Disenfranchisement Push Continues

The push by the wannabee lords and ladies to disenfranchise the citizens of Pennsylvania continues.

Jack Nagel, a professor emeritus of political science at Penn, has a guest view in today’s (June 25) Philadelphia Inquirer about how the unicorns will play and the rainbows will shine if the size of our legislature is shrunk as per the proposed constitutional amendment passed by the State House that is pending before the State Senate, or –better yet in his view — have the entire legislature turned into a unicameral body with proportional representation like a European parliament

The Amendment on the table while not turning our legislature into a total highway to central government control as per Nagel’s wish will cut the size of Pennsylvania’s House from 203 to 153 and the size of the Senate from 50 to 45 (the Senate’s preference) or 38 (the House’s preference).

The argument being made is that it will save money as our legislators draw a base salary of $84,012, which is second highest in the nation behind corrupt California.

OK, help me out here. If we were trying to save money wouldn’t it be better to cut the salary by 25 percent rather than the number of representatives by 25 percent?

Even better yet, how about we cut the salaries to $7,500 — which is what Texas legislators get — and leave the size as is? That would be a 91 percent savings.  Texas by all accounts is doing pretty well.

Or how about this: we cut the salaries of the legislators to $7,500 — and end all benefits — and expand the number of senators to 67 with each county getting its own senator.

That way Anthony Williams won’t have to represent Philadelphia and Delaware counties.

Disenfranchisement Push Continues