Column: Gov. Corbett Meets the Ghosts of Budgets Past

[JPZenger]

By Allentown Morning Call columnist Bill White. He imagines Corbett being visited in the middle of the night by ghosts, Dickens style.

http://www.mcall.com/news/local/mc-bw-a-pennsylvania-christmas-carol-corbett-20120611,0,334441,full.column

Excerpts:

"Corbett snapped. "I worked my tail off trying to get ahead, and this sponger wanted Christmas off every year, the conniving …"

"Let me guess. You vowed to take your revenge on the destitute and disabled by chopping their benefits? Let me ask you a question. Did anyone ever treat you kindly?"

"There was one young man at Lebanon Valley College. He was Ralph Shell, heir to the Shell Oil fortune. He and his wealthy friends used to slip me money when I was running short. I never forgot their kindness."

Suddenly, Corbett was on a dark, deserted street. He whirled and saw a frightening phantom in a black robe. The Ghost of Christmas Future glided to a graveyard and pointed to a stone. Corbett dropped to his knees and read, "Here lies Tom Corbett, one-term governor of Pennsylvania whose twisted budget priorities gutted public schools, higher education, environmental protection and the social safety net while preserving corporate tax dodges and enriching the natural gas industry."