John Baer: Ready on the set? Your tax dollars slipping away
LIGHTS! CAMERA! Action! You'll no doubt be delighted to know that your Legislature is upgrading its broadcast facilities so that it can keep bringing you those riveting cable-TV shows and radio reports about how well things are going in Harrisburg.
LIGHTS! CAMERA! Action!
You'll no doubt be delighted to know that your Legislature is upgrading its broadcast facilities so that it can keep bringing you those riveting cable-TV shows and radio reports about how well things are going in Harrisburg.
A review of House and Senate contracts covering the last six months shows ongoing expenses totaling nearly $800,000 for new audio and video systems, wiring, equipment and technical support for broadcast services in the Capitol.
At this rate, I figure they'll soon make movies, maybe even qualify for some of Gov. Rendell's annual $75 million film-tax credit.
Got suggested titles? I like "Sins Along the Susquehanna."
The broadcast stuff isn't the only way your Legislature's spending your money during the worst recession in most of our lifetimes.
Other recent contracts total close to $400,000 for flags, calendars, laptops, gold-foil stationery, flu shots and even ammo (presumably in case you get really pee-oed and show up.)
That's right, kids: Plain-clothed House security personnel (in addition to uniformed Capitol police) are armed. And the Democrat-controlled House just bought them $9,546 worth of bullets. Just so you know.
But back to TV.
A Senate spokesman says that equipment had to be updated (cost so far: $573,050). House spokesmen say it's pricey to provide broadcast access to hearings and legislative sessions (price so far: $206,598).
And arguments for lawmakers' self-promotional TV shows and self-generated radio "news" at taxpayer expense are that they're for the public's education, information and access.
These are arguments I don't buy.
If it's really about the public, why don't Democrats and Republicans, House and Senate share one studio to save the public money instead of maintaining, operating and outfitting separate facilities?
Think any lawmaker actually believes that his or her constituents would choose to have their taxes pay for this?
I mean, $800,000 to upgrade unnecessary services in a state with 7.5 percent unemployment, facing a $2 billion-plus budget deficit, possible state-worker layoffs and closure of facilities including the Scranton School for the Deaf and the Scotland School for Veterans' Children?
There's more.
The GOP-controlled Senate let contracts from December through last week totaling $185,490 for 139 new top-of-the-line laptops, 50 with carrying cases ($128,578 for Republicans; $56,912 for Democrats). I'd rather see more laptops in public schools.
(Also, most are Lenovo T Series ThinkPads, and Lenovo's Web site offers such models priced hundreds of dollars less than the Senate paid. Makes you wonder, eh?)
The House and Senate since last fall signed 12 contracts totaling $99,377 for U.S. and Pennsylvania state flags. That could pay for a couple of state jobs. (Or one Rendell hiring-freeze exception.)
The Senate bought $40,129 worth of '09 calendars and $5,680 worth of envelopes to mail out the calendars. I get calendars from insurance companies and Realtors.
The Senate spent $17,523 on "gold foil embossed letterhead stationery" for senators and $5,127 on gold-embossed stationery envelopes. Write your senator. Maybe he or she writes back, so you see for yourself.
The House spent $8,705 on flu shots in a state where a million citizens have no health insurance; lawmakers and staff have primo coverage.
Need any "fish and boat maps?" Try your Senate. It spent $6,824 on them in January.
I'd remind you this is a Legislature under investigation for, among other things, squandering your money on politically related staff bonuses, then charging you to defend itself - on an ongoing basis.
House Democrats, for example, just signed a $25,000 contract with LDiscovery, a McLean, Va., firm that touts expertise in electronic data. The contract is for confidential "legal consultation." House Democratic spokesman Brett Marcy says it's "to ensure we comply with" data requests from investigators.
This is an addition to $50,000 to the Scranton law firm Myers, Brier & Kelly for "legal services" related to the probe at $325 an hour, and $50,000 a month to the Philly-based law firm Dilworth Paxson at $400 an hour.
The way I see it, you paid for bonuses ($3.7 million), you're paying to defend bonuses ($6 million total so far), so lawmakers figure you'll pretty much pay for anything.
Film at 11.
Send e-mail to baerj@phillynews.com.
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