Democrats break another promise

If the choice is between quality education for young people or pandering to the teachers unions, which side will Democratic politicians pick every time?

Correct. Pandering to the unions.

"While this Congress and the Obama Administration took control in January promising they would restore sanity to Washington and reject business as usual, their actions on this program speak louder than their words," said Jeanne Allen, president of the Center for Education Reform. "Sen. Durbin and others have one interest -- serving the national unions who are threatened by reform."

Congress Rejects Successful DC Schools Program

A win for PA taxpayers courtesy of GOP

Rep. Doug Reichley (R-Berks/Lehigh), Republican vice chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, issued the following statement in response to news that the state Personal Income Tax (PIT) is no longer the focus of budget negotiations in Harrisburg:

"The voices of the taxpayers and legislators from both parties opposing this PIT increase are finally being heard. Developments today indicate that budget negotiators are backing off their insistence that the 16 percent PIT increase be the crux of negotiations.

"Republicans have been fighting for weeks to remove this $1.5 billion a year tax increase from the negotiating table and we are seeing some wiggle room because House Democrats are not finding the votes within their own caucus in support of this.

"We are also seeing some Republican ideas being incorporated into discussions that would enable passage of a budget that does not include the massive increase. Republican resistance to the tax increase has paid off - we have remained unified, and House Democrats are not seeing broad support for this PIT increase among their rank and file. Republicans have remained steadfast and forced the hand of the governor and Democrats to consider alternatives. The PIT should not be the lynchpin of resolving the state's budget crisis.

"Taxpayers deserve some credit too. Their calls to member offices, editorial letters and their comments in e-mails have put the pressure on all House and Senate members to consider alternatives to resolving the impasse. This collective effort has called into question the wisdom of insisting that a PIT increase is the only solution.

"We still have a tough situation to resolve - the state collected $3.25 billion less than it expected to during the last fiscal year - and we still need to fill that budget gap and gaps foreseen in subsequent years, but there are a number of ideas out there that can help to do this without this onerous $4.5 billion tax increase over a three-year period on wage earners and small businesses that pay the Personal Income Tax.

"People are realizing that if they are forced to live on less, government should take notice and cut costs without increasing the financial burden on taxpayers."

PA House Dems cave on income tax hike

Rep. Pitts: Beware of backdoor government-run health care

Obama poll numbers falling

He never had support from Republicans and now independent voters are waking up to the realization that "hope and change" won't put food on the table as the Obama recession continues.

From a story posted on POLITICO about Obama's declining job approval numbers:

In a potentially alarming trend for the White House, independent voters are deserting President Barack Obama nationally and especially in key swing states, recent polls suggest.

Obama's job approval rating hit a — still healthy — low of 56 percent in the Gallup Poll on Wednesday. And pollsters are debating whether Obama's expansive and expensive policy proposals or the ground-level realities of a still-faltering economy are driving the falling numbers.

But a source of the shift appears to be independent voters, who seem to be responding to Republican complaints of excessive spending and government control.

"This is a huge sea change that is playing itself out in American politics," said Democratic pollster Doug Schoen. "Independents who had become effectively operational Democrats in 2006 and 2008 are now up for grabs and are trending Republican.

"They're saying, 'Costing too much, no results, see the downside, not sure of the upside,'" he said.

Read the full story, "Independents begin to edge away from President Obama" at POLITICO

The latest Rasmussen Reports numbers corroborate Obama's declining popularity.

The cost of Obamacare

Breaking News

Judge to habitual drunken driver: 'You had 10 chances'

I applaud Allegheny County Judge David Cashman for sentencing a Pittsburgh-area man found guilty of his 10th DUI to a prison term of up to 11 years.

John C. Joseph, 54, was driving on a suspended license for earlier DUI convictions when police arrested him twice for DUI last year, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

It's obvious this man has a problem and is not willing to do anything about it. He is a danger to himself and to other motorists. The prison sentence is warranted.

Read more about the case in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

Auditor General Jack Wagner: Here's $1.3 Billion in Cuts Rendell Didn't Find

Pennsylvania Auditor General Jack Wagner, who would like to be governor Pennsylvania after Ed Rendell leaves office, has found $1.3 billion in budget cuts the state can make to plug part of the $3.25 billion hole Rendell is leaving for his successor.

To be fair, some of the suggestions have already been kicked around in the past, but at least Jack is trying to be helpful.

Read the full release from Wagner at the link below:

Auditor General Jack Wagner Offers Gov. Rendell, General Assembly $1.3 Billion of Budget Suggestions

$1 Million Lottery Raffle Tickets Sold in Bucks, Lackawanna, Philadelphia, Westmoreland Counties

$1 Million Lottery Raffle Tickets Sold in Bucks, Lackawanna, Philadelphia, Westmoreland Counties

E-Verify lives

Obama Administration Reluctantly Adopts Rule Requiring Federal Contractors to Use E-Verify

Karl Rove: Obama Can't Be Trusted

From a dead-on Karl Rove column in The Wall Street Journal:

In February, President Barack Obama signed a $787 billion stimulus bill while making lavish promises about the results. He pledged that "a new wave of innovation, activity and construction will be unleashed all across America." He also said the stimulus would "save or create up to four million jobs." Vice President Joe Biden said the massive federal spending plan would "drop-kick" the economy out of the recession.

But the unemployment rate today is 9.5% -- nearly 20% higher than the Obama White House said it would be with the stimulus in place. Keith Hennessey, who worked at the Bush White House on economic policy, has noted that unemployment is now higher than the administration said it would be if nothing was done to revive the economy. There are 2.6 million fewer Americans working than Mr. Obama promised.

The economy takes unexpected turns on every president. But what is striking about this president is how quickly he turns away from his promises. He rushed the stimulus through Congress saying we couldn't afford to wait. Now his administration is waiting to spend the money. Of the $279 billion allocated to federal agencies, only $56 billion has been paid out.

Rove asks why anyone in their right mind would trust Obama's promises on health care reform based on his six months of broken promises on every other issue.

Read the full column at the newspaper's Web site.

Mystery co-host on 'Talking Politics'

Tune in today at 5 p.m. for a mystery co-host on "Talking Politics with Tony Phyrillas & Mike Pincus" on WPAZ 1370 AM

You can call the station with questions or comments at 610-326-4000.

If you can't receive the radio signal, you can listen to the broadcast online at www.pottsmerc.com or www.1370wpaz.com

You mean that wasn't the real stimulus plan?

The jig is up. Democrats are beginning to admit they played the American people for suckers with the first "stimulus" bill in February. Now they want you to bend over so they can do it again. Hey, maybe all those Democrats who voted for the first stimulus bill will actually read what's in it this time.

Check out these posts at SAVE THE GOP and PAWaterCooler for more on how the Democrats screwed us over big time.

'Transformers 2' tops $300M at box office

"Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" has topped $300 million at the box office in just 14 days.

BoxOfficeMojo.com says the film has earned $305.5 million so far in the United States alone.

Only one other film has reached the $300 million mark faster, a small independent production called "The Dark Night," which eventually grossed $533.3 million in the U.S.

While "Transformers 2" is not on pace to catch "The Dark Night," it could end up making $400 million domestically, something only eight films have achieved.

The sequel is already No. 29 on the all-time domestic box office list and will soon pass the original "Transformers," which took in $319.2 million in its 2007 release.

"Transformers 2" is a smash worldwide, earning a total of $623 million so far.

Casino coming to Berks County?

Anyone familiar with the Crowne Plaza Reading Hotel (formerly a Sheraton) knows it's not exactly a "hotel resort" but then again it's up to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board to decide if the owners qualify for the state's remaining Category 3 slots license.

Gaming Control Board Receives One New Application for a Category 3 Resort Slots License

The Reading Eagle has more on the story at its Web site.

Nothing can stop the Democrats now

Readers 'Sound Off'

The Pottstown Mercury runs a daily column called "Sound Off," where readers can leave a voice mail on any issue they wish to comment on. Here's a sampling of what's on the minds of area residents:

"I just heard a deputy White House press secretary say that the cap and trade bill is a jobs bill first and foremost. Why do we need a jobs bill? That's what the stimulus package was. That's what we spent all that money for and continue to spend. So let's bag the cap and trade bill."

"They want an increase in our real estate taxes but our house isn't as valuable as it was so why couldn't we be getting a rebate back?"

"It's official. Our Congress is made up of a bunch of clowns. The bozos in Minnesota decided to elect a vulgar, vile comedian with no expertise in anything other than being an idiot on television as a United States senator. Unbelievable. Minnesota, you got what you deserve. The United States of America did not."

"It's amazing how Fast Eddie and his band of thieves can find all kinds of ways to cut spending that affects the taxpayers, but no way at all to take some of the excess he and his cronies get. He sure is taking care of the taxpayers in Pennsylvania."

"The fact is that the world population of polar bears has increased 300-400 percent over the last 30 years. Is the Arctic warmer now than then? If so, it hasn't been a problem for the polar bears. The polar bear scare is pure poppycock nonsense, another hysterical fantasy dreamed up by the scaremongers with sticky fingers in your wallet."

"The bloated government will not be denied their new taxes. Slavery by debt so huge there's nothing left. That's the goal."

"Wow! I really feel sorry for those government officials for having no budget, no pay. Yeah, right. I don't think so. I don't feel sorry for them. Now maybe they will know what it is to be like the rest of us especially us who lost our jobs, our homes, our whole livelihood. It's not nice is it politicians? Especially you, Fast Eddie."

"Our property taxes just arrived. When you read through all the mumbo jumbo and figure it out, they actually went up $117, even with the discount they put on a piece of paper telling you how much of a discount you got. But when everything is added up, we ended up with an increase of $117.42. This year we cannot pay it — nobody is working."

"I hope the governor doesn't add more money to our taxes for us seniors. We barely have enough to live on my husband and I. We don't want to move out of the house we've been in for over 50 years. I just can't believe this is happening in this day and age."

"The global warming liberals have lashed onto CO2 as their chosen boogeyman because this gives them excuse to control virtually every activity on earth seeing as we are a carbon-based species on a carbon-based planet."

"I believe in our form of government. It is what once made us the greatest nation the world has ever known. However, sadly, I no longer believe in the people running it hence the current predicament our nation is in. I grow weary of elections where I am voting for the lesser of two evils instead of for a person who will get the job done. Always remember, people should never fear its government but government better fear its people."

Pa. woman, 19, dies from swine flu complications

Just when we thought the swine flu scare had run its course, we get this shocking news from the Montgomery County Health Department:

A 19-year-old woman who was suffering from other medical conditions succumbed to complications from an infection of H1N1, according to the Montgomery County Health Department.

The Health Department is withholding the woman's name and town to protect the family.

The Health Department said underlying conditions were to blame for the fatality and that this was the first death from H1N1 virus, also known as swine flu, in the county. About 170 people in the United States have died from complications of the swine flu, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Read more at The Mercury's Web site.

Columnist: At least 1 RINO willing to back Rendell tax hike

John Baer of the Philadelphia Daily News has found a Republican state House member willing to support Gov. Ed Rendell's call for a 16-percent tax hike for Pennsylvania families and small business owners.

No surprise that he is Rep. Dennis O'Brien, the Philadelphian who served as Speaker of the House under Democratic control of the House from 2007-09. O'Brien may be registered as a Republican, but his is a RINO who always votes with Rendell.

That still leaves 98 Republicans who would probably oppose the tax hike. A defection by a few Democrats would give the GOP the 102-vote majority it needs to kill the $4.5 billion Rendell tax hike.

From Baer's column:

Selling higher taxes in the current political and economic environment might be the toughest task Rendell's faced to date.

Even an urban House Democrat supportive of the governor tells me, "There will be an endgame here, but it won't include the income tax."

Read the full column, "Tax-hike plan hitting GOP wall, for now," at the newspaper's Web site.

Obama Propaganda Minister

Does Robert Gibbs remind you of former Iraqi Propaganda Minister Muhammed Saeed? For those with short memories, check out www.welovetheiraqiinformationminister.com

Camping Goes 'Green' at Pennsylvania State Parks

Camping Goes 'Green' at Pennsylvania State Parks

Rep. Schroder: 'Tax hike not the answer'

Tax Hike Not the Answer to Pennsylvania's Spending Crisis

By Rep. Curt Schroder
R-Chester County

Gov. Ed Rendell has announced plans to raise the Personal Income Tax of Pennsylvania taxpayers by 16 percent, or a half percentage point increase as his answer to the state’s $3.2 billion budget shortfall.

The Rendell administration is spending a lot of time selling the idea that we have a revenue crisis in this state and more money is needed. We don't have a revenue crisis in Pennsylvania. We have a spending crisis and it's time we acknowledge it and begin dealing with it responsibly.

The state Senate recently passed a budget bill that was widely criticized for the depth of cuts it proposed. While the Senate bill was far from a perfect solution, it did reflect the economic realities facing lawmakers and Pennsylvania citizens.

Now is the time to scale back state government, to cut non-essential services and discretionary grant programs, and hold the line on spending. Yet, the governor's original budget proposed $700 million in new state spending even in the face of a massive deficit, at a time when people are losing their jobs and losing their homes to foreclosure. Now he proposes to take even more out of their paychecks. This is not a responsible or acceptable solution.

Last year, before passage of the 2008-09 budget, we were warned by Senate budget analysts that the proposed spending plan would result in a $1 billion deficit this year. They warned that revenue estimates were too high and unrealistic, and one-time revenue sources were being used. I rejected that budget, as did 31 of my House colleagues.

The taxpayers of this commonwealth need to know what is at stake. In order to maintain the level of state spending the governor is proposing, a broad-based tax increase like the one he has proposed would be necessary. Our current economic crisis could have been avoided if Pennsylvania's spending increases had stayed within the rate of inflation during the Rendell years. Under Rendell, the state budget has increased nearly 40 percent -- double the rate of inflation. Had we held spending to a modest 3 percent in each of the past six years, our spending would be in line with the revenues coming in today. Our budget would be balanced, important programs would be retained and there would be no danger of a tax increase.

Instead we are in a budget crisis. We are left with no easy choices, but the choices are clear. We must live within our means or prepare for a major tax increase. I will not vote for a tax increase, and I challenge those members of the General Assembly who are critical of efforts to budget responsibly to come clean with taxpayers and let them know which taxes they will raise in order to pass a budget that increases spending to the levels proposed by the governor.

Rep. Curt Schroder is a Republican who represents the 155th House District in Chester County. For more information, visit his Web site, www.curtschroder.com

Newspaper: Public notices bill would do most harm to local taxpayers

An excellent editorial published in today's edition of The Mercury putting the push by Democrats in the state House to remove the requirement that government bodies place public notices in newspapers.

The people behind the bill say it will save money, but when was the last time anyone in Harrisburg saved you money?

From the editorial:

Is there one taxpayer in this state who believes his or her taxes will go down if this becomes law?

Is there one taxpayer who believes giving state government the right to set up permanent public notice Web sites, maintained by state employees, will be cheaper than the same service provided by private industry?

And cost is only part of the equation. Should the state government be in charge of informing taxpayers how their state, counties, boroughs and townships plan to spend tax money? The issue once again is information about how local government works.

Just this week those without Internet access would have missed notices that the borough of Pottstown was accepting bids for materials for the wastewater treatment plant and that the zoning hearing boards in East Vincent and Lower Pottsgrove townships would be holding hearings on property development requests.

No other state in this nation has gone to Internet-only legal advertising and there is a reason. The most significant reason is a large portion of the public would be uninformed.

Read the full editorial at the newspaper's Web site.

Tell Ed Rendell what you think of him

The Pennsylvania Cable Network will dedicate Wednesday evening's programming to the state budget impasse.

Beginning at 5 p.m. today, PCN will air a block of special "On the Issues" programs featuring key lawmakers involved in the budget process.

Following these one-on-one interviews, Lieutenant Governor Joe Scarnati and Governor Ed Rendell will take viewers' calls during two separate LIVE PCN Call-In Program specials set to air starting at 6 p.m.

Each hour-long Call-In program will give viewers an opportunity to talk directly to the featured guest by dialing toll-free at 1-877-PA6-5001.

The schedule, including replay times, for this special PA budget programming block is as follows:

Wednesday, July 8:

5:00 p.m. – On the Issues: Rep. Mario Civera (R) – House Minority Appropriations Chair
Replays – Wednesday, July 8 at 8:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m.

5:15 p.m. – On the Issues: Rep. Dwight Evans (D) House Majority Appropriations Chair
Replays – Wednesday, July 8 at 8:15 p.m. and 11:15 p.m.

5:30 p.m. – On the Issues: Sen. Dominic Pileggi (R) – Senate Majority Floor Leader
Replays – Wednesday, July 8 at 8:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m.

5:15 p.m. – On the Issues: Sen. Jay Costa (D) Senate Minority Appropriations Chair
Replays – Wednesday, July 8 at 8:45 p.m. and 11:45 p.m.

6:00 p.m. (LIVE) – PCN Call-In program: Sen. Joe Scarnati, Lieutenant Governor/PA Senate Pro Tempore
Replays – Wednesday, July 8 at 9:00 p.m; Thursday, July 9 at 12:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m.

7:00 p.m. (LIVE) – PCN Call-In program: Governor Ed Rendell
Replays – Wednesday, July 8 at 10:00 p.m; Thursday, July 9 at 1:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m.

For updated information about special budget programming and other programming information, visit the daily schedule at pcntv.com

If they made a movie about Ed Rendell ...

Gun Rights Leaders Join in Opposition to Sotomayor Confirmation

"It is extremely important that a Supreme Court justice understand and appreciate the origin and meaning of the Second Amendment, a constitutional guarantee permanently enshrined in the Bill of Rights," said a letter from the group, which was hand-delivered to every member of the U.S. Senate. "Judge Sotomayor's record on the Second Amendment causes us grave concern about her treatment of this enumerated Constitutional right."

Gun Rights Leaders Join in Opposition to Sotomayor Confirmation

Former State Department Employee Sentenced for Illegally Accessing Confidential Passport Files

Former State Department Employee Sentenced for Illegally Accessing Confidential Passport Files

Whatever happened to draining the swamp?

Analysis: House Financial Services Committee Received $62.9 Million in Campaign Contributions From Financial, Insurance, and Real Estate Interests

Hardly working

A Central Pennsylvania television station recently calculated that the Pennsylvania Legislature is burning through $50,000 a day in taxpayer money every day it convenes since the June 30 fiscal year deadline.

And what is the most expensive state legislature in the country doing with its time (other than debating the budget, of course)?

From an editorial in today's edition of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:

Legislative 'priorities'

Pennsylvanians can take comfort in knowing that while their elected representatives couldn't cobble together a cohesive state budget by deadline, they nevertheless were dutifully at work attending to pressing public matters.

Among some lawmakers' priorities: a resolution on the Borough of Dushore's 150th anniversary and legislation on county park police training requirements.

Then there's that crucial legislation from Rep. Babette Josephs, D-Philadelphia, which bans the forced implantation of computer chips in humans. What a relief!

Maybe this crew should draft legislation banning the replacement of state representatives with cyborgs. With regard to some, it's difficult to differentiate the human beings -- those capable of intelligent problem-solving -- from what appear to be preprogrammed robots at work on the assembly line at the Susquehanna Sausage Factory.

Now, it doesn't require an awful lot of intelligence, artificial or otherwise, to figure out that a growing multibillion-dollar state deficit, looming for months, would demand considerably more focus in state budgeting this year. And yet, once again, the clock ran out without a fiscal accord in hand.

Thus began the backroom dealing, with Gov. Ed Rendell's 16 percent income-tax hike in the balance. And, ultimately, the adoption of a state budget that will be handed to the public as a done deal.

This, sadly, is what passes in Pennsylvania as "representative government."

Help stop the Obama energy tax

The Obama energy tax passed the House by a 219-212 margin, but it can be stopped in the Senate. If you don't want to pay nearly $2 trillion in new taxes on electricity and other forms of energy to give more money to Al Gore and his global warming cabal, contact your U.S. senator and tell him to vote NO on "cap and trade."

PA sees record booze sales

We now know where $1.8 billion in disposable income went during the past fiscal year in Pennsylvania.

Sales at Pennsylvania's state-operated Wine & Spirits stores reached a record $1.84 billion in fiscal year 2008-09, generating more than $494.5 million in sales tax, liquor tax and profits for the commonwealth's General Fund, Patrick "P.J." Stapleton III, chairman of the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, said today.

From a press release:

"We are fortunate that sales at our Wine & Spirits stores continue to rise, even as the economy slows," said Stapleton. "Our success is all the more important to Pennsylvania taxpayers when you consider the $494.5 million in taxes and profits the Liquor Control Board transferred to the General Fund to help pay for essential services, such as public safety, education, transportation and health care."

Wait a minute. Is Stapleton encouraging Pennsylvanians to drink more alcohol in order to get the state out of its current fiscal crisis? Sure sounds like it.

More from the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board:

For the fiscal year ended June 30, the agency collected $265.9 million in liquor taxes and $103.6 million in sales taxes and transferred $125 million of store profits to the state Treasury. The total of $494.5 million transferred to the General Fund is the largest amount in agency history.

"In 2009-10, Pennsylvanians will continue to see significant changes in the way our stores operate, and the Liquor Control Board will remain fully committed to fulfilling this mission," Stapleton said. "We will keep changing for the better to benefit all Pennsylvanians."

The Obama Wrecking Ball

Newspaper: Obama 'stimulus' clearly a failure

From an editorial in Investor's Business Daily:

Those who pushed through this year's $787 billion fiscal "stimulus" seem to be counting on the American people's short memory. Wasn't it just last year that we were told, repeatedly and with stark emphasis, that this economy was the "worst" since the Great Depression?

That was the pretense for not only the stimulus, but for the federal takeover of the U.S. auto industry and the quasi-takeover of the U.S. financial industry. It's also the underlying premise for both nationalized health care and massive new taxes to cut CO2 emissions.

If the stimulus passed, the White House vowed, unemployment would peak at 8%. Today, it's 9.5% — and rising.

"The truth is, we and everyone else misread the economy," said Biden. He used that phrase — "the truth is," or something similar — at least three times in a talk with ABC's George Stephanopolous. But the "truth is" something quite different.

Many voices — including ours — were raised in opposition to the stimulus when it was debated. We didn't "misread" the economy. We knew from history that, left alone, it would get better without government meddling.

Instead, Americans were promised "shovel ready" projects would put stimulus money to work right away creating jobs. For the record, since February, the month the stimulus was passed, the U.S. has lost 2 million jobs. The stimulus is clearly a failure.

Read the full editorial at the newspaper's Web site.

Size this man up for a strait-jacket

This might help explain Gov. Ed Rendell's disconnect from reality as he continues to push for a $4.5 billion tax hike on Pennsylvania families and small business owners.

It appears the governor is getting bad advice from his underlings.

This is what Rendell's chief of staff, Steve Crawford, told Tony Romeo of KYW Newsradio 1060:

"I've talked to Republican members of the Senate who have said to me that they're willing to vote for a PIT increase. I've talked to Republican members of the House who've said to me that they're willing to vote for a PIT increase. I've talked to Democratic members of the House who say, 'I really, really, really, don't want to vote for a PIT increase, I need to be convinced.' And we're prepared to convince them."

I hate to say this, but it appears Mr. Crawford has been having conversations with imaginary members of the Legislature.

The state Senate already voted 30-20 to adopt a 2009-10 General Fund budget that does not include any income tax hike. All 30 Republican members of the Senate are on record opposing a tax increase.

The House has not been allowed to vote on a budget by the Democratic party bosses who control the agenda. The reason the Democrats won't bring a budget up for a vote is because all 99 Republicans and at least 20-30 Democrats will vote against any budget that includes a tax increase.

Rendell doesn't have the votes to pass a tax increase in either chamber.

The fact that Rendell's chief of staff can't count may explain how the Randell administration ran up a $3.25 billion budget deficit for the 2000-08 fiscal year.

Far-left politicos line Specter's pockets

From the Whispers column in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:

MONEY DOWN THE DRAIN? Specter's new Democrat colleagues certainly are being generous to his re-election campaign.

House Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada and Sens. Barbara Boxer of California and Patrick Leahy of Vermont each have donated $10,000 to Specter, as has Democrat-turned-independent Joe Lieberman of Connecticut.

Pitching in $5,000 each were Sens. Max Baucus of Montana, Benjamin Cardin of Maryland, Dick Durbin of Illinois, Daniel Inouye of Hawaii and Ben Nelson of Nebraska.

Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan wrote a $4,000 check and Sens. Debbie Stabenow of Michigan and Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico each ponied up $2,000.

The Hill, a Washington, D.C.-based newspaper, speculated that the generous donations might be an attempt to make up for the considerable sum Specter lost by defecting from the GOP.

He has refunded more than $100,000 to irate contributors who assumed they were giving their money to a Republican -- right up until the moment Specter turned turncoat.

Given Specter's atrocious polling numbers, we're thinking a less reckless way for his fellow senators to have spent their money would have been to toss it from the top of the Washington Monument.

Read the rest of the column at the newspaper's Web site.

'A stimulus for the rich'

Remember all that talk last year about how the Bush tax cuts were only for the rich? Guess what? The Pelosi/Obama "stimulus" package has so far benefited some of the richest Americans. Where's the media outcry? They're busy commenting on Michelle Obama's new dress.

The Washington Times is the latest newspaper to criticize Barack Obama's failed "stimulus" package, calling it "a stimulus for the rich" in a new editorial.

From the editorial:

President Obama billed the stimulus package as a national effort, one that would involve spending "in communities across America." But the money is not being doled out proportionally across the country. The most funds are not even being distributed to the areas with the greatest economic problems.

It is not surprising that political calculations play a major role when the government hands out money. But it is shocking that Mr. Obama and the Democrats are sending stimulus funds to those places that need help the least.

Read the full editorial at the newspaper's Web site.

Originally posted at THE CENTRIST

'Get Help Now, Pennsylvania' offers free legal, financial advice

First Lady Judge Rendell Opens 'Get Help Now, Pennsylvania' Initiative

Rep. Swanger blasts Rendell's 'insatiable appetite for spending'

State Rep. RoseMarie Swanger, R-102nd Dist., sent the following Letter to the Editor to her hometown newspaper, the Lebanon Daily News about the state's budget stalemate:

Rendell bats 1.000, unfortunately

Going seven-for-seven is all-star material — if you are a baseball player. But for the seventh time in seven years under Gov. Ed Rendell, we do not have a state budget, and the deadline for having one in effect has passed.

In years past, the debate has been based on money we have. This year, the differences lie in dollars we do not have. While the current economy has not helped the situation, this governor's insatiable appetite for spending has contributed to the shortfall, a term that seems insufficient when describing a $3.2 billion figure.

We as a General Assembly are now charged with making some difficult financial decisions. On a larger scale, they are much like the decisions you as residents of the Lebanon Valley are making every day.

There appear to be two possible solutions to the dilemma — raise revenues or cut spending. In the average household, the answer to this problem is the latter, with the making of sacrifices and doing more with less. That should also be the case in Harrisburg.

Unfortunately, the Rendell administration's solution is to atone for years of irresponsible spending by asking you to pay even more through increased taxes. The governor and many House Democrats are advocating a rise in the personal-income tax. They have trivialized the act by saying that it will cost the average Pennsylvania family less than $5 per week and that our current personal-income tax is among the nation’s lowest. For the record, the Washington-based Tax Foundation lists Pennsylvania as having the 10th highest state and local tax burden.

If paying more taxes does not fit your idea of a solution to our problem, I suggest you log on to my Web site, RepSwanger.com, where you will find StopPATaxHike.com. This site offers you an opportunity to voice your opposition to the Rendell tax-and-spend plan. You have the option of signing a petition to oppose a tax increase, contributing written comments on the idea and even submitting a video version of your discontent.

While House Republicans have put the site together, this is obviously a bipartisan issue. Pennsylvanians of all parties have one request when it comes to state government, and it is a very reasonable one — do as we are doing and live within your means.

Rep. RoseMarie Swanger
102nd Legislative District

July 7, 2005

Four years ago today, the Pennsylvania Legislature voted itself, the governor and state judges a middle-of-the-night pay raise.

The Legislature has taken hundred of votes since that fateful day, but this is the only one we're still talking about.

The pay raise led to the modern reform movement and launched a thousand bloggers, including this one.

I agree with the assessment below by Lowman S. Henry and I actually said the same thing on my radio show on July 2 when state Rep. Tom Quigley called in to discuss the latest talk in Harrisburg about a potential tax hike to get Gov. Ed Rendell out of the deficit hole he created.

One-third of the Legislature in place during the 2005 pay raise vote is gone, driven into early retirement or tossed from office by voters.

In retrospect, the amount of the pay raise is insignificant compared to the $4.5 billion income tax hike Gov. Ed Rendell is pushing this year.

I told Rep. Quigley to tell his newer colleagues (the ones who replaced the payjackers over the past two election cycles) that if they vote "yes" for any broad-based tax increase, they will be voting to end their political careers.

If the Legislature votes to increase any major tax in 2009, whether it's the income tax or a sales tax, we'll be talking about the vote four years from now.

Tax hike vote could be the 'pay raise' vote of 2009

A guest column by Lowman S. Henry on the fourth anniversary of the July 7, 2005, pay raise vote:

Nobody Ever Lost ...
Tax hike vote could be the 'pay raise' vote of 2009

by Lowman S. Henry,
CEO, Lincoln Institute of Public Opinion Research

It happened four years ago in the early morning hours of July 7th. The Pennsylvania General Assembly was set to adjourn for the summer, and in the dead of the night did what it had done many times before: pass a pay raise for itself.

Nobody could have predicted that action would have the biggest impact of any vote taken by the legislature in recent history. Even today, as state government struggles with adopting a new budget, that pay hike vote looms as the single biggest factor influencing deliberations.

What followed was anything but ordinary. In fact it was later described by a victim of the fallout as a "political earthquake." Typically, pay raise votes were met with grumbling from the electorate, outrage by good government groups, and derision by the news media. Then the criticism would wane, the legislators would make off with the ill-gotten gain and life at the capitol returned to normal.

But in the summer of 2005 voters were not in a happy mood. Governor Ed Rendell and politicians of both parties had promised to reform the state's oppressive property tax system and give property owners long sought after relief. The promises went unfulfilled, and the pay raise became the tipping point at which voters stood and vowed not to take it anymore.

Even after weeks of loud protest, conventional wisdom clung to the belief that nobody ever lost an election because of a pay raise vote. But when a sitting state Supreme Court Justice was denied retention - something that had never before happened - it became clear this was no ordinary venting of frustration. It had become a movement.

The following May another historic first occurred when the sitting President Pro Tempore and the Majority Leader in the state senate were both defeated in the primary by pro-taxpayer candidates. Before the dust settled voters had replaced over a quarter of the legislature with new members.

So much for nobody ever losing their seat because of a pay raise vote.
As the newly elected members took office reform was in the air, but precious little actually happened. The legislature did agree not to take votes in the middle of the night. Also passed was a substantially improved Open Records law. And, of course, new leadership emerged in both chambers.

It is that new leadership, spawned by the pay hike revolt that is having a huge impact on the current budget negotiations in Harrisburg. The ousted senate leaders - President Pro Tempore Bob Jubelirer and Majority Leader Chip Brightbill - both of whom are Republicans routinely caved in to the big government spending demands of the state's Democratic governor, Ed Rendell.

The new senate Republican leadership has not - so far - made that mistake and is holding firm against the barrage of tax hikes proposed by the governor.

Thanks to the pay raise revolt there is new leadership also in the state house. Former House Speaker John Perzel emerged as a passionate, if ham-handed defender of the pay hike. He was not defeated by voters in his district, but his support for the pay raise contributed to a loss of the Republican majority in the house. And, amid an ongoing investigation by the state Attorney General's office into legislative misconduct, Perzel has been consigned to the back benches by his caucus.

Perzel, like Jubelirer and Brightbill, habitually gave into the governor's spending demands. The new Republican Leader in the house, Representative Sam Smith, tops a team that is steadfast in its refusal to give the governor Republican votes for passing tax increases this year.

Thus, the pay raise vote and subsequent voter revolt have set the stage for the current budget stand-off. The series of events set into motion by the pay grab recast the players, but more fundamentally it has changed the climate in Harrisburg. And while there are still plenty of the old-time insider games going on under the capitol dome, legislators of all political stripes are aware that voters are watching and that the people of Penn's woods expect a different outcome this time.

There is another old saying around the capitol: nobody ever lost their seat because of a tax hike vote. In the back of their minds, as legislators contemplate whether or not to raise taxes, that bit of convention wisdom may sound eerily familiar. Thanks to the pay raise of 2005, the tax hike vote of 2009 is one legislators will make at their own electoral risk.

Lowman S. Henry is Chairman & CEO of the Lincoln Institute and host of the weekly Lincoln Radio Journal. His e-mail address is lhenry@lincolninstitute.org

Send in the clown

Economists worry about a 'double-dip recession'

As if Barack Obama and Congressional Democrats havent' done enough damage to the U.S. economy, a new report warns that another recession could hit in late 2010.

This assumes the U.S. recovers from the current recession, which has dragged on for 18 months and has been prolonged over the past six months by Obama's ill-advised economic policies.

From a story by Kent Hoover in the Philadelphia Business Journal:

The end of the recession is "literally just around the corner," the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's chief economist said, but there is a 15 percent to 20 percent chance of another economic downturn by late 2010.

Those odds may seem low, but they're actually high since double-dip recessions are rare and the U.S. economy grows 95 percent of the time, said the chamber's Marty Regalia.

He predicted that the current economic downturn will end around September but that the unemployment rate will remain high through the first half of next year. Investment won't snap back as quickly as it usually does after a recession, Regalia said.

Inflation, however, looms as a potential problem because of the federal government's huge budget deficits and the massive amount of dollars pumped into the economy by the Federal Reserve, he said. If this stimulus is not unwound once the economy begins to recover, higher interest rates could choke off improvement in the housing market and business investment, he said.

"The economy has got to be running on its own by the middle of next year," Regalia said.

Almost every major inflationary period in U.S. history was preceded by heavy debt levels, he noted.

On the bright side, a "double-dip" recession in 2010 will most like result in a backlash against Democrats in the midterm Congressional elections. The end of a Democratic majority in Congress would put a stop to Obama's socialist agenda for the remaining two years of his term.

Read the full story, "Economist: U.S. may see double-dip recession by late 2010," at the Philadelphia Business Journal's Web site.

Senior Gun Rights Activist Blasts Obama at July 4th TEA Party

"Obama's shifts of positions on gun rights makes me think of a snake on roller skates," said John M. Snyder at a suburban Washington, D.C., Fourth of July TEA Party. "The President slithers and shimmies in the White House, throughout the country, and on the issues."

Read more at the link below:

Senior Gun Rights Activist Blasts Obama at July 4th TEA Party

Holiday Period Crashes Claim 9 Lives in PA

Holiday Period Crashes Claim 9 Lives, Injure 206

Truck-Involved Traffic Fatalities Declined 12 Percent in 2008

Truck-Involved Traffic Fatalities Declined 12 Percent in 2008

Video: Rendell's Bad Math

WSJ: What is Obama's Plan B?

From a recent editorial in The Wall Street Journal about Obama's mishandling of the economy:

Washington has thrown trillions of dollars at this recession, including that famous $787 billion in more spending that was supposed to yield $1.50 in growth for every $1 spent. This followed the $168 billion or so stimulus that George W. Bush and Nancy Pelosi promised in February 2008 would prevent a recession. The jobless rate that month was 4.8%.

Most of this government spending has gone to transfer payments -- Medicaid, jobless benefits and the like -- that do nothing for jobs or growth. The spending that might create jobs -- on roads, say -- is dribbling out with typical government efficiency. Meanwhile, the money for all of this has to come from somewhere, and Democrats are already saying it will require big (unstimulating) tax increases in 2011, and perhaps sooner.

The Administration argues that the recession would be worse without the stimulus, which is impossible to disprove. However, it's worth recalling that Mr. Obama's economists predicted late last year that the stimulus would keep the jobless rate from exceeding 8%. That was a percentage point and a half ago. It's far more likely that the economy would have been better off without the spending, and the higher taxes and debt financing that it implies.

As always, a sustained expansion and job creation must come from private investment and risk-taking. Yet as America's entrepreneurs look at Washington they see uncertainty and higher costs from a $1 trillion health-care bill; higher energy costs from the cap-and-tax bill that just passed the House (see below); new restraints on consumer lending in the financial reform bill; new tariffs and threats of trade protection; limits on compensation and banker baiting; and the possibility of easier unionization, among numerous other Congressional brainstorms.

Read the full editorial at the newspaper's Web site.

Poll: 60% oppose another Obama 'stimulus' plan

How's that trillion-dollar "stimulus" package Nancy Pelosi pushed through Congress and Barack Obama signed in February working out for you?

If you're one of the nearly 3 million Americans who have lost their job since Obama took office, not so well.

Now Obama is talking about a second "stimulus" plan, one that would even more to the national debt, with no guarantee it would create a significant number of jobs.

A new Rasmussen poll says 60% of U.S. voters now oppose the passage of a second economic stimulus plan this year, a five-point increase in opposition since the issue was first raised in March.

Just 27% of voters favor a new stimulus plan, unchanged from the earlier findings. Thirteen percent (13%) are not sure, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.

More from Rasmussen Reports:

Eighty-one percent (81%) of Republicans and two-thirds of voters not affiliated with either major political party (66%) are against passage of a second stimulus plan. Democrats are much more evenly divided, but a plurality of those in Barack Obama’s party (45%) like the idea.

Similarly, a sizable majority of conservatives (82%) oppose a second plan, but a plurality of liberals (45%) favor it.

Capitol South - Al Franken edition

Global warming bypasses Berks County

The Reading Eagle had a story over the weekend about the coolest June in 17 years in Berks County.

From the article by Keith Mayer:

The temperature did not reach 90 degrees last month at Reading Regional Airport, making it the first June since 1992 to not record a 90-degree day. The mercury reached 85 degrees on only three days, also the fewest since 1992.

Al Gore could not be reached for comment.

Is Vince Fumo getting hitched?

It must be love. How else would you explain getting hitched to a 66-year-old man facing a 20-year prison sentence?

The future jailbird happens to be former state Sen. Vince Fumo, convicted earlier this year in one of the biggest corruption cases in Pennsylvania history. The bride is Carolyn Zinni, 51, a Delaware County business owner who accompanied Fumo to court throughout his lengthy trial.

The Philadelphia Daily News is reporting that Fumo proposed to Zinni and she accepted. No wedding date set. With Fumo's sentencing coming up on July 14, the nuptials may take place behind bars.

Democrats own the economy now

From a recent editorial in Investor's Business Daily:

At this point in a normal downturn lasting 11 months, the economy should be booming — with big jumps in GDP and 300,000 new jobs each month coming mostly from the private sector.

But 18 months into this downturn, we're still losing jobs — with 2.7 million gone in the private sector just since January, when the Democrats took full control of the government.

Shrinking GDP has crushed investment. First quarter gross private domestic investment — a proxy for business investment — plunged 20%, or nearly $450 billion, annually. The outlook is grim.

Worse, the June jobs data mark a milestone of sorts: Our unemployment rate equals that of the no-growth Eurozone nations.

Why is this job decline happening? The private sector — the real engine of economic and job growth — won't hire because it's scared of what it sees coming out of Washington.

On the horizon, as far as the eye can see, are higher taxes, uncontrolled spending and layers upon layers of new regulations.

Who would hire new workers faced with that?

Read the full editorial at the newspaper's Web site.

A new member of the No. 1 club

Over the past six months, only four Pennsylvania-based bloggers from the 100+ who participate in the BlogNetNews.com aggregator service have reached the coveted No. 1 position in the BlogNetNews.com/Pennsylvania Weekly Influence Index.

The quartet would be TONY PHYRILLAS (13 weeks at No. 1); PAWatercooler (9 weeks at No. 1); Suburban Guerrilla (3 weeks at No. 1) and Gunservatively! (1 week at No. 1).

This week, we welcome a new addition to the exclusive club. THE CENTRIST has reached the top spot in the latest Weekly Influence Index, although it did mean keeping myself out of the No. 1 spot. Or did it? I'm so confused.

'State lawmakers out of touch with reality'

A terrific Letter to the Editor in The Pottstown Mercury written by a Montgomery County resident in response to an op-ed by a Democratic state Senator excusing Gov. Ed Rendell's annual budget shenanigans.

State lawmakers out of touch with reality

Well, I for one will sleep better tonight after reading the wonderfully reassuring words from Democratic state Sen. John Wozniak that the current Pennsylvania "Budget Follies" are not the slow-motion train wreck that so many (including myself) have mistaken them to be, but are rather a gleaming demonstration of democracy in action. Boy is my face red!

And how witty of Mr. Wozniak to interject a bit of levity with his line about "blowing a deadline" over creating the Bill of Rights (not really about representative government at all, but I guess that's okay).

Unfortunately, Mr. Wozniak dishes up a few points that I just can't manage to swallow, no matter how hard I try.

Mr. Wozniak assures us that "Legislators are elected to serve constituents." Perhaps he can explain to me how saddling citizens with increasing debt is serving them? Do the "priorities of the people" that he trumpets not include living within our means?

Mr. Wozniak poses the rhetorical question whether a newspaper's management should go unpaid until a union contract is ratified. Boy, that's a tough one! Then again, if they are required by law to complete the contract by a certain date, then yes, I would consider docking their pay to be entirely appropriate.

At the same time, Mr. Wozniak, isn't characterizing yourself and your chums as "regular folks" just a little too much of a stretch? If all the "regular folks" in Pennsylvania got the same pay and perks that you get, I don't think we'd be in as much of a financial mess as we're currently in, since more tax money would be flowing into the state coffers.

Proudly proclaiming that the Legislature has not passed a single budget on time since Gov. Ed Rendell took office is nothing to be proud of, so far as I'm concerned, but it does effectively make a mockery of that law.

Mr. Wozniak asserts that "Lawmakers must fight for the priorities of the people in their districts, and that usually means fighting a lawmaker from another district."

This strongly suggests that there is no common ground among the various politicians. Now that is very odd, indeed. See, all along, I was operating under the illusion that at the core of politics was the belief that both Republican and Democratic legislators tend to broadly agree on what should be done for their constituents in general (i.e. "…establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general welfare …" — that kind of stuff), but tend to strongly disagree on how it should be done. I am so grateful to Mr. Wozniak for setting me straight on the situation.

As for his last pearl of wisdom, saying that we are choosing "the difficulties and frustrations of balanced power over the efficiency of one-party rule" I have to wonder in what dimension Mr. Wozniak lives! I have never, ever, heard anyone I know remark that they voted for someone for the sole purpose of obstructing the governmental process. I even went back and checked with some of them before writing this, just to make sure I hadn't missed something.

Mr. Wozniak, may I humbly suggest you get your head out of the place where it appears to be lodged (which cannot be at all healthy) and get about the business of doing your job — on time?

DAVE RYAN
Sanatoga

Bernie Madoff makes his choice

Are you a new Pennsylvania millionaire?

Pennsylvania Lottery's Millionaire Raffle Drawing Creates Four New Millionaires

'Obama Man' can

'Ice Age' ties 'Transformers' in weekend box office

Based on studio estimates released Sunday afternoon, "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs" and "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" topped the Fourth of July weekend box office with an estimated $42.5 million each, according to BoxOfficeMojo.com

It's unlikely that the two movies finished with exactly the same take at the box office, so a winner should emerge when final numbers are released Monday.

And yes, "Transformers" is about to close in on $300 million in just two weeks, making it the 2009 box office champion.

And yes, "The Hangover," which features nobody you ever heard of, topped $200 million at the box office so far this year to become the top comedy release of 2009.

Also of note is the continued success of the Disney/Pixar animated feature "UP" which passed "The Incredibles" to reach the No. 5 spot on the all-time computer animated box office list.

Only four films are ahead of "UP" -- "Shrek," "Shrek the Third," "Finding Nemo" and Shrek 2." By next week, "UP" will pass "Shrek" to reach the No. 4 spot, but that's as high at it will go.

Until Monday's final numbers are released, here's BoxOfficeMojo's WEEKEND TOP 5 STUDIO ESTIMATES, JULY 3-5, 2009:

Rank. Movie Title (Distributor)
Weekend Gross | Theaters | Total Gross | Week #

1. Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (Fox)
$42.5 million | 4,099 | $67.5 million | 1

1. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (Paramount (DreamWorks))
$42.5 million | 4,234 | $293.5 million | 2

3. Public Enemies (Universal)
$26.2 million | 3,334 | $41.0 million | 1

4. The Proposal (Buena Vista)
$12.8 million | 3,099 | $94.2 million | 3

5. The Hangover (Warner Bros.)
$10.4 million | 3,070 | $204.2 million | 5

No law says you have to raise taxes

Six of the 18 school districts in Berks County will keep their tax rates the same for the 2009-10 school year and four other districts will increase property taxes by less than 2 percent, according to the Reading Eagle.

So much for Gov. Ed Rendell's assertion that if he doesn't increase the state income tax by 16 percent this year, school boards will be forced to raise property taxes next year. No they won't.

School boards can start living within their means like the beleaguered taxpayers who live in those districts.

"Nobody likes tax increases," Dr. Edward Albert, Tulpehocken superintendent, told the newspaper. "And if there was going to be any year you didn't have a tax increase, this was the year not to have it."

It's not like these school boards have been reluctant in the past to raise taxes. The newspapers notes that the Antietam School District, which has the highest tax rate of any Berks County district, has raised property taxes every year since 2000.

That's eight consecutive years of property tax hikes -- and Rendell (who keeps claiming he's lowered school taxes) has been governor for six of those eight years.

Obama poll numbers continue to fall

Maybe it's the unemployment rate nearing 10 percent, maybe it's predictions that rapid inflation will eat away at what little wealth is left in the country, maybe it's Barack Obama's bumbling of the Iran and North Korea situations.

Whatever the cause, Barack Obama's job approval numbers continue to plummet, according to the Daily Presidential Tracking Poll by Rasmussen.

From Rasmussen Reports:

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Thursday shows that 33% of the nation's voters now Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as President. Thirty-five percent (35%) Strongly Disapprove giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of -2. This is the third straight day the Approval Index has been below zero.

Rasmussen video report notes that 42% now give the President good or excellent marks for handling the economy. That's his lowest rating to date. Thirty-seven percent (37%) say the country is heading in the right direction.

The Presidential Approval Index is calculated by subtracting the number who Strongly Disapprove from the number who Strongly Approve.

Overall, 53% of voters say they at least somewhat approve of the President's performance so far. Forty-six percent (46%) disapprove. During June, there was little change in the party affiliation of the American people and Democrats retain a 7-percentage point advantage.

Read more at Rasmussen Reports

Pat Toomey is 'one of the smartest people I've ever known'

Congressman Joe Pitts (PA-16) has endorsed Pat Toomey for the United States Senate and released the following statement:

"Pat Toomey is the right candidate. No one else comes close.

"I worked with Pat in Congress for six years. He is one of the smartest people I've ever known. He's also one of the most caring and passionate people I've served with. A lot of politicians have lost credibility in recent years. Pat Toomey isn't one of them. Pat has good ideas that he actually believes in, and he will work hard to make people's lives better.

"Pat Toomey is a bona fide fiscal conservative at a time when Washington desperately needs more of them. Pat knows where jobs and prosperity come from, and he knows they don’t come from Washington.

"Pat has strong convictions, but they are convictions with bipartisan appeal. Pat proved during his three terms in Congress that he has the ability to inspire Democrats and Republicans alike.

"Pat Toomey is going to win this race. He is principled, thoughtful, caring, and qualified."

For more on Toomey's bid for a U.S. Senate seat from Pennsylvania, visit his campaign Web site, www.toomeyforsenate.com

Originally posted at THE CENTRIST

Memo to Ed Rendell

Balancing the state budget is not rocket science. You simply spend less money than you take in. Pennsylvania families and businesses have to live within their means every day. Why can't Ed Rendell?

"Contrary to the Governor's rhetoric, there are a plethora of reforms and spending cuts that can balance the budget without firing our police, evicting our elderly, or dumbing down our kids," says POLICY BLOG, which offers 10 Ways to Balance the Budget Without Tax Hikes.

Some of the suggestions:

1) Eliminate corporate welfare. The Governor's latest General Fund budget contains over $410 million in corporate welfare.

2) Eliminate, privatize, or implement user fees for "private goods" - such as museums, parks, and the arts. The Governor's budget spends almost $500 million to maintain non-core functions of state government.

3) Control self-service government programs expenses like legislative leadership accounts used to fund illegal bonuses. A number of state programs and expenditures work to benefit of government official and the detriment of citizens. Rendell's revised General Fund budget about $200 million on self-benefiting expenses.

Are you listening, Ed Rendell?

'We hold these truths ...'

A message from William Warren:

The Fourth of July is a day that is usually a time when families get together for sunshine hot dogs, fun, and fireworks. Every American regardless of race, sex, income, and political party celebrates the day that the Founding Fathers signed the Declaration of Independence, spurring the start of the American Revolution.

Like many other national holidays, the meaning can often be lost in the festivities. And so it is up to each of us to, in the words of Jefferson, "Educate and inform the whole mass of the people... They are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty."

The American system of government, with the Founding Father's emphasis on "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness," has inspired almost every country in the world to rise up and take control of their own destiny. Constitutional Republics have spread throughout Europe, and just this year fellow freedom fighters as far away as Iran and as near to us as Honduras are standing up for their own independence much like our Founding Fathers did more than two centuries ago.

This is America's lasting legacy. Before 1776, only two Constitutional Republics even attempted to bring any form of freedom and liberty to mankind: The Greek and Roman Empires. But the people of these great nations became apathetic, not realizing, as John F. Kennedy wisely warned, "Complacency is the jailer of freedom."

So, while the Fourth of July has become a day of festivities (celebrating if nothing else, a day by the pool or at the beach), what Americans really are observing is the fact that a relative handful of courageous citizens lit a flame of liberty and installed a form of government that has governed over unprecedented prosperity and individual liberty. And even today, "the glow from that fire can truly light the world."

The United States turns 233 today

The Declaration of Independence was ratified on this date in Philadelphia on July 4, 1776. The document declared that the 13 American colonies would no longer consider themselves to be subject to the will or administration of the British Empire.

On this day we celebrate that spirit and courage that set our nation on its course.

Following are excerpts from that remarkable document:

"When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

"That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.

"That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

"Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.

"But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new guards for their future security.

"We, therefore, the Representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States.

"And for the support of the Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor."

'The Glorious Fourth'

The Glorious Fourth

By Tony Perkins
Family Research Council

In a letter to his wife Abigail, John Adams told her of the actions of the Continental Congress on July 2, 1776. "The second day of July, 1776 [the actual day the Declaration was signed], will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations, from one end of the continent to the other, from this time forward forever."

As we celebrate Independence Day, as John Adams so aptly predicted, we must not forget nor overlook the intense struggle our Founding Fathers faced. Their Christian faith played a critical role in an era that altered the history of the world.

There is not a better example of this seamless devotion to God and country than Samuel Adams. In his time, Sam was far more famous than his cousin, John. Sam was known as the last of the great Puritans and the father of the Revolution. It was Sam Adams who organized the Sons of Liberty and the Committees of Correspondence. (By the way, if you're going out to a Tea Party on Saturday, historians believe that the first tea party, the one in Boston, was organized by Samuel Adams. It was that Boston Tea Party that lit the fuse of the American Revolution).

When Sam Adams was elected to that First Continental Congress and traveled to the gathering of leaders in Philadelphia, he thought the Continental Congress needed to begin its work on its knees - in prayer. But when the motion was made to call in a local clergyman to lead the worship, John Jay of New York and Edward Rutledge of South Carolina objected. We are too diverse, they said. We could never agree on whose prayers to say.

Rising to his feet, Sam Adams spoke: "I am no bigot," he said, "I can hear the prayer of any man of piety and virtue who is a friend to his country." Deeply moved, the delegates voted to approve Sam Adams' idea. The next morning, amid reports of the British moving against the people of his hometown of Boston, Sam knelt in prayer with his fellow delegates, as the Rev. Jacob Duch? prayed. "Plead my cause, O Lord, with them that strive with me, and fight against them that fight against me."

That inspired move by Sam Adams did much to overcome suspicions among the delegates. Joseph Reed of Philadelphia called that prayer "a masterly stroke." Those Founding Fathers could now work together for liberty.

Soon, Sam Adams would sign the Declaration of Independence. Alongside Sam Adams' name you can find that of Charles Carroll, a delegate from Maryland. Carroll was the richest man in Congress and the only Roman Catholic. Nowhere else on earth in 1776 could you find an Evangelical like Sam Adams pledge "his life, his fortune, and his sacred honor" alongside a Catholic like Charles Carroll. They both risked death by hanging for signing that great Declaration. But they served the King of Kings and had no fear of King George III.

In our efforts to maintain the freedoms won by our forefathers we must be like them - people of action and prayer. We must never sever our personal faith from our public stand for faith, family and freedom.

After we celebrate our independence as a nation on Saturday, I invite you to join thousands of Christians from across the nation on Sunday as they fall on their knees in prayer as a part of FRC's Call2Fall, declaring their dependence upon God, just like our Founding Fathers.

Fourth of July Queen crowned in Pottstown

One of the best Fourth of July celebrations anywhere in the country takes place every year in Pottstown. Situated on the western end of Montgomery County, the borough carries on some wonderful traditions, but none rival the Fourth of July festivities.

The money to put on the event every year comes largely though community donations. The Mercury publicizes the names of everyone who gives to the cause and does feature stories on many of the volunteers who organize the celebration.

One of the biggest fundraisers is the annual Fourth of July Homecoming Queen competition, where students from area high schools vie to raise the most money. The winning contestent (and the school) have bragging rights for the year, not to mention a front-page article in The Mercury.

The 2009 Fourth of July Homecoming Queen was crowned Friday evening at the start of the two-day celebration.

The 4th of July Homecoming Queens raised more than $12,500 - which is triple the amount normally raised by in the Queens competition.

Pictured above, left to right: Bridget Yerger, of St. Pius X High School; Eva Magazu, of Owen J. Roberts High School; Gabrielle Schurr, of Pottsgrove High School (and the 2009 July 4th Homecoming Queen); and Tiara Reddick, of Pottstown High School.

The Saturday and Sunday editions of The Mercury will have full coverage of the two-day event. You can also find out more at www.pottstownjuly4th.org

Where are the jobs Obama promised?

Pitts: FDA Wrong Agency to Regulate Tobacco

FDA Wrong Agency to Regulate Tobacco

By Congressman Joe Pitts

I have had a number of constituents ask me about a recent vote I cast against legislation (H.R. 1256) to mandate the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulate tobacco sales. As someone who has always been anti-smoking, I can understand how that vote may be confusing, however, I believe it was the right vote.

The most important fact to remember in this debate is that the FDA’s job is to make sure the food and medicine we consume is safe. Tobacco is not safe at all, which makes the FDA the wrong agency to regulate it. Under this bill, for the first time ever, the FDA would approve a product that we know kills people.

The FDA is already overwhelmed with its current responsibilities. Putting more on its plate would be doing a disservice to the consumers the FDA is meant to protect. Over the past several years, the Energy and Commerce Committee, of which I am a member, has held numerous hearings where witnesses have testified and members of the Committee have stated that the FDA is not properly carrying out its current responsibilities.

In 2007, the Chairman of the Committee’s Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, Bart Stupak (D-MI), remarked that “the FDA continues to use 20th century tools and resources to address 21st century regulatory challenges,” and noting the FDA’s “current system is woefully inadequate.”

Also in 2007, Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA), the author of the tobacco legislation and current Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee stated, “the warning signs are clear: FDA is an agency in crisis.”

On October 3, 2007, FDA Commissioner Andrew C. von Eschenbach, submitted testimony to the Health Subcommittee, on which I sit, stating: “FDA shares the goal of H.R. 1108 (the bill number in the previous Congress), the ‘Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act,’ – to reduce tobacco use in this country. We agree with the need to address this significant public health problem. But we have concerns with the bill’s proposed means to achieve those objectives.”

Dr. von Eschenbach then outlined three primary objections to the bill. First, the bill could undermine the public health role of FDA. Second, the many aspects of the bill may be extremely difficult for FDA to implement. And third, a significant concern about the ability to carry out the new mandate with the resources provided under the bill.

It is also worth noting that the nation’s largest cigarette maker, Philip Morris, not only supports the bill—they wrote it. This should make everyone suspicious of how effective the plan will be in reducing smoking.

I want to reduce smoking. In fact, when we considered the bill in committee, I voted for an amendment that would have given FDA the authority to ban all nicotine—the addictive substance in tobacco. Nearly all of the supporters of the bill voted against it.

I especially want to protect our children from harmful and dangerous tobacco products, and that is why I cosponsored H.R. 1432. This bill would strengthen the very successful and effective federal-state tobacco control partnership, known as the Synar Program, which works to increase the compliance rate of preventing tobacco sales to minors.

It is estimated that nearly 21 percent of all U.S. adults (approximately 45.1 million people) are cigarette smokers. In addition to the prevalence of tobacco use in the adult population, 23 percent of U.S. high school students are cigarette smokers, and about 1,140 persons younger than 18 years of age begin smoking each day. Cigarette smoking is the leading preventable cause of death in this country, responsible for approximately 438,000 deaths per year. It is clear that we must take action to stem this public health crisis; however, there is no magic bullet, and, while it is critical that we do something, we must do the right thing. I simply do not believe that FDA regulation of tobacco is the right thing to do. While H.R. 1432 does not go as far as I would like, it puts us on the right track.

If the advocates of H.R. 1256 had really wanted to reduce smoking, they could have supported the amendment that would have allowed the FDA to ban cigarettes. Instead, we have allowed the largest tobacco company to write a bill that will require an already overburdened FDA to regulate and approve a product that is known to kill people. In this light, I think a no vote was the right vote.

Congressman Joe Pitts is a Republican who represents Pennsylvania's 16th Congressional District in Berks, Chester and Lancaster counties.

Sarah Palin looks to 2012

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Good move on Sarah Palin's part. She can devote all her time running for president. Barack Obama spent his first two years in the Senate on the campaign trail. Having a day job tends to get in the way.

July 13 Begins New Doe License Process

Pennsylvania Game Commission Executive Director Carl G. Roe remind hunters that county treasurers will begin accepting antlerless deer license applications three weeks earlier than in past years.

Applications from resident hunters will be accepted by county treasurers starting Monday, July 13, nonresidents on Monday, July 27.

Read more about the new process at the link below:

July 13 Begins New Doe License Process

Obama sides with Chavez, Castro

Check out this editorial in The Washington Examiner.

Obama Stimulus Swindle

'An Open Letter to the President'

An Open Letter to the President

Dear Mr. President,

I write to you as one elected official to another on behalf of average American citizens. We listen to your words and measure them carefully. With hope, we watch your actions. We then look to history and compare the events of our day with the events of yesterday. We look to our Founders and read carefully their intellectual discourses and their moral debate. They ultimately concluded that the actions of the king were best described as tyranny, because they could not be honestly described any other way. Having come to such a serious and reasoned conclusion, their path was charted—unknown as to its outcome — but certain as to its demand upon them. Mr. President, we are doing what Americans have done before.

Many of your words, at face value, inspire and offer some level of hope. This is why many Americans cast their vote for you. Yet, now that you are in office, your actions are inspiring fear and distrust. At nearly every level, Americans, regardless of political party, are being forced to walk down the same road our Founders were forced to walk – questioning, analyzing, and looking deep within their souls. The similarities between the past and the present are amazing. If you desire to test the American people's resolve and challenge their patience, you are accomplishing your goal. You know what is happening within the hearts and minds of the average American. That is why state legislatures are offering and passing resolutions, re-affirming the 10th Amendment and state sovereignty issue. That is why the Tea Party movement is growing by the day and is attended by rich and poor alike. That is why you and Congress are hearing from the American public in record numbers on an increasing range of major issues including the bail-out, the stimulus plan, "cap and tax," and government intrusion into health care.

Your speech sounds sensitive to the economic and emotional needs so heavy on our people. Yet, your continued references to being guided by the "Rule of Law" (our Founders knew this meant God’s Higher Law and the Highest Law of the Land – the Constitution) are hollow and disingenuous. Your recent speech in front of the original Constitution of the United States of America in the National Archives makes it all so clear that your words mean nothing. Your agenda and you yourself appear to be that "rule of law" – effectively setting aside all Constitutional constraints. It's unfortunate that I must be so direct, but you are leaving the American people with very few options.

Mr. President, it is clear by your speech and actions that your oath to the Constitution is not binding to you and, therefore, is a broken oath. On many fronts, so much of significance has happened in such a short time. You (and the Congress) are overriding state sovereignty and encouraging the states into unsustainable programs through Stimulus Funds: this will force them to beg you and the elite in Washington for help when the funding runs out. Your policies are destroying the wealth of hard-working Americans by plunging this nation into inescapable debt to our enemies and by justifying the disastrous printing of trillions in fiat money. What you and the Federal Reserve do not destroy immediately by exploding our debt, will be completely devoured by the ensuing hyper-inflation. What an insidious way for you and Congress to spend what you do not have by robbing it from every hard-working American who has responsibly worked and saved!

You have violated historic contract law by choosing who wins and who loses, while Chrysler and General Motors is eviscerated and turned into 'Government Motors'. You have thumbed your nose at the 'Balance of Power', so carefully conceived and implemented by our Founders, by appointing unaccountable "Czars" to function as your direct emissaries over fundamental areas of public policy, thereby blatantly by-passing the checks and balances of Congressional oversight. You pursue special interest agendas motivated by the faddish science of "Global Warming" or "Climate Change", or whatever it will be called next. In the 'cap and tax' plan, you justify the biggest tax assault on the American people ever conceived. Yet, you boldly assure the American people that it will cost them nothing, since only the "polluters" will pay. But, in the process you will destroy thousands of truly sustainable jobs (in exchange for temporary "green" jobs – like insulating buildings and re-caulking windows). Bringing America to its knees in financial dependence, in energy dependence, and a gutted manufacturing sector is sadly what’s happening. It appears that in reality, the "Change" you promised is just your personal change—clearly not what the American people so desperately hoped for.

So Mr. President, these things that I and the American people have come to observe and conclude are bringing this nation to a point closer each day that resembles the circumstances that forced the hearts, the minds and then the hands of our Founders. As we quickly approach the remembering of Independence Day – July 4, 2009, please remember that as you make your choices, so must we. May you and all the American people reread the Declaration of Independence – very carefully. Identify the principles they clearly stated and then apply them to today. Feel the intensity of the letter sent to the King. Understand the careful steps they undertook to make the moral case for freedom and independence in the context of the history of mankind. Note in particular the foundational precepts woven into paragraph two, written as much for the benefit of Americans yet unknown and unborn as it was a message to King George. As the President who holds the highest elected position in both honor and responsibility in this Republic, place yourself in the position of the King, look in the mirror, and then look across this great land at the faces of our great people and listen to their pleas. The King didn’t know for sure all that Declaration Letter would mean for him, but I am certain that he knew he had ignited the will and passion of a freedom-loving people for which only time would prove the outcome.

So it is today. Now, we have the Constitution against which to compare the words and actions of those in public office. The people, Mr. President, are awaking. They are realigning their priorities, purifying their motivations, and galvanizing their wills. Their freedom and their families are what they love and, thankfully, what they will defend. As to what comes next, I cannot say. I do know that another Declaration Letter is not necessary since this country already belongs to us. Our freedom and this republic are already ours. It is the return of freedom they demand. It is nothing less than the adherence to the Constitution and to the oath we have both taken that they demand. We, continuing to carefully note and compare as our Founders did, are also coming to serious and reasoned conclusions. Our path is charted – unknown perhaps as to its ultimate outcome – but certain as to its demand upon us.

From all those who love their Freedom,

State Representative Sam Rohrer
District 128 – Berks County

'Why do school boards raise property taxes? Because they can'

This Letter to the Editor, originally published in The Mercury, is about the Pottstown School District, but it applies to just about every school district in Pennsylvania. Student enrollment has declined steadily in Pottstown over the past two decades, but spending has risen dramatically. Why? And what happens to sane residents who win seats on school boards? Why do they rubber-stamp everything administrators ask for?

Why do school boards raise property taxes? Because they can

The Pottstown School Board is once again gouging Pottstown taxpayers with a 5.7 percent tax hike. The excuse this year is that the real estate assessments fell and therefore are not generating as much revenue as last year.

The article that detailed the board's decision in Saturday's edition of The Mercury stated that the $53.4 million budget passed without any public discussion among the board members. Are you kidding me? Back in February when the preliminary budget was presented, I remember Linda Adams saying that was not the time to discuss the details of the budget and she was applying to Harrisburg for permission for an even larger increase. The board in its infinite wisdom voted unanimously to let her do this.

Well, when is the time to discuss the details of the budget? Is it only done during a finance committee meeting, that then reports back to the board that there are absolutely no ways to trim the increase in spending? Hello, we are talking about a $3 million increase in school district spending for 2009/2010.

Board member, Nat White, did try to identify some areas in the budget that might be reduced, only to be told that most those expenditures are funded by grants. I find that hard to believe. The budget contained some very significant increases in a number of categories. Furthermore, the Pottstown School District's budget does not detail specifically what programs are funded by grants, but in a $53.4 million budget there is room to look for savings. The school board should instruct the administration to find a specified dollar amount in savings. Most members of this school board sit silently and do not question the administration on their free spending ways.

I fear that Pottstown is in a downward spiral with ever increasing tax hikes, and that middle class home buyers will continue to look elsewhere to purchase a home. The annual tax increases by the school district, as well as the borough, are unsustainable.

VERONIKA WHITE
Pottstown

81 lawmakers sign 'No Tax' pledge

We're more than half way there. As I mentioned before, the magic number is 128, which would constitute a majority in the House (102) and Senate (26) against the Rendell income tax hike.

As of today, 81 lawmakers have signed the "No Tax" pledge sponsored by the Commonwealth Foundation. To check if your state senator or representative is on the list, click here.

The important numbers are in the House, where Democrats hold a 104-99 majority. Assuming all 99 Republicans vote against the Rendell tax hike, at least three Democrats must stand with taxpayers.

If your state representative is not on the list, call or e-mail him or her to find out why they want to raise your taxes.

Bad

See what 312 idiots can do

The newest member of the U.S. Senate, comic Al Franken, hasn't cast his first vote yet but 4 in 10 Americans already think he's a jerk, according to a new poll.

From POLITICO:

Less than a week before Senator-elect Al Franken (D-Minn.) is set to be sworn into office, a new national poll shows that 44 percent of voters have an unfavorable view of the former comedian and liberal radio host.

A Rasmussen Reports poll released Thursday found that 34 percent have a favorable view of Franken, who defeated former Republican Sen. Norm Coleman to win the seat. Another 22 percent are not sure what they think of him.

The poll revealed that Franken generates strong feelings among his detractors. Twenty-nine percent said they had a "very unfavorable" impression of Franken compared to just 12 percent who have a "very favorable" view.

On Tuesday, after a protracted legal battle with Coleman, the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled that Franken won last November's Senate race by a razor-thin 312-vote margin. Franken is expected to be sworn into office early next week, giving Democrats a coveted 60-vote majority in the Senate.

Read the full article, "Poll: High unfavorables for Al Franken," at POLITICO.

Global Warming Meltdown

The global warming hoax is melting right before our eyes.

You won't hear about it in the mainstream media because they're in on the swindle, but take a look at these interesting developments:

Item: EPA Internal Report Skeptical of 'Global Warming'

The report was suppressed before Congress voted 219-212 to pass a global warming tax. How many votes would have changed if Obama had not hidden the report from fellow Democrats in Congress?

Item: Gore Sued For Global Warming Fraud

Yes, that would Nobel Prize-winning idiot Al Gore, the man who has profited the most from the global warming swindle.

Also check out the Thursday Wrap: Climate-Change Edition at The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Web site.

Originally posted at THE CENTRIST

Rendell signs bill to update PA voting rolls

Governor Rendell Signs Two Bills

Poll Confirms Americans Fear Obama Gun Control Agenda

From a release issued today by Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms:

A new Rasmussen poll reveals that 57 percent of American citizens believe gun sales are up over the past several months because of widespread fears that the government will tighten restrictions on gun ownership.

Read the full release at the link below:

'Rasmussen Poll Confirms Americans Fear Obama Gun Control Agenda' - CCRKBA

PA Lottery's Eighth Millionaire Raffle Drawing Set for July 4

PA Lottery's Eighth Millionaire Raffle Drawing Set for July 4 at 6:59 P.M.

77 legislators sign 'No Tax' pledge

The list is growing. Some 77 members of the Pennsylvania Legislature have signed a "No Tax" pledge sponsored by the Commonwealth Foundation. That's up from 57 who were on the list yesterday. Review the full list here.

The magic number to defeat Gov. Ed Rendell's plan to raise the state income tax by $4.5 billion is 128. If 102 House members and 26 Senate members agree not to raise taxes, Pennsylvania families and businesses will be spared.

So far, 30 Republican members of the Senate are on record as opposing a tax increase. But the real battle is in the House, where Democrats hold a 104-99 majority. At least three Democrats have to vote against Rendell's tax hike, but more than the minimum should stand with Pennsylvania taxpayers.

If your state House member is not on the list, contact them today and find out why they want to raise your taxes. There's a complete list of lawmakers posted at http://pleasenomoretaxes.org, where you can also sign an online petition opposing a tax increase.

It's Obama's recession now: Unemployment tops 9.5%

U.S. unemployment reached 9.5 percent in June, a 26-year high, according to the Labor Department, and Barack Obama is "deeply concerned."

He should be. He promised unemployment would top at 8 percent and start to decline if Congress agreed to his massive spending proposals. Just another in a string of broken promise by Obama.

Employers slashed 467,000 jobs in June, obviously not getting the memo from Obama and his sycophants in the media that things are turning around.

From The Associated Press:

Many economists predict the jobless rate will hit 10 percent this year, and keep rising into next year, before falling back.

All told, 14.7 million people were unemployed in June.

If laid-off workers who have given up looking for new jobs or have settled for part-time work are included, the unemployment rate would have been 16.5 percent in June, the highest on records dating to 1994.

Since the recession began in December 2007, the economy has lost a net total of 6.5 million jobs.

Some 3 million jobs have been lost since Obama took office.

The $1 trillion "stimulus" bill he signed in February to put Americans back to work has been a total failure.

His nationalization of banks, insurance companies and auto manufacturers has done little to restore faith in the U.S. economy.

His $1.9 trillion energy tax (cap and trade) will kill tens of thousands more U.S. jobs.

And then you have Obamacare, the government-run health system that will add trillions of dollars in debt.

Nothing up Obama's sleave

Pennsylvania Slots Casino Revenue Climbs Nearly 25% in Fiscal Year

Tax revenues are way down in Pennsylvania, but people are still willing to gamble their money away, according to new figures released by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board.

Pennsylvania Slots Casino Revenue Climbs Nearly 25% in Fiscal Year

Pennsylvanians Urged to Stay Safe, Obey State Laws Regarding Fireworks

Pennsylvanians Urged to Stay Safe, Obey State Laws Regarding Fireworks

Tell Rendell you can't afford to give him another $500 a year

'Talking Politics' on the radio today

Pennsylvania's budget stalemate will be among the topics of discussion on "Talking Politics with Tony Phyrillas & Mike Pincus" today at 5 p.m. on WPAZ 1370 AM

You can call the station with questions or comments at 610-326-4000.

If you can't receive the radio signal, you can listen to the broadcast online at www.pottsmerc.com or www.1370wpaz.com

Final PA budget deficit: $3.25 Billion

Pennsylvania finished with a $3.25 billion budget deficit for the 2008-09 fiscal year ending June 30, according to the Department of Revenue, which released estimated final tax revenue numbers today.

The state collected $2.3 billion in General Fund revenue in June, $415.3 million, or 15.5 percent, less than anticipated, according to Secretary of Revenue Stephen H. Stetler

Fiscal year 2008-09 General Fund collections totaled $25.5 billion, which is $3.25 billion, or 11.3 percent, below estimate, Stetler said.

Tax revenues, which were in the red for all 12 months of the past fiscal year, were down significantly in almost every category in June.

From a Pennsylvania Department of Revenue release:

Sales tax receipts totaled $675.6 million for June, which was $67.6 million below estimate. Sales tax collections for the fiscal year totaled $8.1 billion, which is $595.3 million, or 6.8 percent, less than anticipated.

Personal income tax (PIT) revenue in June was $818.4 million, which was $207.1 million below estimate. This brought fiscal year PIT collections to $10.2 billion, which is $1.3 billion, or 11.2 percent, below estimate.

June corporation tax revenue of $411.6 million was $82.2 million below estimate. Fiscal year corporation tax collections totaled $4.8 billion, which is $613.9 million, or 11.3 percent, below estimate.

Other General Fund revenue figures for the month included $67.7 million in inheritance tax, $10.6 million below estimate, bringing the fiscal year total to $772.2 million, which is $105 million below estimate.

Realty transfer tax was $27.1 million for June, bringing the total to $294.5 million for the fiscal year, which is $117 million less than anticipated.

Other General Fund revenue including cigarette, malt beverage and liquor taxes totaled $101.3 million for the month, $5 million below estimate, bringing the fiscal year total to $1.1 billion, which is $26.2 million below estimate.

Non-tax revenue totaled $155.9 million for the month, $30.9 million below estimate, bringing the year-to-date total to $235.2 million, which is $506.4 million below estimate.

In addition to the General Fund collections, the Motor License Fund received $161.7 million for the month, $38.6 million below estimate. Fiscal year collections for the fund totaled $2.6 billion, which is $175.8 million, or 6.4 percent, below estimate.

But Enough About Obama

Scarnati: Rendell must stop 'scare tactics'

Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati has called on Gov. Ed Rendell to end "public scare tactics" and begin sincere negotiations on a 2009-10 state budget.

From a press release issued today by Scarnati:

"In order to sell something that is not in the best interest of Pennsylvanians, which is a massive increase in the personal income tax, the Governor has come to his final option…threatening a doomsday scenario in the Commonwealth," Scarnati said. "However, if we are to get to the point of significant progress on this budget, the Governor must be forthright with his information to the public."

Scarnati noted several examples of the Governor scaring and misinforming the public, including statements that state parks will close, hospitals will shut down, and most recently that 800 troopers will be laid off if the Senate Republican version of the budget is enacted. These accusations by the Governor have all proven inaccurate.

"In fact, at a recent hearing of the Senate Law and Justice Committee, a representative of the Pennsylvania State Police alluded to the fact that the Governor's comments were a bit of sensationalism, and no trooper has ever been laid off as a result of budget shortfall," Scarnati stated.

After viewing a videotape in which the Governor also said the Senate GOP budget would result in untracked sex offenders, State Police Deputy Commissioner Jon Kurtz said, "That is sensationalizing. Those are all political statements that are being made for a purpose."

Senator John Rafferty, Chairman of the Committee, and other senators asked why the state could not simply shift the funding formula to use more money from the Motor License Fund. They pointed out that there is no statutory requirement that the percentages remain at their current ratio of 73-27, which is the percentage of Motor License Fund to General Fund.

Scarnati stated, "This is not a time when we should be creating panic or misrepresenting the facts. The Governor needs to realize that the people of Pennsylvania cannot afford a tax increase and that they will not be led down the road of false representations.

"I continue to hear the Governor comment on how the numbers will drive the process and quite frankly, I agree," Scarnati added. "The numbers I see for a tax increase are zero votes in the Senate Republican caucus and I am not sure he has the required number of votes in the House of Representatives to pass his tax increase budget. Those are the real numbers that drive this process.

"At this point the full House has yet to vote on the Governor's tax increase budget or consider our proposal, Senate Bill 850, which cuts spending and includes no new taxes," Scarnati concluded. "In the meantime I respectfully request that the Governor stick to the real facts and not scare the citizens of the Commonwealth with information that is far from reality."

Legislators take the 'No Tax Increase' pledge

A total of 57 members of the Pennsylvania Legislature have signed The Commonwealth Foundation's "No Tax Pledge," promising to "balance the budget, protect public safety and human services, and educate our children without raising taxes."

There are 253 members in the Pennsylvania Legislature.

If your state Senator or state Representative is not on the list, you need to contact them immediately to find out why they are not standing up for Pennsylvania taxpayers.

View the full list in PDF format here.

You can also sign an online petition opposing new state taxes at the foundation's Please, No More Taxes! Web site.

PA GOP blasts Rendell for missed budget deadline

Republican Party of Pennsylvania Chairman Rob Gleason issued he following statement on Gov. Ed Rendell missing the state's budget deadline for the seventh year in a row:

"Governor Rendell needs to stand up and take responsibility for his actions," Gleason said. “His out-of-control spending over the last seven years is the reason our Commonwealth is in this position in the first place! He needs to stop trying to push the burden of making up his budget shortfall onto hardworking Pennsylvania families who are already struggling to make ends' meet.

"While Republicans have spent months working on a fiscally responsible proposal that balances the budget while not raising taxes, Governor Rendell has wasted thousands of taxpayer dollars traveling across the Commonwealth to sell a bad bill of goods, including a staggering 16% increase in the Personal Income Tax. In addition, the Rendell administration has launched a series of taxpayer funded partisan attacks while using stall tactics to delay substantive budget negotiations.

"It's time for Governor Rendell to stop punishing the people of this Commonwealth for his years of wasteful spending, and join Republicans in working to pass a budget resolution that contains no tax hikes!"

Columnist: Watchdogs Become Lapdogs in Age of Obama

With the mainstream media already in the tank for Barack Obama, who is left to look out for the taxpayers? If you think government watchdogs are on the case, guess again.

Obama is moving quickly to silence or remove anyone who can witness his behind-the-scenes maneuvering to circumvent the Constitution and turn this country into a socialist state.

From Michelle Malkin's latest column:

Watchdogs are an endangered species in the Age of Obama. The latest government ombudsman to get the muzzle: Amtrak Inspector General Fred Weiderhold. The longtime veteran employee was abruptly "retired" this month -- just as the government-subsidized rail service faces mounting complaints about its meddling in financial audits and probes.

Question the timing? Hell, yes.

Read the full column, "Watchdogs Become Lapdogs in Age of Obama," at RedCounty.com

Rendell is 0-7 on state budget deadline

Welcome to July 1, 2009, the first day of the new fiscal year for Pennsylvania. Just one little problem. The state is beginning the new fiscal year without a budget. Don't fret too much. It's not like we haven't been down this road before. Ed Rendell has missed the budget deadline every year since taking over as governor in 2003.

But there is something different about this year. Rendell is a lame duck and we are in the middle of the worst recession since World War II. Rendell has squandered most of his political capital on broken promises (property tax relief, business revitalization, health insurance for all, jobs).

Despite increasing General Fund spending by $8 billion since 2003 -- twice the rate of inflation -- Rendell's big government, tax-and-spend agenda has been a monumental failure.

Pennsylvania is much worse off today than it was when Rendell took over as governor. From a recent post at The Commonwealth Foundation's POLICY BLOG on the state's business climate:

Only 40 states have a better business climate than Pennsylvania

Forbes has issued its latest report on "The Best States for Business". Pennsylvania ranks 41st. Amazingly, despite Governor Rendell's "investments" in our economy, that represents a drop of two spots since last year.

Here are more recent rankings of Pennsylvania's economic and business climate:

* Tax Foundation State and Local Tax Burden - 11th (50 is best)
* Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council Business Tax Index 2008 - 28 (1 is best)
* Pacific Research Institute State Tort Liability Rankings - 45th (1 is best).
* Beacon Hill Institute State Competitiveness Report 2007 - 34th (1 is best)
* ALEC-Laffer State Economic Competitiveness Index - 44th on Economic Performance; 37th for Economic Outlook (1 is best)
* Alliance for Worker Freedom Index of Worker Freedom - F (Tied for worst)
* Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council Policy Environment for Entrepreneurship. - 24th (1 is best)
* Tax Foundation State Business Tax Climate Index - 27th (1 is best).
* CEO Magazine Best States to do Business - 37th (1 is best)

There's no reason for the Republican-controlled Senate to give into Rendell this year. Rendell's way is a dead-end. Incredibly, Rendell wants to increase state spending by $1 billion for the 2009-10 fiscal year even thought he just finished the last fiscal year with a $3.2 billion deficit.

Hey, Ed: The first rule of holes -- When you're in a hole, stop digging!

The only compromise on the table is for Rendell to accept the balanced budget adopted by the Senate last month. It calls for no tax increases and a decrease in state spending. In other words, Pennsylvania government must live within its means for the first time since Rendell became governor.

For more on the state's fiscal crisis, check out "Lawmakers miss deadline for state budget" in The Philadelphia Inquirer and John Baer's column in the Philadelphia Daily News, "When it comes to a state budget, we're king-less"

Where Bernie Madoff will spend eternity

Rendell courts 'Judas' to support tax hike

From the Whispers column in The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:

NO JUDAS HERE. How badly does Gov. Ed Rendell want to raise the state personal income tax by 16 percent?

Badly enough to court the Blue Dog Democrats in the state House Democratic Caucus. If the name sounds familiar, it's because it was lifted from a similar band of conservative Democrats in Congress.

Rep. Nick Kotik of Coraopolis, the leader of the Blue Dog Dems, said Rendell has made "overtures" to talk to the group about supporting his tax hike proposal.

Kotik vowed not to be swayed by the long tradition of governors and legislative leaders buying tax votes with special grants known as WAMs and pet projects for lawmakers' districts.

"Thirty pieces of silver isn't going to do it," he said.

Read more at the newspaper's Web site.

More than Half of Highway Fatalities Are Related to Deficient Roadway Conditions

"On a Crash Course," A new study by Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation says more than half of U.S. highway fatalities are related to deficient roadway conditions.

Follow the link below to read the full study:

More than Half of Highway Fatalities Are Related to Deficient Roadway Conditions

Bald Eagles Nesting in 49 PA counties

Bald eagles have made a remarkable comeback in Pennsylvania over the past two decades and now nest in 49 of Pennsylvania's 67 counties.

Bald Eagles Nesting in 49 Counties of Pennsylvania; Proper Bald Eagle Nest Viewing Etiquette Encouraged

Gangster Government in the U.S.

Please, No More Taxes! petition

The Commonwealth Foundation is gathering signatures at its
PleaseNoMoreTaxes.org site asking Gov. Ed Rendell and the Pennsylvania Legislature to give Pennsylvania families and businesses a break by not raising the state income tax.

Rendell caught in another lie?

Gov. Ed Rendell wants to raise your taxes ... again.

In order to drum up support for a $4.5 billion tax hike over the next three years, Rendell, aka Chicken Little, has been predicting the sky will fall over Pennsylvania if he doesn't get his way.

An early scare tactic about school boards having to raise your property taxes if the state doesn't raise your income taxes first has been exposed as a sham.

Funding for education has risen every year under Rendell and will go up again under a balanced budget adopted by the Republican-controlled Senate.

Another scare tactic was the closing of state parks if Rendell doesn't get his way, but that won't happen as the state's fiscal year ends today. Parks can remain open all summer under current funding levels.

Rendell's latest scare tactic is his best one yet. Rendell is now saying that he will have to eliminate 800 Pennsylvania state troopers -- that's 1 in 5 -- if he doesn't get his tax increase.

Columnist John Baer of the Philadelphia Daily News tried to get to the truth of Gov. Chicken Little's latest doom-and-gloom prediction, but didn't have much luck.

From Baer's latest column:

The administration says that the GOP would toss 800 troopers off the 4,400-member force, giving evildoers, drunken drivers and child-molesters free reign over Pennsylvania.

"The Senate's plan is reckless if not criminal," Rendell said in a recent statement. And at a news conference Friday, he said: "The only way to meet that [GOP budget] is with 800 layoffs."

Republicans say that Ed's dead wrong and using scare tactics to sell his plan to hike the personal-income tax (which Republicans oppose) to raise another $1.5 billion for the state.

"It's shameful," Republican Senate President Joe Scarnati said on statewide TV last week. "When you're selling snake oil, you really need to up the hype."

Rendell says that Republicans put 1,720 communities (83 in the four counties surrounding Philly) with part- or full-time State Police coverage at risk.

Senate GOP Leader Dominic Pileggi says that Rendell's read on this is "based on either a misunderstanding or a deliberate evasion" of facts.

But the facts aren't easy to find.

Especially when the governor is working overtime to fool everyone.

Read Baer's full column at the newspaper's Web site.

Also check out this Associated Press story on the GOP disputing Rendell's claims about state trooper layoffs.

Toomey applauds 4 Democrats for rejecting energy tax

U.S. Senate candidate Pat Toomey is reaching across the aisle to extend a pat on the back to four Democratic members of the Pennsylvania Congressional delegation for their recent vote against the cap and trade bill.

The climate change tax bill passed the House by a 219-212 margin, with 44 Democrats voting against it.

Toomey commended Democratic Reps. Jason Altmire (PA-04); Chris Carney (PA-10); Tim Holden (PA-17); and Kathy Dahlkemper (PA-03) for "joining the bipartisan opposition to the cap-and-trade bill that promises to raise taxes and destroy American jobs."

More from a Toomey press release:

"Along with 40 other Democrats, these Pennsylvania Democrats had the courage to stand up to one-party rule in Washington," Toomey said. "They understand that protecting the environment is an important goal, but they are not willing to sacrifice American prosperity and hardworking taxpayers in the process. It is a shame Rep. Joe Sestak (PA-07) couldn't muster up the same courage. Instead, he voted to support Nancy Pelosi's extreme agenda. The question is, will Senator Specter choose the same path?"

"Only a couple of weeks ago, Senator Specter argued in support of maintaining balance in Washington in order to protect the country from extremism," said Toomey Communications Director Nachama Soloveichik. "He told The Hill newspaper that 'The United States desperately needs a two-party system.' But now that he has joined the Democratic Party, he seems intent on marching in lockstep with his new party in order to avoid a Democratic primary, even if it means throwing hardworking Americans under the bus. Senator Specter has the chance to prove he is serious about bringing balance to Washington — will he have the courage to do it?"

For more on Toomey's bid for a U.S. Senate seat from Pennsylvania, visit his campaign Web site, www.toomeyforsenate.com

Cardinal Rigali Protests Move to Fund Abortion in District of Columbia

Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philadelphia, chairman of the Committee on Pro-Life Activities for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, wrote to members of the House Appropriations Committee today urging them not to fund abortions in the District of Columbia.

Last week the House subcommittee considering the Financial Services appropriations bill for 2010 voted to permit direct public funding of abortion in the nation's capital.

Read the full release from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities at the link below:

Cardinal Rigali Protests Move to Fund Abortion in District of Columbia

'No: The Real Obstacle to Peace'

New AJC Film: 'No' is the Real Obstacle to Middle East Peace

The Obama Doctrine

Newspaper: Only Warming Is On The Left

Investor's Business Daily has another terrific editorial about the global warming hoax and how so many Democratic members of Congress fell for it in supporting the energy tax bill last week.

The newspaper also says the eight Republican members of Congress who gave Nancy Pelosi and Barack Obama a victory should be ousted in 2010.

From the editorial:

A switch of four Republican votes would have defeated Waxman-Markey, the Democrats' global warming legislation. But like the Clinton Btu tax, the bill could die in the Senate and turn the House over to the GOP.

Early in the Clinton administration, the House passed by an almost identical 219-213 vote the infamous Btu tax — a levy on each unit of energy consumed. The tax would have been assessed on the energy content of all fossil fuels as measured in Btu, or British thermal units.It died in the Senate and was used as a campaign issue as the GOP regained control of the House for the first time in 40 years.

Far from being morose, the GOP mood after Friday's vote was almost giddy. "On the floor, it felt like we won," said Rep. Tom Cole of Oklahoma. After the final gavel fell, Republicans were chanting, "Btu, Btu."

"A lot of Democrat members got burned on that vote," (House GOP Leader John) Boehner said. Something tells us they, and eight Republicans, may get burned on this one too.

Read the full editorial at the newspaper's Web site.

Judge: Teacher guilty in sexual relation with student

A verdict in a case involving a former charter school teacher and a 17-year-old female student.

From Carl Hessler Jr. in today's edition of The Pottstown Mercury:

A judge has determined that a former Phoenixville charter school teacher intended to corrupt the morals of a 17-year-old girl when he had an intimate relationship with her but that his conduct did not place the girl in danger.

Timothy Hammond, 33, of the 200 block of South Cedar Street, Spring City, was convicted Monday in Montgomery County Court of two misdemeanor counts of corruption of a minor but was acquitted of a more serious felony charge of endangering the welfare of a child in connection with incidents that occurred with the girl between September 2007 and August 2008 while he was a teacher at the Renaissance Academy.

Hammond showed no emotion as Judge Thomas P. Rogers announced the verdict. The judge determined the verdict based on testimony he heard during a two-day, non-jury trial earlier this month.

Hammond faces a possible maximum sentence of 5- to-10-years in prison on the child corruption charges. However, state sentencing guidelines also would allow for a minimum sentence between probation and several months in jail.

Read the full story at the newspaper's Web site.

National Beer Day

Quick, what's the first thing you think about when somebody mentions "The Fourth of July"?

Fireworks? Picnics? Celebrating the nation's birthday? Forget-about-it.

The Fourth of July is now most associated with beer.

Check out the release below:

U.S. Beer Sales Rank #1 on 4th of July

Billy Mays, 1958-2009

New Fiscal Year Brings Painful Spending Cuts, Continued Budget Gaps in Almost Every State

Pennsylvania is not alone in dealing with a fiscal mess.

I wonder how many of these states have Democratic governors or legislatures with Democrats in the majority?

New Fiscal Year Brings Painful Spending Cuts, Continued Budget Gaps in Almost Every State

Obama Rockets to Top of Poll on Global Leaders

While his popularity is declining in the U.S., Barack Obama is beloved throughout the world. Maybe it's because people in other countries don't have to pay all the taxes Obama is proposing.

Obama Rockets to Top of Poll on Global Leaders

Pennsylvania Department of Health Workshops Will Help Businesses Prepare for Flu Pandemic

Pennsylvania Department of Health Workshops Will Help Businesses Prepare for Flu Pandemic

'Hyperinflation Nation'

Want a peek into your future if Obama continues printing money?

Hyperinflation Nation Surpasses 25,000 Views in 36 Hours

National Beer Day

Quick, what's the first thing you think about when somebody mentions "The Fourth of July"?

Fireworks? Picnics? Celebrating the nation's birthday? Forget-about-it.

The Fourth of July is now most associated with beer.

Check out the release below:

U.S. Beer Sales Rank #1 on 4th of July

The truth about Obamacare

Rep. Rohrer: Pa. residents pay enough taxes

State Rep. Sam Rohrer, R-Berks, made the following comments at a PACT with PA Press Conference in Harrisburg regarding the move by Gov. Rendell and House Democrats to raise taxes for Pennsylvania families and business owners:

Can we really afford to raise taxes? What will be the impact on our taxpayers – our small businesses- our struggling economy – on jobs? If taxes are raised, can the honestly be called "temporary?"

These are all great questions and they must be openly discussed, not twisted and spun to try and convince the public that what they know to be poison is really medicine.

Well if we look at history, this legislature hasn't done so well in regard to this principle. In 1991 we were faced with a $1 billion deficit—but instead of cutting back on spending, taxes were raised $3 billion - $ 1 Billion in needed revenue, $2 Billion to “buy” the votes. That $2Billion/yr has resulted in taxpayers losing over $35 Billion dollars. You see raising taxes is VERY expensive.

In fact, this legislature has resorted to raising taxes in every previous recession (1983, 1991, and 2003). Today, we're facing a $3 billion+ deficit from just this current year with the need to address in this budget an equivalent of around $7Billion. Does anyone think we can afford to raise taxes without absolutely destroying our economy and breaking the backs of our taxpayers? So history doesn't look to good. Now is the time to learn from history, consider the negative impact of the previous tax increases and live within available revenues.

Fact 1: Tax Freedom Day, or the day where Americans stop working to pay taxes and start working for themselves, fell on April 13th. Pennsylvanians work a full 103 days, or three and a half months, to pay federal, state and income taxes. During 2009, you and I will pay more in taxes than we spend on food, clothing, and housing combined.

Fact 2: Pennsylvanians in particular shoulder a heavy burden: with the 11th high state and local tax burden in the country, Pennsylvanians pay on average $13,000 PER PERSON (not wage-earner) in taxes. In 2008-2009, our Pennsylvania state and local governments spent $10,000 for every man, woman, and child.

Fact 3: Raising the PIT as the Governor wants to do will destroy jobs: According to the PA State Tax Analysis Modeling Program, or PA-STAMP, a 1% increase in personal income tax would result in a net loss of 47,633 jobs next year.

Originally published at THE CENTRIST

Are you better off today than you were six months ago?

It's a shame we can't cast a vote of no confidence against the Obama Administration. Six months into the era of "hope and change," we've gotten "despair and more of the same."

More than 3 million Americans have lost their jobs since Obama took office, bringing the nation's unemployment rate to nearly 10 percent.

Gas prices are creeping toward $3.00 per gallon.

The trillion-dollar "stimulus" bill turned out to be what many predicted: A Democratic Party pork bill to reward the special interests who helped get them elected.

The government has taken over the banks, the car companies and now wants to run the health care system.

If Cap and Trade passes the Senate, electricity rates will skyrocket.

And what about the price of potatoes? Yes, potatoes.

That's what tipped off Mark Cour at the Circumlocution for Dummies blog that something is terribly wrong with America in the age of Obama.

From Circumlocution:

I'm not sure if anyone other than myself noticed, but the price of practically everything you may set out to purchase has escalated of late. Escalated and then some, I’d say. On Friday I paid $6.99 for a 10-pound bag of potatoes. That same bag of spuds would have set me back for $2.99 as little as a year ago.

And as I was exiting the supermarket with my overpriced veggies in hand, I passed a guy wearing a T-shirt with that “Yes we can” bit emblazoned on it. And after a quick mumble to myself, I thought, Yes we can? Yes we can, what?

Exactly what are we doing?

It get much better. It's one of the best commentaries I've read anywhere about the current state of affairs in this country.

Read the full post, "Yes we can, what?," at Circumlocution for Dummies

Bauer Commends Supreme Court Ruling in the Ricci Case: Applauds the Use of 'Martin Luther King Test'

Bauer Commends Supreme Court Ruling in the Ricci Case: Applauds the Use of 'Martin Luther King Test'

Another example of how Democrats screw things up

Pew Report Documents Challenges Faced by Philadelphia in Paying for City Workers' Pensions and Health Care

'The Demographic Bomb'

Contrary to left-wing propaganda, the world is not overpopulated. In fact, declining birth rates could spell doom for Western Civilization, according to a new documentary.

Announcing the Release of Demographic Winter Part II - 'The Demographic Bomb'

New Bill Could Divert Billions in Small Business Contracts to Corporate Giants

Congress is working to put small business out of business, according to the American Small Business League.

New Bill Could Divert Billions in Small Business Contracts to Corporate Giants

Sotomayor Smackdown

The Supreme Court today overturned a lower court ruling written by Judge Sonia Sotomayor establishing racial quotas in a case involving New Haven, Conn., firefighters.

The top court ruled 5-4 that racial quotas are unconstitutional and sent the case back to the appeals court.

The ruling shows clearly what an intellectual lightweight Sotomayor is and also exposes her lack of basic understanding of the U.S. Constitution. That might explain why Barack Obama picked her for the court. Peas in a Pod.

Sotomayor will still get confirmed by the intellectual lightweights in the U.S. Senate, but at least the pretense of her qualification for the Supreme Court is no longer in question.

We now understand she was nominated because she's a Hispanic woman ... and not the most qualified person for the job. Isn't that filling a racial quota?

The problem with liberals is that they're stuck in the 1960s and 1970s. Time has passed them by.

Barack in Wonderland

Help stop the Rendell tax hike

Can your family afford a state income tax increase right now? If not, you must make your voice heard in Harrisburg, where Gov. Ed Rendell and his doormat Democrats in the House are planning to raise the state income by 16 percent to cover the $3.2 billion budget deficit they ran up in the past year.

If you're tired of sending your paycheck to Harrisburg, if you're tired of uncontrolled spending by professional politicians, you need to send a message to your state House member that you will vote them out in 2010 if they vote to raise your taxes in 2009.

Find out more at StopPATaxHike.com

State Capitol Roundup

Here's the latest edition of State Capitol Roundup courtesy of state Rep. Bob Mensch, R-147:

House Republicans Unveil StopPATaxHike.com, Press for Budget Progress

While Gov. Ed Rendell continues to push for higher income taxes, House Republicans have unveiled a new Web site for taxpayers to voice their opinions on the plan. StopPATaxHike.com allows visitors to sign a petition against the tax increase, as well as make both written and video comments on the proposal. Thousands of Pennsylvanians have already signed up, supporting Republican claims that now is not the time to be taking more money out of the pockets of already struggling taxpayers, and that it is time to cut spending and force government to live within its means. The end of the current fiscal year and the deadline for a balanced budget is June 30. For the latest state budget news, visit PAHouseGOP.com

GOP Wants Stronger Gaming Laws Before Industry Expansion Considered

With some lawmakers calling for an expansion of the state's gaming industry to generate new revenue, House Republicans say the first priority must be reform of the current gaming law. While praising a Senate-passed reform measure, the lawmakers say additional changes are needed. Those changes include: prohibiting convicted felons from being employed in the gaming industry, making the license application process more transparent, and granting the Attorney General or Pennsylvania State Police the authority to enforce the state's gaming laws. The Senate bill is expected to be considered in the House in the near future, at which time House Republicans will offer their amendments. For the latest legislative news, visit PAHouseGOP.com

Republican Tax Amnesty Proposal Could Raise an Extra $100 Million

Legislation sponsored by Rep. John C. Bear (R-Lancaster) to create a one-time tax amnesty program in Pennsylvania could bring in at least $100 million worth of delinquent taxes. Under the bill, a 90-day tax amnesty would be declared during the 2009-10 fiscal year. All penalties would be waived if the person or business filing for amnesty pays all back taxes in full or enters into an approved payment plan. Applicants for previous amnesty periods would not be eligible, nor would filers be able to apply for future amnesty programs. New Jersey recently reported that its own tax amnesty program brought in at least $400 million in back taxes, and could generate as much as $700 million in total revenue after all tax filings at the program deadline are counted. House Bill 1627 has received bipartisan support and currently has 52 co-sponsors. It has been referred to the House Finance Committee for consideration.

Lawmakers Gather to Promote Online Transparency Database

Lawmakers, led by Rep. Jim Christiana (R-Beaver), this week announced their support for an online accountability and transparency database like that proposed in House Bill 1460. The legislation, sponsored by Christiana, would create the Pennsylvania Web Accountability, Transparency and Contract Hub (PennWATCH) to organize information about state spending and government-awarded contracts. The proposal is part of a wider effort by House Republicans to restore the public's faith in government after allegations of pay-to-play relationships between the Rendell administration and several campaign donors who later received lucrative, no-bid contracts for work. For details, visit PAHouseGOP.com, and click on "government reform."

Top 10 Reasons You Know You Are On Obamacare

Transformers 2 grosses $200M in 5 days

Despite mediocre reviews, "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" topped the box office this weekend with an estimated $112.0 million, bringing its five-day haul to $201.2 million, according to BoxOfficeMojo.com

We have a certified blockbuster on our hands, a film that should end up as one of the top moneymakers of all time. The first "Transformers" film made $319 million domestically in its entire 2007 run.

From BoxOfficeMojo.com:

WEEKEND TOP 5 STUDIO ESTIMATES, JUNE 26-28, 2009

Rank. Movie Title (Distributor)
Weekend Gross | Theaters | Total Gross | Week #

1. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (Paramount (DreamWorks))
$112.0 million | 4,234 | $201.2 million | 1

2. The Proposal (Buena Vista)
$18.5 million | 3,058 | $69.1 million | 2

3. The Hangover (Warner Bros.)
$17.2 million | 3,525 | $183.2 million | 4

4. Up (Buena Vista)
$13.0 million | 3,487 | $250.2 million | 5

5. My Sister's Keeper (Warner Bros.)
$12.0 million | 2,606 | $12.0 million | 1

Obamacare for you, but not for Obama

Hey, Obama: Where are the jobs?

A Tragic Silence

8 Republicans vote with Democrats to raise taxes by $1.9 trillion

Democrats control the House of Representatives by a 255-178 majority, but Nancy Pelosi could barely muster enough votes to pass the $1.9 trillion cap and trade energy tax.

In fact, the Democrats didn't have enough votes until 8 Republicans crossed over to support the largest tax increase in U.S. history.

Michelle Malkin has the names and photos of the 8 turncoat Republicans who sold out the U.S. taxpayer to appease the global warming fanatics. Here are the names:

Mary Bono Mack (R-CA)
Mike Castle (R-DE)
Mark Kirk (R-IL)
Leonard Lance (R-NJ)
Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ)
John McHugh (R-NY)
Dave Reichert (R-WA)
Chris Smith (R-NJ)

Electricity rates (and all energy costs) will skyrocket for American families and businesses if the cap and trade bill passes the Senate. Barack Obama has already vowed to sign the tax increase into law.

Read Malkin's full post, "The 8 cap-and-tax Republicans…and the 44 Democrats who voted no" at her blog.

And be sure to remember their names when they're up for re-election in 2010.

Another 1,300-page bill nobody read?

The largest tax increase in American history, $1.9 trillion, was passed Friday by a 219-212 vote in the House of Representatives. Did anyone bother to read the bill? Probably not. Same as the stimulus bill that nobody read.

Moment of silence for those who will lose their jobs thanks to Democrats' energy tax

The honeymoon is over

All the propaganda. All the back room deals. All the pork amendments to buy votes.

And all Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi could get was a 219-212 margin to pass the cap and trade energy tax in the House?

Don't be surprised if the $1.9 trillion global warming tax fails in the Senate.

A 7-vote margin in the overwhelmingly Democratic House? That's pathetic. A total of 44 Demcorats voted against cap and trade! It took 8 GOP House members to pass it.

It's not looking good for Obamacare or other future Obama spending sprees.

House Democrats are beginning to worry about their re-election chances in 2010 as the Obama recession continues, unemployment is reaching record levels and the unprecedented debt Obama has piled on the U.S. takes its toll.

Video: Turning Japanese

No such thing as a 'temporary' tax

This letter from a Chester County resident originally published in The Mercury gets right to the point about the tax hike proposals being pushed by Gov. Ed Rendell and House Democrats. You should send something similar to your state representative, especialy if he's a Democrat.

No tax is ever 'temporary'

An open letter to state Rep. Paul Drucker, 157th District:

Consider yourself lucky. You have a job. Unlike many citizens of Pennsylvania who are unemployed and senior citizens who have seen their life's savings disappear in the last two years, you don't have to curtail your spending.

Now Gov. Rendell wants another temporary tax on the books, like other temporary taxes to never go away.

Remember, your job is only temporary too. It'll be easier for voters to vote you out of office than it will be for elected officials to remove a temporary tax. Keep that in mind when you cast your vote.

EDGAR A. NARATIL
Phoenixville

Snake hitches ride from Georgia to Pennsylvania

It wasn't as bad as "Snakes on a Plane" but still ...

From a story by Brandie Kessler in today's edition of The Pottstown Mercury:

NORTH COVENTRY — A truck driver making a delivery stop in North Coventry Thursday morning got a slithery scare in the back of his trailer when he opened the doors and discovered a 3-foot snake cooped up inside.

"That's a first," said truck driver Steve Henry of finding the snake. Henry, of Ohio, who drove the semi carrying carpets to the Morgan Moving and Storage facility on Yarnell Road near River Road from Georgia, arriving before 11 a.m. Thursday, said he'd never previously found more than a mouse or a rat on a truck he was driving, including the times when he hauled trash in New England.

"Never in 27 years," Henry said when asked if he'd ever seen anything like the snake on a truck he was driving or heard about snakes on other drivers' trucks.

Read the full story and see more photos at the newspaper's Web site.