Unemployment Calls Center Closings Political Game
By Sen. Scott Wagner
Contained in this column is a response letter that I submitted to the York Daily Record regarding the closing of state Unemployment Compensation Call Centers.
Very simply put – it is time to “Drain the Swamp in Harrisburg.”
I am completely sympathetic toward the union employees affected by this political game orchestrated by Governor Wolf.
Last month I met a Maryland State Senator and she was asking me how I liked being an elected official.
I told her a few stories of the waste, fraud and abuse that I see every day in Harrisburg and how powerless I see our Legislature when it comes to out of control spending.
She made a statement to me which cut right to the center of the problem in Government, whether in Harrisburg or Washington, DC.
The Senator stated, “The real problem in government is the career bureaucrats who work in government as a full career. They watch elected officials come and go and most times have an attitude that we have to put up with certain elected officials until they move on or get out of government. These career bureaucrats are the belly of the beast.”
How true is that statement ?
Trust me on this – the people who elected me are the real patriots. I am honored that the voters trusted me. I can assure you on this point – I will not stop until the swamp is drained in Harrisburg. I am on my way to the scuba shop to get the gear necessary to go down in the water, find the drain, and drain the swamp.
There are billions of dollars being wasted in Harrisburg – it is time to hold people accountable.
Below is the letter.
I am writing in response to Carl Huber’s letter to the editor (“Scott Wagner playing Scrooge this holiday,” Nov. 28).
Unfortunately, the call center employees have become political hostages of Gov. Wolf – so don’t blame me or my senate colleagues.
I was elected as a Pennsylvania state senator to do a job. I am expected to do my job. I will not be a rubber stamp for waste, fraud and abuse in Harrisburg.
There is an alarming amount of taxpayer money being wasted in Harrisburg. I see it first-hand every day. This project was fed approximately $240 million over the last four years with zero accountability. Now the senate is being pressured into throwing another $57.5 million down a black hole without any questions being asked.
In 2006, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania signed a $106.9 million contract with IBM to be completed in 2009.
IBM’s contract was to give the state a new computer system to track employee wages, employer taxes, handle unemployment claims, appeals, and payments.
In July of 2013, the state terminated the contract with IBM because it was $60 million over budget. The $60 million was in addition to the $106.9 million initial contract, and it was 42 months late. What happened with this contract? Who was held accountable for the cancelled IBM contract?
Later in 2013, the Legislature voted to allocate $60 million per year for four years, and that ends at the end of this year. This was for the same project that was contracted with IBM and then cancelled.
So let’s recap for taxpayers – $106 million plus another $60 million for IBM. Add the last four years of $60 million per year for a total of $240 million – all for a grand total of more than $400 million in taxpayer money.
Everywhere I go throughout the state, taxpayers complain to me about the pension crisis, school property taxes, and many other hot button issues such as lack of accountability in Harrisburg. If we don’t stop the waste and abuse of taxpayer money, we will never fix other problems in Pennsylvania.
Without getting into too much detail, there is another project that has wasted almost $1 billion of taxpayer money over the last 10 years, and that is the statewide radio system. Guess what – the statewide radio system doesn’t work!
Gov. Wolf recently terminated the 10-year failed radio contract and re-signed with another company in the last 90 days for another stab at the statewide radio project.
That’s another almost $1 billion wasted. Again, I ask – who is being held accountable?
I have a suggestion for the affected employees at the call centers: Why don’t the union officials who represent you and collect dues from the affected employees at the state call centers that Gov. Wolf is threatening to close look into taking legal action to stop the layoffs and force Gov. Wolf to find funding to keep these employees from being laid off?
Instead of criticizing me or my colleagues in the senate, the unions who represent these affected workers and collect dues from these same workers should step up and fight for them.
Is the relationship between these unions and Gov. Wolf too cozy for them to fight for their members?
To Carl Huber: You are obviously a Democrat by your Republican comment in your letter. As an elected Pennsylvania state senator, I represent Democrats, Republicans, and Independents.
Maybe waste and abuse of taxpayer money in Harrisburg is not an issue for you – but I can assure you a large majority of the taxpayers in Pennsylvania are fed up with Harrisburg.
Sen. Wagner represents the 28th District in the Pennsylvania Senate.