Letters: Concerns about county judge candidate; Size, cost of PA legislature should be examined

Concerns about county judge candidate

I was somewhat disappointed to read about the announcement of McQuaide Blasko partner Julia Cronin Rater’s intention to enter the race to fill the seat vacated by Judge Ruest. A judgeship on the Court of Common Pleas is one of the most powerful positions in Centre County. The four judges on the court decide a variety of important issues including who to grant custody of a child and has discretion over deciding both if and how long someone is sentenced to jail. McQuaide Blasko is a worthy, local law firm and has served the community for many years. However, the Centre County Court of Common Pleas has had many McQuaide alums and it’s important that we have voices from the full spectrum of the legal profession on the bench. Furthermore, Attorney Rater appears to have been a registered Republican during the Bush era and publicly supported the war in Iraq. While those sentiments were not unique at the time of the United States’ immoral invasion of Iraq, Democrats in Centre County deserve a better choice to reflect our county’s values.

Size, cost of PA legislature should be examined

It’s time for Pennsylvania taxpayers to have a serious conversation about the size and cost of our state legislature.

To frame the debate, consider how Pennsylvania compares to the country’s four largest states — California, Texas , Florida, and New York:

Population (in millions): PA- 13; CA- 39; TX- 30; FL- 22; NY- 19

Population growth since 2010: PA-1.6%; CA- 4.4%; TX- 18.6%; FL- 17.0%; NY- .1%

Legislature size (House and Senate): PA- 253; CA- 120; TX- 181; FL- 160; NY- 213

Rank and file base salary (CY 2022): PA- $95,432/year (increases to approximately $103K in 2023); CA- $119,702/year; TX- $7,200/year; FL- $29,697/year; NY- $110,000/year

Legislator employment status: PA- Full-Time; CA-Full-Time; TX-Hybrid; FL- Hybrid; NY- Full-Time

Of the listed states, all have larger populations but smaller legislatures than PA. FL and TX, which experienced the most significant population growth over the last ten years, also pay a significantly lower base salary.

If, for example, PA changed its constitution to implement something like the FL model, the total size of the PA legislature could be cut to something between 120 to 160 members. Also, sessions could be shortened, effectively reducing legislators from full-time to hybrid status, and, accordingly, base salaries reduced to under $30,000/year.

FYI, this is not a new concept. In the past, multiple bills were introduced to cut the legislature’s size; all failed.

The data suggest that changes should be made. It’s up to the electorate to make it happen.

Greener energy options

We continue to fight this battle over petroleum versus greener energy sources, while quietly the art of nuclear energy is making steady advances.

Only about 15% of the world’s electricity is created utilizing the tremendous heat produced by atomic reaction. The U.S., France and Japan make up half of this total energy produced by fission.

Nuclear is the greenest of the green with zero carbon dioxide emissions, but the industry carries an unwarranted stigma.

New fission reactors, and the holy grail, commercialized fusion is gaining steam (pun intended) with private and public investment soaring. Bill Gates and his Terra Power come to mind.

Small Modular Reactors (still fission) are also gaining traction.

Fortunately, so is fusion. This is still the overall best solution to save our earth. Investments in commercializing fusion measures in the tens of billions of dollars. Bloomberg opines that the fusion market valuation could reach $40 trillion. And more exciting news is coming soon on fusion!

We are currently opting for dirtier petroleum resource from unfriendly nations. Ridiculous since we have our own source.

And fooling ourselves by plugging in our cars where the electricity is generated by burning coal.

And yes, we are making progress on renewables. Let’s keep that going.

But remember, there is another way for our future. And like John crying out in the wilderness, know that smart folks are working the ultimate solution called fusion.