Gov. Rendell signed the new state budget Tuesday (July 6), but most of the
chatter was about two line items in the state's $600 million capital budget to build libraries for retiring Sen. Arlen Specter and the late Rep. John Murtha. Rendell added the money -- totaling about $20 million for the projects. He says they are job stimulus projects (because they will need people to design and build them). But, legislators complain they are just Rendell making nice-nice to politicians who have helped him over the years. The Specter Library, if it comes to pass, will be located at Philadelphia University in East Falls, not far from Specter's home.
