PAY RAISE REPEAL?!? GRASSROOTSPA ONLINE EXCLUSIVE BREAKING NEWS
Posted on 08/06/2005 3:11:08 AM PDT by Born Conservative
PAY RAISE REPEAL?!? GRASSROOTSPA ONLINE EXCLUSIVE BREAKING NEWS
August 4, 2005
Dear Constituent:
I want to begin with a sincere apology for violating the faith and trust you placed in me when you sent me back to Harrisburg last November for another legislative term. After much reflection, prayer and the counsel from countless friends like you, I'm convinced my decision to vote for the legislative pay raise in return for promised action on stalled tax reform legislation was an error in judgment.
While your response to the legislative pay increase, and my vote, is fully justified, I hope you will allow me to give you more background and context to what led me to take action that I now apologize.
In 2004, I was ranked the 2nd most conservative legislator out of all 253 state legislators on the Commonwealth Foundation's Liberty Index, a measure of my defense of your freedom on every bill that became law in the last legislative session. And my voting record, apart from the recent pay raise vote, placed me on track for another stellar rating. Additionally, I was privileged to receive the Outstanding Legislator Award for 2004 from the Right to Work Foundation - an organization on the frontlines of our fight against compulsory unionism. I am, and will continue to be an outspoken advocate for conservative principles in the State Capitol.
My voting record, while consistent with the best conservative principles and values, put important reform legislation on hold because of the culture and nature of the internal politics in Harrisburg. My public opposition and votes against tax increases, bloated state spending, and organized gambling put me at odds with my own party's leadership that has been helping Gov. Rendell advance his agenda.
While I had no intention of accepting the unconstitutional pay raise, I agreed to join other like-minded members in exchanging my vote for promised action on legislation to eliminate school property taxes and replace them with a reduced - and broadened - sales tax. This agreement, I believed at the time, was the only way to guarantee action on this critical legislation.
I now believe that calculation was wrong. Trading principled decisions for legislative expediency is never right. In fact, it defies the very reforms I've fought for since my first day in office. Unfortunately, for me, the State Capitol and its internal system of punishments and rewards got the best of me in that fateful vote.
In asking for your forgiveness on my vote on the pay raise, I'm committing my full energies in the remaining days of my term to fixing a broken system. In the coming days, I will be introducing legislation to repeal the legislative pay raise, and intend to work with my colleagues and a growing numbers of concerned citizens like you, to restore the faith and trust you've placed in me.
While it doesn't negate the mistake I made, I hope you accept my apology and my commitment to you to do my best to right this wrong.
Sincerely,
Thomas C. Creighton
State Representative
Ping
In other words, "no way in hell anything is going to change, but I just don't want to be held responsible for it".
ping
At least one rep is getting heat.
He did response well as compared to most others rep would have done, which is nothing
Support this initiative to turn out every elected pol in PA.
let's keep sending out the message,
http://www.pacleansweep.com/
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