Oren M. Spiegler – 1/4/15

This page was last updated on January 6, 2015.

A checklist for legislators, governor; Oren M. Spiegler; Beaver County Times; January 4, 2015. This letter appeared on the BCT website on 1/4/15 but did not appear in the print edition until 1/6/15.

Mr. Spiegler is such a prolific letter writer the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review gave him a little tribute back in 2003. Google “Oren M. Spiegler” and you’ll get more hits than you know what to do with. Unfortunately, prolific is not a synonym for competent. Mr. Spiegler claims to be a Republican. In my critique of “Breathing more freely,” I cited reasons why I was “beginning to believe Mr. Spiegler is simply another Republican impersonator,” but he sealed the deal with “Greatest foreign policy debacle.” Subsequent letters provided more confirmation. The group of local Republican impersonators also includes Messrs. William A. Alexander, Arthur Brown, Edward J. Hum, Bill Ralston, and George Reese, all claiming to be disgruntled Republicans.

You can find links to previous critiques of Spiegler letters I critiqued here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

The BCT has or had a limit of 12 letters per writer per year. In 2014, the BCT either ditched that limit or made a huge exception for Mr. Spiegler. By my count, the BCT published at least 25 Spiegler letters in 2014.

Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.

“As we enter 2015, a new governor will take office facing extraordinary challenges which will require bipartisan cooperation and compromise. Neither party will get everything it wants and the Republicans are in the driver’s seat, possessing the ability to vote down any proposal put forth by the Wolf administration.

“I suggest that our leaders think big, that a ‘grand bargain’ be considered with some victories and some bitter medicine to swallow on both sides of the aisle. To follow are my suggestions for a state government of accomplishment rather than one of partisan rancor and intransigence:”

[RWC] I don’t want “a ‘grand bargain’ … with some victories and some bitter medicine to swallow on both sides of the aisle.” I want the right thing done on every issue.

· Gradually raise the state minimum wage to $9 an hour.”

[RWC] No. Please read “The Minimum Wage.”

· Adopt the House-passed measure to eliminate the Prohibition-style state control of alcohol sales.”

[RWC] I completely support getting PA out of the alcohol-selling business. As noted in previous critiques, I lived in Texas for over 18 years and can testify the ability to buy alcohol in convenience stores, grocery stores, private liquor stores, et cetera and the absence of state stores didn’t bring about the end of the world.

I believe Mr. Spiegler is referring to House Bill 790. HB 790 may be a good first step, but licensing fees seem high and the bill protects beer distributors from competition with grocery stores at the convenience/expense of consumers (“Under the bill, no beer will be sold in grocery stores, except for those with restaurant licenses. … Beer distributors will be the only facilities in the state where consumers can buy wine, spirits, and beer in one place.”) I suspect there are other provisions in the bill not mentioned in the Liquor Privatization Details link with which I would also disagree.

· Enact a 5% Marcellus Shale drilling tax similar to that which is levied in other states which host fracking, but one which ensures that local government will continue to derive revenue from the industry.”

[RWC] No. I covered this in my critique of “Severance tax is better for residents.”

· Take action on the $50 billion pension shortfall, legislation which at the very least, enables the bleeding to be stanched by enacting a fiscally-sound system for new hires.

· Eliminate the perverse incentive for General Assembly members to serve for life by scaling back their extraordinarily generous pension plans.

· Move along the process of markedly reducing the size of the House and Senate.

· Address the decades-long concerns of middle class homeowners who are being taxed out of their homes, including by enacting real limits on the extent to which local school boards can increase our property tax burdens each year.”