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What's with our elected folks in Harrisburg? As they butt heads over the budget, 24,000 state employees are facing layoffs, and the rest of us are facing inconvenience and lack of state services.

Pennsylvania's governor, Ed Rendell (D) and the Republican controlled state senate have been quibbling for weeks over the state budget. The Commonwealth's new fiscal year began July 1.

Gee, I feel so bad for them all. The Senate was convening today, on Sunday, to try and work out a plan. Who knows what the Governor is doing today. I hope he's staying by his phone. But my question is -- with no budget, why did they go home at all? Why didn't they stay and work on it. Those of us in business, or with our own personal budgets to manage, don't have this luxury. Our budgets have to work. Why is the government different?

The state's politicians seem to have picked up Congress' bad habit of not passing a budget on time. It's also curious that this happens a year after the "midnight pay raise" debacle; we cleaned out most of the architects of that plan at the election polls. Apparently, even THAT wasn't a loud enough message to them that we're fed up with all this inefficiency and attitude.

Back in the 18th century, Pennsylvanians got fed up with their legislature and governor. As the French and Indian War raged in western Pennsylvania, the Quaker controlled government refused to budget money for the troops and supplies. The people of Pennsylvania were bothered by this, but for another twenty years or so, they continued to put up with it. But then came the push for independence, and that was it. Pennsylvanians revolted, booted the Quakers out of the government and overthrew the governor.

Hmmmm . . . well, it worked then . . .