Radio Smart Talk for Wednesday, March 9th: I don't envy public officials when it comes to budgeting. I consider it challenge enough to balance my own checkbook and pay my taxes. I couldn't begin to say who should and shouldn't get what, and when for an entire city, or a state.

But that was the challenge facing Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett, and Tuesday, he presented his first budget plan as Governor. His 27.3 billion dollar spending proposal would eliminate hundreds of state jobs and significantly cut funding for education, but would not raise revenue through any new taxes. The plan represents about a three percent decrease in spending compared to this year's budget. He summed up his proposal as one that "sorts the must-haves from the nice-to-haves."

We'll discuss the potential ramifications of the Governor's budget plan for Pennsylvania on Wednesday's Radio Smart Talk. My guests: Pennsylvania Public Radio Capitol Bureau Chief Scott Detrow, and Berwood Yost, Director of the Floyd Institute for Public Policy at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster.

We'll welcome your thoughts as well. Can the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania "cut" itself to fiscal health? Should those cuts be focused so dramatically on education? Let us know what you think.

Listen to the program: