Horseshoes or Homeroom in PA?

[Benny]

Looks like the slots money is going bye bye in PA.

Proposed legislation would take nearly all of the money from the state's Horse Racing Development Fund and redirect it to school districts that receive less than 35 percent of their funding from the state. Rep. Todd Stephens (R-Montgomery County) said his bill would provide relief for local property taxpayers and address the imbalance in the state's school funding formula.

Stephens' bill would shift $250 million from the development fund to school districts receiving less than average state funding.............

.........What Stephens sees as a potential windfall for school and local taxpayers, the horse industry sees as a death sentence.

"It's gone," said Todd Mostoller, Executive Director of the state Horseman's Benevolent & Protective Association. "(If it passes) there is no industry in Pennsylvania.

http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/ind...cing_scho.html

[Kasept]

Addressed on ATR Thursday and active rebuttal of the fraudulent Stephens on his Facebook page led by Chuck. And I suggest reading Matt Hegarty's piece in DRF where it's brought out that Stephens' bill is designed to bring tax relief strictly to the 211 wealthiest districts in Pennsylvania. He couldn't care less about the schools. A similar attack was floated 2 years ago in PA and was rebuffed.

The disgusting element of this particular attack by Stephens and the complicit media in PA is misidentifying beneficiaries of the program as 'wealthy horse owners'. Let's check with the breeders, vets, farriers, backstretch workers, feed merchants, van drivers, et al, and see how wealthy they all are. According to this creep Stephens, 'wealthy horse owners' not OK for alleged government largess, but wealthy homeowners are.

HEGARTY PIECE: http://www.drf.com/news/pennsylvania...ue-250-million

Rep. Todd Stephens of Montgomery County, said that the intent of the bill was to provide property-tax relief to homeowners in 211 school districts that receive less than 35 percent of their funding from the state. Those districts are typically high-income areas where the tax base is wealthy enough to provide the majority of funding for schools.

STEPHENS FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/RepToddStephens

[Benny]

Originally Posted by Kasept

Addressed on ATR Thursday and active rebuttal of the fraudulent Stephens on his Facebook page led by Chuck. And I suggest reading Matt Hegarty's piece in DRF where it's brought out that Stephens' bill is designed to bring tax relief strictly to the 211 wealthiest districts in Pennsylvania. He couldn't care less about the schools. A similar attack was floated 2 years ago in PA and was rebuffed.

The disgusting element of this particular attack by Stephens and the complicit media in PA is misidentifying beneficiaries of the program as 'wealthy horse owners'. Let's check with the breeders, vets, farriers, backstretch workers, feed merchants, van drivers, et al, and see how wealthy they all are. According to this creep Stephens, 'wealthy horse owners' not OK for alleged government largess, but wealthy homeowners are.

HEGARTY PIECE: http://www.drf.com/news/pennsylvania...ue-250-million

Rep. Todd Stephens of Montgomery County, said that the intent of the bill was to provide property-tax relief to homeowners in 211 school districts that receive less than 35 percent of their funding from the state. Those districts are typically high-income areas where the tax base is wealthy enough to provide the majority of funding for schools.

STEPHENS FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/RepToddStephens

Thanks for flushing out this story. I missed Thursdays show.and didnot see it posted as a topic on DT. Certainly a one sided, incomplete reporting job and weak response by the PA horsemen rep.

[Cannon Shell]

http://www.phillymag.com/news/2014/0...money-schools/

Another take

[joeydb]

Ugh. Doesn't surprise me. You know how hard it is to be a racefan in the Philadelphia Area?

[freddymo]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

http://www.phillymag.com/news/2014/0...money-schools/

Another take

Assuming the premise is correct that "racing is the sport of kings" what does that make you? Jester? Prince? Lord? or broke without the 250 mil.

Amazing stupidity...Shiek Mo loves those conditional 5k claiming races..

[joeydb]

Steve can you get that guy Stephens to call in so you can let him have it? I'd love to hear his stammering answer.

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by freddymo

Assuming the premise is correct that "racing is the sport of kings" what does that make you? Jester? Prince? Lord? or broke without the 250 mil.

Amazing stupidity...Shiek Mo loves those conditional 5k claiming races..

Yeah I saw him at Penn the other day clocking some PA bred maiden 7500's.

While in no way can the slot money experience in PA be classified as anything other than a continued missed opportunity the idea that the money is simply flowing to the "super rich and elite" is more or less an outright lie.

Makes you wonder where we are as a country when even GOP politicians are using class warfare to take money from private business for their own benefit?