Sen. Pileggi: Republicans' 'Record Of Accomplishment Is Long' In Pa.
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Dom Giordano spoke with Pennsylvania State Senator Dominic Pileggi on Talk Radio 1210 WPHT.
Pileggi addressed the criticism that Republicans, who control all three branches of the legislature in the Commonwealth, have not done enough to satisfy their base of support.
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PA Senator Dominic Pileggi
"Our record of accomplishment is long and is one that is very publicly available. The fact is that the Republican Party is not monolithic. We have, within our party, a range of opinions and Pennsylvania, particularly, is a diverse state," he said.
He pointed specifically to the Republicans' fiscal record on taxation and spending.
"We have a very clear record of reducing taxes…[and] controlling the state's spending growth, right alongside that. Our spending last year wasn't very much different than our spending in 2008, right before the recession," Pileggi stated.
Pileggi defended a controversial transportation bill, saying that maintaining Pennsylvania as key transport corridor pays dividends.
"At the state level, our party has always supported investment in our infrastructure. Especially in Pennsylvania, where we have a long history of canals and railroads and the Pennsylvania turnpike, that's part of our competitive advantage as a commonwealth…Investment in that infrastructure, whether it's the ports in Erie, or Pittsburgh or Philadelphia to promote commercial shipping, whether it's the airports across the state, whether it's the rail system is a core function of government. I don't think we can say that's something we don't need to pay attention to," he said.
Regarding a recent proposal in the Senate that would allow grocery and convenience stores to sell beer and wine, Pileggi says he hopes this is just the first step.
"We've worked very hard over the past few weeks, and some of that work is starting to surface this week on a more incremental approach to privatization focused on greater availability of wine, both shipping of wine…[and] to allow a broader distribution of wine," he explained.
