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 Editorials | Opinions | April 2007 
Fleecing of Pennsylvania Taxpayers
 Glen E. Spangler - PVNN
Every taxpayer in America needs to read "Testimony on Convention Centers and Local Economic Development." This report that was presented to the "House of Representatives Domestic Policy Subcommittee" by Hayward T. Sanders in DC last month.
Mr. Sanders report is one of several reports that tell how local & state elected officials in many states have supported spending $23.3 Billion dollars of taxpayer money for convention centers all over America. In many cases the cities and states that built them did not need nor can they attract enough tourists to pay enough "hotel taxes" to pay for them.
Guess who gets to pick up the under funded convention centers - you & me.
Pay special attention to page #13 and look at what Pennsylvania Governor Rendell has done for his home town of Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Convention Center has been loosing money for years.
In 2005 the Philadelphia Convention Center was budgeted to loose $2.2 million dollars - instead it lost $14.8 million dollars. Governor Rendell & Philadelphia elected officials decided the way to solve the problem was to spend $700 million dollars of additional money to expand the convention center.
Now Governor Rendell & Senator Armstrong have also agreed to help fund to build the Lancaster PA Convention Center. The cost will be close to $200 Million to it is completed & up & running.
The sad thing is Lancaster County PA does not need or want a convention center. Lancaster County does not have the very basic inter-structure or services (airport services & quality interstate highways or suitable weather conditions) to operate a successful convention center.
CONVENTION CENTER STUDY
Private investors like Penn Square Partners have learned how to get elected officials to use public sector money to fund the majority of the funding for convention centers like the Philadelphia & Lancaster Convention Centers.
Often convention centers get built by who ever are in office at the time at the local & state level. By the time the convention centers are built, and up and running, most elected officials move on or retire before the funding problems start. Many convention centers are built because of political payback pork projects like these two.
Close to $1 Billion Dollars have been committed to these two projects without giving us PA taxpayers an opportunity to vote on a referendum (I'm told PA Constitution does not allow it) if we want our tax dollars spent on the Governor's pork projects like these two.
Think about this, Governor Rendell could not have done this without the help of our elected PA lawmakers. Remember the pay raise issue last year?
As far as I'm concerned it does not matter if they are Democrats or Republicans alike many have proven they simply are not to be trusted.
Pennsylvania elected officials are giving our kids & grandchildren's future away. |
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