Seems like everyone has something to say about the governor’s recent veto of the Fair Share Act. (Can’t imagine why that would be?!) This week, PA Chamber VP Gene Barr offers his insights:
You have to believe Mike Fisher was laughing (at least to himself) last weekend. Most of you will remember him as a long-time member of the Pennsylvania Senate and as Pennsylvania
’s attorney general. He is now a member of the federal bench. In 2002, Fisher was Ed Rendell’s general election opponent in the 2002 gubernatorial campaign.
In the fall of 2002, following enactment of Act 57 of 2002 (the Fair Share Act reforming joint and several liability), Fisher questioned Rendell’s sincerity in supporting that measure. Rendell responded with a ‘how dare he’ press release, which stated his strong support for what the legislature passed.
The Rendell campaign even had a ‘white paper’ on “Medical Malpractice and Tort Reform” which states, “Ed Rendell continues to support Act 57 (as enacted by the General Assembly.” He even went as far as calling on House Democratic leaders, who had brought legal action to strike down Act 57 on procedural grounds (a move that was ultimately successful), to drop their litigation.
As governor-elect, he stood with then Governor Mark Schweiker and congratulated him for signing Act 57.
So, here we are in 2006 and Gov. Ed Rendell has vetoed the bill with the identical language he strongly supported in 2002. Unfortunately, this seems to be a trend.
He campaigned on a platform of opposition to increasing the minimum wage because he said it would lead to job josses. But he now supports a 40 percent increase in the minimum wage with an annual cost of living adjustment.
As a candidate, he said the cost of a job in Pennsylvania was too high. Since his election, he worked for higher taxes on manufacturers and other businesses.
What gives here? Ed Rendell came to Harrisburg with this reputation of making tough decisions; of standing up to labor in Philadelphia. I couldn’t figure it out.
I think I’ve solved the mystery though. The other day I saw a promo on TV for one of those shows on Discovery Channel on ‘alien abduction.’ That’s it! Some time after the election, he must have been driving in one of the rural parts of Pennsylvania and some aliens grabbed up our ‘pro-business’ governor elect and replaced him with a liberal, anti-free enterprise model. This one still loves the Eagles, but that’s about it.
So to whoever, or whatever, took Ed Rendell in 2002—bring him back! The one you left is killing us!