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Here are some thoughts from a guy who has to wonder: Is there ever really a “positive message” from any kind of person who claims to be a rapper?
I ask this after the arrest this week of a local rapper who was featured in a recent article where he said was giving a “positive message” in his music.
So this week, he was charged with aggravated arrest, resisting arrest and disarming a policeman after a wild disturbance in a Hermitage townhouse where police responded to a call.
I figure his next positive message should be something like this:
Yo, yo, here I go,
spread the good,
y’all should know,
Live a life that’s long and true,
to words I sing, not things I do!
Peace out, dudes!
• Speaking of what constitutes a positive message, I have to wonder about the one being sent by Gov. Tom Corbett about privatizing the state gambling system and the liquor store program in Pennsylvania.
First of all, if you are going to privatize gambling, I don’t want to see it run by a company outside Pennsylvania and the United States as he proposes.
And while it would be nice to be able to buy a bottle of wine in a grocery store like in many other states, there obviously will be a more lax checking of IDs for underage drinkers in outside businesses. When you have professionally--run state stores, young people have to think twice before trying to pass themselves off with fake IDs.
Could things be done better on gambling and liquor sales? Probably. And intelligent people ought to be able to work that out. Then again we are talking about our state’s elected officials, who don’t always seem to do what’s in the best interest of the residents.
And how about the Corbett plan that allots some of the proceeds of liquor sales going to uses in schools? This is a guy who cut funding for education and all of a sudden wants to pretend he is pro-education?
Corbett obviously wants to make some moves before he is voted out of office.
He is spearheading the attack on the state pension system that will affect many state, municipal and school employees. While there is no doubt there has to be some changes, those changes have to come in a fair manner as not to adversely affect people who dedicated decades of service under the understanding that their full pensions would be there.
Those pensions, which were partly funded by the employees, are without a doubt greatly hurting the taxpayers. But that should have been considered long ago before the agreements.
But when you consider the nice retirement packages that our state representatives and senators receive, what are the chances of seeing much of a change that will pull money out of their pockets?
They make more money than some rappers.
The Herald’s Lynn Saternow writes this column each Saturday for the Opinion Page.
Opinion
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Lynn Saternow
Both rapper, governor fail at positive messages
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