Letters: Taking Exception
In six years, many accomplishments in Harrisburg
I write to correct an assertion in Chris Satullo's column "Harrisburg: Is it inept or corrupt?" (July 26). He is right about the screwed-up, overly partisan process, but dead wrong about the atmosphere. Consider these achievements:
An increase in education funding and a sound funding formula that already is delivering more than $3 billion annually for our schools. These funds target programs such as pre-kindergarten, full-day kindergarten, tutoring, teacher training, an effort to put technology in every high school, and new methods of teaching science in elementary schools. Education Weekly recently ranked Pennsylvania as the best state in the nation in improved childhood achievement.
The expansion of the senior prescription drug program, PACE and PACENET, resulting in better benefits and an additional 133,000 seniors receiving prescription drug coverage.
The creation of a nationally renowned economic stimulus package, passed in 2003, which took Pennsylvania from 47th best on job creation in 2002 to being named by IBM Global Consulting in 2006 as the No. 1 state for business development.
Legislation passed in 2006 that offers affordable, high-quality health-care coverage for every child.
A health-care cost-containment package of legislation, passed last year, including the best law in the nation aimed at reducing hospital-acquired infections.
The passage of a roads and transit bill that will result in an increase of $1 billion in transportation funding, including $440 million annually in new funds for mass transit.
The adoption of regulations to limit mercury emissions from power plants and the adoption of California's standards for clean-car emissions.
The passage of the Advanced Energy Portfolio Standards in 2004, which forces utilities to derive nearly 20 percent of the energy they sell from alternative and renewable sources produced in Pennsylvania.
The enactment this spring of an energy fund that will pump $650 million into the green energy sector by providing consumer rebates and grants for home conservation and solar systems, as well as funds to help green energy companies expand.
Passage of a property tax relief bill that is wiping out property taxes for more than 200,000 limited-income seniors and that will offer relief to all homeowners.
Notwithstanding a needs-to-be-fixed process, a great deal of good policy does come from Harrisburg.
Gov. Rendell
Harrisburg