Held accountable

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All of us claim that we want people to be more accountable for their actions. Columnists like me want to claim the high ground. I guess that’s why Uncle Nunzi challenged me to take my Sept. 8, 2015 column, “Crazy Baby Crazy,” and stand accountable for my written comments at the time. It seemed like a reasonable request. Plus, I figured it would be interesting to see what news items I felt were important last year at this time.

Philadelphia was preparing for the Pope’s visit back then. Folks such as then-mayor Michael Nutter and Archbishop Charles Chaput were upset at the thought that some of us were complaining over what we felt were the over-the-top security measures being imposed on us. Our criticism was being viewed, not only by Nutter and Chaput, but by other movers and shakers in the city as petty and even anti-Pope.

That 2015 column was concerned that the city planned to shut down a bridge, rerouting or limiting public transportation, and also the likely strain on the emergency rooms of our local hospitals. It turned out that the city’s estimates of the number of visitors to our area were way too optimistic. And so our concerns turned out to be unfounded. The Pope wowed us. City restaurant owners were not so wowed. And I was soon able to go back to worrying about the football insanity of then-Eagles head coach Chip Kelly…

Hard to believe that Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker was considered a leading presidential contender last September. If you think Donald Trump is nutso about building a wall, Walker was even crazier back then. He wanted to build barriers to protect our 4,000-mile Canadian border. My worry was that such an action could raise the price of maple syrup. Walker’s campaign collapsed much like my butt cheeks around the age of 20. No one has mentioned Canada as a campaign issue since. And I still have my maple syrup…

I voiced concern last September about our state’s budget impasse. Gee, we had a budget impasse back then? My suggestion was for Gov. Tom Wolf to accept privatization of Pennsylvania’s liquor stores and a reformed pension plan for all future state employees that would center around a 401(k). I thought such concessions by Wolf would place pressure on the Neanderthal Harrisburg Republicans to help finance our schools by impose a tax on fracking. The good news is that the governor did accept a plan to allow a limited number of stores to sell wine. The bad news is that unlike other states, we still don’t have a tax on extracting gas. As far as reforming the pension system for state employees, that’s gotten as far as the effort to tax fracking. In other words, in this state, we’re still fracked…

Here’s an item I wrote about that most of us probably don’t even remember a year later. President Barack Obama renamed Mount McKinley “Denali.” Trump claimed that he would go back to calling the mountain “McKinley” (his first day in office?). I pooh-poohed the whole situation. I was right that nobody cared. On the other hand, anyone asking directions to Mount Denali is likely to be told — ”Never heard of it…”

Surprise! Surprise! Hillary’s e-mails were in the news at this time last year. Her e-mails were about to be released (a continuing process likely to last through the two terms of her presidency if she gets there). I ridiculed the idea that these e-mails would contain anything more newsworthy than an opinion about Jenna Bush’s wedding gown. The e-mails have been and continue to be newsworthy, but only because the public rates Hillary’s trustworthiness lower than that of a used car salesperson. Fortunately for her, the public’s trust in Trump falls somewhere between that of its estimation of sushi sold at a 7-Eleven and the toilet seat at a roadside rest stop…

I expressed awe at President Obama’s support for the Keystone Pipeline during a trip where his goal was to alert the public to the dangers of climate change. The Keystone Pipeline never made it. Climate change has been mentioned as an issue in the current presidential campaign Beingless than the number of times Hillary needs to make a pit stop…

The anti-gay Kentucky clerk’s refusal to issue marriage licenses to gay couples came in for one of my snarky remarks. She has faded from the news, but the issue hasn’t. Some folks still confuse freedom of religion with discrimination. Luckily, there are still federal courts that know the difference…

Despite my suggestion (my suggestions are often ignored by the people who matter), the NFL didn’t stop Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson from making ludicrous claims about his brand of water called Recovery. Wilson claims that his water can treat concussions. If you think so, you likely have a permanent concussion. One can still buy Recovery Water online. Maybe the Food and Drug Administration will get around to testing the stuff or maybe the Eagles Lane Johnson has already bought a case or two while serving his expected suspension…

I mentioned in last year’s Sept. 8 column that Dr. Ben Carson’s approval rating was the biggest threat to a Trump nomination. I was wrong. Dr. Ben’s success proved as lasting as my virility. SPR

(Tom Cardella can be heard with Paul Jolovitz interviewing an Eagles guest from 6 to 7 p.m. Sept. 12 through wbcb1490.com)