Governor Rendell outlines budget

Governor Rendell gave the annual budget address in the state capitol and promised more education and healthcare spending without a tax increase. It had some political theater that reminded me of the SOTU. He got a long, cheering standing ovation for his call to increase the minimum wage and introduced various people in the audience after reciting their accomplishments. He claimed that his administration has saved over $1 billion through better management and cut the state payroll by 4000 jobs without layoffs. He also challenged the legislators to enact property tax reform by the end of the month. The entire budget is outlined at the official state website.