Budget season is here, and the salient differences in fiscal leadership between Republicans and Democrats are most evident in President Obama and Governor Tom Corbett’s respective budget proposals. In short, Governor Corbett keeps his promises, President Obama doesn’t.

PROMISES KEPT: Governor Tom Corbett promised to rein in government spending, to hold the line on taxes, and to force government to live within its means, and with his 2012-2013 proposed budget, Governor Corbett has most definitely kept those promises.

Corbett Unveils Business Friendly Budget. From Central Penn Business Journal:

Gov. Tom Corbett today unveiled a $27.14 billion budget proposal for 2012-13 that reduces spending by $20 million and holds the line on taxes.

The Republican governor’s second budget, which he calls “lean and demanding,” largely picks up where the administration left off in year one. Corbett has pushed for a culture change to one of enterprise from one of entitlement. Spending has been reduced to “fit the realities of our time,” he said. “When you don’t have enough to spend, you spend less.” The commonwealth is running a deficit of about $500 million and the shortfall is projected to be more than $700 million by the end of the fiscal year June 30.

(Scott, Jason. Corbett unveils business-friendly budget. Central Penn Business Journal. February 7, 2012.)

Corbett tightens belt. Governor’s budget has no tax increase, $22 million in cuts. From the Altoona Mirror:

Gov. Tom Corbett proposed a balanced $27.1 billion state budget to the General Assembly for 2012-13.

It included no tax increases and a spending reduction of about $22 million.

“We are still living through a difficult economic time of our lives. I bring a budget reflecting those times,” Corbett said. “Lean and demanding.”

And like jumping into a cold swimming pool, the second time around a budget with Corbett’s conservative Republican philosophy may have been less shocking for General Assembly members accustomed to former Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell’s tax and spend mentality.

(O’Reilly, Russ. Corbett tightens belt. Governor’s budget has no tax increase, $22 million in cuts. Altoona Mirrior. February 8, 2012.)

Business community reacts to Corbett budget. From the Citizens Voice:

Gov. Tom Corbett’s proposed budget eliminates a regressive business levy, enhances tax credits and realigns some economic-development programs.

“Pennsylvania is really on the map for two consecutive budgets where the state is spending less than it spent the year before,” said David Patti, president and chief executive of the Pennsylvania Business Council, a Harrisburg-based policy group including chief executives of the state’s largest employers. “I think for the business community, there are signals that there’s more good things to come down the road.”

The $27.1 billion plan calls for cutting overall spending one-tenth of 1 percent, keeps taxes the same and would phase out the capital stock and franchise tax, a property levy on a company’s value or assets.

(Haggarty, James. Business community reacts to Corbett budget. Citizens Voice. February 10, 2012.)

Corbett unveils $27.1 B hold-the-line budget. From the AP:

HARRISBURG, Pa. – February 7, 2012 (WPVI) — Gov. Tom Corbett on Tuesday proposed a hold-the-line budget of $27.1 billion, with no tax increases, deep cuts to higher education assistance and a range of cost-saving measures in services for the poor, elderly and disabled.

Corbett’s proposal for the 2012-13 fiscal year that begins July 1 comes as his administration grapples with lackluster tax collections and higher costs for debt, health care and pensions. Cuts would be widespread across state agencies.

In prepared remarks, Corbett called his budget “lean and demanding.”

(Levy, Marc. Corbett unveils $27.1 B hold-the-line budget. Associated Press. February 7, 2012.)

Corbett budget seeks spending cuts, plans no tax hike. From the Philadelphia Inquirer:

HARRISBURG – In laying out his $27.1 billion budget plan Tuesday, Gov. Corbett once again stuck to his pledges: He is reining in spending by Pennsylvania’s government, and he isn’t raising any taxes…

“Today I bring before you a budget grounded in difficult realities but framed in the optimism that we are solving our problems,” Corbett said in his 35-minute address to the General Assembly. “Once again, revenues do not match mandated, escalating costs. That means we must continue the course bravely charted by this assembly in the year just passed.”

(Worden, Amy and Couloumbis, Angela. Corbett budget seeks spending cuts, plans no tax hike. The Philadelphia Inquirer. February 7, 2012.)

Corbett budget stops feeding the fire. From the Lebanon Daily News:

Ultimately, 2011 was a change from the norm for multiple reasons. Not only did the state cut spending for the first time in at least four decades, but our economy started to show signs of life. Private-sector job growth was the highest since 1999, and manufacturing job growth the highest in more than 20 years.

Lawmakers must build on last year’s success and “fireproof” Pennsylvania’s economy. That means ending the use of debt for corporate welfare and providing retirement benefits for public sector employees that are predictable and affordable. It means welfare programs that encourage self-reliance rather than dependence on government and corrections reforms to reduce costs and reduce crime.

With the four-alarm fire threatening to bankrupt the state, we must rethink all state spending.

Lawmakers should strictly cap the growth of future state spending. They should adopt prevailing-wage reforms to lower the inflated cost of government construction projects. And lawmakers must embrace school choice, which saves taxpayers up front, saves children from violent and failing schools and improves educational outcomes, thus saving on future corrections and welfare costs.

By holding the line on spending and taxes, Corbett’s 2012-13 budget extinguishes the immediate flames of another budget deficit. But lawmakers must go further to fireproof Pennsylvania’s economy, preventing the smoldering embers of fiscal irresponsibility from becoming an inferno that will burn down our fiscal house and leave future generations of Pennsylvanians to build only from our ashes.

(Benefield, Nathan. Corbett budget stops feeding the fire. Lebanon Daily News. February 10, 2012.)

PROMISES BROKEN: On the other hand, President Obama vowed to cut the deficit in half before the end of his first term in office.  But in his upcoming proposal, he fails to achieve this goal.

Obama budget sees increased deficit. From The Hill:

President Obama’s 2013 budget due out Monday will estimate the deficit for 2012 to be $1.33 trillion, higher than the $1.29 trillion deficit in 2011, according to senior administration officials.

The increase happens largely because the budget assumes enactment of a $350 billion stimulus package, including extension of the payroll tax cut. That package is a scaled-down version of the $447 billion American Jobs Act that Obama proposed in the fall.

The budget estimates that the deficit in 2013 will be $901 billion. This means that Obama will fail to cut the deficit in half after his first term, something he once vowed to do.

(Wasson, Erik. Obama budget sees increased deficit. The Hill. February 10, 2012.)

We should also note that U.S. Senator Bob Casey and his fellow Senate Democrats haven’t even been at the discussion table, having failed to produce a budget in over 1,000 days. What’s worse is that they don’t intend to either:

“We do not need to bring a budget to the floor this year.” Senator Harry Reid,CQ

“Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid indicated Friday that he will not allow a vote on a fiscal 2013 budget resolution, which would mark the third year in a row that the Senate has not voted on the fiscal blueprint.”

Finally, the RNC is also aggressively bracketing the President’s budget with a video “My Daughter’s Future,” a Research piece “Top 5 Crises of Barack Obama,” an RNC messaging memo “Obama’s Trust Deficit,” and a 4 p.m. ET press conference call with RNC Chairman Priebus, RGA Chairman and Virginia Governor McDonnell and Oklahoma Governor Fallin.

New web video called “My Daughter’s Future” that will highlight the idea that Obama is mortgaging our children’s future. It talks about the president’s promise to cut the deficit in half by the end of his first term and the consequences of his failure to do so as he submits yet another budget deficit over a trillion dollars. Web video:http://bit.ly/yqXyT7

RNC Research piece “Top 5 Crises Of Barack Obama” that walks through Obama’s failures on the economy, debt, housing, poverty and ethics as we head into the president’s final budget proposal. Research piece: http://bit.ly/z4Lg2Q

Press Conference call at 4 p.m. ET with RNC Chairman Priebus, VA Governor McDonnell and OK Governor Fallin to respond to the president’s budget.

Call In Number: 888-566-6139

Password:  RNC

RNC Messaging Memo RE: Obama’s Trust Deficit: http://bit.ly/yssI1H