If you thought elections didn’t matter in your life you are wrong. Governor Corbett promised no new taxes with the state facing a massive deficit. The only question was who was going to pay the burden of his cuts? The answer seems to be our State’s schools.
“All together, education advocates say, basic education funding would be reduced by more than $1 billion.” http://articles.philly.com/2011-03-08/news/28668928_1_corbett-deepest-cuts-business-tax-cuts/2
That is cuts in just basic education funding. “The governor would also cut $650 million from higher education.”
According to the same article. This is mainly for public universities. However, if you were planning on going to grad school at Temple, Pitt, or Penn State or have family and friends that go/work there, Governor Corbett is saying too bad.
If that wasn’t enough to get you motivated to at least vote, then you need to hear who was not asked to sacrifice. According to State Senator Daylin Leach (D-17) “ Big corporations and the wealthiest among us are not asked to contribute one penny towards the deficit.”
Besides have these stark choices, the proposed budget from Governor Corbett, also as Senator Leach puts it, “is having our regulatory agencies abandon their regulatory role in protecting the health and safety of Pennsylvanians and instead cozy up to the very entities they are supposed to be regulating.”
Leach quipped, “This is outrageous. The DEP's job is to protect the environment. That's why it's called the "Department of Environmental Protection" and not the "Department of Helping Polluters Make Money.”
Not to mention, that the dangerous fracking practice to get natural gas from PA is not only allowed, but is allowed tax free. Even states like Texas tax the natural gas drillers.
Governor Corbett and the Republicans in the PA legislature already have allowed over 40,000 Pennsylvanians to lose their health insurance from a program called Adult Basic that has 500,000 people on the waiting list. http://articles.philly.com/2011-03-05/news/28655944_1_tobacco-money-adultbasic-tobacco-settlement-money.
Nationally, the same kind of nonsense is going on. The GOP House of Representatives has proposed cuts to Pell Grants to students. http://chronicle.com/article/House-Republicans-Spending/126356/
On the Environment the House Republicans have voted for reducing the regulatory power of the EPA http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/18/house-votes-to-block-epa-_n_825259.html and reducing the EPA’s funding. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/edward-flattau/gops-declaration-of-war_b_826607.html
On Women’s Health issues the GOP has basically issued a War on Women. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/26/opinion/26sat1.html The GOP has some crazy members that think that murdering an abortion doctor, re-defining rape from non-consent to assault, and allowing a women to die instead of performing an abortion, are all acceptable. http://juniatian.com/?p=56 Not to mention, the Republicans are attempting to defund Planned Parenthood.
In addition, the Wisconsin Republican Party is attacking worker’s basic right to collectively bargain. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/10/us/10wisconsin.html?_r=1&ref=politics
On Healthcare one of the first things the Republicans did was to vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act curiously dubbed Obamacare. As DNC Chairman Tim Kaine pointed out, why is care a bad word? What’s so bad about Obama caring? “I’m glad Obama Cares.” http://twitter.com/DCDemocrats/status/41526290074963968
For many of us making college less affordable simply isn’t acceptable. Further cutting the education that makes getting ready for college possible is also unacceptable. Our environment should be protected, not de-regulated. Healthcare should be strengthened not cut. Women’s and Union’s rights should not revert back to the 19th century.
Amazingly all of these attacks lack a focus on job creation. How does cutting education spending create jobs? It actually will reduce teacher employment and leave America with a less educated and less competitive workforce in the future.
It’s time to stand up. Step one is to make sure you are registered to vote. If you are not registered email jcd@junaita.edu with “Voter Registration” as the subject line, and we will help you register. You can check your voter registration status here: https://www.pavoterservices.state.pa.us/Pages/VoterRegistrationStatus.aspx
Next, we need you on our mailing list so you can get updates about when other crazy stuff is going on. Join it, by emailing jcd@juniata.edu with “Add” in the subject line to be added to our list.
Finally, The Juniata College Democrats will lead many activities on campus. Details will be posted as soon as we have them. Make sure you get the invite by becoming a member of our facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2216758359
