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SCHILLINGER: Survival Mode is Not Sustainable

Across party lines in urban, suburban, and rural communities, we have all suffered as a result of the Wolf and Fetterman administration. The budget has nearly doubled, taxes are higher than ever, businesses are boarded up from unnecessary lockdowns and looters, children are severely behind in academics, and police are left with locking up the same criminals time and time again.

This same administration should also be recognized as one of the worst states in terms of handling the pandemic. It sent COVID-positive patients to nursing homes, shut down businesses, and closed our schools. At the same time, the three most powerful elected officials in Pennsylvania took care of themselves before helping the constituents who elected them to office. The governor granted a special essential business exception for his own cabinet business. The lieutenant governor continues to illegally hang flags outside of the state capitol, and  Attorney General Josh Shapiro stands on the sidelines while allowing this unconstitutional behavior to happen in the executive branch.

Citizens across the commonwealth were so disgusted with the current administration and its handling of the pandemic that two constitutional amendments were passed last year to prevent the governor from acting unilaterally. Despite those amendments, the administration continues to enact illegal policies that are not supported by the Pennsylvania constitution. The administration wasted taxpayer dollars by issuing a statewide mask mandate for all schools and taking it all the way to the state Supreme Court, only to have it struck down.

Regardless of political affiliation, constituents across the state are weary of living in survival mode and weary of this administration. Survival mode is not sustainable nor preferable. While we might not agree with Jeff Bezos on many issues, I fully support one of his quotes and believe that it is the right direction for Pennsylvania: “We can’t be in survival mode. We have to be in growth mode.”

It is well past time to get out of survival mode and move to growth mode in our commonwealth. The good news is we have the chance to make some serious changes in 2022. Elections for the next governor, lieutenant governor, and U.S. senator are on the ballot and should not be taken lightly.

I believe the top five priorities of any candidate should include: Getting everyone, especially parents, back to work; a world-class education for every student regardless of ZIP code; making Pennsylvania the most dynamic economy in the country with good-paying jobs; strong communities where every Pennsylvanians feels safe in their homes and business; and election integrity where voters trust our system, and ballot harvesting is a crime that met with serious punishment.

None of these important issues have been addressed by Democratic attorney general and candidate for governor, Josh Shapiro. Instead, he has identified the following top five priorities if he is elected:  Legalizing marijuana, alleviating student debt, protecting a woman’s right to choose, fighting climate change, and protecting your right to vote.

From my perspective, these priorities are truly unbelievable. As residents across the state scrape pennies to keep up with surging inflation, Shapiro publishes his top five properties that have very little benefit to Pennsylvanians. How can he ask to lead the state when he is unwilling to address the recovery from the pandemic, skyrocketing unemployment, severe learning loss, and a soaring crime rate?

Our beautiful Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is struggling and is in desperate need of elected officials who are unafraid to stand up for me and you.  It cannot be someone who publishes National far leftist agendas on the Pennsylvanians who have been in survival mode for far too long. Pennsylvania needs a leader who understands the real life needs of real people. You have the power to decide the direction of Pennsylvania, and I hope that you will not take it lightly. Let’s get out of survival mode, and allow our parents, children, business owners, and taxpayers to grow and thrive.

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