People need to remember how the state pension funds became so expensive ("Pensions in Corbett's cross hairs
," Reading Eagle, Feb. 6).
The pension multipliers were increased for legislators, other state employees and teachers when Gov. Tom Ridge agreed to increase those multiplyers of 50 percent for legislators and 25 percent for others in order to secure passage of a bill to provide tax breaks for businesses that made contributions to charter schools.
He had attempted during most of his time in office to secure state funding for charter schools.
There are other sources for funding available for support of education. The governor is disingenuous when he objects to taxing developers of gas wells in the Marcellus shale formation.
These companies are not going to leave Pennsylvania and abandon the source of their income. Of course if they must pay taxes, that may reduce the millions of dollars they contribute to his campaign fund, and they no longer may send legislators to the Super Bowl.
The notion of selling state liquor stores to provide temporary funding to school districts is equally ridiculous.
Robert L. Shuman