Remember the "New Jersey run by idiots" thread? What about PA?

[PHILLIP]

Originally Posted by Steve M

It's in committee right now - there's a hearing later this month. It's not dead just yet.

Next Thursday, September 27th, the Pennsylvania Legislature is holding a hearing on banning aluminum bats from youth baseball and softball in the entire state of Pennsylvania.

If a few politicians in Harrisburg have their way, and they pass an aluminum bat ban, our players would be hit with a $25 fine for playing with a non-wood bat, even in a pick-up game. Non-wood baseball and softball bats would be banned from organized competition in high schools, PONY Baseball and Softball, and everywhere else children play. The proposed law in Pennsylvania bans aluminum bats not just in baseball – but in softball too!

Unfortunately this ban is also going to cost a lot of money to our youth baseball and softball programs. Money that could be better spent on coaching education, facility development and other league necessities would instead go to fund the cost of re-supplying broken wood bats for a game that is already considered safe.

With everything else our elected officials had to worry about, you would think they had better uses for their time.

I know these are busy times, but I am asking you to please take five minutes of your day today to send an e-mail or make a phone call to the office of Representative Louise Williams Bishop– expressing your displeasure with this proposed law. She is the Chairwoman for the Committee on Children and Youth in the Pennsylvania legislature. She will decide whether this bill will be voted on or not.

Representative Louise Williams Bishop contact information is below. Please make a call or an email and express your displeasure with this bill.
Representative Louise Williams Bishop, 215-879-6625 or 717-783-2192 (feel free to contact either number or both)
[email protected]

[IRISHMAFIA]

Let me tell you something, Phillip. If you are going to be an advocate for a cause, you need to get your information straight.

In softball, aluminum is not an issue. We would all be a lot better off if the bats were restricted to aluminum. It is the composite bats that may be an issue.

Also, if you wave a dollar sign in front of someone as your defense, you've already lost. You will never win an financial vs. safety argument, especially when it comes to children.

The selling point is two-fold. 1) There is zero evidence that any child has suffered an injury due to the use of a non-wood bat that would not have occurred had a wooden bat be used and 2) Keep the government's nose out of the business of a group of people whom have voluntarily joined a program with full and complete knowledge of the equipment available for use.

[greymule]

Remember also that metal bats have been used in softball since the early 1970s. It is only recently that the technology has made safety an issue.

I'm for keeping the politicians out of it. On the other hand, anyone who attends a SP game around here, and I suspect practically anywhere, will see balls rocketing off obviously loaded bats. That is not a good situation, either.

[greymule]

From this evening's news:

Four . . . residents were beaten in two separate street fights within hours of each other that were committed by groups of young males who brandished bats, police said.

and . . .

At about 9 p.m., in the Bromley section, an ongoing feud between a man and his former wife flared into the street with the husband being attacked by a group of up of to 13 males, two of them armed with baseball bats, police said.

Just another day in Trenton. However, if New Jersey adopts Pennsylvania's proposed law, every perpetrator would at least face a $25 fine. (Which is more than they're going to get, even if they're caught.)

[Steve M]

Originally Posted by greymule

From this evening's news:

Four . . . residents were beaten in two separate street fights within hours of each other that were committed by groups of young males who brandished bats, police said.

and . . .

At about 9 p.m., in the Bromley section, an ongoing feud between a man and his former wife flared into the street with the husband being attacked by a group of up of to 13 males, two of them armed with baseball bats, police said.

Just another day in Trenton. However, if New Jersey adopts Pennsylvania's proposed law, every perpetrator would at least face a $25 fine. (Which is more than they're going to get, even if they're caught.)

Yeah, I remember those days. That would have been nothing special, 20 yrs ago when we moved up here from Philly. Even today, probably 25+% of the folks do not lock their house at night - let alone their cars. 'Course, we are in the middle of an area where just about everybody hunts - that means just about everyone has guns.

Hmmmmm, was it some town in Texas that handgun ownership became mandatory a few years ago and they saw the crime rate go down?

[greymule]

I know this is not softball related, but since some posters were claiming that the idiots in their states were dumber than the idiots in New Jersey, I feel compelled to offer this story as proof that the Garden State still rules the roost. Maybe this guy now qualifies to run for office.

http://blog.nj.com/timesupdates/2007...ice_after.html