If I was going to make a difficult sacrifice for Lent, this would be it. I’ve sworn to forsake my beloved lattes for the next 40 days. But, you know, I see this as a good thing because now instead of syrupy goodness I can expand my horizons to the drip coffees.
Time to deal a new hand of cards.
Just received a few news releases from Gov. Ed Rendell’s office, and it appears the Guv will start pushing harder for his video poker proposal. Two press conferences are scheduled, one in Millersville and the other in East Stroudsburg. Rendell wants to use revenue from legalized poker to provide tuition assistance to students attending state universities or community colleges.
Rendell’s plan is receiving resistance not only from Republicans in the General Assembly, whose support in the Senate would be vital, but from state Attorney General Tom Corbett. Corbett, long rumored to be considering a run for governor next year, was in Towanda last weekend. Wanna guess what he talked about?
“The governor is suggesting that we offer financial assistance to thousands of students to attend our 14 universities and our 14 community colleges,” Corbett said at the Bradford County Republican Committee’s Lincoln Day Dinner, which was held Sunday at the Elks Lodge in Towanda. “That sounds great. That’s an easy thing to say. But how does he want to pay for it? He wants to legalize illegal video poker. What kind of an example does that set for the next generation?”
Corbett goes on to criticize Rendell about his 2009-10 budget, saying it shows Rendell’s appetite for increased spending even in a down economy. Regardless of the merits of Corbett’s argument, what’s unusual here is how Corbett commented on the overall budget. The attorney general from my recollection never talks about the budget. Ever. So if you’re looking for a sign that Corbett’s in for 2010, that might be the strongest one yet.
Other stuff:
*Working on a story tonight about the School District of Lancaster’s refusal to hand over contract information to an Intelligencer Journal reporter. The reporter went to the new state Office of Open Records for help, and the Open Records folks sided with the Intell. More later in the print edition.
*Promise I won’t embarrass Lancaster County while I’m on PCN’s “Journalist Roundtable” tomorrow night. Program airs at 8 p.m. Chattin’ about Specter, Obama, state and national budgets, stimulus plans and fasnachts. Okay, probably not the fasnachts, unless Rendell has proposed a plan to tax ‘em. Would anyone be surprised?
*Pennsylvania voters who remember 2005-06 may be interested to know that Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, who delivered the Republican response to President Barack Obama’s address to Congress last night, refused to veto a bill that doubled the pay of part-time legislators in Lousiana. Their pay went from about $17,000 to $37,500 in a 2008 bill the Lousiana Legislature approved, and Jindal declined to oppose it … as he had promised to do.
*Take that Tampa Bay! A 7-0 shutout to for Cincinnati start the Grapefruit League.
How’d your team do today?
Is it me, or does the first day of exhibition games suggest 2009’s better days are ahead?
