Pennsylvania

While debating a bill, Pennsylvania State Senator Scott Wagner achieved a hyperbolic double whammy of oppressive proportions, comparing labor unions to both Adolf Hitler and Vladimir Putin. Naturally, the verbal “flourish” sparked outrage from organized labor across the state. As if being under attack from one of the worst governors in the nation isn’t enough.

The Pennsylvania budget will contain a moratorium on construction spending by school districts for the third straight year, meaning schools in need of repair will have to find solutions without state aid. Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett’s construction cuts began in 2012, when he cut funding to new applications, thus stalling 354 projects in various stages of construction and capital across the Commonwealth. The state’s Department of Education has estimated that it would take at least $1.6 billion to reimburse all projects.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection's labyrinthine rules for complaints has citizens out in the cold when trying to report violations by oil and gas companies, and their fracking outfits littering the state.

Restaurant chain Ruby Tuesday will pay $575,000 to settle an age discrimination lawsuit filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The lawsuit claimed that five locations in Western Pennsylvania and Ohio discriminated against potential applicants over the age of 40.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program - more commonly, food stamps - is set to see a huge benefit cut, affecting some 22 million children nationwide, and 1.8 million people in Pennsylvania alone. Congress, by inaction, is refusing to extend benefits given during the worst of the downturn of 2008, though prospects for many of US families are still grim.

Pennsylvania GOP Chairman Rob Gleason candidly admitted the the 2012 Voter ID law denied votes to Democrats, boosting Romney's efforts in the state.

Last week, the EPA kicked the can down the road on a key study designated to examine the connection between fracking and groundwater contamination in Pavillion, Wyoming. This, as a new study by Duke University found that ethane concentrations in water were 23 times higher in homes within a kilometer of a shale gas well.

In post-World War II America, the sprawling suburbs made possible by full employment, good wages, and an abundance of automobiles were a symbol of prosperity. Large supermarkets, shopping malls and public parks were a sign of American success that few foresaw fading. But now, as the economy struggles to return to pre-recession standards, the suburbs are becoming poorer.

From Texas to Pennsylvania to Michigan, energy companies (including foreign corporations) are outright stealing land from American citizens who refuse to give up their property. Who will stand tall for land owners? How can Americans allow this practice of greed continue?