Raise Money, Not Taxes

The headlines have been full of coverage about recent flooding in communities north of Pittsburgh. Sadly, the focus hasn't even been so much on the repeated floods as much as the lack of funding to prevent future disasters.

After the horrendous floods caused by hurricane Ivan, small communities such as Millvale attempted to dredge creeks & streams to prevent future floods. The Army Corps of Engineers promptly put a stop to it, claiming that they alone have the authority to perform such work. Millvale for one was happy to relinquish the work to the ACE, but federal funding shortages & recent layoffs prohibited the ACE from doing the work.

As we approach the 3rd anniversary of Ivan's landing in Pittsburgh, these same communities are being flooded with every significant rain. Funding shortages are still keeping the work from being done.

Some geniuses have proclaimed that the government needs to move people from theses communities rather than help them to rebuild & prevent future problems. Personally, I think that's plain stupid, as these communities existed for decades with no natural disasters to speak of & are only experiencing them now because of upstream development. Instead of federal & state help, these communities should be receiving money from those who built upstream.

These developments are causing problems so they should be the ones paying to fix them. Let's face it, if you build something properly, then it shouldn't strangle the neighbors, right? So if your business, McMansion or whatever is destroying neighboring towns, then you did a pretty shitty job with the planning & execution. Therefore, you should pay to fix the problem & also reimburse those harmed by it.

And such a solution would take some time. After all, development in the northern suburbs of this city is rampant so how do we decide the percentage of fault to assign to each upstream community, business or McMansion?

But I digress, because that's a post for another day. My simpler & quicker solution is to "find" the money somewhere in the coffers of our state legislature. They can afford it. The benefits & perks awarded to them are grossly out of line with those offered in both the private sector & also those offered to similar legislatures in other states.

I'm working off of some old numbers here (from the beginning of the rescinded pay raise fury period & it's ensuing blizzard of media coverage), but I'm sure these numbers have only increased since then.

Our legislature costs the taxpayers more than 13 million each year just in car leases, per diems & health benefits. That's about 8.1 million in per diems & mine is a conservative estimation, allotting for 250 per diems per year & considering that 25% take the lesser amount because they live within 50 miles of Harrisburg.

That's 1.98 million in car leases, costing up to $650 per month each. That's more than a mortgage payment for a lot of people. That's 3.33 million in health benefits, while so many working Pennsylvanians have no health care coverage.

Did you know that we pay approximately $927.47 per month for each member's health & prescription coverage? That does not include what we pay for their dental, vision, life insurance or long-term care facility coverage.

In contrast, the employees at my small business are generously covered in health, prescriptions, dental, vision, life & disability for less than $500 bucks per month. Half of our covered employees have spouses & children on the plan, but still the total premiums paid each month average out to just $487 per covered employee.

We have modest copays, no pre-approval requirements, can visit any physician, specialist, hospital etc. (no exclusions) & no pre-existing condition limitations. Our dental plan is the Cadillac of dental coverage, with 100% in network coverage. Ou vision plan is an actual plan, not one of those phony discount cards. Every 3 years, we can get 2 pairs of frames or 2 years worth of contacts with no out-of-pocket expenses. Suffice to say that I'm not blowing smoke here, our coverage kicks ass & it costs less than half of what we're paying to cover the bums in the Harrisburg.

So if I, a lowly purchasing manager in a tiny, struggling steel fabrication shop, can shop a small group with 6 people & negotiate awesome rates such as this, why can't our elected leaders do the same?

I propose a volunteer board of working professionals be convened to oversee spending by & for our elected leaders. If they could negotiate a benefits package similar to my own, we could save the taxpayers 1.86 in just health expenses alone.

Furthermore, nobody with any business savvy or success would allow the unvouchered expenses - which could save untold millions.

Additionally, the per diems could be eliminated in favor of free lodging at select capital hotels at negotiated package rates. The car leases would be altogether abolished in favor of mileage reimbursement at the current federal rate & then paid only for trips to Harrisburg. After all, most people don't have a free commute on the company dime, why should these bozos?

Imagine how this money could be reinvested in our communities, saved & grown for emergencies, or used to lessen the tax burden.

Again, I ask my fellow voters, why not?

Once Upon a Time

I've been feeling a little uncomfortable about a recent post. I'm a firm believer that if you're going to criticize something you must also offer suggestions for improvement so I'm going to rectify my oversight right now.

The average citizen needs to view politics with a more critical eye. You don’t have to join things or campaign or do anything real involved. There are plenty of ways to make a difference without spending a lot of your time & energy. Some examples:

1. I routinely receive flyers from my state rep, touting his office as the place to go to have his staff fill out forms for you. Umm, that’s not what we pay them to do.

Why doesn't he/his staff organize professionals & organizations in the community to hold workshops on those topics? This is a win-win for everyone – you know, teach a man to fish & all that.

If a lowly construction purchasing manager can toss that out off the cuff after receiving just one stupid glossy brochure, then surely some fool in the politician’s office should have thought of it by now. If they have, they aren’t acting on it.

So to all of my neighbors: why are you still voting for this useless ball of muck? It’s not as though he’s accomplishing anything to offset such uselessness, as this is just one tiny, simple example of his gross negligence. If your productivity was nil, would you get to keep your job?

2. I’m sick & tired of hearing a person say that they don’t like a politician but voted for him because of (insert one tiny self-serving reason here, which doesn’t nearly come close to outweighing the harm he’s done). Instead of voting for someone you don’t truly support, vote for someone else then demand that the newly elected official (whatever self-serving thing you expect, regardless of the detriment to society as a whole).

Many local senior citizens like Rendell because of Pace, the state-subsidized prescription drug program that makes medications affordable for seniors. I know more than a few seniors whose only political comments pertain to how much he sucks as Governor, for various reasons. At the same time, every single one of them will admit that they “had” to vote for him because without him, their prescriptions would cost a lot more.

Well here’s a solution that will keep seniors in cheap meds & Rendell out of office in the future: Let’s all bombard our state reps/senators to demand that pharmaceutical companies stop lobbying politicians in PA. Rather than spending millions wining, dining & buying our politicos, the lobbyists should have to donate that money into a fund. That fund will then be used to subsidize the atrociously high cost of prescription drugs for PA seniors in the PaceNet program.

According to a 2006 article from the Post-Gazette, lobbyist spending increases each year, with the most dramatic increases coming from health & pharmaceutical companies. In the first quarter alone of 2005, drug companies spent $1.3 million. Imagine how many affordable prescriptions that would have subsidized.

3. Speaking of lobbyists, why are they allowed to even function? We're paying our politicians to do a job but then these special interest groups pay them much more to work against our best interests.

So let's require special interest groups to lobby the voters instead of the elected officials. The lobbyists would still have their puppets in office but at least the voters would be pulling some of the strings for a change.

Rather than spending millions wooing our politicians, the groups could spend that money on the masses. That PG article tells us that the health care lobby spent $9.1 million in the first quarter of 2005 alone. How many uninsured Pennsylvanians would have had health coverage if the money had been spent on voters instead of politicians?

In the same period, telecommunications lobbies spent $3.1 million. Just keep that in mind every time Comcast raises your rates or you write a $30 check for a landline you've used for less than 20 minutes this month.

4. Have you ever wondered why political & legislative information is so hard to come by? You hear soundbites in the media & irrelevant personal laundry aired in commercials during election season. The local newspapers pay lip service to voters by publishing disgustingly superficial voting guides. Other than that, you've got to search for any inkling of what's going on. There's a cumbersome system for looking up bills & votes on the state website. Certain groups publicize special interest issues on their own websites. But that's about the extent of it.

Wouldn't it be fantastic if there were a website that detailed our elected officials in their entirety? I've suggested this to various local media outlets, political watchdog groups, etc. but have not been able to generate any support whatsoever.

I truly believe that if the information were out there, more people would pay attention. It would have to be a non-partisan effort, giving out clean, clear facts with no editorializing. It should list each rep's resume, time in office & what they have accomplished. What legislation have they sponsored or spoken out against & what reasons did they give? It should list committee assignments as well as the person's role on the committee & the accomplishments of the committee. It should list all affiliated lobbyists, what they give & how much.

A handful of people from each voting district would be responsible for gathering facts, receiving submissions from the public & posting the information. It would take some time to set up, but once in place could be easily updated & archived. It would be a huge asset to the community. People would know real details, not just the dirt & fluff of election season TV spots. Imagine the change for the better with a better-informed voting populace.

The fact that such a useful, informative & powerful tool is of little interest even to the politically savvy is sad. We're living in political dark ages in the United States of America in 2007.

Is that an alligator in your toilet or are you just happy to see me?

Urban legends have always fascinated me (pop rocks & cola, toothing, Oliver North & Osama bin Laden, phrogging, syringes in the ball pit, etc.). I think it would be awesome to create one, although I've never made any effort to do so. But I do enjoy a good discussion about such things. Recently, the talk veered from creating an urban legend to creating slang.

As a slightly off-kilter high school student, I was always full of ridiculous ideas. Among other things, I attempted to transform normal words into popular slang after my very own language didn't catch on. At the time, I was quite chagrined that my efforts failed. In retrospect, I've come to realize that my efforts were doomed from the start by unbridled nerdiness in that all the words were geometry terms.

Me: "Wow, Jess, that skirt is so perpendicular!"
Them: "What? Is my skirt crooked? Ohmigod, is it tucked into my underwear?"

Me: "Have you heard that new band yet? They're freakin' theorom as hell."
Them: "What? They - what? Is that bad?"

Me: "Stop acting like such a rhombus, Brandon, or I'm telling Mom!"
Them: "Telling Mom what? I'm only 7. What's a rhombus? Is that swearing? I think you're swearing. Mooooooooommmmmm! She's swearing at me!"

Your Tax Money at Work

Being employed in the industry of heavy highway construction, I'm all too familiar with the myriad shortcomings of our infrastructure. Prices are inordinantly high for various reasons:

1. The state has a very short list of approved vendors & products. Some categories have only one or two to choose from. The vendors know that they have little or no competition so the sky is the limit when they set their prices.

2. Manufacturers & contractors are held to archaic standards while being subject to a degree of bureaucratic bullshit unimaginable to those in the private sector. So there's a huge premium tacked on to cover wasted time, unnecessary paperwork & other delays.

These companies jump through hoops every single day, buy more expensive materials than necessary & are constantly updating certification with various independent trade organizations -- which is extremely expensive & for the most part unnecessary yet it's the cost of doing business in this industry, thus driving up prices.

3. On the state level, inspection & oversight are subcontracted to private companies who offer little to none of the experience & accountability required of the approved manufacturers & contractors. Their level of incompetence causes delays, work stoppages, rejection of perfectly good products & all kinds of other problems that increase the cost of doing business, thus driving up prices.

* As a sidebar, I'd like to point out that these incompetent boobs don't have to have the same level of eductaion, knowledge or experience as those they oversee. However, they are required to have various certifications from independent trade organizations, which merely supports my claim of the relative uselessness of such certifications.

4. The red-tape of our state government is so thick that in many cases premiums barely cover the unnecessary costs that come out of heavy highway work. There's not a big profit margin so it's common to lose money in this industry. This drives many good manufacturers, vendors & contractors out of the sector altogether. Any reduction in the list of approved sources puts the remaining sources that much closer to a monopoly or oligopoly, thus driving up prices. It also clears the way for unscrupulous types to make out like bandits at the taxpayers' expense.

I could go on forever, but these are the main points. Pennsylvanians are all too familiar with our expansive & expensive state legislature -- much larger than it needs to be and about as useful as grandma on moving day.

What many people don't realize is that our infrastructure is being run in exactly the same way. Hundreds of unnecessary salaries, benefits & pensions are being paid every day. Those on the generous state payroll do little (if anything) to earn their keep while additional tax dollars are paid out to consultants.

After all of these superfluous "costs" are taken care of, whatever is left is the true budget for our infrastructure. And it's sorely lacking.

We use inefficient, outdated methods & materials, so the final products have a shorter lifespan & require constant rehabilitation. It would make sense to use the best, most efficient & effective methods initially, thereby saving money in the long run with less extensive & less frequent rehab of existing roads & bridges. But we don't do it that way.

Next time you follow a construction detour, get an alignment because of all the potholes on your commute, cross your fingers before crossing a bridge or drive through miles of construction zone where no work is being done, remember all of this.

While you're sitting in traffic on an insufficient road, look at your pay stub & think about just how much of your hard earned money the great state of Pennsylvania steals from you without giving anything in return. Think of the bureaucrats driving leased cars with gas cards & eating free catered meals while pocketing per diems. Remember that they have the best health benefits, free to them for life. And a pension that most can't even dream of. And then realize that even when they're convicted of a felony, they won't lose any of that if they resign before they're convicted.

You're paying for all of it. We all are. Why are Pennsylvanians taking this lying down? Why aren't we DOING something about this, any of this? If this were any type of private industry, these companies would be out of business. They couldn't survive in a free market. So why do we let this continue?

Instead of accountability, instead of sticking to a budget, instead of putting the needs of the taxpayers first, those in state government gets theirs first. Whatever is left over then gets spent on the people. If it's not enough, that's just too bad. Right Millvale? There's just not enough money to dredge the whole creek so we'll dredge part of it, alleviating the suffering of some people while simultaneously worsening the situation of others further down the creek.

Heaven forbid we cut some perks & unnecessary expenses in government to use those funds for something useful. Why not just raise taxes to fund the necessary projects?

Our state motto should be "Inefficiency - so far it's been working out ok for us".

Adventures in Homeownership

They say that your home is your castle, right? And to some extent it is but there are always invaders, er -- neighbors, to contend with. As I reach the one-month anniversary of owning my home, boy have I got some stories.

Did I ever mention that the seller's realtor was a complete nutcase? She is. Unfortunately, she's also a neighbor. Yep, lives right next door. For the most part she's been far less of a pest than I expected so I've been quite pleased that she's left us alone.

Of course, there was one early morning when my sweetie ventured outside at dawn, only to see our 70-something neighbor wearing a skimpy nightshirt sans panties & bending over! The poor guy saw everything. He was fairly traumatized, barely managing to mumble something about how he only wishes he could un-see that horrific sight & do I think Murphy's Oil Soap would clean his eyes?

The former owners had many tomato plants. Yesterday, I decided to try my hand at homemade salsa & to make a large batch of my famous marinara. Today, I set about collecting my harvest, but all of my veggies were gone. Just gone. Surely a multitude of woodland creatures enjoy the spoils of my garden but they can hardly be the culprits responsible for stripping every plant of every fruit & leaving shoeprints in the soft, fertile soil.

Crazy neighbor lady apparently believes that the veggies belong not to us but to the previous owners & since they will not return to lay claim, these now fall under her auspices by default. There have also been shoeprints under various windows, so thank heaven we changed the locks or Crazy would have likely just come on in.

My suspicions were just that until a recent morning when she took out her trash. My otherwise docile & friendly companion, Rocco the bossy dog, was dozing peacefully on the front porch when the mere sight of her at least 20 yards away sent him into an incredible rage. Having previously met Crazy, he had no such reaction at those times. What would possibly have changed his demeanor except that she skulks around our house when we're not there, peering into windows & stealing from our garden?

I trust my dog implicitly & unconditionally. I also let him pee on some of the tomato plants because hey, he likes to whiz there & we had plenty of them. I dug up the good plants & gave these to a friend. The pee plants are still in place & producing. So if Crazy Neighbor Lady wants to keep stealing tomatoes, bon appetit!