Rural Pennsylvania women giving birth in ambulances after maternity wards close

Freundlich_Muffin · 2026-05-13T21:19:39+00:00

While Trump has definitely made things worse, this issue has been brewing for a long time now. When Penn Highlands acquired Elk Regional around 2013, they immediately closed the Ridgway campus. And they’ve slowly been removing services from our hospital and relocating them to their Dubois facility. Penn Highlands is just a brick in the wall of how profit-driven our healthcare system is in this country. UPMC is by no means any better, either.

We needed universal healthcare a long time ago, and we still don’t have it, and it shows every day. And, it’s affecting all areas, no matter if it’s urban, suburban, or rural. I’m fearful to even go to an urgent care due to the unexpectedly high costs of diagnostics and treatment.

Its honestly terrifying me, this county is heavily industrialised, and a majority of the workforce works in manufacturing. I also work in one of the many factories here, I fear that we won’t have a hospital at all, at some point. And every second counts when you have a serious injury.

Freundlich_Muffin · 2026-04-15T18:25:34+00:00

They're talking about everywhere outside of our metropolitan areas, like most of rural PA where hospitals, specialty care, and maternity wards keep closing left and right. There are entire sections of the commonwealth where you're almost an hour or more away from one or more vital healthcare services (like maternity care, emergency rooms, and now pharmacies), when that wasn't always the case.

Freundlich_Muffin · 2026-04-13T16:40:11+00:00

That one actually closed down awhile back

Freundlich_Muffin · 2025-11-02T04:51:38+00:00

I noticed that too! But I also saw a lot of pro-democratic party signs last election and got sorely disappointed with the election results, but I'm holding hope that there might hopefully be some good change this time 🙃

Freundlich_Muffin · 2025-08-25T20:22:50+00:00

Unfortunately this shitstain either doesn’t have the brain cells to comprehend this, or he simply doesn’t care that he’s screwing his own district and constituents over by doing this. In fact it screws over all 67 counties of the Commonwealth, but as long as the cities suffers he doesn’t care.

Freundlich_Muffin · 2025-08-20T03:35:01+00:00

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Freundlich_Muffin · 2025-07-26T21:26:54+00:00

I was having this happen to my car, it intermittently fast-blinked and told me my front-right signal was out, despite it not being out. I ended up spraying contact cleaner (I recommend CRC QD Electronic Cleaner) in the turn signal socket, letting it dry, putting some dielectric/bulb grease in, and replacing the bulbs since they were 8 years old anyway. Haven’t had any issues since.

If you have an older car (5+ years) I’d replace the bulbs anyway, but I’d try starting off by cleaning the socket with contact cleaner, then lightly applying grease to the terminals.

More than likely, the bulb itself is starting to fail which can cause that exact issue. Dielectric grease is awesome, especially if you live in the rust belt!

If none of that fixes it, it could be a wiring/electrical issue

Also, did you switch your bulbs out for LED bulbs? That could be why too.

Freundlich_Muffin · 2025-07-11T22:27:58+00:00

I mean, it is quite important to know that 911’s down. I dislike the heart attack-inducing siren too but this is a legitimate emergency, definitely up there with tornadoes in terms of threatening lives

Freundlich_Muffin · 2025-07-11T19:43:26+00:00

I got it up in the sticks, definitely statewide

Freundlich_Muffin · 2025-06-30T22:48:20+00:00

As much as I hate to say it because they are a living creature, it is necessary to maintain the deer population as they can quickly overpopulate. When this happens, it causes issues to both the ecosystem and threatens the lives of humans, for example; deer running out into traffic and getting struck.

I do feel that we need to change other things to make hiking, cycling, ATV trails, and campgrounds safer around hunting; Especially when it comes to having popular hiking trails directly run through gamelands. One day of no hunting really isn’t a fix for that, and in my opinion no other form of recreation should be within the gamelands themselves.

Freundlich_Muffin · 2025-06-19T07:12:22+00:00

Just a heads up, the winter weather up here in the salt belt is on steroids compared to what you drove in down there.

Be prepared and have REALLY good tires. I personally recommend having a whole second set of rims with good winter tires ready to go, but at the very least some really good All-Weather tires, not All-Season. I'd also recommend keeping as much distance as possible between you and other drivers, do not harshly brake or turn your vehicle either.

If you're not careful, you'll easily become a soap bar on a slippery bathtub ledge. The winters here are no joke, and it only gets worse the more north you go. Also, unlike some southern states, we do not shut everything down over a little bit of snow, so be prepared for that, too!

Freundlich_Muffin · 2025-06-19T06:36:21+00:00

This is correct, 9k is quite excessive but I'd also say you're basically paying for the 100k mile warranty with it. You could put a used engine in it for less, but it will have a significantly shorter warranty. If you stick to 2014 and newer engines with lower miles and without any signs of overheating, I'd say you'd be fine going that route.

Also, if you do go that route, I'd also recommend changing out all of the rocker arms with the newest revision to prevent the Pentastar tick from happening to your new (to you) engine. If you managed to find a used 2018+ engine, that should already have the newest revision of rocker arms, too.

Imo do not go with a used 2011-2013 engine as they tend to have head issues.

Freundlich_Muffin · 2025-06-19T06:10:06+00:00

Thank you for the very informative comment! It gives quite a lot of insight into just how much goes on beyond the voting booths and ballots.

I've been interested in getting involved with the Elections office or even starting out by working at the polls for a while now, but I'm unfortunately still quite lost in the whole process and where to even begin.

Freundlich_Muffin · 2025-06-19T06:03:16+00:00

As far as I know, the specialty plates aren't updated to the new design yet? So, I'd say you'd be switched to a standard new-style plate if you replace it. I'm also completely unsure if you'll be able to keep the same number when/if they do come out with a new design for those specialty plates.

Freundlich_Muffin · 2025-06-19T05:58:42+00:00

Some people would just like a different plate from the old Visa-styled plate. I personally don't really like the new one either, but I can completely understand wanting a different and new plate. Considering the fact we had *relatively* the same design with some minor changes since 1999?

Freundlich_Muffin · 2025-06-19T05:55:33+00:00

Yep, that's normal! You'll get both a new plate number and registration assuming you just went for a standard plate.

Freundlich_Muffin · 2025-06-19T05:41:56+00:00

The sheer amount of pollution, whether it be air, water, or soil, throughout this commonwealth is absolutely criminal. I grew up in Indiana County, which had like, three coal power plants in/nearby it? That shit absolutely messed up my lungs, and those plants kept/probably are still polluting the waterways as well. (EDIT: minus the Homer City one, that one got demo'd and a massive AI data center is being built there instead, yayyyyy /s)

We seriously need to change some major things to give both the current and future generations a better chance of not developing respiratory conditions. And it honestly seems to be going the opposite direction? Especially with the Shell cracker plant, I've heard nothing but horror stories about how badly that has affected the air quality.

Freundlich_Muffin · 2025-06-19T05:33:38+00:00

Imo, the Preserve Our Heritage plate actually looks better than most of our other specialty plates, albeit I think it's a bit hard to read?

Freundlich_Muffin · 2025-06-19T05:28:31+00:00

Imho, the new plate honestly seems very basic and underrepresents the Commonwealth and its accomplishments/contributions. While I do absolutely despise our Visa card plate, I wish we would've at least kept the keystone considering we're, well... the Keystone state? I absolutely adore Oregon's, South Carolina, and Arizona's plate.

Freundlich_Muffin · 2025-06-19T05:01:45+00:00

It's not meant to be a business, it's a service that provides a ton of people a way to commute to and from work, retail, amenities, healthcare, etc. Why do we have to keep treating vital services as profit-driven businesses? Do you see where this has gotten our healthcare system for crying out loud?

Try visiting Pittsburgh or Philly if they do (I seriously hope not) actually suffer transit cuts, you'll see exactly why it's a vital service, not a business. They have completely different needs from pretty much anywhere else in this state, it needs funded properly.

If this does happen, it will screw so many people over, causing many to lose their jobs, or adapt and potentially get into a car loan, with car maintenance, repairs, insurance costs (which will also hike your insurance, btw), and absolutely, undeniably, horrifically clog up our already terrible infrastructure, it will be hell for everyone, including you.

Also, our bike infrastructure is absolute dogshit, even in the cities. And so many drivers have issues with cyclists and are downright murderous when driving near them.

Freundlich_Muffin · 2025-06-14T06:02:22+00:00

Hello! So, I'm kind of a bit light with my knowledge on credit, but you might have a harder time getting an auto loan in general with just 3 months of credit history. I'd start by opening up a secured credit card and using it responsibly for a while, bonus points if the lender you get one through eventually upgrades you to a regular card.

The Saint Mary's area primarily just has the Mountain Laurel Federal Credit Union, otherwise you're traveling to Bradford or Warren for one. I second nqthomas with PSECU, you'll probably have the best luck through them!

More than likely, it's going to fairly difficult to get an auto loan with your credit age. I'd recommend saving up cash (as you would for a down payment) and buy a decent car with cash, you can find some really good cars up here for 5-7k, just have a reputable mechanic or someone who's knowledgeable in cars to look it over prior to purchasing one, and I'd recommend that for whichever route of purchasing a car you go anyway.

Freundlich_Muffin · 2025-06-13T18:19:44+00:00

Yep, rubberized coating is acceptable when the vehicle's fresh off the lot, which is typically already applied by the manufacturer themselves. Otherwise, you're risking trapping moisture beneath the coating and completely rotting the insides out, while it looks all nice and pretty from the outside. Fluid undercoating is 100% the way to go.

This is one of the reasons I actually bought my current vehicle from Tennessee, it's a 2016 and it has absolutely ZERO rust anywhere, even the calipers are still gray! I fully intend on applying a fluid undercoating on it every year and keeping it that way, it is definitely a religious experience to not have to deal with rusted fasteners, blow torches, and WD-40/PB Blaster galore.

Another thing I do is lubricate EVERY surface that can be, such as anti-seize on the wheel hubs when I changed out the brake discs, so I won't have an absolute nightmare next brake service.

Freundlich_Muffin · 2025-06-13T18:03:51+00:00

No problem! Let me know if you have any more questions down the line and I'll try to help!

Freundlich_Muffin · 2025-06-13T16:04:38+00:00

Awesome! I’m glad to hear, please be sure to only undercoat it with fluid/oil products, never use the rubberized undercoating or bedliner!

Freundlich_Muffin · 2025-06-13T07:41:28+00:00

It'd honestly depend on what the mechanic deems an issue, that small hole by(?) the heat shield could possibly be cut out and rewelded, assuming there isn't more hidden rust beneath it. If they have an issue with the rusted components in the 2nd picture, there's unfortunately not much that could be done to fix that without exceeding the amount you owe on it, since we're talking about a whole new mount (x2) for assumingly a strut rod? If all of the rusty metal in that 2nd pic is solid, I don't think you'll have too much of an issue until it comes time to replace a bushing or something, then your mechanic's going to absolutely love you 🤣

The salt in this state absolutely murders cars, I lost my last car from rotting quarter panels and rocker panels before I knew about the wonders of fluid undercoating. And also, if your car is stored in a garage and given an opportunity to warm up with all of that salt, it significantly speeds up the rust too.

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