Harrisburg lawmakers poised to eliminate property tax, until they don't

Well, they're at it again. Harrisburg's finest are engaged in their periodic roundelay over scrapping the loathed property tax, which funds education in Pennsylvania by driving seniors into pauperhood, turning family castles into pawns, and making child-free couples gag in disgust when those peal-open envelopes arrive in the mail.

This time it's Rep. Jim Cox, a Spring Township Republican (the guy who won't return his cost-of-living pay increase, remember?) who is sponsoring The Property Tax Independence Act, and guess what?...the bill actually appears to have wide and bipartisan support! They will be plenty of benefits for both homeowners and businesses if the property tax is retired into obsolescence.

So what's to stop our solons from finally declaring mission accomplished?

Haven't you been paying attention for the past half-century?

New GOP House contingent ready to scrap the property tax, slash spending, find you a job, make an elephant disappear

The headline at the top of today's newspaper provided all the excitement anybody would need this January 5:

PRIMED AND READY TO MAKE PROGRESS

The people primed are the newest members of the Berks County delegation to the state General Assembly, David M. Maloney Sr., Mike Tobash and Mark M. Gillen, and they are going to do all sorts of wonderful things for we the people.

Property taxes. Poof, gone.

Jobs. Would $100,000 a year to start be fine, sir?

An overwhelming budget deficit. That is so 2010.

Tobsh provided an interesting metaphor in discussing how the huge problems will have to be tackled one step at a time:

"You've got to swallow the elephant one small piece at a time. It's not going to happen overnight."

Frankly, I'm batting that two years down the road voters will be sick from swallowing this elephant.