinos since most of them are located in areas with significant populations.

Good points. Your first sentence has been said before. Rendell used to say that if the rural legislators would allow taxes from the Southeast to remain in the Southeast, he'd never ask for another dime for Philadelphia.

[BPP1999]

Originally Posted by pman

not sure what you mean by off the hook but he's not the reason we didn't get a transportation funding bill last year. in eight years rendell was unable to secure anything but a debt driven solution. corbett is the reason it wasn't pushed when he first took office. please don't tell me you're letting the philly legislators off the hook for voting against it are you?
corbett is a bad governor because he refuses to tax natural gas against the public's will and can't get any of his agenda through (liquor, transit, or pensions). he cut education without being equally heavy handed in other areas. still, it would be myopic to think he is the only problem in harrisburg. it's full of awful legislators and philadelphia's are usually anything but exemplary. in order to make sure we couldn't buy wine in private stores like the rest of the country they voted against transportation funding so we got screwed twice. no, I don't blame corbett for the fact it failed except that he's not particularly good at lining up votes.

I have to say this is just about the best, most reasonable, and fair judgment of Corbett I've ever read. It seems he is hindered by his personality faults (not being a dealmaker, people-person, etc.), not that he's been "a bad guy".

[BPP1999]

Originally Posted by pman

one of the items in the failed transportation bill would have allowed regional transit areas like SEPTA's service area to implement regional taxes, now illegal.

Right. This is how some other regions in the country do it. Why the hillbilly legislature does not allow this is beyond me. They are probably afraid/jealous of us and how much tax revenue we'd generate for our own portion of the state that they couldn't use for themselves.