Jim Willis
Editor & Publisher, Marcellus Drilling News (MDN)

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf’s stupid severance tax idea is simply not selling and his political gambit of shutting down the state isn’t working either.

Pennsylvania Democrats are finally waking up and beginning to get nervous that state Republicans might actually not cave on a Marcellus-killing severance tax after all. How do we know? One of the Democrat public relations outlets – the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette – penned an “editorial” calling for a stopgap, short-term budget.

Gov. Tom Wolf, who has been crowned the most liberal governor in America by the non-partisan website InsideGov (see PA Gov Tom “Severance Tax” Wolf: America’s Most Liberal Governor), obstinately refuses to let go of his plan to soak Marcellus drillers to give their hard-earned money away to public sector (teacher) unions. Republicans, which hold majorities in both the PA House and Senate, aren’t caving. They refuse to enact an industry-killing severance tax. That’s a problem for the neophyte and frankly in-over-his-head Wolf.

Tom Wolf’s arrogant act not selling in the Capitol.

Here’s the Post-Gazette’s somewhat desperate plea to both Dems and Republicans:

A stopgap state budget that would address the 10-week standoff between the Republican-controlled Legislature and Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf would be both a victory and a defeat.

If a temporary funding measure could be enacted, the pressure would be off Pennsylvania school districts, human service agencies and other organizations that depend on state dollars to pay their bills. Such an action would be a victory for them because the assurance of a funding stream would save the cost of borrowing to keep things running while lawmakers debate larger, long-term policies.

For elected officials, though, a temporary budget would be a declaration of defeat.

Leaders of the two major political parties are no closer to reaching agreement on a spending plan than they were when Mr. Wolf announced his budget proposal in March.

The Democratic chief executive and the Republican-controlled Legislature have opposing views on important issues: providing sufficient dollars for schools, imposing appropriate levies on Marcellus Shale drillers, selling the state’s liquor monopoly and changing public pension plans. House Speaker Mike Turzai told Post-Gazette editors this week that his fellow Republicans are counting first on at least $220 million from the sale of the state liquor system for new revenue, not new or higher taxes as Mr. Wolf has proposed.

Mr. Turzai said Republicans intend to pass a stopgap budget of four to six months duration, possibly longer, so state services can continue. In a statement, the governor’s office said, “No decisions have been made regarding a stopgap budget.”

A stopgap budget is not ideal, but it is preferable to having schools, charities and other agencies suffer while elected officials and their employees do not. It should be in effect for a short period of time, several months maximum, and be set at the 2014-15 budget level.

If elected officials cannot move the state forward, they should at least enable education and other services to function normally.

Notice how the Democrat editors of the Post-Gazette say “imposing appropriate levies on Marcellus Shale drillers.” Who, exactly, decided the existing levies (which bring in over $200 million per year) are inappropriate?

You can just sense their shock and awe, that Republicans really aren’t going to cave this time around. Dems don’t know what to do with it – where to go – whom to beg and plead with. Ever so gradually it’s dawning on the Dems that Wolf is not going to get what he wants (high taxes) – which is a good thing for all Pennsylvanians.

Editor’s Note: Like Jim, I don’t have a lot of use for either political party. Republicans aren’t called the “stupid party” for nothing and their history of caving into political correctness and “stealing defeat from victory” is legendary, the species traditionally having no backbone whatsoever. Something’s different about Pennsylvania Republicans this time, though. They’re actually hanging together, doing the right thing and exercising discipline under their new leadership. It’s inspiring – if only it continues and, if only those two bozos leading the Republican Congress in Washington acted the same way.

Let’s give some of the Dems some credit, too. Those from the shale regions of Pennsylvania truly understand what this severance tax would do to their districts and, while they might mouth a few words supporting their governor, they are no fans of the arrogant manner in which Wolf has tried to impose his agenda. They’re not jumping up to clap their hands for him. In fact, they’re giving him exactly what he deserves; benign neglect. It’s a fitting tribute to a governor who has supposed he was always the smartest guy in the room, yet let himself get boxed in by his stupid friends (e.g., public sector unions, Tom Steyer), which is something no smart politician ever does. There’s a lot of stupid in Tom Wolf, in fact. 

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