By Jackson Haines
Managing Editor

There comes a point where political discord reaches a level at which it ceases to be productive debate, and turns into obstructionist interference. The voters of Pennsylvania’s Eighth District now have the choice to re-elect their sitting congressman, Mike Fitzpatrick (R), or to choose a new face, Kevin Strouse (D).

This choice is not just a choice between two men; it is a choice between two sets of ideals, and two accordingly different visions of the future. A voter may choose between Fitzpatrick’s future—one of budget cuts, congressional waste, and educational woes—or a Strouse future, with a better educational system, environmental protection, and the middle class being held in a position of higher esteem.

By all means, both candidates are good men, and both have been committed to their families and their communities. It is purely a political difference that separates the two. If we look at the issue that most 18 year olds are concerned about, it is college. Pennsylvania’s public college prices are astronomical compared to other states, and college in general is becoming an increasingly unattainable dream for middle- and lower-class families. So when Fitzpatrick was given the option to keep down student loan interest rates this year, what did he do? He voted against low-interest rates.

While of course this isn’t a fix-all option, and more reform is needed to fix the college system, this shows a general disconnect between Fitzpatrick’s party and young people. While it is true he wrote the “Bipartisan Student Loan Certainty Act,” his steps don’t go as far as Strouse’s in terms of aid. Strouse is a strong advocate of the affordability of education for the middle- and lower- classes and a champion of federal assistance to students, something often threatened by Republicans.

A fairly new threat is now posed on Pennsylvania. Hydraulic Fracturing is a process by which a mixture of hundreds of unknown chemicals are short in a mixture of sand and water down into the ground to help crack the earth deep below and retrieve natural gas. It may or may not cause environmental effects; there is evidence supporting both sides. What is true, however, is that “fracking” is exempt from the Clean Air Act, Clean Drinking Act, and Safe Water Act.

Fitzpatrick championed “energy independence” by means of natural gas. To achieve this, he suggested removing “red tape.” Yet if fracking is exempt from the major environmental laws, how much more red tape is there to cut? Energy Independence is something America should strive for, yes– but energy companies and polluters must not be allowed to run amok.

Fitzpatrick doesn’t champion the rights of a community to know what chemicals are being shot into its land, nor does he support the closing of loopholes that allow for less environmental safety. Strouse supports better regulation of the fracking industry, including the closing of said loopholes that allow frackers special privilege and secrecy in running arguably detrimental practices.

But fracking isn’t all bad; it simply needs regulation to protect the environment, and the public interest. Strouse, in this case, is also a proponent of the new Tom Wolf-supported initiative to tax gas drillers and use the revenue to help fund the public education system. Pennsylvania is the only state that doesn’t do this already; where Fitzpatrick is creating a drillers haven, he should be creating an educational haven.

Fitzpatrick is a member of the Republican portion of the House, and as such, has become a part of an obstructionist movement that supported a government shutdown, shot down large amounts of legislation, and heightened political tension beyond the threshold of toleration. Whether a voter agrees with Obamacare or not, can it not be agreed upon that by the 54th time its repeal, delay, or partial defunding is called for, things have gotten excessive?

This group has done this as a means of hopeless obstruction—and by wasting time like this, his party is in turn wasting tax dollars. Today’s voters are tired of congressional turmoil. It is this group, to which Fitzpatrick belongs, that has given Congress such a low approval rating. Why elect more of the same? Something new is required, and Storuse fits the part.

The People of District 8 stand at a crossroads. One path has been tried and failed; while the other one is unproven. It may be risky to try something new, but sometimes trying something new– in this case, someone new– pays off.