Is there a moral case for redistricting reform? A Philly clergyman says ‘Yes’ | Monday Morning Coffee

Good Monday Morning, Fellow Seekers.

With the fight over redistricting reform about to rev back up again in the General Assembly, and with no clear solutions in sight, we’ve decided to turn things over to a higher power on this first day of the working week.

And, yes, higher than the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. Keep the snickering down, Republicans, we can hear you.

This morning, we’re turning to the Rev. Jarrett Kerbel, the rector of St. Martin-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church in Philadelphia. He also sits on the steering committee of the reform-minded ‘Draw the Lines,’ which advocates for citizen-based solutions to redistricting. 

Writing on ‘Draw the Lines’ website, Kerbel — keeping things nice and ecumenical — argues that gerrymandering is a sin, regardless of which political party perpetrates it.

“Without a doubt gerrymandering is socially and politically destructive  — whether practiced by Republicans, Democrats or hypothetical third parties,” Kerbel writes. “Gerrymandering  (the practice of drawing voting districts to ensure the election of candidates of one party) demoralizes and disenfranchises voters, fragments communities, contributes to the hyperpolarization and ideological segregation of our politics, and undermines trust in government. 

“Gerrymandering is a tool of domination wherein a majority party seeks to enshrine their advantage and dominion over time by rendering powerless any voters with dissenting perspectives,” he continues. “Domination breeds despair and despair breeds low voter participation rates and the cycle of disempowerment devolves from there.”  

And this is where things get really heavy:

“Apathy is not an unreasonable response to a system that wastes my voting potential even before I get to the ballot box,” he writes. “For the follower of Jesus, gerrymandering undercuts our fundamental vow to respect the dignity of every human being.  Self-determination and active communal solidarity are both crucial components of human dignity.  Therefore, anything that discourages meaningful participation in the politics that shape our common life is an affront to human dignity.”

(Image by Flickr Commons)

And if you’re sitting there asking yourself what interest a man of the cloth has in something as frankly temporal as redistricting, Kerbel is way ahead of you:

“The objection typically arises that the church should not engage at all,” he writes. “To that rejoinder I simply ask, “Would you have said the same to the churches when they were deeply engaged in the abolition movement, the women’s suffrage movement or the civil rights movement?”

He continues: “We could also include the Prohibition movement, which had profoundly mixed and ambiguous motivations while being rooted in the church’s concern for vulnerable women.  In the case of the civil rights, abolition  and suffrage movements, it is hard to argue that the church was wrong to mobilize against evil enshrined in law.  So why not continue in that fine tradition? The church is called to be engaged — to lend voice, moral authority, resources and organized effort — to resist evil and to reorder our common life in ways that protect the most vulnerable and enhance human dignity for all people.”

Thus endeth the lesson.

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On the Opinion side of the house, Kevin Schreiber of the York County Economic Allianceexplains how people in the White Rose City (and the surrounding county) are working to address workforce development issues.

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Government websites are sharing more fiscal data, but how can residents know what they’re looking at? The Inquirer has the story.
The Daily News’ John Baer takes a look at the state of partisan prejudice in Philly and its ‘burbs.
Ten years on, Pennsylvania’s open records law still has some room for improvement, PennLive’s Jan Murphy reports.
Allegheny County Controller Chelsa Wagner’s recent tangle with Detroit police doesn’t appear to have harmed her politically, The Post-Gazette reports.
The Associated Press takes a look at the coming legislative fight over whether to bailout Pa’s nuclear industry (via The Morning Call).

Here’s your #Harrisburg Instagram of the Day:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BuXK9lBFOXC/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

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The Incline explains why Pittsburgh really, really needs an ADA coordinator.
WHYY-FM looks at how a West Philly neighborhood is dealing with the shooting of an Ethiopian immigrant.
The PA Post has five things you need to know about the debate over the minimum wage.
PoliticsPA has the past week’s winners and losers in state politics.
A former aide to U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., resigned over the handling of a sexual harassment incident, Politico reports.
Roll Call sums up the White House budget proposal that will be formally unveiled Monday.

What Goes On.
The Senate is off until March 18. The House gavels in at 11 a.m. today. As you might expect, there’s a full slate of committee meetings. Here’s what’s on.
10 a.m.: Liquor Control Committee, 205 Ryan
11 a.m.:  Environmental Resources and Energy, G50 Irvis
11:30 a.m.: Education Committee, 205 Ryan
12 p.m.: Consumer Affairs, 140 Main Capitol
The House Appropriations Committee meets at the call of the chair. Be sure to listen for Chairman Stan Saylor’s lilting yodel echoing through the Capitol, hopefully to the tune of the ‘Ricola‘ commercial: ‘Fiscaaaaallll Noootteesss.’

WolfWatch.
Gov. Tom Wolf has no public schedule today.

What Goes On (Nakedly Political Edition).
Here’s how you can tell it’s a session week:  there’s a preposterous number of fundraisers on the schedule.
7:30 a.m.: Breakfast for Rep. Frank Ryan
8 a.m.: Breakfast for Rep. Daryl Metcalfe
11 am.: Luncheon for Rep. Dan Frankel
11 a.m.: Luncheon for Rep. Tom Caltagirone
5:30 p.m.: Reception for Rep. Joanna McClinton
5:30 p.m.: Reception for House GOP Whip Kerry Benninghoff
5:30 p.m.: Reception for Rep. Mark Rozzi
5:30 p.m.: Reception for Rep. Margo Davidson
5:30 p.m: Reception for Rep. Ed Gainey
6 p.m.: Reception for House Majority Leader Bryan Cutler
Ride the circuit, and give at the max, and you’ll part with a mere $20,750 today.

Heavy Rotation.
Here’s some new music from Foals. It’s ‘Exits.‘

Monday’s Gratuitous Hockey Link.
Washington dusted the visiting Winnipeg Jets on Sunday 3-1.

And now you’re up to date.