This is terrific letter written by Chester County resident Mark Furlong, who does a great job listing all the reform needed to turn Pennsylvania around from being the worst-government state in the union. Read on:
With the 2008 elections a year away, it is time for Pennsylvanians to begin contacting their representatives at all levels of government to find out where they stand on the issues of the day and what they are prepared to introduce legislatively.
At the state and local level, the following reforms should be considered:
Referendum Reform — Pennsylvania is one of the few states that does not provide its voters with the tools to place referenda on a ballot. It is past time that voters were so empowered.
Property Tax Reform — Talk is cheap. Property taxes are not. Voters, and not special interests, should be allowed to decide if the School Property Tax Elimination Act of 2007 is acceptable.
Utility Reform — There are few things more economically abusive than unregulated monopolies. The competition that was to arise out of the deregulation of the power generation industry never materialized. Without competition, utilities must be regulated.
Cable Reform — The cable television market provides an example of a de facto monopoly that has been allowed to abuse a captive customer base. Competition must be fast-tracked by eliminating all barriers to entry.
State Store Reform — The only monopolies more abusive and less efficient than private monopolies are public monopolies. The state has no business operating patronage-plagued state stores and should divest itself from this business.
Casino Reform — Moving forward, all net revenue derived from casinos should be dedicated to the tax relief it was designed and promoted to address. Somewhere along the way, substantial projected casino monies were "embezzled" for pet projects.
Tort Reform - Defendants found innocent in civil suits should by law be made whole by the plaintiffs and attorneys who initiated the suits. Such reform would be a start to a keeping doctors in state, attracting business and reducing the cost of everything from healthcare to roller skates.
Education Reform - No parents should have to tolerate an incompetent instructing their child. As there appears little inclination to cull bad apples from the teaching ranks, it falls to our legislators to take on the task and to create a competitive environment for the education dollar.
Pension Reform - The grossly mismanaged defined benefit (pension) plan for public employees should be transitioned to a well-reasoned defined contribution(401K) plan before it inflicts an unconscionable burden on the taxpayer.
MARK FURLONG
North Coventry
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