July 18, 2021

Op/Ed: Leaving the GOP

What makes a life-long Republican leave the Republican Party? Just look at the latest state budget.

I was a registered Republican for over 30 years. Now, I’m a registered Libertarian. Folks often ask me why I switched. There are several reasons, but most fall into the category of disappointment with the utter failure of Republican candidates to live up to Republican principles once they get into office. Certainly, governing often requires compromise with folks on the other side of the aisle. I understand that sometimes, you have to take one step backward to take two steps forward. However, I have found that even when Republicans don’t need to compromise, they still fail to meet the standard expected by voters who are loyal to them and their party.

If you ask any Republican what distinguishes the Republican Party from the Democratic Party, one of the most common things you’ll hear about is “Fiscal Responsibility”.

This year, the Republican-led Pennsylvania legislature passed a budget that is anything but fiscally responsible.

I believe that “fiscal responsibility” means holding the line on spending increases to keep them at or below the TABOR (Tax-Payers Bill-Of-Rights) index. That number, which is derived from the rate of inflation and the population growth rate, is currently 1.79 percent for the state of Pennsylvania. Yet, the latest budget, passed with the approval of a majority of Republicans in Harrisburg, increases spending by 8.8 percent.

If you believe that it’s OK to increase spending faster than the rate of inflation, there’s a good chance that you are a Democrat. If you believe that it’s OK to increase spending at or below the rate of inflation, there’s a good chance that you are a Republican. And if you believe that our goal should be to decrease spending and shrink the size of government, (channeling Jeff Foxworthy here) you JUST might be a Libertarian.

Yes. We have a Democratic governor, but the Republican majorities in the House and Senate are overwhelming. There’s simply no excuse for these legislative bodies to allow spending to increase by almost five times the TABOR index. The pandemic is ending and the best thing that government can do to get us back to normal is to simply get out of the way.

I also believe that fiscal responsibility means paying off debt, as quickly as possible, to minimize interest expenses. When you have the power of taxation, combined with the ability to underfund pensions to balance the budget, it simply doesn’t make sense to put money into a “rainy day” fund earning a lower interest rate than you are paying on any other debt. Yet, the latest budget, passed with the approval of a majority of Republicans in Harrisburg, puts $2.5 Billion into the “rainy day” fund while the state still has a variety of unpaid debts and a $70 billion pension shortfall.

Most, if not all, of these debts have an effective interest rate that is greater than the rate of inflation. The state’s pension debt alone has an imputed interest rate of 7.25 percent and it’s highly unlikely that the rainy day fund is earning interest at a rate that is greater than inflation.

Ironically, a lot of our state’s debts were incurred in direct violation of Article VIII, Section 7 of the state constitution which basically says that the state can’t incur any long-term (not paid off in the same fiscal year) debt without a public referendum.

Maybe my memory is bad, but I don’t remember any such voter referendums since, well, as long as I can remember. Yet, the state has borrowed money from a variety of sources, including uncertain future Tobacco Settlement Funds. But ignoring the state and federal constitution is a whole different category of Republicans’ grievances with elected Republicans that I’ll dive into on another day.

Dan Truitt
West Chester
Dan Truitt is a former state representative for the 156^th
Legislative District that includes Birmingham Township.

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Exploring Hope: Jesus was interrupted too

We all hate interruptions. But as a parent of two small children, interruptions are a way of life. I finally lay down to sleep after a long day, and—interruption—a toddler burst into my room. I think I have my baby down for a nap, and I settle down to read a book until — interruption— cries ring from the bedroom.

But interruptions can come from other sources as well. You settle in to get that project done at work when — interruption— a coworker barges into your office. You are out for a relaxing walk to clear your head when — interruption— your talkative neighbor stops you.

So, how can we deal with interruptions? Well, as I was enjoying an uninterrupted time of Bible reading recently, I was struck by the way Jesus handled interruptions in Matthew 14. Jesus heard about the death of his friend, John the Baptist, and in verse 13, the text says that he “withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself.” He sought out solitude. And this was his modus operandi: he often retreated for times of prayer and reflection in the busyness of life and public ministry.

Now, most of the sermons I’ve heard on this passage say something like this: “Jesus needed time alone for prayer and reflection. Therefore, it’s right for us to pursue this as well.” Of course, this application is correct. But is it the only application? After all, notice what happened to Jesus in Matthew 14:13: “But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.”

And this should be our response to interruptions as well. When the kids crawl into your bed when you’re trying to sleep, when your toddler interrupts your time of reading and reflection, when your neighbor needs to talk, or when your coworker barges into your office, do you feel compassion? Do you look for opportunities to love and serve?

However, lest we think this is an isolated event, Jesus makes another attempt to be alone in Matthew 14. His first attempt failed. But in verse 23, the text says, “And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray.” Jesus seizes another opportunity to be alone.

But look at verse 25. His disciples got on a boat to cross the Sea of Galilee until a dangerous storm suddenly blew in. They were about to be drowned. Therefore, Jesus left his time of solitude to save them. Jesus was willing to be interrupted out of love for others.

Therefore, are we willing to be interrupted? Do we respond in anger and frustration? Or do we respond in grace, compassion, and mercy like our Lord Jesus Christ? My prayer for all of us is that we will pursue times of solitude for prayer and reflection. This is important in a busy world. But we should never idolize our times of solitude. Sometimes they are interrupted, and that’s okay. The greater call is to love God and to love those around us as God first loved us and gave himself for us.

About Will Stern

Originally from Colorado, Will Stern is the pastor of Hope Presbyterian Church in Garnet Valley. He majored in violin performance for his undergrad and taught violin for a number of years before being called into ministry. He studied theology at Duke University and Westminster Theological Seminary.