There is a cancer in Harrisburg. It is the nickel-and-diming taxation of drivers in Pennsylvania. The symptoms are Senate Bills 535, 559, 840, and 1267. These bills give RADAR and LIDAR to local municipalities, extend red light cameras for 10 years, and add speed cameras in the Commonwealth.

These bills are not for highway safety. They are for raising money by stealing it from safe drivers. Speed limits must be set to the 85th percentile speed of free flowing traffic. But 90 percent of the time the limits are set from 8 to 16 mph too low, greatly facilitating the writing of “speeding” tickets.

Putting money above the safety of constituents is to be expected from our public servants, especially now. They just agreed that there will be no broad-based tax increases — i.e., no increases in the income tax and the sales tax.

However, they must get more money somewhere, since their insatiable appetite for money leads them to practice fiscal irresponsibility: giving themselves guaranteed raises, perks galore, gold-plated pensions for themselves and their government worker cronies, hiring friends and family in make-work jobs, subsidizing billionaire sports team owners, and more.

This is an election year, dear senators and representatives. The driving public is watching you very closely, and will vote you out of office if you try to enact SB 535, SB 559, SB 840 and SB 1267, or any similar legislation.

Rejecting the advice, pressure and money from the special interests who are pushing RADAR, LIDAR and red light cameras is a good campaign strategy — as is ending your ever increasing drive for more money.

Putting the people first will garner votes. Vote No on SB 535, SB 559, SB 840, and SB 1267. Thank you.