Brawling over the household budget is a full contact sport. 🤼 Should we spend Dad’s bonus money on new braces for Joey or a brand new inground pool? Ehh, crooked teeth can be a fashion statement. Get those floaties inflated ASAP. 👙🛟
As Pennsylvania lawmakers duke it out over the fate of the latest budget, the little guys brace for impact…and not the good kind. 🥴
Here’s Five Fast Facts on PA’s budget stalemate and its impact:
- 🗣️ Gossip Girl - PA lawmakers are currently debating how to handle the state’s finances...and they’re late AF. The state’s $11B cash reserves are getting tapped as spending goes beyond annual tax revenue. Republicans are against any big spending increases, but Democrats say funding for education, healthcare, and transit projects are a big priority.
- 🥀 Pink Slip - When the budget is late, counties face the decision of furloughing workers. For example, Armstrong County had to close senior centers and lay off staff. Westmoreland County will furlough 125 employees and cut hours at parks if there’s no decision by mid-month. Northampton County may also lay off 175 human services workers.
- 🏘️ Cause & Effect - It’s not just workers who feel the impact of a budget brawl. The community is impacted, too. Take the Children’s Home of York which provides services like foster care, adoption, and psychiatric treatment. Four of the counties it serves are about to cut their payments, meaning the Home would operate at a monthly loss of over $40k.
- 💵 Loan Drone - Lawmakers sometimes turn to loans to cover financial needs in a budget impasse. However, those loans rack up interest anywhere between 4-7%, and that gets passed back to taxpayers. Critics say taxpayers shouldn’t have to pay for budget mismanagement - they already paid their share.
- 💰 Treasure Map - One alternative to taking out traditional loans is to borrow from the state Treasury. PA Treasurer Stacy Garrity proposed a $500 million program to provide loans to counties in need. Those loans would still accrue interest at a 4.5% rate.
🔥Bottom line: Forking over more tax dollars because the state couldn’t spend them right the first time seems sus! Does that mean we can stop paying our student loans? Yeah, right. Is your boss making you head back to the office? Let’s hope the move comes with a padded paycheck. Head over to this article and learn why some are trading their remote jobs for office gigs with higher pay.
Should taxpayers foot the bill for budget mismanagement?
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