How was dinner, Tracey? Good, I’d hope.
During midterm elections, taxes and spending are always the central issues. You brought up some very notable points. Tom Corbett refuses to allocate more funding for public schools; Tom Wolf promises to increase spending on education. Corbett opposes taxing natural gas drillers; Wolf supports a severance tax on the industry. While we’re on the topic, I’d like to bring up both candidates’ standings on other key issues:
- Corbett is against abortion rights. Wolf is for them.
- Corbett seeks to reduce benefits for health Pennsylvanians in the Medicaid program. Wolf seeks Medicaid expansion.
- Corbett wants to keep the minimum wage at $7.25. Wolf wants it at $10.10 over a two-year period.
- Corbett supports scaling back labor unions, as well as prohibiting conditions of employment in regard to unions. Wolf opposes both.
- Corbett supports the reduction of public pensions and opposes the use of taxpayer-dollars to pay off pension debt. Wolf seeks to maintain a defined pension program and supports paying off pension debt with taxpayer-dollars.
- Corbett sees no immediate effects of climate change on human health and the environment, making no plans to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from power plants. Wolf believes that global warning has already began to impact the world, promising emission-reduction policies should he be put in office.
- Corbett opposes same-sex marriage (but allowed it to become law). Wolf supports it.
- Corbett is anti-gun control. Wolf is pro-gun control.
- Corbett opposes state control of liquor sales. Wolf supports the state liquor store.
- Corbett supports limited medical marijuana. Wolf supports a its legalization for broader medical uses.
Wow. That was a hefty list. With such liberal standings, it’s understandable why Tom Wolf is an appealing candidate to a city such as ours. Despite public fear of increased taxes, Wolf has an eleven point lead according to the polls on Real Clear Politics. In an attempt to level the playing field, Corbett targets President Obama’s falling popularity days before Obama’s visit to Philadelphia, saying “voting for Tom Wolf would be like voting to make Obama Pennsylvania’s governor.” Our current governor may have everything between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, but his self-confidence must be waning. I may have no deerstalker hat, but it doesn’t take a high-functioning sociopath to deduce this. If he actually felt confident about his ability to win this upcoming election, Corbett wouldn’t have felt the need to throw cheap shots.
–Nancy
Souces:
Down with the Digital Dictators! 