Why are we spending and borrowing our future away in Pa?

By John Farley

Why does Governor Rendell and the Pennsylvania General Assembly continue to borrow and spend at a terrible price to the present and future economic health of Pennsylvania?

This important bill will add 10,000 new police officers throughout Pennsylvania. In the city of Philadelphia the annual murder rate the past several years is around 400. In New York City, (with a population that is 7 times higher than Philadelphia), the 2007 murder rate was around 500.

This is because New York City has over 36,000 police officers, (many of whom are new hires to the NYPD). Philadelphia has slightly more than 6,500 police officers, (which is 2,000 members less than Philadelphia had in 1976.) Under HB 1189 the city of Philadelphia will receive 1300 new police officers.

The state's highway and construction budget was raided in 2005 to avert a potential mass transit strike in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. However, we are seeing that our roads and bridges are crumbling and the money is no longer there to solve this long-term problem. Why not?

A recent study has shown that Pennsylvania is underfunding its schools by over 5 billion dollars!!! The state's ratio in funding the schools in the counties throughout Pennsylvania is currently a proportion of 35% by the state and 65% by the local cities and town throughout the Commonwealth. This was completely reversed as recently as 1986. Why is this a fact of life in Harrisburg?

So, the question is simple. If our taxes are too high, if we have too much crime and not enough police, if our basic infrastructure throughout our state is crumbling and falling apart, if our children are being educated in crowded, old schools, if our local municipalities are being asked to spend double on the failing schools, (that still do not properly prepare the young minds of tomorrow), then they did just 20 years ago, and we are still underfunding our schools throughout Pennsylvania by 5 billion dollars then, is it really any wonder that Pennsylvania continues to lag behind other states in new population?

Is it any wonder that this state is experiencing a "brain drain" with students, teachers, scientists, and research and development technicians moving out of Pennsylvania on a daily basis? Is it any wonder that only 18% of the adult population in Philadelphia have a bachelors degree from a college or university.

Also, ask yourself the following questions;

(1) What happended to the over one billion dollar "Rainy Day Fund" left by former Governor Ridge in 2001? Where did all that money go? What happens if our state falls into a deep recession?

(2) With all of the borrowing and spending occuring in Washington these days, do we really believe that President Obama, President Hillary Clinton, or President McCain are going to come in, save the day, and bail out Pennsylvania in an economic crisis? I think not!!

(3) With all of the spending and taxing being done by the Rendell Administration over the past 5 years, why do bonds continue to be floated to our state? Why do we continue to borrow and pile up "off-the-books" debt? Who is going to pay for this debt when the next Pa. Governor takes over in January, 2011?

(4) With our economy heading towards a recession in 2008, with over 3 dollars-a-gallon gasoline prices, with the current housing and mortagage crisis, with massive numbers of new forclosures, with an all-time record number of personal bankruptcies, with 100,000 lost jobs, higher unemployement, higher inflation, and lower wages being brought driven down even lower in Pennsylvania, how can we continue to borrow, tax, and spend like there is no tomorrow? Where is the money? Where is the beef in Governor Rendell's new spending proposals?

(5) Finally, ask yourself the question Ronald Reagan asked Jimmy Carter in October, 1980; Are you really better off today that you were 4 years ago? I think in Pennsylvania we all know what that answer is. NO!!!!

The time has come to put our state government on a diet! I have signed the "No New Tax Pledge". Has your State Senator, State Representative and any other State Assembly candidate in Pennsylvania signed this same pledge? Ask them, why not? I also vow to hold the line on new borrowing and spending when I am elected to the Pennsylvania State Senate. I will work to keep the budget under 30 billion dollars over the next 4 years. I will not propose any new spending increases unless I can find an offset in the state budget that can be trimmed or cut.

It is time to end the "pork barrel" spending, the special district "earmarks", and the "walking around money". This is our hard-earned tax money. This money belongs to us and not the career politicians and lobbyists who continue to walk the halls of Harrisburg!

We need to trim the fat and waste in the cost of doing business in Harrisburg. We need to examine why we have the 2nd most expensive state government in the Unites States. Do we really need 203 State Representatives and 50 State Senators? Can we not cut our elected officials in half and still give the citizens of Pennsylvania the government that they need and deserve? I am the only candidate who has proposed limiting legislative terms in Pennyslvania to 12 years.

I am the only candidate in Pennsylvania who is willing to cut his own legislative district out of its county seat in Harrisburg! I also propose that any rise in taxes, home property taxes, or new "government fees" would need a referendum to be put on a state-wide ballot. We need a constituitional convention in Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania has not had one since 1967!! We need fundamental change in how the government is run in Harrisburg.

We need to fight for term limits and smaller, more efficient government. I am the only candidate running in Philadelphia this year who has already term-limited himself!! I will only stay in Harrisburg no more than 8 years. Just remember folks, ..."absolute power corrupts absolutetly...!" Get rid of the life-time appointments to legislative seats and let's bring in new blood who will represent our interests in Harrisburg!

If we want safer streets, more police, better roads and bridges, high quality schools, and financial stability in our state, then we must lower taxes, cut spending, stop borrowing and stop adding mounds and mounds of new debt. My priorities in my first term in Pennsylvania all revolve aroung one issue;bringing fiscal sanity back to state government. If I do not succeed in doing that in Harrisburg, then I will not run or seek reelection to the Pa. State Senate in 2012.

That is my number one goal and pledge to you in this election. To get better results from our state government. We need to get "more bang for our bucks", and we can do this today while we are cutting personal and business state taxes. We can and must do this for our present and for the future of Pennsylvania. If this sounds like a plan that you can support, then please support me in our bid to bring state government back to the people. Support John Farley for the Pennsylvania State Senate, District #5, in 2008. Thank you.