Rules for Thee but Not for Me! Philly Mayor Enjoys Indoor Dining in Maryland After Banning Indoor Dining in Philly
Mayor Jim Kenney maintains control over the city of Brotherly Love. He’s a Democrat mayor who loves to issue all kinds of executive orders. As the pandemic continues to grind onward, the residents of this city are starting to lose patience. There are a number of sticking points with the executive orders that are not being discussed on a wider scale.
Even with the social distancing protocols in place, Philly residents are not being allowed to visit indoor dining establishments. Most restaurants cannot provide outdoor seating at this time, so Kenney is forcing the citizens of this city to suffer through the pandemic together. While this is an annoying rule, it’s been put into place so that everyone can stay safe, right?
The only problem with rules like these is that they do not actually apply to everyone. If you have the right connections, you can do whatever you want, COVID-19 be damned. Can me or you head to Philadelphia and sit down inside for a bite to eat? Of course not, but Mayor Jim Kenney and his cronies sure can.
Kenney compounded this hypocrisy by traveling across state lines to do it, heading into Maryland for a nosh. A photo was taken of the mayor and Philadelphia residents are understandably peeved. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a wide range of restaurants to close. We are sure that these establishments would have loved a visit from the mayor but it is too late for that now.
The mayor’s office has confirmed that the picture is real and that Kenney did cross state lines to eat at a friend’s restaurant. The picture went viral because of Kenney’s refusal to back down from any of his executive orders. He can head to Maryland for a meal anytime he wants but the rest of the city has to remain on lock down. In other words, the rules only apply to those who are not the mayor.
“We need to follow what we are being asked to do by the health department. I beg you to follow the rules,” Kenney said earlier this month. The excuse that he is offering up for his behavior does not hold water. No one cares if your friend has a restaurant in Maryland. People care about the fact that they are being told to stay inside for the greater goods, only for their elected officials to flout the rules.
““The mayor went to Maryland earlier today to patronize a restaurant owned by a friend of his. For what it’s worth, he also went to Rouge to enjoy outdoor dining in Philly on the way home. He looks forward to expanding indoor dining locally next week,” reads the explanation from the mayor’s office. The city was not about to take this laying down, either.
Local celebrity chef Marc Vetri took direct aim at the mayor with a scathing Instagram post. “Glad you’re enjoying indoor dining with no social distancing or mask wearing in Maryland tonight while restaurants here in Philly close, suffer and fight for every nickel just to survive. I guess all your press briefings and your narrative of unsafe indoor dining don’t apply to you. Thank you for clearing it all up for us tonight,” said Vetri.
We couldn’t have said it better ourselves. Kenney believes that he is in the right because the state of Maryland is relaxing their social distancing protocols. Essentially, he would like for the peasants to stop complaining and stop holding him accountable for his own actions. Whether his own city will be lifting restrictions any time soon is anyone’s guess.
The rules only apply to the working class. If Maryland is going to allow indoor dining, perhaps the residents of Philadelphia need to consider a move. Many of these major liberal cities are going to have a mass exodus on their hands once people finally grow weary of the rampant hypocrisy.
