Today I had the privilege of hosting a local student at the Capitol. Sara Hathaway, a junior at McGuffey High School, was part of a group of local students visiting Harrisburg as part of Girl Gov, a job shadowing activity sponsored by the Women and Girls Foundation of Southwestern Pennsylvania. The ladies had a chance to tour the Capitol, sit in on committee meetings, watch legislators and staff discuss legislation and visit the floor of the House of Representatives to be recognized by the Speaker during a voting session. Sara had the opportunity to sit in on a meeting I had with a lobbyist on upcoming legislation I am working on.

The ladies were all very bright and attentive, asking good questions and taking a legitimate interest in government. I wouldn’t be shocked if one or more of them found their way back to this building one day as legislators themselves.

The photo above is also noteworthy because of the cameo appearance by Rep. Marc Gergely, my number one fan. Newcomers to this blog need to click here to learn about the rich heritage Rep. Gergely and this blog share.

Been a crazy chaotic week- I’ve logged a whole lot of miles attending events throughout the 46th District. Here’s a few highlights:

Tuesday was “Dr. Seuss Day” at schools across the nation. I spent some time reading to a couple of classes at Trinity North Elementary School. As much fun as we had, the real winners are clearly my colleagues who take great joy in torturing me over the annual “Jesse looks goofy in the Dr. Seuss hat” photo.

A hysterically awkward moment while I was reading to one of the classes (not the one pictured above). I was trying to explain my job to the students, when one of the kids said, “My dad is going to Harrisburg too”. I asked what his father did and the kid replied, “He’s going to jail.” After an awkward silence, I asked the only question I could think of. “Is he a State Representative, too?”

Later the same day, I headed up to Bradford’s Tavern in Washington to serve as a “Celebrity Bartender”. Thanks to everyone who came out and helped us raise money for Multiple Sclerosis research.

They had me peddling balloons, beads and all sorts of stuff. Like Mardi Gras in WashPa.

Mary tries to confront her helium demons. She is unsuccessful. What a shame.

I'm one full head of hair and a whole lot of crazy away from being Tom Cruise from Cocktail.

The next day, I spoke for a whopping 90 minutes to students from First Love Christian Academy in Washington. It was an extremely interesting exchange, as I learned about their school and they learned about what I do and how government works. They already had a student named Jesse, so I became known as Jesse Squared.

Lots more going on this week, but didn’t take the camera with me.

Here’s my most recent constituent newsletter. Enjoy.

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Here’s my little buddy Delano, fresh from his “snip-snip” appointment at the vet.

Remember this face the next time you think you had a bad day. Poor little guy.

JESSE WHITE TO SEEK THIRD TERM AS STATE REPRESENTATIVE

Jesse White announced today he is seeking a third term to the State House of Representatives. White, a 31 year-old Democrat from Cecil Township, represents the 46th Legislative District, which includes portions of Washington, Allegheny and Beaver Counties. “My experience has made me a better State Representative today than the day I was elected, and I will keep fighting to justify the trust the voters have placed in me,” said White.

White, a licensed attorney, credits his legal background and his experience as a small business owner as an important foundation for his current position. “Not only do I have the background in law, but I also understand what it’s like to keep a budget and meet a payroll every week,” said White. “I have been around long enough to know how to get things done, but not so long I’ve lost the fire in my belly to fight for the people I represent.”

During last year’s budget stalemate, White spoke out in opposition to Governor Rendell’s proposed income tax increase. “I have never had a problem speaking my mind on behalf of the people I represent if I believe it’s the right thing to do,” said White. “And if that means standing up to a governor of my own party to oppose a tax increase, that’s what I’ll continue to do.” Without the support of White and other fiscally conservative Democratic representatives, the tax proposal was ultimately dropped from the budget.

White also cites his position on the powerful House Judiciary Committee as a platform where he can make his voice heard, specifically on the issue of defending the Second Amendment rights of Pennsylvanians. “Sometimes it can be tough to stand up to members of your own party, but protecting the rights of gun owners is something I am passionate about,” said White. “As a member of the Judiciary Committee I have spoken up on behalf of the interests my constituents, and I will continue to do so.”

Back home, Jesse serves on the Board of Directors of the Washington County Health Partners, the advisory board of the Western Area Career and Technology Center, the Meadowcroft Rockshelter advisory board and the Board of Directors of First Book Beaver County. He is a member of Chartiers Lodge No. 297 of F & A.M; Loyal Order of Moose Lodge No. 22; the Alpine Lodge No. 9 and Western Pennsylvania Mensa.

White cited among his accomplishments the establishment of his Economic Resource Program, which includes a full-time grant-writer and other resources freely available to the residents, municipalities and non-profit groups in Washington County. This program, the first of its kind in Pennsylvania, has helped bring millions of dollars in grants and loans to the area to create and preserve jobs, develop infrastructure projects and provide much-needed technical assistance to anyone who asks.

White also noted the changes he authored to state law that will bring $4 million in gaming revenue directly to the municipalities of Washington County each year. “I listened to the people I represent, and they wanted more local control of this money. These changes will give much needed funding to our local police and fire departments, keep our roads in good repair and provide safe places for our children to play without the need to raise taxes,” White said.

“I love this job and I hope that the good people of the 46th District will see fit to give me another term to continue fighting for them,” said White. “I have given everything I have to my office and I am confident my constituents continue to recognize my non-stop commitment to being the best State Representative I can be.”

The political climate we operate in is so polarized and partisan, you become accustomed to having your efforts ignored. That’s why getting an email like this is such a welcome, reassuring surprise.

Dear Representative White,

Mr. White, I am not a politically active person. I am a very skeptical person when it comes to politics and I do not trust government or politicians. My feelings are based on the constant news about corruption in our government from local on up to national and even world levels. Having revealed this about myself, I want to tell you that I believe that you are doing a commendable job as our representative and my overall way of thinking is aligned with yours. You always seem to take on the issues that matter to me and you appear to be a hard working person with deep roots as a common man. I appreciate these attributes in you. Please keep on plugging away as you seem to do daily. You have my full support and appreciation. Thank you.

No, thank you. This is the kind of stuff that keeps me trying to do what I do.

So after braving my way into the office to handle some constituent issues, I ventured out into the snowy abyss to run some errands, and couldn’t help but grab a couple of pictures. First, the bread aisle at Giant Eagle:

Wow, they really weren't kidding when they said to buy bread BEFORE the snow hits.

Then, this absolute gem:

This is the billboard outside the Sears Outlet in Bridgeville. Epic.

Finally, I came home to see my dog dressed up in this ridiculous get-up:

And this is the God-awful sweater they put poor Delano in. Poor little guy.

After those haunting images, I don’t know if I’ll be able to sleep at night.

If you missed it on SNL last night, here is an “Even-Tempered Apology from Rahm Emanuel”.

Nothing like people in politics letting loose and saying what they think, even if it is just a television parody.

Here is the new edition of my spot on Comcast Local Edition, which will begin running in February. In this episode I talk about one of my pieces of legislation, which would ban municipal authorities from being able to put people in jail for failing to pay their sewage bills. It’s a shame we even have to be discussing ways to outlaw debtors’ prisons in the 21st century.

I love getting email comments from visitors to this blog. There is nothing quite like the ability to get raw, unfiltered feedback from people who care enough to check out your work online.

But every now and again I get something like this, which I just don’t know how to respond to:

From The Gov’T, Here To Help??

Were you elected BY the people? to represent the people? Fwhatever
happened to by the people, for the people?? have you no clue that
Hitler, Mao, Stalin, Mussolini, and Che
(hmm.. all mass murderers) were ALL progressives, and probably
considered themselves pragmatic? Thank God I live in WV.

The great thing about America is that everyone is entitled to their opinion. I just don’t know what I did to make this woman so angry. Is she implying I’m a mass murderer?

It seems like she is upset by the name of my blog. By the way, what wide-eyed liberal progressive leader coined that phrase again?

"The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, 'I'm from the government and I'm here to help.'"