Rendell gave his second-to-last budget address yesterday (that's right, right?) to a packed room in Harrisburg. I semi-listened to most of it at my desk here in Philadelphia on CBS3's website.

This is one of the most important pieces of news of our year. Philadelphia relies so much on income from the State and the Feds. Additionally, we do have something of a symbiotic relationship with the Commonwealth that reluctantly calls us home. It's worth exploring this a little. T>he Governor has a budget in brief PDF (that runs to 40 pages). I recommend the pie charts on page 4, the lists of increases on page 5 thru 7 and his cute bar graph on page 10 that shows how much more efficient he's made his administration.

Here's the story at the Inqy, by Mario Cattabiani and Amy Worden:

"We must act now to adopt a budget that recognizes the pain we all must share, provides critically needed emergency relief, and continues to make the strategic investments that can spell the difference between productivity and panic for Pennsylvanians," Rendell told a standing-room-only crowd in the House chamber.

The 2009-10 fiscal blueprint - 2.5 percent larger than last year's budget - was crafted against the backdrop of a weakening economy that has contributed to a $2.3 billion deficit for the state in the current fiscal year.

Still, Rendell's proposed budget includes no broadbased tax hikes, but does seek a 10-cent per pack increase in the cigarette tax and new levies on smokeless tobacco and natural gas reserves.

Click "Read More!" for some highlights.