Welcome to Policoff for the 41st!
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Jerry Policoff is committed to the equitable funding of schools, providing every Pennsylvanian with quality, comprehensive guaranteed healthcare, ending the curtailment and denial of veterans benefits, and above all, listening to and fighting for the members of Pennsylvania's 41st legislative district.
Lancaster Intellignecer Journal Endorses Jerry Policoff for PA 41
Policoff in the 41st
Voters in the 41st Legislative District have a choice of two good candidates to replace retiring state Rep. Katie True.
Both Republican Ryan Aument, the Lancaster County Clerk of Courts, and Jerry Policoff, a retired advertising manager, want to eliminate fraud and waste in Harrisburg and make Pennsylvania more business friendly.
Their methods of doing so, however, are what separate them.
Aument contends that Pennsylvania spends and taxes too much. He wants to make Pennsylvania competitive by cutting the corporate tax rate, completing the phase-out of the stock and franchise tax, eliminating prevailing wage laws and regulations on businesses and slashing spending in state government. He said lawmakers can begin by going after the estimated $1 billion in fraud that Auditor General Jack Wagner claims exists in the state Department of Welfare. He is willing to look at school choice and performance-based pay for teachers.
Aument also favors making the Legislature a part-time body, but will not commit to limit the number of terms he would serve.
Policoff agrees that Pennsylvania needs to become more competitive. His first act, he said, would be to close the Delaware Loophole which allows Pennsylvania-based companies to avoid paying taxes in Pennsylvania by incorporating in Delaware. That, he argues, would force 71 percent of the companies that are avoid paying state corporate taxes to do so. In turn, he said, Pennsylvania could lower corporate taxes. He supports a severance tax on natural gas drilling.
He supports Gov. Ed Rendell's view that savings can be achieved by consolidating school districts.
Policoff believes the Legislature should be a full-time body, but believes savings can be achieved by following the recommendations of the statewide grand jury to slash the number of staffers serving the Legislature. He said he would agree to term limits.
Perhaps the greatest difference between the two candidates is in the area of health care coverage.
Policoff is a firm believer in a single-payer model. Citing statistics, he said businesses could cover their employees with a 10 percent payroll tax. At that rate, it could save Pennsylvania companies $2.3 billion per year.
Aument argues that single-payer is another unneeded government entitlement that ultimately could cost far more than the 10 percent Policoff cites. He supports the GOP plank of tort reform, tax credits for health insurance purchases and allowing insurance companies to sell beyond state borders.
Both candidates have admirable qualities. They have conducted a campaign that has focused on the issues and not on personal attacks. Indeed, they have been unfailingly polite to each other at debates.
Pennsylvania needs to act as 23 other states have done and close the Delaware Loophole. The state needs a severance tax on natural gas extraction to close budget gaps and clean up environmental problems caused by drillers.
Those are issues Policoff cites that must be addressed as Pennsylvania moves forward.
Aument has a bright future before him.