Friday, May 13, 2005

Base Closures - hold on. Let's not fight among ourselves in expensive ways.

Pennsylvania survived with less damage than was widely anticipated. Facilities widely considered at risk are slated for expansion. Carlisle Army War College is to stay open and Dickinson Law School stay operational in Carlisle for 20 more years.

The Naval Air Station in Willow Grove, Montgomery County, is slated for closure, with a potential loss of 1,200 jobs.

The Air Reserve Support Unit in Pittsburgh is to close.

Pennsylvania will lose 429 civilian jobs out of the 18,223 civilian positions being cut - 2 percent of the total. We're losing 1,435 military positions of the total 10,728 cut or about 13 percent of the military jobs lost.

Rendell is doubling efforts to defend the jobs with a fund in excess of $1 million dedicate to fund local defense groups and Chambers of Commerce to persuade the DEFENSE from the removal of Pennsylvania installations from the closure list.

I don't want EXPENSIVE fights between two entities both funded with taxpayer money -- because then we all loose. A spending match between the two hands of the same body is a sure way to stay poor if not become poorer.

We need to present ideas. We need to think it through. Wise solutions are not held with the thickest wallets.

No comments: