During this recession, it’s important for state governments to get their priorities straight.
Which must be why the Pennsylvania General Assembly is spending $13,700 on only the most important things:
With the state sinking deeper into a fiscal hole, the Pennsylvania General Assembly bought 220 Bibles and other holy books for legislators as they took the oath of office last month.
And the public paid for them — roughly $13,700 in all.
…
Volumes were ordered for 24 of the 25 senators who took the oath last month. Officials in that chamber could not immediately provide more details yesterday.
House members got to pick from more than a dozen choices, ranging in price from $30 to $90. Each was embossed with the lawmaker’s name at an additional cost of $15 per book, according to public records.
Your money is paying for their faith.
You’re telling me none of those officials have Bibles of their own that they can’t use when taking an oath? (Not to mention no one should be taking an oath of office on a Bible, anyway…)
Actually, State Rep. Chris Ross (R., Chester) has his own family Bible and took an oath on it, too. But he decided to order a copy of the Koran just for shits and giggles. He said he “had always wanted to read it.”
(Maybe someone should tell him about the Internets. The Koran is free there.
Obviously, $13,700 is only a fraction of the state’s budget, but I can think of far better uses for that money. You can, too.
Activist Eric Epstein says it well:
“Holy Moses,” said Eric Epstein, a Harrisburg activist and founder of RockTheCapital.org, when told about the bulk purchase. “By the time you arrive at this station in your life, you shouldn’t need the taxpayers to pay for your moral boarding pass.”
Kudos to the seven (out of 203!) state reps who decided not to have the public fund their faith.
