The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is incredibly fragile. Our entire nation should be looking at Pennsylvania in 2022. I know for certain our Founding Fathers would not be pleased with the royal demeanor that has been displayed by Governor Tom Wolf, whose mismanagement of the pandemic violated everything they intended for America. 

After two years of businesses and schools being closed due to Wolf, Pennsylvanians are holding on by a very thin thread. In fact, the Philly Voice reported that more than 25,000 Pennsylvanians gave up on the commonwealth and fled to other states, where they can enjoy the freedoms that have been taken away from Pennsylvanians.

As if we do not have enough to fix from the mess Wolf is leaving us, it was recently reported that planes with undocumented immigrants are now landing in Harrisburg, Scranton, and Lehigh Valley airports under the cover of night. The planes are met with charter buses on the tarmac, out of sight from the public in the hope that we wouldn’t notice. Luckily, an incredible group of Pennsylvanians have been sitting outside these airports to witness and document these events. This group has estimated, based on the flights they have witnessed, that 1,800 people who crossed the southern border illegally have now entered Pennsylvania. 

Our country and commonwealth are already looking through a big black eye from the pandemic. Every single American has been affected in some way, but it adds insult to injury when the governor pushes over 25,000 taxpayers out of the state while welcoming thousands of illegal immigrants who will need a great deal of assistance before ever becoming contributors to our commonwealth and economy.

President Biden, Governor Wolf, and Attorney General Josh Shapiro have failed to be transparent with Pennsylvanians about what is going on. They all have blatantly ignored the reality in Pennsylvania: our economy is in shambles, as many businesses were forced to close with their extreme restrictions. Help-wanted signs are plastered on their front doors because of programs that incentivize people to not work. 

And the economy is not the only issue Pennsylvania is facing. Schools are barely able to keep their doors open because of demands from the teachers’ unions and staffing issues. For two years, our children have suffered from a weak school system that cannot be relied on. Some of our communities have the highest crime rates we have ever seen. The men and women in blue are unable to keep up with the wave of criminals, who they now need to arrest multiple times as a direct result of Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner’s radical agenda.

Our economy, our schools, and our communities are all so fragile. The slightest bit of turbulence is going to throw this state into a tailspin that will be very hard to recover from. And how are they trying to fix the problems of our weak economy? With loads of undocumented immigrants who have surged over our border.

Houston, we have a problem. The seat belt sign is on. This is going to be a rough ride to recovery. The good news is we are Americans, we are Pennsylvanians, and we will take back our commonwealth. When I become the next lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania, I promise I will reward those who join us in America legally, I will support our police and military, and we will put our taxpayers, business owners, parents, and students back in charge of their own lives. Immigrants are welcome to join us but only after coming here the right way — legally. Until then, deportation must be the solution. We are a nation and a commonwealth of laws, and those laws must be enforced. The Pennsylvania lieutenant governor oversees the board of pardons and the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Council. When I am elected, I will work with these two entities to make sure criminals do not continue to be released onto our streets and into our communities. 

The citizens of Pennsylvania deserve truth and transparency from both Wolf and Shapiro regarding these flights. We know what is happening. They tell the people the planes are merely refueling, but we know: they are refueling to return to Texas to pick up the next load. We will be waiting for Wolf and Shapiro to do the right thing. Stop this nonsense now and give your constituents the facts about what’s really going on. 

Horsham resident Clarice Schillinger is a candidate for Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor.