(Second Thoughts)Fast Eddie Rendell's Act 72 loses In Pennsylvania

County Press (Suburban Philadelphia) ^ | 6-1-05 | William W. Lawrence

[Temple Owl]

Well, P.T Barnum's famous quote "there's a sucker born every minute" is wrong, at least about most residents of Delaware County.

Most of us told Gov. Fast Eddie Rendell to take his Act 72 and shove it. We want him to come back with something that is fair, clear, understandable and doesn't fill the pockets of his political cronies.

Forget about using gambling funds to finance our children's education. Outlaw public school teachers' strikes, give us school choice, school vouchers and teacher accountability and we will be able to afford to educate our kids.

By the way, although Barnum is credited with the saying, it was a fellow by the name of David Hannum, not Barnum, who said, "there's a sucker born every minute."

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[Temple Owl]

Pennsylvanians did the right thing and stuck to Philadelphia Fats

[Temple Owl]

Check the next item in the column. You'll like it.

[Vigilanteman]

You are right. Great story at the bootom of the page.

Now if only Pennsylvanians would do the right thing and show Philadelphia Fats the door . . .

[JustAnAmerican]

From what I was able to pick up, Districts had to agree to an earned income Tax? In other words an under the table tax(not that libs know any other way)? Good to see it didn't pass then.

[oldtimer2]

They also had to agree to allowing a referendum before any future school tax raises over cost of living. Our school boards were not about to agree to a loss of power for an unproved amount of tax relief. All estimates of amount raised by gambling were very "optimistic".

[MattMa]

I couldn't remember what his party was and didn't see it listed, I now realize that means he's a Democrap.

[lightman]

In York County all 15 School Districts rejected Act 72 in the same month that they raised taxes from 12% to 38%, depending on location.

[Temple Owl]

We need a law that would allow residents of school districts to vote on referendums which call for tax boosts.
Also having school choice and vouchers to provide competition to the public schools would reduce costs. We would not be paying for Taj Mahals, olympic-sized swimming pools and a lot of buses.

[Tribune7]

Yup!

I was Newsweek's Philadelphia correspondent (stringer) back during the 1960s.
I also free-lanced for a lot of other publications. Newsweek, despite its big name, was the poorest paying of them all and the only one that changed or added quotes to my stories.
I see that things haven't changed.
I don't want to be too hard on investigative reporter Michael Isikoff who came up with a phony story that led to death and destruction.
He had the Monica Lewinsky sex scandal first, and down cold. All the I's were dotted, the T's crossed. But his Newsweek editors decided the story needed more substantiation -- maybe a quote or admission from Bill Clinton?
So Matt Drudge got the story and became rich and famous. Then Isikoff had the scoop -- with strong corroboration -- on Kathleen Willey's sexual confrontation with The President of the United States in the Oval Office. Newsweek decided the story did not have enough confirmation and would not run it. Again, Matt Drudge got the story.
Isikoff, when with the Washington Post, was also first but beaten on the Paula Jones story.
Then he gets a tip on the Koran or Quran, or Qu'ran, whatever, being flushed down the toilet by Nazi-like (see next item) guards at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility. Big anti-American news! This time Isikoff is first. Newsweek flush with excitement runs with it.
I did a fast check without leaving my seat and found that the Arabic edition of the Koran or Quran, or Qu'ran, whatever, runs about 800 pages.
Try shoving that down a Newsweek john, loo, commode, porcelain throne, potty, whatever. Perhaps the editors should have tried that before running the story.
Maybe Newsweek ought to run a story about the Muslims who have destroyed 140 Christian Churches in Kosovo since 1999. The response from Muslim leaders has been silence. Just like Newsweek.

[Tribune7]

ping

[lightman]

The fact that there are 15 school districts, therefore 15 Superintendents (all drawing no less than a six figure salary) within one County) is a major part of the problem. Folks with longer memories than mine tell me of when there was just ONE "County Superintendent".

Folks say they want "local control" when they oppose consolidation; but the tax increases show that this vaunted local control is just an illusion. Most school boards just rubber stamp whatever the Superintendent and his/her staff want because to do otherwise would indicate no confidence in the person they hired, and they do not want the constituents to think that they had made a poor selection.

My experience in Pennsylvania local government is that the board and councils elected for "local control" are afraid to do anything without the advise and consent of their solicitors and engineers. Pennsylvania local government has become unemployment insurance for the legal eagles and civil engineers.