Corbett facing truth

Guest Column by David Remick

There has been much second-guessing about Gov. Tom Corbett's proposed budget and its likely outcomes, but much of the opposition seems to be a case of blaming the messenger for the truth he is telling.

The truth is this: Pennsylvania is more than $4 billion in the red. It is a combination of recession and spending. Lost tax revenues have not come back as quickly as hoped, yet Harrisburg continued to spend as if the money were still there. It's called deficit spending, and only so many accounting techniques and tweaks of the data can put off reality.

That reality has arrived, and we can face it or turn a bad situation into a disaster. Corbett has chosen to face reality. It has not made him popular, but it has established him as a leader.

The Associated Builders and Contractors of Pennsylvania comprise people of all types, backgrounds and political persuasions. But we are unified on one thing: If Pennsylvania is to move forward from its budget crisis, we prefer hard decisions now when we still have some options.

Corbett has recognized the fact that when there are no ideal options, there are only hard decisions. He could have deferred to others and could have satisfied the angriest or most vocal constituencies and sought easy answers and quick fixes. But he recognizes, as do most Pennsylvanians, that by trimming spending now and encouraging business growth, we will have jobs and the revenue they bring, in coming years.

When an avalanche is headed toward you, standing still is not an option. Corbett's budget moves us out of the way of this debt avalanche. It's a tough budget, but it's a tough problem.

David Remick is President of the local Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc