Now what will I miss if I end my subscription? Well I might miss all the news about the corruption and disarray of Pennsylvania politics. We have an attorney general who is being taken to court accused of lying and releasing confidential grand jury information. She claims she is being attacked because she discovered porn e-mails being sent and shared by the state officials who are now out to get her. She has refused to do her job to follow the law and defend PA's marriage protection law. She has refused, as required by the law, to fire her driver who apparently has been charged and arrested for helping her gather secret grand jury information. This is the same attorney general who I feel was elected not based on her record, but because of her promises to investigate and charge the previous governor for his part in the Sandusky mess. Penn State folks around the state then voted for her because of this promise. Incidentally, after being elected, she found nothing wrong and did not bring any charges. You just can't make this stuff up. The next tv reality show might be "Amazing Adventures of the Attorney General".
Then there is the battle between the legislature and the new governor. The legislature passed a budget on time but the governor vetoed it because it did not include his priorities which would mean massive tax increases. And no compromise is in sight. And now schools and social services are being forced to borrow money to keep operating and these unexpected costs may wipe out any increases they might get if and when a budget is passed. So rather than compromise, the legislature tried to pass some special provisions to continue former payments to these groups, but the governor threatened to veto what he called illegal provisions and not enough support could be found to override that threat. And you wonder why people are sick of politicians to the point that many would even support a rude but rich politician like Donald Trump.
Then there is the college teachers union which is fighting a proposal to make all of its members complete state police checks like all lower level teachers and child workers, even in churches, must now complete by law. They say that this would be a frivolous way to spend money which they need elsewhere. They also claim that they don't really come in contact with children. So they are fighting this. Now I wonder if the real reason is the fear of what might be found and exposed with the background checks. Now there are very many great college profs who have nothing to hide. But I've met and worked with some who, saying it as kindly as possible, were "strange" with weird lifestyles. I would never accuse them of anything illegal in dealing with students, but I just can't help but wonder what police checks might actually show.
Oh yes, some of these college teachers from local colleges have sent a letter to Governor Tom Wolf to have him back Obama and cut carbon pollution at coal-fired plants. Incidentally, the majority of them are on the staff of Franklin and Marshall which is known for its liberalism. Maybe they should have joined the president in his recent "vacation", or should I say trip, at tax payer expense, to Alaska to personally view the results of climate change. We'd love to go to Alaska but can't affford it. But my taxes can be used to send the president there on a publicity stunt.
Of course if I gave up the newspaper I might miss other unbelievable stories. I might have missed the story of the local father who was arrested after he chased his stepson with a machete. The reason? The stepson said he wasn't returning to college for the upcoming semester. The 20 year-old escaped when his girlfriend picked him up in a car.
Or what about the area man who was found drunk in a neighbor's pig pen? The last thing I heard was that he was considering a suit against some of the media for ruining his reputation.
Then there was the area burglar who was on drugs when he broke into a house to rob it. Police found him in the bathroom sound asleep on the toilet. As I've said, you can't make this stuff up.
Finally, my favorite news story came following a truck accident in which a few swine had to be euthanized. One of the 80 full grown pigs actually escaped and was found at the bottom of a hill. He had to be put down because of his injuries. Now that part of the story is sad. But PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, didn't let us down. They have requested the right to erect a 5-foot tombstone at the scene of the accident in memory of the pigs who were killed. According to PETA's president, "PETA hopes to encourage motorists to help make roads safer for everyone by choosing healthy vegan foods and eliminating this dangerous and frightening trip entirely." Amazing. There goes our Easter ham!
How can I give up reading these great stories and I don't even read the two full pages of comics. But who needs the comics when we have human nature to amaze us?
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