I reacted with dismay when I read Sam Demarco’s op-ed “Pittsburgh Public Schools tax increase was not necessary” (Jan. 3, TribLIVE). Why would the Pittsburgh Public Schools Board raise taxes on Pittsburgh taxpayers in order to make up a $5.3 million budget shortfall when the board holds $145 million in a reserve fund? That defies common sense.
Equally bewildering was the recent report that PennDOT requested increased funding from the state Legislature to cover state bridge and road infrastructure needs. This occurred shortly after the federal passage of a monstrous $1 trillion “infrastructure” bill. That is an almost unfathomable amount of money. Did my representative, Conor Lamb, and my senator, Bob Casey, who both voted for the bill, forget to insure that PennDOT’s infrastructure needs would be met?
I just don’t understand these two occurrences. For now, I can only conclude that many of our elected officials do not care about ordinary taxpayers. In my opinion, many officials are not acting like legitimate public servants.
Ken Kretschman
Crafton