Senator Santorum sticking to the Penn Hill's area taxpayers!

[Lemmy]

Wednesday, November 10, 2004

By Sally Kalson

In his years in the U.S. Senate, Rick Santorum has fashioned himself as a strict steward of taxpayer money. Time and again he has voted against public spending that violated his fiscally conservative world view.

But when it comes to his own family, the senator is more than happy to feed at the public trough.

According to an Oct. 20 story in the Penn Hills Progress by reporter Vera Miller, Penn Hills taxpayers have been footing the bill to send Santorum's children to a cyber charter school, even though the family lives most of the year in Virginia. The cost: $100,000 since the 2001-02 school year.

Santorum's office justified this to the Progress by noting that the senator's legal residence is in Penn Hills. He owns a house there -- two bedrooms and two baths for his family of eight -- and pays about $2,000 in property taxes each year to the Penn Hills School District.

Compare that $2,000 tax bill to the estimated $38,000 that the district will shell out this year for five of Santorum's children to attend the Western Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School, based in Beaver County.


http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/04315/409553.stm

[southpaw]

Good post Lem. You have remarkable research skills. Regardless of party affiliation Senators and Reps. milk the taxpayer for stuff that they should pay on their own. They're all wealthy anyway.

To solve that problem and a host of others is to establish term limits for Congress. It had some traction several years ago but I think both sides agreed to bury that issue.

1 term only for Senators and 2 terms for the House members. Can you imagne the garbage that would be eliminated if term limits existed?

[once a runner]

Just to play devils advocate ..... if a civil servant is doing a great job, why should they be replaced? After all, we have the power to vote them out if they are not doing their job to our liking. I think the real problem lies in how the money is spent to get elected. The incumbents in the congressional and senate elections have a huge advantage and that playing field needs to be leveled.

[Captain Coveman]

I'd love to see Santorum's kids go to the void that is Penn Hills. The only place I know where a first grader threatens to kill his teacher. True story, a friend of was that teacher!

[foghorn]

Hey Lemmy. High praise from Southpaw, you lucky devil! If you're really good, he might send you that guest subscription to Rush 24/7.

[CRLionDawg]

What I always find interesting is that people are quick to cast stones at a high profile individual for taking aadvantage of situatoins that are available to them. When on the other hand they themselves are looking for every opportunity to look out for themselves.

I am sure a lot of us that would find ourselves in similar circumstances would end up doing the same thing.

[fleaflicker]

Captain Coveman, that is a cyber charter school, and the kids would be working on the computer all day to do their classes. This school also provides the computers, that have to be returned at the end of the courses. So all the kids are working from the safety of their own home. I wonder though, where he might be getting the dough for five computer hookups?

[Captain Coveman]

Flea, I realize what kind of school it is and how it operates, but I would love to see his kids walking down the same halls of Penn Hills High School just like every other kid in town. I personally think it would be hilarious.

[CRLionDawg]

Yeah Coveman, are you going to make the 1/4 of all American kids that are home schooled do the same thing?

[Lemmy]

Garcias for the comp Southpaw. I work in the Infortation Technology field, network administrator and web page development. I have fast internet connection where I work, and also where I do consulting work on the side. My job can be boring waiting for the computer, so I pass the time surfing the net.

I agree with you about our elected officials taking too much advantage of the sytem(s). It really bothers me all the unfunded mandates that are passed down to local governments. It also bothers me how the US House of Reps and US Senators place themselves above the legislations they pass. For example they do not have to follow affirmative action guidelines. They place themselves above the rest of us.