Corbett Uses ‘Next Major Policy Announcement’ To Seek New Spending

By ONORATO FOR GOVERNOR

PITTSBURGH: After calling for “across the board” spending cuts and vowing not to raise taxes, Republican gubernatorial nominee Tom Corbett yesterday unveiled another plan for millions of dollars in new spending.

Just weeks ago, Corbett’s ally Senate Republican Leader Dominic Pileggi said that “Corbett, the Republican nominee for governor, should tell Pennsylvanians in ‘his next major policy announcement’ how he would avoid a tax increase.” [Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, June 28, 2010]

Instead, Corbett – who has asked for spending hikes for his own office each year he has served as Attorney General, while calling for cuts to everyone else’s – released a policy paper yesterday calling for new spending in more than a dozen areas.

“Tom Corbett has perfected the Harrisburg insider skill of telling an audience what it wants to hear,” said Onorato Communications Director Brian Herman. “But it’s clear that he does not understand the challenges of balancing the budget and managing a government.”

Corbett’s Agriculture Policy Paper would:
“Enhance funding to [Department of Agriculture] bureaus related to human, animal and plant health and safety”
“support… the Bureau of Ride and Measurement Standards and Bureau of Food Distribution”
“continued funding to programs such as first generation farmer, farmland preservation and the phasing out of the inheritance tax”
“Support… the State Conservation Commission and Conservation Districts”
“Ensure support for the Pennsylvania Horse and Harness racing programs”
“Preserve Pennsylvania’s farmlands for future generations”
“Increase marketing support…. through the Bureau of Market Development”
“work toward restoring funding to continue the successful program known as REAP – Resource Enhancement and Protection program”
“Support the county fairs”
“work to identify funding to ensure the future success of agriculture research”
“Support Pennsylvania’s only Veterinary School” (the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine)

Corbett’s Agriculture spending plan is just the latest in a long line of spending hikes the GOP nominee has proposed during the campaign, from welfare to education to economic development – even as he simultaneously calls for across-the-board cuts.

“Dan Onorato is the only candidate for Governor who has balanced six budgets in a row without ever raising property taxes and who has experience making government more efficient to save taxpayers money,” Herman said. “While Tom Corbett is contradicting himself at every turn, Dan Onorato has proven that he knows how to make government live within its means.”

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