POLITICAL DRAGONS ARE DANGEROUS BUSINESS

One must admire Rep. Jesse White’s tenacity.  He is like an energized hobbit, nipping at the heels of the Commonwealth’s dragons. Unfortunately, the dragons pay him little attention or respect.

I agree with Mr. White’s recent commentary that the last minute selective ban on drilling in the South Newark Basin (the Philadelphia bedroom counties) was political chicanery of the highest order.  However, his own attempts to selectively carve out Washington County from the court mandated, constitutional and long overdue tax reassessment process was also pure political theater.  One might question how a small county elected official could author and introduce an unconstitutional selective ban regarding county assessments on the one hand and fight vehemently against a selective drilling ban on the other, but hey…a constituent vote is a vote, even if you are 0 for 2 on the legislation.

The bottom line is political power or rather the lack thereof in the local shire.  Pennsylvania’s political dragons, located along the eastern corridor, are not big on social media and spend most of their time, resting in their lairs.  When the time comes for action, usually in the wee hours of the morning, a short flight over the capital and a snort of flame gets the job done. Clearly the dragons do not want Harrisburg addressing county reassessment problems in the hinterlands of Washington County.  More clearly, these ancient power brokers do not want oil rigs obstructing the view from their mountaintops.

The Court (judicial) wizards, while often slow to act, have traditionally been an effective balance against the dragons.  They understand the fundamental justice of equality in taxation and fair play when the dragons must run for office.  Sometimes a dragon or two actually end up in the dungeon.  Mr. White would do well to align himself behind the shield of law offered by the Court wizards.

 Political dragons have long memories.  The hobbits of the world should beware.  If you are not going to slay a sleeping dragon, make sure you do not become the next meal.  Otherwise, bide your time, move your way up the food chain and hope for a bigger sword.  It might help to be legally and ethically consistent along the way.  Sometimes the good in doing the right thing good does win out over the evil of political expendiency.