The Current

Bring it on…

In reaction to the rollercoaster ride of Sunday’s incredible Steeler’s win, I was curious about what the Indianapolis papers were saying in reaction to the Colt’s stunning loss.  My “research” led me to blogger Raygan Swan.  And I have to say, I’m jealous.

Raygan’s a blogger for the Indianapolis Star who has fun swimming with dolphins, wakeboarding and kickboxing and then writing about it.  You don’t have to have Peyton Manning’s intelligence (o.k., so maybe after Sunday that’s not a good comparison) to see who has the better blog deal.

This led me to an idea… I’ve decided to take on a challenge the next time Governor Rendell proactively supports and fully implements a business-sought initiative.  And this is where you come in… you get to help choose the challenge.  Now, certain stipulations must apply, such as it must be legal and relatively safe (i.e. no poisonous snake kissing, in fact, no snakes at all!).  But I’m open to almost all challenges.

Reply with your suggested challenges and a committee of Chamber staffers will select the most appropriate one for me to undertake.  The ball is in your hands, not Bettis’, so don’t fumble this opportunity.

By the way, some have suggested that this is a shameless self-promotion to draw the attention of Ms. Swan. I assure you, such is not the case… I have only the business community’s best interests at heart. 

Besides, if she were to see my picture on this website (ahem, marketing department), I’d have as much success at a date with her as Vanderjagt’s game-tying field goal attempt on Sunday.

…but if you happen to have her number…

My new years’ resolutions for government…

I recently read that on average, people make three new years’ resolutions every year.  I also read a list of the top ten resolutions people tend to make.  Well here are my top three from that list for government…

Lose weight – state and local governments have to trim the fat because government can’t continue to outspend the rate of inflation by 165%.  It’s time to begin scaling back on the size of our government.  Personally, money for libraries is a laudable concept, but is it an essential function of government in light of our economic situation?

Get out of debt – we are projected to have deficits over the next 4 – 5 years because the cost of our medical assistance programs continue to grow as federal reimbursements shrink.  Perhaps it’s time to start thinking about reforming eligibility and benefits to what many consider as one of the richest medical assistance programs in the country.  Other states have done it, and with a little political courage, so can we.

Learn something new – try not to approach issues when they have become a “crisis.”  This only leads to short-term solutions which tend to create long-term problems.  Let’s try something different, like long term goals.  Let’s set a direction for Pennsylvania and make the difficult decisions to achieve our goals over a period of time.  I’d start with cutting the highest business tax rates in an effort to improve job creation and reverse the trend that continues to rank Pennsylvania’s population growth in the bottom 5 states in the country.  After all, increased population would mean a larger tax base. 

Hey, call me crazy, but I think these are good goals.  Never mind that studies show that on average only 46% of new years’ resolutions are maintained after 6 months.  I think those are pretty good odds of at least one of these becoming a lasting effort and I’ll take it! Happy New Year!