On today's editorial page, we discuss the fantasyland of Pennsylvania budget mathematics in Harrisburg.
Fantasyland collided with reality this week.
In other words, Republicans in the Senate - including Delco's own Sen. Tom McGarrigle, R-26, of Springfield, - realized the numbers simply were not going to add up.
That's what happens when you pass a $32 billion spending plan with only $30 billion in revenue.
The result? Everyone is likely to pay a little bit more. That includes the state's natural gas drillers, who now will pay a severance tax for the first time.
Maybe.
That's because the measure now goes to the House, where Speaker Mike Turzai, R-Allegheny, has been adamantly opposed to any new tax hikes. Turzai has been toying with the idea of running for governor. Tax hikes won't make that chore any easier.
And every member of the House runs for office every two years.
The measure passed by a razor-thin 26-24 margin in the Senate.
Expect more of the same in the House.
You can read our editorial here.
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