Where did the phrase, "Like a fox guarding the
henhouse" start?
Trappe PA? No, just kidding as here is what it means and and how it started.
DON'T LET THE FOX GUARD THE HENHOUSE - "Don't assign a job to someone who will then be in a position to exploit it for his own ends. Said to one who entrusts his money to sharpers. The proverb has been traced back to 'Contre-League' (1589) and is similar to the Latin: 'Ovem lupo commitere' ('To set a wolf to guard sheep.') First attested in the United States in 'Poet's Proverbs' (1924). The proverb is found in varying forms: Don't put the fox to guard the chicken house; Don't let the fox guard the chicken coop; Don't set a wolf to watch the sheep; It's a case of the proverbial fox guarding the chickens, etc. The idea is expressed in the old nursery rhyme: 'Sleep, my little one, sleep. Thy father guards the sheep'." From "Random House Dictionary of Popular Proverbs and Sayings" (1996) by Gregory Y. Titelman (Random House, New York, 1996).
Now, what if we told you that
Trappe Councilman Matthew Watson is now a Constable. Yes, during the recent election Mr. Watson won 100% of the vote. Why you may ask? Well, three (3) people voted (including Mr. Watson) as a write-in candidate. It appears that there is a lot of shenanigans going on in
Trappe (duh!) but the collusion between
Trappe Republican Committee
Representatives John B.
Pelosi and Theresa
Pammer and
certain members of
Trappe Council is inexcusable. It is the job of the committee people to find qualified Republican candidates for the vacant positions. Obviously not only did the
committee folks not find anyone qualified to do this position but they did not let anyone else besides Mr. Watson and a couple of his cronies know (perhaps collusion) to very quietly slip his name in as a write-in candidate.
So you may say 'big deal'?
Well here is the interesting thing - after looking into the background of Mr. Watson in our opinion he is not trust worthy and should NOT be in any type of law enforcement let alone hold public office! If he is the duly elected constable, he will be quite busy serving himself court papers. The following is a list of the legal problems (most recent first) that Mr. Watson has had (last year he and his family were evicted of their home) with a link to the courthouse for details.
1) Federal Tax Lien - filed May 2009 - details
here2) Mortgage Foreclosure - filed August 2008 - owes over $220,000 - details
here3) Capital One Auto Loan - filed June 2008 - Automobile Repossession - details
here4) Federal Tax Lien - filed July 2007 - details
here5) IRS Federal Tax Lien - filed June 2007 - details
here6) Discover Bank - filed January 2002 - see details
here7) Sears - filed April 2001 - see details
here8) Drivers License Suspended - filed February 1998 - see details
here - who knows what this was for?
In summary, this man has serious financial problems and at the very least Mr. Watson needs to resign as a Constable and if he refuses then he needs to be removed. We think he needs to resign all public positions as a person in debt often does things out of desperation and a position of trust leads to temptations. Afterall, perception is reality.