Compromise necessary for progress
No matter when and/or how Pennsylvania’s budget impasse ends, members of the General Assembly need to exercise an examination of conscience into why they allowed the current fiscal embarrassment to persist for so long — now having passed the three-month mark for a basic budget-preparation responsibility that should have been completed by the June 30 deadline.
There are people in this state who believe if lawmakers can’t do that, they should resign and presumably allow someone more responsible and responsive to take their place and finish the work.
Meanwhile, there are other Pennsylvania residents who, once they hear about what is happening in Minnesota and some other states, might recommend that Pennsylvania “follow the leaders.”
That would be good advice.
Democrat and Republican lawmakers in Minnesota have established a “Civility Caucus.” Its goal is to bridge the divide between the two parties and get things done.
Other states beginning to opt for a similar approach are Arkansas and Kansas.
In Arkansas, state Sen. Jamie Scott, a Democrat, makes it a point to note that she values her ties with Republicans, including fellow Arkansas state Sen. Breanne Davis.
Scott and Davis are co-chairwomen of their state’s Future Caucus chapter, and Scott wants the public to notice them working together.
Future Caucus targets Gen Z and millennial legislators to “bridge the partisan divide,” according to a Wall Street Journal article published last month.
Kansas Democratic state Rep. Brandon Woodard and GOP state Sen. Tory Marie Blew, co-chairs of the Future Caucus chapter in their state, told the Journal they are so close that they share their phones’ locations with each other, even though, as Blew points out, they are politically “polar opposite.”
“We’re starting a movement that you can interact with the people across the aisle — they’re not the devil,” said Blew, a conservative from a rural district.
As for Woodard, who heads the Democrats’ House minority, working with the GOP supermajority is crucial. He told the Journal he realizes “this is the only way to get anything done.”
But then there’s Pennsylvania, where political observers on both sides of the aisle have said that there appeared to be no single issue standing in the way of adopting a budget.
Meanwhile, counties, school districts and nonprofits increasingly are noticing a tightening financial noose around their operations. That does not portend good news in the weeks — or perhaps months — ahead.
What a disgrace. A state so important regarding this country’s founding — and now proudly proclaiming its ties to the Liberty Bell on its new license plates — can’t even muster compromise for a task so important.
Go figure.