What makes this even more sad and more maddening is easily researched by googling city projects that are going unfinished and private projects / hotels / etc. that are privately funded. The monies promised are either being withheld by the lending agencies or the legislatures because there is just no money to hand out. Any number of 'boutique' hotels and public projects are unfinished with no light at the end of any tunnel and are being auctioned off to the highest bidder who will probably end up creating condos or just leveling what's been done to wait for the next prosperity wave.
In the meantime vital things like schools, public road projects, sub-par bridges and more have been denied the necessary funds in favor of pork barrel projects like the CC. In the end, everyone loses... and what makes the situation in Lancaster all the more tragic is that a building on the National Register of Historic Places was demolished - with the blessing of the local Historic Preservation Trust without all the funding in place and bills being paid.

As opposed to taxpayers in other districts footing the bill for you?

Great examples here. Gib actually does something responsible on the school funding , yet remains a reprehensible jackass and hypocrite about the CC.

What do both examples have in common? Government taking your money to either irresponsibly run something like education, or dole out favors and skew the playing field for their friends to benefit from government influence and power. Everyone still love the monopoly the government has on schools?

Nice to know that while this crap goes on and no budget is passed, they did find time to pass a House bill to establish yet another government bureau to oversee and create yet another stae license requirement and further stick their noses into our lives. But as with all state licenses I feel so much safer knowing Nanny will 'protect' us from yet another awful evil that we cannot protect ourselves from. What now you ask?

News from the Pennsylvania General Assembly

6/24/2008, 7:03 p.m. EDT The Associated Press

(AP) — MASSAGE THERAPISTS: The House voted 193-5 to establish a new State Board of Massage and require massage therapists to obtain a state license. Licensees will have to meet certain training standards, pass an exam and fulfill continuing education requirements. Therapists would be grandfathered if they have five years in the industry, have passed a national certification test or meet other criteria. The sponsor, House Majority Whip Keith McCall, D-Carbon, said most states already regulate the profession. "As a result, trained and reputable therapists are at the mercy of dishonest, unethical people who call themselves 'therapists' but give the entire industry a bad name," said McCall, who has pursued such legislation for 16 years. The bill was sent to the Senate for its consideration. (House Bill 2499)

Why did you give that business a break? Your board voluntarily screwed your own district out of the revenue that was coming to you by following Gibbie's leadership and exempting the hotel/CC from paying school taxes. Why would it surprise you that again he's cutting your funding? He has bigger fish to fry than funding your school!

Glad to know in Harrisburg they're keeping an eye on massage therapy. Where do I apply to be on the "Board of Massage"? Would I have to inspect massage parlors?

The Governor's budget would make the funding formula FAIR - AS IN EQUAL in comparison to what other districts now receive. If Armstrong's Bill is passed, We (LANCASTER CITY RESIDENTS) will have pick up where our legislatures are shortchanging us. So Armstrong is NOT doing something responsible on school funding.

I think you are wrong on that one. If I am not mistaken, the board (in one of the few instances I can recall) stood their ground for the children's sake and voted NO on the tax break for the Hotel/CC Parnters. As it was originally presented to them (school board), in the beginning they were leaning towards a YES in the Hotel/cc's favor but as with everything else associated with the White Elephant, The Authority made so many changes and took a chance the board would naively vote YES.

Fair as in the other budgets under his tenure when he promised the same thing? Fair as how he promised the slots would take care of property taxes? Maybe if you live in Philly it's fair. Again, Armstrong is a schmuck and I agree a hypocrite, but this issue of school funding should make people take a hard look at the whole concept instead of buying this bull that more and more money is going to actually improve anything.

My point was that as long as this whole virtual monopoly government has on your kids education exists, you are going to be shortchanged in terms of results no matter how much money some politician throws your way. If we truly had school choice and let parents keep the money the government forces them to pay in taxes there would be plenty of schools who would do a much better job of educating your children at a lower cost than what you are paying now.

Just one example (and please don't turn this into just a cyber school debate) is the comparison of cyber schools. Want to see fair?

Cyber schools receive, on average, less than 73% of what school districts spend, per-pupil. They receive only about 80% of what school districts spend, per-pupil, on instruction and student services alone. School districts receive reimbursements for what they spend on cyber students, effectively keeping almost 50% of their per-pupil funding for a child they no longer educate.

Here is something else you might find interesting.

http://www.commonwealthfoundation.org/poli...-all-money-gone