Pennsylvania birther

You’ll never know how much fun state government can be until you discover our friend John Micek of the Allentown Morning Call and his blog, Capitol Ideas.

He has a tasty and nutritious post on how Pennsylvania Republican State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe has “gone all birther on us” by introducing legislation requiring candidates to prove they’re “constitutionally eligible” to serve.

Micek writes:

“To get on the ballot in Pennsylvania, candidates LIKE THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES (lack of subtlety, ours) would have to submit proof that they were a natural-born citizen of this great land of ours, and not actually a Kenyan-Malaysian-Swede from some other country somewhere else where they talk funny and maybe put mayonnaise on their French fries.

The same holds true for the vice-president as well, because, as we all know, it’s entirely possible that Delaware isn’t even in the United States, or may well just be the result of what happened when a carload of soccer moms from Bucks County got lost on their way to the King of Prussia Mall and figured, ‘The heck with it, we’ll stay here, open our own mall, and not even charge sales tax.'”

While you’re at it, check out another Micek gem, written after Pennsylvania State Treasurer Rob McCord fought a successful court battle to get the state Gaming Control Board to let him into their executive sessions (as treasurer, McCord was a member of the body). Read it here.

I also recommend today’s piece by Philadelphia Daily News blogger Will Bunch on how Philly Schools Superintendent Arlene Ackerman has done plenty to earn calls for her departure, but why the state representative leading the charge against her is exactly the wrong guy.