Category: Politics

Prop. 8 Upheld in California

The California Supreme Court ruled the only way I think it could and still maintain credibility.  As it says on Volokh, it’s not really about gay marriage, but about whether the people have a right to alter their own constitution in ways the political elite would prefer they not.

While I would be in favor of gay marriage, passed by the legislature, I am not in favor of it being done through judicial fiat.  The people of California have spoken.  They do not want gay marriage.  For gay marriage activists, that means changing hearts and minds, which is a hard thing to do, and takes a long time.  By pushing this issue through the courts, without building up a real public consensus first, they’ve put their cause back decades.  It’s a lesson that should not be lost on Second Amendment activists, but in general, I think we’ve done very well in building up a public consensus.  Certainly much better than the gay marriage activists.

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Maybe It’s Time to Look in a Mirror

The city is upset that it, once again, has to fight with Harrisburg to get more money:

Some chalk up the expected fight over the city budget to the normal politics of cutting deals in Harrisburg. But others believe the battle will be complicated and fueled by an entrenched anti-Philadelphia bias among lawmakers from other parts of the state who believe the city is rife with corruption and mismanagement.

It’s all true, and unfortunately for the City of Philadelphia, the perception people have in the rest of the state is entirely correct.  I can’t blame people in Altoona for not wanting to pay for Philadelphia’s inability to govern itself.  How many operations has the state had to take over from the City over the years because the City proved incapable of managing it?  The Philadelphia School District and the Parking Authority come to mind.

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Defining Trespassing Down

If the Inquirer’s editorial board had their way, we’d call tresspassing overstaying your welcome:

The members of Heeding God’s Call also intend to bring their message to the pulpits of legislators’ home congregations. They hope that building grassroots support across the state will change some minds in Harrisburg.

The dozen activists who are scheduled to go on trial today may have overstayed their welcome at a gun shop. But their movement is decidedly welcome in this city and state.

What kind of people are these folks, who can’t get what they want from the legislature, so they go and disrupt a man’s business and try to destroy his livelihood.  How is Colosimo’s to blame if a gun that was sold from his stop later turns up in a crime?  Is a Ford dealer responsible for cars that later end up in a drunk driving accident?

Colosimo’s is a scapegoat — a convienent way for the powers that be who run Philadelphia keep deflecting blame for the fact that they are unwilling to remove criminals.  The Philadelphia Inquirer is apparently only too happy to help.

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More Smoking Bans

Looks like Wisconsin is the latest state to jump on the smoking ban bandwagon.  Pennsylvania has one now too, but at least there’s exceptions for bars, and other places people can expect people would be smoking, like Cigar shops.

Wisconsin’s bill is a lot worse, but it does exempt Indian reservations, so take your wampum to your local Indian Casino and smoke all you want while you gamble.  I knew this issue was pretty much lost when North Carolina passed a smoking ban.  North Carolina!?!?  Hello!

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The Pie Bill Continues in Pennsylvania

Lawmakers here are continuing to push a bill tha twould exempt non-profits from food inspection requirements.

“Food prepared in a private home can only be used if that facility is licensed/registered and inspected by the department,” state regulations say. The department adopted retail food rules in 2003 to keep pace with changing food science.

“One-third of all food-borne illnesses come from private fundraisers,” said Bill Chirdon, director of the Bureau of Food Safety and Laboratory Services at Agriculture.

No mention of how many people each year become ill through interactions with overzealous bureaucrats.

As word of the pie bust at St. Cecilia spread, a Pittsburgh nun who has used bake sales to raise money “from Connecticut to Harlem to Ohio” said she was prepared to show inspectors what they could do with the rule book if they show up at her church.

I’m going to bet if state health inspectors went to Catholic school, and in this state there’s a good chance they did, they are going to take a pass on St. Cecilia.  In fact, if you get the nun up to the Capitol to lobby for the bill, I’m going to bet it passes post haste.

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Specter Getting Snubbed on Dem Endorsements?

Arlen Specter has to be a sad panda too these days:

After fiercely lobbying Specter to make the switch, Rendell himself has been uncharacteristically silent on the issue. He issued a relatively tepid statement more than a day after Specter made his announcement, and has yet to appear publicly with the Senator.

Fast Eddie is going to want to see whether the horse has any life in him before he bets on it.  If the grassroot dems keep demanding a competitive primary, that might be a wise move.  Surely Rendell understands Specter’s value in holding a seat for Democrats, but Rendell surely would prefer someone in the seat that’s more left too.

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