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Friday, September 21, 2007

Readers' Views: Gov. Rendell is a con artist

Three recent letters to the editor published in The Mercury that I wish I had written.

Gov. Rendell is a con artist


If you are not aware, Gov. Ed Rendell made the Who's Hsu list last week. In this case, the Hsu is Norman, the latest in a long line of Chinese bagmen, bundling cash for the culturally uncorrupt Democratic Party.

In Fast Eddie's case, the $38,000 indiscretion was donated to charity only after Norman, a convicted felon, skipped a court hearing, forfeited a $2 million bond and, as they say, went to ground. Attempts to locate Norman at his home, listed as a public library, were unsuccessful. If we have any state legislators without similar skeletons in their closet, the matter should be investigated. If we don't, it will be buried.

Am I the only person in the state who has grown weary of this con artist posing as a governor, formerly a con artist posing as a mayor? This is a guy who promised a 30 percent cut in property taxes standing on his head. What he delivered was gambling revenue to special interests.

This is the slickster who attempted to buy off an easily-bought Legislature and judiciary with a sweetheart compensation package. What has he done to rein in illegals and the criminals who knowingly employ them? Nada. What has he done to control an out of control public employee pension system? Zip. The list of unaddressed issues is longer than editorial space allows.

Ed Rendell has been an unmitigated disaster for Pennsylvania. Then again, what else could have been expected from someone who makes Machiavelli look like Captain Kangaroo.
For those who can supply the elbow grease, I will supply the rail.

MARK FURLONG
North Coventry

Property tax system is broken

The public education finance system in Pennsylvania is antiquated, regressive, and totally out of sync with 21st century reality. More than 10,000 Pennsylvania homeowners lose their homes each year to tax sales and many more are forced to sell their homes because of relentlessly rising property taxes.

More than 100 Pennsylvania school districts are in financial distress, are unable to sustain adequate funding to give their children a quality education, and are in jeopardy of being taken over by the state. The system is broken beyond repair and the problem needs to be addressed now.

House Bill 1600 is exactly the same as the Act 1 referendum that was so resoundingly defeated in the May 2007 primary election. It imposes new, permanent taxes in return for a small amount of "relief" that will quickly be negated by continually rising property taxes.

It does nothing to address cost controls or funding inequity between school districts. It is a valueless Band-Aid approach to tax "relief" that does nothing to solve the underlying problems with education finance.

Rep. Levdansky has been vigorously trumpeting HB 1600 and is so desperate to have it enacted that he deliberately falsifies the facts of this legislation. Since it is of such meaningless value to true education finance, might there be other reasons such as pandering to special interests like the PSEA or others who would be hurt by the imposition of cost controls contained in competing education finance reform legislation? His motives must be examined when you consider how strenuously he has promoted this bill.

Rep. Carl Mantz (Berks) and Rep. Stan Saylor (York) have withdrawn their co-sponsorship of HB 1600. Rep. Mantz has stated that school property tax elimination is the only acceptable solution, while Rep. Saylor cited misrepresentations of HB 1600 as his reason for withdrawing support.

The get more facts on real property tax reform go to http://www.ptcc.us/

DAVID BALDINGER
Administrator, Pennsylvania Taxpayers Cyber Coalition;
Member, Pennsylvania Coalition
of Taxpayer Associations

Partisan politics must end

I am so disgusted with both the Democrats and Republicans in Harrisburg and Washington, D.C.

The two major political parties look out for their own special interest groups and are not accountable to the people who elected them. It doesn’t matter which party is in control. They do the same thing. They line their own pockets and answer to lobbyists, big business and foreign interests.

Gov. Ed Rendell has been promising tax relief for five years and we haven’t seen a dime. The legislators in Harrisburg only help themselves with big salaries and outrageous perks. Congress is worse. Billions of our tax dollars are wasted

Our Founding Fathers never intended for political parties to rule this country. People have to stop voting along party lines. Think for yourself.

BILL SAKELLAROPOULOS
Reading

1 comment:

Carla J said...

Con ARtist? Aren't we being a little NICE?

Here we have a guy (Rendell) in Pennsylvania that SIGNS DEATH WARRANTS of Convicted Felons YET HSU, a indicted FELON on the run for 16 years is "A good Guy?"

Wasn't Rendell the head of the DNC at the time of Clinton # 1 run for office?

Is Rendell the one that introduced this alleged FELON?

If Rendell can sign DEATH WARRANTS DON't You THINK he should know if the people he deals with are on the LAMB??

This only gives us a peak at the REAL deal Behind Pennsylnania....

not to mention all the people leaving.

1) Judge Joyce PA Superior Court steps down after insurance fraud indictment and 120 year mail fraud charge (he actually said for a while and THOUGHT he could STILL RUN)- I wonder who gave him THAT idea and why do we hear Rendell say NOTHING about it?

2)Judge Nigro - Pay to Play need I say more?

3) Supreme Court President Sandra Newman after less than a year of a HISTORY MAKING dream of a lifetime job, RESIGNS? Sounds FISHY to me. Not that its connected But shortly AFTER Newmans Son,John Newman steps down from PA State Liquor Control board Job.

4)Newmans REPLACEMENT Judge Cappy ALSO having the job less that a year STEPS down (he says it was his health) - Gives letter to Rendell

5) LT Governor Katherine Baker Knoll is NO LONGER (in job that is)

7)Chief Sylvestor Johnson announced he will be GONE at YEARS end

8)Even Good Ol' Lynne Abraham announced LAST YEAR that she will not run for 2009.

9)Pay to play, education title IV scandal and this HSU guy and Hillary ALL CONNECTED TO RENDELL?

10)Rendell's wife is a Third Circut Court Judge whom The DA Lynne Abraham asked the ENTIRE court to RECUSE itself in a case Rendell tried as DA BECAUSE MIDGE (MARJORIE RENDELL), was in THAT COURT!!!

I say DO NOT BE SURPRISED If RENDELL tries to Bash BUSH in his attempt to take the attention off the fact that CONGRESS may have to STEP IN and HANDLE Pennsylavania and its "Politics"

Watch out for MORE Judges going down on dream of a lifetime Jobs, Rendell in the Middle and Pennsylvania being a VERY different Place in 2008.

Why?

Because of Ed Rendell snd the SHADY company he KEEPS!

There has to be fear of aman that is so POPULAR and no one wants to question the COMPANY HE KEEPS.