Observations and Solutions
“The question for this election is not “Do you like the person currently in office”; the question is “Do you like the way Harrisburg is working?”
Susan Rzucidlo
Every election cycle, politicians talk, and talk and talk, but rarely offer any practical ideas on possible solutions. In fact, they usually dance around the real issues facing voters. I am not that kind of candidate. Government is large and complicated, yet solutions can be created and implemented. I don’t pretend to have all the answers, but being the “fixer” that I am, I do have some proposals to solve the problems I’ve encountered. Most problems in our government can be corrected if each legislator has the will to work as a team with the ultimate goal of true public service.
- Through a friend and fellow advocate, I was made aware of $50 million dollars of overpayments and
waste in one state department. An independent review of those records confirmed the overpayments. That department’s response was, "certain providers are very connected to certain senators, and there is nothing we can be do about it.” This response is completely unacceptable to me, and I would think to every other Pennsylvanian as well. Sweetheart deals and “No bid” contracts cost taxpayers millions of dollars every year.
My solution: We must remove the politics from government contracting by ending no-bid contracts and sweetheart deals and by putting in real checks and balances. - In 2008, I learned that there was $16 million dollars in Federal Homeland Security funds set aside
specifically for Pennsylvania. I asked my state Senator to go after these funds to enhance Homeland Security and First Response Services in Pennsylvania. His response was "It's only $16 million dollars, it's not enough money to do anything with.” I later learned that Pennsylvania routinely leaves tens, if not hundreds, of millions of dollars “on the table” in Washington DC every year. It is fiscally irresponsible for our state government to allow federal dollars to go unused.
My solution: Each legislative committee should be required to go after the federal funds that fall under their committee. The Lt. Governor is empowered to identify those funds and can assist the legislature in fulfilling the financial needs of the state. - I approached my local state representative with a concern about wasteful spending. At the time the state
required every child who was diagnosed with autism to be re-evaluated four times per year at state expense. I proposed that children could be evaluated just once per year to reduce cost to the state and stress to families without impacting the quality of services. The savings to taxpayers would have amounted to at least $10 million dollars per year. His response was, “It just doesn’t waste enough money for us to worry about.” The mindset that $10 million is not enough waste to be addressed is a significant roadblock to curbing overall waste in government.
My solution: State government should make use of the non-partisan reports from the Auditor General's Office and actively respond to concerned citizen's reports of government waste. - One of the greatest concerns I hear from people is unemployment. People have been without work for a
year and longer. They have gone through their savings and are living on their credit cards.
My solution: Honestly, I cannot solve the unemployment issue but I can work to connect people to employers. I am sponsoring a job fair to be held on Tuesday, September 21st 10 am – 2 pm at the Italian American Club in Kennett Square. I will be inviting employers from around the region, as well as bringing in advisors to help people who are interested in starting their own businesses. Check my website for updates.
State government must address the bottom line issues for families. My proposed changes in policy to remove sweetheart deals, end no bid contracts, actively pursue all available federal funding, seek out and eliminate waste and actively work to help residents, will reduce our state deficit, provide better services and reduce the tax burden to residents. I have provided just a few examples of my vision for Pennsylvania. You can find more information on my website or call me at (610) 659-3145 and set up a time to meet.
I believe together we can make our state government better.
