Governor Josh Shapiro appears to have somehow misplaced his priorities. His actions portray more of a legal officer than the governor he has been elected to be. Recently, a federal court issued an order against the Trump administration concerning the halted funding for education during the pandemic. The petition in the original case comprised of 16 state attorneys and one governor: a fact unsurprising given Shapiro’s proclivity for legal theatrics.
Shapiro might have announced resolutely, ‘No one takes anything from Pennsylvanians, particularly our students, on my watch,’ but his actions contrast sharply with his words. His claims, while ambitious, ring hollow as his tenure progresses, especially when it comes to matters of education policy.
The governor had a golden opportunity to improve the education system in Pennsylvania but was all thumbs. The Senate Education Committee had recently voted by a margin of 8 to 3 in favor of the Lifeline Scholarships, otherwise known as the Pennsylvania Award for Student Success (PASS). These scholarships could have been a helping hand for the underprivileged students at the low-performance schools in the state.
Unfortunately, Shapiro abandoned this chance to uplift Pennsylvania’s most disadvantaged students. With the newly passed bill, he confirmed his lack of consistent principles by stating that his administration had ‘no position’ on the matter. This disappointing trend of indecisiveness is becoming a bit of a routine with our governor.
Shapiro seems to have forgotten about the aforementioned case already, suggesting that winning the court case was never really his priority. Seeking to score cheap political points seems more aligned with his modus operandi, throwing his lofty claims into question.
Next up in Shapiro’s unending collection of lawsuits is his case against the electric grid company, PJM Interconnection. The guise of this lawsuit was to seemingly help the Pennsylvania families struggling with inflated utility bills.
But the lawsuits do not end there. Despite expressing his desire to remove his predecessor’s job-harming and price-inflating Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), he sued in order to keep it running. Evidently, Shapiro’s grand standing for presidential candidacy is weighing heavy on the pockets of everyday Pennsylvanians.
There is no wrongdoing in filing lawsuits per se, but usually, that job is for others, perhaps for someone like the attorney general—the position Shapiro occupied before successfully running for governor. Meanwhile, the current Attorney General, the Republican Dave Sunday, has been more level-headed, avoiding frivolous legal battles.
When the Trump administration was threatened with yet another lawsuit from Shapiro, Sunday chose the mature response. He stated, ‘I won’t entertain grandstanding through sensational news soundbites from what’s happening in D.C.’ He rather made it clear that for him, lawsuits are the final resort.
Interestingly, Shapiro’s enthusiasm for litigation seemed to disappear when it came to issues directly impacting Pennsylvania. He didn’t raise any legal objections when former President Joe Biden stopped the merger between U.S. Steel and Nippon Steel. It’s worth noting that this merger could’ve preserved thousands of jobs in Pennsylvania.
Moreover, Shapiro did not challenge the Biden administration’s ban on liquefied natural gas exports. Given Pennsylvania’s position as the second-largest producer of natural gas, this decision affects tens of thousands of jobs. While 25 other governors took the initiative in forwarding a legal challenge, Shapiro was conspicuously absent.
Were the circumstances not politically convenient for Governor Shapiro? It appears so. His selfish interests and national aspirations have leapfrogged over the actual requirements of the state. The governor’s expected role is to prioritize Pennsylvania; however, Shapiro consistently puts his personal agenda first.
Pennsylvanians deserve dedication and leadership from Shapiro on a number of critical concerns before he even thinks of Washington, D.C. The issues are glaring: students stuck in underperforming schools, a budget deficit that threatens to drain the general fund to the brink of financial ruin for future generations, and skyrocketing energy costs resulting in job losses because of the proposed carbon tax and regulations by the governor.
Hopefully, in the handful of crises Pennsylvania is grappling with, Shapiro will learn to lead rather than waste time tangled up in complicated legal battles.
The post Governor Shapiro’s Legal Theatrics Overshadow Pennsylvania’s Crises appeared first on Real News Now.
About Author
