Jeers and cheers
JEERS: As expected, Democrat Gov. Tom Wolf vetoed the state budget passed by the Republicans who control the state Legislature. It was pretty easy to see the deadlock coming as soon as the election returns were finalized last November. While Wolf defeated incumbent Republican Gov. Tom Corbett, the Republicans picked up eight seats in the state House of Representatives and three in the state Senate. With each side able to claim a referendum of sorts, there has been no compelling reason for them to compromise. The result is a budget standoff, with no end in sight.
And partly to blame are Fayette County residents who split their votes between Wolf and Republican Pat Stefano for the state Senate. How anyone could vote for both of them, when they had such different viewpoints on the issues, is amazing. But they did. Wolf won Fayette County with 17,623 votes while Stefano garnered 14,303 tallies. It would have made much more sense for voters to cast their ballots for Wolf and former state Rep. Deberah Kula, the Democrat who ran against Stefano. Or they could have voted for Stefano and Corbett. By splitting their votes, we got a divided government and a deadlocked budget. Hope those people who voted for Wolf and Stefano are happy.
CHEERS: One of the problems we hear a lot about today is how reluctant people are to come forward and help people solve crimes. But that certainly wasn’t the case with a recent bank robbery in South Union Township. After the incident, a bank customer, Scott Darnell, followed the bank robber and was able to give police important information as to which direction the robber was driving. State police spokesman Stefani Lucas said thanks to Darnell’s actions, police were able to quickly arrest the suspect, who confessed to the bank robbery and three others.
Lucas also praised Darnell for acting cautiously and not putting himself in harm’s way. We’re certainly glad that he was cautious and would urge any residents in similar situations to do likewise. But Darnell needs to be credited for stepping up and doing his part to help the police, who certainly need all the help they can get in today’s world.
CHEERS: It just wouldn’t be summer without the Fayette County Fair, so it was good news to hear recently that plans are being finalized for the annual event, which will be held from Thursday, July 30, until Saturday, Aug. 8. While the fair’s main purpose is to showcase and promote agriculture, it’s also a source of entertainment for many local residents. And this year will be no different. This year’s musical entertainment includes fan favorites such as The Clarks, Chris Higbee and The Hubcaps.
Entertainment in the Chevron Arena will include truck pulls and races, rodeos and demolition derbies. Family Arena acts include a wide variety of acts, including the ever-popular Pigs Gone Wild racing pigs. There will also be numerous contests and carnival rides. All in all, the fair has something for everyone. We urge you to mark your calendar now and make plans to attend the fair. It will be here before you know it.
JEERS: Robert “Ted” Pritchard has run for numerous offices over the years, including several tries for the county sheriff’s post. Unfortunately for him, he’s lost every time, including the past Democratic Party Primary election for sheriff when he lost to James Custer by a margin of 10,937 to 3,538.
You have to credit Pritchard for at least trying, but we do have a problem with his insistence that there was some type of election fraud involved in this latest election despite providing no evidence that anything of the sort happened. In his petition for a recount, Pritchard asked that registered voters in two South Union Township precincts should be summoned to court to verify they voted in the sheriff’s race. Judge Linda Cordaro rightly dismissed the petition. Simply put, if Pritchard has any evidence of election fraud, he should bring it forward. Otherwise, he’s just costing taxpayers money with his frivolous claims.