I believe in preserving good farm land.
The Oley Valley is a treasure and home to some of the best farm land in the United States. Along with many beautiful stone homes and structures, this area is truly unique.
Let me share a quick story with you. In 1986, shortly after I was transferred to the area, my wife and I were driving in Pike Township looking for a building site and became a little “lost.” Instead of turning east on Route 73 in Pleasantville, we went South and the rest is history. We went through a covered bridge, past beautiful farms and found an old stone farm house going up for “auction.”
After buying the home, we lived on Covered Bridge Road in Oley for 8 years. I spent 4 years restoring the old stone home and our two daughters were born when we lived there.
There are those that say, because I am the owner of a construction company, I would like to “pave the Oley Valley.” This is absolutely not true. I will do everything in my power to preserve the beautiful and pristine nature of our rural areas.
Government
- Create a commission to audit every state department and agency, including the legislative branch, to ensure our tax dollars are used in the original manner in which they were intended.
- Enact a constitutional amendment prohibiting state and local government budgets from increasing above a standard inflation rate without a 2/3 majority.
Taxes
- Enact a constitutional amendment to eliminate residential property tax as means to fund public education.
- Seek ways to lower our corporate income tax. Pennsylvania has the second highest corporate income tax in the county. We must lower this tax to encourage business to locate in our state.
Crime
- Increase minimum sentences for violent and gun crimes.
- Stop registered sex offenders from using popular internet networking such as MySpace and Facebook websites used by underage children and install tracking equipment on sex offenders computers to monitor their use.
Education
- Create training programs to enable students to become industry certified in a technical field, both during high school and after graduation.
- Create state-level virtual schooling to give all students access to courses not available in their local schools.
- Cap yearly increases in school budgets to the inflation rate. Require major school building projects to be voted on by taxpayers.
Healthcare
To make healthcare affordable to all we must lower the cost of healthcare by:
- Eliminating frivolous law suits- enact a proportional liability law.
- Aggressively prosecute insurance fraud.
- Create community clinics for uninsured to avoid abuse of hospital emergency rooms.
- Create regional health care consortiums to lower the cost of insurance.
Transportation
- Work to make a Reading to Philadelphia Commuter Rail Line a reality.
- Create incentives for “Share a Ride” program on Rt. 422 and 222.
Hunting and Fishing
Dear Fellow Sportsman,
As a candidate for State Representative I want to let you know that you can count on me to strongly defend our second amendment rights and fight to support our values and quality of life.
I was born and raised on a family farm in northern Michigan. My father was a farmer and a commercial fisherman, operating a fishing business out of Sturgeon Bay, on Lake Michigan.
Growing up in Northern Michigan with six brothers, hunting and fishing was a chance to bond with family and friends, and has always been an important part in my life, one that I have passed on to my own children.
My first fishing experience was walking to a small creek and catching native brook trout. I can still remember when my Dad decided I was old enough to go squirrel hunting alone in the farm woodlot.
Because of all the time and effort that I have put into running for State Representative, I have not had much time to hunt or fish this year, however Maggie, my Springer Spaniel and I were able to get out once for some upland game hunting, early this year.
I am proud of my A rating from the NRA , and I can assure you that I will work hard to preserve our right to hunt and fish on public land and promote the creation of good game habitats.
Thank you for your consideration. I hope I can count on your vote on election day.
Sincerely,
Dick Gokey
|
