Letters to the Editor

July 3, 2008

Reassessment focuses attention on what we don’t get from county government

With reassessment finally hitting home, many people are beginning to ask the question, “What do we get from Luzerne County government in exchange for our hard-earned taxes?”

In addition to a mortgage, the typical homeowner pays for sewer and water bills, electricity, property maintenance, snow removal, telephone and Internet service. Why, after all that, do we have to pay hundreds of dollars per month just for the privilege of living on our own property? Is it to fund a $90 million debt for, well, we’re not even sure what it’s for?

Is it to fund a judiciary that contains the likes of Judge Mark Ciavarella, who is alleged to have violated the constitutional rights of minors? Maybe it is to fund incidents like the debit card debacle that brought the Secret Service into the courthouse.

Could it be that we pay property taxes to build and maintain roads and bridges? If that’s the case, someone is dropping the ball. Our roads are in horrible condition. The intent was to have gas taxes pay for infrastructure. But when half of our gas tax goes to mass transit in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, it’s hard to keep up with local demands.

The bloated bureaucracy we are funding in Luzerne County must be stripped down and rebuilt. The problem is, not one county department would ever consent to being downsized. That is why we must downsize everything and give control back to the people on a more local level.

As we see on the federal level, bureaucracy doesn’t work. Hold our county government responsible for its actions.

Voice your opinion and exercise your vote.

Ben Roper Kingston

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