Pennsylvania: Case Study In Exploiting A Crisis

We have two America’s happening right now guided by two completely different ideologies.

States run by red Governors are largely working to open their states from the shutdown or have already done so. Western Journal reports, “15 days after restrictions started being lifted, (Georgia Gov. Brian) Kemp indicated on Twitter that the emerging evidence supports his decision and proves his critics wrong.

“Today marks the lowest number of COVID-19 positive patients currently hospitalized statewide (1,203) since hospitals began reporting this data on April 8th,” he posted Saturday. “Today also marks the lowest total of ventilators in use (897 with 1,945 available). We will win this fight together!” he added.

On the blue side is the ongoing deterioration of the state of Pennsylvania, with its citizens suffering under dictatorial-like leadership. I mentioned previously how Gov. Tom Wolf was ignoring representative government traditions in dealing with the potential of a major health crisis and was dictating policies with no input from legislators or the private sector.

Wolf continues the same heavy hand, acting as if he is the Supreme Leader in Pennsylvania, answerable to none. He has no sense of urgency to help citizens regain lost time and revenue for business owners. Many counties in Pennsylvania have either not had a single case of COVID or 10 or less cases. But they’re all still shut down.

I spoke with Rep. David Zimmerman (R-District 99) concerning the overall handling of the COVID-19 situation in Pennsylvania. He told me that the lesson that must be learned is that Democrats cannot hold public office in this country. They do not respect representative government and defy the rule of law, with little or no consequences.

The Governor does have (questionable) power granted to him in health emergencies. Are we still in a health emergency? We are seeing data manipulated and used and some of it later exposed for being false.

The Republicans hold the majority in both the House and Senate in Pennsylvania. Rep. Bryan Cutler is the House leader and has reached out, without success, to have Wolf meet jointly in planning sessions on how to get Pennsylvania moving again. This has been Wolf’s way of “leading” throughout most of his two terms. Cutler is considering stopping payment on some of Wolf’s pet projects in order to force a conversation. Interestingly, before COVID-19, the state had close to a $1 billion surplus, $800 million of that is gone. Even more interesting, the money was directly appropriated by Wolf himself, entirely bypassing the legislation process. He just issued directives and spent it, with no accountability or balance of powers.

I asked Rep. Zimmerman where the money went. He listed human services projects and what appeared to be help for Wolf’s campaign. It’s unknown where large chunks went.

And still Wolf drags on the high-handed shutdown. On March 19, the state was put into a 90-day lockdown. The latest day of reopening is now June 4 — two days after the Pennsylvania primary.

In fact, as I reported here April 14, Wolf has used the crisis to try to cram down socialism that the people’s representatives would never go for.

And then there is the corruption side in the Wolf administration.

Zimmerman told me that he is in complete agreement that Health Secretary Rachel Levine should step down and face criminal charges. Levine, who is transgender, owns several retirement communities in Lancaster county. One of them in Ephrata, Fairmount Home, was ordered by the Department of State to take a patient from a hospital who had COVID-19. That is not the jurisdiction of the government. It’s a completely illegal demand and it never should have happened. Dr. Levine should be held accountable for this.

Zimmerman also supports Rep. Daryl Metcalfe’s call to impeach Wolf.

In a memorandum circulating to Pennsylvania House members to support a resolution of impeachment of Gov. Wolfe, Metcalf outlines the tyranny inflicted on the people of Pennsylvania and the need to impeach:

“Gov. Wolf’s orders in response to the COVID-19 outbreak have violated a number of our God-given rights affirmed in the United States Constitution. In particular, his order mandating the closure of physical locations of all businesses that he has deemed ‘non-life sustaining’ has violated our citizens’ rights in many devastating ways.

“His order constitutes a taking of property from business owners without just compensation. The lack of due process and judicial review permitted under his order also violates the Constitution. In addition, this order coupled with the stay-at-home order, has violated our rights to free speech and assembly.

“Another troubling aspect of his mandates is the utter lack of transparency demonstrated by the administration during this time, as agencies under his control have stopped responding to requests for records and his office has refused to provide vital information. The waiver process established under the Department of Community and Economic Development resulted in arbitrary and capricious decisions about which businesses may stay open.

“The public, press and General Assembly all have the right to know about these decisions and how they have been made. While the Wolf administration has finally slowly begun to release some of the relevant information regarding which businesses received waivers, they have yet to release any information about how or why these decisions were made. His delays and obfuscation have been, and continue to be, entirely unacceptable.

“His failure to adequately administer our unemployment compensation system has made it so that countless Pennsylvanians who have recently become unemployed due to his orders have been unable to collect the benefits they require to meet their basic needs.

“His focus on restraining business is particularly disturbing, as the majority of deaths due to the pandemic have been residents of long-term care facilities. The governor should have focused his attention there, but he has entirely failed to implement a comprehensive state plan to protect our most vulnerable citizens who reside in nursing homes, which have had inadequate supplies of Personal Protective Equipment and testing kits throughout the outbreak.

“As Gov. Wolf has violated so many of our fundamental rights as citizens of the Commonwealth, I will be introducing a resolution impeaching the governor and exhibiting Articles of Impeachment to the Senate. His actions plainly constitute the misbehavior in office required for his impeachment under the Pennsylvania Constitution.

It is clear that this Governor intends to rule Pennsylvania as if he were Sovereign Lord. He is not. We are a representative government. All Americans need to know this and be aware, this can happen anywhere!

Some tips for being a proactive citizenry:

• Take responsibility for your own liberty
• Participate in peaceful, public demonstrations
• Constantly write to leadership and tell them what is happening in your life as they take their time opening the state. Remind them that you vote!
• Exercise your Constitutional rights. Learn what they are here.
• Pray! “The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water: he turns it wherever he wills.” Proverbs 21:1

COLUMN BY

KIMBERLY KENNEDY

Kimberly Kennedy is Founder of Restoretheculture.org and can be reached at kmmrgroup@gmail.com.

EDITORS NOTE: This Revolutionary Act column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

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