Patrick Murphy on Gov Corbett's Proposed Budget

from the inbox:

Today, Iraq war veteran and former prosecutor Patrick Murphy issued the following statement in response to Gov. Tom Corbett’s budget address:

“With this budget, Gov. Corbett has failed Pennsylvania families. Again, he is balancing the budget on the backs of working people, who are going to feel the brunt of increased property taxes and higher tuition rates. At the same time, he is protecting large tax breaks and loopholes for corporations that aren’t paying their fair share,” Murphy said. “I’m particularly concerned by what this budget does – or does not do – for the safety and security of Pennsylvania. We can no longer afford to bury our heads in the sand and ignore the connection between struggling public schools and crime. The Governor either doesn’t get it or doesn't care but when you fail to adequately fund public education, that’s a crime bill. It’s bad for Pennsylvania children and jeopardizes the safety of our communities.”

“As we sift through the details, I’m afraid this budget will fail to promote the safety and economic security of middle-class families. Instead of mortgaging the future, as Gov. Corbett has proposed, we should look at some of the ideas proposed by the CLEAR Coalition, which represents 1.1 million working families in Pennsylvania. They laid out a plan that could save the Commonwealth more than $2.3 billion through tax reforms and increases in government efficiency, including $60 million by cutting waste, fraud and abuse in Medicaid,” Murphy said. “At the Federal level, I’ve closed loopholes that lead to Medicare fraud and enacted a law to eliminate billions in wasteful spending every year. When I’m Attorney General, Pennsylvania will have the most aggressive Medicaid Fraud Control Section in the country and I will advocate for a state False Claims Act, which will encourage private citizens to report fraud and abuse, saving the Commonwealth millions. These initiatives have worked in other states and because they generate significant revenue, they have paid for themselves.”

“Budget’s are moral documents. They demonstrate priorities. Unfortunately, Republicans in Harrisburg have placed corporate tax breaks ahead of the safety and economic security of working families, who will be hit hard by this budget,” Murphy added.