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Two key reforms would bolster good government
Now is the time for Pennsylvania legislators to reform state government. By combining two key reforms, they can eliminate two threats to good government -- a cumbersome, costly, oversized Legislature and the partisan gerrymandering of election districts.
The League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania applauds provisions of House Bill 153 that would reduce the size of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives by 50 members. This downsizing would necessitate a radical redrawing of legislative district boundaries.
Given the partisan politics inherent in our current system, the league further supports integral reforms in the redistricting process. Proposed reforms, similar to HB 2420 introduced in 2008, would have boundaries drawn by a nonpartisan body with clear criteria for population equity, compactness, contiguousness and respect for subdivision boundaries. These standards, similar to those used in Iowa, serve as a guide for map makers and a basis for court appeals.
Since Article II of the Pennsylvania Constitution includes both Section 16, which dictates the size of the Senate and House, and Section 17, which dictates the process for drawing legislative district boundaries, it's time for a constitutional amendment to address these integrated reforms. Such a two-point conversion package, combining downsizing with redistricting reform, will allow all Pennsylvanians to be winners!
OLIVIA THORNE
President
League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania
Harrisburg
Dickensian Mitt
When asked about the poor the day after the Florida primary election Mitt Romney answered, "I'm not concerned about the very poor. We have a safety net there."
When I first heard this I knew I had heard this statement previously, and then it occurred to me that I had heard similar words when Ebenezer Scrooge was asked to make a donation to the poor. Does Mitt Romney have any understanding the trauma created in a family when they do not have a home, food, health insurance, clothing and the other necessities of life?
I now fully understand that if Mitt Romney occupies the White House in January 2013, the only hope for America and the poor will be if Mitt is visited by three ghosts. To slightly change Tiny Tim's famous line: "God help us, every one."
First Published February 8, 2012 12:00 am
