• darylmetcalfe.com

This region's bastion of "good government," Republican Daryl Metcalfe of Cranberry Township has released a statement on the voter-ID bill. Here's a synopsis: He's pissed off, and therefore we are all treated to the highest levels of his self-righteous indignation.

Metcalfe was the primary sponsor of the bill.

"Justice Simpson’s final decision is out of bounds with the rule of law, constitutional checks and balances for the individual branches of state government, and most importantly, the will of the people. Rather than making a ruling based on the constitution and the law, this judicial activist decision is skewed in favor of the lazy who refuse to exercise the necessary work ethic to meet the commonsense requirements to obtain an acceptable photo ID."

And he doesn't stop there. He also fires off a few shots at Gov. Tom Corbett for acquiescing to us lazy good-for-nothings by offering an easier-to-get ID.

It is also beyond the scope of executive authority for the Corbett administration to create a new Department of State unsecure voting ID that is not provided for under current law set forth by the legislative branch.

And in case you didn't get it the first time, Rep. Metcalfe again thinks you're lazy.

Justice Simpson and the Corbett administration have chosen to openly enable and fully embrace the ever-increasing entitlement mentality of those individuals who have no problem living off the fruits of their neighbors’ labor.

While he didn't mention Metcalfe by name, Vic Walczak, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania, noted that one of the bill’s main sponsors had been calling people opposed to voter ID lazy.

“We would ask him to look at the testimony of the people who came to court … and the incredible efforts they went to [to get photo IDs]," Walczak said. “These are people who greatly value the right to vote …. For some politician to get up and call them lazy is beyond offensive.”

Metcalfe's full release appears after the jump.

Metcalfe Declares Simpson’s Judicial Activist Voter ID Decision Out of Bounds With Rule of Law, Separation of Powers and Will of the People
10/2/2012

HARRISBURG —Voter photo ID law sponsor and House State Government Committee Majority Chairman, State Representative Daryl Metcalfe (R-Butler), issued the following statement today regarding Commonwealth Court Justice Robert Simpson’s decision to strike down a major portion of Pennsylvania Voter Identification Protection Act (Act 18 of 2012).

“Although I am pleased that a full injunction was not granted and that Pennsylvania will at least have some voter photo identification requirement and new absentee ballot provisions in place this November, Justice Simpson’s final decision is out of bounds with the rule of law, constitutional checks and balances for the individual branches of state government, and most importantly, the will of the people. Rather than making a ruling based on the constitution and the law, this judicial activist decision is skewed in favor of the lazy who refuse to exercise the necessary work ethic to meet the commonsense requirements to obtain an acceptable photo ID.

“With a recent Franklin and Marshall poll showing that 99 percent of respondents possess a valid photo ID and several others showing that a strong majority of voters have no problem presenting one at the polls to protect their legitimate votes from being canceled out by the forces of corruption, it is beyond a dereliction of legal authority for any activist like Justice Simpson to thwart the will of the people by legislating from the bench or recreating the law to allow the Corbett administration to implement this new law that was adopted through the people’s elected voice in an even more lax manner. It is also beyond the scope of executive authority for the Corbett administration to create a new Department of State unsecure voting ID that is not provided for under current law set forth by the legislative branch.

“Rather than using today’s ruling as an opportunity to increase both voter integrity and accountability by requiring every Pennsylvania voter to prove they are who they say they are by presenting a valid photo ID before casting a vote, as Constitutionally upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court, Justice Simpson and the Corbett administration have chosen to openly enable and fully embrace the ever-increasing entitlement mentality of those individuals who have no problem living off the fruits of their neighbors’ labor. Although ensuring a fair and fraud-free election process is a fundamental responsibility of government, both the executive branch and judicial branch are failing the people by overstepping the boundaries of their constitutional authority.”