Quote:
Originally Posted by pj3000
SE PA does not "subsidize'" the rest of the state. This way overplayed notion is simply false.
Philadelphia gets a 260% rate of return from the state on its tax dollar "investment". This is BY FAR the greatest percentage of state funding over taxes received by any urban county. It actually has the second highest second highest percentage of all counties in the state... with only tiny Forest County at 7k residents receiving a greater level... and that's only due to the fact that over a 1/3 of the residents are state correctional institution prisoners! 
And I actually think Philadelphia should receive more. But let's not run counter to the facts of the matter.
Montgomery, Bucks, Chester, Delaware counties are the top 4 wealthiest in the state. So if you want more funding for SEPTA, they should pay for it. |
.....Well I said SE PA and Philadelphia county doesn't constitute 'SE PA' and makes up only a % of the 5 million-plus people who call SE PA home. If you split Pennsylvania in half, the eastern side would be more like Maryland and NJ demographically and socioeconomically. Western PA would be looking more like WV and Ohio. People in Western PA are always complaining about Philadelphia "getting too much money", but that's a bit of a throwing rocks in a glass house situation in terms of what would happen if we split in two.