Truth to be told, there really is no way to please everyone.

Take the weather, for instance. Imagine that it is summer, and it is a bright, sunny day. Is this weather good? I enjoy a nice, warm, sunny day, so I am quite happy. On the other hand, a farmer who might be desperate for rain to save his crops would be very unhappy. The weather is neutral; it is our perspective that makes something good or not so-good and even downright bad.

Politicians struggle with finding that ‘sweet spot’ of doing what is best for their constituents. There are some political actions, such as President Biden’s pardon of his son, that only the absolute die-hards could justify. But, generally, in government, it is impossible to please all of the people all of the time, as we see close to home —

Lycoming County: The commissioners did the impossible and created a budget that will not require a tax increase. This certainly seems like good news. However, this also requires a number of services and organizations to pull their belts much tighter. The previous LyCo commissioners focused on improving future growth for the county, which pleased some and disappointed many more. But now, given the current status, a number of the county departments and other agencies supported by the county will have to struggle to do more with less.

At the same time, some projects have been in the works for some time now that absolutely need to be addressed.

One is the Williamsport levee, which is almost a century old now.

In the 1930s, the depression was particularly bad in Williamsport, even getting the reputation as the “hardest hit city in Pennsylvania.”

The levee has saved the city through several floods since that time, but it needs a number of improvements to be able to be re-certified by the Corps of Engineers. And it isn’t cheap; at the last meeting, the commissioners had to approve $1,589,000 for Williamsport Levee Cross Pipes Phase 1 (!!)

The other new event in the works is a reassessment of property in Lycoming County. The initial assessment process will take three years, and residents will see changes in their bills in March of 2028. From this reassessment, one-third of the residents will see no difference, one-third will see their home value drop, and one-third will see their home value go up. Guess which of these three categories will not think it is a good day?

Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro signed the state’s budget for fiscal 2025 into law on July 11. The enacted budget provides $47.6 billion in general fund appropriations for fiscal 2025, representing a six percent increase over fiscal 2024 spending. This is $3.3 billion more than anticipated revenues, which will add to the structural deficit the Commonwealth already faces. And it will result in new debt that will take decades to pay off.

Where is all this spending going? Not surprisingly, it goes where there are lots of voters. A big increase is going toward the mass transit SEPTA in Philadelphia and PRT in Pittsburgh. Even though these have seen steep declines in traveler usage in the last five years, Governor Josh Shapiro plans to spend $282.2 million for these agencies, mostly to SEPTA.

For years, Republicans in Harrisburg have been pushing for a guardrail on spending growth—namely, the Taxpayer Protection Act (TPA). This amendment to the Pennsylvania Constitution was proposed by State Representative Ryan Warner back in 2017. The proposed constitutional amendment would limit the rate at which the Commonwealth’s spending may increase based on the sum of the percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index and population growth each year.

Enacting the TPA would keep state expenditure growth in line with Pennsylvania taxpayers’ ability to pay. Moreover, TPA would not require spending cuts but rather slow the expenditure growth rate. Had TPA gone into effect in 2019 (right before inflation went off the charts), state spending for FY 2024–25 would have been $41 billion, and Pennsylvania would have a $2.8 billion budget surplus. Enacting TPA now would help prevent future budget deficits by ensuring that government spending grows responsibly. Imagine only spending what you have.

And as far as the federal government, well, let’s wait and see on that one. Otherwise, have a nice day!