Episode 19 – Transcript

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Starting now.

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Commonalities where guests find
common ground through uncommon

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conversations, politics,
religion, finances,

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all the topics your grandmother told
you not to discuss with friends.

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And now your host, Matthew Dowling,

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and today's guests on commonalities.

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Thank you for joining another episode
of Commonalities. I'm your host,

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Matt Dowling. My guest today is
a friend and colleague of mine,

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Senator Greg Rothman.

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Greg served in the Pennsylvania
house with me and, uh,

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is a newly minted Pennsylvania
state. Senator Greg,

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I want to thank you for being with me
today. And, uh, want to give you a,

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an opportunity at the start of the
show here to give a little bit of your

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background, uh, you know,

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how you got into politics and how you, uh,

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you got to your current seat
in the Pennsylvania Senate.

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Thanks, Matt, and great seeing you. It
was, uh, it was honor serving with you.

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We had, uh, did some important
stuff in the house together. Um,

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I served in the house, as you said,
for seven years. Uh, prior to that, um,

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I spent about 30 years in real estate, uh,

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real estate brokerage and appraising
a little bit of development, uh,

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in the Harrisburg area. Uh,
I grew up in this area. Uh,

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I was always interested in politics
and certainly understood the role that,

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uh, the state government has in, uh,
in our business and in our lives.

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Um, and so I cared about who the, who
was holding office. Um, as I said,

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about seven years ago,
my state representative,

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who'd been there for a long time,
left there was a special election. Uh,

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I was chairman of the county party,
and, um, we had a conf free process.

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And, uh, I wasn't, uh,

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wasn't really satisfied with
the way, um, it was shaping up.

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And a couple people came to me and said,
well, you know, maybe you should run.

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And I thought I would just finish out
the term about six or nine months.

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And I ended up, uh, getting there and
meet, meeting some great people like,

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like yourself. And I thought,
well, this is important work. I, I,

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I thought that politics is too serious
to be left to politicians, so that,

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that's why I ran in the
first place. And, um,

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ended up being able to get a lot done
and stop a lot of bad things too. Um,

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during, uh, redistricting,
um, the, the, uh,

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new map for the house, basically my seat
was sent in three different directions,

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so it became three different seats. Um,

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and the Democrats were successful
in redistricting my house seat away.

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But meanwhile, they created a,
a, a senate seat that was, um,

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perfect, I thought perfect for my
background and my, um, philosophy.

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And, and, uh,

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my house district was a hundred
percent within the Senate district,

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so I ran for that and, uh,
won a, a contested primary.

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And then the general contested
general election. So, um,

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for those keeping score, I had seven
contested elections in seven years,

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and we won them all. So,
um, I've, um, I spent,

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um, I went to college in Massachusetts,
uh, in Amherst, Massachusetts at UMass,

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was a political science major.

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Went to graduate school at Johns Hopkins
and got a master's degree in real

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estate. Spent 10 years in the
Marine Corps Reserve. I was, uh,

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in artillery in the Marine Corps. Uh,
I've got five children, uh, four girls,

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one of whom has a fifth birthday
today. And, uh, and one boy, of course,

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the boy's my favorite. Right, right.
Matt, it's <laugh>. Um, but anyway, I, uh,

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uh, grew up in this area
in central Pennsylvania.

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I've lived here all my life
and, uh, love representing it.

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That's.

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That's.

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My elevator speech.

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So you are, uh, you're, like I said,
you're a newly minted senator, and,

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uh,

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I wanted to get your opinion
on the way things are kind of

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breaking down here as a new
session has started, uh,

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with a new governor. Of course, we have a,

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a Democratic governor with
Governor Josh Shapiro. Um,

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the Pennsylvania House for the
first time in many years is, uh,

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being controlled by the Democrats,

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and then we still have a
Republican majority in the Senate.

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You know, how do you foresee
those three factions working

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together, um, kind of to get things
accomplished? And, you know, I,

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I know the house is, uh,

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is really behind in getting
organized and getting off the ground,

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uh,

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especially as we're coming to what
would traditionally be the beginning

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of budget season. So, uh, you know,

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how do you see those three
factions being able to,

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to work together here in Pennsylvania?

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Yeah, as soon as you and I leave, the
whole place goes to, you know, <laugh>,

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uh, it, it, it'll be interesting,
um, you know, you know,

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the dynamic from having served there
too. Um, 203 is a lot of people.

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Um, you know, we, we talk about
herding cats, um, you know,

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to get 102 people on the same page
for anything is difficult. Um,

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which is why, you know, having
a, having a healthy majority,

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like we had when you and I
served, um, you know, still, um,

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despite that,

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we still didn't get everything done we
wanted to get done in the house. So, um,

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I mean, it looks as if,
I don't know, I mean,

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it's gonna be 102 to 101
or 102 to a hundred next

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week. Um, uh, and then, you know,
in my seven years in the house,

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there was always someone vacancy,
and there was always someone, uh,

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whether they were, um, you know,

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under indictment or running for
another office or had health issues or,

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um, you know, had, had other
conflicts weren't there.

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And so if you're not there now, all of
a sudden the numbers change again. And,

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um, I s I thought after
the election, you know,

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realizing that the Democrats had picked
up the majority in the house, um,

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that the Senate would end up being
a, a, a backstop, and that we in the,

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the Republicans and the Senate would
stop bad things from happening. Um, now,

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um, based on the sort of
dysfunction of the house, um,

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and the, and the really, the difficulty
that either party's gonna have, um,

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in coming up with a solid
majority, uh, to get things done,

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that I think the Senate Republicans are
gonna be the caucus that actually gets

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stuff done. And we are gonna be
the leadership, the leaders in, uh,

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in an agenda and send it
to the house. And, um,

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the house is gonna have to accept it if
they can't come up with an alternative

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where they get 102 votes.
So, and, and as you know, um,

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so your listeners might not, you know,

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most of the stuff that gets done in the
legislature happens around budget time.

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So, um, you know, the governor's got, uh,

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an ambitious agenda, uh, has, has done
some good things already, I think.

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And we're gonna, uh, we hope
that, you know, his campaign, uh,

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rhetoric matches the
reality of his policies. Uh,

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and then let's find what we can
agree to, um, which is the, you know,

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that's how the real world exists,
right? You compromise and you, um,

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you, you, I, I want this, you want
that. That's how you negotiate.

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That's what I did in real
estate for 30 years. And, uh,

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I think that's what's
gonna end up happening.

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But the negotiations are likely gonna
be between the governor and the Senate

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Republicans, um, with the house, just
having to accept whatever we come up with.

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Well, and, and I think regardless
of what party you're a member of or,

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or what you think of, um, you know,

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of his campaign promises,
Josh Shapiro is, uh,

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is a phenomenal politician. And, uh,

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and that's one thing that
I saw over my time, uh,

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in the house as he was Attorney
General, was the fact that, uh,

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he's very good at, at playing
the game. So hopefully, um,

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you know, he will continue to,

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to do some of those things and to
work with members of the Senate

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to, uh, to get some ideas off
the ground as we do move through,

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uh, this budget season and, and start
to hit some of those priorities,

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you know,

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as someone who came from the
Pennsylvania House and is now

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in the, the Senate. And, uh, you
know, not even looking at the,

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the dysfunction that's happening in
the Pennsylvania House right now,

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but what do you see as some of
the biggest differences, um,

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you know, now that you're serving in, uh,

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in the upper chamber of,

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of the Pennsylvania legislature
compared to when you were in,

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uh, in the Pennsylvania House?

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Yeah. So, uh, obviously
it's a, a smaller body.

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This has been commonalities,

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a show where guests find common
ground through uncommon conversations.

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online.

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Hello, Uniontown Mayor, bill Gerkey here.

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There's nothing quite like the feeling
of home, that sense of belonging,

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those fall Friday nights under the
lights, those winter nights in the gym,

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watching our red Raiders, those refreshing
spring afternoons at Bailey Park,

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rooting on our Red Raider
softball and baseball teams.

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I am grateful for those memories and
hope our community's children and

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grandchildren can enjoy those
memories too. But to do that,

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we have to plan for the future.
During my first term in office,

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the city has got Bailey Park back
to a place where we can be proud of.

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Begun our city's first
comprehensive plan in over 20 years.

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Started work on the city's
section of the Sheep Skin Trail,

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worked on eliminating blighted
properties and are rebuilding the city's

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neighborhoods. We've updated the Foldy
equipment in the parking garages,

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and we're bringing a more
competitive, reliable, faster,

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and less expensive internet
service to our city residents.

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We have done a lot, but there's
still more to do. So, I Bill Gerkey,

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I'm running for a second term. We're
Uniontown proud, we're Uniontown strong,

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and together we can continue to rebuild
Uniontown for the next generation.

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Paid.

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For by Mayor Bill Gerkey.

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When it comes to buying a home,

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what you see isn't exactly what you get.

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That's why home buyers should
call Dave Dowling At Grandview

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Inspections at 7 2 4 2 0 8 4 1 0 8.

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You'll see colorful flowers,
freshly painted walls,

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granite countertops, gleaming
hardwood floors, and other touches.

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What you can't see is the
cracks, ancient plumbing,

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dangerous wiring,

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or broken appliances that might
be revealed when you hire a

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home inspector. And when it
comes to home inspectors,

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knowing yours has the qualifications
and experience needed,

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should be your number one concern.

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Dave Dowling with Grandview Inspections
is an architectural engineer

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with over 30 years of commercial
construction experience and

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hundreds of inspections under his belt.

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A home inspection is an opportunity
for you to hire an expert to walk

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through the home and prepare a report
outlining the home's major components.

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What needs immediate attention and
what will require maintenance after you

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move in your home is one of
your biggest investments.

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So make sure your investment is
everything you hoped it to be.

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Call Dave Dowling at
Grandview Inspections at

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7 2 4 2 0 8 4 1 0 8.

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I'm Melinda De LaRose. As an
Assistant District Attorney,

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I've protected Fayette County families
and fought to uphold our constitutional

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rights. As a prosecutor
and trusted local attorney,

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I've provided victims of crime with a
strong voice and put criminals behind

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bars. My pledge to you as
judge is to follow the law,

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always maintain the
highest ethical standards,

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and to run a courtroom that's
respectful of your time and tax dollars.

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I'm Melinda de LaRose asking
for your vote for Judge paid.

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For by Friends of Melinda de LaRose.

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So, so there are 50 members in the
Senate compared to 203 in the house.

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So because of that, you have
an opportunity to get to
know your colleagues, uh,

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in, in a more intimate way. Um,
we're also, um, you know, we have a,

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uh, smaller, you know, we're
on more committees. I'm on, uh,

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I think five or six committees. I
chair one and vice chairman another.

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So your interaction with your
colleagues is a lot, um, more.

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And I believe that, you know, the,

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the familiarity actually
breeds cooperation and respect.

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And so if you see a person, you get
to know someone, it's, it's harder to,

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um, um, it's harder to, to to be
unkind to them <laugh> that's,

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that's, uh, in the house,
there's so many people,

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and you get insulated in your own party
or your own region, or your own caucus.

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Um,

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00:14:13,770 --> 00:14:16,890
and it makes it easier for people to take
jabs at each other because they don't

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00:14:16,890 --> 00:14:20,690
know each other. And so, um,
and the con, you know, the, the,

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00:14:20,690 --> 00:14:23,610
the inverse of that is that we can
work together cuz we know each other.

224
00:14:23,620 --> 00:14:28,050
So I see more, um, more
civility, um, more,

225
00:14:28,300 --> 00:14:31,010
um, of a, you know, uh,

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00:14:31,060 --> 00:14:35,770
of relationships between senators
and, uh, and a mutual respect, uh,

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00:14:35,770 --> 00:14:37,090
which I already ha I mean, I,

228
00:14:37,200 --> 00:14:40,010
I had for some members that I had
served with when we were in the house

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00:14:40,210 --> 00:14:43,650
together, but, you know, guys like
Marty Flynn, who's the chairman of the,

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00:14:43,650 --> 00:14:46,850
the Democratic Chairman of
the Transportation Committee
we serve together in the

231
00:14:46,850 --> 00:14:50,850
House, or Jimmy Dillon from Northeast
Philadelphia. I'm just getting to know.

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00:14:51,450 --> 00:14:55,410
Um, you know, so that, that makes
life a little, little different.

233
00:14:55,410 --> 00:14:58,660
And I think in, in many
ways better the Senate.

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00:14:59,610 --> 00:15:03,520
So you mentioned committees and,
uh, you know, in, in the house,

235
00:15:03,610 --> 00:15:08,120
it took about 10 years
for an individual to, uh,

236
00:15:08,120 --> 00:15:11,400
get a chairmanship of a committee. Um,

237
00:15:11,410 --> 00:15:14,400
so I wanted to give you an
opportunity to, you know,

238
00:15:14,400 --> 00:15:18,920
rattle off some of the committees that
you're on, but also to talk about, um,

239
00:15:18,920 --> 00:15:23,120
the committee that you're
now chair of and, uh,

240
00:15:23,120 --> 00:15:26,160
some of the legislative priorities
that you have on that committee.

241
00:15:27,030 --> 00:15:28,320
Yeah, so you're right, I,

242
00:15:28,320 --> 00:15:32,120
I probably would've never become a
chairman of the house, certainly, um, not,

243
00:15:32,120 --> 00:15:36,280
not this term. Um, but I've, uh, am a, um,

244
00:15:36,960 --> 00:15:40,080
chairman of the Game and
Fisheries Committee, uh,

245
00:15:40,080 --> 00:15:44,280
which my district has is a very rural
district outside of the suburban core of,

246
00:15:44,290 --> 00:15:48,720
uh, uh, Hampton and East sbo and
Camp Hill, the, the, um, you know,

247
00:15:48,720 --> 00:15:52,600
sort of the southeast, uh, southwest of
Cumberland County. But the rest of it,

248
00:15:52,600 --> 00:15:55,840
I have all of Perry County and Upper
Dolphin County and all of Western

249
00:15:55,840 --> 00:15:56,600
Cumberland County.

250
00:15:56,600 --> 00:16:01,130
It's have a lot of hunters and some
of the best fishing in the, uh,

251
00:16:01,130 --> 00:16:04,930
entire state, maybe in the nation.
I mean, la tort, yellow breaches,

252
00:16:04,930 --> 00:16:09,330
and even the Sulan River has
great fishing. So, um, it's, um,

253
00:16:09,640 --> 00:16:11,050
it's a very important committee.

254
00:16:11,050 --> 00:16:15,410
We regulate the Game Commission and
the Fish and Boat Commission. Um,

255
00:16:15,450 --> 00:16:18,810
we're responsible for oversight of the,

256
00:16:18,840 --> 00:16:23,730
I think it's 1.6 million acres
of, um, state game lands.

257
00:16:24,140 --> 00:16:28,330
Uh, and, um, we help, uh, give
guidance to the commissions.

258
00:16:28,330 --> 00:16:33,130
Both the fish and boat and the Game
Commission are independent commissions,

259
00:16:33,130 --> 00:16:36,130
but we do have oversight over
them. So, um, for instance,

260
00:16:36,130 --> 00:16:38,690
I think while you were in the
legislature, we were together,

261
00:16:38,690 --> 00:16:43,010
we voted on Sunday hunting, which
was a very controversial issue,

262
00:16:43,010 --> 00:16:46,810
but also is a very popular
issue. Uh, so the, you know,

263
00:16:46,810 --> 00:16:51,490
million plus hunters and million plus
fishers and, uh, fisher people who fish,

264
00:16:51,560 --> 00:16:56,450
I guess, um, you know, care about
what our committee does. And so,

265
00:16:56,660 --> 00:16:57,970
um, you know,

266
00:16:57,970 --> 00:17:02,010
whether we open on a Saturday or a
Monday is a sort of a controversial issue

267
00:17:02,010 --> 00:17:06,260
right now. Um, and I, I'm
just trying to get to know,

268
00:17:06,750 --> 00:17:11,250
um, the, um, the fishing and game, uh,

269
00:17:11,250 --> 00:17:15,650
or the game and fisheries, um,
industry. And I mean, I, I'm,

270
00:17:15,670 --> 00:17:19,850
I'm a mediocre fisher and a
mediocre hunter, but I do, uh,

271
00:17:19,850 --> 00:17:24,050
greatly appreciate the outdoors. I
spend a lot of time outdoors and, um,

272
00:17:24,350 --> 00:17:27,010
you know, wanna promote
that as an industry, uh,

273
00:17:27,010 --> 00:17:29,730
not just for the revenue it
generates for our economy,

274
00:17:29,990 --> 00:17:34,850
but also as a way to attract people
to Pennsylvania. Not just for tourism,

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00:17:34,850 --> 00:17:35,850
though, that's important,

276
00:17:35,850 --> 00:17:39,930
but to try to shift the demographics
and get more young people to come to

277
00:17:39,930 --> 00:17:43,530
Pennsylvania after they, um,
graduate from high school or college,

278
00:17:43,530 --> 00:17:47,490
and come here because they love the
outdoors and all the opportunities we have

279
00:17:47,490 --> 00:17:51,880
on our, our streams and our, our
rivers and our lakes, and, um,

280
00:17:52,420 --> 00:17:54,320
and in our, in our state game lens.

281
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Well, Senator Rothman, we
have to take a quick break.

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We'll be right back here
with more commonalities.

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This has been commonalities,

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00:18:09,660 --> 00:18:13,910
a show where guests find common
ground through uncommon conversations.

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00:18:13,990 --> 00:18:16,750
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00:18:16,970 --> 00:18:20,510
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00:18:25,310 --> 00:18:27,630
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online.

312
00:20:02,270 --> 00:20:05,110
Hello, Uniontown Mayor, bill Gerkey here.

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00:20:05,360 --> 00:20:09,070
There's nothing quite like the feeling
of home. That's sense of belonging.

314
00:20:09,310 --> 00:20:13,550
Those fall Friday nights under the
lights, those winter nights in the gym,

315
00:20:13,830 --> 00:20:17,950
watching our red Raiders, those refreshing
spring afternoons at Bailey Park,

316
00:20:18,120 --> 00:20:20,990
rooting on our Red Raider
softball and baseball teams.

317
00:20:21,940 --> 00:20:25,790
I am grateful for those memories and
hope our community's children and

318
00:20:25,790 --> 00:20:29,030
grandchildren can enjoy those
memories too. But to do that,

319
00:20:29,030 --> 00:20:33,350
we have to plan for the future.
During my first term in office,

320
00:20:33,350 --> 00:20:36,870
the city has got Bailey Park back
to a place where we can be proud of.

321
00:20:37,590 --> 00:20:40,910
Begun our city's first
comprehensive plan in over 20 years.

322
00:20:41,680 --> 00:20:44,630
Started work on the city's
section of the Sheep Skin Trail,

323
00:20:45,300 --> 00:20:49,600
worked on eliminating blighted
properties and are rebuilding the city's

324
00:20:49,600 --> 00:20:53,520
neighborhoods. We've updated the faulty
equipment in the parking garages,

325
00:20:53,660 --> 00:20:57,240
and we're bringing a more
competitive, reliable, faster,

326
00:20:57,240 --> 00:21:00,320
and less expensive internet
service to our city residents.

327
00:21:01,330 --> 00:21:05,760
We have done a lot, but there's
still more to do. So I Bill Gerkey.

328
00:21:05,760 --> 00:21:09,040
I'm running for a second
term. We're Uniontown proud,

329
00:21:09,400 --> 00:21:10,840
we're Uniontown strong,

330
00:21:11,180 --> 00:21:16,000
and together we can continue to rebuild
Uniontown for the next generation.

331
00:21:18,070 --> 00:21:18,560
Paid.

332
00:21:18,560 --> 00:21:19,840
For by Mayor Bill Gerkey.

333
00:21:25,530 --> 00:21:28,630
I'm Melinda De LaRose. As an
Assistant District Attorney,

334
00:21:28,660 --> 00:21:32,670
I've protected Fayette County families
and fought to uphold our constitutional

335
00:21:32,670 --> 00:21:35,510
rights. As a prosecutor
and trusted local attorney,

336
00:21:35,510 --> 00:21:39,510
I've provided victims of crime with a
strong voice and put criminals behind

337
00:21:39,510 --> 00:21:42,790
bars. My pledge to you as
Judge is to follow the law,

338
00:21:42,790 --> 00:21:45,030
always maintain the
highest ethical standards,

339
00:21:45,030 --> 00:21:49,590
and to run a courtroom that's
respectful of your time and tax dollars.

340
00:21:49,890 --> 00:21:53,430
I'm Melinda de LaRose asking
for your vote for Judge paid.

341
00:21:53,430 --> 00:21:55,070
For by Friends of Melinda de LaRose.

342
00:21:56,470 --> 00:22:00,550
Thank you for staying with
us on commonalities. I'm
your host, Matt Dowling.

343
00:22:00,550 --> 00:22:05,110
My guest today is Senator Greg
Rothman, who represents, uh,

344
00:22:05,510 --> 00:22:10,270
district towards the center of
the state. He is a newly minted,

345
00:22:10,640 --> 00:22:15,150
uh, state senator, was a colleague
of mine in the Pennsylvania House.

346
00:22:15,690 --> 00:22:20,470
And, uh, we've been talking a little
bit about, uh, the makeup of the house,

347
00:22:20,470 --> 00:22:22,950
the Senate, and of course, uh,

348
00:22:22,950 --> 00:22:26,630
having a new governor here and how
things are going to work together,

349
00:22:27,120 --> 00:22:31,710
as well as the, uh, committees
that Greg is on. And, uh,

350
00:22:31,850 --> 00:22:36,750
and the committee that he chairs. You
know, in the spirit of President's Day,

351
00:22:36,750 --> 00:22:39,950
which just happened,
uh, yesterday, Greg, uh,

352
00:22:39,950 --> 00:22:41,910
I thought I would give
you a chance to, uh,

353
00:22:41,910 --> 00:22:46,870
to recognize your favorite
US President and maybe tell

354
00:22:46,870 --> 00:22:50,910
us a little bit about, uh,
why that individual is, uh,

355
00:22:50,910 --> 00:22:54,150
is at the top of your
list of US presidents.

356
00:22:54,840 --> 00:22:56,570
Yeah, so, you know, the, the,

357
00:22:56,570 --> 00:23:00,170
my favorite president of my
lifetime is Ronald Reagan. Um,

358
00:23:00,170 --> 00:23:04,930
Ronald Reagan inspired me to, to get
involved in public service. Um, he,

359
00:23:05,380 --> 00:23:08,130
um, came, came, became president in a,

360
00:23:08,130 --> 00:23:11,530
a very critical time in our
country's history when, you know,

361
00:23:11,530 --> 00:23:15,530
we had the malaise and the, um, you
know, God bless him, but Jimmy Carter,

362
00:23:15,530 --> 00:23:18,170
who's, uh, it sounds like
he's on his deathbed,

363
00:23:18,170 --> 00:23:23,130
but Jimmy Carter had what he had done
to our economy from inflation and, uh,

364
00:23:23,490 --> 00:23:26,930
interest rates going through the roof
and, uh, the oil, uh, embargo and the,

365
00:23:26,930 --> 00:23:30,450
the, you know, the, the issues
we were having with, uh,

366
00:23:30,450 --> 00:23:34,900
Russia and then the
Soviet Union and communism

367
00:23:35,170 --> 00:23:39,100
marching in Central America
and Eastern Europe into Poland.

368
00:23:39,100 --> 00:23:42,860
Ronald Reagan came along, and I
would like to think that, you know,

369
00:23:42,860 --> 00:23:47,480
maybe times were even tougher then
than they are now. Uh, and he saved,

370
00:23:47,610 --> 00:23:51,000
um, not just America, but
saved the whole world. Um,

371
00:23:51,000 --> 00:23:54,560
he's the reason that communism,
um, and the, and the, uh,

372
00:23:54,560 --> 00:23:59,480
the Soviet Union imploded, and he's the
reason we had the great, uh, eighties,

373
00:23:59,650 --> 00:24:02,600
uh, economy that lasted
through, you know, uh, the,

374
00:24:02,600 --> 00:24:07,160
the huge economic expansion. So he is my
favorite president, uh, of my lifetime.

375
00:24:07,160 --> 00:24:10,760
And I actually had a chance to meet him
and wrote a little book about him. Uh,

376
00:24:10,760 --> 00:24:15,720
I think Abraham Lincoln is probably,
uh, historically my favorite president.

377
00:24:15,720 --> 00:24:19,920
I have a farm in Gettysburg, and I
think what Abraham Lincoln did in the,

378
00:24:19,920 --> 00:24:23,680
with the 14th Amendment and Emancipation
Proclamation, and, you know,

379
00:24:23,680 --> 00:24:27,400
saving the nation from, um, the, the what,

380
00:24:27,460 --> 00:24:29,120
the hideous practice of slavery,

381
00:24:29,120 --> 00:24:33,520
but then also keeping the nation together
by willing to, by willing to, to, uh,

382
00:24:33,520 --> 00:24:38,240
fight the Civil War. Um, I also loved
Calvin Coolidge. Calvin Coolidge, uh,

383
00:24:38,300 --> 00:24:42,560
was from Vermont, but went to school
in Amherst, Massachusetts, uh, went to,

384
00:24:42,700 --> 00:24:47,080
was the mayor of North Northampton, was
a state representative, a state senator,

385
00:24:47,090 --> 00:24:50,560
or a, uh, a lieutenant governor,
a governor of Massachusetts,

386
00:24:50,560 --> 00:24:55,280
went on to become the vice President
and then president and Calvin Coolidge.

387
00:24:55,530 --> 00:24:58,920
Uh, leads, I think, you know, shared
what you and I believe that, uh,

388
00:24:58,920 --> 00:25:01,800
the government functions best,
which does least <laugh>.

389
00:25:01,800 --> 00:25:05,320
And let let the people do things
and, and empower the people.

390
00:25:05,320 --> 00:25:07,840
It's the government of
the people by the people,

391
00:25:07,840 --> 00:25:11,200
for the people that consent
to the governed. So, you know,

392
00:25:11,420 --> 00:25:14,000
for a long time they said, well,
Calvin cool. Didn't do anything.

393
00:25:14,000 --> 00:25:17,920
What did Calvin cool do other than be
President during the ro roaring twenties?

394
00:25:18,370 --> 00:25:18,860
Um,

395
00:25:18,860 --> 00:25:22,080
and then later historians look back and
there've been some great books written

396
00:25:22,080 --> 00:25:24,880
about him. And so, wait a minute, he
did exactly what he said he would do,

397
00:25:24,880 --> 00:25:26,640
which is stay out of the,

398
00:25:26,750 --> 00:25:30,200
stay out of the lives of Americans
and stay out of our businesses and our

399
00:25:30,200 --> 00:25:33,960
industries, and let them thrive by
having government leave them alone.

400
00:25:33,960 --> 00:25:35,720
So those are my three favorite presidents.

401
00:25:36,490 --> 00:25:40,100
Well, that, that, that's great
feedback to get. And, uh,

402
00:25:40,360 --> 00:25:44,980
and those are three presidents that I
think as Republicans that we can draw a

403
00:25:44,980 --> 00:25:49,580
lot of connections to. Um, you
know, I wanted to talk about, uh,

404
00:25:49,580 --> 00:25:53,860
what you feel will be the
biggest legislative priorities,

405
00:25:54,080 --> 00:25:58,740
not just for the Senate or
for the House or for the

406
00:25:58,980 --> 00:26:03,940
Governor, but what do you see as actually
getting accomplished in this next

407
00:26:03,940 --> 00:26:06,340
two year period here in Pennsylvania?

408
00:26:07,690 --> 00:26:08,540
Yeah, you know,

409
00:26:08,540 --> 00:26:11,860
one of the first pieces of legislation
I introduced when I got to the house was

410
00:26:11,860 --> 00:26:14,220
to cut the corporate net income tax. Uh,

411
00:26:14,220 --> 00:26:18,380
I had worked for Jack Kemp and the
Kemp Roth tax cuts of the eighties, uh,

412
00:26:18,380 --> 00:26:19,300
which, uh,

413
00:26:19,300 --> 00:26:24,100
Ronald Reagan championed were critical
to attorney the economy around as a

414
00:26:24,100 --> 00:26:24,260
country.

415
00:26:24,260 --> 00:26:28,460
And I thought cutting the corporate net
income tax rates would do the same for

416
00:26:28,460 --> 00:26:33,420
Pennsylvania. Uh, it took seven years,
but the governor actually signed, um,

417
00:26:33,430 --> 00:26:37,620
it into law, uh, as part of the budget
process. Senator Ryan Aht from, uh,

418
00:26:37,620 --> 00:26:41,940
Lancaster had worked on it too many other
people, Senator Michelle Brooks. Um,

419
00:26:42,000 --> 00:26:46,760
but now that we've passed that, I'd
like to see it accelerated. Um, it,

420
00:26:46,810 --> 00:26:49,920
it, the, the way the bill passed,
it does cut it a little bit,

421
00:26:49,920 --> 00:26:54,560
but it doesn't cut it enough, um, to
attract businesses to Pennsylvania.

422
00:26:54,560 --> 00:26:58,480
So I'd like to see that, you know,
regu regulatory reform is such a,

423
00:26:58,630 --> 00:27:01,320
a big issue, not just for
the Republicans, but all the,

424
00:27:01,980 --> 00:27:05,240
all the private sector were all
affected by these regulations.

425
00:27:05,240 --> 00:27:07,720
And during the Covid Pandemic, um,

426
00:27:07,720 --> 00:27:10,920
the Governor Wolfs administration
suspended a lot of regulations,

427
00:27:11,060 --> 00:27:14,560
and we should be looking at
those regulations and saying,

428
00:27:14,560 --> 00:27:18,880
do we really need these since, uh, we
survived, uh, having them suspended?

429
00:27:19,180 --> 00:27:22,960
And then I think energy's
such a big issue for, um, our,

430
00:27:22,960 --> 00:27:27,400
our nation and with what's going
on in Ukraine. Um, you know,

431
00:27:27,400 --> 00:27:31,640
Pennsylvania should be a, an exporter
of energy. We should certainly, uh,

432
00:27:31,640 --> 00:27:34,880
use the energy to our advantage to
help bring manufacturing back to the

433
00:27:34,880 --> 00:27:38,240
commonwealth and back to the
country for that matter, uh,

434
00:27:38,240 --> 00:27:42,880
and that we should be a leader, um, in,
in energy, in all forms of energy. But,

435
00:27:42,880 --> 00:27:47,400
but certainly natural gas and oil that
we're blessed to have in coal. Um,

436
00:27:47,780 --> 00:27:52,000
you know, I, it sort of, I
find it ironic that, you know,

437
00:27:52,000 --> 00:27:55,080
and I'm all for electric
vehicles, but let's be real,

438
00:27:55,480 --> 00:28:00,080
electric vehicles are powered by
coal fired or gas fired, or, um,

439
00:28:00,080 --> 00:28:03,840
you know, in, in many cases
in Pennsylvania, nukes, um,

440
00:28:03,910 --> 00:28:07,800
very little energy is
generated by windmills or, um,

441
00:28:08,090 --> 00:28:12,160
or solar panels or hydro electricity. Um,

442
00:28:12,810 --> 00:28:13,520
so, you know,

443
00:28:13,520 --> 00:28:18,080
we need to be promoting natural gas
because it is s safe and efficient and

444
00:28:18,080 --> 00:28:20,040
clean, uh, and abundant.

445
00:28:21,000 --> 00:28:25,500
You know, and I, and I live
here right in the midst of, uh,

446
00:28:25,500 --> 00:28:30,220
Marcella Shell, uh, land where,
you know, we have just a,

447
00:28:30,220 --> 00:28:33,900
a plethora of gas and oil opportunities.

448
00:28:33,920 --> 00:28:38,860
And I believe if we were to
have additional pipelines or

449
00:28:38,860 --> 00:28:42,020
ways to, to transport that gas and oil,

450
00:28:42,020 --> 00:28:46,700
we could be an even larger
player nationally, um,

451
00:28:47,230 --> 00:28:49,940
in the export of gas and oil.

452
00:28:49,960 --> 00:28:54,460
But one of the big things that I know
as I've worked with the industry,

453
00:28:55,070 --> 00:28:55,420
um,

454
00:28:55,420 --> 00:29:00,300
that I've found is kind of the
instability that Pennsylvania has

455
00:29:00,690 --> 00:29:03,660
with gas and oil. We've
been talking about, uh,

456
00:29:03,990 --> 00:29:08,260
an excise tax or, or a gas tax, uh,

457
00:29:08,260 --> 00:29:10,980
for a long period of time. Um,

458
00:29:11,130 --> 00:29:15,100
I always unfortunately
leave some blame with, uh,

459
00:29:15,100 --> 00:29:18,300
with Governor Corbett in
the fact that, you know,

460
00:29:18,310 --> 00:29:22,060
we had fees that we weren't calling taxes.

461
00:29:22,110 --> 00:29:25,380
So sometimes people say
that we're not being taxed,

462
00:29:25,620 --> 00:29:29,740
but our fees that we pay are more
than even some of the other states.

463
00:29:30,080 --> 00:29:34,260
But there is that instability
in the market where, uh,

464
00:29:34,260 --> 00:29:39,260
I think some gas and oil, uh,
providers are saying, you know,

465
00:29:39,510 --> 00:29:42,800
we just want stability.
We wanna know that, uh,

466
00:29:42,800 --> 00:29:46,400
the laws aren't going to
change when we are, you know,

467
00:29:46,400 --> 00:29:50,960
20 million into an investment
or a big play here in

468
00:29:50,960 --> 00:29:55,240
Pennsylvania. Do you think
we have the power to, uh,

469
00:29:55,240 --> 00:29:56,920
to stabilize and,

470
00:29:56,920 --> 00:30:01,240
and solidify some of the
regulation in gas and oil

471
00:30:01,930 --> 00:30:04,880
so that that stability is there and, uh,

472
00:30:05,060 --> 00:30:09,920
and the manufacturers won't be afraid
that they're going to be hit with

473
00:30:09,920 --> 00:30:12,720
some other tax after an
investment has been made?

474
00:30:13,470 --> 00:30:17,400
Yeah, no, you're, you're, you're spot
on. I mean, they, they need stability,

475
00:30:17,420 --> 00:30:22,160
and these are huge investments
that they're making. Um, so I,

476
00:30:22,160 --> 00:30:24,640
I mean, I'm hopeful. I'm
optimistic that, you know,

477
00:30:24,880 --> 00:30:27,880
governor Shapiro came out against,
uh, Pennsylvania joining the, uh,

478
00:30:28,160 --> 00:30:33,160
regional Greenhouse gas initiative.
Reggie, uh, he has been, um,

479
00:30:33,380 --> 00:30:37,880
you know, has been supportive of the
industry, uh, as a candidate. Um,

480
00:30:38,140 --> 00:30:42,840
but, um, I think that, you know,
we need to make sure that, um,

481
00:30:42,840 --> 00:30:46,600
people who invest in Pennsylvania and
make large investments in Pennsylvania

482
00:30:46,600 --> 00:30:50,840
have their investments protected. And
stability's a a huge part of that issue.

483
00:30:51,250 --> 00:30:55,840
Um, you know, I, I've been talking
about, um, across the street from now,

484
00:30:55,840 --> 00:30:59,120
Senator John Federer
Man's house in Braddock,

485
00:30:59,120 --> 00:31:03,900
Pennsylvania is the steel
plant. And US Steel were,

486
00:31:03,900 --> 00:31:07,460
you know, they, they were gonna invest
a billion dollars in that plant,

487
00:31:07,480 --> 00:31:11,740
but because of permit delays
by Allegheny County and, um,

488
00:31:11,740 --> 00:31:13,060
local governments too,

489
00:31:13,170 --> 00:31:18,100
they instead just decide to deploy
that $1 billion in investments to

490
00:31:18,100 --> 00:31:21,700
Arkansas. So that, that
hurts our economy. Um,

491
00:31:22,230 --> 00:31:26,940
so it's not just stability, but
it's, um, responsiveness of the,

492
00:31:27,190 --> 00:31:30,380
of the state government
and the permit issuers. Uh,

493
00:31:30,380 --> 00:31:33,340
I had a meeting yesterday
with the, the new, uh,

494
00:31:33,620 --> 00:31:38,180
proposed secretary of D E p Richard
Ning. And, uh, you know, his,

495
00:31:38,590 --> 00:31:43,380
he, he recognizes that
d e P is, um, you know,

496
00:31:43,380 --> 00:31:45,220
hindering our, uh,

497
00:31:45,220 --> 00:31:49,220
ability to attract businesses
to Pennsylvania and get
economic investment. So,

498
00:31:49,390 --> 00:31:51,940
uh, I think he's gonna be, again,

499
00:31:51,940 --> 00:31:55,740
I'm optimistic that he's gonna
understand how important, um,

500
00:31:55,740 --> 00:31:59,420
that is to our economy. And, and you're
absolutely right, stability is, uh,

501
00:31:59,420 --> 00:32:02,580
a main issue that investors want, um,

502
00:32:02,580 --> 00:32:04,860
when they make investments
into our commonwealth.

503
00:32:06,500 --> 00:32:09,970
So, uh, you know, we are at
the beginning of a session at,

504
00:32:09,970 --> 00:32:11,170
at the beginning of a session,

505
00:32:11,820 --> 00:32:16,490
we see a lot of co-sponsorship
memos that go out, um,

506
00:32:16,490 --> 00:32:18,330
from individuals that, uh,

507
00:32:18,330 --> 00:32:23,250
that maybe are reintroducing something
that they didn't get accomplished in

508
00:32:23,250 --> 00:32:25,410
the previous session, uh,

509
00:32:25,420 --> 00:32:30,330
or some new ideas that they have
had since they were recently out

510
00:32:30,330 --> 00:32:33,010
on the campaign trail
talking to constituents.

511
00:32:33,300 --> 00:32:36,330
So they come back and they're
trying to fix some of those issues.

512
00:32:36,790 --> 00:32:40,360
For you personally, is there, uh,

513
00:32:40,430 --> 00:32:45,400
a legislative agenda or a,
an item that you have that,

514
00:32:45,400 --> 00:32:47,760
uh, that you're looking to fix? Uh,

515
00:32:47,760 --> 00:32:51,680
I know we already talked about
the corporate net income tax, um,

516
00:32:51,700 --> 00:32:55,760
but do you have any co-sponsorship
memo that you've put out recently,

517
00:32:56,370 --> 00:32:56,720
uh,

518
00:32:56,720 --> 00:33:01,440
with any new legislation that
you are championing or promoting?

519
00:33:02,270 --> 00:33:06,960
Yeah, so, um, I, I just got done
reading this morning about this, uh,

520
00:33:06,960 --> 00:33:08,360
Philadelphia police officer,

521
00:33:08,360 --> 00:33:13,160
temple University police officer who was
shot point blank and killed. Um, the,

522
00:33:13,160 --> 00:33:15,960
the gun violence we have
in, uh, this country,

523
00:33:16,390 --> 00:33:21,240
I believe can only be stopped by
deterrents and by enforcing the laws we

524
00:33:21,240 --> 00:33:24,960
have, it's not gonna be by
punishing, um, the, the,

525
00:33:24,960 --> 00:33:28,720
the law abiding gun owners.
And you and I share, um,

526
00:33:28,850 --> 00:33:32,680
respect for not just the Second
Amendment, but the 21st, um,

527
00:33:32,820 --> 00:33:37,120
the section 24 of our Constitution,
uh, which says that, um,

528
00:33:37,220 --> 00:33:39,240
the right to, uh,

529
00:33:39,240 --> 00:33:44,040
own firearms is to protect your life and
your property and your family. And so,

530
00:33:44,040 --> 00:33:46,160
section 21, so, um,

531
00:33:46,470 --> 00:33:51,440
I introduced legislation that
has death penalties for those who

532
00:33:51,440 --> 00:33:56,360
commit murders in safe spaces.
So if you go into a school, uh,

533
00:33:56,360 --> 00:34:00,880
university that, that, that the,
um, guy at Michigan State last week,

534
00:34:01,370 --> 00:34:05,280
um, or you kill someone in a
church or a temple or at a,

535
00:34:05,280 --> 00:34:09,360
a sporting event or somewhere
where, um, you know, you, you,

536
00:34:09,360 --> 00:34:12,200
you believe that it should
be a safe spa, safe space.

537
00:34:12,200 --> 00:34:16,800
That right now the death penalty is not
a consideration or not allowed in those

538
00:34:16,800 --> 00:34:18,520
cases. But under my, uh,

539
00:34:18,520 --> 00:34:22,760
law that I just introduced the
co-sponsorship memo to, uh,

540
00:34:22,760 --> 00:34:25,970
prior to the Michigan State shooting, um,

541
00:34:26,430 --> 00:34:30,170
and I introduced it in the house,
and it went nowhere after the,

542
00:34:30,170 --> 00:34:34,930
the Tree of Life shooting. And so,
um, in every one of these cases,

543
00:34:34,930 --> 00:34:37,370
Matt, you know, it, I mean
the, the Temple University,

544
00:34:37,370 --> 00:34:41,930
that poor officer was killed, um,
African American police officer,

545
00:34:41,930 --> 00:34:46,650
father of four, killed by an 18
year old Bucks County, um, white,

546
00:34:47,260 --> 00:34:51,490
um, sort of upper middle class
kid, not kid. He's a man,

547
00:34:51,490 --> 00:34:55,650
he's 18 years old, had a gun charge
against him that wasn't enforced.

548
00:34:55,750 --> 00:34:59,490
The Michigan State Killer had a gun
charge against him that was pleaded down,

549
00:34:59,490 --> 00:35:02,970
and he didn't have to, he should have
been a felony, and he didn't have to,

550
00:35:02,970 --> 00:35:04,210
he should have never had a gun.

551
00:35:04,210 --> 00:35:07,850
And so we need to start
enforcing the gun laws we have,

552
00:35:08,230 --> 00:35:12,570
and we need to have death penalty on
the table as a deterrent. Um, you know,

553
00:35:12,570 --> 00:35:16,490
when you have punishments for crimes,
it says a deterrent as punishment,

554
00:35:16,490 --> 00:35:20,290
which I, I believe, you know, um,
old Testament, and you take a life,

555
00:35:20,290 --> 00:35:23,570
you should give your life, um, you
can have your life taken, and then,

556
00:35:23,780 --> 00:35:25,730
of course, to protect society. So,

557
00:35:25,910 --> 00:35:29,320
and with the cost of keeping
someone in prison, you know,

558
00:35:29,380 --> 00:35:34,280
you commit a heinous crime, you
know, you kill or rape a child, um,

559
00:35:34,280 --> 00:35:35,320
rape and kill a child.

560
00:35:35,470 --> 00:35:39,760
I don't want to have to spend 60 or
$7,000 a year to make sure that you're fed

561
00:35:39,760 --> 00:35:44,360
in clothed and have internet and cable
television, and, you know, in prison, I,

562
00:35:44,360 --> 00:35:48,560
I, I wanna see that you give
up your life for that. So, um,

563
00:35:48,650 --> 00:35:51,480
as a deterrent and as punishment
and to protect society,

564
00:35:51,480 --> 00:35:55,040
and certainly the fiscal cost of
keeping someone in prison for life,

565
00:35:55,040 --> 00:35:59,640
not to mention all the appeals. And so
the fact that the governor came out, um,

566
00:35:59,650 --> 00:36:02,480
in the midst of all this gun violence, uh,

567
00:36:02,480 --> 00:36:07,000
and said that he's not gonna enforce the
death penalties and not gonna sign any

568
00:36:07,000 --> 00:36:11,400
death penalty orders, was really
disappointing. And I think, um, a mistake,

569
00:36:11,400 --> 00:36:13,480
and I think he should
have as a prosecutor,

570
00:36:13,940 --> 00:36:16,080
the Attorney General's office
should have known better.

571
00:36:16,900 --> 00:36:20,040
The last death penalty, if
I'm correct, in Pennsylvania,

572
00:36:20,040 --> 00:36:23,040
was in 1999, uh,

573
00:36:23,040 --> 00:36:27,520
the last execution that was carried
out, rather. So it has been, uh,

574
00:36:27,520 --> 00:36:32,520
quite some time and, and, uh,
unfortunately, because I, I know the, uh,

575
00:36:32,520 --> 00:36:36,320
the governor's stance on the death
penalty, I think you will, uh,

576
00:36:36,320 --> 00:36:39,320
have a little bit of an uphill battle, uh,

577
00:36:39,320 --> 00:36:43,360
getting that le legislation
passed through. Um, you know,

578
00:36:43,360 --> 00:36:46,480
we're coming to the close
of our time together today.

579
00:36:46,830 --> 00:36:50,080
I wanted you to give you
an opportunity to, uh,

580
00:36:50,210 --> 00:36:54,480
to share any final thoughts
you may have for our listeners,

581
00:36:55,090 --> 00:36:56,960
uh, before we have to go.

582
00:36:58,620 --> 00:37:01,670
Yeah, I just look, I wanna talk
about you, Matt, you, you were a,

583
00:37:01,670 --> 00:37:05,230
a great member of the General Assembly,
a great friend. Um, you know, I,

584
00:37:05,230 --> 00:37:06,190
I want to see you.

585
00:37:06,190 --> 00:37:10,630
I hope you stay involved
and you are staying involved
in public policy. And, um,

586
00:37:10,700 --> 00:37:15,590
I, I just think that, uh, you know, your,
your listenership needs to know, um,

587
00:37:15,590 --> 00:37:17,630
you know, what, what I
think of you <laugh>,

588
00:37:17,630 --> 00:37:20,230
what many of your colleagues
thought of you, that you were a,

589
00:37:20,230 --> 00:37:23,390
a man of ideas and
policy and, um, you know,

590
00:37:23,390 --> 00:37:24,990
really served your constituents well.

591
00:37:24,990 --> 00:37:28,630
And I loved the conversations
we had together, and, um,

592
00:37:28,740 --> 00:37:31,670
I stole a lot of your great
ideas. So thank you. And,

593
00:37:31,670 --> 00:37:36,270
and what you did for the Second Amendment
Caucus, um, to really, um, you know,

594
00:37:36,270 --> 00:37:41,070
help protect the Second Amendment,
um, was, was all, you know,

595
00:37:41,070 --> 00:37:42,430
really praiseworthy. So I,

596
00:37:42,430 --> 00:37:45,470
I'm grateful to have you as a
former colleague and friend,

597
00:37:45,470 --> 00:37:47,750
and look forward to with
you in the future too.

598
00:37:48,070 --> 00:37:48,560
Well.

599
00:37:48,560 --> 00:37:49,560
And you got a great family.

600
00:37:49,960 --> 00:37:54,160
Thank you so much for, uh, for taking
the time to be on the show today, Greg.

601
00:37:54,450 --> 00:37:57,120
Uh, it was great talking with you and, uh,

602
00:37:57,120 --> 00:38:01,040
and I'm sure there's a lot of good
that you'll be able to do here in the

603
00:38:01,040 --> 00:38:03,040
Pennsylvania Senate. Best of luck to you.

604
00:38:09,530 --> 00:38:11,540
This has been commonalities,

605
00:38:11,850 --> 00:38:16,020
a show where guests find common
ground through uncommon conversations.

606
00:38:16,100 --> 00:38:18,780
Copyright 2022, coordinated 360,

607
00:38:19,000 --> 00:38:22,700
all public rebroadcast should be done
with prior written approval from Matthew

608
00:38:22,700 --> 00:38:27,620
Dowling. All requests should be sent
to info coordinated three sixty.com.

609
00:38:27,620 --> 00:38:30,020
Thank you for listening to commonalities.

610
00:38:36,080 --> 00:38:38,960
Hello Uniontown Mayor, bill Gerkey here.

611
00:38:39,210 --> 00:38:43,120
There's nothing quite like the feeling
of home, that sense of belonging,

612
00:38:43,280 --> 00:38:47,360
those fall Friday nights under the
lights, those winter nights in the gym,

613
00:38:47,640 --> 00:38:51,640
watching our red Raiders, those refreshing
spring afternoons at Bailey Park,

614
00:38:51,770 --> 00:38:54,800
rooting on our Red Raider,
softball and baseball teams.

615
00:38:55,750 --> 00:38:59,640
I am grateful for those memories and
hope our community's children and

616
00:38:59,640 --> 00:39:03,040
grandchildren can enjoy those
memories too. But to do that,

617
00:39:03,040 --> 00:39:07,160
we have to plan for the future.
During my first term in office,

618
00:39:07,160 --> 00:39:10,520
the city has got Bailey Park back
to a place where we can be proud of.

619
00:39:11,240 --> 00:39:14,760
Begun our city's first
comprehensive plan in over 20 years.

620
00:39:15,490 --> 00:39:18,520
Started work on the city's
section of the Sheep Skin Trail,

621
00:39:19,230 --> 00:39:23,400
worked on eliminating blighted
properties and are rebuilding the city's

622
00:39:23,400 --> 00:39:27,320
neighborhoods. We've updated the faulty
equipment in the parking garages,

623
00:39:27,460 --> 00:39:30,960
and we're bringing a more
competitive, reliable, faster,

624
00:39:30,960 --> 00:39:34,000
and less expensive internet
service to our city residents.

625
00:39:35,210 --> 00:39:39,800
We have done a lot, but there's
still more to do. So, I Bill Gerkey.

626
00:39:39,800 --> 00:39:44,640
I'm running for a second term. We're
Uniontown proud, we're Uniontown strong,

627
00:39:45,020 --> 00:39:49,760
and together we can continue to rebuild
Uniontown for the next generation.

628
00:39:51,790 --> 00:39:52,280
Paid.

629
00:39:52,280 --> 00:39:53,520
For by Mayor Bill Gerkey.

630
00:39:59,580 --> 00:40:02,430
I am Melinda De LaRose. As an
Assistant District Attorney,

631
00:40:02,460 --> 00:40:06,470
I've protected Fayette County families
and fought to uphold our constitutional

632
00:40:06,470 --> 00:40:09,270
rights. As a prosecutor
and trusted local attorney,

633
00:40:09,270 --> 00:40:13,110
I've provided victims of crime with a
strong voice and put criminals behind

634
00:40:13,110 --> 00:40:16,750
bars. My pledge to you as
Judge is to follow the law,

635
00:40:16,750 --> 00:40:19,030
always maintain the
highest ethical standards,

636
00:40:19,030 --> 00:40:23,390
and to run a courtroom that's
respectful of your time and tax dollars.

637
00:40:23,690 --> 00:40:27,230
I'm Melinda de LaRose asking
for your vote for Judge paid.

638
00:40:27,230 --> 00:40:28,870
For by Friends of Melinda de LaRose.

639
00:40:29,270 --> 00:40:33,030
Thank you for staying with
us on commonalities. I'm
your host, Matt Dowling.

640
00:40:33,030 --> 00:40:37,990
My guest today was Senator Greg
Rothman. I wanna thank Greg,

641
00:40:38,160 --> 00:40:38,610
um,

642
00:40:38,610 --> 00:40:42,350
who was a colleague of mine
in the Pennsylvania House
for being with us today.

643
00:40:42,970 --> 00:40:44,750
But, uh, before we go,

644
00:40:45,100 --> 00:40:48,870
I wanna call your attention to
a couple of places that, uh,

645
00:40:48,870 --> 00:40:53,030
there are some additional resources
if you've been enjoying our program,

646
00:40:53,250 --> 00:40:55,710
commonalities, uh, that you can visit.

647
00:40:56,210 --> 00:40:58,950
One place is my personal website,

648
00:40:59,690 --> 00:41:04,550
www dot Matthew d as in
David, last name Dowling,

649
00:41:04,550 --> 00:41:07,550
d o w l i n g.com.

650
00:41:07,550 --> 00:41:10,110
That's matthew d dowling.com.

651
00:41:10,490 --> 00:41:14,830
You can visit that site
for information on our show

652
00:41:14,830 --> 00:41:15,670
commonalities.

653
00:41:15,670 --> 00:41:19,910
You can find archived
clips of all of our episode

654
00:41:20,220 --> 00:41:24,430
episodes, as well as
transcripts from our episodes.

655
00:41:24,530 --> 00:41:26,510
And if you click on the news section,

656
00:41:26,940 --> 00:41:31,350
you'll find some of my most current
writings that have been pub, uh,

657
00:41:31,350 --> 00:41:34,720
published in local newspapers, et cetera.

658
00:41:34,970 --> 00:41:38,000
There's also an about section, uh,

659
00:41:38,000 --> 00:41:42,640
where you can find out more
information about myself as well as,

660
00:41:42,850 --> 00:41:45,760
uh, the Laurel Highlands,
which I call home.

661
00:41:46,370 --> 00:41:50,560
So visit matthew d dowling.com. Also,

662
00:41:50,560 --> 00:41:54,960
I would encourage you to
stop by Facebook and find my

663
00:41:55,720 --> 00:42:00,160
official public site, Matthew
Dowling public. And, uh,

664
00:42:00,160 --> 00:42:03,560
you'll find, uh, all of
the news articles I share,

665
00:42:03,930 --> 00:42:08,240
as well as some of the content that
you hear about on commonalities.

666
00:42:08,470 --> 00:42:11,240
This brings us to the
end of today's broadcast.

667
00:42:11,240 --> 00:42:16,240
I want to thank you for visiting us
and encourage you to reach out at any

668
00:42:16,240 --> 00:42:21,120
point in time to let us know who you'd
like to hear from as a guest on the

669
00:42:21,120 --> 00:42:25,120
program, and, uh, what programs
you are enjoying the most.

670
00:42:26,030 --> 00:42:30,080
Feel free to contact me on
Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

671
00:42:31,110 --> 00:42:33,360
This has been Commonalities,

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00:42:33,670 --> 00:42:37,920
a show where guests find common
ground through uncommon conversations.

673
00:42:38,000 --> 00:42:40,760
Copyright 2022 Coordinated 360.

674
00:42:40,980 --> 00:42:44,520
All public rebroadcast should be done
with prior written approval from Matthew

675
00:42:44,520 --> 00:42:49,320
Dowling. All requests should be sent
to info@coordinatedthreesixty.com.

676
00:42:49,320 --> 00:42:51,640
Thank you for listening to commonalities.