Will Pennsylvania Budget Lead to Dogs and Cats Living Together?

After weeks of new releases, press conferences, and taxpayer-funded bus tours about the horrors that will ensue if the Pennsylvania state budget is $27.3 billion instead of $28.9 billion, Gov. Rendell today had his worst fears confirmed during a meeting with the New York-based Ghostbusters.

Pennsylvania "is headed for a disaster of biblical proportions," said Dr. Peter Venkman.

Dr. Ray Stantz added, "What he means is Old Testament, Governor, real wrath of God type stuff... Fire and brimstone coming down from the skies! Rivers and seas boiling!"  

"Forty years of darkness! Earthquakes, volcanoes," Dr Egon Spangler offered. 

Winston Zeddemore injected,  "The dead rising from the grave!"

Dr. Peter Venkman concluded by suggesting Pennsylvania would see a rise in "human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together... mass hysteria!" 

On a more serious note, Gov. Rendell's lies have already been exposed:

• The East Pennsboro School District - the first stop on Gov. Rendell's "Tax You More Bus Tour" in which he claimed local districts would have to increase property taxes if they didn't get a state tax increase - already passed their 2009-10 budget, based on the assumed aid under SB 850, without a tax increase.  This should not be surprising, as the district will receive an increase of 11.5% in funding support between the state and federal stimulus - though many districts will get more.

• The Pennsylvania School Boards Association is denying Rendell's claims about districts having to raise property taxes:

"I think he (Pileggi) should have that conversation with school boards across the Commonwealth, who tell us they will be forced to raise property taxes if current funding levels remain in place," said Rendell's spokesman Chuck Ardo.

"I don't know that we've had feedback either way on that," said David Salter, spokesman for the Pennsylvania School Boards Association.

• The head of the Pennsylvania State Troopers Association has called Rendell's rhetoric that the Senate Budget would force Pennsylvania to lay off 800 state police a "scare tactic":

"The governor has been scaring, not only the citizens of the Commonwealth, but scaring some of my members too," Edwards said. "They should sit down like the adults they are and do the hard work that the people of the Commonwealth have put them in office to do, and don't be out there scaring people that, 'Hey, we're going to be laying troopers off and there's going to be criminals running wild.' "