Are you smarter than a legislator?

Monday, 18 July 2011 11:50

Are you smarter than a legislator?

Written by Scott LaMar, Director of Radio Smart Talk

Radio Smart Talk for Tuesday, July 19:

No, it's not a TV show but it is a contest. Democratic State Senator Anthony Williams of Philadelphia is running a contest through his website. The object is for regular, everyday Pennsylvanians to suggest their ideas for a law. Sen. Williams has agreed to sponsor the winning legislation in the state senate. In fact, the contest winner may get an opportunity to testify for their proposal in a senate hearing.

On Tuesday's Radio Smart Talk, Sen. Williams joins us to discuss the contest. More importantly, we want you and other listeners to call in or email us with your ideas for new laws and we'll make sure they're entered into the contest (if you wish).

Get those suggestions ready for Tuesday's program.

Link to Sen. Williams website to submit a suggestion:

http://www.senatoranthonyhwilliams.com/legislative/legislation/there-oughta-be-a-law

LISTEN TO PROGRAM:

Published in Smart Talk

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comments

# Brent Erb 2011-07-19 09:01

I would like to see people who throw cigarette butts on the ground fined for everyone they discard onto the ground. Make the fine big too! You can rest assured if you catch them tossing one it's not their first. Perhaps the funds can go to county beautification projects or the cost of their healthcare.

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# Linda Eyer 2011-07-19 09:04

Redo The Recycling Act:

Require all citizens to participate, regardless of size of community. Philly still does not have a program.

Require all businesses to participate. The average business creates over 40 pounds of paper waste per employee per year, more if it is a service based business.

Require more items to be banned from waste and educate, educate, educate. I still see my neighbors putting tires and paint in their waste.

Create and promote new businesses/partnerships for recycling.

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# Todd 2011-07-19 19:17

Require all citizens to participate or require all municipalities to participate? I don't know the current law, but my last job was at a small business in Manheim Township in Lancaster county. MT isn't small, at least by Lancaster standards, but there was absolutely no recycling offered at our office, and we ended up driving a bag or two of cans/bottles to the Lancaster recycling center ourselves, roughly twice a month.

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# Priscilla Sharp 2011-07-19 09:25

Please support HB963 - Adoptee Bill of Rights - restoring to adult adoptees the right to their original birth certificate, unfairly taken away in 1985 over the objection of hundreds of adopted persons, natural parents and adoptive parents.
Priscilla Sharp, State College
Search angel/adoptee rights advocate
Mothers of Loss (to Adoption) on Facebook
www.priscillasharp.org

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# Chris Gendron 2011-07-19 09:51

How about a law that guarantees every student the same access to educational resources as every other PA student?
PA could fund education through income taxes instead of property taxes.
This revenue could be distributed evenly on a per-student basis, which would provide the opportunity for every student in the Commonwealth access to the same level and quality of education.
It would also relieve the elderly from onerous taxes, as well as save money overall by eliminating hundreds of taxing bodies. It would also prevent the current desire to violate the PA Constitution by diverting public monies for education to private (often unregulated and religious) entities.

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# Robin 2011-07-19 09:55

A Law can be defined as a "Limitation of Liberty or Freedom", and as professed Lovers of Liberty it amazes me how eager we are to limit it.
Maybe we think we make laws to limit "THOSE" people, not imagining that it might include US one day. I think we should be mindful that it is US as well as THEM whose freedoms we are saying NO to.
Curious how we will bleed in wars to preserve our Liberty only to fill volumes with limitations on it.
I believe any Liberty that afects us alone should be preserved and only when it conflicts with another's liberty need it be governed.

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# Jeremy 2011-07-19 10:03

I would like a discount on my monthly insurance premium for NOT possessing a cell phone if their use while driving will not be resticted.

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# Mary 2011-07-19 10:10

When talking about taxation, it is important to note that we have not for a long time been a land based economy, but income based. So it makes more sense base taxation of state residents on income rather than on land. This would be more fair to all residents.

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# Robin 2011-07-19 10:15

I support that

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# Mike, Dillsburg 2011-07-19 10:22

Hello, Sen. Williams
Eliminate Safety Inspection for privately owned passenger vehicles.
Pennsylvania's accident record is no better that neighboring states that don't have safety inspections, or inspection procedures are much less intrusive than PA's.

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# Steve, York 2011-07-19 10:23

The senator's comment that PA education is more expensive now than at any time was asinine.
Everything is more expensive now - including the senator's pay!

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# Mike,Schaefferstown 2011-07-19 10:24

On the school subject…”there ought to be a law” to repeal the prevailing wage. With our local school building project in Lancaster County starting over 3 years ago and recently completed, our total $43.5M included an estimated 20% increase due to having to pay “prevailing wage” on the project which is obviously passed onto the taxpayer. Whatever happened to free enterprise? Another example of State/Federal mandates passed onto the local taxpayer!!!

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# Travis 2011-07-19 10:25

I feel that it is far too hard for an independent to run for office. What are you party people afraid of independents?

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# text #1 2011-07-19 10:26

WAY too many laws already! We need to clear the books and start fresh with the basics: protect us from each other, NOT from ourselves.

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# text #2 2011-07-19 10:26

Legalize marijuana

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# bfbarbie 2011-07-19 12:37

There should be a law that does not allow for political prosecution. Corbett spent taxpayer money for his prosecution of democrats prior to his election for Governor of PA

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# mark Thomas 2011-07-19 17:09

HB963 I have a right to know who i am and where i come from. I have severe health issues and i need to know my birth familys historys. My jack russell has a birth certificate and so should i. Please help us!!!!!

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# bridgit763 2011-07-19 20:18

As an employee of a Middle School I would like to see legislation that would fine parents if their child uses or possesses electronic devices during the school day. Our students are required to put them in their locker but currently all that is done is the device is confiscated. It is disruptive and rude. Our office spends too much time confiscating and disciplining students. Parents would be more inclined to enforce it if they faced a fine.

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# bridgit763 2011-07-19 20:32

I would like to see a law that would change the way our school taxes are determined. My concerns are valid. I have no children, but own a house and pay school taxes. However, across town another resident lives in an apartment and sends three kids to school paying minimal taxes. Personally, I think it would be more efficient to consolidate the districts by county, cut the duplication in administration, and increase the state taxes collected. We could also do away with the school tax collection all together. These taxes could then be distributed evenly to each school district at an equal per student rate.

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# Nan-Rural Central PA 2011-07-19 20:43

You mentioned considering merging schools that graduate less than 100 students. Being from a rural area, I would be concerned that this may cause students to spent a great deal of time being transported to and from school (1-2+ hours each way). Would you consider including a maximum allowable commuting time?

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# Todd 2011-07-19 21:50

I request a law that further restricts the use of robo phone calls. Since September 2010 I have been harassed by 5 collection agencies and counting...but I don't own anybody money! I rent, and 4 of the 5 agencies were looking for a former tenant, probably from 2004. These calls are automated with only options like "press 1 to pay your bill", never "press 3 to speak to an agent". I have had the Attorney General's office involved at times, but once I shake one collection agency, a month later, a different one is calling! From my experience, this is not a case of one bad apple, but of an industry interested in quantity over quantity and unable or unwilling to police itself. The best legislation would likely need to come at the federal level, but I believe Pennsylvania can at least stipulate that a real person be on the other side of the phone.

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# Scott LaMar 2011-07-20 08:53

Keep those suggestions coming! We'll forward them on to Sen. Williams.

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# K 2011-07-23 16:00

On the consolidation of school districts--perhaps a coordination of upper admin or establishing brother/sister districts could maximize resources w/o loose local flavor and intimacy in smaller districts.

Research: I THINK it may be HB111--perhaps from '67. Oddly, I'm cleaning out closets & just skimmed a set of notes from a school law class in the early '80's. I know I read of one that required the breaking into smaller districts once a school reached a max size. I don't know if it was a proposed or passed law--and those notes went out in the trash.

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# Victumofcircumstance 2011-08-08 18:59

There should be a Early Pardon Me Law less than 5yrs. it should be a committee for people like me who was victums of a bad justice system in Philadelphia and especially suburban Counties were i was forced to plead no contest to a crime i didn't commit because the victum husband was a former District Atty. or face 7yrs i need to get my life back together very soon and with a Felony on my background for something i did'nt do is not gonna do me any good.

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# Amanda Woolstonj 2011-08-10 16:50

I second the support of HB 693. Adoptees and their families have been fighting for the restoration of their rights since a social-experiment-gone-wrong when PA began denying Adoptee Rights, in 1985. It's time to fix this; our adoption birth certificate laws are an embarassment!

www.adopteerightspa.org

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# Amanda Woolstonj 2011-08-10 16:52

oops *HB 963, rather.

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# Laurie ShannonBailey 2011-10-15 23:22

Thank you Senator Williams for the great/unique opportunity!!

Please, please consider introducing the Healthy Workplace Bill (HWB) legislation to eradicate workplace bullying. According to the Work Place Bullying Institute, 37% of employees have been bullied @ work.
Clearly, Senator Williams has a strong history of promoting the social & economic well being of his constituents. There aught to be workplace bullying legislation to protect employees from abusive work environments.
Currently 21 States have introduced workplace bullying legislation.
For more info, visit http://www.workplacebullying.org. Senator Williams may request a copy of the HWB Bill from Ms. Jessie Brown @360-656-6630.

Thank you.

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