School boards across Pennsylvania are therefore facing huge deficits in coming years from the mandatory pension costs alone. The West Chester Area School District, which unlike many school districts started cutting costs three years ago and already reduced its 2012-13 budget by nearly $10 million, is faced with raising taxes to cover our forced participation in the state’s pension system despite these proactive steps.

Except for salaries, which in West Chester have been frozen since 2009-10, all the other factors impacting pensions – the contribution percentage, benefit amount, pursuing alternatives – are controlled by the legislature in Harrisburg. The State in effect dictates everything we withhold, everything we pay, and restricts us from offering alternatives.

Next year, the pension’s impact on our budget is $10.7 million. In each of the following years, it will be $14.3 million, $17.9 million, and $21.3 million, respectively. Funding to schools is bowing under the weight of the state’s obligations towards 50% of such pension costs. Contributions from state and local school districts will continue to escalate at dramatic rates and finally plateau for 20 years, according to projections.

We can all hope that real estate will rebound, and that the markets will boom.

Unfortunately there is no way to budget for hope. The only correction we can influence is in Harrisburg, by demanding real and permanent pension reform. In 2001, Harrisburg increased the benefit payout – including increases for themselves – and enhanced our reliance on market gains. The kick-the-can “reforms” since then only prolonged and enhanced the problems that the 2001 and 2008 recessions exposed.

Unfortunately many legislators, themselves in the pension system, refuse to address the biggest fiscal crisis facing Pennsylvania. They do not allow school boards the option to put new hires into 401(k)-style plans, which will offer predictable and stable costs permanently. Harrisburg’s lack of reform is risking our Commonwealth’s fiscal health, and those already vested in the pension system, by placing undue burden on the hard-working Pennsylvanians who necessarily support it.

State legislators must exhibit leadership, step up and save our school districts from bankrupting themselves and the taxpayers by addressing the decade-old payment now coming due. We need them to pass real and permanent pension reform, and we need it now.

This bill will force private utility companies like PECO to purchase Solar Renewable Energy Certificates (SRECs) from the solar “collective” and subsidize them in perpetuity.  This law will mandate annual increases of these required “portfolio” certificates that a utility must purchase and the cost will be passed on to you and me through higher electric bills.

It’s not rocket science as to why the original “Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards Act” of 2004 predictably failed. Solar panels produce very small amounts of energy and their cost per kilowatt-hour is 10-times higher than traditional sources.  Because of its northern latitude and prevailing weather, Pennsylvania is a very poor candidate for the production of solar power.  Our State averages about 200 cloudy and overcast days per year. There are 8,760 clock hours in a year.  This leaves only 1,980 hours of sunlight per year for this passive trickle of energy to pay for its immense cost and justify its large footprint.

The dirty little secret is that solar systems in Pennsylvania only function for about 22% of the time and their associated battery storage facilities produce future environmentally hazardous waste.

Compare this feeble idea with our clean nuclear, coal, and natural gas power-plants which supply us with massive amounts of reliable and usable high-voltage…24-hours a day.

Most disturbing is this cap-and-trade-like bill doesn’t “sunset” and has an estimated price tag of $3 billion over 10 years.  This destructive bill will cause a corresponding loss of jobs across Pennsylvania as companies and industry compensate for higher energy costs.  Our families will have less money to buy groceries  or to save for college as our electric bills continue to rise.  HB.1580 adds insult to injury as taxpayers have already spent hundreds-of-millions of dollars on cockamamie, unsightly, and money losing “green” energy projects.

This is nothing more than special interest welfare at its worst and it will force the forgotten taxpayer to support another endless special interest entitlement program.

Furthermore, this bill is based on questionable opinion science about the causes of alleged man-made global warming.  It is preferential treatment to a small group of businesses and people who were short-sighted enough to build their solar panel production lines and solar fields on the back of a government subsidy.  Now that their uneconomical bad idea is failing, they want more taxpayer funded subsidizes.

In 2009 and 2010, our State politicians dumped $180 million of good taxpayer money into a pit of grants and loans for solar projects across Pennsylvania.  Now HB.1580′s creator, State Representative Chris Ross (R-158th), wants to double-down on this bad idea and throw more good money after bad.

Representative Ross openly admits that this bill will increase energy costs through rate increases and he seeks to reinforce this failed idea through higher electric bills for you and me.

There is hope if we let common-sense prevail and use the proven free market system to find the most efficient and cost effective ways to produce and deliver goods and services.

A Federal Judge ruled the 2001 PA legislative district maps should be used in this years election.

===========================================================================

Update:  January 25, 2012

The PA Supreme Court voted 4-3 to send the proposed redistricting plan for seats in the House and the Senate and is sending it back to the Legislative Reapportionment Commission.

Stay tuned…

===========================================================================

As a result of the most recent census, reapportionment has been underway in PA.  The PA Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral argument for all petitions that challenge the Final Reapportionment Plan on January 23, 2012.  Click here to see the Press Release concerning the hearing.

Click here to link to the Pennsylvania Redistricting Website and to check out the proposed maps for your districts.

The writer accuses the Republicans of nearly killing a tax cut bill that would extend tax cuts for working Americans for two more months. What the writer neglects to mention is that the Republicans wanted to hammer out a plan to extend them for at least a YEAR.  But here is the rub; they wanted to pay for the tax cuts with spending cuts in other areas of government. Call me crazy but I thought living within your means was a good idea. I guess not after reading the editorial, must be that Government bureaucrats are more efficient than I thought – no waste to cut there!

The author goes on to blast Tea Party Republicans, calling them far-right radicals, loud and stubborn, they are the tail wagging the dog and this is one sick puppy according to the writer.

Well on that we can agree – our government is one sick puppy, on both sides of the aisle.  But in this case the tail has it right, the tail of this sick puppy (the tea party freshmen) are the only adults in room.  They are being blasted by the writer because they want fiscal discipline? They want to pay for extended spending in some areas by cutting expenses in other areas? They want a government that lives within its means? They want the people to keep more of their money and the Government to get less? They want to uphold their promise to the voters who put them there to change the status quo in DC?

Am I the only one who thinks the writer’s vitriol is somewhat misplaced, or to be a little more accurate, bizarre?

The editorial seems to claim that the status quo folks – business as usual, out of control spending and borrowing and printing of money folks – are the smart ones. It’s like the author hasn’t heard about the little problem Europe is having with their economy: IT’S ABOUT TO IMPLODE. Europe is the canary in the mine and that’s one sick canary.  We are right behind them, ready to jump off the cliff if we follow the tax-and-spend business-as-usual crowd.

It is not the new Tea Party Republicans who have it wrong, it’s the folks who have gotten us to this point: $15,182,756,264,288 in debt and rising, stolen money from our Social Security Trust Fund to feed the spending beast, trillions spent on 50 years of Great Society Entitlement programs to end poverty and poverty is worse than ever. Nothing to show for trillions spent.  Every dollar we send to Washington is one less dollar in the private market. Who do you think has a better chance of creating good sustainable jobs: Nancy Pelosi, Barney Frank or a Bill Gates or a Steve Jobs? If you answer Jobs and Gates than we need to cut the size of government and grow the private sector. Our federal government has grown farther and wider and has more of our money than our Founders could ever have imagined. This was not their plan for America and if we don’t make some radical changes in Washington we may never get the old America back again.

The Tea Party Freshmen have it right, that sick-headed puppy in Washington has gotten us into this mess and it’s going to have to be pulled out by its tail.

“Endorsements in a primary election distort the electoral process by allowing party bosses within the Bucks County GOP to promote one Republican over another by having sample ballots printed at every polling station for the Republican that the party wishes to promote to the Republican voters. The only endorsement that matters in a primary should be the voter’s endorsement. It is time to end the County GOP’s closed-door back room favoritism, by allowing for an open primary without any party endorsement” said Carlineo.

Gloria went on to add “it is clear that with his history of campaign contributions from Union and party bosses that my opponent will outspend my campaign by a large margin. Along with the advantage of incumbency there should be no need for a party endorsement that shuts voters out of the process.”

See http://www.carlineo2012.com/issues.html for Carlineo’s stance on the issues.

You can donate to Carlineo’s race for the 178th district at http://www.carlineo2012.com/contribution.html.

Today we commemorate the 10^th anniversary of inarguably the most horrific attack on US soil. Ten years ago on September 11^th, Americans witnessed a terrifying, heart-wrenching, heinous attack on our nation. Although every memory of that day still weighs heavy on the hearts of many, our tradition is to recognize significant events on each decennium. So in honor of those who have lost their lives, over the past weeks we have observed tributes in our towns, an overwhelming show of American flags. There are magazine articles and covers in tribute to the lost and their loved ones. Celebrities are giving accounts of how they felt on that infamous day in television and radio interviews.

On September 11, 2001 many heroes were born. Many of them we lost that day and some are still among us. We had front row seats to the events; people literally rising from the ashes; the symbol of our nation’s productive wealth burning to the ground; the destruction of the greatest city in America; and a devastating shot to the home of our nation’s defense. We grieved on that day and for what seemed like an eternity after. We couldn’t escape the visions of our brethren jumping hopelessly to their deaths to escape the torture that was sure to come.

On 9/11/2001 and for a period of time afterward, we came together in anguish and anger. We wanted to know why, how and who. Every detail mattered to us. These people had attacked our way of life and our freedom. Ten years later as we commemorate the tragedy, I am amazed at how many have forgotten the magnitude of that catastrophe. Many have only reawakened because of the attention of the trumpet call reminding us to pay our respectful homage. The enemies who assaulted our way of life and wanted us to live in fear have, in some ways, succeeded. Over this past decade we have watched our freedoms erode. Everyday Americans humiliated at airports, while those who share the nationality of the assailants walk through freely, smugly daring us to consider them a threat. For fear for being labeled intolerant or racist, we have been told to dedicate more time to worshiping at the altar of political correctness. The crushing events of 9/11 were supposed to make us come together for longer than just a year or two. We were supposed to become more vigilant, but instead we have given way to intimidation by the very people who want to alter our way of life. Like many others, I do not need a 10^th anniversary to remember 9/11. I have never forgotten. It does not take the 10^th year commemoration to remember who and what was truly lost on that day.

Golden sunlight on azure skies

A gentle breeze passing by

It could have been spring or fall

In awe of the glory of God

That precious morning when all seemed right

We lost our innocence with those fated flights

We will always remember that sorrowed day

When lives with meaning were stolen away

We will always remember 9/11

The muffled screams from down the hall

When someone turned the TV on

We watched our Brothers and Sisters fall

Eighty stories to escape the fireball

Wondering what they must have felt

On their way to our Maker’s home

Martyrs to the demonic scheme

To crush liberty and the American Dream

Not wanting to watch or turn away

We struggled to survive that terrorized day

We will always remember 9/11

The gallantry of those who tried

To rescue souls who painfully died

Who put their lives at risk for all

And put their faith in our loving Lord

We cannot praise them near enough

Their acts of bravery, borne in love

How can we not stand straight and tall

When we understand that they

Represent us all

There was but one American Way

On that ill-fated summer day

When our innocence was taken away

We will always remember until this day

We will always remember 9/11.

-Greta Scriboni

Today, we are lucky if our young people see the merit in graduating from high school. Asia and Europe lead the world in manufacturing and technical skills. Now we lead the world with the highest business taxes and regulations out our kazoo. The acceptable norm is to run our country on the Wimpy school of economics, “I’ll gladly pay you on Thursday for a hamburger today.”

Our revenues can hardly pay the interest rate on our debt, let alone pay down on the principal. Today’s debt is the product of years of denial and it has to stop.

Today, many families are up to their eyeballs in debt. They live from paycheck to paycheck praying nothing happens before the next payday. Saving money for retirement or a college education is a dream long gone. Yet many in Congress want to raise taxes, claiming that taxing the rich will get us out of debt. What they don’t seem to grasp is that those taxes will just be passed down to us. We will pay more for fuel, food and commodities. Who can afford more? I can’t!

Last November we thought we sent a loud and clear message to Washington. We demanded an end to the madness and put 87 new people into office. Many of these were held by spendthrift incumbents. We expected them to follow through with their campaign promises. They promised to cut the budget and get the debt under control. Returning that $105 billion secreted in the health care bill would be a good start.

Many of them voted for another stopgap bandage that would temporarily keep the government open. Radical surgery is needed. Jim Gerlach and Pat Meehan reneged on their word. I urge you to pay them a visit and demand them to keep their campaign pledges.

Take your kids along for a good civics lesson. Express your disappointment in their behavior and in our waning support. They are hoping we have forgotten and have grown apathetic but we have not. No more Band-aids or bubblegum.

Patricia Sellers

West Chester

Also printed in The Daily Local News – Sunday, April 24, 2011

Our obligation is to our kids, not to the system. Kids should not be harmed because adults cannot fix their schools. And those who are able to ensure a quality education for their own children do not have the right to deprive less fortunate families the opportunity to do the same.

Click here to read this op ed printed in The Daily Local on March 22, 2011.

Some have claimed Gerlach voted to “gut” the EPA and prevent it from enforcing the Clean Air Act. Others have claimed that he has “abandoned our core environmental and public heath programs.” These charges are baseless and demonstrate the lengths to which environmental activists will distort the truth to advance their goals.

Click here to read this op ed printed in The Daily Local March 22, 2011.