Tom Wolf blinked.
For more than eight months, Pennsylvania's Democratic governor had jousted with the Republican leaders in the Legislature over spending and taxes.
He wanted more of both of them.
Republicans took one look at this plans and took a trip from Donald Trump. They built a wall. They control both the House and Senate.
For eight months the two sides took turns firing volleys over that wall.
In the meantime, a lot of people got hurt.
Counties, including Delaware County, were left holding the tab for services normally paid for by the state. Several showed their dissatisfaction by "neglecting" to remit taxes to the state.
Social programs were curtailed.
Early learning and Pre-K programs took a big hit.
Back before Christmas, Wolf allowed some money to flow to schools, after several indicated that they might not open their doors after the holiday if a budget plan was not in place.
That money was about to expire, and once again schools were talking about the possibility of closing.
And they weren't alone.
This week we chronicled the saga of 4-H programs across the state, which were in danger of also shutting down.
No one should be proud now that the governor has indicated that while he will not veto the GOP budget, he also will not sign it. But in doing so he will allow it to go into effect on Sunday.
The clock is now ticking toward the July 1 deadline for the next spending deadline.
Anyone who is expecting anything other that a repeat performance hasn't been paying attention to the way Harrisburg works.
Or, you might say, doesn't work.
You can get the details on the new budget plan here.
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