Politics – Page 394 – Shall Not Be Questioned

Steve Cappelli Switching Sides?

From the Inquirer, it appears one of our stalwarts against gun control in the Pennsylvania General Assembly might be switching sides:

After a face-to-face meeting with Cappelli last month, Thomas said the lawmaker had agreed to become a spokesman for some of the Legislative Black Caucus’ gun-control bills, 33 of which are stalled in committee.

Specifically, Cappelli agreed to support House Bill 1746, which would allow the city to enact its own gun laws in consultation with the U.S. and state attorneys general, Thomas said.

Needless to say, this is not a welcome development.Â I have to drive through Philadelphia on my way to see Bitter. Â The city, given the chance, will ban concealed carry within city limits.Â I do not favor weakening our state’s preemption laws.Â The Pennsylvania Constitution applies in Philadelphia, as it does in every other city in Pennsylvania.Â If we let Philadelphia infringe on it, other cities are sure to demand the ability to do the same.Â That would create the patchwork of local regulations that preemption was created to avoid.

Your Tax Dollars at Work

Countertop tells the story of our goverment’s plan to give 55 billion dollars in subsidies to oil refiners, already swimming in lute due to our nations very tight refining capacity, in order to encourage them to keep blending ethanol into gasoline.

I think there are too many special interests that are bound to make any government energy policy a boondoggle. This is one area I think the markets should sort out. If we’re worried about global warming, there are better ways to deal with it than politicians mandating how we produce energy in this country. They are bound to get it wrong.

Boston Beer Coming to Pennsylvania

I have to congratulate the Boston Beer Company, makers of Sam Adams, for choosing to open a new brewery in Pennsylvania rather than Freetown, Massachusetts.

Bit of advice for Deval Patrick: When business is fleeing Massachusetts for Pennsylvania, man, you have a real problem.

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Talks about the Guv

This editorial is meant to be a piece about Michael Nutter, but it’s pretty spot on in it’s criticism of our Governor from when he was Mayor of Philadelphia:

Â Nutter has the kind of reform agenda that people wrongly associate with Rendell, who entered office with a mandate for change and a city teetering on bankruptcy. Rendell immediately went to battle with the city’s powerful unions, which “hadn’t had a bad day in 30 years,” he charged.

After winning significant concessions, though, Rendell aligned himself with Street, then the city council president. Rendell took care of downtown, which thrived, while Street ran the rest of the city as his private patronage kingdom.

With his eye on higher office and his reputation secure, Rendell chose not to pursue the reforms that other innovative mayors enacted in the 1990s. He opposed welfare reform and did little to fight crime outside of downtown. Despite its beautiful architecture and skyline, Philly’s a city where a 10-minute walk from City Hall leaves you in Third World poverty, danger, and despair.

Friend and sometimes co-blogger Brad has called Ed Rendell the luckiest politician alive, meaning that he made his political career largely by riding the same upswing experienced by every other city in the 90s. Â But Rendell never fixed any of the cities fundamental problems, and now we’re paying the piper.

Alcohol, Tobbaco, and… Not Firearms Yet

I mean taxes.Â Congress and the Pennsylvania Legislature have been mulling over taxes on cigarettes and booze.Â In principle I have no problem with excise taxes on booze and tobacco provided that those taxes are meant to raise revenue.Â The government runs a real risk, if these taxes are raised too high, that they’ll create a black market.Â It’s safe to guess these black markets will not to be run by the Boy Scouts.

Of course, increased taxes on alcohol would have a nice effect on the home brewing market.

New Anti-Gun Blog

I hadn’t realized in my past linkage I was actually dealing with a blog, rather than just a one off editorial.Â But yes folks, it appears that Bryan Miller, President of CeaseFire New Jersey and CeaseFire Pennsylvania has a blog over at New Jersey Voices.Â I notice a few people over there who I recognize, and a few I don’t.Â Â Peter Hamm, Brady’s Communication Director, has made an appearance.Â Â Be sure to stop over and hi (polite, respectful, yada yada).Â Tell Peter to say hi to Macca for us ;)

“Guilty of the worst kind of political posturing”

So says The Allentown Morning Call, in regards to Rep English and Peterson’s efforts to prevent tolling on I-80.Â Â Political posturing?Â I can’t help but notice that I-80 runs mostly through counties that didn’t vote all that heavily for Ed Rendell or the Democrats.

Smoking Ban Dead for Now

Pennsylvania’s smoking ban is dead for now.Â I actually don’t smoke, but I’m tempted to go to some public place, and light up a stogie just as a hearty up yours to our governor.

Pennsylvania Ranks 17th in Drive By Shootings

Despite Philadelphia’s out of control murder rate, our criminals at least seem to have the decency to get out of the car before they pop a cap in your ass.

Bryan’s Privilege

Bryan Miller is still pushing the notion that the 50 BMG and the rifles that fire it are menacing weapons of mass destruction in the bit I quoted the other day.Â Let me quote for you a section, but please, go see for yourself, and comment:

Finally, I know you guys will never get it…that society has a duty and responsibility to mediate between individual privilege (in this case, the fun of firing a big gun) and public safety (the chance that hundreds or thousands could be injured or killed by one man with one of these massively destructive guns). In this state, you’re a tiny minority. Thank God. The vast majority of New Jerseyans value public safety over your fun. Get used to it.

Privilege? Â Wait a minute, let me check my copy of the constitution again.

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed

Yeah, I was pretty sure it didn’t say privilege.Â This is pure pants shitting hysterics folks.Â I’m quite happy to live on this side of the river, where fewer people are buying this crap, and we’re not looking for ways to outlaw fun.

Go comment folks, if you can.Â We can’t let their ignorance peddling, deceptions, and untruths go unanswered.Â Â New Jersey may be a lost cause for shooters, but Pennsylvania is not, and Bryan is bringing that crap over here too.