Let's Rebuild the American Dream in Pennsylvania

By Justin J. Simmons

Pennsylvania Should Be More Like Texas

I believe that in the midst of the worst recession since the Great Depression, we need to enact reforms at the state level to get the economy out of the ditch.

It's heartbreaking to see all the people that are unemployed or underemployed out there. It's a severe blow to someone when they can't find a job or have to settle for something they're overqualified to do. In fact, what scares me the most, is that I see the American dream sliding away from too many people in this country. In the greatest country on earth, I refuse to accept this.

The fact that we live in a federalist country allows each state to serve as a laboratory. We can look at other states to see what works and what doesn't.

Obviously if we look across the nation, we wouldn't want to emulate what New Jersey, Michigan, and California have done.

Each of these states are overtaxed and overregulated. People and jobs are fleeing these states.

The Center of Wealth and Philanthropy at Boston College estimated that New Jersey has lost over $70 billion in wealth between 2004 and 2008. This makes sense. During that time, Governor Corzine made New Jersey the highest-taxed state in the nation.

In Michigan, the economy became unsustainable. According to the Wall Street Journal, the auto industry in Michigan lost 83,000 auto-manufacturing jobs over the last decade and a half. But that doesn't tell the whole story. 91,000 new auto-manufacturing jobs sprung up in right-to-work states down south. Ask any corporate executive and they will tell you it's not foreign competition that killed industry in America. It's the legacy costs associated with unsustainable benefits that unions demanded.

We don't need to even get into California. J.P. Morgan Chase Chief Jamie Dimon warned that California is more at risk of defaulting on its debt than the country of Greece, which is in crisis right now.

The state I believe we need to emulate is Texas. Texas has weathered the current recession quite well. The lone star state actually cuts spending when revenues are down. Would you believe that the second biggest state in the nation also doesn't have an income tax on its workers?

Texas also has a much more efficient legislature than Pennsylvania. Texas has a 31- member Senate and a 150-member House of Representatives. The population of Texas is 24,782,302.

Pennsylvania on the other hand has a 50-member Senate and a 203-member House of Representatives. The population of Pennsylvania is 12,604,767, almost half that of Texas. A Representative or Senator in Texas makes $7,200 per year. The state also has a two-year budget. A Representative or Senator in Pennsylvania makes $73,613 per year. Our state has a budget every year.

Only Michigan, New York, and California legislators make more than Pennsylvania.

Texas is also a right-to-work state. Many manufacturing jobs have moved to Texas. These jobs pay very well and provide good benefits. Just imagine if we made Pennsylvania a right-to-work state. We would be the only one in the Northeast. I truly believe that hundreds of thousands of manufacturing jobs would come back to our state.

We need to bring a new perspective to Harrisburg. As your State Representative, I will fight to cut spending, lower taxes, reduce the size of the legislature, eliminate perks for legislators, and enact right-to-work laws.

I believe that a new perspective in Harrisburg is what's needed. Let's show the rest of the country how to reclaim the American Dream right here in Pennsylvania.