DN Editorial: Dogged Days

IT'S SUMMERTIME and the livin' is easy, especially for Pennsylvania legislators.

They left Harrisburg the first week of July and aren't due back until after Labor Day, leaving behind a huge pile of unfinished business.

Left hanging was not only legislation dealing with Philadelphia's public schools - which, according to Superintendent William Hite, may not be able to open as scheduled next month - but also the city's efforts to collect delinquent taxes, a transportation-funding bill, bills to reform state pensions and, of course, legislation to get the state out of the liquor business.

The Legislature is so regular in habits - it always leaves right after it passes a state budget - you would think its summer break is required by law, perhaps even enshrined in the state Constitution.

It is not. There is no law stating that the 253 legislators must flee Harrisburg right after June 30. It is custom, pure and simple. It dates back to the days when legislators were truly part-timers and the House and Senate met fewer than 50 days each year.

That changed beginning in the 1970s. The job has morphed into a full-time career, with lawmakers getting paid $83,802 a year. They no longer ride to Harrisburg via steam locomotives and horses and buggies.

If most workers left their jobs on June 30 and told their bosses, "See you in September," they would be hauled right back to their seats.

That's what we should do with our 203 House members and 50 senators. Tell them to get back to work and get the state's business done. We can't afford 19th-century work habits in the 21st century. The world moves too quickly; the problems are too great.

To give one example: Because the Legislature left town without solving the issue of how to fund highway repairs and mass transit, SEPTA is working on a stop-gap four-month budget. It can't spend more because it has no clue how much aid it will get from the state. Meanwhile, any number of road- and bridge-repair projects that could have gotten done during the prime season of summer never even got started.

There is a common belief in Harrisburg that the rush of legislation, especially in the final months before the budget, puts a burden on lawmakers, that they need a rest from the rigors of sitting on their behinds 12 hours a day, listening to debates and voting. Give us a break.

Legislators justify their summer vacation by saying it is not a vacation at all. They conjure up images of them back in their districts working hard, talking with constituents and doing some deep thinking about the issues. Stop it, please.

This habit of fleeing Harrisburg isn't just a matter of laziness; it reflects a lack of political will. It's as if the Legislature doesn't want to confront the difficult issues it faces.

We don't pay them to dither, we pay them to deliberate - to reflect and debate on these issues and then to act. These are not issues that will solve themselves. They will only get worse.

So, here's our advice to our elected officials: Get back to work.