Pa Treasures Rot While Pols Get Fat
The USS Olympia, a national treasure berthed in Philadelphia, is in need of up to $30 million to keep her afloat and its owner, Independence Seaport Museum, has gone on record as being unable to do that.
The ship, docked at Penn’s Landing across the Delaware River from the USS New Jersey, was Commodore George Dewey’s flagship at the Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish-American War and from whose bridge he uttered the words “You may fire when ready, Gridley”. It is one of the very few vessels from that era still in existence.
A few miles south opposite an IKEA store on Columbus Boulevard, the faded hull of the SS United States, once the fastest and among the most famous ships in the world, rusts away at Pier 82.
In Northeast Pennsylvania, the historic homes of Eckley Miners Village collapse under the not-so-watchful eye of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. Reportedly, the Commission has refused volunteer help in maintaining the homes.
Meanwhile, the Obama administration and his fellow Democrats sit on billions of dollars allocated to provide stimulus to the economy. What could be a better way of providing jobs than spending some of that on restoring some of these bits of history using local labor? Heritage maintenance is actually an legitimate role of government. FDR practiced it in our last depression.
Of course, Obama doesn’t seem all that concerned about our heritage and this kind of spending doesn’t provide that much opportunity for bonuses for connected Democratic fat cats at Goldman Sachs and GMAC.
Meanwhile, retiring state legislators such as Senator Robert Mellow (D-22) are finding that their pensions are going to be almost three times that of the $110,000 salaries they collect while working.
Meanwhile, gym teachers are making $87,000 for 195 days of work.
People, it’s time to start getting mad.