Rendell's Extreme Makeover

Jerry Bowyer's op/ed on Governor Rendell's extreme makeover - from a Philadelphia mayor who was:

a leading "new Democrat" who had outsourced over 40 government functions, stared down the unions, and cut taxes ...

Eventually Mr. Rendell ran for governor. He pointed to his record of cost control and tax cutting in Philadelphia. While he would not make a no-tax-hike pledge, he strongly suggested that he would not raise taxes

to a big spender:

Then came the tax-hike proposals: to tax small business S-Corporations, to increase income taxes, to increase taxes on out-of-state corporations which do business in Pennsylvania. He got his way on some of the taxes; occasionally Republicans stopped him. But the change was clear. Mr. Rendell traveled the state with a giant barrel of borrowed pork money, a grin and an oversized ladle.

to "Environmental Ed":

Environmental Ed offered new mercury emission standards stricter than federal standards. In a state already lacking development, Environmental Ed offered green-space initiatives which would lock up huge tracks of land. Now Environmental Ed wants to tax electricity usage to lavish $850 million on alternative fuel projects.

There is also a good sounding in City Journal (not available online yet, as they roll out the articles from the print edition) on whether Michael Nutter will follow the lessons learned from Mayor Rendell (and ignored by Mayor Street). After corporate welfare failed, Mayor Rendell turned to tax cuts to revitalize the Philadelphia economy, with some success. A lesson both Mayor Nutter and Governor Rendell should have learned.