Letter to the editor: Vote 'no' on Pa. amendments

In the movie “Horse Feathers,” Groucho Marx sings, “I don’t know what they have to say / It makes no difference anyway / Whatever it is, I’m against it / No matter what it is or who commenced it / I’m against it.”

The GOP’s proposed amendments to the Pennsylvania Constitution are proof they have adopted in full this (Groucho) Marxist folly as their approach to handling the pandemic. The amendments they offer the voters supposedly “limit” the governor’s constitutional powers to handle emergencies and disasters.

In fact, they negate any attempt by any governor to keep Pennsylvania safe from a future long-term statewide emergency. The two amendments transfer the power to handle ongoing emergencies to the 253-person Legislature, regardless of whether it is something that happens occasionally, such as a flood, or once in a generation, such as a global pandemic. As the past 13 months have shown, some emergencies can be virtually unlimited in time and scope, impacting the entire state.

The folly of these amendments can be seen in Michigan. The Michigan Supreme Court held that the governor could not extend the covid-related emergency declarations, per the state constitution. That ruling negated any ability to have a coherent response to covid, contributing to the frequent displays of public inability/refusal to follow safety and commonsense rules, which helped spur Michigan’s spike.

These amendments are in line with the GOP’s ongoing attacks on this governor’s attempt to deal with the pandemic. Now they want to cement that “Horse Feathers” logic in the Pennsylvania Constitution.

Eric Falk

North Huntingdon

The writer is a member of the Westmoreland County Democratic Committee and chair of the Norwin Area Democrats.