Obituary of local note | Minerva R. “Dutch” Brommer

“Why our government mostly helps people who need it the least — even during a crisis — The system is the problem. | The government mostly does what its constituents with money and power make it do.” – – Salon

“There Is No Plan (For You) | Unemployment, evictions, business failure, a pandemic and health crises are all here at once. The federal government doesn’t care.” – In These Times

Do your elected public servants care? | Apparently not! as “Nearly 1,100 Lancaster County residents lost jobs last week, up 31%, as COVID-19’s impact continues” – Lancaster Online

Deniers and insurrectionists cling | “Many people who don’t want COVID-19 to be the terrible crisis that it is have clung to the idea that more cases won’t mean more deaths.” – The Atlantic

“Masks off | How the brothers who fueled the reopen protests built a volatile far-right network.” – The Intercept

It’s why we need newspapers | Without the diligent truth-seekers of newspapers, all sorts of government, corporate and societal misdeeds go unnoticed. Another instance is on page one of today’s LNP – Always Lancaster in an article about the misspending actions in Lancaster City government. The article lists a few Spending Examples:

• In July 2019, the city split the cost of a retirement party for Randy Patterson, former director of economic development and neighborhood revitalization, with taxpayers putting up $577.86 and the Economic Development Corporation and Lancaster City Alliance each putting up $500. City employees and local business professionals attended the party at Decades, a downtown restaurant and arcade. Attendees were given appetizers to share and $5 in tokens for games. Lancaster Mayor Danene Sorace said it was “an expense that Randy’s legacy of work for the City will return to the City of Lancaster hundreds or thousands of times over.”

• The Lancaster Office of Promotion spent $14.31 for a caramel apple from Bakehouse on King, which city business administrator Patrick Hopkins said was for a photo shoot for social media promotion of Lancaster city tourism during September 2019 restaurant week. No such photo appears on any social media. When LNP | LancasterOnline noted the discrepancy between his statement and the lack of photo, Hopkins did not respond.

• In at least two instances in 2018, city employees were reimbursed for mileage on their personal vehicles, as well as gas for work trips, costing taxpayers an extra $156.31. Sorace said staff has now been reminded that mileage reimbursement includes the cost of gas, but did not say whether the employees were asked to pay back the overages.”

Sorry, Mayor, but | squandering pennies contribute to budget abuse. In the article mentioned above, “In a seven-page statement, which can be read in full at LancasterOnline. com, (Lancaster City mayor, Danene) Sorace admitted there were instances where policies weren’t ‘strictly followed’ but stressed that these expenses were not the source of the city’s financial woes.” Former city mayor, Charlie Smithgall noted: “These little nickel and dime things add up. They make people lose faith in city government.” (NOTE: We searched Lancaster Online for the above mentioned statement, and could not locate it.)

Chalk the walk is a nifty idea. Another nifty idea might be Walk the Talk.

Why do Americans pick the wrong leaders | Instead of what now is in the White House, why not a person with ethics, depth of purpose, dignity and fortitude – someone like John Lewis?

Insurrectionists!!! | “Republicans in the legislature disagree. Having lost every attempt turn so far to rein in the governor, they are now pursuing a constitutional amendment to permanently strip the governor’s office of the power to issue and indefinitely extend emergency declarations. They say lawmakers should be involved.

“The amendment could be before voters as soon as May 2021, and the approach has one big benefit for lawmakers — Wolf can’t block it.” Citizens: Vote out any of the insurrectionist elected public servants seeking re-election and vote against any constitutional amendment that is party-initiated. ALWAYS!!! – SpotlightPA

Withholding judgement | State Senator Ryan Aument has a more collaborative approach than pursuing a constitutional amendment. He’s working within the Commonwealth’s structure without being an insurrectionist.