A couple of things to note from over the weekend.
I hope you saw our Sunday editorial - especially if you live in the western part of the county.
Many towns out there do not have their own police force, relying instead on state police patrols. It saves them a boatload of money, but it makes the rest of the state basically underwrite those savings.
Now Gov. Tom Wolf wants to change that. Looking for revenue anyplace he can find it to battle the sea of red ink the state continues to swim in, the governor is proposing a $25 per person fee for those municipalities that rely solely on state police for their patrols.
We think it's time, and it's the right thing to do.
You can read the editorial here.
Then on today's editorial page, we talk a little more about this whole notion of "representative" government and what that means for those who hold these offices.
We noted on Friday that both U.S. Rep. Pat Meehan, R-7, and Republican U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey were taking a fair amount of hear for their failure to hold a town hall-style meeting with constituents to discuss the crucial issues that have bubbled to the surface since President Donald Trump took office.
Citizens want to talk about the Affordable Care Act, the travel ban, and they want to know where their representatives stand on these key issues.
On Friday they held another protest outside of the West Chester office of U.S. Rep. Ryan Costello, R-6. This time Costello surprised them by meeting protesters, inviting them into his office, and discussing the issues with them for 45 minutes.
On Saturday, another town hall was slated for Phoenixville. Costello indicatdd he would not attend, and at what point slammed the event as a "political stunt" set up by those who oppose the president's policies.
It's something that has been hinted at by Meehan and Toomey as well.
There is a hint of truth in what they say.
We don't think Costello should be condemned for failing to show up in Phoenixville a day after he sat down and listened to constituents for 45 minutes.
At the same time, we don't think all these people are politically motivated. People are legitimately scared at some of the things that are happening in Washington.
And they are making their voices heard.
Our elected representatives better get used to hearing it. It doesn't sound like it's going away any time soon.
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