More bad ideas from Governor Tom Corbett

The fair solution, of course, are tax hikes--targeted at the wealthy and corporations--and not kicking the public in the teeth. Our GOP Pennsylvania governor has chosen the latter decision.

Here's his latest bad idea:

EDINBORO, Pa.—Some Pennsylvania universities should consider drilling for natural gas below campus to help solve their financial problems, Gov. Tom Corbett said Thursday. The Erie Times-News reported that Corbett made the suggestion during an appearance at a meeting of the Pennsylvania Association of Councils of Trustees at Edinboro University.
Corbett said six of the 14 campuses in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education are located on the Marcellus Shale formation, part of a vast region of underground natural gas deposits that are currently being explored and extracted.

It should also be pointed out that fracking is actually kind of dangerous. We don't know quite how dangerous because the regulated have bought off the regulators (in both parties...has anyone gone to jail over the BP disaster...anybody?) but even the EPA has taken notice. Just a bad idea. And you know what's worse? Corbett isn't even the worst of these worst than you thought Republican governors. We might have caught a break. (See here and here.)

Related: Pennsylvania Democrats have released an ad. I think it references a "Saved by the Bell" episode. Not sure about the effectiveness of this ad but Corbett's ratings are tanking.

More Higher Standard of Living Porn: Read Everything by Democrats Ramshield

While I don't think that Markos Moulitsas is a progressive there are progressives nonetheless who post at the Daily Kos. One of those posters goes by the name of Democrats Ramshield. He lives in Europe now and guess what: Europe is better. Here's his latest post:

As an American expat living in the European Union who lives under socialized medicine, who holds an MBA degree I can now see further that I could while I was in the States, because I'm removed from the plutocrats owned disinformation news networks which as they must all show a profit are tied to the plutocracy's bottom line. This doesn't mean that real journalism in America isn't dead, it does however mean it's on life support and the plutocracy has their hand on the plug if the power bill isn't paid.
In the GOP led class warfare above all the noise and above the Tea Party's union busting efforts we see the real lynch pin of American working class economic slavery, the embodiment of which is the for profit American health care system, whose very purpose in life via the mechanism of medical bankruptcy is to ensure that secure property ownership for the American working class can only be found in the American history books, because in today's modern reality it no longer exists practically speaking. For example you can work your entire life, and all it takes is one serious accident or illness for yourself or any of your family members, and then you have worked your entire life for nothing. This diary presents facts, figures and charts to back up that assertion, that you will never find published in the plutocrat owned media. And as this diary should have reached the recommended list will top out at a maximum of 3000 viewers, we know the plutocracy's secret that they have instituted a program of economic slavery, as a form of neo-feudalism in an act of class warfare against the American working class is a secret that will be kept safe, because the plutocracy owns the media and that means the truth won't get out try though as it may. 

You can read this piece here.

Something You Can Do: Tell Gov. Corbett that its not unamerican to tax profitable fracking companies.

Something you can do. But truth be told, we need federal intervention. Would be nice if the justice department or the EPA would do something.

Here's what the petition says:

Radio station WHYY in Philadelphia reported that Tom Corbett said taxing Marcellus Shale Drilling is "un-American." (http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/flexicontent/item/17611-corbett-amplifies-opposition-to-natural-gas-tax)  TellTom Corbett he needs to apologize.


Sign the Keystone Progress petition here. For background on "UnAmerican things" go to 2 Political Junkies here.

Special Democrats not Helping edition: McCaskill-Corker

Ack. From the Daily Kos:

With Democrats like Claire McCaskill, you don't need Republicans like Ryan.  Earlier this year, she joined with Tennessee Republican Bob Corker to push a plan as bad as Ryan's, but more dangerous because she calls herself a Democrat.  Really.  David Dayen lays it out:

So what is McCaskill-Corker? It would mandate that spending, within ten years, go from 24.7% of GDP to 20.6% of GDP. Instead of looking at what society needs, and advancing programs designed to fulfill those needs, and then determining how to pay for them, then, this bill would artificially limit spending to an arbitrary number that is less than the 22% level of spending under Ronald Reagan. And instead of picking and choosing what programs to save under that cap, McCaskill-Corker forces OMB to make the decision of making “evenly distributed, simultaneous cuts throughout the federal budget.” This would include mandatory spending like Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security.

Debt Limit Vote Could Yield Spending Caps

The budget we wish the president would adapt: The People's Budget

The president said all the right things with his speech, but he always acts like a republican. Not the change I'm looking for. He also is either a terrible negotiator on behalf of the public good (even the latest extension cut almost a billion from the EPA, fracking radiation and BP oil disasters not withstanding...) or consciously on the other side without bothering to make that public.

If he was a really good negotiator he would start with this budget and probably end up with the budget he just articulated. But he hasn't been. Or its on purpose. Two bad options.

Something You Can Do: Sign All Four Public Petitions Against Corbett's Education Cuts

There are four public petitions against Corbett's drastic and massive proposed educational cuts.

This is one from the  Pennsylvania Democrats:

Stop Tuition Hikes and Property Tax Increases, Oppose Corbett's Budget

Tom Corbett's budget will likely lead to property tax increases and tuition hikes by cutting education funding for colleges and local school districts.

Sign our petition and oppose Tom Corbett's property tax increases and tuition hikes.

Petition:

I oppose Tom Corbett's attack on the middle class.

Tom Corbett's budget will likely lead to property tax increases and tuition hikes by cutting education funding for colleges and local school districts, which will badly hurt the middle class.

Corbett's budget cuts K-12 funding by over $1 billion and higher education funding by more than $600 million. These cuts will likely result in higher property taxes and tuition hikes for Pennsylvania's students. Education cuts will also compromise Pennsylvania's ability to train and educate students for jobs in the Commonwealth.

While targeting the middle class, Corbett's budget also provides giveaways to his donors. In addition to his earlier unilateral decision to provide a $200 million giveaway to corporate special interests, Corbett's budget also provides a $70 million tax break to corporations. Corbett also refused to implement a responsible severance tax on Marcellus shale gas drillers, instead cutting environmental protection funding and leaving families and local communities on the hook for damage caused by drillers.

Pennsylvanians deserve better, and I oppose Tom Corbett's budget.

# # #

Thank you for signing our petition and standing up to Tom Corbett's attack on the middle class.

This is one from MoveOn. Its short and to the point.

Pennsylvania's budget has already been cut to the bone. Corporations and the wealthy must pay their fair share for quality schools, police, health care, and other vital public services.

This is from Change Org. This is just an excerpt. Its written by a justifiably upset state college student.

But an analysis from the Harrisburg Patriot News suggests that the results may be a foregone conclusion  . A big chunk of the 30-member commission is made up of folks inclined to side with big natural gas drillers.

The group includes 13 people with ties to the gas industry and only four environmentalists. The others are state and local government officials and a geologist.

The other major trend in appointments? Campaign contributors:

Thirteen of the members contributed a total of $557,000 to Mr. Corbett's political campaigns since 2008; 12 have ties with companies whose executives or political action committees contributed another $562,000; one is the son of a $300,000 contributor. All together that amounted to just over $1.4 million."

Read the rest of this article here.

Tell Governor Corbett that cutting the budget for higher education is a disastrous move for current and future college students.

P.S.: Help promote this petitition as much as possible! Tweet, post on Facebook, and Email! Let people know how this affects them! The more this is promoted, the better the outcome - and promoting this petition is incredibly easy! 

 Here's a fourth one by SignOn:

Stop Pennsylvania's billion-dollar cut to education

By Marc Stier

To be delivered to: The Pennsylvania State House, The Pennsylvania State Senate and Governor Tom Corbett

“We urge you not to cut $1 billion from basic education in Pennsylvania and 50 percent from state universities. Before cutting funds for education, we need to end loopholes that enable natural gas drillers and corporations to escape taxation.”

Sign our petition to stop massive cuts to funding for elementary, secondary, and higher education in Pennsylvania.

This petition is sponsored by Penn ACTION (http://pennaction.org) and Education Voters PA (http://educationvoterspa.org).

More Higher Standard of Living Porn: Sweden IKEA vs. Virginia IKEA

Here's an excerpt:

Plant officials didn't return calls and declined to meet with a Times reporter who visited the Virginia facility. Swedwood spokeswoman Ingrid Steen in Sweden called the situation in Danville "sad" but said she could not discuss the complaints of specific employees. She said she had heard "rumors" about anti-union meetings at the plant but added that "this wouldn't be anything that would be approved by the group management in Sweden."
The dust-up has garnered little attention in the U.S. But it's front-page news in Sweden, where much of the labor force is unionized and Ikea is a cherished institution. Per-Olaf Sjoo, the head of the Swedish union in Swedwood factories, said he was baffled by the friction in Danville. Ikea's code of conduct, known as IWAY, guarantees workers the right to organize and stipulates that all overtime be voluntary.
"Ikea is a very strong brand and they lean on some kind of good Swedishness in their business profile. That becomes a complication when they act like they do in the United States," said Sjoo. "For us, it's a huge problem."
Laborers in Swedwood plants in Sweden produce bookcases and tables similar to those manufactured in Danville. The big difference is that the Europeans enjoy a minimum wage of about $19 an hour and a government-mandated five weeks of paid vacation. Full-time employees in Danville start at $8 an hour with 12 vacation days — eight of them on dates determined by the company.