Ponder for a moment a number of stories over the last month.
For years, seemingly a decade at least, the Port Authority was on the verge of an existential budgetary meltdown and continued to make "
draconian cuts" just a couple years ago. The word of late is that the very same organization has a "
solid financial future." We are talking about the same Port Authority right?
The school district even last month was pushing a story the media was reporting of a
potential $18 million dollar deficit this year, yet the final count was a
$20+ million surplus. Problems deferred, despite again a fairly dire message oft repeated. That is quite a swing in expectations over just a month.
Also perpetually on the verge of a budgetary calamity, the Carnegie Library is reporting calm waters with new revenues from a library tax (a library tax
exempt from anti-windfall provisions governments must abide by) and gambling revenues generated by table games dedicated to the library have all worked in some form to put the on a "
solid financial footing."
The city of Pittsburgh... seriously once a financial basket case is now
arguing over when to leave Act 47 oversight. Certainly an incredibly different public debate from just over a decade ago.
And while I am not a fan of the accounting many know, the city is happy to tout how
much better funded it pension system is now than just a few years ago.
Add in the demographic story, remember when the modal story was that out of Forbes decrying how
"Pittsburgh is A Pit for singles," a sentiment that would be
buttressed by our own opeds even. The local punditry
could not be convinced there was any positive story to tell. Even the latest news has flat population growth, but again there are more people moving into the Pittsburgh region than are moving out. Our legacy of demographic decline is a long-lasting legacy of how dire the population loss was a generation ago.
And the Pirates are beginning the season with a fan base which knows there is this thing called a post-season. Nuff said.
Taken in isolation, each of those examples is a feel good story in itself, but taken collectively they really tell a different story. Now the modal media coverage of Pittsburgh is about as hagiographic as it can get.
Writers of all ilk are now struggling to
write the good news Pittsburgh story fast enough. For those with any memory of how Pittsburgh was ever portrayed by the greater world in the past, it's like some form of the twilight zone.
Somehow over the last 5 years or so, everything has been fixed. Some problems deemed utterly intractable just a few years ago have faded away with only passing notice. I really need a dose of
unctuous bafflegab to refill the nabob deficit I am feeling. I also am appreciating how many in the public may discount the most dire or warnings some of us repeat. It seems things will all work themselves out. The first question is whether they really did, and if so, did we learn the right lessons? So no worries, good news or bad, plenty of fodder here.
And since it is April 1, I can't resist adding that our savior is not, nor ever was,
the cupcake. Don't get me wrong, plenty of problems out there. But with the sun, we will get to them another day.