Letter to the editor: Avoiding some of Pennsylvania's 'pain'

Reading Deb Erdley’s article “State lawmakers say there is pain ahead as coronavirus restrictions begin to ease,” the following thoughts came into my mind:

Before Pennsylvania politicians inflict any more pain on us in the form of more or higher taxes, they first must sell the turnpike and retail liquor stores for cash to help fill the revenue hole. They also need to decrease the size of our bloated “full time” state Legislature and make it part time.

The way public schools operate and are funded must change as well. Property taxes are an outdated and onerous model for funding this government unit. The way our children are educated is a 1950s model, meaning multimillion-dollar buildings and masses of yellow buses are obsolete in this era.

Corporate America is embracing technology to continue its businesses in a work-at-home environment, and this will continue. Next, they must legalize marijuana for recreational use to generate tax revenue.

We need huge changes in representation at all levels of our government. With the primary election coming soon, I will not vote for any incumbent and encourage others to do the same. We must be the catalyst for the changes sorely needed. Our politicians have failed us miserably.

Finally, this type of lockdown must never happen again. Comparing average annual flu cases and deaths worldwide for the past 10 years versus our current statistics for covid-19 leads me to think this current response is akin to killing a fly on your friend’s head with a sledgehammer.

John Shiock

Indiana