Lawmakers cater to the powerful
“Convoluted,” “cockeyed” and “twisted priorities” are the words that come to mind in consideration of some of the gyrations of our inimitable members of the General Assembly, who have a habit of catering to the powerful, moneyed special interest rather than the general public. Here are some examples:
聽– The approval of a measure which allows Democratic convention delegates to order alcoholic beverages until 4 a. m. rather than 2 a. m. and to provide a temporary reprieve from the requirement that alcohol be purchased through the byzantine, inconvenient, and expensive remnant of Prohibition, Pennsylvania’s state store system. Pennsylvania residents are not as important or worthy of freedom from government red tape as conventioneers who visit Philadelphia, so Big Brother will reimpose his iron fist immediately after our visitors depart. I wonder if any honorable and principled lawmaker refused to vote for the one-week relaxing of the rules relating to alcohol unless and until they are set aside permanently and for all.
聽The 2016-17 state budget, which achieves balance only through the use of rose-colored glasses, optimistic predictions, and a wing and a prayer hikes the cigarette tax by $1 per pack and imposes increased levies on snuff, e-cigarettes, and vaping, but allows cigars to remain untaxed, the purported reason being that cigar manufacturers would move their operations from Pennsylvania if it dared to beleaguer the industry with a tax that is currently imposed in 48 states. How many who object to corporate welfare and handouts in principle voted to provide precisely that to the cigar barons? I suppose talk is cheap and outrage is selective when an industry which contributes big money to elected officials talks.
聽In a body which is loath to increase any tax or reduce spending, budget balance is achieved by figuratively searching the kitchen cupboard for spare change. In this year’s blueprint, $200 million was found, in a way, the Commonwealth to borrow that amount of money from a surplus in the medical malpractice fund, promising to repay it over a period of years. Time will tell and I would not bet on it happening.
An “oldie but goodie” in bizarre law concocted by our leaders is the exemption which endures in order to allow casino patrons to indulge their other addiction: smoking, while on the gaming floor. Protecting the casino industry is certainly more important than safeguarding the health of workers. They knew that in order to enjoy a good casino job, they would have to endanger their health, so if they did not like it, they should have chosen some other line of work!
Oren M. Spiegler is a resident of Upper Saint Clair.