PA Legislation Would Turn Overweight, Bloated Budget into Lean Fiscal Hottie

Pennsylvania is one of many states suffering from an obesity epidemic. No, I am not calling the citizens of the Keystone state fat. I have no idea what their BMI is, nor do I care. I am talking about the years of unhealthy spending increases that has led to the bloated government Pennsylvanians are currently living under. In fact, between 1970 and 2006, state government spending increased by 160 percent! Our friends at the Commonwealth Foundation have outlined what happens when state government says "super-size me" a few too many times--Pennsylvania:

• Ranked 49th in job growth
• Ranked 45th in personal income growth
• Ranked 48th in population growth

There is help on the way in the guise of the Taxpayer Protection Amendment. The measure controls state expenditure increases to the lesser of (1) the average percent change in personal income for the three preceding years or (2) the average percent change in inflation plus the average percentage change in state population for the three preceding years. Surplus revenue above the expenditure growth limit will accrue in a Rainy Day fund with a portion returned
to the taxpayers.

Limiting the growth of government is critical to the future of Pennsylvania taxpayers and their
families. For more information visit the Diet Blog at http://padietplan.com/blog/ .