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Saturday, July 31, 2010

'Bonusgate' just tip of Harrisburg politics

Editorial: 'Bonusgate' just tip of Harrisburg politics - The Delaware County Daily Times

Newspaper: Force referendum before meeting behind closed doors

The public's business should be conducted in the open, not behind closed doors.

Force referendum before meeting behind closed doors

Hide The Decline II - The Sequel

Weekly GOP Address: Where are the jobs?

Is Barack Obama the meanest president ever?

American Thinker: Obama's Mean Streak

GOP seizes on immigration memo

GOP seizes on immigration memo - Scott Wong - POLITICO.com

The new tea party bible

The new tea party bible - Kenneth P. Vogel - POLITICO.com

ObamaCare Nightmare

AP Covers 'Paperwork Nightmare' Provision in ObamaCare Without Explaining How It Got There | NewsBusters.org

6.5 Million People Watched Obama On 'The View'

6.5 Million People Watched Obama On 'The View' | NewsBusters.org

The AP's Take on Rangel Ethics Probe: Republicans Are Mean!

The AP's Take on Rangel Ethics Probe: Republicans Are Mean! | NewsBusters.org

Beware of the Feds

Friday, July 30, 2010

The Other View

End free ride for PA Turnpike wokers?

Who says there's no such thing as a free ride?

Some 2,100 Pennsylvania Turnpike employees ride the toll road for free, even when they're on vacation, according to published reports.

A Pennsylvania lawmaker wants to end the perk.

"Were going to have make some changes on that, whether they like it or not," Senate Transportation Committee Chairman John Rafferty, R-Chester County, told The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

The free rides are especially galling while the state faces a fiscal crisis.

"I think that's part of the problem with our agency heads," Rafferty said. "Over the years, they've become so insulated that they don't realize that the public does not want that type of use or misuse."

Read the full story at the newspaper's website.

Gibbs Says 'Republicans Can Win'

Gibbs "Republicans Can Win" from RightChange on Vimeo.

Tony Phyrillas on WCHE 1520 AM in West Chester

Tony Phyrillas will be the guest on Life Unedited with John Aberle Saturday from 11 a.m.-noon on WCHE 1520 AM in West Chester.

Topics of discussion will be the Tea Party movement, immigration, Barack Obama's falling job-approval numbers, the November midterm elections, property tax relief and ongoing corruption in Harrisburg.

You can call the station with questions or comments at 610-701-WCHE (9243)

If you can't pick up the radio station's signal, Aberle's program is simulcast live online at www.WCHE1520.com

Activist Judges Strike Again

ALEC Decries Ruling to Remove Florida Amendment 9 from November Ballot

Pennsylvania Game Commission Posts Deer Plan on Website

Pennsylvania Game Commission Posts Deer Plan on Website

Hey, Pelosi: It's time to drain the swamp

Majority of All Parties Believe Rangel is Guilty of Ethics Charges

Pennsylvania Governor Rendell Announces Appointments

Pennsylvania Governor Rendell Announces Appointments

The Obama recession continues

GDP Confirms US Rebound is Over

PA Lottery Posts Increase in Profits to Senior Programs; Releases Fiscal Year 2009-10 Sales

PA Lottery Posts Increase in Profits to Senior Programs; Releases Fiscal Year 2009-10 Sales

Other People's Money

If you tell a lie enough times ...

Left-wing Black Activist Acknowledges Race Attacks on Tea Party Are Bogus But 'Effective,' Media Ignore | NewsBusters.org

Obama Pushes Amnesty for Illegals

Only Fox News Hits Gibbs With Questions on Possible Plans to Bypass Congress on Immigration | NewsBusters.org

Above the Law

Amazing how lawmakers often exempt themselves from the laws they pass for the rest of us. It's time to end the political aristrocracy in this country. When in doubt, vote the incumbent out.

Pension overhaul treats lawmakers, other state workers differently

Columnist: House Democrats Head for a Thumping at the Polls

House Democrats Head for a Thumping at the Polls

Memo outlines Obama backdoor 'amnesty' plan

The Obama Administration is working on an underhanded way to grant amnesty to 12 million illegals, bypassing Congress and the will of the American people. Obama has to be stopped in November by voting out every Democrat in Congress or you'll never recognize this country again.

From The Washington Times:
With Congress gridlocked on an immigration bill, the Obama administration is considering using a back door to stop deporting many illegal immigrants - what a draft government memo said could be "a non-legislative version of amnesty."

The memo, addressed to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Alejandro Mayorkas and written by four agency staffers, lists tools it says the administration has to "reduce the threat of removal" for many illegal immigrants who have run afoul of immigration authorities.

"In the absence of comprehensive immigration reform, USCIS can extend benefits and/or protections to many individuals and groups by issuing new guidance and regulations, exercising discretion with regard to parole-in-place, deferred action and the issuance of Notices to Appear," the staffers wrote in the memo, which was obtained by Sen. Charles E. Grassley, Iowa Republican.

The memo suggests that in-depth discussions have occurred on how to keep many illegal immigrants in the country, which would be at least a temporary alternative to the proposals Democrats in Congress have made to legalize illegal immigrants.
Read the full story at the newspaper's website.

Pennsylvania Senate: Toomey (R) 45%, Sestak (D) 39%

Election 2010: Pennsylvania Senate

American Legion: Amnesty Won't Work; Secure Our Borders

The following guest editorial by the national commander of The American Legion Clarence E. Hill is offered for your publication consideration:

Albert Einstein defined insanity as "doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."

While the great scientist was himself a legal immigrant to, and later a citizen of, the United States, it doesn't take a genius of Einstein's intellect to know that America's immigration policy over the last several decades has been broken and the federal government has been derelict in its responsibility to fix it.

While the Obama administration says it's committed to "immigration reform," Americans are rightly concerned that this reform is merely a euphemism for amnesty. When President Reagan signed the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., said, "This amnesty will give citizenship to only 1.3 million illegal aliens. We will secure the borders henceforth. We will never again bring forth an amnesty bill like this."

The senator was right. Today's amnesty proposals are even worse. They are worse because the population of illegal aliens has skyrocketed to between 10 million and 20 million, depending on whose figures you choose to believe. Moreover, America has since been struck by a major terrorist attack inflicted by illegal aliens, not to mention numerous failed attacks by those who managed to flout our immigration or entry laws.

The American Legion offers a common-sense strategy to address illegal immigration without offering amnesty or other loopholes that endanger America’s national security and threaten our economic well-being.

First, America needs to secure its borders and other points of entry. That means complete the fence, beef up border patrol and deport those who have already been identified as illegal aliens. Deportation does not require a mass round-up as the open-borders lobby would have you believe, but simply processing those who already enter our legal system through other violations.

Additionally, we need to eliminate the jobs magnet by enforcing no-nonsense penalties on employers who hire illegal workers. Likewise, all taxpayer-funded social service benefits — with the exception of emergency medical care — must also be denied.

Finally, and most importantly for our national security, we must effectively screen and track all foreign visitors to the United States. Three of the convicted terrorists who plotted to kill innocent soldiers at Fort Dix, N.J., were illegal aliens. A man accused of assisting the would-be Times Square bomber was also here illegally. Americans have grown accustomed to increased security measures when boarding airplanes. We should expect the increased scrutiny to continue for foreign nationals staying in the United States.

The Obama administration has given strong indications that it does not grasp the problem. While Phoenix is second only to Mexico City in kidnappings and the Mexican border has seen a recent rise in violence by drug cartels, the Justice Department succeeded in getting a court to temporarily hinder Arizona's attempts to deal with an issue that the federal government has neglected for years.

Moreover, the U.S. Department of Labor produced a video in which its secretary incredibly states, "Every worker in America has a right to be paid fairly — whether documented or not."

The Obama administration is not alone in its misguided approach to this issue. Democratic and Republican administrations have allowed the problem to fester for decades. The issue will not be solved until leaders from all political parties put electoral considerations aside and start putting America’s interests first.

The American Legion's "Strategy to Address Illegal Immigration in the United States" may be downloaded at http://www.legion.org/publications.

Clarence E. Hill, of Jacksonville, Fla., is national commander of the American Legion, the nation's largest wartime veterans organization, with 2.5 million members.

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Sign of the Times

While Obama Slept

States are trying to protect their borders while the Obama Regime ignores the flood of illegal immigration.

State Laws Related to Immigration and Immigrants

Sun Could Set Suddenly on Superpower as Debt Bites

Niall Ferguson, professor of history at Harvard University, writes that the days of the U.S. as a superpower are numbered if the nation continues on the current path set by Barack Obama and Congressional Democrats.

Sun Could Set Suddenly on Superpower as Debt Bites

Why Are We Beginning to Hate Congress?

Why Are We Beginning to Hate Congress? - Victor Davis Hanson - National Review Online

ObamaCare May Bankrupt Your Local Hospital

Why presidents matter

People often say to me it doesn't matter who they vote for. In the end, all politicians are the same. They couldn't be more wrong.

One of the reasons electing the right president matters is the appointment of federal judges.

Judge Susan Bolton, who struck down key provisions of Arizona's new immigration law, was appointed by Bill Clinton in 2000.

Ten years later, long after Bill Clinton is gone, the liberal judge is still doing damage to the nation by ignoring the Constitution. And with a lifetime appointment, activist judges like Bolton can continue to do harm for decades.

Read more about Bolton in this column by Ben Shapiro at HumanEvents.com

Amnesty Won't Work: Secure Our Borders

Amnesty Won't Work: Secure Our Borders

That's All Folks

Many Americans Still Confused About New Healthcare Reform Law and its Provisions

Many Americans Still Confused About New Healthcare Reform Law and its Provisions

Tuesday is NATIONAL NIGHT OUT; Millions to Spend A 'Night Out' Against Crime

Tuesday is NATIONAL NIGHT OUT; Millions to Spend A 'Night Out' Against Crime

Restore Abortion Funding Neutrality

Rep. Chris Smith's New Bill is Necessary to Restore Abortion Funding Neutrality

Democrats declare war on Tea Party Movement

When you can't defend your own record of runaway spending, higher taxes and government takeover of health care, you go on the attack and smear your opponents. That's the strategy the Democratic Party is developing for November.

From a story in The Washington Post by Philip Rucker:
Democratic leaders unveiled a plan Wednesday to link the Republican Party to some of the most extreme elements of the "tea party" movement, seeking to define all GOP candidates as outside the mainstream by highlighting such tea party talking points as ending Medicare and privatizing Social Security.

With lawmakers preparing to head home to their districts to campaign during the August recess, Democratic leaders sought to demonstrate that all Republicans are cut from the same cloth as such tea party favorites as Nevada Senate candidate Sharron Angle and Kentucky Senate candidate Rand Paul.

Democratic National Committee Chairman Timothy M. Kaine, flanked by a half-dozen House members, released "The Republican Tea Party Contract on America," a 10-point list created by the DNC that Kaine warned would become the Republican agenda if the GOP were to return to power after the November midterm elections.
Read the full story here.

GOP says Ariz. ruling will hurt Dems

GOP says Ariz. ruling will hurt Dems - Scott Wong - POLITICO.com

Doctor's orders: Stare at boobs for longer life

Stare at boobs for longer life: Study | TheMedGuru

Catch me on the radio Saturday

Tony Phyrillas will be the guest on "Life Unedited" with John Aberle Saturday from 11 a.m.-noon on WCHE 1520 AM in West Chester.

Topics of discussion will be the Tea Party movement, Barack Obama's falling job-approval numbers, the November midterm elections, property tax relief and ongoing corruption in Harrisburg.

You can call the station with questions or comments at 610-701-WCHE (9243)

If you can't pick up the radio station's signal, Aberle's program is simulcast live online at www.WCHE1520.com

Columnist: Keith Olbermann Has No Moral Compass

A.W.R. Hawkins, writing at HumanEvents.com, offers this dead-on assessment of MSNBC resident-scuzzball Keith Olberman:
Keith Olbermann is a goon, a serial embellisher, and an attack dog for the Left. He is devoid of civility and decorum, and lacks even the restraint that most parents hope to have instilled in their children by age five. He is ruled by illogical passions (leftist ideology is, by its very nature, illogical), and apparently lacks a strong enough grasp of the differences between right and wrong to correct his course.

Perhaps comedian Nick Di Paolo put it best when he said of Olbermann: "The guy has no moral compass."
Read the full column at the link below:

Keith Olbermann Has No Moral Compass - HUMAN EVENTS

State Secrets

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Columnist: Journolist veers out of bounds

Roger Simon, writing for POLITICO, laments the current state of journalism in light of the Journolist scandal, in which a cabal of prominent left-wing "journalists" conspired to help get Barack Obama elected. And in their spare time, they joked about ways to kill conservative pundits and talk show hosts.

From Simon's column:
Somewhere along the way, things have gone terribly wrong. Journalism has become a toy, an electronic plaything. I do not blame technology. The giant megaphone of technology has been coupled with a new, angrier, more destructive age. (Yes, you can find extremely angry, extremely partisan times in our past, but I always thought the goal was to progress over the centuries, not regress.)

Until recently, there was a semisecret, off-the-record organization called Journolist. It was a listserv, which is a bunch of people who sign up (if allowed) and then get the same e-mails and can reply to everybody on the list.

Journolist was founded by Ezra Klein in early 2007, when he was 22 and working for the liberal publication The American Prospect. Klein continued running it when he went to The Washington Post in 2009. The Post is a mainstream publication, but Journolist was limited to those "from nonpartisan to liberal, center to left."

Klein determined who would get on Journolist — political reporters, academics, think tank members, left-wing bloggers — and it grew from a manageable 30 members to a pretty unmanageable 400. There was no censorship, but if Klein felt you had gone too far, he would tell you to stop it. You could be threatened with expulsion, but nobody was ever expelled.

Recently, however, the conservative website The Daily Caller, run by Tucker Carlson, got hold of many Journolist e-mails and printed the most provocative, which to some gave every appearance of a left-wing conspiracy to slant news coverage in favor of Barack Obama. Journolist posts by Washington Post blogger Dave Weigel, who was helping cover the conservative movement, that were critical of conservative icons, including Matt Drudge, prompted Weigel to resign.

The result was explosive, and Klein closed down Journolist, while denying there was anything evil about it. "If people had been getting together and deciding on a message and then publishing that message, that would have been clearly unethical, and I would not have allowed it, and it didn't happen," Klein told me Tuesday.
Read the full column, "Journolist veers out of bounds," here.

'Pennsylvania Guys' Video Goes Viral

Scouting Gets First-Class Stamp of Approval

Scouting Gets First-Class Stamp of Approval

OBAMACARE REVEALED

AMERICA’S NEW HEALTH CARE SYSTEM REVEALED - Joint Economic Committee Republicans

Columnist: Sestak 'tone-deaf' on earmarks

Philadelphia Daily News columnist John Baer says liberal Congressman Joe Sestak is "tone-deaf when it comes to earmarks."

From Baer's column:
…[Sestak] should work a little harder to reconcile taking campaign contributions from those benefiting from federal "earmarks" (which direct money to be spent on specific projects) while claiming "a personal policy" against doing so… Toomey says Sestak violates his own ethics pledge and should return the money… Monday, at a Pennsylvania Press Club luncheon… Sestak said, "I kept my pledge," but he added, "it's hard to be perfect." ... Anybody can give, except in springtime. So Sestak's "I'm-a-reformer" pitch on this issue is overstated.
Read the full column here.

Top Democrat facing corruption trial: 'Everybody does it'



See related editorial, "Legislative corruption: The frayed thread," at The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review website.

Video: Attack of the 50-Foot Pelosi

Updated Attack of the 50 Foot Pelosi from RightChange on Vimeo.

Visualizing Obamacare

Obamacare Chart

36 Groups Ask Senate Leaders to Reject Increasing Ethanol in Gasoline

36 Groups Ask Senate Leaders to Reject Increasing Ethanol in Gasoline

Columnist: Surge in PA corruption hasn't yet reached critical mass

Brad Bumsted, who covers state government for The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, wonders how much more evidence of Harrisburg corruption the voters of Pennsylvania are willing to tolerate.

Almost 30 Legislative leaders and staffers are behind bars or facing trial in the Bonusgate corruption scandal and new charges are being filed.

From Bumsted's column:
For years, the practice in Harrisburg on both sides of the aisle has been to use the ever-expanding legislative staff to raise money, knock on doors, stuff envelopes and do "opposition research" (read: dig up dirt) on lawmakers' opponents.

The lines were blurred to such an extent that witness after witness in other cases -- against former House Speaker John Perzel, R-Philadelphia, and former House Democratic Whip Mike Veon, a Beaver Falls Democrat -- alleged that they spent portions of their daytime hours doing campaign work for their bosses.

Veon now is a resident of Laurel Highlands State Correctional Institution, where he'll spend at least six years. Perzel and nine other Republicans face trial, which is expected to begin in February 2011 in Dauphin County Court.

The surge in corruption cases, at least in the public's mind, hasn't yet reached critical mass. It will unfortunately take more charges before the public demands a complete and thorough overhaul of the Pennsylvania General Assembly.

Legislators have used state tax money as their own, creating an Incumbency Protection Program that has perverted representative government and robbed Pennsylvanians of fair elections.
Read the full column, "When will enough be enough?" here.

How the Money Game is Changing Harrisburg

How the Money Game is Changing Harrisburg - Metropolis

Journolist list scandal proves media bias

Journolist list scandal proves media bias | The Daily Caller

Immigration Amnesty Would Give Hundreds of Billions in Social Security Money to Illegal Workers

Immigration Amnesty Would Give Hundreds of Billions in Social Security Money to Illegal Workers

Catch me on the radio Saturday

Tony Phyrillas will be the guest on "Life Unedited" with John Aberle Saturday from 11 a.m.-noon on WCHE 1520 AM in West Chester.

Topics of discussion will be the Tea Party movement, Barack Obama's falling job-approval numbers, the November midterm elections, property tax relief and ongoing corruption in Harrisburg.

You can call the station with questions or comments at 610-701-WCHE (9243)

If you can't pick up the radio station's signal, Aberle's program is simulcast live online at www.WCHE1520.com

Boxer Equates Experience Of Troops To Members Of Congress

PennDOT's 'Live Free Ride Alive' Documentary Makes Online Debut

PennDOT's 'Live Free Ride Alive' Documentary Makes Online Debut

The American Legion: Enforce Laws Against Classified Leakers

The American Legion: Enforce Laws Against Classified Leakers

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Obama officials throw lavish parties at taxpayer expense

While millions of American families struggle to put food on the table, Obama Administration officials are throwing lavish parties for themselves - and billing the taxpayer.

From a post by Connie Hair at HumanEvents.com:
A new oversight report released yesterday by Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) exposes millions of dollars in Department of Justice (DOJ) funds are being spent on parties.

The review of recent activities sponsored by DOJ grantees identified luaus, a Mardi Gras party, block parties, a film festival, a carnival, skateboarding, dancing, fashion shows, and even a doughnut eating contest among the recreational activities made possible with federal crime prevention funding.

"With our nation facing the heightened threats of domestic terrorism and unprecedented debt and financial challenges, taxpayers should be shocked to learn DOJ crime prevention grant programs are paying for parties and rollercoaster rides for children rather than focusing on investigating crimes, locating and prosecuting terrorists, and administering justice," Coburn said.

Coburn's scathing, 42-page report entitled "Party at the DOJ" comes amid new Government Accountability Office (GAO) findings that DOJ does not track amounts spent on recreational activities nor does it assess impact outcomes of these expenditures.

Read the full post at the link below:Taxpayer Funded ‘Party at the DOJ’ - HUMAN EVENTS

The rich are different than you and me

From POLITICO:
Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) seemed to grow frustrated by continuing questions of whether he paid the proper taxes on his $7 million yacht.

"There is nothing more to say about it," Kerry curtly told a gaggle of Massachusetts reporters as he tried to get into a car Monday. A video of the interaction was posted online by Boston-area WBZ-TV.

The yacht became a local issue over the weekend after the Boston Herald reported on Friday that Kerry was docking his new family boat in Rhode Island, thus avoiding nearly $500,000 in Massachusetts taxes.

If Kerry were to move the yacht's to Massachusetts within six months of its purchase, the state would assume it was bought for in-state use and tax it accordingly. If the boat were to remain in Rhode Island, however, Kerry would not be required to pay Massachusetts taxes.
Read the full post at the link below:

Kerry irritated by yacht questions - Andy Barr - POLITICO.com

Poll: Just 27% Say U.S. Heading in Right Direction

Right Direction or Wrong Track

Liberal Lois Herr Loves Howard Dean



Democrat Lois Herr admires Howard Dean? How much more out-of-touch can she be for Pennsylvania's 16th Congressional District?

Obama Snubs Boy Scouts' 100th Anniversary in Favor of 'The View'

Obama Snubs Boy Scouts' 100th Anniversary in Favor of 'The View' | NewsBusters.org

Governor Rendell Orders U.S. and Pennsylvania Flags at All State Facilities to Be Flown at Half-Staff in Honor of National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day

Governor Rendell Orders U.S. and Pennsylvania Flags at All State Facilities to Be Flown at Half-Staff in Honor of National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day

Fred Thompson Launches National Petition Effort to Renew Tax Cuts

Fred Thompson Launches National Petition Effort to Renew Tax Cuts

Auditor General Proposes Reforms for Delaware River Port Authority

Auditor General Jack Wagner Proposes Reforms for Delaware River Port Authority

Valley Forge branch of Tea Party launched

The Tea Party movement continues to grow. Will it make a difference in November by ousting the permanent political class that has ruined this country?

Valley Forge branch of Tea Party launched (video) - The Mercury (pottsmerc.com)

Change?

Federal Unemployment Compensation Programs Extended Through Nov. 27, 2010

Federal Unemployment Compensation Programs Extended Through Nov. 27, 2010

Obama on vacation ... again

Obama has completely lost touch with mainstream America

$1.6 Billion Trial Lawyer Tax Break?

U.S. Chamber Applauds Congressional Inquiry Into Treasury's Consideration of $1.6 Billion Trial Lawyer Tax Break

Video: 'Pennsylvania Guys' by Sloppy Secondz

Nation's Emergency Physicians Predict Conditions Will Continue to Deteriorate Under Obamacare

Length of Stay in ERs Reaches New High, Delays in Moving Admitted Patients Out of ERs Blamed

Monday, July 26, 2010

Obama stimulus a bust in Berks County

More than $136 million in federal funds has found its way to Berks County from the Obama stimulus bill but the county still has a high unemployment rate, and the county seat, the City of Reading, has one of the highest jobless rates in Pennsylvania.

An examination of Obama stimulus spending by the Reading Eagle has concluded that the package has failed to live up to its No. 1 promise: Create jobs.

From a story by reporter Mary Young:
And while some of the projects funded by stimulus funds are very much in evidence, the jobs that were supposed to come along with the money are not.

In fact, unemployment in Berks rose to 9.9 percent at the end of May, up 1.2 percentage points from May 2009, a few months after the stimulus money became available.

County officials said road and bridge improvements are nice for the community, but what Berks really needs is to get people working.
Read the full story at the link below:

Not much mileage from stimulus funds in Berks

Illegals leave Arizona for Pennsylvania

Undocumented couple leave SB 1070 behind

The Promised Land

Rendell Signs 2 Execution Warrants

Number of death warrants signed by Gov. Ed Rendell since taking office in January 2003 - 110

Number of executions in Pennsylvania since January 2003 - 0

Governor Rendell Signs Two Execution Warrants

www.DefundAbortion.org Launches a Common Sense Pledge to Unite Our Nation

www.DefundAbortion.org Launches a Common Sense Pledge to Unite Our Nation

PEMA Director Outlines Challenges Facing Emergency Responders from Fast-Growing Marcellus Shale Drilling Industry

PEMA Director Outlines Challenges Facing Emergency Responders from Fast-Growing Marcellus Shale Drilling Industry

99 days to go

Just 99 days to go until Democrats lose control of the House of Representatives.

Grave prospects for newest Democrats - Jonathan Martin and Emily Schultheis - POLITICO.com

Sedition from the far left

W.H. condemns 'irresponsible' leaks, dismisses stories - Mike Allen - POLITICO.com

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Columnist: PA Legislators' jobs not really full-time

Pennsylvania legislators, the fourth highest-paid in the nation, spent around 45 days in Harrisburg so far this year.

That doesn't qualify as a full-time job, argues Reading Eagle columnist John Forester.

From his column:

When the statewide grand jury investigating the Legislature issued its scathing report in May, it recommended several reforms be made, including that the legislators' jobs be made part time.

Lawmakers said they would consider the grand jury's report sometime this year.

Then, after atypically passing the budget by the June 30 deadline, they adjourned and left Harrisburg for the summer.

House members are scheduled to be in session next on Sept. 13.

The Senate hasn't scheduled a return date yet.

That's some full-time job.

Read the full column at the link below:

John D. Forester Jr.: Legislators' jobs not really full-time

Hollywood liberal Oliver Stone rants against Jews

Oliver Stone: 'Jewish-Dominated Media' Prevents Hitler from Being Portrayed 'in Context' | NewsBusters.org

Friday, July 23, 2010

PA legislators fourth highest-paid in nation

The 10 best-paying states in the nation are California ($95,291), Michigan ($79,650), New York ($79,500), Pennsylvania ($78,314), Illinois ($67,836), Massachusetts ($61,440), Ohio ($60,584), Alaska ($50,400), Wisconsin ($49,943) and New Jersey ($49,000), according to The Pew Center on the States.

In addition to a base salary of $78,314, Pennsylvania lawmakers enjoy one of the best benefit packages in the country plus a host of perks. The typical legislator costs taxpayers around $150,000 a year.

Multiply that by the 253 legislators and you get one of the most expensive state legislatures in the nation.

Which state's legislators earn the most?

Democrats Look for a Boost

PA Governor's Race: Tom Corbett - 44%, Dan Onorato - 37%

Despite some recent bad publicity regarding comments he made about unemployed Pennsylvanians not willing to look for work as long as unemployment benefits are extended repeatedly, Republican Tom Corbett continues to hold a lead over Democratic opponent Dan Onorato in the race for Pennsylvania governor.

From a new Quinnipiac University poll:
Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett, the Republican candidate for Governor, has a 44 - 37 percent lead over Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato, the Democrat, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today.

This compares to a 43 - 37 percent Corbett lead in a May 13 survey by the independent Quinnipiac University. In this latest survey, independent voters back Corbett 44 - 29 percent, as do Republicans 86 - 4 percent. Democrats back Onorato 69 - 13 percent.
Read more poll results here.

PennDOT reopens Route 562 Bridge over Antietam Creek in Berks County

Just in from PennDOT Engineering District 5:
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) announced today the PA 562 Bridge over Antietam Creek in St. Lawrence Borough, Berks County is open. It was closed July 14 for emergency repairs.

A July 13 inspection of the bridge showed significant scour under one of the bridge abutments. PennDOT Maintenance workers performed the emergency repairs.

During the closure, traffic was restricted on PA 562 between Prospect and Bingaman streets. The posted detour routed traffic on Business Route 422 and Oley Turnpike Road.

The PA 562 Bridge is a concrete T-beam bridge built in 1926, and is 31 feet long and 33 feet nine inches wide. This area of PA 562 has an average daily traffic of 9,022 vehicles.

Pa. woman sentenced for bilking $170K from grandma

Woman sentenced for taking grandmother's life savings - The Mercury (pottsmerc.com)

Poll: PA Voters Approve Of Arizona Immigration Law 2-1

From a new Quinnipiac University poll:
Pennsylvania voters say 47 percent - 34 percent they want the state to adopt an immigration law similar to that of Arizona. Voters approve 52 percent - 27 percent of the Arizona law and by 60 percent - 27 percent they think the Obama Administration's lawsuit to block its implementation is a bad idea.
Read more poll results here.

What's wrong with this picture?

Larry Elder: NAACP fights old fights, embraces liberal policies

From columnist Larry Edler:
Four percent of Democrats -- and 3 percent of Republicans -- according to a Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll, would refuse to vote for a black presidential candidate whose views mirror their own. That comes out to almost 3 million Democratic bigots. How does that compare with the number of presumed bigots within the Tea Party?
Read the full column at the link below:

Larry Elder: NAACP fights old fights, embraces liberal policies | Washington Examiner

Columnist: Watch out, 'Watch Me' Generation

From a new column by Roger Simon published at POLITOCO.com:
As I write this, I do not know the names of this year's "50 Politicos to Watch." There are two reasons for this: I wish to remain fair and impartial. Also, I don't care.

That's because, in a sense, I already know who they are. In high school, they were the cool kids. They were the guys with great hair, the girls with great figures. They were wild and irresponsible, and they had cars in which they did wild and irresponsible things.

That's right: They were Levi Johnston and Bristol Palin.

OK, maybe not them specifically. But you know the ones I mean. They always got what they wanted. They never sat home on Friday and Saturday nights looking through their rain-smeared bedroom window, watching the "in" kids go out on dates while they stayed home sucking on frozen pizzas because they could not summon up enough energy to microwave them. (May be getting a little too personal here.)

They were the people who, as Joan Didion once put it, always had the lights turn green for them. They were, in other words, not Joan Didion. They were the people who made the lists.

And the rest of us hated them for it.
Read the full column at the link below:

Watch out, 'Watch Me' Generation - Roger Simon - POLITICO.com

Rep. Fattah Defends Ethically-Challenged Democratic Colleague

Rep. Fattah Says Rangel Deserves a Full and Fair Hearing

So much for Obamacare

Length of Stay in ERs Reaches New High, Delays in Moving Admitted Patients Out of ERs Blamed

Auditor General Jack Wagner Announces Audit of State Tax Equalization Board

Pennsylvania Auditor General Jack Wagner Announces Audit of State Tax Equalization Board

Video: NewsBusted

What country is Contessa Brewer living in?

MSNBC's Brewer Laments After Everything President Obama Has Done, 'What Else Do People Want?' | NewsBusters.org

Ann Coulter Rips Into CBS For False Reporting on Tea Parties

Ann Coulter Rips Into CBS For False Reporting on Tea Parties | NewsBusters.org

Thursday, July 22, 2010

A cautionary tale of big government

The Washington Post ran a series of articles this week about the massive growth (and apparent lack of accountability) of the U.S. intelligence community since 9/11.

The Bush Administration, followed by the Obama White House, have allowed scores of of alphabet soup government agencies to grow without any checks-and-balances or regard for expense.

Are we safer today after billions of dollars have been spent to bolster America's intelligence-gathering apparatus after the failures that led to 9/11? That's debatable.

From an editorial summarizing the series:
SINCE SEPT. 11, 2001, the United States has increased its spending on intelligence by 250 percent and created or revamped 263 organizations. Yet the problems that gusher of money and bureaucracy were meant to solve -- such as the failure of existing intelligence organizations to share information or "connect the dots" about terrorism threats -- have not been alleviated. Instead, as a series of articles in The Post this week documented, the vast expansion of agencies, programs and personnel -- including tens of thousands of private contractors -- has overwhelmed many of the policymakers and military commanders it was meant to serve.
Read the full editorial, "The overgrowth of intelligence programs since Sept. 11," at the newspaper's website.

You can also read the series, "Top Secret America," here.

Democrats pull plug on climate bill



Somewhere in his $11 million mansion, Al Gore is balling his eyes out.

Democrats pull plug on climate bill - Darren Samuelsohn and Coral Davenport - POLITICO.com

New Gallup Poll: Congress Ranks Last in Confidence

The Democratic-led Congress of Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid enjoys an 11% job approval rating in the latest Gallup Poll. That's down from 17% a year ago.

Change can come in November by voting out every incumbent Democrat on the ballot.

Congress Ranks Last in Confidence in Institutions

After JournoList Exposé, No One Better Ever Deny Liberal Media Bias Again

After JournoList Exposé, No One Better Ever Deny Liberal Media Bias Again | NewsBusters.org

Net Neutrality - A Royal Fable

Democrat John Callahan - Why Waste A Good Crisis?



For more on Congressman Charlie Dent, visit his campaign website at http://www.dentforcongress.com/

JournoList: Is 'call them racists' a liberal media tactic?

From The Christian Science Monitor:
JournoList was an informal online discussion group involving several hundred left-leaning journalists. In excerpts released Tuesday, some of their discussions appeared to veer toward collusion, from how to protect Barack Obama to how to tar conservative critics.
JournoList: Is 'call them racists' a liberal media tactic? - CSMonitor.com

Sen. Mensch calls for cut in PA income tax

State Sen. Bob Mensch, R-24th Dist., is pushing legislation he has introduced to reduce Pennsylvania's personal income tax as a way to spur the state's struggling economy and put more Pennsylvanians back to work.

From a Mensch press release:
"Pennsylvania families and businesses have been hard hit by the current economic downturn," said Mensch. "By putting more money back into the hands of consumers, we can help promote additional economic growth and provide a needed boost to businesses. Similarly, reducing the tax burden on businesses will provide some breathing room for companies that are struggling to survive."

Mensch noted that roughly 70 percent of Pennsylvanians are employed by small businesses. He said a tax break will enable business owners to invest in their business and create new job opportunities

Legislation introduced by Mensch, S.B. 1361 will decrease the personal income tax -- paid by both individuals and businesses -- from 3.07 percent to 2.99 percent.

Mensch said that last year, he and other Republicans in the legislature stood up to Governor Ed Rendell's demand to increase the personal income tax by 16 percent to fund new spending proposals. That proposed increase was on top of the personal income tax hike Rendell sought and won approval for in 2003 that raised the personal income tax from 2.8 percent to the current rate of 3.07 percent. The Commonwealth Foundation conducted analysis of that tax hike and said it resulted in a 36,000 decrease in jobs created in the years immediately following the increase.

"At a time when Pennsylvania families are struggling to make end meet and make tough household budget decisions, state government should be doing the same," said Mensch. "We need to take a hard look at opportunities to cut waste, fraud and ineffective government programs so that we can allow working families and businesses to keep more of their hard-earned dollars and reinvest in the state's economy."

Mensch is running on a platform of returning fiscal responsibility to Harrisburg, opposing tax increases on working families and seniors, improving the state's economic environment and job creation, and enhancing local open space preservation efforts.
For more information, visit Mensch's campaign website at www.mensch2010.com

Alleged stalker of Jennifer Aniston drove to L.A. from Pa.

From a story by Carl Hessler Jr. in today's edition of The Mercury:
A West Norriton man who allegedly drove cross-country, stalked and professed his love for actress Jennifer Aniston previously faced eerily similar charges of stalking a township woman.

Jason Peyton, 24, formerly of Reagan Court, during a trial in Montgomery County Court in April 2009, was determined to be not guilty by reason of insanity in connection with charges he harassed and stalked a township woman, who he claimed was "in love" with him, on numerous occasions in 2008, according to court records.

Norristown defense lawyer Richard D. Winters, who represented Peyton in the Montgomery County case, confirmed on Wednesday that Peyton is the same man now being held under an emergency mental health commitment in California in connection with his alleged obsession with Aniston, a star of the former hit TV show "Friends."
Read the full story at the link below:

Alleged stalker of Jennifer Aniston traveled to L.A. from Montco (VIDEO) - The Mercury (pottsmerc.com)

The Rendell Carnival Is Back!



See related editorial, "Raise gas taxes?: Gov. Shameless," at The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review website.

Find out what scientists call the monster star R136a1

Find out what scientists call the monster star R136a1. | The Hot Word Blog

Newspaper: Pa. still in dark ages with state system of liquor control laws

Pennsylvania continues to operate its liquor monopoly because overpaid union workers keep the pressure on state lawmakers to keep the antiquated state store system in place.

From an editorial published in The Mercury:
Only 18 other states have liquor control bureaucracies similar to Pennsylvania's and the only reason they still have them is because of status protection of the entrenched financial interests of a few at the expense of the many.

So far, neither of the two gubernatorial candidates has come out in favor of privatization. If the governor doesn't push it, it won't happen. And even if he does, as Tom Ridge and Dick Thornburgh did, it requires an awful lot of heavy lifting with no guarantee of success.

That's why watching what happens in Virginia is important.

As it is, it looks like the state will continue to hold on to its liquor and wine monopoly for some years to come.

That's nothing to celebrate, with a drink or without.
Read the full editorial at the link below:

Pa. still in dark ages with state system of liquor control laws

Alleged stalker of Jennifer Aniston traveled to L.A. from Pennsylvania

Alleged stalker of Jennifer Aniston traveled to L.A. from Montco (VIDEO) - The Mercury (pottsmerc.com)

Man walking coast to coast with giiant cross

Ex-Marine from the Pottstown area is walking across the country with a large wooden cross. Read about his exploits in The Mercury.

Crossing the country: Stowe native walking coast to coast - The Mercury (pottsmerc.com)

Obama Actions in Auto Bailout Added to Unemployment, Audit Says

Can this man do anything right? Every action Obama has taken over the past 18 months has made things worse.

CNSNews.com - Obama Administration's Actions in Auto Bailout Added to Unemployment, Audit Says

Joe Sestak wrong again: Cap & Trade

New $100 Bill Coming in 2011


U.S. Government Puts Public Education for New $100 Note into High Gear

Obama Administration’s Actions in Auto Bailout Added to Unemployment, Audit Says

Obama Administration’s Actions in Auto Bailout Added to Unemployment, Audit Says | NewsBusters.org

Politico's VandeHei Takes NAACP to Task for Labeling Tea Party Racist

Politico's VandeHei Takes NAACP to Task for Labeling Tea Party Racist | NewsBusters.org

45,000 Homeless Seniors in the U.S., Number to Double by 2050

45,000 Homeless Seniors in the U.S., Number to Double by 2050

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

30 members of Congress join Tea Party Caucus so far



As of 7/21/10, here is a list of those Members of Congress who have officially joined the Tea Party Caucus:

Todd Akin (MO-2)
Rodney Alexander (LA-5)
Michele Bachmann (MN-6)
Joe Barton (TX-6)
Roscoe Bartlett (MD-6)
Michael Burgess (TX-26)
Paul Broun (GA-10)
Dan Burton (IN-5)
John Carter (TX-31)
John Culberson (TX-7)
John Fleming (LA-4)
Trent Franks (AZ-2)
Phil Gingrey (GA-11)
Louie Gohmert (TX-1)
Tom Graves (GA-9)
Pete Hoekstra (MI-2)
Walter Jones (NC-3)
Steve King (IA-5)
Doug Lamborn (CO-5)
Cynthia Lummis (WY)
Tom McClintock (CA-4)
Jerry Moran (KS-1)
Mike Pence (IN-6)
Tom Price (GA-6)
Denny Rehberg (MT)
Pete Sessions (TX-32)
Adrian Smith (NE-3)
Lamar Smith (TX-21)
Cliff Stearns (FL-6)
Todd Tiahrt (KS-4)

Source: Rep. Michelle Bachmann

Obama Wrestles With Jobs



See related editorial at The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review website.

81 Members of Congress Support Arizona Immigration Law

Assisted by FAIR, 81 Members of Congress File Amicus Brief in Support of Arizona Immigration Law

Rendell Pushes for $3B in new taxes, fees to meet transportation shortfall

Pennsylvania Governor Rendell Urges Senate Transportation Committee to Work to Meet Road, Bridge and Transit Funding Challenges this Year

PA Governor's Conference for Women Announces Keynote Lineup

PA Governor's Conference for Women Announces Keynote Lineup

Business Groups: Climate Bill Is A Job Killer

New Analysis of Kerry-Lieberman Climate Bill Shows Grim Outlook for U.S. Economy

Race bating backfires on Obama

From POLITICO:
The election of Barack Obama, America’s first black president, was supposed to be a sign of our national maturity, a chance to transform the charged, stilted “national conversation” about race into a smarter and more authentic dialogue, led by a president who was also one of the nation's subtlest thinkers and writers on the topic.

Instead, the conversation just got dumber.
So much for 'conversation' on race - Ben Smith - POLITICO.com

Obama Gets What He Wants

Lindsey Graham: No. 1 RINO in Congress

With Arlen Specter cleaning out his desk, it appears Lindsey Graham can now lay claim to the title of No. 1 RINO in Congress.

Lindsey Graham: Sellout - HUMAN EVENTS

Columnist: The Most Amoral Foreign Policy in Decades

The Most Amoral Foreign Policy in Decades - HUMAN EVENTS

Newspaper: Time to end special funds for state lawmakers

While running up more than $4.3 billion in deficits over the past two years, Gov. Ed Rendell and the Legislature also spent $210 million on Walking Around Money, which comes from taxpayer-funded slush funds incumbent politicians use to help them get re-elected.

Still think there's no need for a clean sweep in Harrisburg?

Check out this editorial in the Reading Eagle:

It's time to end the special funds for state lawmakers (7/20/10)

Pa. man arrested for stalking Jennifer Aniston

From a story by Carl Hessler Jr. in today's edition of The Mercury:
A West Norriton man who allegedly drove cross-country, stalked and professed his love for actress Jennifer Aniston faced eerily similar charges of stalking a township woman last year.

Jason Peyton, 24, formerly of Reagan Court, during a trial in Montgomery County Court last year, was determined to be not guilty by reason of insanity in connection with charges he harassed and stalked a township woman who he claimed was "in love" with him on two occasions in 2008, according to court records.

Norristown defense lawyer Richard D. Winters, who represented Peyton in the Montgomery County case, confirmed on Wednesday that Peyton is the same man now being held under an emergency mental health commitment in California in connection with his alleged obsession with Aniston, a star of the former hit TV show "Friends." Winters confirmed West Norriton police informed him in early July that they had received information that Peyton was driving to California to marry Aniston. Local authorities then notified California authorities.
Read more at the link below:

Montco man being held in L.A. for stalking Jennifer Aniston - The Mercury (pottsmerc.com)

Michele Bachmann: Tea Party Caucus not designed to be alternative voice to GOP leadership

Michele Bachmann: Tea Party Caucus not designed to be alternative voice to GOP leadership | The Daily Caller

New Pat Toomey Video: Where's the Accountability, Joe?

Bozell Column: The NAACP Cries Racism

Bozell Column: The NAACP Cries Racism | NewsBusters.org

Newspaper: No On Kagan

Investor's Business Daily says Elena Kagan does not deserve a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court because of the contempt she has demonstrated for the Constitution. She will use her lifetime appointment to the court to chip away at basic rights in the Constitution, the newspaper argues.

Read the full editorial at the link below:

Why No On Kagan - Investors.com

Liberal journalists suggest government shut down Fox News

Liberal journalists suggest government shut down Fox News

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Thomas Sowell: Nothing Post-Racial About Barack Obama

Thomas Sowell is one of the most brilliant minds in the United States. A noted economist, social critic and author, Sowell is also one of the most respected political columnists in the country. Sowell also happens to be black. And Thomas Sowell is disgusted by the constant use of the race card by Barack Obama and his liberal minions as a way to disparage critics of Obama's failed policies.

From a new Sowell column in Investor's Business Daily:
Some Obama supporters have long regarded any criticism of him as racism. But that they should have to resort to such a banner to bolster their case shows how desperate they are for any evidence.

Among people who voted for Barack Obama in 2008, those who are likely to be most disappointed are those who thought they were voting for a new post-racial era. There was absolutely nothing in Obama's past to lead to any such expectation, and much to suggest the exact opposite. But the man's rhetoric and demeanor during the election campaign enabled this and many other illusions to flourish.

Still, it was an honest mistake of the kind that decent people have often made when dealing with people whose agendas are not constrained by decency, but only by what they think they can get away with.

On race, as on other issues, different people have radically different views of Barack Obama, depending on whether they judge him by what he says or by what he does. As Obama's own books point out, he has for years cultivated a talent for saying things that people will find congenial.

There is not now, nor has there ever been, anything post-racial about Barack Obama, except for the people who voted for him in the mistaken belief that he shared their desire to be post-racial. When he leaves office, especially if it is after one term, he will leave this country more racially polarized than before.

Hopefully, he may also leave the voters wiser, though sadder, after they learn from painful experience that you can't judge politicians by their rhetoric, or ignore their past because of your hopes for the future. Voters may even wise up to race card fraud.
Read the full column at the newspaper's website.

Muslim Beheads Wife, Claims Victim Status

Muslim Beheads Wife, Claims Victim Status - HUMAN EVENTS

Video: Critz and His Friends

Crackdown Urged on Health Insurance 'Profiling' in PA

Insurance Commissioner Highlights Investigation on Health Insurance Company 'Profiling' Practices, Urges Legislative Action

Bailing Out on Rendell

With six months left in his term (and the likelihood that a Republican will occupy the governor's mansion in January, Gov. Ed Rendell is losing his top aides.

The stampede toward the door will increase as the end of the Rendell administration draws near.

Pennsylvania Governor Rendell Announces Resignation of Secretary of Administration Naomi Wyatt, Appoints Christian Soura as Secretary

Eric Holder Is On The Case

Disgraced USDA Official Blames Fox News and Tea Party For Her Dismissal

Disgraced USDA Official Blames Fox News and Tea Party For Her Dismissal | NewsBusters.org

The Blame Game: Democrats faulted on unemployment extension

Who's to blame for Congress' delay in extending unemployment benefits? The Democrats, of course. They control Congress. They decide all government spending.

From Investor's Business Daily:
President Obama, for example, leveled an attack Monday at Republican lawmakers, essentially saying they were denying extended unemployment benefits for millions of jobless Americans. "It's time to do what's right, not for the next election, but for the middle class," he said, implying that the GOP's only concern was politics.

We're not surprised. It's in the grand tradition of political bad-mouthing to claim the opposition is heartless and hateful. But the president forgets: It was the Democrats who insisted on a new system for budgeting, to make sure the deficit didn't grow. Republicans, in fact, support the $34 billion extension of jobless benefits; they just want Congress to find an equivalent amount in cuts, as required by the Democrats' own rules.

Remember last February? Trying to convince Americans they were the fiscally responsible party — despite pushing the U.S. deficit to $1.4 trillion, or 10% of GDP, and adding trillions to our nation's debt — Democrats passed a "Pay-Go" law requiring that any added spending would be offset with cuts.

They got a lot of political mileage out of that. But before the ink on the bill was dry, they began ignoring it, spending more on health care, aid to the states, jobless benefits, expansion of the child tax credit and government loan programs for small businesses, among other goodies, with no cuts.

In short, they had it both ways — posing as deficit-cutters while at the same time spending vast sums of money on various forms of "stimulus." As we all know, the Keynesian stimulus has been a tragic failure, denying millions of Americans the right to meaningful work by killing off the economic growth that is the source of an expanding work force and rising wages.
The Blame Game - Investors.com

November is a referendum on Obama's failed policies

Rendell calls for higher taxes, fees on PA residents

Rendell renews plea for Pa. transportation funding - The Mercury (pottsmerc.com)

Poll: Support of Elena Kagan Hurts Swing Senators' Re-Election Bids

Support of Elena Kagan Hurt Swing Senators' Re-Election Bids

Giuliani touts Barletta for Congress in PA's 11th Dist.

"America's Mayor" urges voters in Pennsylvania's 11th District to elect Lou Barletta to Congress.

Giuliani touts Barletta in the 11th | The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, PA

Lions Clubs Experience Largest Membership Increase in Nearly 2 Decades

Lions Clubs Experience Largest Membership Increase in Nearly 2 Decades

PACleanSweep to sponsor Constitutional Convention Exhibition

PACleanSweep | The Constitutional Convention Exhibition

Obama Official Who Discriminated Against White Farmers Is Fired

Eric Holder's Idea of Justice

AHI Statement on 36th Anniversary of Turkish Invasion of Cyprus

The American Hellenic Institute (AHI) has issues the following statement on the 36th anniversary of Turkey’s brutal invasion of the Republic of Cyprus on July 20, 1974:
Today we remember the solemn 36th anniversary of Turkey’s brutal invasion of the Republic of Cyprus.

On July 20, 1974, Turkey illegally invaded the Republic of Cyprus with the illegal use of U.S.-supplied arms and equipment in violation of the U.S. Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, the United Nations Charter, the NATO Treaty, and customary international law. Turkey occupied about four percent of Cyprus during the initial phase of its invasion. Turkish pilots flying American planes dropped American-made bombs, including napalm bombs, on Greek Cypriot communities.

Furthermore, on August 14, 1974, three weeks after the legitimate government of Cyprus was restored, Turkey launched the second massive phase of its invasion of Cyprus. As a result of its two-phase invasion of Cyprus, Turkey grabbed 37 percent of Cyprus’s sovereign territory, killed innocent civilians, raped women ages 12 to 71, forced 170,000 Greek Cypriots from their homes and properties, and committed mass destruction of Cyprus’s cultural and religious heritage, including its churches and cemeteries. Approximately 1,600 Greek Cypriots and five American citizens of Cypriot heritage went missing and a large majority of these cases remain unresolved.

For 36 years, the people of Cyprus have endured an illegal occupation and massive violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms by Turkey, an ally of the United States. Current efforts to find a solution under United Nations auspices have yielded minimal tangible results. Under the new leadership of Mr. Dervis Eroglu, the Turkish Cypriots, with the support of Turkey, continue to present proposals and positions that are outside the parameters of the UN high-level agreement and European Union principles. Clearly, the problem, as well as the solution to the Cyprus issue, rests in Ankara.

AHI contends the U.S can play a crucial role by getting realistic with Turkey and eliminating its double-standard policy that has rewarded Turkish aggression and ignored countless violations of the rule of law in Cyprus—a valued friend and supporter of the U.S. on counter-terrorism and security issues in the Eastern Mediterranean.
In addition, AHI continues to:
support a settlement of the Cyprus problem through negotiations based on a bi-zonal, bi communal federation in a state with a single sovereignty and international personality, incorporating the norms of a constitutional democracy embracing key American principles, the EU acquis communautaire and EU Founding Treaty, UN resolutions on Cyprus, the pertinent decisions of the European Court of Human Rights and of other European Courts -- as is the best interests of the United States;

call for the withdrawal of Turkey’s 43,000 occupation troops illegally in Cyprus;

call for the return of the 180,000 illegal Turkish colonists/settlers in Cyprus to Turkey and for a halt to the illegal bringing of more colonists/settlers from Turkey to occupied Cyprus to illegally change the demographics of the island and of the Turkish Cypriot community, all of which is in violation of the Geneva Convention of 1949;

call for the restoration of property illegally taken in the northern-occupied area of Cyprus to their rightful owners, and payment by Turkey to the owners for deprivation of the use of their property;

urge the U.S. government to direct Turkey to tear down the green line barbed wire fence across the face of Cyprus that makes Nicosia the last divided capital in Europe; contend Ankara must not manipulate the direct talks or restrict Mr. Eroglu during negotiations; and

call on Ankara to normalize relations with the Republic of Cyprus, a member of the European Union (a body to which Turkey aspires to join), and as agreed to by Turkey.
AHI will host a documentary presentation and forum on Capitol Hill titled “Cyprus Still Divided: A U.S. Foreign Policy Failure” on July 21, 2010, 2pm, 2456 Rayburn House Office Building, to observe the 36th anniversary of Turkey’s invasion of the Republic of Cyprus.

Finally, AHI draws attention to Turkey's recent foreign policy direction that is not in the best interests of the United States.
Regarding Iran, Turkey has publically supported the Iranian dictator, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader and its fraudulent election returning Ahmadinejad to the presidency. Turkey has denounced Iran’s opposition party and the mass demonstrations over the legitimacy of the elections. In a CNN interview, Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan rebuffed President Obama’s call for tough new sanctions on Iran.

Regarding Israel, Prime Minister Erdogan has attacked Israel on many occasions for its actions in Gaza, including the “Flotilla Incident” that occurred May 31, 2010. He publically attacked former Israeli President Shimon Peres at the World Economic Forum in Davos on January 29, 2009, and recently, excluded Israel from an annual NATO air force exercise in Turkey called Anatolian Eagle. The U.S. and others refused to participate, and as a result, the exercise was canceled.

Our position has long been that the United States, in its own best interests, should critically review and reassess its relations with Turkey. The recent actions and statements of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and other members of his government, regarding Israel, Iran, Syria and Sudan, which are contrary to U.S. policy and interests, only serve to underscore the need for a critical reevaluation of U.S. relations with Turkey.
The American Hellenic Institute is an independent non-profit Greek American public policy center that works to strengthen relations between the United States and Greece and Cyprus, and within the Greek American community.

Video: Black Conservatives Are EVERYWHERE

1 Million Sign Impeach Obama Petition

Impeachment Campaign Surpasses One Million Petition Signers

Watchdog group endorses Toomey for U.S. Senate

The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste Political Action Committee has formally announced its endorsement of former U.S. Rep. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) in the race for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania.

From a CCAGWPAC press release:
"Pat Toomey is a proven leader in supporting limited government and eliminating excessive spending," said CCAGWPAC Chairman Tom Schatz. "Pat Toomey's voting record as a three-term member of the U.S. House of Representatives demonstrates that he will always represent the best interests of the taxpayers.

He was recognized by the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW) as a 'Taxpayer Hero' with a lifetime rating of 95 percent for his three terms in the House of Representatives and was a 'Taxpayer Super Hero' in 2001 for receiving a perfect score of 100 percent. With this type of record, taxpayers can take comfort that if elected to the U.S. Senate, Pat Toomey will continue to work to eliminate waste, fraud, and mismanagement in government.

On the other hand, Pat Toomey's opponent, Rep. Joe Sestak (D-Pa.) received a CCAGW vote rating of zero percent in 2009 and has a lifetime CCAGW rating of 5 percent.

These ratings reflect the fact that Rep. Sestak supports pork-barrel earmarks and wasteful government spending as well as tax increases. These policies have not resulted in creating jobs or helped to improve the U.S. economy."

On May 11, 2010, Rep. Toomey signed CCAGW's "No Pork Pledge," meaning he will not request any earmarks if he is elected to the Senate. In contrast, Rep. Sestak secured wasteful pork-barrel earmarks for 99 projects worth nearly $102 million from fiscal years 2008-2010. CCAGW this week will be challenging Rep. Sestak to renounce his earmark addiction and sign the "No Pork Pledge."

"Rep. Toomey has a demonstrated ability to lead Congress to improve the future economic outlook. America needs leaders who say 'no' to wasteful spending and the ongoing pork-fest in Washington. Pat Toomey will work to cut the record budget deficit and reduce taxes, which will improve the lives of every Pennsylvanian and all taxpayers," concluded Schatz.
For more about CCAGWPAC, which supports political candidates who will fight to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse in government and represent the best interests of taxpayers, visit the group's Web site at www.ccagwpac.org