Pennsylvania Trip Re-Cap Pennsylvania, like the rest of the country, has important decisions to make on Election Day. I had more reasons to journey to the Keystone state than to support Rep Tom Murt who had the courage and tenacity to push for child labor reform. Besides, Tom is running unopposed in his District and just watching him interact with his constituents, in restaurants, on the street and on the phone is a joy. He means well and does well. I was also in the Commonwealth to both endorse and to thank Governor Corbett who is in a tough re-election fight. When the child labor bill stalled in Harrisburg it was Gov. Corbett who took up the challenge and got the Bill passed…a stronger Bill, a better Bill. The usual suspects blame Corbett for making reductions in education (false) and pruning the regulatory octopus (true) and ignore the annual deficit that, wonder of wonders, disappeared. Here’s what I said about my endorsement of Gov. Corbett: “I was raised with family values, at home and with Donna Reed. Four principles guide me…Please, Thank You, Excuse Me, and I’m Sorry. I’m here to say Thank You to Governor Corbett for his support of children despite the powerful interests that didn’t want to do what is right for Kids because, they said, it would endanger production in Pennsylvania where “Jon & Kate + 8” came to America’s attention. Let me remind you of the current news. Anybody hear about “Honey Boo Boo” this week?” Tom and I were in rural Pennsylvania for my endorsement. I had a hay bale for a podium, which was a first for me. But those farm folks understood my message…and Governor Corbett’s, too. I hope the voters in Pennsylvania have the sense to return a good man to the Governor’s post. If they do we’ll have a better chance at dealing with “Dance Moms.” We also had a chance to make a well-received presentation at a local high school with Jon Gosselin on hand to speak honestly about his experience with “Jon & Kate.” It was an enlightening evening, believe me. Jon is not the man portrayed in the tabloid press. Yes, there were lots of mistakes, which is to be expected when an entire family starts out naïve and inexperienced and are at the mercy of profit-driven corporations. The lessons Jon learned, however, need to be shared with every family that is contemplating hooking up with a flagrantly artificial reality show. Lastly, I had a chance to speak directly to two-dozen college kids in Tom’s district, students studying human services and theatrical production. This was a no-nonsense, fact-based lecture meant for a smart group of students eyeing careers that will involve children. I love speaking to college students. They’re smart, engaged, and there to learn. I don’t think they realized what they were in for. We covered the waterfront, from the federal exemption to child labor laws in entertainment to the abuse of young athletes, especially the young girls on our gymnastics team. No one left the room. Two hours was not enough. Particularly telling was Tom’s frank explanation of the pressures brought to bear on him personally and legislatively by opponents of child labor law reform in the form of highly-paid lobbyists representing several elements of the Industry and other “back-door groups.” This was a real world lecture. I hope and pray these students remember what we tried to teach them. I think they will, especially if they talk with the 20 year-old female Romanian student who was present and who had trained to be on the Romanian Olympic team. She verified every word I spoke about the officially sanctioned abuse of athletes. Now, if someone would just invite me to Georgia, the production home of Honey Boo Boo. Paul Petersen
Posted on: Sun, 02 Nov 2014 21:20:50 +0000
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