Put Tax Hikes to a Referendum

County Press, Second Thoughts (Suburban Philadelphia) ^ | 6-15-05 | William W. Lawrence

[Temple Owl]

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=14691322&BRD=2549&PAG=461&dept_id=514258&rfi=6

But, don't put the entire blame of high taxes on the shoulders of our school board members. They have a thankless job. They are caught between parents who demand smooth sailing and greedy teachers' unions, and you know who holds the trump cards.

When a school board starts to negotiate with the unions, they - teachers, janitors, bus drivers, cooks, whatever - know there is a blank check on the table. The objective of the union is to grab as much lucre as possible.

When school boards do not need your say-so on union demands, there is not much incentive for saying 'No' to soaring taxes.

And this is because of state law. If school districts were allowed to replace (fire) teachers at the end of a contract, you would not be renting your homes.

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Another great way to get the unions out of your pocketbook is to put a tax increase to a referendum vote - but without having to worry about a casino coming to your neighborhood.

Let the people footing the bill have a say. As long as we remain the vanquished and downtrodden, we will never see tax relief. We must rise and overcome.

It is the one-sided authority of school boards to hike taxes, without the direct consent of the people, that has burdened Pennsylvania homeowners and taxpayers with the third-highest per-pupil revenue in the nation. Our generous taxpayers have made teacher salaries the highest in America when adjusted for the cost of living.

But, even as Pennsylvania public school spending is among the highest, our childrens' academic achievement pathetically ranks among the five worst states in the country, according to the SAT college entrance exam.

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[Temple Owl]

Check out the rest of the column. I had to keep the excerpt to the minimum.

[Temple Owl]

Ping. See what you think about it.

[Tribune7]

This will go a long way in solving are tax and education problems in Pa.

And this is because of state law. If school districts were allowed to replace (fire) teachers at the end of a contract, you would not be renting your homes.

***

Another great way to get the unions out of your pocketbook is to put a tax increase to a referendum vote - but without having to worry about a casino coming to your neighborhood.

Let the people footing the bill have a say. As long as we remain the vanquished and downtrodden, we will never see tax relief. We must rise and overcome.