Pennsylvania holds hearings on February snowstorm

Last week, Pennsylvania experienced it's first and only snowfall of the season in Eastern PA. For those who forget to look out their window, snow does occur anywhere from October to May with some instances being earlier or later. Why did Pennsylvania do such a poor job managing the snowstorm? As a result motorist were stranded and I's 78, 80 and 81 were closed until Saturday afternoon, almost four days after the first flake.

Pennsylvania's Legislature is trotting out hearings. Senate was held yesterday, while the House will be hearing testimony from today. This is basically the government telling Pennsylvania citizens we are slapping our managers. The governor has appointed James Lee Witt and Associates to conduct an independent investigation. Witt served as the head of FEMA in the Clinton Administration and did an admirable job. The agency has since lost all credibility being incorporated under DHS by President Bush. See Michael Brown and Katrina.

A basic science lesson

When it is 15 degrees outside and raining you have a problem. My father worked nearly 30 years for a local municipality. I could almost forecast the weather by sight and feel in PA. One thing is for sure, conditions improve or deteriorate rapidly.

I don't know doesn't cut it anymore

Like Katrina, several people from the governor down claim ignorance. In this day and age of Blackberries, funded by the taxpayer, use it. Look out the window. Turn on the TV set. This is best of all go to the local station's website.

Follow the money

The money trail will lead you to the answers. It is pretty easy if you have the resources. Check past PennDOT budgets versus the current budget and employees. The next thing to do is to check federal subsidies and see if they can only be used for certain programs. This will confirm or deny if the governor moved PennDOT money to other programs facing the chopping block. It the last 6 years, PA employees for the most part have gone without a wage increase while everything else has risen. How taxed is the National Guard by Iraq that there deployment was questioned? No matter how you spell it, OT (overtime) or TO are dirty words in the state of PA. The word on the street is that PennDOT has cut it's contract workforce. Easy enough to find.

The Union

Like it or not for the legislature or the managers, but the union will give a truthful answers to what went wrong. Like or not the citizens or customers need to know. Remember the testimony by the unions in regard to escapes at Western Pen a few years ago?

The Future

There is a lot of blame to go around here, the least should be pointed at the rank and file drivers. They like my father prepare for these event like an athlete preparing for the Super Bowl or the World Series. They take it personally when accidents especially fatalities happen on their routes.

The golden rule is if you don't have to travel don't. Stay off the road!!!!!!!!!

Those phones and signs to tune into the AM stations. Throw them away. The FCC make you turn down the AM signal at night. Either get low power FM or have the FCC change the law. The former is probably the easier. You can stand next to one of those "Tune into ....AM" for the latest and not hear it at night.

Invest and develop a plan to move traffic off the interstates quickly. This will be viable in not only snow emergencies but other emergencies that can occur in the future. These hearings will be totally useless if our elected grandstand for two day's and just say, "Bad manager, bad boy"!!!!!!!