OUR OPINION: Why Stalemates Happen In Harrisburg

In the ensuring weeks, as summer wanes, louder will be the cries of nonprofits, schools and other institutions relying on state grants, to end the budget stalemate.

But the problem is not so much to tax or not to tax shale oil, or to change pension benefits, or to increase funding to the educational institutions from colleges to public schools.

Those could have been worked out in an efficient manner. But each time the caucus leaders will call for a consensus after a discussion as to what the leadership thought were good compromises, the leadership would find the necessary votes missing … that is, until the State Representative or State Senator got what he considered a priority package, costing money – for his district.

No matter what pressure the leadership of both parties can exert on such recalcitrants to wait for another budget the next year, odds are they will all remain obstinate. All will give the same answer: “I’m running next year and I need to show my constituents I can produce for them.”

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