Tuesday, March 08, 2011
Corbett Guts Education
And a bunch of other stuff.
Because we just can't have an extraction tax on natural gas. Everyone must suffer, except the well off.
Pennsylvania's flat income tax: 3.07%
West Virginia: Ranges from 3% to 6.5%
Ohio: Ranges from .587% to 5.295%
New York: Ranges from 4% to 6.85%
Maryland: Ranges between 2% and 6.25%
New Jersey: Ranges from 1.4% to 8.97%
Delaware: Ranges between 2.2% and 5.95%
(tax data obtained here)
Note that every state surrounding Pennsylvania has a progressive income tax system (although NY, while it has a progressive tax structure, effectively has a flat tax). Only PA has a flat tax. If you look at the brackets for the median income range, you'll find that Delaware taxes income at 5.55%, NJ at 5.525%, NY at 6.85% (NY taxes all income above 20k at this rate, which is why it is effectively a flat tax), Ohio 4.695%, and WV at 6%, all substantially higher than PA's flat 3.07%. Compared to our neighbors, Pennsylvanians do not pay a heavy income tax burden to Harrisburg.
Just look at some of the stuff that will get no funding at all.
Some programs would get no funding at all, if Mr. Corbett has his way. Those include the Science is Elementary Program introduced by former Gov. Ed Rendell, teachers' professional development for the arts, flood control projects, regional cancer institutes, poison control centers and programs for people with diabetes, lupus and epilepsy.
The cuts to higher eductation have the potential to put a college education out of reach for middle class families:
Penn State President Graham Spanier scheduled a news conference tomorrow to discuss what the university described as "the Commonwealth's apparent push toward privatization of public higher education, which will force a significant tax on all tuition-paying families of in-state students" attending Pennsylvania's public universities.
"A funding gap this large is going to fundamentally change the way we operate, from the number of students we can educate, to the tuition we must charge, to the programs we offer and the services we can provide, to the number of employees and the research we undertake," Mr. Spanier said.
Our Galtian overlords have no use for or need of public colleges and universities, so no great loss there, eh?
Because we just can't have an extraction tax on natural gas. Everyone must suffer, except the well off.
Pennsylvania's flat income tax: 3.07%
West Virginia: Ranges from 3% to 6.5%
Ohio: Ranges from .587% to 5.295%
New York: Ranges from 4% to 6.85%
Maryland: Ranges between 2% and 6.25%
New Jersey: Ranges from 1.4% to 8.97%
Delaware: Ranges between 2.2% and 5.95%
(tax data obtained here)
Note that every state surrounding Pennsylvania has a progressive income tax system (although NY, while it has a progressive tax structure, effectively has a flat tax). Only PA has a flat tax. If you look at the brackets for the median income range, you'll find that Delaware taxes income at 5.55%, NJ at 5.525%, NY at 6.85% (NY taxes all income above 20k at this rate, which is why it is effectively a flat tax), Ohio 4.695%, and WV at 6%, all substantially higher than PA's flat 3.07%. Compared to our neighbors, Pennsylvanians do not pay a heavy income tax burden to Harrisburg.
Just look at some of the stuff that will get no funding at all.
Some programs would get no funding at all, if Mr. Corbett has his way. Those include the Science is Elementary Program introduced by former Gov. Ed Rendell, teachers' professional development for the arts, flood control projects, regional cancer institutes, poison control centers and programs for people with diabetes, lupus and epilepsy.
The cuts to higher eductation have the potential to put a college education out of reach for middle class families:
Penn State President Graham Spanier scheduled a news conference tomorrow to discuss what the university described as "the Commonwealth's apparent push toward privatization of public higher education, which will force a significant tax on all tuition-paying families of in-state students" attending Pennsylvania's public universities.
"A funding gap this large is going to fundamentally change the way we operate, from the number of students we can educate, to the tuition we must charge, to the programs we offer and the services we can provide, to the number of employees and the research we undertake," Mr. Spanier said.
Our Galtian overlords have no use for or need of public colleges and universities, so no great loss there, eh?
