Sep 5, 2014
Party Above Principle
A Republican member of a local school board yesterday linked to a pension reform site, on a social network. In some strictly blue municipalities, such as Allentown, the only Republicans elected in a decade have been to school boards, and only then because they're crossed registered. As a school board member, this person is well aware that pension reform is by far the most pressing issue in Pennsylvania. Although both chambers of the State House are controlled by Republicans, they managed to avoid the issue, despite Corbett exerting pressure to pass reform. This particular board member even supported the Republican incumbent's unsuccessful opponent in the primary. So, we have a Republican school board member, in a Democratic town, who doesn't support the incumbent State Representative in a neighboring district, but still won't openly endorse an Independent. It is this sort of counterproductive partisanship which has given the voters our current paralyzed Harrisburg.
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To be fair, it's a bit unfair to lay the blame on Republicans for not passing pension reform.
ReplyDeleteYes they have a slight edge on paper in the PA House and Senate. But there are few that vote like Democrats even though they're officially Republicans.
And there's the ultimate irony - Democrat activists point out that Republicans haven't delivered on pension reform, knowing that it would take only a handful of Democrat votes to pass it.
But the Democrats, in lockstep with the public sector unions, won't let that happen.
I would argue that the solution is to find out where candidates stand on issues - whether Democrat, Republican, or independent
@7:20, after knocking on hundreds of doors, i would argue that the average voter will still vote party over issue every election, to their detriment. it's no accident that out of 253 representatives and senators, there isn't one independent or third party in the state house.
ReplyDeleteyou're correct about the democrats not wanting pension reform, but you're using plausible deniability about the republicans. when it comes down to it, they also don't want to alienate those few family union votes they get here and there.
Agreed pension reform is a critical issue. If something isn't done it could jeopardize the whole system and impact the ability to pay those already collecting as well as those still in the wings.
ReplyDeletePerhaps the school district would be better served by berating the legislature and not the teachers.
But then that might not be politically expedient.
Teachers have proven over and over again that they truly can NOT be trusted, end of story.
ReplyDeleteI cite "Common Core" as prime evidence as to why Teachers and their union representatives are NOT respected anymore.
The teachers have made their bed ... it IS time to lie down.
@8:10, i agree, I place on blame in harrisburg. while the democrats are openly in bed with the unions, the republicans have failed to enact pension reform although they have majority in both chambers of the state house.
ReplyDelete@8:48, previous school boards approved of the contracts responsible for the current crisis. even though the tobash amendment protects all current employees, and only changes the game for future hires, even harrisburg has failed to act.