Lowman Henry's initial reaction to Gov. Ed Rendell's 2009-10 budget: "Rendell has proven when it comes to the state budget he has no conscience."

Henry is appalled that Rendell wants to eliminate funding for the Scotland School for veterans' children in Franklin County.

"Governor, how low can you go? Using the children of veterans, many of them orphaned, as pawns in your budget game is about as pathetic a move as I have ever seen," Henry writes.

Rendell spoke of shared pain in his new budget, but aren't there other areas in the bloated state budget that should be cut first?

Henry lists a few places to cut: Money for soccer stadiums, money to produce soft core porn films, money for Rendell cronies at SEPTA, and tax dollars for Rendell's former law firm.

"This is only the first shot in what will be a long battle by Rendell to fight for his big government spending agenda," Henry writes. "Look for more of the helpless and needy to find their state benefits stripped away as the governor seeks to turn up the pressure on the legislature to inflict yet another job crushing tax hike on we the people of Penn's woods."

Read the full commentary at Lincoln Blog.