Better things to do

Pennsylvania’s elected officials really should have better things to do than introduce a bill that would strengthen the state’s already-in-place ban on same-sex marriage.

Republican Rep. Daryl Metcalfe’s move this week evidences the apparent ability of conservatives to focus on divisive issues while ignoring matters of greater importance to more people, such as employment.

Upon visiting Metcalfe’s website, it’s apparent who the Butler County representative is reaching out to — and who he’s not.

His “hot issues” are, from the top, Protection of Life, Taxpayers First, Strike Free Education Act, Protecting 2nd Amendment Rights, National Security Begins at Home, Marriage Protection, Voter ID, 10th Amendment Resolution, Improving our Infrastructure and Right to Work.

At least two of these — Strike Free Education and Right to Work — are focused on limiting the rights of labor unions. The rest are pretty standard right-wing calling cards: anti-pro-choice, anti-gun control, anti-immigration.

For someone who is a member of a party that purportedly opposes government intervention/big government, it seems strange that Metcalfe would want to make something illegal that is already illegal. How — and why — do you further illegalize something?

In Pennsylvania, unemployment is still a major concern for constituents, along with energy-supply issues and health-care reform. In March, Pennsylvania had 79 mass layoffs and 7,000 new unemployment claims. While the state hasn’t been hit as hard as some others, it still has an unemployment rate of 7.8 as of March.

There is ongoing debate about drilling in the Marcellus Shale, including issues around taxation, regulation and natural gas wells on college campuses.

Not to mention ongoing cost-of-living issues in the still-soft economy and foreclosures, and a $4-billion budget deficit.

Pennsylvanians also are facing the ongoing issue of bullying and teen suicide, which don’t seem to make Metcalfe’s radar.

Metcalfe also recently introduced a bill requiring candidates for general and municipal office to provide proof of citizenship, and for presidential and vice-presidential candidates to provide an affidavit with “proof that the candidate is a natural born citizen, proof of the candidate’s age and proof that the candidate meets the residency requirements set forth in section 1 of Article II of the Constitution of the United States.”

After President Obama released his long-form birth certificate last week, he finished the weekend by announcing that American forces in Pakistan had killed Osama bin Laden.

Doesn’t Metcalfe have something better to do than waste taxpayers’ time?

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