More Murtha, Less Johnstown

Now the Wall Street Journal joins in, going after the Cambria County airport, another local earmark-fest. Here's Matthew Yglesias, taking the long view more expansively than my prior post. We're getting to critical mass here, which can't be good for Johnstown.

I'm on the email list of a Johnstown guy, who sends out constant streams of emails about Israel and whose latest missives are World Net Daily (!) articles on Van Jones. (He sent around articles about the birth certificate lawsuits during the election but has since moved on, unlike the last remnant Birthers, so he's not completely untrainable.) His legal and lobbying practice is completely dependent on Jack Murtha. Very dark storm clouds are gathering, if not for next fall then after redistricting in 2012, and he's obsessing about Van Jones.

You can see what's happening, it's the Reverse Johnstown Flood. When the federal dollars stop flowing, the buildings will still be standing and there won't be any mud to clean up, but the effect on the community will be equivalent to when the steel mills shut down.