These U.S. government studies demonstrate that there are more job opportunities, better wage and benefit growth and greater economic development in right-to-work States.  Compulsory unionism results not in job growth, but in larger welfare rolls: Welfare recipients at the end of the decade were 7 per thousand citizens in right to work States, but 18 per thousand in compulsory unionism States.

Population growth in the 25 to 34 age group was 11.2% in right-to-work States and 0.7% in compulsory unionism States.  This statistic says that is most probable that your children and grand children will have to leave this State in order to support their families.

Mr. Martino opines that unions represent the middle class.  That is not true either.  Unions represent the political goals of union leadership.  They do not represent the majority of the middle class who must earn the wages to pay the taxes to subsidize compulsory unionism in their governments and school districts.  Tens of millions of dollars of union dues collected in Pennsylvania do not benefit middle class union workers in Pennsylvania; they are spent in other States to advance union leaders’ agendas in those States.

We are watching to see if our elected public servants will vote to improve economic growth and opportunity in Pennsylvania rather than to please union leadership whose contribution of millions of dollars swells the campaign coffers of politicians.

Roger Howard

Printed in The Daily Local News on Monday, March 11, 2013

It took a full 10 minutes before I realized this was not a late April Fool’s joke, it was not a misprint and it was not about a town named West Chester discovered on some distant planet.

For those who do not realize it, the range for base teacher salary in West Chester is $44,000 – $97,100. In surrounding districts there are teachers making over $100,000 a year. Keep in mind that base salary is but one component, total compensation includes generous pension and health benefits far superior to anything in the private sector. So an additional 40 percent is probably a more accurate representation of true total compensation. So that $100,000 a year teacher now becomes a $140,000 tax bill for the homeowner. Surprised at the number? You should be, this is not 1960 as the union would have you believe. Teachers are paid quite well from a total compensation standpoint.

So we have a very generous pay package but the union is demanding an 18.3 percent increase and get this … two more days off. Teachers love to compare salaries with the private sector but NEVER compare the work year. Teachers get two major vacations during the school year as well as all federal holidays and as we speak they are on a 2.5 month summer vacation while we in the private sector have to work to support their generous benefits. If the salaries are fair and competitive then it follows that you and I are paying for almost three months of vacation … and the union has the nerve to ask for two more days off! Unbelievable.

If teachers need more money they can do what we taxpayers do … work during the summer months. Summer school, tutor, any number of things they can do to increase their earnings. But, since our public service unions have a monopoly, have us over a barrel, most of them will be content with taking the summer off on the taxpayers’ dime and ask for an 18 percent raise to help offset the cost of suntan lotion and beach chairs.

Folks, there is a Wisconsin-like fight coming to a theater near you very soon. Two things you should remember, as the Daily Local editorial stressed today our state public pension budget is $1.2 billion, next year it increases to $1.6 billion and by 2016 it jumps to a staggering $6 billion. That’s the budget, but the budget doesn’t begin to cover the real costs … at the end of 2010 our unfunded bill for teacher and public sector employees is $118 BILLION. Are you beginning to see the problem? Do you see why an 18.3 percent increase is an affront to decency? Do you understand why Scott Walker did what he did in Wisconsin? A major crisis is right around the corner and the teachers union is asking for more and more.

Second thing to remember is that it was none other than ultra liberal Franklin D. Roosevelt who said public service jobs should not have union representation, they are a monopoly. We the consumer have no choice in the matter. Not a healthy arrangement if you are a taxpayer living on a fixed income trying to spend your last years in the home where you raised your family. Take a good look at your mortgage statement breakdown. With today’s low interest rates many folks are paying more in school taxes than they are in mortgage costs.

Forget the notion that you own your home, you don’t, you simply lease it from your local school board.

Opinion published in the Daily Local News on June 29, 2012.

Two weeks ago I criticized Sen. Dinniman’s “education rally” in West Chester.  I called it a union rally because while decrying the education fiscal crisis the senator did not address the main issue, an unfunded pension mandate for the public union sector.  The pension issue is a crisis that if left unaddressed will bankrupt countless school districts in Pennsylvania and states across the country.

I followed up my letter to the editor with a call to the senator’s office to see if I could get more color on his specific position regarding the defined pension benefit and the prevailing wage mandate.  The senator offered to meet with me to discuss his position.  Unfortunately the timing was bad for me and I was not able to make the meeting, but a friend and fellow political and educational activist, Alan Walter, was able to attend.  He met with the senator for almost an hour and these are the salient points he conveyed to me.

Sen. Dinniman absolutely understands the depth and the severity of the looming pension crisis, he presented a picture even more severe than either Alan or I had surmised.

The senator seemed to agree that no tinkering around the edges would fix the problem, but bold and politically unpopular solutions would be necessary.

Walker was looking for some leadership from the senator on the issue but the senator expressed the reality that even if he stepped forward, Republicans who are now in control, do not have the stomach for this fight. He is right, both sides of the aisle lack the political courage to bite the union that feeds them.

The senator seems to feel, that at least in Pennsylvania, nothing will change until the crisis hits and the people force change.

Well, I sadly agree with the senator.  Republicans currently control our state House but Pileggi, Corbett, Ross et al show no sign of taking the bold steps necessary to fix the problem.  So where do we stand? Public service unions and their generous benefits driving taxes higher and higher?  Unfunded teacher pensions bankrupting school districts? A Greece or Spain in our future?

Well until Tuesday night I would have said yes. But Tuesday in Wisconsin changed everything. Scott Walker showed the country and timid politicians everywhere what real leadership looks like.  He took on the unions.  He made common sense changes to public union benefits to more closely mirror what the rest of us in the private sector are dealing with.  He addressed issues in his state that politicians in Greece and Spain would not address until their entire economies collapsed under the weight of an out of control entitlement state.

His bold leadership is turning his state around, a deficit is turning into a surplus, the unemployment rate is falling and the people of Wisconsin know it.

On Tuesday the union-backed recall election failed … the people stepped up to keep their bold, courageous leader.

So Sen. Dinniman, I agree that change will require a grass roots effort.  And where it begins is with “we the people” replacing politicians on both sides of the aisle with true leaders like Scott Walker.  Republicans are waking up to the fact that we have a lot of house cleaning to do to rid the party of “Republicans in name only.”

What happened in Wisconsin on Tuesday is big; it’s a template for what is needed in states across the land. It shows what can be done with a little political courage and with a real leader.

Let’s hope politicians around the country get the message… if they don’t, they will do so at their own peril.

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.

On Friday, June 8, 2012, the 2011 Legislative Reapportionment Commission approved and filed a Final Reapportionment Plan with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Legislative Assembly.  Click here to see the Press Release.  Check out the interactive maps to see if there is any impact to your State Representative or State Senatorial District.

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Update:  April 13, 2012

The Legislative Reapportionment Commission adopts a revised preliminary plan at a public administrative meeting.  Click here for the press release.  Details of the revised preliminary plan can be found here.

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Update:  February 8, 2012

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

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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…

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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.

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