The Current

Playoff fever

I’m not a big NBA basketball fan.  Unless something amazing is happening (1995-1996 Chicago Bulls season), I find the seasons to be long and boring, and I only become remotely interested in the sport during the playoffs.  In fact, the games themselves aren’t interesting to me until the last minute or two.  The first 46 minutes of play are inconsequential for my interest.  As an “outsider” to the sport, I’ll take my updates from ESPN’s Sportscenter, enjoying the plays that make the highlight reel.

Now, I know true basketball fans are seething at my opinion.  But I can’t help it -- I just don’t enjoy pro-basketball. However, I can understand the frustration purists of the game have with people like me.  They enjoy the sport as I enjoy the sport of football.  Every minute of every game counts (which would be why I’m quick to scream at the referees on my TV after they call an illegal back in the block during the kickoff of a Steelers’ game).

If you didn’t know, the political process is similar. Everything that goes on throughout the year usually leads-up to a particular point in the “season.”  At this time of year, it’s budget season.  To date, most of the work has centered around the positioning of issues for consideration (or lack of consideration) before the summer recess.  To most, it’s boring unless the press picks up on a big issue that may occur during that time.  But for purists, it’s all part of the game.  And few would disagree that the very end of the budget session is an exciting time. 

Also, like sports fans become frustrated with their sports, political junkies can become frustrated with the political system.  For example, sometimes the political wrangling is as frustrating to us as the controversy over steroid use is to baseball fans.  The point is, we all have our beliefs, and even the most avid of supporters can become disenfranchised.

However, what’s great about true “fans” is that no matter how frustrating things can get, once your team starts winning, all seems is forgiven.  As we enter the month of June, here’s hoping that your favorite NBA team (

Miami

or

San Antonio

– yes, that’s my prediction for the finals) wins and that the Chamber sees some wins to create a better jobs climate in

Pennsylvania

…

Stop the Insanity!

On one of my first days in this business, I was given a cartoon with Bart Simpson saying, “Hey man, one more fundraiser and I walk…” I had no idea Bart would be so insightful.

Fundraisers are an engrained part of today’s political culture.  For many – politicians and lobbyists included – it’s recognized as an unenviable necessity of the ever-increasing cost of campaigning.  But I have no interest in debating the public policy implications.  Rather, let me give you a non-political perspective of fundraisers.

To those not associated with this town, attending fundraisers may seem either alluring (it’s not) or over-indulgent (it is).  I find it humorous that many outsiders think going to fundraisers “glamorous.”  I swear my family thinks I dine on beluga caviar and drink champagne every day I go to work.  I quit trying to explain to people that for $1000 I’m munching on cocktail wienies and sipping flat ginger ale.

The fact is, lobbyists are inundated with a constant barrage of invitations to breakfasts and dinners, with an occasional luncheon thrown-in for good measure.  My record for fundraisers attended in one morning is a measly five breakfasts.  But I have little doubt that many of my colleagues have attended far more than that.  I can only imagine the record for total fundraisers attended in one day (anyone?) -- probably more times than our President has mispronounced the word “nuclear.”

With all the running around, at least I’m burning calories -- the runny eggs, the rubber sausages, the soggy chicken fingers and re-occurring meat balls (you know what I’m talking about) are a staple of a lobbyist’s diet.  With that in mind, imagine the irony in holding a fundraiser for the anti-obesity campaign. 

Fortunately, other lobbyists have become my support group.  Even the most ardent of political enemies are allies on any given morning or evening.  Not only do we provide encouragement to one another (think of Cool Hand Luke swallowing the eggs while the rest of the inmates shouted encouragement), but we help one another out.  I don’t have to worry whether I have food in my teeth while speaking to the House Majority Leader, because I can always count on my colleagues to help me out --  “Here’s my knife, Jim.  You might want to chisel that broccoli stem jutting from your teeth.” 

All the whining aside, there are positive aspects and useful skills learned from “the circuit,” as it’s called, but I have to leave that for a later date.  Right now, I gotta deliver a $500 check for cheese, crackers and a Shasta.

We reap what we sow

In 1991, the largest tax increase in the Commonwealth’s history was enacted.  The $3 billion hike fell particularly hard on business.  There’s little doubt that this tax hike crippled Pennsylvania economically, and arguably we have yet to recover.

Opponents to The Chamber’s tax reduction efforts point to the tax cuts that business “received” in the 1990s.  Unfortunately, these critics fail to look beyond our Commonwealth’s borders to see what happened elsewhere during that same period of economic growth.  Other states did not sit still.  Rather, they took proactive steps to solidify their economic advantages.  Not only did they stay ahead of Pennsylvania in the race for jobs, but they outpaced us.  For example, as Pennsylvania debated a CNIT rate cut from 10.99 to 9.99 (pre-1991 rate was 8.5%), states like North Carolina and South Carolina were enacting CNIT rate cuts to 6.9 and 5.0 respectively. 

The statistics speak for themselves:

Pennsylvania’s Corporate Taxes:

• CSFT and CNIT rates are still the second highest in the nation

Pennsylvania’s Economy:

• Employment job growth rate was 50.5% lower than the national rate from 1990-2003
• Gross State Product was 18.3% slower than the national rate between 1990-2001
• Personal Income growth was 20.1% slower than the national rate between 1990-2002

Pennsylvania’s Demographics:

• 2.5% growth in working population was well below the national average of 12%
• Lost more young people (ages 25-34) than any other state in the union in the 1990’s
• We now have the third highest percentage of population over 60 and the fifth highest senior citizen population in the country

Today, not only is there a common recognition that Pennsylvania’s business climate is uncompetitive, the results also allude to a broader problem with our public policy.  Too often we fix problems with short term solutions and fail to look at the long-term ramifications.  I ask whether we’d be facing a $600 million budget gap for medical assistance programs today if we had a climate that was more competitive for job creation in the 1990s?  One could argue that the economic and demographic trends would not be as threatening to our long-term competitive viability had we been more aggressive at creating a job-friendly climate throughout the last decade.

Former Pennsylvania Speaker of the House, Benjamin Franklin, once said, “the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”  With today’s struggling economy and problems with government spending, will we react only to address the medical assistance programs? 

In other words, we will sow again, but what will we reap tomorrow?

Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes

A Parrot Head is, quite simply, a committed fan of Jimmy Buffett.  In part we’re called Parrot Heads because of the creative get-ups that we wear to Jimmy’s concerts… in short, it’s a cult following with traditions that outsiders would struggle to understand.

But I’ve been thinking...  to ease the stress of the budget process, we could infuse the Parrot Head concept into the political process for the month of June, and for once, people in this town might become excited about the budget process.  I can see it now…

In a back room, in the middle of a conference table is a margarita machine.  Around the table negotiating the budget -- the Governor wearing shorts, flip flops, a blow-up floatie around his waist and a hat with sippy cups attached, the President Pro Tempore wearing a colorful bathing suit, straw hat and the loudest Hawaiian shirt you’ve ever seen (a good thing for Parrot Heads), and the Speaker wearing a pirate hat, with parrot on his shoulder and an eye patch.

The sand Rendell promised to bring in two years ago is dumped in the Capitol Rotunda. A volleyball net is set up for the lobbyists and staff, beach balls are abound on the floor of the Senate, and the House is responding to the call for “FINS UP!” (This is a standard tradition at Jimmy Buffett concerts when the song “Fins” is played and everyone clasps their hands above their heads in the form of a shark fin and leans right and left – only, we may have a problem getting the Republicans and the Democrats to lean more than one way.)

The Commonwealth Caucus sells shots of Shirley Temples (sans sales tax) poured down an ice luge, and the Capitol Press Corps doles out cheeseburgers with lettuce and tomato, Heinz 57 and french fried potatoes…

The Lieutenant Governor hosts a limbo contest in her office, with the Attorney General and Auditor General holding the limbo stick so Cabinet officials can compete for dollars while the new gaming commissioner takes odds.   

“Pirate Looks at Forty” plays in the background… “…Yes I am a pirate, two hundred years to late.  The cannons don’t thunder there’s nothing to plunder… we’re over $40 billion to date…”

Come on people!  Who’s with me?!  Grab a sense of humor, your grass skirt and coconut bras and let’s get this budget season started with salt, lime and style!