The time is now ... so fix these problems

It seems the elephants and the gorillas, which reside in Harrisburg, and almost every other seat of government in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania are finally going to get some

serious long overdue attention.

The elephants, being the billions of dollars of unfunded liability due the state public pension plans, and the gorillas, the massive amount of future contributions required to keep the plans going. In 2001, during the Ridge administration, the state Legislature voted to approve Act 9, which bestowed upon the enactors, a rich increase in an already lucrative pension plan, a

shortening of the vesting period, and a few other self-serving goodies in the pot, throwing gas on an existing fire. In order to insulate themselves from possible criticism, and/ or the

possibility of having to revoke the act, they pulled in the state workers (SERS) and teachers (PSERS). This is the same bunch that pulled the midnight pay grab in 2005, remember

that? And – quite a few of them are still hanging around Harrisburg on the public dime.

Most of us who work in private enterprise, know that defined benefit plans such as the state model are, and have been for quite some time, dinosaurs or walking dead, take your pick.

They’re brutally expensive to fund, and are saddled with onerous governmental compliance requirements (also expensive). These plans are blatantly unsustainable. They are sucking

the life out of every municipal budget in Pennsylvania, draining the educational coffers dry, and killing the availability of basic general public services.

We are now hearing what seem to be genuine noises from some members of the Legislature attempting to make needed corrections in the face of a new political playing field. Our new

governor has come out with a budget which attempts to solve insolvency by taxing, borrowing, and shifting funds. He has completely ignored the pension problem, other than proposing to cover part of the deficit by more borrowing; renewed can kicking, some lipstick for said elephants and gorillas. As our former governor refused to fee the fracking business, the new guy refuses to take on the pension disaster. Can we say “campaign contributions/payback”? At least the previous guy tried a last minute, ham fisted shot at the pension crisis trying to save his job.

We applaud the stand of the Senate majority leader, and the other legislators on both sides of the aisle who recognize that the time is now to fix the problem. No more kicking cans and

hiding behind “contractual complications”. The Legislature created/exacerbated this disaster, so they can bloody well fix it. Check with your senator and representative. Find out where

they stand and why. If they dance, shift, and won’t commit, they are not serving you, this state, and the vast majority of the citizens in it. Their main concern is themselves, and

getting cash to be re-elected, and are not worth your vote.

Our “representatives” have failed us completely on: Liquor privatization, property tax reform, ethics transparency, campaign funding reform, legislative slush fund/perk reforms, etc., etc. Public pension overhaul cannot be the next blank fired from these always empty chambers. Eric Rohrbach

West Goshen

Congressman Costello makes ALS a priority

After I was diagnosed with ALS seven years ago, my wife and I decided to do all we could to defeat this disease, for myself and for all families touched by ALS. That includes not just raising money and awareness, but also participating in advocacy in Washington, D.C., where we ask lawmakers to support ALS research and care services. Each year, we hope elected officials will listen.

Thankfully, Congressman Ryan Costello has made ALS a priority from day one. With less than 100 days in office, Congressman Costello has already agreed to support the ALS Registry and the ALS Research Project at the Department of Defense, both vital programs to find new treatments. Not only that, but he has advocated for people with ALS locally to get essential visits with the VA and procure the services they need. We are always glad to speak out about the ALS fight, but it is even better to know that people like Congressman Costello are listening and acting. Steve Potter West Chester