Letter to the Editor:

Since Gov. Tom Corbett took office, his approach to fiscal responsibility has been to hack away at the basic services that working families depend on. We’ve endured cuts to our schools, crumbling infrastructure, and pay cuts while Governor Corbett and others in the state legislature have protected the steady flow of billions in tax dollars to rich corporations.  

Since 2005, I’ve worked for the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare’s Chester County Assistance Office in Thorndale. It’s my job to help Chester County families who are struggling to put food on the table. But, under Governor Corbett, I’ve had my basic employee benefits cut and I’ve taken a pay freeze. Because of these cuts, I currently drive an 11-year-old car. I do my part and pay my taxes. And it’s only fair that wealthy corporations that do business here, benefit from using our roads, and profit off our land, should do their part, too.

Now Harrisburg politicians want to enact a plan that will do nothing to produce savings in the current budget cycle -- while robbing workers of the retirement they have paid for all their lives. People who spend their careers in service to the state should be able to cover the basics when they retire -- that’s a Pennsylvania value. Officials in the State Capitol need to get their priorities straight and do what’s right for Pennsylvania’s families instead of what’s profitable for corporations.

Jeff Bullock

Parkesburg