Chris Voccio for Pennsylvania

My friend Dave Knepper has an opinion piece in today’s Tribune-Democrat, and I urge you to read it.

Dave, who is a thoughtful and sharp guy and who is a great champion of the region, argues that we need more federal funding to revitalize our communities.

But what Dave forgets is that any federal funding that comes to our communities must come from those very same communities. He’s basically arguing that we take a dollar from the pockets of hardworking taxpayers, funneling it through the federal bureaucracy, and then return the remaining pennies back home. That’s counterproductive.

Besides, when those moneies come back home, they’re likely to go to local governments, not directly to the taxpayers.

Instead, I urge my friend Dave to join me in calling for reductions in government and reductions in taxes. That will put real dollars in the hands of hardworking taxpayers, where it belongs.

And that will revitalize local communities.