Nearly 2,000 House of Representative staffers pulled down six-figure salaries in 2009, including 43 staffers who earned the maximum $172,500 — or more than three times the median U.S. household income.
Starting salaries on Capitol Hill are still low — many entry-level congressional jobs pay less than $30,000 a year. And many of the most highly paid staffers could make several times the maximum by jumping to lobbying and consulting jobs in the private sector.
But the salary data, compiled for POLITICO by LegiStorm.com, show that it’s possible to make an enviable living in Congress, even without winning an election.
The 43 staffers who maxed out at $172,500 — the salary cap for leadership and committee staffers — include John Lawrence, chief of staff to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi; Paula Nowakowski, the late chief of staff to House Minority Leader John Boehner; and House Parliamentarian John Sullivan. They earned only slightly less than rank-and-file members of Congress, who make $174,000.
All the salary data are part of the public record and are culled from congressional office disbursement reports.
So much for the myth of "public servants" forgoing big money in the private sector to devote themselves to toil for the government.
Despite the media blitz, the letter telling you the form is coming, the form itself and the post card reminding you to send back the form, the U.S. Census Bureau reports that only 16 percent of American households have participated so far in the 2010 Census.
What could be the problem? Could it be mistrust of the federal government? Just a guess.
From a story by Hope Yen of The Associated Press:
Roughly 100 million households to go.
One week after U.S. census forms were mailed to 120 million households, about 16 percent of the nation has completed those forms and sent them back. That number puts the government on its way to matching or surpassing mail participation rates in 2000 of 72 percent, the Census Bureau said Wednesday.
The bureau will continue to accept mailed-in forms through most of April.
From May until July, it will send census-takers to each home that doesn't reply by mail, which is more costly and sometimes leads to more inaccurate responses. The Census Bureau has estimated it would save $1.5 billion in follow-up visits if everyone who receives a census form mails it back.
Medicare is broke. Social Security is broke. The postal service is broke. The entire federal government is broke. Why am I having such a difficult time believing that Obamacare will end up reducing the federal deficit, just like Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi say?
From POLITICO:
The Democratic health care bill would cost $940 billion over 10 years and cut the federal deficit over the next two decades — figures that should help ease the worries of fiscal hawks who have been reluctant about supporting the sweeping measure.
The bill would reduce the deficit by about $130 billion in the first 10 years and by $1.2 trillion over the second 10 years. It will expand coverage to 95 percent of Americans, according to Congressional Budget Office figures released Thursday by House Democrats.
Why do I have such a hard time believing the government? Would Obama lie?
There really are two Americas, but the divide is not between rich and poor, black and white, Democrat and Republican.
The gap is between the growing governing elite and the working class paying taxes to support the permanent political class.
From a thought-provoking column by Dr. Mark W. Hendrickson, adjunct faculty member, economist, and contributing scholar with The Center for Vision & Values at Grove City College:
The truly revolutionary American idea of government as the servant of the people may be fading away. Many of today’s so-called “civil servants” are a protected, privileged class. While Middle America struggles through a difficult recession, a lot of government employees have lived on the gravy train.
Here are some facts to buttress that assertion:
Since the recession began in 2008, a period during which approximately eight million private-sector workers lost their jobs and millions more saw their income decline, the number of federal employees is increasing at a 7 percent per-year rate and their income is holding up quite nicely. According to the Cato Institute, the average federal worker’s pay and benefits now approximates $120,000 per year, or roughly double the compensation of the average private-sector employee. Factor out the lavish government fringe benefits and look at salary only, and the civil servant is still far ahead: $71,197 vs. $49,935.
During this recession, the percentage of federal employees earning annual base salaries above $100,000 increased from 14 to 19 percent. The number of Defense Department employees being paid more than $150,000 per year increased from 1,868 to 10,100. Before, the Department of Transportation had one employee with a salary above $170,000, but now has 1,690.
Read the full column by The Center for Vision & Values at Grove City College Web site.
Recent news accounts have food stamps being used for items such as liquor, Viagra and porn.
This is what happens when the government is in charge of something.
Congressional candidate Pat Meehan has some thoughts about the waste of your tax dollars at his blog.
"Rather than continuing to spend without regard for the future, Congress needs to buckle down and launch a more concerted effort to root out waste and abuse," Meehan writes.
If you're looking for an objective look at spending in Pennsylvania, The Commonwealth Foundation is your best source of information.
The Commonwealth Foundation has released two new analyses of the Pennsylvania State Budget.
Pennsylvania State Budget Overview
* Think the state budget is only $29 billion? You might be surprised to learn that the total Pennsylvania operating budget is $66 billion, or $5,300 for every man, woman, and child.
* Think that the state government has a balanced budget, and therefore doesn't borrow like the federal government? Wrong! Pennsylvania state debt is $42 billion, an increase of 78% since Gov. Rendell took office. The state budget now includes over $1 billion on debt payments alone.
* Have you heard that Gov. Rendell has slashed spending to the bone? In reality, he has increased the General Fund budget by 45%, or $9 billion, since taking office, more than double the rate of inflation.
* Think public schools and welfare are underfunded? Under Gov. Rendell, state spending on K-12 education increased 46%, and on Public Welfare by 68%
Citizens Against Government Waste (the nation's largest nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government) has released its list of nominees for 2009 Porker of the Year.
The six finalists were chosen by CAGW staff from among 12 worthy Porkers of the Month for 2009, and voters are free to pick anyone else they believe deserves this dubious achievement award.
"Porker of the Month" and "Porker of the Year" are dubious honors given to lawmakers, government officials, and political candidates who have shown a blatant disregard for the interests of taxpayers, according to CAGW.
The candidates are:
-- Rep. Russ Carnahan (D-Mo.) - Named July's Porker, Rep. Carnahan was caught on videotape by a vigilant citizen blogger at a town hall meeting held in St. Louis where he grossly misrepresented the costs associated with the controversial healthcare reforms bills under consideration in Congress.
-- Rep. Neil Abercrombie (D-Hawaii) - Named August's Porker, Rep. Abercrombie ranked first in earmarks in the House in fiscal year (FY) 2009 with 44 projects worth $256.8 million; he routinely abuses an already-stretched Pentagon budget to reward favored contractors and supports funding a wasteful and unnecessary alternate engine for the Joint Strike Fighter.
-- House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank (D-Mass.) - Named March's Porker, Chairman Frank had expressed outrage over reports that insurance giant and TARP recipient AIG had distributed millions in bonuses to its executives. The Chairman has made ample contributions to the nation's current economic meltdown, spending years defending the activities of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and once telling The New York Times that the companies were not facing "any kind of financial crisis."
-- Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) - Named October's Porker, the four-term Texas senator claims to be a fiscal conservative, but requested 149 projects worth $1.6 billion for authorization and appropriations bills for fiscal year 2010, exemplifying the tiresome hypocrisy of some members of Congress who claim the badge of fiscal conservatism while continuing to abscond with billions of dollars in pork.
-- Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood - Named January's Porker, the then newly-minted Transportation Secretary and long-time porker in the House was about to preside over the distribution of tens of billions of tax dollars for transportation projects in the stimulus package passed in February, 2009.
-- Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) - Named June's Porker, Rep. Waters provoked a tussle with House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey (D-Wis.) over her intention to obtain an earmark for the Maxine Waters Employment Preparation Center, a facility within the Los Angeles school system, reminding taxpayers that members of Congress still have not banned the practice naming projects after themselves.
Be sure to thank a Democrat for keeping a watchful eye on your tax dollars.
From POLITICO:
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) spent $2,993 in taxpayer money on flowers between June and October. House Majority Whip James Clyburn has a thing for Chantilly Donuts, spending about $265 at the Virginia shop in the past quarter. And Rep. Tim Walz (D-Minn.), a fiscal conservative, decided to give about $2,000 in unused office funds back to the government to help reduce the deficit.
Independent reviews of Obama's claims of job created by the stimulus bill show that the government is making up numbers. As Rep. Joe Wilson so aptly said it, "You lie!"
From Watchdog.org:
Just how big is the stimulus package? Well for one, it has doubled the size of the House of Representatives, according to recovery.gov, which says that funds were distributed to 440 congressional districts that do not exist.
According to data retrieved from recovery.gov, nearly $6.4 billion was used to “create or save” just under 30,000 jobs in these phantom congressional districts–almost $225,000 per job. The Web site operates on an $84 million budget and is tasked with monitoring the distribution of the $787 billion stimulus package passed by Congress–which, for the record, counts 435 members–in early 2009.
It's clear you can't trust anything coming from the Obama Ministry of Propaganda or the state-run media that should be reporting on the most corrupt and deceptive administration ever.
Economist and author Allen W. Smith is on tour to promote his book, "THE BIG LIE: How Our Government Hoodwinked the Public, Emptied the Social Security Trust Fund, and caused The Great Economic Collapse"
The Joint Economic Committee (JEC) House Republican staff, which earlier this year created a chart mapping the bureaucratic complexity of Speaker Nancy Pelosi's original health care proposal (H.R. 3200), has combined similar analysis by the House Republican Conference with the earlier chart. The analysis details new additions to the health care bureaucracy contained in the new version of the Speaker's bill (H.R. 3962) that were not previously listed. Let's just say the Speaker's vision for government-run health care hasn't gotten any simpler.
"This is the blueprint for a taxpayer-funded mega-bureaucracy," Boehner said "The new chart is an astonishing and unsettling glimpse of the future that awaits American health care, should H.R. 3962 be passed by the House and signed into law."
The chart, completed at the direction of Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX), the committee's ranking House Republican Member, shows that the Pelosi plan has grown even more complex in the months since it was originally unveiled by congressional Democrats.
Pew Analysis Shows Amtrak Lost $32 Per Passenger in 2008
This is what happens when government runs a railroad. It loses money. And Obama/Pelosi want the government to take over the health care system. Guess what's going to happen.
The Commonwealth Foundation has launched a new Web site and public service campaign called BankruptingPA to educate taxpayers about "wild and unaccountable government spending."
The Foundation is looking for feedback to help it choose the most effective message and imagery to make this effort as successful as possible, says Commonwealth Foundation CEO Matthew J. Brouillette.
Visit the new Web site at www.BankruptingPA.com, click on the "VOTE" buttons n the right side of the page and leave comments or criticisms.
"Time is of the essence. Please help us ensure BankruptingPA is successful," Brouillette adds.
PA GOP blasts Sen. Casey for 'blind support' of ACORN
Republican Party of Pennsylvania Chairman Rob Gleason is pleased that the U.S. Senate voted overwhelmingly to deny federal housing funds to the controversial left-wing advocacy group ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now).
However, Gleason questioned U.S. Senator Bob Casey Jr.'s decision to join six of his colleagues in support of ACORN funding.
"Sen. Bob Casey's blind support of this corrupt organization is questionable at best," Gleason said. "ACORN continues to be exposed as a corrupt organization that should not be receiving federal funds under any circumstance. The recent videos depicting ACORN on a number of occasions giving out advice on how to cheat and lie on your taxes were appalling and further confirmed my suspicions about this questionable organization.
"With all things we have learned about ACORN, I cannot understand how Senator Casey could support ACORN. Sen. Casey owes it to our Commonwealth and his constituents to explain his vote."
On Monday, the U.S. Senate voted 83-7 vote in favor of an amendment that stripped out funding to ACORN in a housing and transportation bill. ("Senate Denies ACORN Funding," Politico, 9/14/09, http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0909/27153.html)
Casey, a freshman Democrat, was one of the seven votes against the amendment. ACORN is under investigation in nine states for allegations of voter registration fraud.
Auditor General Jack Wagner: Potential for massive welfare fraud in PA
One of the reasons for the growing mistrust of government is the fact that there are so many documented examples of money being wasted or handed out without property accountability.
A new audit conducted by the Pennsylvania Auditor General has found that 45% of the payments in the Department of Public Welfare's Special Allowance Program were issued without documented justification.
From a press released issued today by Wagner's office:
Auditor General Jack Wagner said today that a Department of Public Welfare program that provides cash assistance to welfare recipients seeking employment was rife with mismanagement and poor oversight, creating an environment for potential fraud and abuse that could cost taxpayers tens of millions of dollars.
In a special performance audit released today, Wagner's auditors found insufficient documentation to justify 45 percent of the 3,201 special allowance payments examined. Specifically, auditors found insufficient documentation for 163 recipients totaling $564,700 in cash for clothing, child care, tools, transportation and other expenses.
Wagner said his concern over potential fraud stemmed, in part, from the fact that DPW has acknowledged potentially fraudulent handling of special allowance funds in Philadelphia and reported cases to the Office of Inspector General for further investigation.
"With the commonwealth facing its greatest budgetary challenges since the Great Depression, all of us in state government must do everything we can to stretch every dollar and eliminate the potential for waste, fraud and abuse," Wagner said. "Department of Public Welfare management must provide greater leadership and be held accountable for its mishandling of taxpayer dollars, and must ensure that these vital funds are not wasted and are used appropriately so that these funds are available to assist some of Pennsylvania's most vulnerable citizens who are eligible and truly need the benefits."
A Central Pennsylvania television station recently calculated that the Pennsylvania Legislature is burning through $50,000 a day in taxpayer money every day it convenes since the June 30 fiscal year deadline.
And what is the most expensive state legislature in the country doing with its time (other than debating the budget, of course)?
Pennsylvanians can take comfort in knowing that while their elected representatives couldn't cobble together a cohesive state budget by deadline, they nevertheless were dutifully at work attending to pressing public matters.
Among some lawmakers' priorities: a resolution on the Borough of Dushore's 150th anniversary and legislation on county park police training requirements.
Then there's that crucial legislation from Rep. Babette Josephs, D-Philadelphia, which bans the forced implantation of computer chips in humans. What a relief!
Maybe this crew should draft legislation banning the replacement of state representatives with cyborgs. With regard to some, it's difficult to differentiate the human beings -- those capable of intelligent problem-solving -- from what appear to be preprogrammed robots at work on the assembly line at the Susquehanna Sausage Factory.
Now, it doesn't require an awful lot of intelligence, artificial or otherwise, to figure out that a growing multibillion-dollar state deficit, looming for months, would demand considerably more focus in state budgeting this year. And yet, once again, the clock ran out without a fiscal accord in hand.
Thus began the backroom dealing, with Gov. Ed Rendell's 16 percent income-tax hike in the balance. And, ultimately, the adoption of a state budget that will be handed to the public as a done deal.
This, sadly, is what passes in Pennsylvania as "representative government."
Gov. Ed Rendell imposed a hiring freeze last fall to help deal with the state's massive budget deficit. The ban has been violated at least 100 times, including by Rendell himself.
Rendell also imposed a ban on out-of-state travel. That's been violated too.
The latest example of government workers taking expensive trips was uncovered by a Pittsburgh television station.
From the station's Web site:
A Team 4 investigation finds pension fund employees staying at five-star resorts in London, Paris and even Monte Carlo -- and the way they're paying for these trips is raising concern with top state officials.
Earlier this year, Team 4's Paul Van Osdol found state employees spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on trips after Gov. Ed Rendell ordered a travel ban.
Officials of the two big state pension funds say they've been able to get around the travel ban because taxpayers are not paying for most of their trips. Instead, the investment managers hired by the state are covering the cost.
Here's the catch: The state employees traveling to these exotic places are the same people whose job it is to keep an eye on the money managers paying for the trips.
Read the full story, "Team 4 Investigates: Pa. Pension Workers Taking Lavish Trips," or watch the actuall report at the station's Web site.
The White House late Friday released the infamous NYC flyover photo ... and released the top Barack Obama aide responsible for the fiasco.
The April 27 photo-op, which panicked New Yorkers, ended up costing taxpayers $328,835. It also cost Louis Caldera, the White House official who authorized the stunt, his job as head of the White House Military Office.
From The Associated Press:
As former Army Secretary Caldera took the fall for the flyover, the White House put out the findings of an internal investigation that portrayed him as out of the loop in a cycle of missed messages and questionable judgments as plans for the photo shoot proceeded.
Caldera said he didn't know Air Force One would fly at 1,000 feet during the April 27 photo promotion, according to the investigation findings. He also failed to read an e-mail message describing the operation and seemed unaware of the potential for public fear, the findings said.
Local officials had been notified in advance. But it was a shock to New Yorkers who looked up to see the Boeing 747 and its fighter jet escort flying near the Statue of Liberty and lower Manhattan's financial district, a terrifying reminder of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in which jets brought down the two towers of the World Trade Center.
Just another day in the most incompetent administration to ever occupy the White House.
Postmaster General John Potter told Congress today the U.S. Postal Service will run out of money this year without help from the government.
The Postal Service lost $2.8 billion last year and expects a bigger loss this year, Potter said. The agency is projecting a $6 billion loss in 2010.
How the hell do you lose that much money when you're a government monopoly?
Potter is asking Congress for permission to cut Saturday mail delivery to save $3.5 billion, but it still doesn't get the Postal Service out of the red. Maybe Potter can hire some of the executives at AIG.
If you need any further proof that the government can't do its most basic jobs, look no further than the Postal Service.
So of course, Barack Obama wants the government to do more, including taking over the health system in this country.
Picture yourself waiting in line to see a doctor just like you wait in line to buy stamps.
PA GOP blasts Rendell for hiring 'budget publicist'
Pennsylvania Republican Party Chairman Rob Gleason is wondering why Gov. Ed Rendell is violating his own hiring freeze for a $100,000-a-year consultant to publicize how Rendell plans to spend the $18 billion the governor expects to receive in stimulus dollars from the federal government.
"Gov. Rendell's decision to hire a consultant to spread the word about his spending initiatives is outrageous," Gleason said in a statement. "Gov. Rendell proves once again that the taxpayers never win. He is using Pennsylvanians' tax dollars to publicize the egregious spending he is doing. Even more troubling is the fact that he gave the contract to a former employee. At a time when ethics are being questioned in Harrisburg, the governor's actions will do little to assure weary Pennsylvanians. So much for a hiring freeze!"
More from Gleason's press release:
According to a report from the Associated Press, Gov. Rendell is paying a former employee, Ken Snyder, $100,000 to publicize the programs he funds with the billions of federal economic stimulus dollars the state expects to receive.
Gleason concluded, "Democrats at every level continue to fail our nation on the economy. In the midst of an economic crisis, our President has spent more time filling out his NCAA basketball bracket and appearing on late night television than he has dealing with the fact that his Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner continues to make costly mistake after mistake. Here in the Keystone State, Governor Rendell is using the stimulus dollars to launch a media campaign to better his image in the media. I am not sure this is the 'change' people were looking for when they cast their ballots last November and I guarantee Rendell's publicist will do nothing to help our economy get back on track."
For more on the Pennsylvania Republican Party, visit its Web site, http://www.pagop.org/
News item: The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board is spending more than $173,000 to improve employee manners — making sure clerks say "hello," "thank you" and "come again" to customers.
I don't know about you, but I'd put up with rude sales clerk if we could purchase liquor cheaper.
Since the liquor store system is a monopoly in Pennsylvania and proceeds go into state coffers, I think we can safely point to this as another example of how government wastes our money.
From the Tribune-Review article:
Eric Epstein, a Harrisburg activist and founder of RockTheCapital.org, a voter education project, called the idea "a demented interpretation of happy hour."
"It's a sad state of affairs when you have to train people to be kind and courteous," he said.
Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele released the following statement on President Barack Obama signing the stimulus bill:
"Americans looking for jobs and struggling to pay bills will be disappointed by the spending package written by Congressional Democrats and signed by President Obama today. The transparency and bipartisanship that President Obama promised the American people was sacrificed to pass a pork-laden bill without any public review or meaningful Republican support.
"In these difficult economic times, it is imperative that Republicans and Democrats work together to create new jobs and grow the economy. Instead, Congressional Democrats worked behind closed doors to write legislation that will fall short of creating the promised new jobs, but will guarantee a larger debt burden on our children and grandchildren.
"Republicans are unified in our disagreement with Congressional Democrat leaders and President Obama on this bill. It all comes down to this - the Democrat plan focuses on putting Americans on the public dole, while the Republican plan focuses on putting America back to work.
"The Republican Party stands ready to work together in a bipartisan manner with the Democrat leaders in Congress and the President. Hopefully they will learn from the mistakes in this bill and be interested in true bipartisan efforts in the future."
The Center for Public Integrity has launched a new blog called The Daily Watchdog, which will compile investigative reports from around Washington, D.C. -- from the Government Accountability Office to Inspectors General to Congressional oversight committees.
"We'll be compiling these (often-overlooked) investigative reports, so you don't have to go searching for them," the Center said in announcing the new site. "The Daily Watchdog is your go-to resource for the latest results of important federal investigations."
Be sure to bookmark the site and check it often. The Democrats are back in power in Washington, but I'm afraid little has changed.
Among the objections voiced by Republicans to the Obama/Pelosi stimulus: "the bill isn't temporary because it calls for a permanent expansion of government that could add hundreds of billions of dollars to the federal budget every year."
Read a transcript of the full GOP response by following the link below:
Gerlach opposes largest spending increase in U.S. history
The House of Representatives just voted 246-183 to approve Barack Obama's $787 billion "stimulus" plan, without a single Republican supporting the massive pork bill.
The 1,071-page bill goes to the Senate, where Democrats will approve it with the help of the three RINOs (Republican In Name Only), including Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania.
U.S. Rep. Jim Gerlach, a Republican who represents Pennsylvania's 6th Congressional District, voted against the biggest federal spending increase in U.S. history and said the bill is so massive that Washington could send a check for more than $10,000 to every family of four in the 6th District.
I live in the 6th District and I'd love to get my hands on a check for $10,000.
From a press release issued by Gerlach's office:
"Instead of getting checks from Washington, generations to come will be giving more of their hard-earned paychecks to the federal government to pay for this spending plan that tops $1.1 trillion when debt costs are added," Gerlach said. "It's fitting that this bill is being rammed through the House on Friday the 13th because it's truly a nightmare for our children and grandchildren who will be stuck paying off the mountain of debt. What started out as a process to get Americans working again degenerated into a big-government spending spree.
"Some have tried to claim that this legislation is crucial to rebuilding our roads, bridges, and highways and giving a boost to our public transit systems. However, just 3.5 percent of the $787 billion will be spent on highway and bridge projects. And nearly twice as much -- $15 billion -- will be spent on giving $1,000 tax breaks to individuals who do not pay a penny in federal income tax as will be spent on public transit -- $8.4 billion. With spending priorities like that, it's no wonder that nearly 60 percent of the people in a Jan. 23 Rasmussen Poll feared too much government spending would occur in the next two years.
"I understand that this is a time of extreme economic uncertainty and that we have an obligation to work on policies that help American workers collect paychecks instead of pink slips. However, I am confident that most of my constituents are just as puzzled as I am about how many jobs will be created by spending $650 million on digital television converter box coupons."
"Congress has missed an historic opportunity to roll up our sleeves and work together with President Obama on a bipartisan bill. Republican proposals to ease the tax burden of the unemployed by eliminating the federal income tax on unemployment benefits were brushed aside. And legislation that I have sponsored to reward American companies that provide health insurance and retirement benefits to workers and keep their headquarters on U.S. soil was never considered."
Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell and his crack economic team couldn't find much fat to trim from state spending, which now tops $60 billion a year.
In announcing his $29 billion 2009-10 General Fund budget last week, the governor proposed $750 million in additional spending despite the fact the state is headed toward a $2.3 billion deficit by June.
Instead of making much-needed cuts in spending, the governor came up all sorts of schemes to increase revenue, including legalizing video poker machines and raising tobacco taxes.
The Commonwealth Foundation, an independent, non-profit public policy research and educational institute based in Harrisburg, has stepped in to help the governor make some cuts.
"There are billions of dollars in wasteful spending that must be cut immediately in order to restore Pennsylvania's fiscal and economic health," Matthew J. Brouillette, president and CEO of the Commonwealth Foundation, said in announcing the release of a new report, "Government on a Diet: Spending Tips 2009."
The report offers suggestions on how the governor and Legislature can eliminate $5 billion in "unhealthy state government spending that is impeding prosperity and burdening taxpayers."
From a statement issued by Brouillette:
"We can reduce state spending without jeopardizing our most vulnerable citizens. We want the citizens of Pennsylvania to be more aware of how state government is misspending their hard-earned tax dollars, and we hope lawmakers use this report as a guide for ending the economically destructive tax-borrow-and-spend approach."
The report, co-authored by Nathan Benefield and Elizabeth Bryan, identifies wasteful spending on non-core state government functions, including: corporate welfare, "Yellow Pages government" and self-service government.
Examples include:
1. $75 million in tax credits for Hollywood executives to produce films, including $5.7 million in credits for "Zach & Miri Make a Porno." 2. $225,000 for a parade in Philadelphia. 3. $200,000 to restore golf courses.
To obtain a copy of the 24-page report, visit the Commonwealth Foundation Web site or call 717-671-1901
Pennsylvania Auditor General Jack Wagner has faulted the Department of General Services for "weak leadership, incomplete record-keeping and little accountability" in how 16,000 state vehicles were being assigned and maintained.
"With the commonwealth facing a multibillion-dollar budget deficit, DGS must seize the wheel and take control of Pennsylvania's vehicle fleet, to save taxpayer dollars and to ensure the public that the privilege of operating a state vehicle is not being abused," Wagner said in releasing his findings.
Wagner said reforms must address three main deficiencies: program decentralization, lack of proper documentation, and lack of transparency.
He recommended eight steps that DGS should take to improve leadership and accountability.
Follow the link below to read more about the state's mismanagement of 16,637 vehicles. It's your money.
Tony Phyrillas is the city editor and political columnist for The Mercury, a two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning daily newspaper in Pottstown, Pa. Phyrillas has won several national and state awards for his columns. Phyrillas has been featured on National Public Radio (NPR) and in The New York Times and is a frequent commentator on radio and television programs. He co-hosted "Talking Politics with Tony Phyrillas & Mike Pincus" on WPAZ 1370 AM.
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