Twas The Night Before Christmas

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse

The poem “Twas the night before Christmas” by Clement Clarke Moore reminds me of story about another mouse who lived in a farmhouse. One day, a delivery truck pulled into the driveway. The little mouse was anxious to see what was being delivered. He hurried into the house just in time to see the farmer open the small package. Much to his horror, he saw the farmer lift a mousetrap out of the wrapping!! He ran outside and said to the chicken, “There’s a mouse trap in the house”! The chicken answered, “I’ll say a prayer for you. That’s all I can do”. The mouse then ran to the pig and said, “There’s a mouse trap in the house”! The pig said, “There’s nothing I can do about it. It’s not my problem”. The little mouse then ran to the cow and said, “There’s a mouse trap in the house”. The cow asked, “What did the chicken and the pig tell you”? The mouse told the cow what the chicken and the pig had said. The cow said, “Well, there’s nothing more I can suggest”.

The little mouse walked slowly back into the house, all the while thinking that he needed to be extra careful from now on. That same night, when all was dark and quiet, and all were asleep in their beds, a loud SNAP was heard. The farmer’s wife, thinking they had trapped the mouse, went to see if they had. She had only a small candle for light and before she realized it, saw that they had trapped a poisonous snake by the tail. The snake had bitten her in the leg and she became deathly ill.

The first thing the farmer thought of to give his wife was what so many of us give to family members who are sick. He took his ax and, after dispatching the chicken, made chicken soup for his wife. Unfortunately, the chicken soup did not help. Some family members and neighbors came to help with his wife’s care. Certainly the farmer had to feed all who came to help so he took his ax and dispatched the pig. Even with all the help with his wife’s care she did not get any better. In fact, she past away a few days later. Family members came from far and wide to the funeral. In order to consider the needs of all those who came to the funeral, the farmer once again took his ax and, you guessed it, dispatched the cow.

The moral of the story is that what may be a potential problem for one of us may be even a greater problem for all of us. We need to work together to solve the original problem so we can all benefit.

When I have attempted to explain the effort Sam Rohrer has made to have the School / Property Tax Elimination Act passed, quite a number of folks stop me. They then state, “It will never work” or “I think my idea is better”. They then go on to describe how they would deal with the problem. Unfortunately, I may be the only one to whom they relate their idea. Perhaps they may also tell a few friends and family members. But, they never take any further steps to tell anyone of importance who may be able to incorporate their idea into a workable plan of action. The end result is the situation remains the same and none of us benefits.

We all know what to expect as the new year starts. As the new year progresses toward spring, we will be inundated with TV ads telling us we should vote for a particular politician because he / she know just what we need. They make promises that are designed to win our hearts and minds and lull us into a false sense of security. Meanwhile, that same ad will point out how their opponents are so inept, unqualified, and uncaring. Some of the ads are so accusatory; you may wonder why the politician who is being attacked so viciously has not been found guilty and sentenced to spend time in jail. We are then treated, to yet another round of accusations by that opponent about the one who initiated the accusations. And so it goes on and on until we become so confused about who is telling any truth we don’t bother to watch TV at all.

Remember what our present Governor told us? He promised a property tax reduction of 30% to 40% if we voted for him. Perhaps you were one of the fortunate few (very few if any) who saw his promise come true. As for me, and virtually everyone else to whom I’ve spoken, no such reduction was ever delivered.

One thing we all have to remember is that all politicians will make grandiose claims and promises in order to get us to vote for them. Somehow, we need to identify which one(s) will work to deliver what they promised. As the election draws closer, some newspapers will print comparisons of the politicians in order to make sense out of all the claims we have heard or read. Some TV news programs will present similar information. Before you read or hear any such information, I’ll let you in on a real scoop!!!

Now, in my mind, right is right and wrong is wrong and never the twain shall meet. So far, there is only one politician who has not made any promises. He did not just recently reveal a plan to pull all of us Pennsylvanians out of the financial hole in which many, if not most of us, find ourselves. He has worked tirelessly for a number of years to abolish Property / School taxes. His plan (House Bill 1275) is not a “vote getting ploy” as are others that are being touted to accomplish the same thing. (see my last blog “The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly”). That politician is Sam Rohrer. You can learn more about him at www.SamRohrer.org .

Unless you are one of the few who have been untouched by the present financial crisis, you can not begin to think of giving Christmas gifts each of which is worth thousands of dollars!!! Believe on not, you can give gifts worth that much!! It will not cost you anything to give these gifts. It will require a little of your time however. You will not have to travel from store to store (saves time); you will not have to scrimp or sell your possessions to buy these gifts (saves money). All you have to do is tell everyone you know and everyone you meet about Sam Rohrer and his plan to abolish school / Property taxes. It’s that easy!!

Come on now, let’s all pull together to get ourselves out of mess!!

Semper Fidelis

Nurse John

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

The Good

On Tuesday, 17 NOV, Sam Rohrer announced his bid for governor of Pennsylvania!! Who is Sam Rohrer? Please go to the web site http://www.samrohrer.org/ and you can watch and hear the man who will be our next governor. It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words and it is certainly true. I could go on and on about the man and his attributes but I feel I could not adequately describe my respect for Sam. He has been working tirelessly for us Pennsylvanians in his attempts to have the House Bill (HB) 1275 passed but has been thwarted by special interest groups. The lobbyists for those groups have influenced other politicians in Harrisburg to vote against him and his HB. We're still working on it though.

The Bad

On Thursday, 19 NOV, a repeat of the meeting in Oxford, PA the previous Thursday was held at the fire house in Parkesburg, PA. Once again, Tom Houghton, a State representative from Chester County, was the speaker. He presented essentially the same information heard at the Oxford meeting with one exception. He announced that he: "Had signed on to HB 1275". Now I ask you, if he indeed has "signed on to HB 1275", why would he continue to tout the benefits of some other HB? Specifically, the HB he is promoting is yet another HB that promises to "abolish school / property taxes"!!! That bill is HB 1965 introduced by another politician, Tim Seip of Berks County.

Let's compare the two House Bills, each of which promises to abolish school / property taxes. The first thing that is noticed is the dramatic difference in the number of pages between the two. HB 1965 (Seip's bill) requires just ten (10) pages to supposedly satisfy the monumental task of abolishing school / property taxes (SPT) and at the same time, providing funding for the continuence of education. Wow!!! Now that is a very clever trick and in just 10 pages. Meanwhile, HB 1275 (Rohrer's bill) is spelled out in two hundred and six (206) pages!! One may accuse Rohrer of being verbose or that his HB covers virtually every contingency.

Comparison of Good and Bad

Let's look a little closer at the two House Bills:

1. Forever abolishes SPT for homesteads & farmsteads
HB 1275 - SPT is totally eliminated as a method of taxation and is
constitutionally guaranteed never to return.

HB 1965 - Not possible to eliminate the SPT using the method in the bill.
Plan does not generate sufficient revenue to totally eliminate SPT

2. Eliminates taxes like the local school EIT & per capita tax
HB 1275 - Yes - with only the exception noted below in #3

HB 1965 - No

3. Does not allow schools to levy taxes without voter approval
HB 1275 - Yes - Local EIT or PIT allowed for special projects ONLY with voter
referendum

HB 1965 - No

4. Education cost controls
HB 1275 - Limits growth in school expenditures to the rate of inflation or
available revenue

HB 1965 - None

5. Guarantees minimum per-pupil funding to all schools
HB 1275 Yes - In accordance with the 2007 costing-out study; no longer will
the quality of a student's education be dependent on their Zip Code. In
addition, all schools will initially be fully funded to meet current obligations.

HB 1965 - No

6. Adjusts school district funding with changes in student population
HB 1275 Yes - Unlike the current 1991 school funding formula that gives
windfalls to some districts while shortcoming others as student populations
increase or decrease.

HB 1965 - No

7. Eliminates district-to-district taxing inequity
HB 1275 Yes - Districts without a large commercial tax base will no longer
depend solely on homeowners to fund education

HB 1965 - No

8. Education cost savings
HB 1275 Yes - Combines high-rate school debt into one low-rate state bond
issue; replaces all individual school healthcare plans with one state-level plan
Annual savings is approximately $ 1 billion

HB 1965 - None

9. Technology driven school program cost analysis for further savings
HB 1275 Yes - Data Driven Decision Making (D3M) technology supplied to all
school districts to guage curriculum cost effectiveness

HB 1965 - None

10. Replacement revenue source
HB 1275 Expanded sales tax base at current 6% rate with exemptions for life
necessities; 0.5% state PIT increase replaces eliminated local EIT. Revenue
sufficient to totally eliminate SPT.

HB 1965 Expanded sales tax base at current 6% rate with exemptions for life
necessities; generates insufficient revenue to totally eliminate SPT because of
unnecessary exemptions.

11. All taxes collected used for education funding thereby resulting in property tax
elimination
HB 1275 Yes - All revenue is deposited into a lockbox account to be used for
education finance ONLY

HB 1965 No - $ 1 billion of revenue is used for general fund expenditures during
first three years after enactment; no guarantee that this will not continue beyond
the scheduled cutoff date

12. Completely restructures the broken PA education finance system to align it
with 21st century reality
HB 1275 The property tax system is a 19th century holdover; distribution of state
funds to the schools is inequitable. The SPTEA restructures the way schools are
funded, bringing education finance into the 21st century

HB 1965 No

13. True education finance reform
HB 1275 Yes - The ONLY plan that accomplishes real reform

HB 1965 No

14. Taxpayer endorsement
HB 1275 Yes - Endorsed by 34 taxpayer advocacy groups statewide

HB 1965 None

Want to know more? Go to http://www.ptcc.us/ (Pennsylvania taxpayers Cyber Coalition) for a ton of information.

The Ugly

As noted above, a picture is worth a thousand words. Having said that, ckick on the following for a blockbuster. Make sure your sound is on. Once the picture starts, click on the news item regarding lost revenue for one school district in the upper right of the screen. Admittedly, it's a rather long web address but the video is worth it especially for all Pennsylvania school boards. http://wfmz.img.entriq.net/htm/PopUpPlayer-v3.htm?articleID=1300653

Semper Fidelis

Nurse John

Mixed Bag of Events

The past week and next have been and will be a number of meetings each of which have dealt and will deal with the means to tax the citizens of Octorara school district and the expenditures of those monies.

LAST WEEK'S MEETINGS

On Monday, 9 NOV 09, I met with Dr. Tom Newcomb, the district superintendent. I had not been officially notified if I had won a seat on the school board. I was not sure if the notification should come from the school district or the voting offices in Chester and Lancaster counties. Dr. Newcomb stated that the notification should come from the county offices. He went on to say that he felt that I will indeed be seated and that there will be a ceremony on 7 DEC 09. I asked if he had set that particular date. He replied that, "It just worked out that way". I later spoke with Paul of the Lancaster office of voting who stated that, "The votes would be tabulated by 23 NOV and sent to Harrisburg. You should expect to receive a certificate soon thereafter".

I attended a meeting of the school board later in the evening and was introduced to the other board members. I met Mr. Dan Carsley, the financial officer of the district, who has replaced Mr. Lee. The open meeting followed a meeting of the Facility committee. At that meeting, the supervisor of the company executing the rebuilding of the high school gave a report on the time line of the job (on schedule) and the items that still remain to be completed. Given that I was not yet an official member of the board, I acted strictly as an observer.

I was told by a resident of Christiana that a rumor was circulating concerning the cost of a statue of an American Indian which now resides in front of the high school. The resident stated he heard that, "The statue cost $30,000"! I told the resident that I would obtain some details on the matter. On Thursday, 12 NOV, I met with Mr. Carsley and told him of the report of the "rumor". He stated that, "The statue did in fact cost $29,000 but that it did not come from district funds. It came from booster monies".

In the evening of 12 NOV, I attended a meeting in Oxford, PA at the Senior Citizens Center. The meeting's principal speaker was State Representative Tom Houghton from Chester county. He spoke of a number of issues in the townships in his area but the main topic he presented was the House Bill he introduced that will change the State constitution so as to allow another bill to be introduced by another politician. That bill he stated, "Will result in the abolishment of property / school taxes"!! As you may imagine, there was great interest in his presentation from the packed house. Unfortunately, in addition to describing the details of his bill and the bill to be introduced, he also talked about yet another bill that was introduced last year by Sam Rohrer, a State Representative from Berks county. That bill is House Bill 1275 and is designed to abolish property / school taxes. Mr. Rohrer had to attach HB 1275 as an amendment to HB 1600 last year just to get his bill out of committee so that it could be discussed on the floor of the House. In that form, it was defeated but still remained intact but in committee. Mr Rohrer re-introduced the bill on 29 OCT 09 and at this time it is in committee once again.

As a result of the details of all the bills discussed, I can only imagine that a significant number of folks were somewhat confused or at the very least, felt that they could do nothing about the process that would be required to effect some degree of influence on the decision making process in Harrisburg. At this point, I will refer you back to the previous blogs I have posted that detail what we all can and need to do to "light a fire" under the politicians so that they will stop their infighting and adopt the only bill that will definitely abolish the property / school taxes. That bill is HB 1275. A comparison between HB 1275 and the bill to be introduced that purports will do the same thing is dramatic. There are too many "Could Be's" and "Maybe's" and "If's" in the bill yet to be introduced. HB 1275 is "rock solid".

NEXT WEEK"S MEETINGS

Next week's meetings start off with another school board meeting on Monday evening. Again I will be just an observer. I'll report any details I can in next week's blog.

On Tuesday evening, I will attend a Historical event at the Spring Twp. Fire Dept. in West Lawn, PA (near Reading, PA). At that location, Sam Rohrer is scheduled to announce his intention to run for the governor of our state in next year's election!!! OK everyone, it's time to step up and be counted. I have worked on behalf of this man and his mission to have HB 1275 passed for the past two years. He is a tireless advocate for our well being and deserves our utmost dedication. If you want to receive the same promises, evasions, untruths, etc. we have received from our present governor, vote for the other guy. If you want dedication and truth, work for and vote for Sam Rohrer!!! More to come relative to Sam and his quest later.

On Thursday, 19 NOV, another meeting at the Borough bldg. in Parkesburg, PA. State Representative Tom Houghton will again present his bill to those who attend. I will be at that meeting and report about it in next week's blog. Untill then -

Semper Fidelis

Nurse John

PHASE TWO to SAVE $

Step One - Phase Two

In the past four blogs, the focus was dealing with the politicians and their unethical decisions regarding our money. This blog will look at the other end of the spectrum, the local school board and how they spend our tax money.

Three years ago, I attended a school board meeting at Octorara school district. At the point when the audience was invited to ask a question or make a statement, I raised my hand and was recognized. When I stood, I recounted how appreciative I was to God that I was healthy enough to continue to work. I further stated that I had to find a part time job in order to pay my property / school taxes. A school board member stood and stated, "We don't care". It was at that point that I realized it was a "them or me" scenario. I decided it was going to be a "me" scenario.

In 2007, a "Tax Summit" meeting was held at the high school. Seated on the stage was a collection of politicians, representatives from the surrounding boroughs, and an MC. There were approximately 600 folks in the audience. The MC introduced each of those on the stage and the meeting proceeded. The audience was told that any question they may have should be written on a 3" x 5" card and submitted to the group on stage. While some questions were answered, the fact that they had been written on cards gave the politicians on stage an opportunity to totally ignore other questions. All in all, the general meeting was a dismal failure in that we essentially were told that "this is the way it is and nothing will change".

After the general meeting, each politician retired to a separate room where folks were able to ask questions and some attempt was made to answer them. It was at one of these smaller meetings that I learned of the State wide organization The Pennsylvania Taxpayers' Cyber Coalition". I couldn't wait to get home and go to their web address to see what it was all about. I felt like a kid on Christmas morning when I began reading all the information on the web site!! The site address is www.PTCC.US

I began formulating a plan to alert folks in my area that there was something they could do about the tax situation other than complain to their relatives, neighbors, friends, and c0-workers. I made up an announcement sheet, had 500 copies made and posted them in all the local businesses, and slipped the rest under folks windshield wipers. I needed a place to hold the meeting I was advertising and a small local restaurant owner offered her place for our use. It was soon realized that it would not be large enough so she asked the local fire chief if the firehouse could be used.

We held our first meeting at the firehouse on 15 JAN 1007. A crowd of 150 folks attended and David Baldinger, the administrator of PTCC was the main speaker. Quite a number of folks had questions that were answered by David. The meeting was video taped by a local business. One of the attendees was the Octorara school district superintendent. He and David discussed the mission of the PTCC after the meeting. As a result of the meeting, a group was formed and accepted into the PTCC. We call ourselves CLASTA (Ches-Lan Anti School Tax Assoc.) WE were the 27th group in the organization. There are now 34 groups.

Shortly after, I realized that getting the politicians to change their ways was going to be a genuine challenge. It was then that I decided that perhaps I could begin looking at the other end of the money trail. I was given an opportunity to seek election to the school board this year and I began to work toward that end. I succeeded in getting my name on the ballot for the primary in MAY and just last Tuesday I was rewarded with 332 votes in the general election. One promise I will make to the first meeting of the school board and to the residents of the school district is that I will never respond to anyone, "I don't care". I do care. That's the reason I applied for the position on the board.

It is my intention to: question every proposition; understand all the details before giving my vote; consider those who were taxed and those on whom the taxes will be spent. I feel it is incumbent upon me as a board member to arrive at decisions that are considerate of all concerned. In this financial climate we all have to "tighten our belts".

If you feel so moved, perhaps you would be willing to consider becoming a board member of your local school district rather than assuming what you feel is an unjust tax burden and liken it to a penance for some sin(s). You will be on the "inside" and perhaps be able to influence the board not to simply "rubber stamp" every request made for more money without in depth consideration first.

Semper Fidelis

Nurse John