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There's a very simple solution to Harrisburg's porn problem

You don't like Pa. pols reading porn on the job? Elect and hire more women to look over them. The Keystone State is in the political stone ages when it comes to female empowerment.

As much as I'd like to boost my sagging Internet traffic by screaming the word "porn" in more blog headlines, I had no intention -- at first -- in writing about the ever-growing scandal about pornographic emails in Pennsylvania state government. The misogynistic missives -- some of which reportedly describe things that you were probably perfectly happy not knowing were anatomically possible -- were initially linked to the office of then-attorney general (now GOP governor) Tom Corbett in an affair that seems to be widening.

But the scandal has not interested me much because, for one thing, it's politically irrelevant; with Democrat Tom Wolf already leading by anywhere from 15-25 percent in the polls, this controversy is like the end zone fumble recovery in the last 7 seconds of a 56-3 rout. It's certainly important to acknowledge that it's majorly wrong for high-level folks to be reading or sending porn on the job, creating a hostile and sexist work environment while they're also ignoring the people's business.

But -- in the broader scheme of big problems that Pennsylvania faces -- it's kind of a trivial matter, isn't it? That has become such a big story is emblematic of a deeply disappointing governor's race that should be about creating jobs and funding better public schools but keeps getting pulled down into the racy muck of the porn emails, job listings for prostitutes or who's the more authentic Jeep driver. I'm probably in the minority, but the salacious emails just don't interest me as much as the ongoing assault on the Philadelphia public schools, or the barnyard frolics of fracking destroying Pennsylvania's rural countryside.

I will say this, however: There's one simple -- and rather obvious -- solution. Pennsylvania pols can act like they're partying in a giant frat house because the state's government is like a giant frat house, with a track record on female empowerment that would be barely acceptable for 1914 -- and doesn't come close to passing muster for 2014. The mile markers are undeniable. Pennsylvania has never had a woman governor. Pennsylvania has never has a woman U.S. senator. Philadelphia has had 98 mayors, but a female ain't one.

The deeper you drill under the numbers, the worse it gets. Six of the seven Pennsylvania Supreme Court justices are men, as are 18 of Corbett's 26 Cabinet secretaries (before today's porn-inspired resignation). Compare Pennsylvania to other states and our commonwealth -- with its rich cultural and geographic diversity, home to some of America's top universities, hospitals and centers of art -- suddenly looked wedged between Mississippi and Arkansas. The Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University ranks the Keystone State just 38th in the percentage of female state lawmakers, and in January the state's U.S. House delegation will be...wait for it...100 percent male.

There's not a quick fix. The best way to start seeing a real and meaningful role for women in Pennsylvania government is developing a strong bench; in other words, nurturing females in everyday posts like local ward leader or middle managers in state agencies -- the places where today's male top pols got their start a generation ago. And it probably means radical changes in Pennsylvania's 19th-Century-style laws governing politics -- on issues such as campaign finance, ballot access and lobbying -- which grossly favor incumbents...and thus grossly favor men.

But just because things won't change overnight doesn't mean they don't need to change. And that's not  because Harrisburg suddenly has a porn problem -- but because a more diverse political class will mean more people-friendly solutions to schools or taxes or the environment.

But, yeah, it's also true that most dudes probably won't be watching "Golf ball washer" at their desk when the boss looking over their shoulder is a woman.