Updates on PHEAA scandal and other recent posts

One of the biggest criticisms of the news media is that we never follow up on stories. We rush to cover something only to leave it behind in a few days.

I hear you. So from now on, I'll make an effort to update you on some of the issues I write about.

Here's a few updates on some recent events.

PHEAA scandal keeps getting worse

I've written several times about the financial scandal at PHEAA, the state agency that provides student loans to college-bound Pennsylvania residents. Not only did PHEAA employees and board members spend about $900,000 for pamparing on themselves at swanky resorts, but the Harrisburg Patriot-News reported today that PHEAA spent $400,000 in legal fees attempting to keep the information about its spending secret. This is why Pennsylvania needs a stronger Sunshine Law, one that will impose significant fines for politicians and their appointees for failing to disclose public information. Government agencies and quasi-government agencies like PHEAA waste an enourmous amount of money. The public has a right to know. And the PHEAA board, made up of state legislators, needs to be held accountable for the monumental waste. Cound not the $1.3 million in wasted money have gone to provide more loans to college students?

O'Reilly charms Berks County

Remember the column I did about how liberals were fuming that Bill O'Reilly was invited to speak at the Berks County Chamber of Commerce annual dinner. The lefties wrote letters to the local newspaper and threatened to protest O'Reilly's appearance. Despite all the venom from the angry left, O'Reilly's talk was the best attended dinner the chamber ever held. More than 1,200 tickets were sold and I heard from two people who were there that O'Reilly was well received by the audience. Maybe the chamber can book Rosie O'Donnell next year to appease the far left.

Candidate comes to his senses

Remember the candidate who finished 455 votes behind incumbent Reading Mayor Tom McMahon in the Democratic Party primary on May 15? Angel Figueroa was jumping up and down calling for recounts and new elections and investigations. I nominated Mr. Figueroa for the Sore Loser Hall of Fame. Two weeks after the election, Mr. Figueroa has come to his senses and has decided not to challenge the election results. He's still a sore loser, but at least he's moving on with his life (and what's left of his political career).

Philadelphia death toll continues to rise

Another day, another murder. The homicide total in Philadelphia has reached 164 as of May 30, 2007, way ahead of last year's toll of 149 on the same date. Mayor John Street and his police commissioner still haven't done a thing about the lawlessness in the City of Brotherly Love and Gov. Edward G. Rendell, former mayor of Philadelphia, is still pushing gun control as the way to end the violence. Actually, Rendell is more concerned about keeping empty buses running around Philadelphia than dealing with violent crime in the state's largest city. Only 3 1/2 more years to go until we elect a new governor.

Rendell's trail of broken promises

They say a picture is worth a thousand words.

That would be Gov. Ed Rendell standing in front of a sign that says, "We deliver on our promises."

In the best Bill Clinton tradition, I guess it depends on what "deliver" means.

Rendell promised to deliver property tax cuts for all Pennsylvania homeowners standing on his head. That was in 2003. The blood must be rushing to Rendell's head by now because he has failed to deliver on that promise.

Rendell promised to cut property taxes if the Legislature approved 61,000 slot machines for Pennsylvania. That was in July 2004. Two-and-a-half years later, not one dime in tax relief has trickled down to Pennsylvania taxpayers from Rendell's casinos. The most optimistic projection for tax relief from gambling revenues is now late 2008 or early 2009. Another promise Rendell failed to deliver.

In 2005, Rendell promised to deliver tax relief if school boards approved Act 72, the governor's first attempt at a tax shift scheme. More than 80 percent of the school boards rejected Act 72. Another broken promise by Rendell.

In 2006, Rendell promised "property tax relief for all Pennsylvanians" under Act 1, which forced voters to raise their taxes with the promise of a future tax reduction. On May 15, 2007, voters in 490 of 498 school districts rejected tax-shift schemes under Act 1. Another broken promise by Rendell.

Now Rendell wants to raise the state sales tax and use a small portion of the new revenue to lower property taxes. Another promise. Take a look at that photo again. "We deliver on our promises." Rendell has failed to deliver on his promises in five consecutive years. How many more times are you willing to be lied to?

Pennsylvania residents are slowly figuring out that Rendell has duped them on the tax issue. A new Quinnipiac Poll out Wednesday shows that 51 percent of residents disapprove of Rendell's handling of taxes.

Republican appear to have come to their senses about Rendell much sooner than Democrats. The poll shows that 66 percent of registered Republican disapprove of Rendell's handling of taxes. Only 39 percent of the Democrats polled disapprove of Rendell's handling of the property tax issue.

Rendell's disapproval numbers on taxes have risen in four consecutive polls conducted by the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute going back to June 2006.

You remember last June, don't you? That's when Ed Rendell put out a press release announcing "Property Tax Relief is Here for All Pennsylvanians." I don't know about you, but I'm still waiting for mine.

Democrats have a new motto: We quit

I'm having trouble keeping up with all the headlines involving Democrats these days.

Cindy Sheehan quits as protest leader

Rosie O'Donnell quits 'The View'

Pelosi quits on plan to restore ethics in House

Congressional Democrats quit on their leaders

Is there any truth to the rumor that the Democratic Party has adopted "We Quit" as its official slogan?

Cindy Sheehan, professional protester and publicity-seeker, is the latest high-profile Democrat to throw in the towel.

Sheehan announced Tuesday that she is quitting her designated role as the loneliest protester in Texas because Democrats are a bunch of quitters. So she quit.

"I've been wondering why I'm killing myself and wondering why the Democrats caved in to George Bush," Sheehan told The Associated Press while driving from her property in Crawford to the airport, where she planned to return to her native California.

Sheehan's decision comes on the heels of Rosie O'Donnell announcing she's quitting 'The View' although after her foaming-at-the-mouth tirade with the blonde girl on the show eventually led ABC to escort Ms. O'Donnell from the building.

And how can we forget the Democratic Party's embarrassing retreat on a timetable for leaving Iraq.

The party that took back Congress on a promise to pull U.S. troops from Iraq decided it didn't want to take on President Bush over war funding and a withdrawal timetable. In other words, the Democratic Party quit.

If Nancy Pelosi couldn't control her rank-and-file, what chance did Cindy Sheehan have of surviving another hot summer outside President Bush's Texas ranch?

For who? For what?

"I'm going home for awhile to try and be normal," Sheehan added in the Associated Press interview. I guess that depends on what your "definition" of normal is for somebody like Cindy Sheehan.

Sheehan posted the following comments on the left-wing blog, Daily Kos: "Good-bye America ... you are not the country that I love and I finally realized no matter how much I sacrifice, I can't make you be that country unless you want it. It's up to you now."

Who's left? I hear Michael Moore is still alive and kicking and is about to release another of those "mock-umentary" films of his. Alec Baldwin is around, but he's got some anger management issues to deal with. Sean Penn? Well, let's just say that Mr. Penn needs to concentrate on his sagging acting career. Penn has been in a string of box office bombs on the past two years.

I got it. Jimmy Carter. Just as soon as we can get Mr. Peanut back from visiting his pals Hugo Chavez and Fidel Castro, Jimmy Carter can take the lead for the Democrats.

Insanity rampant in Harrisburg?

Below is a terrific Letter to the Editor published in the Sunday, May 27, edition of The Mercury. The writer is David Baldinger, who is involved with the Pennsylvania Taxpayers Cyber Coalition. It's one of the most succinct assessments I've ever read of the problem with our state government. It's worth sharing with as many people as possible.

Editor:

American writer Rita Mae Brown defined insanity as "doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."

Governor Rendell has proposed a 1% sales tax increase, a portion of which would be used for a small amount of property tax relief.

The House Democratic caucus recently proposed a 1/2% sales tax increase to be used for a small amount of property tax relief.

What makes the politicians think that these latest ideas are any different than the Act 1 referendum that the voters so resoundingly rejected on Election Day? It proposed an income tax for a small amount of property tax relief.

All of these proposals are exactly the same: They impose a new, permanent tax in exchange for temporary "relief" that will be offset very quickly by increasing property taxes.

If Brown's definition is correct, what does this say about the sanity of our lawmakers?

It is time that the powers in Harrisburg understand that Pennsylvania voters clearly recognize their phony shell games for what they are and that only genuine property tax reform through elimination is acceptable.

If they refuse to learn this lesson now, we’ll have the opportunity to teach it to them in 2008.

David Baldinger

Cumru Township

The editorial cartoon above is by the brilliant John Cole of The Times-Tribune in Scranton. To view more of Cole's cartoons, go to http://emedia.thetimes-tribune.com/JohnColeCartoons/tabid/407/Default.aspx

Fine politicians for campaign signs?

They pop up like weeds every spring. I'm talking about political signs that litter our highways during every election cycle.

You'll never convince me that a candidate gains a single vote by putting his or her name on a campaign sign and sticking it on the side of the road, but politicians and challengers spend lots of money to promote their names on signs. (And in a minute, I'll give you names of politicians who piss me off by not collecting their signs).

I've noticed that signs are going up earlier every year. Some candidates believe they can get the edge on their opponent by being the first to put up signs. Other have a different strategy. They wait until two weeks before the election to plant their signs on grassy areas. I guess the reasoning there is that drivers have gotten sick of looking at the same signs for two months and will vote for the person on the new sign.

I've also noticed that politicians and their supporters are always playing a game of leap frog with signs, placing their signs directly in front of an opponent to obstruct their rival's name. One candidate I'm familiar with came up with a clever tactic for the May 15 primary this year. She would place five of her signs lined up edge to edge in front of a rival's signs, obscuring his name completely. She means business.

Some people get upset with the proliferation of political signs. An elderly man went on a rampage last year and tore down more than 80 signs for Congressman Jim Gerlach. The elderly man was charged by police, but I don't think the case ever made it court.

Someone suggested municipalities should charged politicians for planting signs on public property. Maybe PennDOT can raise some money to fix those highways and bridges by charging rental space along state highways.

But you keep running up against that whole First Amendment freedom of speech thing.

My only beef with political signs is when politicians fail to collect their signs after the election is over.

I don't mean they have to rush out the next morning after an election to gather up all the signs. But certainly a week is plenty of time for candidates and their supporters to collect campaign signs.

Today is exactly two weeks since the May 15 primary and I still see a lot of campaign signs on the side of major roadways I travel.

I live in Berks County and spend most of my time on roads in Berks. The biggest offenders in failing to remove their political signs this year are Republican Tim Rowley, Democrat Tom Gajewski, Republican Nelson Long, Democrat David Batdorf and Democrat Tom McMahon, who is the current mayor of Reading and makes a big deal about trying to clean up trash in the city. Why don't you start with your campaign signs, Mr. Mayor?

Rowley, Gajewski and McMahon won their respective primaries and will be on the ballot in the fall. Maybe some voters will hold it against them in November if they don't take down their signs.

And will somebody please take down the Ed Rendell for Governor and Bob Casey Jr. for Senator signs at the ramp off the West Shore Bypass at Lancaster Avenue in Reading. They've been there since November 2006!

'They lived and died as Americans'

The following remarks were made today by President Bush at the Arlington National Cemetery Memorial Day Commemoration:

Today we honor the warriors who fought our nation's enemies, defended the cause of liberty, and gave their lives in the cause of freedom. We offer our love and our heartfelt compassion to the families who mourn them. We pray that our country may always prove worthy of the sacrifices they made.

For seven generations, we have carried our fallen to these fields. Here rest some 360,000 Americans who died fighting to preserve the Union and end slavery. Here rest some 500,000 Americans who perished in two world wars to conquer tyrannies and build free nations from their ruins. Here rest some 90,000 Americans who gave their lives to confront Communist aggression in places such as Korea and Vietnam.

Many names here are known: the 18-year-old Union soldier named Arthur MacArthur, who grabbed a falling flag and carried it up Missionary Ridge; the Tuskegee Airmen who defended America abroad and challenged prejudice at home; the slain war hero and President who asked that we "assure the survival and success of liberty" and found his rest beneath an eternal flame. Still others here are remembered only by loving families. Some are known only to God.

Now this hallowed ground receives a new generation of heroes — men and women who gave their lives in places such as Kabul and Kandahar, Baghdad and Ramadi. Like those who came before them, they did not want war — but they answered the call when it came. They believed in something larger than themselves. They fought for our country, and our country unites to mourn them as one.

We remember Army Specialist Ross Andrew McGinness. Ross was born on Flag Day in 1987. When he was in kindergarten, he said he wanted to grow up to be "an Army man." He enlisted at 17 — the first day he was eligible. He deployed to Iraq. Last December, a grenade was thrown into his Humvee as Ross was patrolling the streets of Baghdad. The soldiers inside could not escape in time, so Ross leapt into the vehicle and covered the grenade with his own body. By sacrificing himself to save four other men, he earned a Silver Star — and the eternal gratitude of the American people.

We remember Marine Sergeant Marc Golczynski of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Marc volunteered for a second tour of duty in Iraq. He knew the dangers his service would entail. Before he deployed, he wrote the following in an email to his family and friends: "Please don't feel bad for us. We are warriors, and as warriors have done before us we fight and sometimes die so our families do not have to." Marc left behind an eight-year-old son, Christian, who is with us today; he managed to be brave while he held his father’s folded flag.

With us are other children and families mourning moms and dads and sons and daughters. Nothing said today will ease your pain. But each of you need to know that your country thanks you, and we embrace you, and we will never forget the terrible loss you have suffered. I hope you find comfort in knowing that your loved ones rest in a place even more peaceful than the fields that surround us here.

The greatest memorial to our fallen troops cannot be found in the words we say or the places we gather. The more lasting tribute is all around us — a country where citizens have the right to worship as they want, to march for what they believe, and to say what they think. These freedoms came at great costs — and they will survive only as long as there are those willing to step forward to defend them against determined enemies.

As before in our history, Americans find ourselves under attack and underestimated. Our enemies long for our retreat. They question our moral purpose. They doubt our strength of will. Yet even after five years of war, our finest citizens continue to answer our enemies with courage and confidence. Hundreds of thousands of patriots still raise their hands to serve their country; tens of thousands who have seen war on the battlefield volunteer to re-enlist. What an amazing country to produce such fine citizens.

Laura and I have met many of them; we've sat at the bedsides of the wounded. This morning, I met service members who received medals for distinguished service — and found myself humbled by their grace and their grit. I had the honor of meeting with families of the fallen in the Oval Office, and was amazed by their strength and resolve and decent grace under pressure. We’ve heard of 174 Marines recently — almost a quarter of a battalion — who asked to have their enlistments extended. For these extensions, they would earn no promotion and no promise of a favored posting. They want to serve their nation. And as one of them put it this way: "I’m here so our sons don’t have to come and fight here someday."

Those who serve are not fatalists or cynics. They know that one day this war will end — as all wars do. Our duty is to ensure that its outcome justifies the sacrifices made by those who fought and died in it. From their deaths must come a world where the cruel dreams of tyrants and terrorists are frustrated and foiled — where our nation is more secure from attack, and where the gift of liberty is secured for millions who have never known it.

This is our country’s calling. It's our country's destiny. Americans set off on that voyage more than two centuries ago, confident that this future was within our reach — even though the shore was distant, and even though the journey may be long. And through generations, our course has been secured by those who wear a uniform, secured by people who man their posts, and do their duty. They have helped us grow stronger with each new sunrise.

On this Day of Memory, we mourn brave citizens who laid their lives down for our freedom. They lived and died as Americans. May we always honor them. May we always embrace them. And may we always be faithful to who they were and what they fought for.

Thank you for having me. May God bless you and may God continue to bless our country.

Democrats cave in on Iraq funding

Despite all the talk of standing up to President Bush, despite all the bravado about taking control of Congress, despite their so-called mandate to change direction, Democrats caved in on the Iraq War funding bill.

It wasn't long ago that Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid were taunting the president with Democratic resolutions setting a surrender date for leaving Iraq.

But Pelosi and Reid blinked. They showed the Democrats true colors. The Democratic Party is the party of surrender. The party of appeasement. It's the party of defeat. It's the party without convictions.

Democrats control both houses of Congress. They claim that the majority of Americans are with them on the Iraq issue, but they waived the white flag on their much-ballyhooed withdrawal date.

President Bush, at the weakest moment of his presidency, still trumped his Democratic rivals, getting the $100 billion in war funding he requested without accepting a timetable for leaving Iraq.

The Democrats, trying to put a spin on their complete failure to stand up to the president, said they'll try again in the fall. Good luck with that.

There's a reason Democrats have trouble convincing American voters they can lead this country during the global struggle against Islamic Fascism. That's because they can't. They lack a key ingredient: Backbone.

The inability of the Democratic-controlled Congress to get its way on war funding will dog the party through the 2008 election.

And how will Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama explain to voters that they voted against funding 165,000 U.S. troops in Iraq? In an obvious attempt to cater to the far left, Clinton and Obama voted against the funding bill.

Clinton and Obama have chosen to use the John Kerry "Flip-Flop" strategy that worked so well for the Massachusetts liberal in his 2004 presidential run. Both Democratic front-runners began their campaign for the White House criticizing a deadline for a troop withdrawal. Now, Clinton and Obama are in favor of a surrender timetable. They were among the 14 Senators who voted against the war funding bill. But 80 Senators, including the majority of Democrats, backed the war spending bill.

While the far left will be pleased to have Clinton and Obama in its back pocket, mainstream Democrats have to wonder what their front-runners are willing to say or do to get elected.

That's always been the problem for Democrats. They don't stand for anything. They are the party of appeasement, whether it be to the left-wing fringe of their own party (George Soros, Jane Fonda, Rosie O'Donnell, Cindy Sheehan, Michael Moore, Sean Penn) or America's enemies.

Joining Clinton and Obama, Sen. Christopher Dodd of Connecticut, also running for president, voted against the legislation, The only candidate from the Senate who supported the war funding bill was Delaware Sen. Joe Biden.

"This bold stand by three of the four presidential candidates in the Senate won't soon be forgotten," according to Eli Pariser, executive director of MoveOn.org's political action committee, which has forced Democratic candidates to veer far left to gain support of the party's small, but well-funded left-wing fringe.

Not that anybody cares, but several other Democratic candidates who don't have a chance of winning — John "The Haircut" Edwards of North Carolina and New Mexico Gov. Bill "Really, I'm Spanish" Richardson — also favor surrender in Iraq.

Democrats have a real problem on their hands. They decided to stand toe-to-toe with the president on Iraq funding, but blinked. They have the votes, but have not the conviction.

American voters don't want a president who will surrender at the first sign of trouble. That's why it's going to be hard for Democrats to prove they can lead this country in a time of war.

Hillary Clinton's Indian name

True story. Sen. Hillary Clinton was invited to address a major gathering of The American Indian Nation two weeks ago in upper New York State. She spoke for almost an hour on her future plans for increasing every Native American's present standard of living, should she one day become the first female President.

She referred to her career as a New York Senator, how she had signed "YES" for every Indian issue that came to her desk for approval. Although the Senator was vague on the details of her plan, she seemed most enthusiastic about her future ideas for helping her "red sisters and brothers."

At the conclusion of her speech, the Tribes presented the Senator with a plaque inscribed with her new Indian name — "Walking Eagle."

The proud Senator then departed in her motorcade, waving to the crowds. A news reporter later inquired of the group of chiefs of how they had come to select the new name given to the Senator. They explained that "Walking Eagle" is the name given to a bird so full of shit it can no longer fly.

29 districts call for repeal of Act 1

Pennsylvania voters spoke loud and clear on May 15 when they overwhelmingly rejected the Act 1 tax-shift scheme backed by Gov. Ed Rendell and the majority in the Pennsylvania Legislature.

The defeat of Act 1 was nearly complete, with 490 of 498 Pennsylvania school districts voting it down. And that total might change because voters in the Reading School District approved Act 1 by just 54 votes. Berks County election officials have not counted absentee ballots yet and there are enough absentee ballots in Reading to overturn the 54-vote margin.

While the election vote was decisive, Act 1 is still not dead. The tax-shift referendum questions on the May 15 ballot were just one component of the monster that is Act 1. School boards are still burdened by deadlines for budget preparation and there is still the matter of back-end referendums. It's bad legislation that needs to go away completely.

It's important for school districts to also pass resolutions calling for the repeal of the entire legislation. Voters must also pressure their lawmakers to repeal Act 1.

Two more school districts have approved the repeal resolution drafted by the Pennsylvania Taxpayers Cyber Coalition since the May 15 election. The coalition is made up of two dozen local taxpayer groups from across the state.)

Add the Towanda School District in Bradford County and the Fleetwood School District in Berks County to the list. (By the way, Berks County still leads the way in opposing Act 1, with 11 of the 18 school districts in Berks adopting the repeal resolution.)

Now that voters have spoken on Act 1, it should be easier to persuade your school board to approve the Act 1 repeal resolution, which can be viewed at the PTCC Web site, http://www.ptcc.us/

We've got Ed Rendell and the Harrisburg Hogs on the run. We have to keep up the pressure.

The state House passed legislation that led to Act 1 by a 137 to 61 margin. Most of the 'No' votes were by Republican lawmakers. The state Senate approved the measure by a 40 to 9 margin. House members have to run for re-election every two years. Senate members run every four years, but only half the Senate will face the voters in 2008.

In Berks, Chester and Montgomery counties, the following state representatives voted in favor of Act 1: David G. Argall (R-124); Tom Caltagirone (D-127); Kate Harper (R-61); Art Hershey (R-13); Daylin Leach (R-149); Doug Reichley (R-134); Carole Rubley (R-157); Dante Santoni (D-126); and Josh Shapiro (D-153).

Until we see genuine property tax relief, think twice about re-electing these people in 2008.

In the Senate, the following members who represent parts of Berks, Chester and Montgomery (and voted in favor of Act 1) will face the voters in 2008: Michael A. O’Pake (D-11); Dominic Pileggi (R-9); James J. Rhoades (R-29) and Connie Williams (D-17).

If you want to know how your state representative or senator voted on Act 1, send me an e-mail and I'll get the information for you.

Here's the current list of school districts that have called for repeal of Act 1. If your district is not on the list, start calling your elected school board members and ask them to put it on the agenda for the next board meeting.

Act 1 Resolution Schools

1) Antietam (Berks)

2) Armstrong (Armstrong)

3) Athens (Bradford)

4) Boyertown (Berks/Montgomery)

5) Brandywine Heights (Berks)

6) Bristol Township (Bucks)

7) Canton (Bradford/Lycoming/Tioga)

8) Catasauqua (Lehigh/Northampton)

9) Centennial (Bucks)

10) Central Bucks (Bucks) (Largest district in the state subject to Act 1 provisions)

11) Coatesville (Chester)

12) Conrad Weiser (Berks)

13) Daniel Boone (Berks)

14) Exeter (Berks)

15) Fleetwood (Berks)

16) Governor Mifflin (Berks)

17) Marion Center (Indiana)

18) Muhlenberg (Berks)

19) Old Forge (Lackawanna)

20) Palmyra (Lebanon)

21) Pennsbury (Bucks)

22) South Williamsport (Lycoming)

23) Towanda (Bradford)

24) Tunkhannock (Wyoming)

25) West Branch (Clearfield)

26) William Penn (Delaware)

27) Wilson (Berks)

28) Wyalusing Area (Bradford)

29) Wyomissing (Berks)

Memo to Montco GOP Chairman: Step aside

If you need further evidence that Montgomery County Republican Party Chairman Ken Davis is out in left-field, consider that the man Chairman Davis fought so hard to keep off the primary ballot, current county District Attorney Bruce L. Castor, out-polled all candidates for Montgomery County commissioner in the May 15 primary election.

Castor received 45,460 votes — or nearly 15,000 more than the top Democratic vote-getter in the commissioners' race.

Chairman Davis wanted incumbent GOP commissioners Tom Ellis and Jim Matthews to head the ticket, but Castor managed to knock Ellis off the ballot by appealing directly to Republican Committee members in Montgomery County.

It's hard to argue with results. Castor is the best known and most respected political figure in Montgomery County.

Here's how the vote totals went on May 15: Castor — 45,460; Matthews — 40,074; Democrat Joe Hoeffel — 30,631; Democrat Ruth Damsker: 25,514. Expect the same order in the fall election.

Chairman Davis has allowed his ego and his need for control to cloud his judgment about fielding the best slate of candidates. Winning elections is what running a political party is all about.

The only chance Republicans have of keeping control of Montgomery County government is with Bruce Castor heading the ticket. If Ken Davis can't face reality, he needs to step down as party chairman.

Castor is taking over as the de-facto leader of the the Republican Party in Montgomery County. And it's about time. The party has been on a death march under Davis.

I'm rooting for Miss Cyprus

As some of you know, I was born on the island of Cyprus. I spent most of my youth in Cyprus before my family moved to the United States. A favorite family tradition has been to gather around the TV and watch the Miss Universe Pageant.

We always root for Miss Cyprus (and Miss Greece) and we boo Miss Turkey. (For those of you who aren't up on world history, Turkey invaded the island of Cyprus in 1974 and still occupies the northern third of the island in violation of U.N. resolutions and U.S. law. The United States supplies the Turkish military, but all U.S. military sales stipulate that the weapons cannot be used for offensive purposes. Invading a neighboring country is not what the U.S. had in mind. But every U.S. president since Gerald Ford has looked the other way at Turkish aggression and continued to prop up the Turkish government.)

Anyway, enough politics. Back to Miss Universe. The 56th annual Miss Universe competition from Mexico City will be shown live on Monday, May 28, at 9 p.m. on NBC.

Here's a prediction about next week's contest. Miss USA will be one of the finalists. And so will Miss Mexico. The Miss Universe Pageant is a lot like professional wrestling. You kinda know that Miss USA will always be a finalist and so will the representative of the host nation. Small countries, like Cyprus, usually don't make it into the final 10 for Miss Universe, but I have a good feeling about this year's event.

I will be cheering on Miss Cyprus and as you can see from the photo, Polyvia Achilleos, Miss Cyprus 2007, certainly has the qualifications to be crowned the next Miss Universe.

(Photo credit: AP Photo/Darren Decker, Miss Universe L.P., LLLP)

The difference between Democrats and Republicans

A Republican and a Democrat were walking down the street when they came up to a homeless person.

The Republican gave the man his business card and told him to come to his business for a job. He then took out $20 from his wallet and gave it to the homeless person.

The Democrat was very impressed, and when they came to another homeless person, the Democrat decided to help. He walked over to the man and gave him directions to the nearest Welfare Office. The Democrat then reached into the Republican's pocket and gave the homeless man $50.

Political Sore Loser Hall of Fame

A candidate who finished second in the race for Reading mayor last week is crying foul.

Angel Figueroa, a former Reading City Councilman who lost a bid for the Democratic nomination for mayor by 455 votes, wants a recount. Actually he wants a new election. Or better yet, just allow 300 of his supporters to vote again. Good luck with that.

Figueroa claims that hundreds of Latino voters were intimidated or turned away at the polls. That's going to be hard to prove since Reading is monitored by state and federal authorities to ensure Latinos are given extraordinary access at the polls (including bilingual ballots and taxpayer-funded interpreters).

Federal observers from the Department of Justice were stationed at 45 of the city's 48 voting precincts on May 15 to make sure there were no incidents of discrimination or intimidation against the city's Hispanic voters.

The Justice Department has been monitoring elections in Reading since 2003 as part of a federal court order. You not only have observers at the polls, but the city must also provide bilingual elections material, including the ballot, to voters who don't speak English.

Several left-wing organizations (the ones who look for GOP hanky-panky at elections, but never seem to notice any Democratic dirty tricks) also send monitors to Reading for elections.

Figueroa came up way short for the nomination, which went to current Mayor Tom McMahon. A Republican candidate, Keith Stamm, ran unopposed.

Reading can't even get enough poll workers for its precincts, so who's doing all this intimidation? Figueroa is also making wild accusations of hundreds of Hispanic voters having their party affiliation changed by county elections office workers, but offers no proof other than he was told that by voters.

None of the 300 voters that Figueroa claims were denied the right to vote bothered to contact the county before the election to complain about their alleged switch in voter registration.

If you lose by 5 votes or 15 votes or 25 votes, you can make a case for a review of the results. But when you lose by 455 votes despite outspending your opponents 2-1, the problem is with you.

I'm also intrigued to see that most of Figueroa's campaign contributions came from outside the City of Reading.

Sixteen of the 20 top donors to Figueroa's campaign were individuals or groups outside the city. Makes you wonder why people who don't live in Reading would donate $33,000 to a candidate.

What are they expecting for their investment?

Doesn't really matter. Figueroa lost fair-and-square. He can run again four years from now. Then again, four years from now, nobody will remember who this guy was ... if he’s still living in Reading.

Philadelphia death toll continues climbing

Today is Monday, May 21, the 141st day of 2007. The murder rate in Philadelphia continues at a record pace.

Philadelphia residents picked the Democratic nominee for mayor last week. The November election is a formality. Michael Nutter will be the next mayor. But he won't take office until January 2008.

There are 224 days left in the year. Odds are that at least 224 more Philadelphia residents will be murdered in 2007.

The death toll so far is staggering. As of today, 156 Philadelphia residents have been murdered. The death toll climbed by three over the weekend. (The death toll for the same time last year was 142.)

Nutter campaigned primarily against the record of the current mayor, John Street, arguable the worst mayor of any big city in the U.S. (although maybe Ray Nagins in New Orleans is up there, too).

Nutter promised a get-tough policy on criminals. Something Mayor Street and his police commissioner have been unwilling to consider so far, as they keep pushing for gun control and hundreds of millions in state money to hire more cops.

Gun control is not the answer. The people shooting up the streets of Philadelphia didn't buy their guns legally and won't take the time to register their firearms if new laws are passed. As for more cops, it might take two years to hire and train additional cops. That means at least 800 more body bags will be needed for Philadelphia murder victims.

It's a shame that Mayor Street can't be forced out of office early and allow Nutter to take over. That might prevent the deaths of hundreds more Philadelphia residents.

Blame Democrats for high gas prices

I'm glad I filled up my tank on Sunday. Gas prices jumped 15 cents a gallon overnight at my neighborhood service station.

Who's to blame for skyrocketing gas prices? The Democrats, of course.

Blame Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid and the new Democratic majority in Congress for record-high gas prices.

You remember last year when Democrats were blaming George Bush and the Republicans for high gas prices? It's only fair that we now blame those very same Democrats. Only this time, the Democrats are in control and have nobody to point fingers at.

Didn't Pelosi and her bunch promise to look out for the little people? Well, I'm the little people Nancy and I can't afford the price of gas anymore. What are you going to do about it?

A gallon of regular unleaded costs an average of $3.196 across the country, up from $3.178 on Sunday, according to AAA and Oil Price Information Service. All those spikes are happening under Democratic control of Congress.

Prices are up 33.7 cents from a month ago and 30.4 cents from a year ago. And Democrats control both the House and the Senate. What is your Democratic congressman doing about high gas prices?

I don't care if you give Democrats 100 hours or 100 days or 100 years. They'll never solve a single problem in this country.

In fact, it's mostly Democrats who can be blamed for discouraging oil companies from building or upgrading refinaries or exploring for new oil. There hasn't been a new oil refinary built in the United States since 1976. You can thank the Democrats and their environmentalist lobby for this.

So next time you spend $50 at the gas pump, think about Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid driving around in their taxpayer-paid limos or flying in their taxpayer-paid jets.

They sold you a bill of goods with the 2006 election. Where have all the liberals whiners gone? Why aren't they protesting high gas prices today? Why aren't they blaming Pelosi and Co. for the mess they're making of the U.S. economy?

And what about the liberal press? I'm not seeing any editorials calling for investigation of the oil companies or Big Oil's influence on Congressional Democrats.

Former GOP leader Brightbill supports Democrat

A lot of Republicans have accused David J. "Chip" Brightbill, the former Republican Majority Leader in the Pennsylvania Senate, of being a RINO (Republican In Name Only).

Brightbill, who was soundly defeated for re-election last spring thanks largely to the efforts of conservative groups, including the Young Conservatives of Pennsylvania (YCOP), may have proven his critics right.

Brightbill's name appears prominently on a campaign finance report filed by Berks County Commissioner Judy Schwank, a lifelong Democrat, and the current chairwoman of the three-member Board of Commissioners.

Brightbill contributed $250 to Schwank's re-election campaign, according to her first-quarter campaign finance statement. That's an odd thing to do for a man who led the GOP-controlled Senate up until the end of 2006.

It reinforces the belief that Brightbill betrayed the Republican Party during his years in Harrisburg, helping guide Gov. Ed Rendell's massive tax hike of 2003 through the Senate and rubber-stamping Rendell's budgets, which increased state spending by $6 billion in four years.

It's not like Brightbill didn't have any GOP commissioner candidates to support in Berks, which used to be part of Brightbill's Senate district. There were six Republicans running in the May 15 primary, from all ends of the political spectrum. Surely, Brightbill could have found a Republican close to his political beliefs. (For the record, Brightbill did not contribute to any of the six GOP commissioner candidates).

Maybe Brightbill, now a lawyer and lobbyist, is ready to come out of the political closet and admit he's been masquerading as a Republican all those years.

And Brightbill and his supporters still don't understand why GOP conservatives turned on him? (Residents of Lebanon and Berks county should feel privileged that Mike Folmer is now their state senator.)

One thing I've always said about Republican voters. They take care of their own problems when somebody in the party strays too far from authentic Republican beliefs.

Unlike those Kool Aid-drinking Democrats (who returned payjacker Bill DeWeese to Harrisburg last year), Republicans are willing to dispose of political fakers in primary elections.

Punish politicians for tax relief hoax

Now that Act 1 has been flushed down the drain by Pennsylvania voters, it's time to hold the politicians behind the tax chicanery accountable.

It's too late to do anything about Gov. Ed Rendell, the driving force behind the Act 1 sham. He's safely re-elected to a new four-year term. The best voters can do is demand that their legislators oppose Rendell's tax-and-spend agenda.

But there are more than 175 incumbent legislators who voted for Act 1 last year. Many of these career politicians were re-elected in 2006. Voters shouldn't make the same mistake again when these legislators face re-election in 2008

Just like the July 2005 legislative pay raise, voters should hold lawmakers accountable for their vote on Act 1, another betrayal of the public trust.

The state House passed legislation that led to Act 1 by a 137 to 61 margin. Most of the 'No' votes were by Republican lawmakers. The state Senate approved the measure by a 40 to 9 margin. House members have to run for re-election every two years. Senate members run every four years, but only half the Senate will face the voters in 2008.

In Berks, Chester and Montgomery counties, the following state representatives voted in favor of Act 1: David G. Argall (R-124); Tom Caltagirone (D-127); Kate Harper (R-61); Art Hershey (R-13); Daylin Leach (R-149); Doug Reichley (R-134); Carole Rubley (R-157); Dante Santoni (D-126); and Josh Shapiro (D-153).

Until we see genuine property tax relief, think twice about re-electing these people in 2008.

In the Senate, the following members who represent parts of Berks, Chester and Montgomery (and voted in favor of Act 1) will face the voters in 2008: Michael A. O’Pake (D-11); Dominic Pileggi (R-9); James J. Rhoades (R-29) and Connie Williams (D-17).

If you want to know how your state representative or senator voted on Act 1, send me an e-mail and I'll get the information for you.

Meanwhile, back at the governor's mansion, Ed Rendell woke up with a hangover on Wednesday. Tuesday’s Primary Election did not go well for Rendell, who many regard as political genius.

Not only did Act 1 go down in flames, but all the candidates Rendell endorsed in the May 15 primary, lost their respective races.

Rendell backed C. Darnell Jones for a Democratic nomination to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. Jones came in a distant third with just 18 percent of the vote.

Rendell also backed state Rep. Dwight Evans for mayor of Philadelphia. Evans came in a distant fifth with just 8 percent of the vote.

Just more chinks in the armor of the once invincible governor. Good thing the Pennsylvania Constitution doesn't permit recall elections.

After he took some Alka-Seltzer, Rendell, through his spokesman, hinted that voters were too stupid to understand that voting to raise their taxes was a good thing.

"The governor believes that voters ought to have local control over the mix of taxes that support their schools," Rendell spokesman Chuck Ardo said. "The dollar-for-dollar exchange (under the tax shifts) was straightforward. Unfortunately, the interpretation, by the time it got to the voters, seemed to be much more complicated."

Rendell also attempted to blame Republican leaders in the Legislature for forcing him to sign Act 1 into law.

Excuse me?

Here's what Rendell said on June 27, 2006, when he went to an old lady's house to sign Act 1:

"This day is a major victory for Pennsylvanians who have fought for decades to have their property taxes cut. Every homeowner in Pennsylvania will not only get significant reduction, but they will finally get a say in future tax increases. This bill represents a victory of the possible over politics-as-usual."

That doesn't sound like anybody was twisting Rendell's arm to get him to sign Act 1, which he proclaimed as a historic tax cut for all Pennsylvanians.

Here's why Act 1 sank faster than the Titanic. Voters are not as stupid as Rendell thinks they are.

Pennsylvania residents want the elimination of all property taxes used to fund public education. The only solution that makes sense is the Commonwealth Caucus Plan, also known as the Plan for Pennsylvania's Future. Rendell and the Democratic majority in the House oppose the plan because it would restrict the government’s ability to take away your home if you don’t pay property taxes. It would also force school boards to live within their means.

Rendell's Act 1 shell game would have increased taxes for two-thirds of Pennsylvania residents in return for a promise of a few hundred dollars down the road. Rendell has made too many promises already that he hasn't kept.

Voters have finally figured out Rendell and his empty promises. Unfortunately, that moment of realization came six months after Rendell was re-elected to another four years as governor.

It sucks to be Ed Rendell

Gov. Ed Rendell woke up with a hangover today.

Primary Election Day 2007 did not go well for the governor, who many regard as political genius.

Not only did Act 1, Rendell's tax-relief scheme, go down in flames, but the candidates Rendell endorsed in the May 15 primary, lost their respective races.

Rendell backed C. Darnell Jones for a Democratic nomination to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. Jones came in a distant third with just 18 percent of the vote.

Rendell also backed state Rep. Dwight Evans for mayor of Philadelphia. Evans came in a distant fifth with just 8 percent of the vote.

Just more chinks in the armor of the once invincible governor. Good thing the Pennsylvania Constitution doesn't allow recall elections.

Back to Act 1, which was rejected by an overwhelming majority of voters. (The state reports that only 4 districts approved Act 1. A trade group for the state's school boards believes 9 districts approved it.)

Rendell, through his spokesman, hinted that voters were too stupid to understand that voting to raise their taxes was a good thing.

"The governor believes that voters ought to have local control over the mix of taxes that support their schools," Rendell spokesman Chuck Ardo told the Associated Press. "The dollar-for-dollar exchange (under the tax shifts) was straightforward. Unfortunately, the interpretation, by the time it got to the voters, seemed to be much more complicated."

Rendell also attempted to blame Republican leaders in the Legislature for forcing him to sign Act 1 into law.

Excuse me?

Here's what Rendell said on June 27, 2006, when he went to an elderly woman's house (see photo above) to sign Act 1:

"This day is a major victory for Pennsylvanians who have fought for decades to have their property taxes cut. Every homeowner in Pennsylvania will not only get significant reduction, but they will finally get a say in future tax increases. This bill represents a victory of the possible over politics-as-usual."

That doesn't sound like anybody was twisting Rendell's arm to get him to sign Act 1, which he proclaimed as a historic tax cut for all Pennsylvanians.

Here's my interpretation of why Act 1 sank faster than the Titanic. Voters are not as stupid as Rendell thinks they are.

Pennsylvania residents want the elimination of all property taxes used to fund public education. Rendell gave them a shell game that increased taxes for two-thirds of Pennsylvania residents in return for a promise of a few hundred dollars back down the road.

The only proposal that has a chance of eliminating property taxes is the Commonwealth Caucus Plan, also known as the Plan for Pennsylvania's Future.

Voters have finally figured out Rendell and his empty promises. Unfortunately, that moment of realization came six months after Rendell was re-elected to another four years as governor.

Berks Dems look vulnerable

I hate to pick on a fellow blogger, but since self-proclaimed political expert John Morgan did make some rather bold predictions Tuesday about the outcome of the Republican race for Berks County commissioner, I have to comment.

Mr. Morgan, who writes a lot about Berks County Democratic politics, predicted incumbent Republican Commissioner Mark Scott was going down because of "discontent" with Scott within the Republican Party.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Scott was the top-votegetter in the six-way race for two GOP nominations, with 12,467 votes.

I guess those 12,467 Republicans failed to check with Morgan before going to the polls.

The real interesting numbers Tuesday were on the Democratic side, where incumbent Commissioner Tom Gajewski came within 515 votes of losing his bid for re-election. There's a lot of discontent with Gajewski in the Democratic Party.

Don't be surprised if Mark Scott and Christian Leinbach return Republican control to the Berks Board of Commissioners in November.

17 of 18 Berks school districts reject Act 1

Berks County voters sent a loud message to Gov. Ed Rendell and the Legislature on the Act 1 tax-shift scheme. No thanks!

Act 1 was rejected overwhelmingly by a majority of Berks County voters Tuesday. The tax shift plan was defeated in 17 of the 18 school districts in Berks County. In most school districts, the NO votes ran 2-1 ahead of the YES votes.

The only Berks district where Act 1 passed was the Reading School District, which relies heavily on state funding to run its schools. But even in Reading, Act 1 barely passed. Less than 50 votes decided the referendum question in Reading!

It appears Reading voters didn't understand the Act 1 tax shift. They must have have fallen for Ed Rendell's line that Act 1 was genuine property tax relief.

Kudos to Berks County's own David Baldinger and the Pennsylvania Taxpayers Cyber Coalition for their public education campaign to inform voters that Act 1 was a cruel hoax, not tax relief.

And this just in from neighboring Montgomery County ... the Perkiomen Valley, Pottsgrove, Pottstown, Spring-Ford and Upper Perkiomen school districts have rejected Act 1, according to unofficial results posted on the county's election Web site.

Chester County results were very slow coming in Tuesday, but it appears that the Owen J. Roberts and Phoenixville school districts rejected the Act 1 proposal, according to unofficial election results.

Gov. Ed Rendell and the the legislative aristocracy underestimated the intelligence of Pennsylvania taxpayers again.

If lawmakers thought they dodged a bullet with the pay raise fiasco, they're in for a rude awakening. The tax revolt is on. Anger over the refusal of lawmakers to eliminate property taxes will carry into into the 2008 election cycle.

The pay raise claimed 55 politicians. The tax revolt will end the political lives of many more career politicians in Harrisburg.

Do endorsements matter?

I have a pretty good track record of predicting winners in Berks County, but I have no idea how today's voting will go for the hotly-contested county commissioners races.

Six Republicans and four Democrats are seeking their respective party's nominations. The top two vote-getters from each party will face off in the November General Election.

Incumbents usually have the advantage, but it may not be the case this year in Berks. If the endorsements by the Greater Reading Chamber of Commerce are any indication, we may have some new faces running the county next year.

The Chamber endorsed incumbent Democrat Judy Schwank for re-election, but not the other incumbent Democratic commissioner, Tom Gajewski. Instead, the chamber threw its support behind Kevin Barnhardt, the mayor of West Reading.

Gajewski, a longtime political operative completing his first four-year term as commissioner, doesn't get along with Schwank or Republican Commissioner Mark Scott.

The Chamber's endorsement and Schwank's unwillingness to campaign with Gajewski, may be a signal that the Democratic Party wants to unload Gajewski in favor of a more personable candidate.

On the Republican side, the Chamber endorsed Scott and Christian Leinbach. There's no surprise in the Scott endorsement, but the support for Leinbach over Nelson Long, the current country treasurer and a proven vote-getter, is a surprise.

Long has an established relationship with the business community in Berks County but failed to gain the Chamber's endorsement.

Leinbach, who has never held public office, is popular with conservatives. Leinbach is endorsed by Pat Toomey, the president of the Club for Growth and darling of the conservative set. Toomey also contributed $500 to Leinbach's campaign.

Also supporting Leinbach is Montgomery County GOP activist Bob Guzzardi, who kicked in $2,500 to the Leinbach campaign.

Leinbach raised the most money of the six Republican candidates, according to campaign finance reports. Most of Leinbach's $44,000 received from January to April came from the construction and building industry.

Schwank and Scott are favored to win their party nominations. If Barnhardt and Leinbach win over established candidates Gajewski and Long, it would signal a changing of the guard in Berks County politics.

How badly will Act 1 go down?

The folks over at Capitolwire.com, a subscription-based news service covering Pennsylvania state government, are running something akin to an office pool to predict how many school districts will approve the Act 1 question on today's ballot.

Peter DeCoursey put out an open call a couple of days ago accepting predictions from various pundits, commentators, activists and assorted political types.

I'm predicting that only 62 school districts will vote Yes on Act 1.

Here's a recap of predictions from the group's Web site:

"Act 1 Referenda predictions are in. May the best seer win! Capitolwire's contest, to ask readers to guess how many school districts' voters will opt to raise their income taxes to lower their property taxes on Tuesday, is over. Now we are just waiting for the results.

So far, we have received predictions from the state's foremost TV ad guru, Democrat Neil Oxman, former Republican State Chairman Alan Novak, pollsters Terry Madonna, David Rodbart and Chris Borick and others.

Here are the 36 predictions that arrived by May 14 at 8 p.m., starting with those who predicted the lowest number of tax-swaps. The tax swap questions are on the ballot in 498 school districts.

And also, not sure what info led him to this decision, but Novak changed his prediction hours before the Monday 8 p.m. deadline from 133 to 60.

WITF Radio's Damon Boughamer, 31; Commonwealth Foundation's Matt Brouillette, 32; Scott Lamar, producer, "Smart Talk" on WITF-TV, 42 Tim Potts, DemocracyRisingPA, 42; Ray Landis, PA AARP: 43; Pollster Terry Madonna of Franklin & Marshall College, 51 Senate staffer Brian Turk, 52; Senate staffer Stacee Harer, 53; PR specialist Jeff Jubelirer, 55; Reform leader Russ Diamond, 57; Consultant and former Republican State Chairman Alan P. Novak, 60; Tony Phyrillas, columnist, The Pottstown Mercury. 62; Senate aide Jason High, 65; Gene Stilp, a Stilpish 78.5; David LaTorre, PR maven, 80; Pennsylvania Federation of Independent Businesses Kevin Shivers, 90; Montgomery County Democratic Committee Chairman Marcel Groen, 92; Gov. Ed Rendell's TV adman, Neil Oxman, 99; Senate staffer Erik Arneson, 99; Chris Borick, pollster and public opinion professor, Muhlenberg University, 110; Rep. David Reed, R-Indiana, 110; Political consultant Ray Zaborney, 120; PR consultant/speechwriter/adman Charlie Gerow, 125; Rep. Steve Nickol, R-Hanover, 125; Eric Epstein, Rock The Capitol, up to 150; Rep. Katie True, R-Lancaster, 150; Capitolwire's Pete DeCoursey, 160; WITF-TV "Smart Talk" host Nell McCormack Abom, 164; Rep. Jerry Nailor, R-Cumberland, 166; Tom Shaheen, PA Family Institute, 166; Senate staffer Sandra Christman, 174; Robert Scarborough, 175; David Rodbart, Susquehanna Polling, 195 Political consultant/lobbyist Kathy Pippy, 203; Conservative activist Jim Panyard, 260; Chris Jensen of GovNet and Capitolwire, 280; Dennis Baylor, 329.

Once the results are in, the winner gets lunch with Pete DeCoursey in Harrisburg."

Too many good candidates on the ballot

The polls don't close until 8 p.m., but I still haven't voted today. I've been putting it off because I can't decide who to vote for in a couple of key races in Berks County.

The problem? Too many good candidates on the ballot.

Take Berks County Commissioner, for example. There's 6 Republicans on the ballot and 4 of them would make good county commissioners. At this point, I'm not sure which 2 of the 4 I'm going to vote for. I may not make up my mind until the curtain closes behind me in the voting booth.

Democrats in Berks face a similar problem this year. There's 4 names on the ballot and 3 of the candidates are worth voting for. That's an entirely new factor for Democratic voters, who usually have to settle for political hacks.

And speaking of Berks County Democrats, it appears that Judy Schwank, a two-term incumbent Democrat and current chairwoman of the Board of Commissioners, must be feeling a bit nervous about this election.

Four years ago, Schwank made a bid deal of the fact that she did not allow supporters to place her campaign signs on public property. However, this year, Schwank's signs can be found on the side of many of the county's roads. She must be feeling the heat from the other 3 Democrats seeking Democratic nominations to run for commissioner.

Schwank is also pouring a lot of money into her re-election campaign. According to the latest campaign finance reports, Schwank has spent nearly $30,000 as of April 30. Challenger Kevin Barnhardt has spent $21,000 and the other incumbent Democrat, Thomas Gajewski, has spent $16,000. The fourth candidate is David J. Batdorf, who appears a longshot to win either of the 2 nominations.

The big spender on the Republican side is newcomer Christian Y. Leinbach, who has spent a remarkable $44,000 in an attempt to to win one of the two GOP nominations. Leinbach, a political insider, has never held public office, but has a lot of friends with money. Many of his campaign contributors are from outside Berks County.

The most active campaigners have been incumbent Mark Scott, current county Treasurer Nelson Long and Randall Gartner.

There's two other contested races at the county level.

Two candidates -- Ron Stanko and Tim Rowley -- are seeking an open seat on Berks County Court of Common Pleas. My mailbox has been swamped by fliers from both candidates, but I still haven't decided who to vote for. Both have cross-filed, so the the winner of this contest could be decided today.

And maverick Republican John Fielding is challenging incumbent Recorder of Deeds Ellie Antoine in the GOP primary.

One other race of note. Incumbent Berks County District Attorney Mark Baldwin doesn't have an opponent in the GOP primary and has put all his effort into winning the Democratic Party nomination as a write-in so he doesn't have to worry about a contest in the fall. He'll probably accomplish his goal.

It's hard to believe that the Berks County Democratic Party couldn't find anybody to run for such a high-profile office.

Send Act 1 back where it came from

Haven't decided yet how you're going to vote on the Act 1 tax question on Tuesday's ballot?

When more than 250 elected school board members representing 27 school districts, two-dozen taxpayer associations, many of the state's leading newspapers, a lot of state lawmakers and several citizen activists tell you to vote against Act 1, you should listen.

The only person who may be thinking about voting yes on Act 1 is Gov. Ed Rendell, who signed the tax relief hoax into law last June.

Here's what the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review said about Act 1 in its editorial pages: "Act 1 should join the legislative junk heap of half-baked Harrisburg thinking. If voters overwhelmingly reject the referenda, Gov. Ed Rendell and legislators will have to come up with something else. And that begins by cutting Pennsylvania's obnoxious spending."

The Allentown Morning Call pretty much said it all in the headline for its editorial: "Act 1 is fake school-tax reform, reject it by voting 'no' on referendums."

Here's what the Morning Call said in its Sunday editorial: "The Act 1 referendums force school districts and their residents to do a task that the state Legislature refuses to do — reform the system of taxation and adequately and equitably fund public education. If the Legislature had the courage, it could increase the state income tax or raise the sales tax and eliminate school property taxes. Doing so, of course, would require members to cast votes that could be labeled 'raising taxes.' Not nearly enough members are willing to do that. Thus, they stoop to the chicanery of Act 1."

The Bucks County Courier Times said "They can do better," referring to Gov. Ed Rendell and the Pennsylvania Legislature. "Our main objection is that the new law does not go far enough in reducing property taxes ... Pennsylvania taxpayers shouldn't settle ... They have a right to demand more than flawed results from our well-paid legislators, and legislators have an obligation to do more."

And The Mercury, which has been calling for the repeal of Act 1 for many months, said this in its Sunday edition: "The message that needs to be sent to Harrisburg is this: Pennsylvania needs a statewide reform of the funding of public education so that local schools are funded equitably across district lines with a stable funding mechanism; an elimination of the property tax to spur economic growth and more fairly distribute the burden of taxation; and a system of controls that cuts waste and inefficiency in school spending. Legislators and Gov. Rendell failed miserably last year in this attempt at tax reform. Voters should reject Act 1 and tell the leadership in Harrisburg to try again. Maybe with Act 2, they could get it right."

Berks County is leading the way in calling for repeal of Act 1, with 10 of the county's 18 school districts passing a resolution asking the Pennsylvania Legislature to abandon the tax shift scheme.

Many lawmakers who voted against Act 1 last June are telling constituents and taxpayer groups that defeat of the tax shift referendum by voters on May 15 is a crucial step to get the Legislature to pass genuine property tax relief.

Legislators believe Rendell, who was the driving force behind Act 1, will brag that Pennsylvanians are satisfied with the current property tax system and nothing more will be done if the Act 1 referendums are passed by a majority of school district.

Rendell and the Harrisburg politicians have been lying to us for the past five years about property tax relief. They've come up with various schemes to distract voters. They've made endless promises. It's time for the people of Pennsylvania to take matters into their own hands.

A "No" vote Tuesday on Act 1 will send a clear message to Rendell and his cronies in the Pennsylvania Legislature that the people of Pennsylvania aren’t stupid. And their patience is not limitless.

No more parlor tricks. No more empty promises. We want the elimination of all property taxes now. If the career politicians in Harrisburg won’t deliver what the people want, it's time for a new Legislature.

All 203 members of the House and half of the state Senate will be up for re-election in 2008. How they voted on Act 1 should determine their political futures.

Vote "No" on Tuesday on Act 1. Call your legislator on Wednesday and tell them their job is on the line if they don't deliver property tax relief. No more back-room deals with Ed Rendell. No more tax reform scams like Act 1.

The Mass Transit Swindle

I know a professional couple who live in suburban Philadelphia. Their home, in an exclusive community, is assessed at more than $500,000. They commute to Philadelphia for high-paying jobs. Their combined annual income is $200,000.

The husband drives into Center City Philadelphia while the wife takes the SEPTA train into the city. They can afford two cars, but don't need a second car. No car payment, no insurance, no maintenance costs.

I don't know how much the train ride into Center City costs, but let's say it's $5 a day. Can a family making $200,000 a year afford to pay $10 a day to get to work? I think they can, but why should they when Pennsylvania taxpayers pick up the tab?

I help subsidize this well-off couple to get to work every day with my tax dollars. This is why I can't get excited about all the doom-and-gloom predictions by transit agencies like SEPTA that it will have to reduce service and raise fares.

Gov. Ed Rendell and the mass transit lobby (the overpaid executives who run the transit systems and the high-paid union workers) are always telling us how poor people will be hurt if we don't continue to subsidize failing mass transit systems.

That's a load of horse manure. There's a lot of professional people riding subsidized trains to their six-figure jobs. That's a dirty little secret Rendell doesn't want you to know.

Rendell claims ridership has grown significantly in the past four years. Then, why aren't the state's mass transit systems operating more efficiently? If they have more riders, paying more fares, where is the money going?

Nobody is offering to help subsidize my ride into work or pay for my parking. Gas prices are at an all-time high. Why doesn't Gov. Ed Rendell eliminate the state tax on gasoline to help working people? That would cut gas prices by 30 cents a gallon right now. Toss in a cut in the federal gas tax and the price at the pump goes down by 50 cents a gallon.

When my car breaks down, I have to pay to fix it. When the rich suburban couple's car breaks down, they both ride the subsidized train into work.

Next time you hear SEPTA or BARTA or LANTA or CATA or any of the state's other mass transit systems beg for more tax dollars, ask them to produce numbers on how many of their riders are high-income earners who enjoy taking the rest of us for a ride.

I see empty buses driving around all the time. This doesn't make economic or environmental sense. If the transit agencies can't justify a route, cut it. If nobody rides the bus on Saturday, park it. Let the guy making $100,000 a year pay more for his train ride.

Two years ago, Ed Rendell diverted nearly $500 million in federal highway funds to keep SEPTA afloat. The agency burned through the money and now wants another handout. Why would you give the same people who failed to make any changes to make the agency economically responsible more money? Has SEPTA cut any of its patronage jobs? Is it giving executives bonuses even though they can't operate the system in the black?

Subsidies to transit agencies is another form of welfare. The person on the receiving end will never get off welfare as long as the government keeps handing them money.

The best thing that can happen to mass transit in Pennsylvania is to cut service and raise fares.

GOP in a slump in Berks, Bucks, Chester counties

It's not just in Montgomery County where Republicans are demoralized these day. (See my May 7 post). The GOP in neighboring Chester, Berks and Bucks counties has also fallen on hard times.

All four Southeastern Pennsylvania counties were once Republican strongholds, but have been losing ground to the Democrats for the past decade.

In Chester County, Democrats registered more new voters than Republicans did for the May 15 primary, according to the Chester County Department of Voter Services.

While the Democrats still have a long way to go to catch up to registered Republicans, they are closing the gap while the county's Republican Party looks more hapless every day.

There are 96,543 registered Democrats in Chester County, a pickup of 3,165 more Democratic voters than in last November's election. That’s a 3.2 percent increase.

Registered Republicans in Chester County total 158,763, up by 2,388 since last fall. That's a 1.5 percent increase.

The increase in registered voters is the latest coup for the Democrats, who last year won a state Senate seat and two House seats, including the race that gave Democrats a 1-vote majority in the state House.

The gap is closing in Bucks County, too, with Democrats picking up new recruits while Republicans lose ground. There's even talk that Democrats can take the county commissioners' race this year.

Things aren't much better in Berks County, where the party chairman, Ron Stanko, took a leave of absence to run for county judge. The Berks GOP has been sailing without a rudder for months.

Democrats took control of the Berks County Board of Commissioners four years ago and are working hard to keep it. There's also a possibility that Democrats can win the sheriff's office in Berks County this year.

The rest of the county row offices appear safe, but you never know.

The party has been listless for years and Stanko didn't do much to end the malaise in the party before he took his leave. The GOP in Berks dropped the ball in 2006 when it failed to come up with candidate it could support to succeed longtime state Rep. Dennis Leh, turning over the seat to a Democrat for the first time decades.

The problem with the way a lot of these county organizations are run is that power is concentrated entirely in one or two people. When the top person isn't around, nobody knows what to do. And the party chairman isn't always the sharpest tool in the shed, either. Committee members tend to vote for the person who's been around the longest, regardless of ability.

And like career politicians, once a party member gets to be chairman, they don't want to step aside. That leads to stagnation and resentment. That leads to a party that plays defense all the time. That's exactly what’s happening in Berks, Chester and Montgomery.

The problem in Berks, Bucks and Chester, just as in Montgomery, is leadership.

The incumbent party chairmen have watched from the sidelines as Democrats recruit more voters and field better candidates. The bottom line is more Democratic officials in all three counties.

Party officials should learn a lesson from the 2006 election cycle when Republicans dumped the old guard (Brightbill and Jubelirer) and replaced them with energetic younger candidates.

Public shame latest tool to collect taxes

Humiliation appears to be working in getting Pennsylvanians to pay their taxes.

The Pennsylvania Department of Revenue announced this week it has collected $25 million in back taxes after it posted names of delinquents taxpayers on the Internet.

The program of public shame is in its first year, but it's paying off big dividends, as several hundred business owner and individuals have coughed up money the state claims they owe.

You would think the threat of losing your property or heading off the jail was incentive enough to pay the taxman.

Since the list was posted in April 2006, 141 of the 321 businesses that have appeared on the tax delinquent list have been removed from the site because they either paid their taxes in full or committed to a deferred payment plan. The list now includes a total of 258 businesses that owe sales and/or employer withholding taxes.

"The tax delinquent Web site has proven to be an effective tool to collect unpaid taxes from businesses that previously ignored Revenue Department efforts," Department of Revenue Secretary Thomas W. Wolf said in a press release. "Businesses collect sales and employer withholding taxes from their customers and employees. It's unfair for some businesses to keep that money."

Seventy-eight new names have been added to the list this month, according to Department of Revenue officials.

The complete PA Tax Delinquent List is available on the Department of Revenue's Web site at http://www.revenue.state.pa.us.

Among the 78 new delinquent taxpayers added to the list are: Robert E. Jackson Jr. dba Jackson's Automotive, Camp Hill, Cumberland County, who owes $197,817.39; Hometown Pizza Laundromat and Car Wash, Rockwood, Somerset County ($13,858.26); Sean P. Higgins dba Keystone Acoustics, Ottsville, Bucks County ($45,092.82); Acumark Inc., Pittston, Luzerne County ($129.711.93); Joseph C. McKnight dba McKnight's Auction, Mercer, Mercer County ($40,793.86); and David McHenry dba McHenry's Garage, Marysville, Perry County ($9,988.53).

Businesses and individuals listed on the Web site are contacted by the department and given one final chance to make payment arrangements before appearing on the list, Wolf said.

The prospect of appearing on the list has helped convince delinquent taxpayers to pay $25.05 million and enter into deferred payment plans for an additional $17.54 million in previously unpaid taxes, according to the Department of Revenue.

Other states have found that the threat of public exposure can be a powerful tax collection incentive. At least 20 other states, including Maryland, New Jersey and Virginia, use Internet lists to help collect unpaid taxes.

Information on the Web site is public as a result of a lien filed by the Revenue Department. The liens are recorded in the county prothonotary's office where the person lives or does business. The amounts listed on the Web site represent the original liens. The current amount of tax due may differ from the amount listed on the site because of partial payments and/or the accrual of additional interest since the tax lien was filed.

The Web site is updated monthly, and delinquent taxpayers who resolve their tax liabilities are removed from the site each month, according to Wolf’s release.