Social Science

By TRIP GABRIEL
MAY 10, 2014
Pennsylvania Governor Faces an Uphill Battle for a Second Term
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/11/us/politics/pennsylvania-governor-faces-an-uphill-battle-for-a-second-term.html?_r=1
Pennsylvania Gubernatorial Primary Election 2014

In 1968 the law changed in Pennsylvania to allow its governor to serve two consecutive terms, But Tom Corbett, a Republican, might not be able to go on another term. His chief re-election strategist, John Brabender, said Mr. Corbett is always being compared to Chris Christe's behavior out standish political behavior. G. Terry Madonna, a political scientist at Franklin & Marshall College, pointed to a Franklin & Marshall poll conducted in January showing that most Pennsylvania voters do not believe Mr. Corbett cares about people like them. Mr. Corbett, his advisers say polls will begin to reverse themselves once a specific opponent emerges from the primary on May 20. But even those in Mr. Corbett’s party aren't really convinced. Especially after a vote on school vouchers, which the governor favored, but which made many senators nervous because of the opposition of teachers’ unions. Democrats are hammering at what they call Mr. Corbett’s $1 billion cut to education. Polls, including one by Quinnipiac University, show education is a top concern of voters, after jobs and the economy.  His argument is that it was because federal stimulus dollars ended that year. He has restored money to education, and in February proposed an election-year budget increasing public school spending by $400 million. Then, all four Democratic contenders agree on how to increase education spending: by taxing the booming natural gas industry. Their argument on this is that by not taxing them we are just giving money away to drillers and that that the gas is the property of all Pennsylvanians. Mr. Corbett' thoughts on this that gas shouldn't be taxed because It’s the property owner’s gas, It’s the mineral owner’s gas.

My question to Mr. Corbett would be, why not tax the gas companies and owners? If that's one of the the smartest ways to put money back in our education system then why not?
Think some of the results that may affect public policy is that if Mr. Corbett wins and doesn't change his views on this topic, that their would be a lot of angry people from the people that work with Pennsylvania education.
I learned really how much money the education system has lost, with this new information I've gained I can use this to make smarter discussions in Election Day as to who I want to vote for.
By the tone of the article, I feel as though it is unsure which way the author is siding with. They did a very good job with presenting the information with out a bias tone.