Thomas Kutz

Christ follower, Husband, Attorney, State Representative for PA’s 87th District. Personal account.

[PA House Republicans 🇺🇸 @PAHouseGOP]

Pennsylvania shaped America's first 250 years and we're ready to lead through the next 250.

Happy birthday, America. Let freedom ring.

[PA House Republicans 🇺🇸 @PAHouseGOP]

Pennsylvania is where America's past, present, and future meet and where our nation's heart lives.

Happy 250th birthday, America!

[Encyclopaedia Britannica @Britannica]

The flag of the United States of America has undergone many changes since its inception.

From the first official flag in 1777 to the current version of the flag (which has been in place since 1960), changes to the American flag have mirrored the evolution of the country. 🧵⬇️

[Merriam-Webster @MerriamWebster]

Why is it ‘cancelled’ in the U.K. but ‘canceled’ in the U.S.?

Because we gave them that L in 1776.

[National Mall NPS @NationalMallNPS]

On July 2, 1776, delegates for the 13 American colonies voted to approve a resolution submitted by Richard Henry Lee announcing "That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown." With the vote complete, Congress began editing Thomas Jefferson's draft of the Declaration of Independence, getting ready to announce the decision to the world.

Painting of the Committee of Five presenting the draft of the Declaration of Independence to Congress by John Trumbull.
#history #IndependenceDay #Freedom250

[1776 Live @250YearsAgoLive]

After South Carolina reverses its position, Continental Congress votes to declare INDEPENDENCE from Britain, adopting a legal separation from the Crown.

Charles Thomson, Secretary for Continental Congress, uses hash marks to note how many colonies voted for the severance from the Crown.

John Adams writes in a letter to his wife, Abigail, that “the second day of July, 1776 will be the most memorable epoch in American history.”

But although newspapers report the independence, no mass celebrations break out.

[Ryan Aument @RyanPAumentPA]

Brief tour of Pennsylvania’s Great American State Fair booth as of this morning. The outpouring of support by Pennsylvanians has been incredible! Stop by for a visit! @SenMcCormickPA @SenMcCormickPA

[Thomas Kutz @ThomasKutzPA]

It will be great to have you in Pennsylvania! Stop by the @Flight93NPS in Somerset County and by Beaver Stadium—home of @PennStateFball. If you take a route further south, you can stop by the home of Hershey’s chocolate and head through Philadelphia the birthplace of America!

[PGA of America @PGA]

This makes us want to take a golf trip to Pennsylvania! ⛳️

[PGA of America @PGA]

Check out some of the most fun public courses in the state!

⬇️
https://t.co/i4w0z3OK62

[Thomas Kutz @ThomasKutzPA]

More of this please

[Senator Dave McCormick @SenMcCormickPA]

Incredible day with @PhillyMayor.

Cheesesteaks are one of the great things that bring people together.

From improving public safety to strengthening our neighborhoods, we’re focused on delivering results for the people of Philadelphia. Grateful for our partnership.

[Thomas Kutz @ThomasKutzPA]

What course?

[Dirt Cheap Banks @dirtcheapbanks]

I once played 18 holes at a public course in central Pennsylvania with the chief mortgage lender of a $140 million market cap community bank, the EVP of commercial lending, and a regional director from a feed-and-seed cooperative who happened to be the bank's third-largest commercial customer.

I had never met any of them before that morning. I had called the bank two weeks earlier, asked about a small detail in the 10-K, gotten put through to the CFO, ended up in a 40-minute conversation about the ag loan book, and at the end of it the CFO said, "you should come golf with us in October," and I said yes, and I flew out, and I rented clubs at the pro shop, and I shot a 112, which is the worst round of my life, which is the second-best thing that has ever happened to my investment process.

Over 4 hours and 18 holes, I learned that the bank had been quietly acquiring deposits from three smaller competitors whose CEOs were retiring, that the loan-to-deposit ratio had room to expand by 12% before management would feel any pressure, that the chief mortgage lender's daughter had just joined the bank and was being groomed for the role, which meant the succession question had been answered without any filing, and that the feed-and-seed cooperative had just signed a 10-year supply contract that would require a credit facility that the bank was the only logical lender for. None of this was in any disclosure.

None of it would be in any disclosure for at least 18 months. I bought 8,000 shares the following Tuesday. The stock was $14. It is $31 now. I still have not broken 100 on a golf course. I do not need to. The point of golf, in community bank investing, is not to play golf. The point of golf is to spend 4 uninterrupted hours with the three people who know more about the bank than any analyst, any algorithm, and any 10-K could ever tell you, in a setting where the conversation is naturally relaxed, the disclosures are naturally informal, and the only price of admission is being willing to look ridiculous for an afternoon while a 62-year-old loan officer outdrives you on every par 5.

This is the trade. The trade has always been the trade. It will be the trade for as long as community banks exist, which is to say, longer than you or I will be around to see the end of it.

[Thomas Kutz @ThomasKutzPA]

Now do the Oxford comma

[APStylebook @APStylebook]

You've been asking for this one for years. We heard you.
We announced a change in AP style at the @ACESEditors conference today: It's now healthcare, one word, in all uses.
We also changed childcare and daycare, closing them up to one word rather than two.
This guidance is live on AP Stylebook Online now.

[Thomas Kutz @ThomasKutzPA]

https://t.co/aQ1dnJFcIz.

[Thomas Kutz @ThomasKutzPA]

Actually, fun fact: Pennsylvania has a hidden dome in its capitol building. The State Supreme Court Chamber on the fourth floor has a beautiful dome which is hidden from the outside. It’s a stained glass dome which is covered from the outside to protect it.

Via Cap Preservation

[Virginia Political Memes @VApoliticalmeme]

You fools, we already have a dome. In fact, it is the only "hidden" dome in any state capitol.

[LinksGems @LinksGems]

Up next, major championship golf returns to Philadelphia as the venerable Aronimink Golf Club hosts the 108th PGA Championship.

This iconic Donald Ross design last hosted this event in 1962 (won by Gary Player) and recently hosted the Women’s PGA Championship.

With the U.S. Amateur at Merion later this summer, 2026 promises to be a stellar year for golf in the City of Brotherly Love.

[The Masters @TheMasters]

Good morning from Sunday at the Masters. #themasters

[Golf on CBS ⛳ @GolfonCBS]

“Generation to generation to generation, Augusta National remains an American treasure – a gift to the game. And now, for the 90th springtime, welcome to the Masters.” – Jim Nantz

[The Masters @TheMasters]

The weekend is here. Good morning from Augusta National. #themasters

[Thomas Kutz @ThomasKutzPA]

OK this is top level. Click on the photos and check out the fine details.

[The Masters @TheMasters]

The Champions Dinner: a traditional Tuesday affair. #themasters