WRITEMARSH!: This Sheds an Awful Lot Of Light On The Ballot Question

Sunday, November 2, 2008

This Sheds an Awful Lot Of Light On The Ballot Question

H/T to JCS for sending this to me…it’s an eye opener on the ballot question, which reads:

Water and Sewer Improvements Bond Referendum: Do you favor the incurring of indebtedness by the Commonwealth of $400,000,000 for grants and loans to municipalities and public utilities for the cost of all labor, materials, necessary operational machinery and equipment, lands, property, rights and easements, plans and specifications, surveys, estimates of costs and revenues, prefeasibility studies, engineering and legal services and all other expenses necessary or incident to the acquisition, construction, improvement, expansion, extension, repair or rehabilitation of all or part of drinking water system, storm water, nonpoint source projects, nutrient credits and wastewater treatment system projects?

Well, the following was sent out by the PA dems, which sheds an awful lot of light on the referendum:

Dear Fellow Democrat,

Vote YES!

Every day more than 10 million Pennsylvanians depend upon a supply of clean and safe drinking water from public systems. But much of our drinking water and wastewater plants as well as miles of water and sewer pipes are nearing the end of their life-span.

On November 4th when you vote for President, you will also be asked if you will you support a Clean Water Referendum that invests $400 million in Pennsylvania’s waterways and provide safer, more dependable drinking water and sewer services. I am writing to you today to strongly urge you to vote YES on Act 64.

If approved, the Clean Water Referendum will provide new resources for repairs and upgrades to Pennsylvania’s water infrastructure. The money will be used to provide more dependable drinking water and sewer services. This money will be available to your community and many others all across the Commonwealth.

This is a huge investment in the Pennsylvania economy. With the Clean Water Referendum, we will create nearly 12,000 jobs in Pennsylvania and provide for millions of dollars in infrastructure upgrades. So, vote YES on November 4th!

You can click here to learn more about the Clean Water Referendum.

Vote YES for cleaner and safer water!! Vote YES for more jobs!! Vote YES to invest in Pennsylvania. Vote YES on November 4th!!

Sincerely,

Edward G. Rendell
Governor

P.S. Once you vote for Obama/Biden, don’t forget to vote for the rest of the Democratic ticket and to vote YES on Act 64! Don’t stop at the top!

If Rendell is behind this, I'm leery of it. Besides, my local governing body already taxes me for sewer and stormwater improvements/maintenance and Aqua PA adds hidden costs into the price of wter delivery to provide for upkeep on the potable drinking water infrastructure...this is nothing more than another hidden tax to fund Fast Eddies pet socialist projects.

B.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...: I'm a spending conservative and I support this bill. There is some government spending that makes sense and cannot be accomplished by the private sector.

Infrastructure. Infrastructure is an investment in our economy. It is an ivestment that has 100% local benefit. Infrastructure is not a subsidy for the inefficent (like corn) or a handout or pork barrell. It is exactly what this country once did best then forgot about.
It is one of the few expenses that trickle down. Look at commerce due to the Eisenhower Interstate system. Look at the vast aquaduct system that supplies Manhattan and allowed it to become the financial capital of the world. Look at the Hoover Dam that spawned an entire city devoted to adult excess.

Everyone agrees that the economy is in the sh*tter and needs stimulus. We could bailout the failed investment firms whose execs get $20 MM bonuses. We could give everyone a $1000 to by a HD TV made in China. Or we could invest in something that will benefit the local economy for the next 30 years and create jobs that cannot be sent oversees. Pensylvania pipefitteres, road workers, electricians - put to work - paying Pennsylvania taxes - seeing the benefit to their local economy. Wrong? Anti Conserative?

Let's see how loud you scream when that little bridge, that you drive over everyday, falls into the creek and you cannot get to work.

You are opposed just because the Democrats support this? You're smarter than this.; November 2, 2008 at 11:16 PM
Bill Shaw said...: I'm opposed to this because for the past 8 years, money that was supposed to go to roads and bridges has been diverted to bail out SEPTA.

I'm opposed to this because Rendell put an extra 700 million into the budget, had no way to "pay" for it, and couldn't raise our taxes in a presidential election years (if he wanted support for the "d" ticket).

I'm opposed to it because my local municipality already taxes me enough to do these projects (I get a sewer/stormwater bill in Whitemarsh).

And, I'm opposed to it because I already pay Aqua PA for infrastructure improvement for what the ballot initiative calls, "expenses necessary or incident to the acquisition, construction, improvement, expansion, extension, repair or rehabilitation of all or part of drinking water system [...]

Yes, I am smarter that that...I'm not opposing this because it's democrat sponsored, but because it's just a bad referendum for another bad tax. Period.

We'll have to agree to disagree.

B.; November 3, 2008 at 12:09 AM