QUOTE(greidel @ Jan 31 2008, 07:36 AM)
It's no secret that I am not a fan of Mr. Sturla. But he got it right this time. Lawmakers DID promise property tax relief for everyone from slots revenue. Legalizing gambling was very unpopular, especially here in Lancaster County. The silver lining was that we would all get the benefit of reduced property taxes from it. Shame on the Republicans for forgetting this, especially the Republicans from Lancaster County. Remember those evils you said gambling would bring to Pennsylvania? They affect ALL of us, not just seniors.
Polititians love to owe us something tomorrow for some unpopular idea today. Usually that something never comes (remember when Bush Sr. broke his "No new taxes" pledge in return for promised spending cuts... that never came?). The time has long come for the Pennsylvania Legislature to hold up their end of the bargain on this one.
I am 40 years old and I own my home in the School District of Lancaster. And I want a serious property tax cut, measurable in hundreds of dollars. Until that happens, I consider the gambling monies promise unfulfilled. Additionally, as far as I'm concerned, we property owners should have gotten our relief before they skimmed millions off the top for new stadiums in Pittsburg and Philly and other pet projects.
All the blame cannot be placed upon the Republicans. Remember, the Democrats hold a majority in the state house and many, many Democrats voted for this plan the other night.
That being said, what has transpired is nothing short of criminal. We were told gambling would fix the property tax problem in PA and as we all know, that is far from happening. Look at the other proposals that were voted upon recently: almost all included new taxes to supliment the gambling revenues meaning that gambling is certainly NOT the solution.
