Posted by
Jay Kern on Thursday, March 13, 2008 2:43:35 AM
There are a number of things I want to see changed at the state level, and I will try to enunciate some of them right now. Some of these have been expounded on previous posts.
First, it is imperative in my opinion that the school property tax be eliminated. This is by far the most unfair tax ever perpetrated on the commonwealth. This is one of the greatest examples of punishing those individuals who have worked hard to realize the dream of owning a house. As it stands now, if you own your house you effectively pay rent on that property till the day you die. Statistics do show that the 'poor' and those that rent will pay slightly more overall, however paying more is in reality negligable in regards to their standards of living.
Second, it is time to be done with the state's (and the federal government's for that matter) habit of unfunded mandates. What this means is that when the state enacts a regulation, they'd best have a way to pay for it or it doesn't happen. The Chesapeake Bay Initiative is merely the most expansive and public of these issues. The sad fact is that they happen all the time. The legislature is out of touch with the citizens of Pennsylvania when it comes to paying for bills that they seem to pass on a whim.
Last (for now) the state needs to reduce spending. I will start with saying that the first thing that the legislature needs to pass is a law limiting the growth of government to the rate of inflation. However, I believe that it has to go beyond that. It is beyond time that the state government realizes that there needs to be real reduction in the size and spending of the state government. I'm not talking reduction in the growth of government, I'm talking real cuts. In this time of increased living expenses, the last thing that tax payers need is increased government spending, tax increases, or feel good 'rebates'. The legislature should instead be promoting the slimming down of state departments and tax cuts.