While government continues, and employees and lawmakers are paid - since a "stopgap" budget enacted in July - others suffer.
Philly awaits action on its plan to raise the local sales tax 1 percent to avoid city service meltdowns and layoffs representing (forgive me) "a Nutter disaster."
Nonprofits that rely on state money to provide child day care for working parents, pre-school programs, homeless aid, programs for drug and alcohol treatment, mental health and mental retardation and more are left to borrow, beg or cut services.
All of this - somehow avoided in 49 other states - is due to ongoing ineptness, partisan elbowing and nasty disagreements.
All that's missing? Guest appearances by South Carolina Congressman Joe Wilson at Capitol news conferences to yell out, "You lie!"
Three of the four legislative caucuses - Senate Republicans and Senate and House Democrats - are pushing an "agreed-to plan" that House Republicans say spends too much and Gov. Ed says spends too little.
Education funding, economic development and revenue estimates are at issue.
It's a plan of cuts and targeted taxes, such as 25-cents more on a pack of cigarettes, that adds the inevitable table games to casinos but offers nothing that couldn't have been offered in May.
Rendell, stung and feeling betrayed by fellow Democrats, calls its revenue projections "wildly optimistic" and labels it "phony."
Last week, GOP Senate Leader Dominic Pileggi, Democratic Senate Minority Leader Bob Mellow and House Democratic Leader Todd Eachus said that this is a final agreement.
Ha.
Even if they put this together and pass it, Rendell says he'll veto it. That could lead to override battles, more infighting and a budget that Rendell won't live with. And that could lead to him exercising his constitutional authority to not spend money.
