Before starting my first year at Penn State, I attended an orientation session with other students who had been accepted at the university. One of the topics they addressed was how academically and intellectually advanced we were over the country's general high school population.
I wasn't sure whether to be skeptical or alarmed about that information in subsequent years, when I encountered some real dumb asses at that school.
One episode comes to mind immediately. I was at a party where a young woman was talking about a friend of mine whom she considered "hot." But she wasn't sure if she could hook up with him, because he was a "foreigner."
In the extended entry, you'll see a statement that U.S. Rep. Todd Platts, R-York County, released regarding the "cap and trade" bill that passed in the House. Apparently he has some concerns with it.
Here are some more opinions on cap and trade from Warren Buffet ...
From Steven Chu, director of the U.S. Department of Energy ...
I usually try to steer clear of partisan sniping, but I just had to chime in on an e-mail I got from an organization called "Media Matters for America."
That's because I've heard variations of Mr. Quinn's argument before. I'm not a supporter of, say, reparations for slavery, because my ancestors were still over in Ireland getting their butts kicked by the English when slavery existed in this country.
Still, I get really irritated everytime I hear somebody arguing that American black people just need to get over that whole slavery thing, because they're better off now than people currently living in Africa.
To paraphrase: Hey, you should be happy about the fact that white people enslaved your ancestors! Otherwise, you'd still be living in the post-colonial wreckage that white people left behind in Africa! So quit whining!
Gee. I can't for the LIFE of me imagine why we still have racial tensions in this country!
Anyway, here's the e-mail:
I wanted to make sure you had seen an audio clip Media Matters posted this morning on Pennsylvania's own Jim Quinn discussing the Senate passing a resolution that "apologizes to African-Americans on behalf of the people of the United States, for the wrongs committed against them and their ancestors who suffered under slavery and Jim Crow laws." Quinn claimed:
Slavery was evil, there's no question about that. But you know what? If it hadn't happened, where would you be right now? If your ancestors hadn't come over here for whatever reason where would you be right now? You'd be floating down a river in Rwanda in pieces or maybe you'd be chased down by a machete wielding Janjaweed militia in the Sudan or starving under Robert Mugabe. Hey, ingrates, get on your knees, kiss the American dirt beneath you and please shut up.
In case any of you missed it, county commissioner Chris Reilly posted a reply where he discussed his experience with Lyme disease. I recently interviewed him at length, and that's going to be part of my upcoming Lyme disease project.
Here's Reilly's posting:
Beware the tick. I say that only slightly in jest. My recent health problems related to Lyme disease have given me a whole new perspective on the issue. Lyme is a significant public health problem that York County residents should take very seriously. I am amazed at how many York Countians have, or know someone who has been, affected by Lyme disease. Since I was diagnosed, I have received dozens calls and e-mails and heard numerous personal recollections from people with a first-hand knowledge of the devastating physical impact a bite from a deer tick can have. What struck me most about these stories was how the young and old seem to have been disproportionately affected by Lyme disease. Thirty or forty years ago Lyme was a much more obscure condition. The older folks recounted how, in many instances, they didn't seek immediate medical attention or felt their symptoms were misdiagnosed. Today many complain of subsequent chronic health problems they directly attribute to the initial infection. Children seem to be hard hit as well, particularly pre-teens, which makes sense given their high level of involvement in outdoor activities. The good news is, that while kids in many cases develop more acute symptoms, they are diagnosed accurately then treated and recover more quickly. I can't help but think this is because doctors by and large have "mainstreamed" the disease and view it as a serious medical condition. I applaud Tom Joyce for more closely analyzing the perception of and politics surrounding Lyme disease. I also hope my experience will make York Countians more aware of this public health specter which lurks as close as our own backyards.
OK, maybe this whole "Obama-swats-fly" thing is played out by now. I don't care. This video cracked me up, so I'm posting it.
Anybody got a problem with that? Huh? You! The big guy in the corner with the spider web tattoo on your face! You got a problem with that? Didn't THINK so!
Here's a news release from the House Democratic caucus:
HARRISBURG, June 23 - State Rep. Eugene DePasquale, D-York, said legislation he authored that would strengthen Pennsylvania's consumer protection laws by targeting unsafe toys and other children's products unanimously passed the state House today.
"This is common-sense legislation that seeks to protect Pennsylvania's children," DePasquale said. "If a recalled toy is on the store shelf, we need to get it off - period. Parents shouldn't have to fear that items they buy for their children could be unsafe."
DePasquale, who first introduced this legislation last session, said he did so because of the Consumer Product Safety Commission's recall of nearly 200 items in 2007 - including children's toys, cribs and other products.
DePasquale said the bill, H.B. 1431, would make it a crime in Pennsylvania to knowingly sell recalled children's products and would give the state attorney general and local district attorneys the authority to prosecute such offenses.
The attorney general would also be required to establish and maintain a Web site that would provide links to lists of all national agencies that deal with consumer product safety and product recalls. The products identified by any of these lists would be restricted from sale or commerce within Pennsylvania.
The bill also would require manufacturers, importers, wholesalers and distributors to notify their customers and retailers of recalled children's products within 24 hours of the announced recall. Retailers would have three days to remove recalled items from their shelves, DePasquale said.
The bill now moves to the state Senate for consideration.
Just for the record -- county commissioner Chris Reilly was back at work today.
To tell you the truth, I was a little surprised when I saw him at the county commisssioners' work session this morning. He said he intended to be back today, but I wasn't sure if he'd pull it off. Lyme disease can really kick your butt.
I spoke to him afterward. He said he's still feeling a little shaky, but much better than he was a week ago. A week ago, he couldn't even get out of bed.
Last week, county commissioner Chris Reilly announced that he's because he's being treated for Lyme disease. In doing so, he may have already unwittingly involved himself in a very controversial issue.
I think, and hope, that Reilly's going to be OK. He believes he sustained the tick bite that transmits Lyme disease while he was fishing in Codorus Creek. He got very sick soon afterward, and had a diagnosis within days. He is now being treated with antibiotics, and has every reason to expect a full and rapid recovery.
In that respect, thousands of people throughout the country would call him lucky. Those are the people who say they suffer from chronic Lyme disease, a debilitating affliction that they claim affects those who don't get an immediate diagnosis or treatment.
They've formed an increasingly vocal grassroots movement, pitting themselves against a medical establishment that claims chronic Lyme disease doesn't exist.
I've got another story coming up Sunday about the state budget debates. Be sure to read it. It's going to ROCK your world! (Assuming your world is easily rocked.)
Today, I was interviewing state Rep. Eugene DePasquale, D-West Manchester, about it, and he said something which I thought served as a pretty good summation of the Democrats' arguments: "Just because the state doesn't spend the money, doesn't mean it won't be spent."
The title of this Youtube video is "Crazy Guy at Public Meeting." If there are five words in the English language with more potential entertainment value, I have yet to find them.
Gov. Ed Rendell just announced that he's proposing a temporary personal income tax increase. I'll post the whole new release. But first, here's a comment by state Rep. Ron Miller, R-Jacobus.
Now that we seem to be heading for another state budget showdown between Gov. Ed Rendell and the Senate Republicans, I thought it might be fun to take a trip down Memory Lane.
Here's a story I wrote back in 2007, when a standoff between Rendell and legislative Republicans led to a missed deadline for the budget, and state parks closed down for the day.
As you'll read, I headed out to Gifford Pinchot State Park to talk to campers who were being kicked out. There, I had a conversation that still strikes me as funny in a rather sad kind of way.
I encountered four very nice people from Australia. One couple had been living in Canada for several years. The other couple was visiting them.
They had planned the trip that took them through Pennsylvania for some time. They got word over the Internet that a budget impasse might close the park, but decided not to alter their agenda.
America's a civilized country, they reasoned. Members of the Pennsylvania government wouldn't really let the state's parks close solely in the interests of political posturing, would they? Surely, they would make a reasonable compromise based on the public good before that became necessary.
If you saw my story on the state budget battle that ran today, you'll see that Dr. Terry Madonna, political scientist and Franklin & Marshall College, gave me an interesting insight on the intensity of the debate.
He believes a lot of it has to do with next year's elections -- including the governor's race.
Since February, a $3 billion revenue deficit has raised its inconvenient head. The Pennsylvania state constitution requires a balanced budget, and there are only two ways the folks in Harrisburg are going to accomplish that: program cuts or tax increases.
Either action stands a good chance of ticking off large segments of the voters. So the lawmakers probably want to make the tough decisions and suffer the resultant public wrath now, so maybe people will be over it by the time next year's elections come around.
This won't be a lengthy entry because I'm done for the night and I want to get out of here.
I don't usually cover the York School Board, but I was the only one working the early shift today. So they had me handle a follow-up story on the board's dismissal of member Hiawatha Powell last week.
Since I don't ordinarily cover that subject, I'll forego any commentary on the dismissal itself. But on behalf of some of my co-workers, I would just like to state the following for some of the people posting online comments about the story:
Okay! We get it! "Hiawatha" is an Indian name! That's freakin hilarious. So can we please drop the "Young-Hiawatha-heap-mad-about-getting-kicked-out-of-teepee" gags and get some new material?
Did you ever get an e-mail from someone purporting to be an exiled Nigerian government official, offering to cut you in on a deal to transport a vast sum of money out of the country if you'd only be kind enough to provide some personal information?
Before you hit the delete key, did you ever take a minute to wonder: "Who the hell would actually respond to something like this?"
I'm guessing it's the kind of people who would forward an e-mail that actually ended up in my inbox this morning.
" ... And the best way to do that would be to get the public on your side, which I suspect is why Sen. Corman was here last week touting the GOP's spending plan directly to a roomful of York County's movers and shakers. I wouldn't be surprised if Rendell himself or a proxy shows up sometime before July 1 to tout some wonderful program that the Republican budget plan would hurt."
And here's the text of a news release I got today:
"Revenue Secretary TO DISCUSS STATE BUDGET
HARRISBURG - Secretary of Revenue Stephen H. Stetler will discuss the proposed 2009-10 state budget at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, June 9, during a York County Chamber of Commerce meeting at 96 S. George St., Suite 300, York."
This is interesting. Apparently state Rep. Eugene DePasquale, D-West Manchester, plans to introduce legislation that would create open primaries in Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania, as you probably know, is now a closed primary state -- meaning that you have to be registered in a given party to vote in that party's primary.
I recently weighed in on that topic on this blog. I suspect that if we did institute open primaries, we'd have a lot of instances where both parties would try to sabotage each other by lending their primary "support" to the opposite party's candidate who's least likely to win in the general election.
Unfortunately, politics have a way of getting dirty here in Pennsylvania.
But of course, this is one of those instances where I'd like to be proven wrong, especially since I feel professionally obliged to register as an independent. In any case, I'll be very interested to see what kind of response DePasquale's idea gets in Harrisburg.
Here are a couple of interesting news releases from state Sen. Lloyd Smucker, R-Lancaster, and state Sen. Pat Vance, R-Camp Hill, dealing with -- respectively -- fishing and health care. Hey, I said "interesting," not "thematically consistent."
OK, I'm going to ask you to name a disgraced former Democratic politician from the Midwest who has really bizarre hair and is, by all indications, bats**t insane.
Did you say Rod Blagojevich? Good guess.
Actually, I was thinking of James Traficant, the former U.S. Representative from Ohio now serving jail time on corruption charges. By comparison, he makes Blagojevich look like a paragon of emotional stability.
What's great about Youtube is the way it lets us revisit moments like this. (I like his use of the word "delusionary." It's kind of Dubya-eque.)
These days, you hear a lot about the divisive nature of modern politics. So let me share with you a truly heartwarming instance of bipartisan compassion.
I got an e-mail today from the National Republican Senatorial Committee. They wanted to be sure that I, as a member of the news media, saw the results of a recent poll indicating that a majority of Pennsylvania Democrats want to see Arlen Specter face another candidate in a Democratic primary rather than automatically becoming his new party's pick in the Senate race.
As you no doubt recall, Specter recently changed his party affiliation from Republican to Democrat, thus helping to give the Democrats a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate.
According to the poll by Susquehanna Polling and Research, 63 percent of the Pennsylvania Democrats polled want to see Specter face a primary opponent, vs. 28 percent who want to see him just get nominated and 32.09 percent who are undecided.
Like I said, this notification came from the National Republican Senatorial Committee. Isn't it awfully swell of them to be so concerned about what their Democratic brethren in Pennsylvania want? Heck, I'm getting all choked up just thinking about it.
OK, I'm going to briefly revisit the video I took of myself at the Spoutwood Farm May Day Faerie Festival last month.
And I do mean briefly.
This is for the Video of the Week feature that I mentioned in an earlier posting. As I indicated, I'm going to spotlight Youtube videos that ostensibly deal with politics, but that are freaky enough to amuse me.
I found plenty of potential material out there on Youtube, but I ran into a problem as well. Ten seconds of some toothless individual's passionate vlog about the secret connection between Barack Obama and the Loch Ness Monster could be hilarious. But 10 minutes of the same thing is just kind of headache-inducing.
Fortunately, I found a Website called Tubechop, which lets you post edited snippets of Youtube videos. Neat, huh? Assuming it works. Well, here goes. In God we trust, all others pay cash ...
Remember back there in the last blog entry when I was talking about how Senate Republicans seem to be taking the budget fight to the public?
Now it appears that a couple of locals from the House are getting into the act. Not that I have a problem with it. This is the kind of thing where the public should have some input.
Here are a couple of news items I got today:
1) State Rep. Ron Miller, R-Jacobus, will discuss the state budget and field viewers' questions Tuesday night on the Pennsylvania Cable Network's call-in program. Miller is a member of the House Appropriations Committee, where he is chairman of the subcommittee on education. He is also co-chairman of the House Republican Policy Task Force on Education.
Miller will appear with state Rep. Kathy Manderino, D-Philadelphia, from 7 to 8 p.m. Check local listings, or view the program at www.pcntv.com.
2) Residents from throughout the state's 47th legislative district are invited to take part in a tele-town hall meeting on Thursday hosted by state Rep. Keith Gillespie, R-Hellam Township.
At approximately 5:45 p.m., a majority of households in the distrtict will receive a call inviting them to take part in a telephone discussion of legislative issues. Listeners may discuss any topic of their choosing.
"Obviously, the budget is on the minds of many Pennsylvanians," Gillespie said. "I am anxious to delibertae the subject with my constituents and get their thoughts and feelings on this enormous problem of how to close an approximate $3 billion spending gap."
Residents must be registered with Gillespie's office in order to receive a call and take part in the tele-town hall meeting. To receive a call, contact his office at 840-4711.
