YinzPitt

Wow, I never thought I’d hear myself say this.  For once, I agree with Dan Onorato.  He agrees with Luke Ravenstahl about trying to recover the $6 million that was thought to be coming to the city, but disagrees by putting the students in the middle of the situation.  Thank Heaven that there is one politician out there that wants to do the right thing for the people, and not the betterment of themselves.

I strongly disagreed with the situation that Mayor Luke Ravenstahl proposed a few weeks ago regarding his ideas for a new tax.  He wanted a 1% tax in order to recover money and funds for pensions.  They called it the “Education Privilege Tax” or something or other.  All this did was create even more controversy with the Mayoral office, just right about the time that the news broke that Ravenstahl and his wife were splitting.

It also brought up a basic outrage from the students who went to school in this city.  Most of the political officials that pushed for this

Dan Onorato

tax/tuition increase stated that this was because the non-profit businesses weren’t sharing enough(like they have to anyways).  So they wanted to enforce it on the students who wanted to attend the schools inside the city and not on the actual businesses themselves.  Idiotic at best, but what can you do.

Well, Democratic governor hopeful and Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato says taxing the students is wrong.  The real situation must be worked out with the Non-profits and the city together, and keeping the students out of it.  I’m on board with this, and being a gray area voter, sounds pretty good.  Regardless, there most likely isn’t a chance in hell I’d vote for the man, and that’s solely based on the decision to tax us drinkers.  Petty I know, but when you live and work in Pittsburgh, this city is practically built around beer and steel.

Onorato was stated as saying:

“I support the mayor, and I support the city’s effort to get the $6 million that a lot of people thought was coming back in 2004,” Mr. Onorato said.

Ravenstahl also has had some doubts lately and is offering to work with various universities and non-profits to find a way to
secure proper funding to help the city.

I will make this very clear in what I’m saying.  If the non-profits want to help the city and give more money that they make then by all means, more power to them.  I do not feel that by way of government power they should have to pay more, because the city is struggling.  The government does not and should not have the power to enforce higher standards for a non-profit.  It’s absurd.

Luke Ravenstahl

Anyways, the Steelers play tonight against the Cleveland Browns.  Not much needs to be said, if they win great.  If they lose to the Browns however, good bye 2009 season.

Quotes and information used from: http://post-gazette.com/pg/09344/1019823-298.stm

*UPDATE*

Mayor Luke Ravenstahl has made a public demand of the universities.  He says that if they cover 5 million, he’s willing to let the 1% tax increase slide on the tuition and call it clean.  If I were the non-profits at this point, I’d be giving him the middle finger all the way to the bank.

It’s not even an a demand, it’s more of an ultimatum, do this the easy way, or we’ll do it the hard way.  Mayor Ravenstahl, the non-profits don’t have to do anything for you.  You either tax them or tax something else, get with it.  I’ve never seen a Mayor push so hard for someone else do something they technically don’t have to do.  I just don’t get it.  Seriously, who voted this guy into office?

Article of the update can be found here: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09344/1019998-455.stm?cmpid=latest.xml&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

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