Rogues meet on Saturday with Jake Haulk

Rogues Saturday, March 18, 2006, at 9:00 A.M., Holiday Inn Select across from South Hills Village, $13.00 per person. Our Speaker will be Dr. Jake Haulk of the Allegheny Institute.

Please RSVP by Friday March 17th.

So far, Governor Rendell’s only economic development plan seems to be spending $1.24 billion on corporate welfare for such projects as PNC’s new office building. That’s $50 million to PNC out of a total construction cost of $170 million paid to a company that had record profits of $1.3 billion last year.

Of course, this largess was paid for by increasing the state income tax and by rescinding scheduled business taxes, all aided by a compliant Republican controlled legislature.

Pennsylvania is 38th in the country in job growth and 43rd in population growth. However, Pennsylvania’s government has grown to the point that it costs $7, 884 per family of four. That’s $1,153 more than three years ago.

Dr. Jake Haulk of The Allegheny Institute has some other ideas on how to encourage a prosperous economy and he’ll be speaking to the Rogues this Saturday, March 18th at 9AM on Governor Rendell's failed economic development policies and tax reform.

Tonight at the South Side Slopes Neighborhood Assn meeting I gave Bob O'Connor props for his appointment of Jim Ferlo to the U.R.A. Board. Then I asked him if he was going to continue to support the large TIFs and tax breaks to big corporations and institutions -- such as PNC PLAZA's $18-million TIF for a new downtown office tower and the Second Ave. parking garage by the URA for Pgh Technology Center.

In Bob's talk about the TIF, he gave me the wrong answer, and didn't even mention the fact that the $18-million TIF from the city comes at the expense of the kids and schools nor that the city's give-a-way comes after PENNSYLVANIA already put in $50-million as a GRANT to PNC. The subsidization of that office tower is going to exceed $1-million per floor.

Today, at the polls, I invited Jeff Koch to city council chambers for its 10 AM Meeting on WEDNESDAY -- in 11 hours -- to stand with me to speak against the TIF for the parking garages on Second Ave.

I'll invite Jeff Koch to the breakfast meeting with the A.I.'s Jake Haulk too.