Issues

Providing health care, supporting business

FACT: 2 people die every day in PA due to lack of health insurance.

FACT: Pileggi said "NO" to PA-ABC and left for the year having done nothing on health care.

Without a doubt, the largest failure in Harrisburg this year was Dominic Pileggi's inaction on health care. Many people, especially the Philadelphia Unemployment Project, the Service Employees International Union, and the Pennsylvania Health Access Network, worked tireless hours to educate the Senator on the extent of the health care crisis in Pennsylvania.

Unfortunately, Dominic Pileggi doesn't understand what it's like to be concerned about health care. He has some of the best coverage available - and provided at taxpayer expense.

John Linder joins the Philadelphia Unemployment Project and Service Employees International Union in the office of Dominic Pileggi to encourage the Senator to support health care reform.

RENDELL TO PILEGGI: "After endless meetings between our staffs, it is time for you to reduce the number of uninsured people in our state and provide them with a fraction of the health-care benefits that you and your fellow caucus members enjoy at taxpayer expense."

PA-ABC would have:
- Extended health care coverage to 270,000 people...
- Cost the average worker $60 per month or less...
- Caused no increase in income tax...
- Covered doctor visits, generic drugs, emergency dental, psychiatric care, prevention visits...
Pileggi said "NO!"

Health care reform poses many unique challenges, especially at the national level. This is why Governor Ed Rendell tried to address it at the state level. His proposed 2008-2009 budget included Pennsylvania Access to Basic Care or PA-ABC. PA-ABC would have provided affordable health care to a quarter of a million Pennsylvanians, eliminated payments for errors in treatment, and extended the Mcare abatement, a crucial piece of legislation which helps keep doctors from moving out of Pennsylvania.

Unfortunately, my opponent wouldn't even bring the measure to a vote on the Senate floor.

Ed Rendell knows that small business owners are hard working people who care about their employees. He knows that they are struggling to provide health care for their workers and in some cases simply can’t afford to. That is why PA-ABC specifically targeted small businesses, offering substantial subsidies for providing health care to valued employees.

On March 17th, Democrats and Republicans in the state House of Representatives passed this landmark piece of legislation and sent it to the Republican controlled Senate. There it stalled for seven months. Pileggi walked out of the fall session having done nothing on health care.

Instead of real reform that addresses the real problems of health care, my opponent advocates the same failed policies as the Republicans in Washington. George Bush believes--after decades of evidence to the contrary--that the market will eventually find a way to provide affordable health care. My opponent agrees with him.

As your senator, when our Governor has a good idea that will save lives and save dollars, I will work with Ed Rendell, not against him. As your Senator, I will work to approve PA-ABC, and get affordable health care to the many Pennsylvanians who need and deserve it.

The Governor and the state House of Representatives believe this reform package is what Pennsylvanian’s need to afford quality health care. If you believe that the Senate ought to work with them for reform, say so this November. Cast your vote for John Linder. I will work hard to get the results that bring real change.

Be part of the change. DONATE HERE.
Diversifying our energy portfolio: saving money, creating jobs
Winter is around the corner, and this year Americans will spend more for their gas and energy bills than ever before. The ability for Pennsylvanians to provide for themselves and their families--to put food on the table, to purchase quality health care, to save for their children's education--will all be compromised as more and more of their hard-earned dollars are spent on rising energy costs.

In addition, the economic downturn is making it harder and harder to find a good job. Faced with an increasing cost of living, Pennsylvanians are also faced with decreasing job stability, and decreasing employment options.

This can change.

There is, of course, another side to energy reform. Burning fossil fuels at current rates has altered our planet in ways we are only beginning to understand. The predicted consequences are dire and the cost of inaction is virtually unthinkable. Pennsylvania currently produces 1% of the world's greenhouse gases, well above its relative percentage of land mass and population. This is due, in many ways, to our dependence on coal-fired power plants for our electricity.

This too can change.

As your Senator, I will make it a priority to introduce and support alternative energy measures that will create green jobs in Pennsylvania, reduce our dependence upon foreign oil, eliminate the need for new, costly and polluting power plants, and make Pennsylvania a national leader in energy reform, not a global leader in energy use.

RELATED NEWS

"Consumers Fret Now About Fuel Costs This Winter" - Philadelphia Inquirer 08/01/2008

"Peco Rates to Soar" - Daily Local News 8/01/2008
Funding our Schools for Success
- The recent General Assembly's "Costing-Out" Report found that PA schools are being shortchanged to the tune of 4.6 billion each year.
- Despite this report, my opponent voted to cut the proposed 2008-09 education budget by $118 million dollars--by FORTY PERCENT.
- By cutting this important funding, he is insuring that property taxes will have to go up to cover the lost revenue.
This video, produced by GoodschoolsPA, features students from around our state asking Harrisburg to increase funding to their schools. It is as inspiring as it is disturbing. It is wonderful to know our children care so much about their education. It is a shame that they have to convince their politicians to care too.

Please watch this important video.

This summer, I had the pleasure of watching Ed Rendell sign the 2008-09 education budget into law. His new funding formula is an excellent start towards funding our schools for success. However, even he is aware of its limitations. My opponent led the Senate Republicans in a vote against the initial education plan, which would have extended the funding formula over the next six years. This would have allowed our schools to rely on a stable and predictable investment from the state.

Imagine trying to plan your finances with no security as to what your income would be from year to year. Thanks to my opponent, that is the dilemma our schools now face. How can you budget for success when you don't know what your budget is? As your Senator, I will work with Ed Rendell for stable and predictable funding for our children.

I have been a professor at Delaware County Community College for the past twenty years, and am also the Headmaster at Village Charter School in Chester, PA. As a lifetime educator, I understand that the success of our children depends on the investments we make in their schools now. We need to fund our schools to succeed--our children deserve it.

In addition, we need "can-do" leaders in our government--leaders who can either see the road to success or make one. My charter school is open to the public, yet it receives 20% less funding than public schools. Even so, our students excel academically every year, and our school is ranked #1 in our district.

This was not always the case. When I became Headmaster of Village Charter School we were over 1 million in debt and our students were not performing. Within two years, I erased that debt and turned Village Charter into the premier school in the area--all with less state money than public schools receive.

I understand the connection between fiscal responsibility and successful schools, but I also understand that we need to treat our students as a valuable investment. The children of the 9th District deserve a Senator who can either see a road to success or make one.

My opponent says we can't; I say we can.

As your Senator, I will work with Ed Rendell for the education reforms our state needs--not against him. I will work hard to provide the stable and reliable investments in education our children deserve, so that those students on the video above--and thousands more like them--will have the opportunity to realize their potential, and to give back to a society that has given to them.