Shamokin Is Dying (a.k.a. the long-term impact of depopulation)

It's not just stories like THIS that I'm referring to either.

(from THIS site)

Shamokin is an interesting place.  I've actually been there once or twice in my life.  Not necessarily a destination, but it does make for a decent metaphor when speaking about the decline of hard coal country in Pennsylvania.

First, some basics:  Shamokin is a town Northumberland County, Pennsylvania.  It is situated on the western side of Northeastern Pennsylvania's anthracite coal region.  Traditionally, anthracite coal was mined deep underground, with the actual work of mining being very dangerous and fairly low paying (historically speaking).  Anthracite coal production began to decline before World War II and effectively ended in the early-mid 1960's as other fossil fuels (such as oil and natural gas) gained prominence as heating sources.

Two sets of statistics tell you a lot about Shamokin.  First is population.

As anthracite coal production declined, so too did Shamokin's population.  According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (source HERE) Shamokin's population in 1930 was 20,247.  By 2014 the estimated population had declined to 7,233.  That's something of decline, but what makes it even more stark is when you compare this change to another statistic.

The second important set of statistics relates to housing values.  According to City-Data (source HERE), in 2013 the average value of a house or condominium in Shamokin was $39,409.  By way of a few comparisons:

• The average retail price paid for a 2015 Chevrolet Suburban (according to Edmunds) was $64,700.
• The average value of a house or condominium in similarly sized (and fellow anthracite coal town) Nanticoke, Pennsylvania for 2013 was $90,258 (source HERE).
• The average value of a house or condominium in Scranton, Pennsylvania for 2013 was $108,900 (source HERE).
• The average value of a house or condominium for the entire Commonwealth of Pennsylvania was $164,200.

So what we have is a steeply declining population where there is a significant amount of housing stock being left un-used, which then further drives down the value of the homes that remain.  Local television station WNEP produced a story about a year or so ago that documented the decline of towns like Shamokin from the dual perspectives of declining population and a surplus of buildings.  What results is a town that is literally rotting in front of our very eyes.

None of this is to cast aspersions against the residents of Shamokin or those that strive to make it a better place to live.  Rather, I do think it's a sadly interesting study in how a town in the United States can be so completely and totally dependent on a specific industry.  Detroit also comes to mind, although not nearly as close to home.  There is a deep sadness to all of this, a kind of dark fog that likely will never lift and which will continue to consume ever more parts of Shamokin and the years pass quickly.

What will be left, in say 2050?  I don't know, but in the absence of another specific industry boom, likely it will be "not much".

"God's Law" cited as a reason to stop a Pennsylvania Representative from speaking

State Representative Brian Sims (D-Philadelphia) was blocked from speaking on the floor of the Pennsylvania House about the Supreme Court's recent DOMA ruling.  The reason for silencing Representative Sims?  According to Representative Daryl Metcalfe (R-Butler) it was as follows:

"I did not believe that as a member of that body that I should allow someone to make comments such as he was preparing to make that ultimately were just open rebellion against what the word of God has said, what God has said, and just open rebellion against God's law," 

You can read an article about this HERE.

Open rebellion against God's law?  I wasn't aware that the Pennsylvania Legislature was governed by "God's Law".  Which "God's Law" would that be, by the way? The Law of God as dictated by the leaders of the Roman Catholic Church?  Maybe the Southern Baptist Convention?  Perhaps the Episcopal Church of the United States?  Maybe the 7th Day Adventists?  Or maybe the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints?  United Methodist Church perhaps?

Anyway, I wasn't aware that, in addition to his ability to interpret God's Law, Representative Metcalfe had the ability to look into the immediate future and "see" what Representative Sims was going to actually say before it was actually said (that which would be so offensive to "God's Law").  Heck, maybe he can use this power to help me pick lottery numbers next week.

People of good conscience, regardless of political affiliation, (and including my own State Representative) should be disgusted by Representative Metcalfe's actions.  Period.

Maybe, just maybe, the Pennsylvania Legislature is governed by the Laws of Pennsylvania.

Maybe, just maybe, ideas need to be debated, not silenced.



* * * * * *
Update, 06.28.2013

The following is a statement from my representative, Kevin Haggerty, related to this issue:

"Meet Brian Sims. My fellow Democratic Representative whose life I support and always have whether Brian knew it or not. Now it's a national story and it should be. People like Brian Sims are why we have our own country in the first place. There is no second place."

You can find it on Representative Haggerty's Facebook page; link HERE.

Good job Kevin!

From the Pennsyltucky File

Over the past year or so, Ms Rivers and I have made a trek to Cabelas, which in addition to having...

...an indoor trout stream
...aquarium
...many stuffed animals
...more guns than the Japanese army

...and some very nice clothing, has the ability to outfit your entire life in camo.  See below, with apologies for the pathetic ability to my Palm Pre to take decent pictures.

You want camo pants?  Hell, I think they even have camo business suits.

More camo garments for the discerning rural man-about-woods.

And let's not forget a wide assortment of little camo tent/huts/migrant farm worker dwellings.

Please don't take my lame-arsed attempt at humor to be in any way critical.  Heck, I even own a pair of camo shorts.  Instead, I think it's pretty fascinating how this kind of life-style is so well accepted in Pennsylvania, which really is far more a rural than an urban state.  Growing up in a housing project in Scranton I was never exposed to this kind of thing, ever.  Case in point:  I think I was 40 when I first got to shoot an actual, real gun (several actually, all involving real bullets).  Anyway, while I will never be a hunter...I really don't like the notion of killing things (well maybe except for house centipedes)...I do really, truly appreciate all that hunters have done for the greater outdoors in Pennsylvania.  Yes, while groups like the Sierra Club certainly do good work, I suspect that it's hunters and hunting supported groups that have contributed the most to ensuring that there are plenty of outdoor places for all of us to enjoy.  

There is a bigger lesson in all this silliness.  As a non-hunting person, it is important that I acknowledge that people who think differently than I do can never the less have goals in some areas that are similar to my own.  Forget just hunting, as it is this way in life in general:  we can disagree about some things in life, but still seek common ground in the others.  Now if only some in government could learn this simple lesson.  

Dedicated to Skrep-Daddy

Yes, football hero Greg Skrepenak is going to a BIG HOUSE, just not the big house he is used to. Story link HERE.

Do I feel bad for Mr Skrepenak? Absolutely not. Skrep-Daddy is living proof that being a football hero prepares you for nothing in life, other than maybe being a football coach...maybe. Anyway, I feel no sympathy for this guy. He was given much in life...

...talent
...an education
...lots of money
...tons of adulation from jock-worshiping fans

...and he basically gave it all away. Why? Simply because he was a moron. Make that a greedy moron. Unfortunately for Skrepenak, some lessons have to be learned the hard way.

My feelings about Skrepenak noted, I feel even less sympathy for the people in Luzerne County who voted for this guy. He had zero qualifications for the job of county commissioner. So why was he elected then? Basically he got the job because he was a football hero, and sadly in this day and age (and in this valley) some people are still impressed by that sort of thing. Maybe, just maybe, qualifications do matter in the end.

Anyway, here's something of a dedication to Skrep-Daddy:



It seems strangely fitting.

Somehow I'm thinking his fellow inmates may not be as impressed with his gridiron accomplishments as the average voter in Luzerne County was all those years ago.

My Gun Control Law: Stupid People Shouldn't Be Allowed To Have Them

While I generally do support the right of people to bear arms, I think it's reasonable to make an exception for stupid people.

"A Hazleton man was charged with leaving a loaded firearm in a men’s room at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs casino. "

"State police said the firearm, a .45-caliber, had a full magazine with a round in its chamber."

You can read the whole sad tale HERE. Maybe he was afraid that one of Hazelton's many illegals would try and steal his winnings once he returned to Lou's lair.

As a side note, I've heard that it is illegal to bring a firearm into Pennsylvania casino. Given the amount of money flying around at casinos and the extreme security that no doubt already exists in such places, I'm thinking that's not an unreasonable rule.

From the Pennsyltucky File

This one is priceless...

Drunk Brookville Man Tries to Revive Dead Opossum

Maybe he is a "compassionate conservative".

From the Pennsyltucky File

According to some, the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity apparently has chosen to reveal Himself to the world in a plastic tub of pizza sauce.

Read about it HERE.

I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

From the Pennsyltucky File

I know better than to be in a Walmart with a camera...

From the Pennsyltucky File

Pink Camo...what every fashionable young lady will be wearing this winter. Look for it in a supermarket near you.

From the Pennsyltucky File

This would be tough to wrap.

Pennsylvania's Government: We fight drugs and vice, well unless we get a piece of the action!

I find the table games gambling debate in Harrisburg both fascinating and sad.

Fascinating because our "leaders" are engaged in this intricate dance about table games, debating and arguing, but it's all for naught: table games will come, the state will get its cut, and legislators will get more WAM to buy re-election (I mean to dispense to worthy local projects).

Sad because this is yet again another example of a government that is at best two-faced when it comes to vice & drugs; at worst I'd describe Pennsylvania's legal endorsement of gambling and the twin drugs of alcohol (where the state has a monopoly on certain sales) & nicotine as being engaged in organized crime. For example...

...when Tony Soprano collects a cut from a poker-table at a hotel in the Poconos it's called "illegal"

...when Eddie Rendell and the members of the Legislature collect a cut from table games in various Pennsylvania casinos, it's called "revenue"

In both cases, it's still gambling, right? What makes one "illegal" while the other is considered "revenue"?

As for drugs, anyone who thinks that alcohol and nicotine aren't drugs needs their head examined. They are both very, very powerful drugs. Nicotine addiction has been described as being as powerful as that of various opiates. I guess it's a good thing that they don't dispense Methadone as a treatment for smoking, as the residents of Dunmore would be screwed. Not to be outdone, alcohol addition affects as many as 14 million Americans. We all know this stuff, but sometimes we kid ourselves into thinking that somehow how nicotine and alcohol are "different" than other drugs; let's be intellectually honest for a moment: they are not. The ONLY thing different in this case is that as a course of history & tradition, the government has decided that THESE DRUGS are somehow acceptable.

All of the above does beg a valid question though: if Pennsylvania can make revenue from gambling and some drugs, why not end the hypocrisy and simply legalize all vice? Let's open 6 regional Crystal Meth labs (two in Bradford County) and impose a 25% tax on the sale. Let's legalize betting on all sports and open parlors in the casinos. Let's open Opium dens in all the major cities and charge a $25 entrance feel. Why not?

Now for the record, I don't smoke, I only very occasionally drink (and then it's just a glass of wine), I don't gamble and I've never tried an illegal drug. Maybe my attitude is too Puritanical. However I am very fond of personal responsibility, so if someone else has a vice, then that's their problem, as long as it doesn't negatively impact me. I also know that some vices don't automatically lead to terrible consequences: some people enjoy gambling every once in a while, some folks can drink in moderation and some may actually enjoy a recreational drug every now and then and not be seriously impacted. My point though is that we are allowing Pennsylvania's government to become this bizarre peddler of vice and viewing it through this sanitized, amoral lens, as if there were not ever any other consequences (as long as the government is involved). The fact is that when government becomes involved in vice, it simply pushes out other middle-men.

From the Pennsyltucky File

A Hamlin, Pennsylvania burglar stole $3,000 worth of cigarettes early this morning.

Story Link Here.

Personally I think the story has a kind of "funny/sad" aspect to it.

Actually this gives me an excuse to create a "Pennsyltucky" label. I have to give credit to a former co-worker, Shannon Johnston, for cluing me into the word "Pennsyltucky". While I hate to admit it, sometimes my home state is more rural than I'd like to admit; sure we have our oasis of culture here and there, but damn there is an awful lot of "backward-ass" going on.

As for the 3,000 cigarette thief, well I really, really hope he/she is planning on selling them on the black-market. The alternative is, well, really frightening.