Friday, September 16, 2011
More Conservative Shenanigans
Now the Republicans in Harrisburg are pushing to replace the "winner take all" electoral vote allocation with a plan to distribute PA's Presidential Electors according to how the vote turns out in each individual congressional district. Governor Bought And Paid For says this needs to be done to "counter" the huge majorities Democrats enjoy in Philadelphia.
Left unsaid, and unremarked on, is that millions of Pennsylvanians live in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and their surrounding suburbs, compared to the thousands that live elsewhere. Pennsylvania's largest counties, by population, all surround major urban areas. This is not surprising. These areas also trend Democratic. The more rural areas, counties with populations less than 100,000 comprise more than half of the Commonwealth's count of counties, and contain a fraction of the population. If you added the entire population of Pennsylvania's 28 smallest counties, those with populations under 50,000, they don't even add up to the number living in just Allegheny.
Now, this push comes just as Harrisburg is set to redraw congressional boundaries. Gerrymandering is bad enough as it is, but this is an invitation to seriously screw with the system by creating freakish district boundaries to further dilute the influence of Pennsylvania's majority party. Oh and don't expect relief from the state Supreme Court, which is in the hands of the GOP.
More here:
Nebraska and Maine already have the system the Pennsylvania GOP is pushing. But the two states' small electoral vote values mean it's actually mathematically impossible for a candidate to win the popular vote there but lose the electoral vote, says Akhil Reed Amar, a constitutional law professor at Yale University. Pennsylvania, however, is a different story: "It might be very likely to happen in [Pennsylvania], and that's what makes this something completely new under the sun," Amar says. "It's something that no previous legislature in America since the Civil War has ever had the audacity to impose."
Ever wonder why they're only pushing this in blue states, and not places like Texas? Oh, and why are Republicans in Nebraska backing a plan to return that state to winner take all?
Left unsaid, and unremarked on, is that millions of Pennsylvanians live in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and their surrounding suburbs, compared to the thousands that live elsewhere. Pennsylvania's largest counties, by population, all surround major urban areas. This is not surprising. These areas also trend Democratic. The more rural areas, counties with populations less than 100,000 comprise more than half of the Commonwealth's count of counties, and contain a fraction of the population. If you added the entire population of Pennsylvania's 28 smallest counties, those with populations under 50,000, they don't even add up to the number living in just Allegheny.
Now, this push comes just as Harrisburg is set to redraw congressional boundaries. Gerrymandering is bad enough as it is, but this is an invitation to seriously screw with the system by creating freakish district boundaries to further dilute the influence of Pennsylvania's majority party. Oh and don't expect relief from the state Supreme Court, which is in the hands of the GOP.
More here:
Nebraska and Maine already have the system the Pennsylvania GOP is pushing. But the two states' small electoral vote values mean it's actually mathematically impossible for a candidate to win the popular vote there but lose the electoral vote, says Akhil Reed Amar, a constitutional law professor at Yale University. Pennsylvania, however, is a different story: "It might be very likely to happen in [Pennsylvania], and that's what makes this something completely new under the sun," Amar says. "It's something that no previous legislature in America since the Civil War has ever had the audacity to impose."
Ever wonder why they're only pushing this in blue states, and not places like Texas? Oh, and why are Republicans in Nebraska backing a plan to return that state to winner take all?
Labels: pennsylvania, politics
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Buyers' Remorse
Gov. Tom Corbett's plan to slash education funding and his continued opposition to taxing natural gas extraction aren't going over well with voters, according to a new poll.
A survey by Franklin and Marshall College showed 78 percent of respondents oppose reducing state funding for local school districts, and 67 percent rejected the governor's proposal to cut support to public universities in half.
Another 70 percent said they do not support proposed cuts to state funding for "Medicaid, the health insurance program for low-income residents.
A survey by Franklin and Marshall College showed 78 percent of respondents oppose reducing state funding for local school districts, and 67 percent rejected the governor's proposal to cut support to public universities in half.
Another 70 percent said they do not support proposed cuts to state funding for "Medicaid, the health insurance program for low-income residents.
Labels: corbett, pennsylvania, politics
Thursday, March 06, 2008
I Never Knew!
At least three times a year, I head to Gettysburg for the weekend. In addition I usually make two trips to the D.C. area and an occasional trip to Philadelphia. While I enjoy my time at these places, getting there has always been a pain. U.S. Route 30 is a windy, often narrow and hilly highway, so by the time I get where I'm going, I'm ready for dinner and bed.
But recently, I've seen these ads on TV for something called a "turn-pike." Its some sort of "super-highway" with no stop lights or cross traffic! And I can supposedly hurtle along it at an additional 25-30 MPH faster than I can on Route 30! Why, along a road like that, I could get to Gettysburg in time to do some sight seeing upon arrival, instead of just finding the motel and headed to bed! Sure, you have to pay a toll to use it, but it should be worth it, balanced against the time savings.
I looked it up on the various intertubes and learned that this wondrous road was built on an old railroad right of way. Thank goodness the people who operate this miracle route decided to invest some money in advertising, or else I'd never had known it existed!
Sarcasm aside, I know why the Turnpike Commission is advertising, but wouldn't that money be better spent on further improving the road, rather than patting themselves on the back and attempting to influence Harrisburg?
But recently, I've seen these ads on TV for something called a "turn-pike." Its some sort of "super-highway" with no stop lights or cross traffic! And I can supposedly hurtle along it at an additional 25-30 MPH faster than I can on Route 30! Why, along a road like that, I could get to Gettysburg in time to do some sight seeing upon arrival, instead of just finding the motel and headed to bed! Sure, you have to pay a toll to use it, but it should be worth it, balanced against the time savings.
I looked it up on the various intertubes and learned that this wondrous road was built on an old railroad right of way. Thank goodness the people who operate this miracle route decided to invest some money in advertising, or else I'd never had known it existed!
Sarcasm aside, I know why the Turnpike Commission is advertising, but wouldn't that money be better spent on further improving the road, rather than patting themselves on the back and attempting to influence Harrisburg?
Labels: pennsylvania, turnpike
