With today and tomorrow quite possibly the last meaningful days of the current two-year legislative session, it appears that the nation's largest, most expensive Legislature is again pushing its self-protection, self-indulgence and, of course, re-election.
The common good? Not on this crowd's to-do list.
Promised action on taxing natural gas to fill budget holes and get some public benefit from a booming industry is mired in politics and process.
Think energy-company campaign contributions so far totaling millions of dollars with more certainly on the way played a part in the miring?
What, just because we're the only drilling state that doesn't tax this environmentally suspect enterprise, you think some funny business is causing the tax to get bogged down?
Well, take heart. There's a new gun law that's not bogged down.
The Democratic House passed and the GOP Senate expects to pass a "castle doctrine" bill basically telling gun owners that they're free to fire when ready.
The bill allows expansion of deadly force self-defense beyond one's home (castle) when one perceives a threat of danger.
Should make munitions makers smile.
Gov. Rendell says he'll "review" the measure when it reaches his desk.
It passed the House in a way that disallowed debate on another gun issue, closing the "Florida loophole."
The "loophole" allows a person denied a gun permit in Pennsylvania (say, for being a bug-eyed, trigger-happy paranoid who perceives danger inside and outside his or her home, vehicle, place of business or bowling alley) to get a gun permit in another state.
So the "loophole" remains in place, soon to be joined by fire-when-ready. Permits for everybody, and lock and load; just what Philadelphia needs.
