Rep. Camille “Bud” George’s recent diatribe against Joe Kane could easily be described as an opus of self-righteous indignation. While some readers might have been taken in by the spin, I felt that his rationalizations presented some points to ponder:
• On gas well drilling: HB 1489, sponsored by Rep. George, would enact a Natural Gas Severance Tax to generate revenue. I agree that our Commonwealth should benefit from the extraction of natural gas from the Marcellus Shale Formation. However, Gov. Rendell and Rep. George’s committee have visions of dollar signs dancing in their heads. They should consider the lessons learned by other states that have pushed out the fledgling industry through excessive taxation. The Commonwealth Foundation’s Web site contains some excellent information on the subject and can be found here.
• On fighting utilities and the looming electricity rate increase: According to The Commonwealth Foundation, HB 80, sponsored by Rep. George and his committee, contains mandates that will make electricity more expensive.
• On his support for the tolling of I-80: Rep. George says that it “takes guts” to support the measure, indicating that he refuses to put citizens’ lives in jeopardy. Does he not realize that tolling I-80 will jeopardize the economy of his district and the livelihood of many of his constituents? I believe that there would be ample money to fix roads and bridges if he had the guts to introduce/support legislation aimed at cutting wasteful spending in Harrisburg.
Pennsylvania has one of the largest and most expensive legislative bodies in the country!
There are many things that can and should be done: Reduce the size by of the legislature by at least 20 percent; scale back per diems and perks, and require receipts for reimbursement of expenses; eliminate WAM; institute non-performance legislation mandating that legislators receive no pay or per diems from July 1 until a budget is passed….and the list goes on!
• On his vote in favor of the 2005 late-night pay raise: He said that it was “unwanted”, but voted for it “under duress” because he was threatened with the loss of his committee chair. Frankly, I would prefer that my representative have the guts to stand firm on his convictions, instead of allowing himself to be played like a fiddle. Also, let us not forget his “I’m going to take it and be glad I got it” quote relative to the pay raise… In my opinion, those certainly are not words of protest!
• On per diems: He says that he stays at a motel ten miles from town and moves to a cheaper one when room rates are raised for special events. It is difficult to substantiate whether his frugality benefits the taxpayers, as implied. Legislators are not required to produce receipts in order to receive the maximum per diem rate, which increased to $163.00 in October. An ideal way to verify a “record of pinching pennies” would be to follow the example of a number of his colleagues and post an accounting of expenses on his web page.
Brenda Kennedy
Clearfield