But no item in the 1,184-page budget epitomized the difference between Corbett's and Rendell's approaches to governing more than aid to schools. Rendell made a point of boosting this figure in each of his eight years as governor; Corbett, in his first year, proposed cutting it.
In his budget speech Tuesday to a joint session of the legislature, Corbett said there must be sacrifices among unionized workforces, and called for eliminating 1,500 state jobs, almost half in mental-health services. He said he would seek concessions in salaries and benefits from unions representing tens of thousands of state employees when contract talks begin this spring.
"To the people of Pennsylvania, the taxpayers who sent us here, I want to say something you haven't heard often enough from this building: We get the picture. It's your money," Corbett said.
"The electorate, its trust scraped to the bone by lies and half-truths, isn't going to stand for another broken promise," the governor added. "I said we'd cut. I'm not asking you to read my lips. I'm asking you to read my budget."
His fellow Republicans, who control both the House and Senate, cheered the new governor for offering a budget that they believe promotes fiscal belt-tightening and a pro-business agenda.
"He did an excellent job reflecting the priorities of the people of Pennsylvania," said Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati (R., Jefferson).
The spending plan will force government to function "like middle-class" families who are reining in spending in tough times, added House Majority Leader Mike Turzai (R., Allegheny). "It's a budget for its time," Turzai said after the speech. "People are tired of indulgent government."
