Hits and Misses

Aside from die-hard followers of former President Trump who continue to believe the fiction that the 2020 election was shot through with fraud, most of us want to move on and get on with solving the country’s problems. For that reason, the U.S. Supreme Court deserves a tip of the hat for declining to hear an appeal from Pennsylvania Republicans who wanted to toss out mail-in ballots that arrived in the days after Nov. 3. There weren’t enough to alter President Biden’s 80,000-vote margin of victory in the commonwealth, and some observers believe the decision to not hear the appeal was a signal by the court that it had no desire to contribute to any further discord over the election. One expert told The Washington Post, “I view the court as deciding to refrain from taking any action that could be misconstrued – and surely would be, by some – as casting any doubt on the legitimacy of the 2020 election.”
For Washington County renters who have experienced the loss of a job or a reduction in hours due to COVID-19, the last several months have undoubtedly been rough. They will soon have some relief available, though, thanks to a partnership between the county and the social services agency Blueprints. The agency will be coordinating the distribution of more than $7 million in grants to workers in the county who have had trouble paying their rent or utility bills due to the pandemic. Blueprints planned to have online applications available as soon as Monday. Residents can also apply over the phone or in person. As county Commissioner Diana Irey Vaughan said, “The sooner this funding hits the pocketbooks of Washington County residents struggling to pay rent and utilities, the better.”
Pennsylvania has one of the largest legislatures in the nation. That would be logical, you might think, considering it is one of the largest states when ranked by population. But even states as large, or larger, than Pennsylvania have smaller legislatures. State Rep. Valerie Gaydos, a Republican who represents a portion of Allegheny County that includes Sewickley, Moon and North Fayette townships, has introduced a measure that would reduce the size of the House from 203 to 151 members. She believes reducing the size of the Legislature would “streamline the legislative process, make it easier for lawmakers to reach consensus and save taxpayers money.” It’s a good idea, but how many lawmakers will be willing to eliminate their own well-paying jobs? Unfortunately, probably not many.
Texans who have been slapped with electric bills in the thousands of dollars have made headlines in the days since the state’s energy crisis began. But many consumers have been paying more for electricity in Texas for years. According to an analysis by The Wall Street Journal, Texas’ deregulated electricity market has increased costs to consumers by an eye-opening $28 billion since 2004. And it was consumers who purchased their electricity from nontraditional outlets that ended up paying more, despite promises that deregulation would lower costs. The proverb “let the buyer beware” never goes out of fashion, and that seems to more than apply here.