This Little Piggy Went to Prioritize
James Carville once referred to Pennsylvania as “Philadelphia and Pittsburgh with Alabama in between.” Having lived in the Keystone State for quite some time, I can relate to that. It has a combination of political corruption à la Boss Tweed, backwards thinking, right-wing Democrats, and a populace that still holds onto the hope that the 1950s—when coal, steel, factories, and other blue-collar industry fueled the commonwealth’s economy—will somehow come back with a vengeance.
...That’s why it wasn’t a surprise to read about an ongoing controversy involving a municipality—or possibly now two—and two potbellied pigs. Yes, you read that correctly: potbellied pigs.
...Over the last year a burned-out coal town in eastern Pennsylvania called Lansford has been giving one of its residents grief over her pet potbellied pigs. The powers-that-be in the area, from councilmen to a local judge, have never heard of potbellied pigs (that’s what happens when you don’t realize that there’s actually a world outside your town’s border), and as such have declared that a pig is a pig is a pig. Citing a 1968 livestock ordinance which prohibits farm animals from living in residential areas, the pigs’ owner was forced to get rid of the little porkers. The pigs are now in a neighboring burned-out coal town, and the council there will most likely wage war against them, too.
...What’s really worrisome is this: Both the town of Lansford and the new town in which the potbellied pigs reside, Nesquehoning, are part of the Panther Valley School District. They’ve been in the news of late because the district, in an effort to make ends meet, has talked about eliminating its home economics teachers, industrial technology teachers, librarians, National Honor Society, and JROTC program. They’ve also recently had their superintendent arrested and charged with driving under the influence with a blood-alcohol level of .22. Pennsylvania’s legal limit is .08.
...It appears that the folks in this region should have bigger concerns than little Vietnamese potbellied pigs.
References
▪ The Times News
▪ The Morning Call
▪ The Times News
...That’s why it wasn’t a surprise to read about an ongoing controversy involving a municipality—or possibly now two—and two potbellied pigs. Yes, you read that correctly: potbellied pigs.
...Over the last year a burned-out coal town in eastern Pennsylvania called Lansford has been giving one of its residents grief over her pet potbellied pigs. The powers-that-be in the area, from councilmen to a local judge, have never heard of potbellied pigs (that’s what happens when you don’t realize that there’s actually a world outside your town’s border), and as such have declared that a pig is a pig is a pig. Citing a 1968 livestock ordinance which prohibits farm animals from living in residential areas, the pigs’ owner was forced to get rid of the little porkers. The pigs are now in a neighboring burned-out coal town, and the council there will most likely wage war against them, too.
...What’s really worrisome is this: Both the town of Lansford and the new town in which the potbellied pigs reside, Nesquehoning, are part of the Panther Valley School District. They’ve been in the news of late because the district, in an effort to make ends meet, has talked about eliminating its home economics teachers, industrial technology teachers, librarians, National Honor Society, and JROTC program. They’ve also recently had their superintendent arrested and charged with driving under the influence with a blood-alcohol level of .22. Pennsylvania’s legal limit is .08.
...It appears that the folks in this region should have bigger concerns than little Vietnamese potbellied pigs.
References
▪ The Times News
▪ The Morning Call
▪ The Times News
