17 of 18 Berks school districts reject Act 1

Berks County voters sent a loud message to Gov. Ed Rendell and the Legislature on the Act 1 tax-shift scheme. No thanks!

Act 1 was rejected overwhelmingly by a majority of Berks County voters Tuesday. The tax shift plan was defeated in 17 of the 18 school districts in Berks County. In most school districts, the NO votes ran 2-1 ahead of the YES votes.

The only Berks district where Act 1 passed was the Reading School District, which relies heavily on state funding to run its schools. But even in Reading, Act 1 barely passed. Less than 50 votes decided the referendum question in Reading!

It appears Reading voters didn't understand the Act 1 tax shift. They must have have fallen for Ed Rendell's line that Act 1 was genuine property tax relief.

Kudos to Berks County's own David Baldinger and the Pennsylvania Taxpayers Cyber Coalition for their public education campaign to inform voters that Act 1 was a cruel hoax, not tax relief.

And this just in from neighboring Montgomery County ... the Perkiomen Valley, Pottsgrove, Pottstown, Spring-Ford and Upper Perkiomen school districts have rejected Act 1, according to unofficial results posted on the county's election Web site.

Chester County results were very slow coming in Tuesday, but it appears that the Owen J. Roberts and Phoenixville school districts rejected the Act 1 proposal, according to unofficial election results.

Gov. Ed Rendell and the the legislative aristocracy underestimated the intelligence of Pennsylvania taxpayers again.

If lawmakers thought they dodged a bullet with the pay raise fiasco, they're in for a rude awakening. The tax revolt is on. Anger over the refusal of lawmakers to eliminate property taxes will carry into into the 2008 election cycle.

The pay raise claimed 55 politicians. The tax revolt will end the political lives of many more career politicians in Harrisburg.