Would You Want This Job?

You may or may not be aware of this but Gov. Rendell called a special legislative session on property tax relief (then the legislature promptly disappeared for a week or so).

Today they actually did something. They appointed committee chairs:

State Rep. Josh Shapiro has been appointed Democratic chairman of a newly created House subcommittee that will examine tax reform proposals during the special legislative session on property taxes.

Shapiro, D-Montgomery, will chair the Subcommittee on Property Tax Reduction, one of five new subcommittees under the House Finance Committee. Shapiro is the only freshman member of the House who will chair a subcommittee during the special session, and one of just four to receive appointments to the panels. He will also serve on the Subcommittee on Sales Tax Initiatives.

Rep. Shapiro seems like a bright fellow that we can expect to seek higher office at some point. In the meantime, from what I hear, he does well by his constituents. That's sort of what puzzles me. I mean, isn't being named committee chair here sort of like being named captain of the Titanic? Do we really expect anything to come of all this? I'm sure Shapiro knows what he is doing. He also seems to wear teflon suits. He voted against the pay raise, isn't taking the unvouchered expense money, and, unlike Greg Vitali and others, he is getting named committee chair instead of losing leadership positions. I can't keep track of the wheels within wheels of politics and the strategems employed are beyond me, but this not a job I would want. Let's hope he can turn this sow's ear into a silk purse.