Politics, budget cuts, and the same old same old

Disclaimer: When it comes to politics at a state or national level, I'm a cynic. In my view, few people run for major office because of some altruistic desire to improve the conditions in which we all live; they do it for power and to massage their inflated self-importance.

That said, I think most state and national politicians cater to two groups of people and projects, the ones they're most familiar with and the ones whose advocates holler loudest. The first group is often large business interests, as seen by Pennsylvania's Governor Tom Corbett and the way he limply handed the state over to the natural gas drilling companies without taxing their profits. He acquiesced a bit by allowing local municipalities to tax if they so choose, but that doesn't help the overall state coffers.

Now he's got to balance a budget, so he's doing what the big guys do. He proposes 20% cuts in funding to groups who don't holler loud, who don't massage his ego, and who don't vote. Community mental health and mental disability services, drug and alcohol outpatient treatment, homeless assistance, and child welfare grants are the victims of his choice, in addition to everyone's favorite target, public education.

What vulnerable populations learn by your proposal, Governor Corbett, is that their safety and their health and well-being are less important than the hand-shake deals you make with big business. As Ann Landers said,

Keep in mind that the true measure of an individual is how he treats a person who can do him absolutely no good.

Better be careful, Governor. You're character is showing.

Flat Corbett

Last weekend, the Scranton Times-Tribune's Chris Kelly had another great satirical column on our illustrious Governor Tom Corbett. Great stuff, but when I saw this creation, Flat Corbett, I knew I had to share.

The idea stems from that Elementary School project known as Flat Stanley. A paper cut out of "Stanley" is mailed to various parts of the world and is photographed - beside the Eiffel Tower, on the Great Wall of China, you get the idea. Kids learn about world places without ever going there. The idea has grown, and now people photograph themselves with a Flat Stanley when they travel.

Enter Flat Corbett. Folks all around NEPA who dislike some of our governor's lame policies can print out an image of His Flatness. They can then send in photos showing places and people he's affected without ever traveling around to see the damage he's done.

One policy that rubs me raw is his agreement to not tax Marcellus Shale drilling companies. These companies want what we have. Common sense business says 'we're in the driver's seat- hold out for a good deal.' Did Corbett do that? No, he threw open the doors to the state and said "Go forth and drill." Now the road in front of my house has 30 or more of these water trucks twice a day, every day.

It's more like the Jersey Turnpike than rural Pennsylvania. Our roads weren't designed for those kind of loads and now literally the edges of the road are sagging. Come on, Corbett. If these companies drill and dig and tear down forests to lay pipeline,

they ought to pay for the damage they're causing. Since they're making a fortune off our lands' resources, why shouldn't they pay into our financially strapped school systems?

So I printed out my Flat Corbett. It won't be hard to find places to use him.