Sunday, June 3, 2012

The Colleen Kennedy Experiment II...

... in which I recall the youthful exuberance, passionate belief and silly thinking of my salad days. My print column is up.

6 Comments:

Blogger Dannytheman said...

Confession time....

I voted for Jimmy Carter when I was young. We all have our own youthful indiscretions.

Bob, will probably never let me live this down.

June 3, 2012 at 10:08 AM 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Mr. Spencer brings up an interesting topic in terms of priorities. Governor Corbett decided to prioritize corporate tax cuts, almost the lowest in the nation natural gas extraction fees, perpetuation of Delaware loopholes, overly high prison budgets, and free state police coverage to many municipalities over the K-12 and higher education budget.
I agree with the governor that the state income tax can be held at 3.1%, but we could certainly fix our taxing and spending priorities in this state with:
- Charging municipalities that are too cheap and lazy to employ their own police departments for the man hours worked by the PA State Police in those municipalities. Why should somebody in Middletown who gets free state police coverage pay the same state tax I do in Media while I also pay local taxes for a police department?
- Raising the extraction tax on natural gas to the national average.
- Close the corporate tax loophole that allows PA corporations to pretend that they only exist in Delaware.
- Toll I-80 so upstate residents stop getting a disproportionate share of state highway funds compared to the gas taxes they pay.
- Increase fines and decrease jail sentences for penny ante crimes committed non-stop in spite of any laws making those actions illegal.
- Eliminating the hundreds of millions of dollars wasted on standardized testing in the public schools in this state every year.

June 3, 2012 at 12:24 PM 
Anonymous Tha Kiggin Da Norf said...

Gil, your article amounted to name calling and nigh-incomprehensible drivel. It's hilarious that you think you are something more than a relic. Like all relics, you have this tenuous grasp on modern problems and a confused temporocetric outlook. I could almost hear the bleating of a wounded animal all through your article. You and Wes Anderson have something in common, you're both incredibly pretentious (except the latter has a skill in writing). Please, think critically next time you decide to squeak up again, I'm tired of seeing your swill on my daily news.

June 3, 2012 at 6:46 PM 
Blogger CharlieSix said...

Ms. Kennedy, with all good intentions, age 22 helps the contiuum: If by age 30 you aren't a liberal, you don't have a heart. But if by age 40 you aren't a conservative, you don't have a mind. Methinks that you, Mr. Spencer, and Dannytheman can relate to that. Ms. Kennedy deserves credit for her advocacy and the initiative she took to write to Mr. Heron and then speak with him and you, Gil. But hopefully over the next 18 years she will take to heart your comments about the reality of the tough choices which governmental leaders face. And that she will know that the right choice isn't always the popular choice.

June 3, 2012 at 8:25 PM 
Blogger Dannytheman said...

There are ways to cut our costs in Pennsylvania. Drop half the State Reps and half the Senators. Good start. Take the booze business out of the hands of the State.
Privatize the DMV and other State agencies that can easily be done.

I cut costs and get better service. Win-Win.

June 4, 2012 at 11:19 AM 
Blogger jake said...

Danny has some good ideas.
Here's a few more:

Every law or regulation must have a cost/benefit analysis included with the legislation.

Public sector unions are prohibited from operating in any public entity that has raised taxes in the past year.

Personnel information including salary history, disciplinary records and performance reviews of public employees are included on the public entity's website and readily available for public inspection.

June 4, 2012 at 4:19 PM 

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