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Financially ailing Pennsylvania is looking for ways to cut spending, but it apparently cannot count on help from the state Supreme Court.
The Court decided last week that, as a group, the state's 1,000 judges cannot refuse to accept the 2.8 percent pay raise they got on Jan. 1 - a potential savings of $3 million.
Pennsylvania's Unified Judicial System has enormous power over the lives of all Pennsylvanians, yet it is powerless to refuse a pay hike?
The Supreme Court cites state law that provides annual cost-of- living raises for judges in Common Pleas Court, Commonwealth Court, Superior Court, as well as the state's highest court.
Judges can decide on their own to refuse the money, but the decision to do so rests with the individual judges alone.
Chief Justice Ronald Castille won't discuss the matter or what he'll be doing with the $5,300 he received this month. His new salary is $191,876.
Castille doesn't do himself any favors by his silence on this matter. Nor does the high court in its refusal to fully take into account the grim economic realities facing many Pennsylvanians today.
The governor and other executive-branch officials are returning their pay raises, as are House and Senate Republican and Democratic leaders. Many rank-and-file lawmakers are returning the raises or donating them to charity.
Several lawmakers have called for legislation to suspend the automatic pay raises. But even if that happens, it won't affect judges - the state Constitution bars judges' pay from being reduced.
Therefore, the decision on whether to forego a pay raise rests solely with the judges themselves.
Castille should refuse the pay hike, and he should encourage all judges in the commonwealth to do the same.
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Few doubt the importance of getting a good education, but one state lawmaker views it as a negative rather than a positive, at least when it comes to calculating auto-insurance rates.
State Rep. Anthony DeLuca of suburban Pittsburgh says insurers charge more for customers who have not gone on to college or otherwise furthered their education.
"It's discriminatory," asserts DeLuca, saying some families can't afford the cost of higher education. "Why should they be ... penalized on their insurance rate because their family couldn't afford college?"
DeLuca is well-intentioned, but he ignores actuarial research that clearly shows that people in job categories that require a college degree or equivalent training are less likely to file expensive insurance claims.
The lawmaker also ignores the fact that discounts exist for other groups deemed to be good insurance risks, and they, too, come at a certain expense.
For example, discounts are available for those who complete a driver's training course (not offered in high school) and for those over 50 who complete a defensive-driver's course. These courses cost money, and families pick up the tab.
Some insurance companies ignore education and job categories when establishing insurance rates, and there's nothing preventing them from doing so.
But when it comes to determining risk, the more information the better.
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It's called "agri-tainment" - the blending of farming and entertainment.
More farmers are finding they can generate extra income this way.
A good example: the 300-acre Cherry Crest Farm in Ronks, with its popular corn maze and other activities for visitors and tourists.
To help farmers more easily set up agri-tainment ventures, State Sen. Mike Brubaker and State Rep. Bryan Cutler plan to introduce legislation that protects farm owners from civil liability in cases where no party is at fault.
Many activities in the agri-tainment industry are not covered by customary farm-liability policies, the legislators say, making it difficult for farmers to get the coverage they need to get started.
Legislation to do just that seems like a no-brainer, and should get the support of the Legislature.
(c) 2009 Intelligencer Journal. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.
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