Senator Obama's recent remarks expressing his belief that Pennsylvanians are bitter and that they cling to their guns may indeed be right on, and for a reason you may not even think of. So what on earth are they defending themselves against? Some boogeyman or creature of Pennsylvanian folklore? Actually, it's their state animal: the white-tailed deer. In 2006, the Keystone state was unlucky enough to claim the title for more deer-vehicle collisions per year than any state in the country, with around 99,000 motorists caught in the headlights
so to speak. Bambi's kin are quite destructive, causing an estimated $1.1 billion in property damage every year in car accidents alone. Fatalities in Pennsylvania due to deer-vehicle collisions have been on the rise with currently more than 10 per year compared to 200 nationally. And Obama ought to know. His home state of Illinois ranked third overall in deer-vehicle collisions in 2005 and accounted for nearly 1,000 injuries and 11 deaths.
The 2006-2007 Pennsylvania hunting season resulted in the harvesting of 361,560 deer. With regards to the percentage of deer that are involved in accidents, probability says that this harvest results in about 3,615 fewer collisions with deer annually, or roughly 10 fewer accidents per day, from sacrificing a portion of the Pennsylvania deer herd. The state's deer population continues to grow at a startling rate, despite the efforts of hunting, and with the number of hunters in Pennsylvania continuing to fall, this may well lead to more deer-vehicle collisions in the near future. Another important reason for Pennsylvanians to continue clinging to their guns is the fact that annual spending by the state's sportsmen comes out to $3.5 billion dollars, the same amount as the country of Bhutan's gross domestic product. Undeniably, this is an enormous input into the state's overall economy, and will presumably continue to be one for some time. So to all Pennsylvanians out there, go and bag yourselves a ten pointer (and don't forget to mail a picture to Mr. Obama).Todd Holbrook is a junior economics major.
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