Stop government from picking your pockets
The General Assembly is again in the throes of developing the annual state budget. In other words, we are deciding how to spend YOUR hard-earned money.
These are decisions I don鈥檛 take lightly. You work hard for your money, and with utility bills, grocery bills, medical bills, and a mortgage or rent to pay, the last thing you need is for state government to take any more from your paycheck than it already does. What you have left after paying your bills should be yours to save for a 鈥渞ainy day鈥� or spend as you see fit. Maybe you鈥檝e been wanting to remodel that kitchen or take your kids on vacation. I鈥檓 guessing sending your 鈥渆xtra鈥� money to Harrisburg for politicians to spend is NOT on your wish list!
Sadly, it doesn鈥檛 seem everyone here at the state Capitol feels the same way I do about spending your money 鈥� least of all, Gov. Tom Wolf. From the very first budget he proposed in 2015, it was clear he was not interested in curtailing state spending. Fortunately, with House Republicans in the majority, we have been able to push back against his costly proposals, thereby saving taxpayers AT LEAST $5.8 billion over the last four years. But what happens when those of us fighting against higher spending leave office?
You, the taxpayer, deserve better. And that鈥檚 why I have again introduced the Taxpayer Protection Act. This bill seeks to amend the Pennsylvania Constitution to establish state budget spending limits, based on inflation and population changes, that lawmakers 鈥� and the governor 鈥� would have to abide by each fiscal year.
Some have questioned the need for this change, saying it is the responsibility of elected officials 鈥� whoever they may be 鈥� to put together a responsible budget. I agree鈥o a point. But this country was founded on principles that restrict government, such as the Constitution and Bill of Rights. As President James Madison once said: 鈥淚f men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external or internal controls on government would be necessary.鈥�
I think we can all agree that we are not governed by angels!
The 2019-20 state budget proposal offered by the governor in February offers a perfect example of why we need to take extra steps to stop government from picking your pockets. He claims it is a no-tax-increase budget that boosts spending by only 2.8%, or $927 million. However, if you look a little closer you鈥檒l see that supplemental appropriations and moving some spending outside the confines of the General Fund budget make the proposed spending hike about 4.3%.
Beyond the budget, the governor is also pushing a $4.5 billion tax-and-borrow plan he calls 鈥淩estore PA.鈥� If we want to grow Pennsylvania鈥檚 economy and job opportunities, we need to be cutting spending and paying down the debt we already owe鈥ot adding to it. As the governor tries to sell his plan to the taxpayers, he never talks about where the money is going to come from beyond his proposed severance tax targeting the natural gas industry. That tax would generate $100 million at best, a far cry from what he is looking to spend. To say this proposal is fiscally irresponsible is an understatement.
There is no tax big enough to 鈥渇ix鈥� our finances because there is no satisfying the insatiable appetites of some to spend YOUR money. It is often said that Harrisburg doesn鈥檛 have a revenue problem 鈥� it has a spending problem. The only way to stop government from picking your pockets and get our financial house in order is to stop living beyond our means.
The Taxpayer Protection Act is a necessary step to achieve that goal.
State Rep. Ryan Warner, R-Perryopolis, represents the 52nd District of the State House of Representatives, which includes parts of Fayette and Westmoreland counties.