'We have a part-time Legislature that we're paying full-time'

Citizen activist Bill McIntyre welcomes the 2009-10 edition of the Pennsylvania Legislature, but isn't holding his breath that much will change in Harrisburg. Here's a copy of a letter he sent today to our fearless leaders:

To: PA General Assembly
Subject: Welcome!

Dear Senators & Representatives,

We welcome your return to Harrisburg and the Capitol! Things have been a little quiet around here in your absence. Hopefully you’ve enjoyed your vacation time away and the holidays with family and friends.

We need your help. The ship of state, the USS Pennsylvania, is sinking and is taking down our over 12 million passengers into a sea of red ink. We will need a like number of life preservers if you don’t plug the leaks in our budget. You had that chance in the last budget but, instead, you and the governor gave us a time bomb termed Act 44 that exploded in our hull, thus hastening our demise.

The Harrisburg Patriot-News last Saturday, January 3, 2009 contained a headline titled – “State revenues fall in November” by star reporter Jan Murphy. In the second paragraph Jan wrote – “The report released Friday by the state Revenue Department shows general fund collections in November fell $156.6 million short of estimates, bringing the year-to-date general fund collections to $11.2 billion. That is $814.5 million less than projected.” How large will the deficit grow in the next 7 months?

You were voted in as leaders to represent the residents in your district. As leaders, we have depended upon you to represent us and our needs throughout the state. I’m sorry to report that many of you have failed in this mission. Leaders lead by example. The majority of you have failed the test.

The example the majority of you have set is – every man or women for him or herself and the hell with the taxpayer. The proof of that was the infamous pay grab of July 7, 2005. Three and one half years later not much has changed except we can’t afford you and your lifestyles (refer to paragraph 3 above). So far, most of you have failed yourselves and the people who have placed you in office.

There is a solution to again regain public trust. A friend of mine, Gene Stilp wrote a letter published in today’s Patriot-News titled – “Legislators can show mettle by going on financial diet.” I quote Gene’s 8th paragraph – “It is time for the Legislature to show the way with a 10% cut in their own salaries, along with a law to rescind the recent and future cost-of-living increases for the Legislature, which incidentally met for only nine days in the past six months. It is also time to discard the entire incumbent protection system, which costs tens of millions of taxpayer dollars each year.”

I concur. We have a part-time Legislature that we’re paying full-time, outlandish benefits. Future letters will bear this out and prove that we’re correct. Pennsylvania desperately needs a Constitutional Convention to reign in a runaway state government and return it to the citizens. Where are the reformers we’ve elected? Our fears are you’ve been bought by the present perks of office. Where are our real leaders? Hiding in perks? Your constitutes are hurting. Do you really care?

A thoroughly disgusted,
Bill McIntyre
Camp Hill
Continuing the fight for true government reform, not just window dressing rules.

CC: Executive & Judicial Branches of PA government

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