There are 192 countries in the world, according to the United Nations roster.

A Pennsylvania newspaper says the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (where King Ed Rendell I rules) would rank No. 56 in spending if Pennsylvania was an independent nation. I've been telling you for years that taxes are too high.

Imagine that. Pennsylvania spends more each year than 136 nations in the world, many of whom have much larger populations.

From the editorial in the Observer-Reporter in Washington, Pa.:

Let's put this in perspective. If Pennsylvania were not one of the 50 United States but rather an independent country, its budget would rank 56th in the world, just behind Pakistan. Pennsylvania has around 12 million residents, and Pakistan has a population of 165 million.

Pennsylvania will spend $2,350 per citizen in this fiscal year; Pakistan about $180. If our state were as parsimonious as Pakistan, our budget would be a mere $2.1 billion, or about the same as the Republic of Congo.

Of course, our services might rival those of the Congo then, but we'd be paying a lot less in taxes.

Read the full editorial at the Observer-Reporter Web site.

Something else to consider. I believe the newspaper used the $28.3 billion General Fund budget to base its conclusions on spending. The General Fund is just one part of the total spending by the state each year.

The final number when you include the Motor License Fund, the Lottery Fund and the Public Transportation Trust Fund exceeds $60 billion!!! That 56th place ranking may be a bit conservative.

(HT to GrassrootsPA.com)