Right's wrong on Pa. problems
By Ben Waxman
Philadelphia Daily News, 7/5/07

I USUALLY CHEER anytime young people are involved in politics. Democrats or Republicans, I like it when people my age decide they care enough to get involved.

But there's a group of young activists who I believe are having a negative effect on state politics. An organization called the Young Conservatives of Pennsylvania has been pushing a right-wing agenda that actually hurts young people across the state.

Gov. Rendell and the Legislature have been in intense negotiations on the state budget for weeks. YCOP has been running radio ads in the districts of several legislative leaders that call for no new taxes. According to their Web site, their goal is to "drive a stake through the heart of liberal Gov. Ed Rendell's proposed 7 new tax hikes." They seem to subscribe to the right-wing notion that government can't accomplish anything and all social programs are a waste of money.

The main argument that conservatives make about taxes is simple - taxes are already too high and citizens shouldn't be forced to pay more. This is an appeal solely based on self-interest.

I understand why this argument is appealing, but it is incredibly short-sighted. YCOP may think all spending is wasteful, but effective government can actually lower the cost of living for young people and the entire state. There are two good examples facing the legislature right now: mass transit and health care.

Conservatives in the state Senate have been fighting dedicated funding for mass transit. Gov. Rendell initially wanted to spend around $1.2 billion to fully fund the state's roads, bridges and public transit. His original plan was to tax oil companies doing business in the state to fund this.

This increase, which seems reasonable given that oil companies are raking in record profits, was rejected by conservatives. So less money will be invested in transit infrastructure and transit agencies will have to raise fares.

I use public transit, SEPTA and Amtrak, all the time. Rendell's oil-company tax would have cost me and the vast majority of Pennsylvanians virtually nothing. Instead, bus and subway fares will increase because state funding won't be adequate.

If conservatives hadn't rejected Rendell's original proposal, my transportation costs wouldn't be going up. Statistics show that people 18-30 take public transit more than any other age group besides senior citizens. We can thank the young conservatives for helping save the oil companies money and passing the costs along to the rest of us.

Health care is another issue in which effective government can reduce the financial burden on individuals. The cost of health insurance in Pennsylvania has risen by more than 75 percent over the last six years. In contrast, inflation is up only 17 percent and wages 13.3 percent. This issue is particularly important to young people, since 72 percent of those age 18-25 can't afford insurance.

The cost of health insurance is passed along to consumers in a variety of ways. People without coverage are often forced to use emergency rooms, even if their condition doesn't require immediate treatment. Gov. Rendell estimates that providing non-emergency alternatives could save taxpayers more than $232 million a year.

Conservatives like to claim that any involvement by government in health care is akin to socialism. That's nonsense. In reality, a small amount of public investment can go a long way to reducing costs for all of us.

I admire the Young Conservatives for getting involved, but their message will hurt young people in the long run. In the real world, taxes are sometimes needed to fund important programs. In fact, a small amount of tax dollars can go a long way to deal with problems faced by the state.

I hope Gov. Rendell and the Legislature will be able to ignore the pressure from YCOP and their right-wing allies.

A rigid right-wing mentality is counterproductive. *

Ben Waxman, a Juniata College grad, can be reached at benwaxman@gmail.com.