editorials.png

Our Opinion: Sex trade’s victims in NEPA too often ignored or treated solely as criminals

web1_113538309-73aaea27073a463cba0c8dca24d2bd25.jpg

Nephew in Netflix’s ‘Making a Murderer’ is ordered released from prison

<p>The pension debacle that has transformed the budget landscape of every school district in Pennsylvania was given even more destructive energy recently when our elected officials chose to ignore this monstrous, ever-growing, $63 billion unfunded disaster.</p><p>Sadly, because our elected legislators have chosen to close their eyes to the inevitable catastrophe for schools and taxpayers, the unfunded pension deficit has grown from $7.6 billion in 2006 to about $63 billion.</p><p>Notably the state index for each school district goes up and puts added pressure on the local taxpayers. More and more property owners seek relief through assessment appeals, which helps only temporarily because a rise in millage reduces the savings that a reduction in assessment provides. Taxes have increased for property owners an average of $600 per household since 2008-2009.</p><p>This trend will continue under an unrealistic &#8220;fix&#8221; such as Act 120, enacted in 2010 and which relies on an 8 percent return on investment.</p><p>The constant drain of our tax dollars &#8211; to support bigger government, more entitlement spending, and unnecessary subsidies to big labor and big business ($800 million, by the way) &#8211; reduces and practically eliminates investment in our education infrastructure: books, classrooms and even school buildings.</p><p>Electing the same old faces with the same old ideology that has created and sustained the erosion of what could have been an unsurpassed educational experience for our children while expecting a different result is, by definition, insanity.</p><p><strong>Patrick P. Musto</strong></p><p>Dallas</p><style>
.neFileBlock {
	margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
	margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
	border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
	padding-bottom: 5px;
	padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
	font-size: 85%;
}
</style>
<div class='neFileBlock'>
<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/web1_letter-to-editorUpdated-8.jpg">
<div class="neCaption"></div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/web1_letter-to-editorUpdated-8.jpg</photo0><caption0></caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>

Letter to the Editor: Bring some sanity to Pennsylvania’s $63 billion pension problem