Free Press –
Dear friends,
Good morning. My main topic today is the costly Bucks County congressional campaign. But before I get into that, I have comments about the recent robbery at St. Isidore’s Roman Catholic Church and a thought about why some co-ed colleges are adding football to the athletic programs.
First, the bad news.
In broad daylight, a thief or thieves took advantage of the open door tradition at St. Isidore’s and stole three brass and one wooden donation boxes. The State Police estimates that $200 was taken. To his credit, Reverend Frederick Riegler, the pastor, stated that the church would remain open.
What villain would steal from a church?
We should restore public corporal punishment. Too often, thugs get their wrists slapped and learn nothing. Wouldn’t it be just punishment to humiliate bad actors every Saturday? I’d build stocks in the 13 regions of Bucks County…one in each school district. I’d hold a weekly parade of convicted miscreants and provide whippings for entertainment.
And now for
positive, funny news.
Most of you readers know about Title Nine, which attempts to level the athletic playing field for women. Before Title Nine, women’s sports received short shrift to men at co-ed colleges. But judging by the New York Times front-page article (July 10), small colleges with a high percentage of women are embracing football to equalize the student gender ratio and make money too.
“Small American colleges, eager to attract men to increasingly female campuses, have taken notice of how many [male] students can be lured to attend by adding football teams,” Bill Penington wrote for the Times.
“I could have started a spiffy new major of study, spent a lot of money on lab equipment and hired a few new high-powered professors,” Dr. JoAnne Boyle, president of Seton Hill University in Greensburg, Pa. said. “I might have gotten 25 more students for that. And I couldn’t have counted on that major still being popular in 15 years.
“Instead, I started a football team, brought in hundreds of paying [male] students, added a vibrant piece to our campus life and broadened our recognition factor.”
Last year’s freshman class at Seton Hill was the first with more men than women. Four years ago when the college became fully co-ed, its undergraduate student body was only 18 percent male. Last fall, it was 41 percent.
Best of
all, look at the newly discovered economic benefit. In 2000, Shenandoah University
in Winchester, Va. added football. Because Division
Eureka! Everybody wins with football.
And now to business. Congressman
That’s obscene.
Unfortunately, nothing will change the thirst for campaign funding. It will be interesting to see if Murphy borrows a page out of the Bob Casey, Jr. handbook. Democratic challenger Casey enjoys a double-digit advantage over U. S. Senator Rick Santorum. Casey’s, principal message is that Santorum is too extreme for Pennsylvania.
Will Murphy piggy back on Casey’s strategy? Will Murphy claim that Fitzpatrick is too extreme for Bucks County?
In Bucks County, Republicans have a comfortable voter registration lead over Democrats. However, Bucks is known for its liberal views on social issues. Bucks is predominately Pro-choice and favors federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. In 2000 and 2004, Bucks voted for Al Gore and John Kerry, respectively. Although Bucks was not in George W.’s camp, they voted for moderate Republican Jim Greenwood at the same time.
Fitzpatrick is an abortion opponent. Last week, he voted against federal funding for embryonic stem cell research and voted to sustain President Bush’s veto of that legislation.
Fitzpatrick was a very popular County Commissioner before he moved to Washington. But subjects like abortion and embryonic stem cell research don’t surface in county politics. They should but they don’t.
How vulnerable is
Quite frankly, I’ll be shocked if Bucks voters give Santorum another six-year term. If voters show their unhappiness with Santorum and the President, the big question becomes: W ill they turn out Fitzpatrick too? Stay tuned.
Sincerely,
Charles Meredith