Tuesday news

Much of the news appears to have been preempted by the story of a gunman taking down a heap of Amish schoolchildren (see, e.g., here), so short round-up today.

• Responding to the shooting spree are John Baer, who wonders whether Harrisburg legislators, still in their special session, will note the rural slaughter and reconsider their positions on gun control, and a YPP poster who wrestles with what it all means.
  
  
• The other big set of stories concerns political ads.
  
  
  
  1. An Inquirer piece looks at the heaps of soft money being funneled into the US Senate race in PA, with the majority of it funding Santorum TV ads, and the challenge this creates for campaign finance regulations.
     
     
  2. A Daily News opinion column ridicules Santorum for his thin skin over a set of ads aimed at him (funded by a veterans' organization), advising that he should admit the obvious facts in the matter.
     
     
  3. Meanwhile, in 6th District US House race, a Gerlach ad was pulled by Comcast for fabrication of the clear-cut kind: it took Murphy to task for her "votes," when she's never been in Congress to cast any. subtle. Ferrick thinks this won't be the last below-the-belt advertisement in this year's heated races...
  
  
• In other news...
  
  
  
  • A Census Bureau report reveals that owning really is cheaper in Philadelphia than most other large cities, but that renting is relatively expensive. No surprise there!
    
    
  • Inga Saffron looks at the grounds around the Philadelphia Waterworks, which are being restored to their former glory.
    
    
  • Young Philly Politics follows up yesterday's expressions of frustration with the Democratic Party (and particularly with its nonsupport of candidates that run against GOP leaders such as Perzel) with two pieces: one cites another example of tacit support for a Republican candidate -- including the shocking Ward Leader quote

    [We] don’t really think about whether somebody is a Democrat or Republican. What counts is where you went to high school, who your buddies are, who your relatives are.

    -- and the second notes that Pennsylvanians would like to elect Democrats to the state legislature, if only the party would put forward some contenders. The ugly underside of the self-sustaining incumbency system.