Rendell: Just Give Me Your Money Already

Gov. Ed “if you vote for Republicans you might die” Rendell held another lame-duck press conference today to quack about not getting higher taxes. Whining that the PA Constitutional limits are a “bunch of bull,” Rendell went on to argue that the natural gas industry “should be ashamed of itself.”

Why? Because the industry pays out billions for new jobs and royalty payments to landowners, hundreds of millions in other taxes, millions in fees to cover the costs of inspection, and tens of millions to improve local roads—projects Gov. Rendell can’t take credit for.

Instead, Rendell thinks the state should take the money, so that he can redistribute the money to pork projects, no-bid contracts, and unions—the most power political lobby in Pennsylvania—who get “prevailing wages” for road work, rather than allow gas companies to fix roads more quickly and at a lower cost.