Gov. Wolf didn’t get the message

Chutzpah is commonly described as the man who kills his parents and then, when charged with murder, throws himself on the mercy of the court because he’s an orphan.

Well, recently, I figured out another definition of “Chutzpah,” and it stars our own governor, Tom Wolf. My friends Tara, Gabriella, Patti and I had the great privilege of attending Pope Francis’ address on immigration and religious freedom at Independence Hall. In the shadow of that temple to tolerance and liberty, the leader of my faith waxed eloquent about the importance of respecting and protecting religious freedom. We do not favor those of a particular religion, nor do we discriminate against them. As Pope Francis reminded us so pointedly, we support the symbiotic relationship between faith and freedom, the secular and the religious, eschewing sectarian divides and honoring conscience.

Wolf had spoken briefly before the pope made his remarks, and I remember commenting to my friend Tara that she should listen very closely to what Francis had to say about the respect we need to give to people of faith. The reason I was hoping our governor would be all ears when the pontiff spoke, was because he had made it virtually impossible for children in private schools to obtain the necessary equipment to properly function by his prior veto, and threat of a continuing veto on the budget impasse. As we all know, the legislators in Harrisburg are having a hard time finding common ground on how to spend our tax dollars. In particular, they have dropped the ball on school funding. Wolf vetoed the budget presented to him by the Republican-majority Legislature, and a stop-gap measure to help provide funding for textbooks and other equipment for non public schools has stalled in the state House. This week, the state House rejected the latest Wolf budget plan, and corresponding tax hikes. So here we sit.

But there was Gov. Wolf, smiling from ear to ear as Pope Francis emerged from behind the doors of Independence Hall to address a rapt audience, people who had traveled to this cradle of liberty and religious freedom in order to honor the principles on which this nation, and this city, were founded. Wolf didn’t say very much at all. In fact, I haven’t heard him speak more than 10 consecutive words since he was elected in November.

Wolf is not alone in his disdain for these budget measures. Like one monolithic wall of opposition, the Democrats in Harrisburg have voted along party lines to deny funds to children in private schools by refusing to approve intermediate measures.

Wolf refused to throw out that life preserver by vetoing the stop-gap measures that would have at least provided funding for kids in the schools that actually function and save the state money in the long run. But with a swipe of his writing utensil — and most assuredly in non-Palmer method script — the governor told those kids they weren’t getting books until probably January, if then.

I have a problem when any schoolchild has to go begging for reading materials. Education is the last, best hope of the future. But I am particularly outraged when kids in parochial schools are deprived of assistance.

This does not violate church and state. This is established law, and several generations of children have benefitted from the additional funds that are allocated for private school instruction. The vast majority of our tax dollars are dedicated to public schools, as they should be. No one is disputing that.

But there is a place for private, and particularly parochial schools, which save the commonwealth money and resources, and depriving them of funding is both dangerous, mean-spirited and antithetical to the principles expressed by Pope Francis when he spoke of the symbiosis between those animated by faith in the dignity of each human being, under God, and those who harness the same powerful belief in humanity, albeit from a secular perspective.

When legislators vote the party line to deny children, including the children of registered Democrats, money so that they can buy books and blithely tell them to wait a few more months to see if both sides can work out a macro budget, you have to wonder if they even listened to the pope’s message at Independence Hall.

Then again, why would they? The fellow who was standing just 10 feet away was deaf to those same, stirring words.