Submitted by Karen Paris

 

The meeting was called to order at 12:10 P.M.  by Matt Staub, President.  Our meditation moment centered on the Four Way Test and “America the Beautiful” was our song for the day.  Matt had several announcements.  First, he noted that attendance has gone up markedly over the last couple of weeks; he feels that it is a really good sign.  Andy the Man had our joke for the day, and we spent several minutes doing a meet and greet with old (and new) friends. We had twelve guests today in attendance, with a total headcount of 62 individuals.

Matt had several announcements.  On May 25, 2022 the Club Leadership Assembly will be at WSCC at 8:00 a.m.  On June 21 there will be a year-end celebration (also at WSCC).  On May 23, 2022 an alternate meeting has been added for Rotarians’ convenience.  It will be held downstairs from 5-6 PM at the Hilton from 5 – 6 PM and is intended to engage people in service projects, get new members better acquainted, and let guests and potential members see what Rotary stands for.

Wendell Hoover introduced the winners of the Science Fair Project. Annabel Hathaway and Ari Callahan won the virtually-judged competition with an experiment on “green” products and their effects on the environment.  They introduced the concept of metabolization of the chemicals that are considered “green”, how they are passed around and work their way into our system.  They tested using aquatic plants and got their baseline data from that.  In conclusion, they noted that although some products advertised being “safe”, they were really no “cleaner” to the environment and the advertising was false.  What a great project with proof that you just can’t fool the numbers even when you hope for a given result!

Mary Olivera introduced our speaker, Gene Barr, who is originally from the Philadelphia area.   Gene Barr has three children, hails from Philadelphia, is a history buff, and has 45 years of professional work experience.  (Not related to his presentation, he did note that if you want any details on cheesesteaks, to give him a call…)  Gene summed himself up at the start of his presentation by saying “my philosophy is to treat everyone with respect”.  He is a firm believer that almost everyone shares common principles regarding life.  However, when he watches the news, sometimes it feels like he is living in two separate countries.  

In terms of PA’s economy and growth, he noted that PA lost a congressional seat last year because the Commonwealth is not growing (it is shrinking slowly).  And, he says we have good healthcare and education, a great workforce, energy, proximity to markets, etc.  BUT, we (Pennsylvanians) do not make the Commonwealth attractive to investing.  Our tax structure keeps investors out, our legislators and legislature are held in low esteem as well as Congress, and nothing gets done despite the high payroll for legislators, both State and Federal. 

He did note that small business is still held in high esteem, however.  If PA wants to grow, it will need to change what is does. PA lost $22 Billion of investment in manufacturing in 2022 which went to Columbus, OH, and Arkansas and West Virginia – this might be attributable to the PA corporate tax rate.   His solution centers on getting the governor & all four caucuses on the same page to attract new business.  Education, attracting investments, education, our youth, and changing the perception of business in the only way PA will be successful.  People in PA want 1) career opportunities, 2) education for their kids, 3) safe streets and neighborhoods.   He closed by noting that he firmly believes in a free market system as it trusts people to make the best decisions for their own families.  Matt thanked our speaker for his update on PA and upcoming retirement.  Then Matt closed with an exciting announcement  - 2026 is a big Club Anniversary.  More details to follow!!!