Just A Little Humor

Once upon a time in the kingdom of Heaven, God was missing for six days. Eventually, Michael the Archangel found him, resting on the seventh day. He inquired of God. "Where have you been?"

God sighed a deep sigh of satisfaction and proudly pointed downwards through the clouds, "Look, Michael. Look what I've made."

Archangel Michael looked puzzled and said, "What is it?"

"It's a planet," replied God, "and I've put Life on it. I'm going to call it Earth and it's going to be a great place of balance."

"Balance?" Inquired Michael, still confused.

God explained, pointing to different parts of earth.

"For example, northern Europe will be a place of great opportunity and wealth but cold and harsh, while southern Europe is going to be poor but sunny and pleasant.”

"I have made some lands abundant in water and other lands parched deserts. This one will be extremely hot…while this one will be very cold and covered in ice."

The Archangel, impressed by God's work, then pointed to a landmass and said; "What's that one?"

"Ah," said God. "That's Pennsylvania -- the most glorious place on earth. There are beautiful mountains, streams, hills, and forests. The people from Pennsylvania are going to be handsome, modest, intelligent and humorous and they are going to be found traveling the world. They will be extremely sociable, hardworking and high achieving, and they will be known throughout the world as diplomats and carriers of peace.

Michael gasped in wonder and admiration but then proclaimed, "What about balance, God? You said there would be balance!"

God replied wisely, "There will be Michael, wait until you see the idiots I put in Harrisburg."

Author unknown
nopropertytaxes@yahoo.com

Keep The Fight Alive!

Keep the fight alive! It is obvious that our legislators are not going to pass any meaningful property tax reform. There are many reasons why!

First and foremost is the fact that property tax reform in many areas of Pennsylvania seems to be a non-issue so why would representatives and senators vote positively.

Until the homeowner’s throughout the Commonwealth understand that, at a minimum, school property tax can be eliminated, we will not see change. People across the state must become as angry about property taxes as they were about the “pay hikes”.

Most people are not interested in or are afraid of broadened sales and use tax. What may not be understood is that by broadening sales and use tax we can eliminate our biggest burden, which is school property taxes.

Even if a school property tax bill would be only $500.00…..that is $500.00 too much. That same homeowner would have to spend $10,000 in one year on taxable commodities to equal their school property tax bill. The above is an extremely low estimate. Let’s consider the homeowner that is paying $2000.00 per year in school tax…they would have to spend $40,000 on taxable items in one year to equal their school property tax bill.

There is a need to educate the public in general about property tax reform. I can’t believe that if people understood the benefits associated with broadened sales and use tax they would not support it.

Property tax reform needs to happen. Not just property tax relief! Even if the state, in its generosity, gives each homeowner $400.00 in property tax relief how long do you think it will take before your local school board increases your taxes and steals away any relief you might see. The state needs to rescind local school board authority by way of education finance reform, which goes hand in hand with school property tax elimination.

Our elected officials have gone out of their way to keep property tax reform quiet. It is time that we as middle class Pennsylvania homeowner’s get loud!

I continue to encourage everyone to e-mail you friends, family, business acquaintances and educate them as to the benefits of property tax reform as opposed to property tax relief. Unless we get the word out there and have people across the state tell their elected officials that they want school property tax elimination it will not matter who is seated in the House and the Senate….property tax reform won’t happen!

Continue to e-mail representatives and senators to let them know that you want school property tax elimination. Regardless of where these representatives and senators are from they will vote on this issue which in turn directly impacts on your quality of life! Remember, they ALL work for ALL of us!

Please keep the fight alive!

For complete lists of e-mails for Representatives and Senators please write to nopropertytaxes@yahoo.com

Education Funding

Why has education funding decreased and property taxes increased in the Commonwealth of PA? Why has the Governor and General Assembly abandoned any commitment to a consistent formula for funding basic education?

I have been told that the dilemma concerning property tax reform and finance reform for education does not have a “one size fits all” solution. I strongly disagree.

First, education is a state responsibility, embedded in the Constitution. Second, this responsibility is exercised through a partnership of the state and local school boards. Third, financial responsibility for the system is shared between the General Assembly and the school boards.

Although education is a state function embedded in the Commonwealth’s Constitution, Pennsylvania has a long tradition of local control. Throughout most of the state’s history, local revenues have been the major source of funding for public education.

Real estate taxes are a serious problem. Counties set their own assessment standards, resulting in inconsistent and often unfair assessments of individual properties relative to one another. The property tax burden has increased significantly over the past several years because school districts have had to use property tax as a means for making up for the declining state share of education costs.

Pennsylvania continues to have one of the nations most ineffective and unfair statewide funding systems for elementary and secondary education.

The share of statewide elementary and secondary education costs supported by state appropriations in Pennsylvania is far below the national average and ranks Pennsylvania near the bottom of 50 states. The amount of state funding is several hundred dollars less per student than the national average.

As a result of insufficient state funding, public education in Pennsylvania is more dependent on local taxes, especially property tax, than most states.

Also, as a result of insufficient state funding, public education in Pennsylvania is very dependent on local wealth and Pennsylvania therefore has one of the most inequitable funding systems.

We have been “tuned in” to special sessions of the legislature. The General Assembly is in session throughout the year. It has no authority in special session that it does not have in regular session. Special session is much about public relations and potentially about focused attention. The leaders and members of the General Assembly seem to continue to be unwilling to acknowledge the direct relationship between the state’s low funding for school districts and students and the high property taxes in Pennsylvania.

Our legislators have the opportunity to make history with “meaningful property tax elimination and education finance reform”. Yet, for months they have not been able to come up with, or agree to, any meaningful proposals. Governor Rendell’s gaming revenues will not give the property owners the “total relief” that is needed. We can no longer wait for “future” dollars to appear. We need property tax reform NOW.

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania needs to rescind local control and assume total responsibility for funding education.

Call, write, or e-mail…just make sure your voice is heard!

www.nopropertytaxes@yahoo.com for e-mail lists of Representatives and Senators.

Information taken from December 2005, The Education Policy and Leadership Center

Make Your Vote Count

I always believed I was doing my civic duty by going to the polls on Election Day and voting for the people I felt were the best candidates. I then went about my business and never looked back.

I have voted every election since I have been eligible to vote. I believed that the people that were elected into office were there to represent my best interest and I need not be concerned. HOW NAÏVE!

I have never before been a political activist. It has only been since my rude awakening concerning “lobbyist and government” that I realized my interests were not necessarily being served. I had no idea, until these last few years, the mess that has been created in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania on the local, county and state levels. “We the people” also share some of the blame for putting total trust and confidence in our elected politicians. I think we all realized how that trust was violated with the middle of the night “pay hikes”. “We the people” must now be the “watchdog” and challenge decisions being made that directly impact our quality of life.

One of the most important areas where our State has failed us is “education”. Everyone “talks the talk” about children being our future and how important education is to our nation. Yet, every year our State’s contribution to the education of our young people seems to be less and less. The State does not contribute their fair share towards the cost of education, has done nothing to relieve the unfunded and underfunded mandates on school districts (NCLB and IDEA) and have allowed school districts unlimited spending that falls on the backs of the residential property owner. Lobbyist groups, such as teachers unions, seem able to get whatever they need to support teachers salaries, benefits and pensions but the State’s contribution to education has not kept up with the ever rising costs.

There are so many things in our system that need to be “fixed”. My primary focus is presently on education. I still believe in the elimination of school property tax. I still believe in a more fair and equitable system of funding education by way of broadened sales and use tax. I do believe that the State should collect and disburse the funds associated with education and take control away from the local level.

Our Representatives and Senators have failed to come up with, or agree on, any plan that would provide meaningful tax reform and look seriously at the way in which education is funded. The Commonwealth needs to step up to the plate and get serious about education instead of paying just lip service. They need to contribute the funds that are necessary to insure a good education for all children. On a local level, our school districts need to become more fiscally responsible. They cannot continue to create unbalanced budgets and spend money that they anticipate collecting through property tax increases every year. The Commonwealth homeowner has been “tapped out”.

Our elected officials need to get out of the back pockets of the special interest groups…all of them…and start representing the common folks that they are supposed to represent. With this being an election year, I believe, all residents in the Commonwealth need to seriously look at the candidates in their district. Investigate what they have voted for or voted against concerning property tax reform and other important issues. If they haven’t done the job then let’s get people in office who can. Check out PA Clean Sweep at www.pacleansweep.com and join the movement to clean house in Harrisburg!

Our Governor of Philadelphia needs to be replaced by a Governor of Pennsylvania!

nopropertytaxes@yahoo.com for e-mail lists of all Representatives and Senators.