We don't often agree with Tom Corbett, but the governor did the right thing in facing down the Legislature last week over the budget and pension reform.

The fact that a Republican governor is acting against a Republican-led Legislature has the political community twittering (and tweeting). Politics aside, the position Corbett took has real meaning.

The governor has been pressing the Legislature to send him bills to reform the pension systems for state employees and teachers. Both funds have large deficits that can be made up only by ever-increasing payments by local school districts and the state - unless something is done to change the benefit structure.

The Legislature refused to budge on the issue. Both parties are wary of upsetting the powerful public-employee unions. Besides, the rules for legislative pensions are the same as for all other public employees. Why change a good deal?

Both the House and Senate refused to act on any pension bills and left town for summer break, although they did pass a state budget and left it for Corbett's signature.

Instead of approving the whole document, Corbett used his power to line-item veto about $72 million from the $29 billion budget bill. Most of those cuts were aimed directly at the Legislature. He cut $65 million out of the operating budgets of the House and Senate - a 20 percent reduction.

That's right: The total operating budget for Pennsylvania's Legislature is $320 million. Corbett's line-item vetoes are a timely reminder of just how bloated the Legislature is. For years, people have complained about the fact that we have one of the largest and most expensive lawmaking bodies in the country. In fact, the General Assembly actually took action recently, introducing a bill that would reduce 62 positions across three branches of government, including 50 fewer House members. You'd think if they were serious about this, they would see the value in gradually reducing their budget.

And yet, legislative leaders on both sides of the aisle were still outraged at Corbett's action, saying that it violated the rules and agreements in place in Harrisburg for decades, whereby the Legislature gets to determine its own budget . . . and hold onto a surplus that is now $157 million, but at one point reached $350 million.

No other departments of state government can horde any surplus they may have at the end of the year. They must return the money to the general fund. Only the Legislature has exempted itself from this practice and keeps its surpluses for use as it sees fit.

Legislators argue that they need this extra cash to guarantee their independence, in case a governor decides to punish the General Assembly by mucking with its budget. But, the Legislature is not helpless when faced with such actions. It can, by a simple two-thirds vote, override the governor's veto and restore all the money to its budget.

Given the state-budget struggles to reduce a $1 billion deficit, and the true suffering that budget cuts have imposed on many in the state, including schoolchildren and the uninsured, it's the height of hypocrisy for the Legislature to hold onto the surplus - let alone to continue to avoid the pain of cuts that others have been forced to withstand.

The poisonous relationship between the executive and legislative branches seems to have reached new heights. The voters will have an opportunity to change that situation in the fall.

Read the article online HERE.