Pennsylvania seems to have declared war on the environment.

This state seems to have decided that saving and protecting the environment pales in comparison to the amount of money that can be made by allowing the destruction of the environment.

Local LTTE on the subject of allowing expanded areas in the state forests of Pennsylvania to be opened to gas exploration in the Marcellus Shale fields.
http://www.altoonamirror.com/page/content.detail/id/523411.html?nav=737#membercmts523411

While there is a need for additional sources of energy, there are still many unanswered questions concerning the drilling methods and the potential destruction that might be inflicted in order to obtain the gas that is locked in the shale.
http://geology.com/usgs/marcellus-shale/

Add in the fact that thousands of miles of waterways are already dead or dying from 200 years of mining and other causes, and you have a disturbing pattern of destruction that seems as if I am living in a third world country.
http://www.paconserve.org/e-conserve/fall-06/passive/

And then you have this distinction:
Pennsylvania is already the largest importer of garbage in the nation.
This is one time that you don't want to be #1. One of the most common sights around here are semis full of garbage from other states heading to an ever increasing number of landfills.
http://www.actionpa.org/waste/

can count.

And most of the so-called "Dems" from the east and west are not much better.

I'm so proud of living in Pennsyltucky that I use Connecticut as my avatar as a form of protest.

When people ask where I'm from, I say Connecticut even though I actually only lived there for about ten years.

At least I was born there, so it's not really a lie.

The party affiliation on the ballot doesn't mean much around here. It's just a way to trick the voters.

There is no campaign finance limitations on municipal or state wide races.

Just in the local area, it's so obvious that a handful of people determine how the county and state politicians are to vote.

That also explains why they don't even try to hide that fact. They know that as long as they placate the money behind their political careers, they will always be re-elected.

I had one friend on the city council who tried to buck the powers that be and went with the moral path on a vote and he was out in the next election.

We are probably the most corrupt state in the country.

First we had Bud Shuster. Then, after raising over $1,000,000 for another campaign, he resigned and basically appointed his son to continue his legacy. The whole family is pretty disgusting, but Bud oozed slime like nobody else could even imagine. There are so many references to them and their corrupt way of life on the internet that I had to choose just a few.

http://jimhightower.com/node/2833
http://www.commercialalert.org/issues/government/corruption/the-battle-against-corruption-in-congress-has-collapsed
http://www.vianegativa.us/2006/05/new-enterprise-stone-lime/

and I'm not happy with them, but they pay the bills...

They recently opened an "remote" office in Williamsport, and they're calling us almost every day with computer issues.

*sigh*

I've been out of work for so long that at times I actually give a fleeting thought to applying at Home Depot. :dilemma: