We want our money back!

Americans for Tax Reform President Grover Norquist sent a letter to the U.S. Treasury Department today requesting the full $700 billion in bailout money be turned over to him.

He's got better plans for the money than what Congress has come up with so far.

From Norquist's letter:

I write today to formally request $700 billion from the TARP Capital Purchase Program. Since unionized auto companies, state and local governments, and certain credit card companies are applying, I thought I should, as well. Attached you will find the two-page application which I downloaded from www.treas.gov.

I am fully aware that some $125 billion has already been allocated as of October 29, 2008. However, given that the federal government has the full weight of the army, the FBI, etc. behind it, I am confident that you can re-appropriate this money from the likes of Wells Fargo (or their successor companies, if the current over-regulatory and over-taxing economic climate has caused them to go under).

I have a plan for this $700 billion which should be just what's needed to get the American economy going. Since the money came from the taxpayers in the first place, I propose giving it back to them.

That is the most sensible plan I've heard for how to use the $700 billion bailout plan. Sign me up, too, Grover.

Norquist Sends Letter to Treasury Applying for $700 Billion in TARP Funds

Newspaper: Modest political gains for women in '08

Voters rejected Hillary Rodham Clinton for president in 2008. Voters rejected Sarah Palin for vice president in 2008. On the surface, it was not a very good year for female politicians.

While high-profile candidates for national office did not fare well, women did make inroads in Congress and in state legislatures, according to Linda Feldmann of The Christian Science Monitor.

But don't go popping that champagne yet. Women still have a long way to go to break the glass ceiling that both Clinton and Palin referred to in speeches.

Feldmann writes:

Even as the highest glass ceiling in American politics came the closest it ever has to being shattered, in Congress it was business as usual: Women made a net gain of one seat in the Senate, bringing the total to 17 out of 100, and three seats in the House, moving up from 71 to 74 out of 435 seats, or 17 percent.

When it comes to handing women political power, the United States trails much of the rest of the world, Feldmann says.

From her article:

As of Oct. 31, the US ranked 71st out of 188 countries for its percentage of women in the lower House, according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union. "At this rate, it will take us till 2063 to reach parity," says Marie Wilson, president of the White House Project, an organization working to advance women in leadership. "I mean, come on! We have to speed things up."

The bright spots for women came mostly at the state level, Feldmann writes.

From her article:

A record number of women, 2,328, ran for state legislatures in a presidential election year, surpassing the previous presidential-year record of 2,302 set in 1992. (The overall record was set in 2006, when 2,429 women ran. More state legislative seats are up for election in non-presidential election years.) "So 2008 was a record, and it managed to get us from 23.7 percent of women serving in state legislatures to 24.2 percent," says Debbie Walsh, director of the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

Another bright spot emerged in New Hampshire, where women now hold a majority in the state Senate, 13 out of 24 seats – the first state legislative body in US history to be majority female. New Hampshire, and New England in general, has a history of electing women to office, owing to a tradition of citizen part-time legislators. In New Hampshire, the annual pay for legislators is $100, plus travel reimbursement.

Overall, when the totals of each state's legislative bodies are combined, Colorado ranks No. 1 for female representation, with 38 percent. Vermont has 37.8 percent, and New Hampshire, 37.7 percent.

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

No State Bailouts!

Let's say you're Ed Rendell, the free-spending Democratic governor of Pennsylvania.

You increase state spending by $7 billion in five years. You increase state debt by $3 billion in that same time frame. You promised all sorts of new jobs when you handed out billions in corporate welfare, but those jobs never materialized.

You didn't have to spend all that money. You could have returned it to taxpayers or kept it in reserve, but you went ahead and spent it anyway.

Now, the nation is in a recession and tax revenues are down. You've run up a $550 million deficit in the first four months of the fiscal year.

Now you want the federal government to step in and bail you out!!!!

Rendell isn't the only governor looking for a handout.

The National Taxpayers Union is leading a coalition of 59 grassroots organizations opposing a federal bailout of states and municipalities.

Read more below:

59 Groups Representing Millions of Taxpayers Tell Congress: No State Bailouts!

Columnist: Cut school taxes by cutting school boards

It's a vicious cycle. People run for their local school board with the best of intentions, promising to put an end to runaway spending for public education and put a lid on property tax increases.

They get elected and check their brains at the door. They end up rubber-stamping every spending initiative introduced by the administration, including those palatial school buildings.

They "negotiate" contracts with teachers' unions that provide teachers with raises and benefits that other workers can only dream about. Some of the board members get voted out, but their replacements are no better. And so it goes.

Joseph J. Ryan, writing in The Intelligencer in Doylestown, has a suggestion: Eliminate school boards entirely. School boards have failed both students and the taxpayers, Ryan argues. In many cases, it's school boards that stand in the way of reforming a failing education system.

From Ryan's column:

School board responsibility begins with the effective education of their students and the financial interests of taxpayers; neither requirement is being addressed. School boards intimidated by union strike threats find placating the unions their primary function, the reason teachers' right to strike should be abolished. Postal, state and federal employees are forbidden to strike; 41 states have also disallowed teacher union strikes, why not Pennsylvania?

To correct public education's fiscal excesses, school budgets and the new craze, new school structures, should be put to a referendum. We are no longer dealing with nickels and dimes in Bucks County; some budgets are approaching $200 million a year, 66 percent of that figure consumed in excessive teacher salaries and bloated benefits.

America's teacher unions have successfully forged the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on a legally coerced taxpaying public, ever rising school taxes with no return on investment. In 2006-07, despite Bristol Township's consistently poor academic performance, the top teacher salary was $85,427, cost of benefits $28,475, total salary $113,902 for a 40-week work year, or $2,847 per week. Of that preposterous salary, teachers grudgingly agreed to pay an insignificant $45 toward a $1,250 monthly healthcare premium.

Nationally, taxpayers have contained the avaricious demands of the teacher unions. The first step is to abolish their right to strike; divest them of the tenure entitlement, a sanctuary for academic incompetents; rescind their right to due process, and put every union or school board proposal to a taxpayer vote.

Additionally, local school boards should be abolished. Similar to Hawaii, professionals in economics, the media, law, academia, the business and corporate communities should be appointed to a newly formed state panel and given unconditional jurisdiction in dealing with individual districts. They should be compensated consistent with their expertise.

Why does Pennsylvania have 501 school districts, with 501 school boards? Each school district has at least one superintendent making a six-figure salary who surrounds himself with an army of high-paid administrators. Imagine the savings by consolidating the 501 school districts by county. That would leave just 67 school districts. And that's just a start.

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

For Whom The Turnpike Tolls

Eric Heyl of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review offers a hilarious scenario in which Joe Brimmeier, the head of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, a bastion of patronage jobs, has to find ways to persuade people to voluntarily leave those cushy jobs before layoffs are ordered.

The sinking economy has hit the Turnpike, too. Fewer people are traveling to fewer jobs. That means revenue from tolls is declining.

From Heyl's column:

Think of the quandary in which poor Joe Brimmeier finds himself.

Things are so bad that Brimmeier now is looking to reduce expenses and trim some of the commission's 2,250 jobs. Layoffs are being discussed if enough employees don't participate in a "voluntary departure program."

Given the manner in which many well-connected turnpike employees and consultants obtained their jobs, Brimmeier probably is meeting plenty of resistance as he attempts to cut costs and pare payroll.

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

Just another Obama 'family friend'

Check out School Board Transparency blog

Ever wonder how teachers manage to get such lucrative contracts every time they negotiate contracts with your local school board?

Curious about why your property taxes are so high?

Check out School Board Transparency at http://schoolboardtransparency.org/ to learn more about the secretive world of public school contract negotiations.

The goal of the blog is provide "Sunlight on Board-Union Contract Negotiations."

The blog was created by Fred Baldwin, who describes himself as "a recovering school board president."

At least Obama is hiring

All Obama Administration Jobs Now Listed on transitionjobs.us

Countdown to PA Deer Season Has Begun

Countdown to Deer Season Has Begun; Local White-Tailed Deer Information Available On-Line; Don't Forget to Submit A Harvest Report Card

Nice work if you can get it

Even though the Pennsylvania Legislature has been in session less than 20 days over the past six months, more than 75 percent of Pennsylvania's lawmakers will tell you they consider themselves "full-time legislators," according to POLICY BLOG, which found the information at the National Council of State Legislatures Web site.

From POLICY BLOG:

Nationally, only 16% consider themselves "full-time legislators" - while this is a sharp rise from less than 3% in 1976, and now tops lawyer as the top profession, it means that an overwhelming majority are not full-time legislators.

The starting salary for a Pennsylvania legislator is $76,163 plus a generous benefits package that brings the average annual cost to $150,000 per lawmaker.

Pennsylvania taxpayers shell out more than $300 million a year to support 253 "full-time" legislators and a support staff of 3,000.

And while Pennsylvania is currently running a $550 million budget deficit, the Legislature has not offered to make any cuts in its annual spending.

Brain-Dead Voters

How about a bailout for newspapers?

Since Congress is handing out checks to the banking industry, the housing industry, the financial services industry and the auto industry, how about some help for the struggling newspaper industry?

I just thought I'd ask.

Phil Heron, the editor of The Delaware County Daily & Sunday Times, writes about tough times facing newspapers in his latest column.

Heron writes:

We find ourselves under siege on all sides. Advertising is down. Way down. Revenues continue to decline. So does readership. The industry is struggling as readers move increasingly to the Internet as a source of news.

Of course, we also feature a Web site, but the print version we distribute each day remains the backbone of our financial model.

There are those who believe that newspapers are dinosaurs, that we are in the waning days of print. I'm still not sure I agree completely with that point of view. We have our challenges, there is little doubt of that.

But I also believe we continue to play an important role, in particular in our watchdog role over government.

But the numbers do not lie. Fewer and fewer people pick up the newspaper each day. That is especially true of young people, who clearly have not been ingrained with the habit of a daily newspaper, as I learned from my parents. They are much more inclined to get their news online.

It is not a particularly appealing picture. It makes you wonder about the future, about the newspaper’s role in it, maybe "if" the newspaper has a role in it.

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

Is there any hope for Congress?

Six-Point Plan to Restore Respect to Congress From Dismal 12-23% Approval, Lower Than Bush

DeWeese bounces from leadership post

It looks like we won't have Bill DeWeese to kick around anymore.

The embattled House Democratic Majority leader is dropping out of the race for another two-year term as floor leader to avoid the embarrassment of having his own Caucus members show him the door.

Prominent House Democrats attempted a coup earlier this year to force DeWeese to resign as Majority Leader, but he held on to his post ... at least for a few more months.

DeWeese survived a scare at the polls on Nov. 4 when he managed to beat Greg Hopkins, an under-funded opponent by just 2,107 votes. (DeWeese actually lost to Hopkins in Greene County, the heart of the 50th House District.)

DeWeese ran the Democratic Caucus during the Bonusgate scandal, in which politicians allegedly used millions of taxpayer dollars to pay state employees for doing campaign work.

Although DeWeese is not one of the 12 people connected to the Democratic Caucus to face criminal charges so far and maintains his innocence, his chief of staff testified in court that DeWeese was aware of the diversion of taxpayer funds for political purposes.

The Bonusgate scandal, the lingering mistrust of Harrisburg lawmakers over the 2005 pay raise vote and the inability of DeWeese to get any major Democratic legislation passed in the House during the past two years sealed his fate.

Perhaps the Democrats can come up with a new title for DeWeese, like the Republicans did for John Perzel, the former Speaker of the House who was dethroned by his one party members after the pay raise fiasco and the GOP's loss of the House majority. Perzel became the "Speaker Emeritus" of the House after he lost the powerful Speaker post.

Maybe DeWeese can now be "Leader Emeritus" as the Democrats attempt to pick up the pieces left by their self-destructive leadership.

DeWeese's departure means that 3 of the 4 top Legislative leaders who pushed for the middle-of-the-night pay raise are no longer holding their leadership posts.

Joining DeWeese and Perzel in exile is Robert C. Jubelirer, the Senate Pro Tempore at the time of the July 2005 pay raise. Jubelirer was voted out of office in 2006.

For good measure, Senate GOP Majority Leader David Brightbill was also kicked out by voters. The only legislative leader who survived the purge is Robert Mellow, the Democratic Minority Leader in the Senate.

Abbott and Costello (I mean Pelosi and Reid) are on the case

The comedy team of Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid are on the case.

The very same people who pushed through the $700-billion bailout package through Congress have now appointed a three-member Congressional Oversight Panel to let them know what the hell is going on with the U.S. economy.

I feel better already. How about you?

Wait a minute. Wasn't is Congress under Pelosi and Reid that basically sank the U.S. economy in the first place? Maybe we should panic after all.

Pelosi and Reid Announce Three Members of Congressional Oversight Panel

Obama: 'Gun Owners Need Not Apply'

If you're trying to land a job with the Obama Administration and you own a gun, you're probably out of luck, says The National Shooting Sports Foundation.

Application forms for administration positions ask applicants if they are gun owners.

"The question demonstrates that this administration does not truly respect the Second Amendment," Lawrence G. Keane, senior vice president and general counsel of the National Shooting Sports Foundation said in a written statement "It seems the message is 'Gun Owners Need Not Apply.'"

Obama's Job Application Includes Questions on Gun Ownership

Cal Thomas: At least the Obamas have school choice

Cal Thomas offers a look at the hypocritical world of liberals, especially when it comes to school choice. Liberal politicians pander to the powerful teachers unions, but when it comes to finding a school for their own children, they almost always choose private schools.

From Thomas' latest column:

Throughout the campaign, Barack Obama presented himself as a champion of the poor and middle class. Poor and middle-class parents do not love their children any less than the Obamas love their daughters. They want their kids to have a good education, realizing it is their ticket to a better life. But liberal politicians deny them that right. Is that fair?

Read the full column here.

Also check out my earlier comments about school choice.

State Capitol Roundup for November 14

Here's this week's State Capitol Roundup courtesy of state Rep. Bob Mensch, R-147th District:

Remembering a Great Pennsylvania Leader

Lawmakers join all Pennsylvanians in mourning the loss of Lt. Gov. Catherine Baker Knoll who died Wednesday, Nov. 12, following a battle with neuroendocrine cancer. In 2002, she became the first woman ever elected lieutenant governor. Prior to that, she was twice elected state treasurer and was heavily involved in western Pennsylvania politics for most of her life. Republican Leader Sam Smith said Knoll's presence will be missed in Harrisburg. "She was a courageous fighter who knew how to put her best foot forward always, regardless of the circumstances. Serving our Commonwealth with dedication and determination, she was always able to hold her head high." Sen. Joseph Scarnati (R-Jefferson) is now the state's lieutenant governor, marking the first time in Pennsylvania history that the governor and lieutenant governor are of different political parties.

GOP Continues Push for Continued Health Care Accessibility

With just one week remaining in the 2007-08 legislative session, House Republicans are again calling for action on legislation to extend the state's MCare abatement program. The program is vital to keeping doctors practicing in Pennsylvania and ensuring continued patient access to quality care. On Wednesday, Rep. Curt Schroder (R-Chester) led a successful effort to remove House Bill 489 from the tabled bill calendar, but its future is unclear. House Democrats and the Rendell administration have refused to act on legislation to extend MCare without also adopting their costly, big-government insurance program. With a more than $560 million revenue shortfall in state revenue, House Republicans say a better alternative is to encourage more private investment in health insurance. For more information, visit www.HealthCareForPAFamilies.com

Lawmakers Challenge Administration's New 'Guidelines' for Teachers

Efforts by the Rendell administration to dictate specific course requirements for Pennsylvania teachers in training could have a chilling effect on efforts to improve the state's public schools, according to Reps. Bill Adolph (R-Delaware) and Craig Dally (R-Northampton). The lawmakers say the guidelines will result in aspiring young teachers being forced to spend a fifth year in college to complete the course requirements. That drives up tuition costs and could reduce the number of teachers available to fill the state's classrooms, which already suffer from a lack of math and science teachers. Also driving up costs for aspiring teachers is the estimated $3 million cost for colleges to change their curricula to meet the Rendell administration's guidelines.

I.O.U.S.A. The Movie

Funeral arrangements for Lt. Gov. Knoll

Here's he latest from the Pennsylvania Office of the Lieutenant Governor on funeral arrangements for Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. Catherine Baker Knoll, who died Wednesday after a four-month battle with cancer:

The Lieutenant Governor will lie in repose in the Capitol Rotunda in Harrisburg from noon, Friday, Nov. 21, to 2 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 22.

She will return home to her beloved Pittsburgh on Sunday, Nov. 23, where she will lie in repose from 1 p.m. - 5 p.m. at St. Paul's Cathedral, 108 N. Dithridge St.

The public is welcome to attend a Mass of Christian Burial at St. Paul's at noon, Tuesday, Nov. 25. Interment will be private.

The family humbly requests that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Lieutenant Governor's favorite charity, Angel's Place, 2615 Norwood Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15214 (888-975-6667) or http://www.angelsplacepgh.org

To write a message of condolence for the Lieutenant Governor Catherine Baker Knoll, visit her Web site at http://www.ltgovernor.state.pa.us

Obama will be tested

Obama lied about Bill Ayers

Remember how candidate Barack Obama went to great lengths to deny a close relationship with unrepentant domestic terrorist Bill Ayers?

Remember how the liberal media ignored the story for two years?

Remember when The Chosen One said he hardly knew Ayers and he shouldn't be held responsible for something Ayers and his fellow Weatherman did (bombing of the Pentagon and police stations) when Obama was 8 years old?

Breaking his silence now that Obama is safely elected president, Ayers called President-elect Obama a "neighbor and family friend" in a television interview.

Hmmm. Obama said Ayers was an acquaintance. Ayers says Obama is a "family friend."

Sounds like Obama lied, doesn't it?

For more on the Obama-Ayers relationship, check out Stop the ACLU.

Isn't it funny how none of the mainstream media could find the time to interview Ayers for the two years that Obama ran for president, but all of a sudden, Ayers is sitting down for interviews?

Oh yeah, Ayers is still unrepentant about his terrorist activities, saying he didn't think the Weather Underground did enough in its campaign of terror against the U.S. government. Nice friends Obama has.

Rafferty bill will save tax dollars

A bill sponsored by state Sen. John Rafferty Jr., R-44th Dist., to reduce the number of inspections for equipment used by police officers to catch speeders will save taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars each year.

The bill has passed the House and is on its way to Gov. Ed Rendell's desk.

The bill amends the Vehicles Code to change the calibration testing requirements for radar guns utilized by the Pennsylvania State Police and police car speedometers for state and local police departments, according to a release from Rafferty's office.

Under the current system, radar guns and all police car speedometers must be tested every 60 days. Under the new legislation, the time requirement is moved to once a year.

State police should realize a savings of up to $420,000 a year, according to Rafferty. Local police departments across Pennsylvania should also see hundreds of thousands of dollars in savings, too, Rafferty says.

"With a looming budget deficit, every little bit of saving for the taxpayers must be looked at," Rafferty says. "I'm happy to assist both the state and local municipalities with this savings to their budgets."

The 60-day testing requirement was established in 1961, and has not been changed to keep up with the new technology standards, Rafferty says. Some states have established a standard for such testing at two-year intervals, he said.

As an example of the savings, each radar calibration test costs $82 every 60 days with over 850 radar guns used by the State Police – not to mention the cost of manpower to package and ship these guns every two months for testing, Rafferty said.

Funeral Service Planned For Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor Catherine Baker Knoll

Funeral Service Planned For Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor Catherine Baker Knoll

Gun Owners not Welcome on Obama's White House Team

No wonder people are lining up to buy guns. It appears Obama and a Democratic Congress will move to deny Second Amendment rights to Americans.

And what happens if Obama gets to appoint a couple of new members to the Supreme Court? Kiss you ammunition goodbye!

Gun Owners not Welcome on Obama's White House Team

Auditor General: Fraud and Waste in Home Heating Aid Program

Fraud and abuse in state government? You don't say. The Rendell Administration should adopt "fraud and abuse" as its motto.

Auditor General Jack Wagner, a fellow Democrat, has found 1,000 cases of "fraud and abuse" in a state program that the Rendell Administration didn't pick up on.

Just another example of your tax dollars at work.

Pennsylvania Auditor General Jack Wagner Finds Deficiencies Still Exist in Department of Public Welfare's Administration of LIHEAP

Liberal reporters defend liberal media bias in election coverage

This is precious. You see, it's not the fact that liberal reporters who voted 99 percent for Obama were biased toward the Obama campaign. It's that John McCain was boring and Obama is dreamy. That's pretty much the defense that a bunch of liberal reporters offered during a forum.

Political Reporters Defend Election Coverage From Charges of Obama Bias at National Press Club Forum

Are You Smarter Than an Elected Official?

Is that a trick question?

Are You Smarter Than an Elected Official?

Karl Rove tries to cheer up Republicans

All is not lost for the Republican Party. In fact, the GOP is poised to make a dramatic comeback in the 2010 mid-term elections.

That's the assessment of none other than Karl Rove, the man credited with putting George W. Bush in the White House in 2000 and 2004.

Writing in The Wall Street Journal, Rove says things are not as bad as they appear after the Nov. 4 drubbing Republicans took at the polls. Despite the huge advantage Democrats had in voter registration, the blue tide never materialized on Election Day, Rove contends.

From his column:

First, the predicted huge turnout surge didn't happen. The final tally is likely to show that fewer than 128.5 million people voted. That's up marginally from 122 million in 2004. But 17 million more people voted in 2004 than in 2000 (three times the change from 2004 to 2008).

Rove also points out that Barack Obama's improvement over John Kerry in 2004 came largely from minority voters. Without Obama at the top of the ticket on 2010, Democrats can't count on a huge minority turnout.

From Rove's column:

Four out of five of these additional votes came from minorities. Mr. Obama got nearly 3.3 million more votes from African-Americans than did Mr. Kerry; 2.9 million of them were from younger blacks aged 18-29. A quarter of Mr. Obama's improvement among blacks -- 811,000 votes -- came from African-Americans who voted Republican in 2004. Mr. Obama also received 2.5 million more Hispanic votes than Mr. Kerry. Over a third of these votes -- 719,000 -- cast ballots for Republicans in 2004.

The reason Obama won the 2008 presidential race, Rove says, was that Hispanic voters went overwhelmingly for the Democrats this year, and the fact that millions of Republicans stayed home on Nov. 4.

From Rove's column:

There were 4.1 million fewer Republicans voting this year than in 2004. Some missing Republicans had turned independent or Democratic for this election. But most simply stayed home. Ironically for a campaign that featured probably the last Vietnam veteran to run for president, 2.7 million fewer veterans voted. There were also 4.1 million fewer voters who attend religious services more than once a week. Americans aren't suddenly going to church less; something was missing from the campaign to draw out the more religiously observant.

Population trends also favor the Republicans with states in the South and West (traditionally Republican) picking up population while Northeastern states (traditionally Democratic) continue to lose population, Rove says.

The GOP has history on its side heading into 2010, Rove argues.

From his column:

Since World War II, the out-party has gained an average of 23 seats in the U.S. House and two in the U.S. Senate in a new president's first midterm election. Other than FDR and George W. Bush, no president has gained seats in his first midterm election in both chambers.

Now, don't you feel better?

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

Sign Memorial Book Honoring Lt. Gov. Catherine Baker Knoll

Pennsylvania residents are invited to express their condolences on the passing of Lt. Gov. Catherine Baker Knoll by signing a memorial book in the state Capitol Rotunda.

The memorial book is located on the main floor of the Rotunda, which is open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday - Friday, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends.

If you can't make it to Harrisburg, you can sign an online guestbook by visiting http://www.pa.gov and clicking on the black banner titled, "In Memoriam."

Baker Knoll died Nov. 12 after a battle with neuroendocrine cancer. She was 78.

PA Governor Rendell Invites Public to Sign Memorial Book Honoring Lt. Gov. Catherine Baker Knoll

Running On Empty

Lawmaker blames deficit on Rendell overspending

State Rep. Curt Schroder, R-Chester County, has an op-ed column in The West Chester Daily Local News on Pennsylvania's growing budget deficit, which has passed the $550 million mark in the first four months of the current fiscal year.

Schroder, who voted against Rendell's $28.3 billion budget, says the red ink is not caused by "the global economic meltdown" as Rendell claims, but by a pattern of overspending on the part of the Democratic governor.

From Schroder's column:

Pennsylvania's budget deficit, which analysts predict could reach as high as $2.5 billion by the end of the current fiscal year, was not created solely by the economic downturn as some would have you believe. Instead, it is the result of years of overspending in Harrisburg.

Gov. Ed Rendell's budgets have routinely increased spending beyond the rate of inflation. Now, to quote one controversial clergyman, "The chickens are coming home to roost!"

From 2002 to the current 2008-09 budget, spending increased by 38.6 percent while the rate of inflation only rose by 19.5 percent.

Schroder says the token cuts Rendell has offered to make so far are not enough. The entire budget must be reopened or the state will face a huge financial crisis in 2009.

From his column:

This entire budget, and the house of cards on which it is based, must be reopened. It needs to be re-examined from top to bottom by the General Assembly - the elected body of the taxpaying citizens of Pennsylvania.

There is no shortage of ideas worth exploring. We should use this opportunity to force some tough decisions and finally come to grips with unnecessary spending on programs that either don't work or only serve a narrow special interest. If we do not act now, Pennsylvania will face its own fiscal crisis of Wall Street proportions.

Read the full column, "Blames deficit on overspending," at the newspaper's Web site.

Ted Nugent goes hunting for RINOs

"There are really only four things I have a strong aversion to: unloaded guns, dull knives, banjos, and Republicans in Name Only (RINOs)," says Ted Nugent, rock guitar idol, hunter and conservative commentator.

Writing at HumanEvents.com, Nugent says it's time for the Republican Party to purge itself of so-called moderates who have turned their backs on basic GOP principles of limited government, strong national defense and lower taxes.

From his column:

RINOs are Fedzilla punks who feign support for conservative principles only when it serves their political interest. RINOs are also known for their moderate positions such as supporting tax increases, federal "bailouts", "comprehensive immigration reform", advocating more counterproductive gun control that guarantee more innocent victims, opposing the death penalty, and growing and sustaining Fedzilla and all its toxic mongrels by going along with the liberals. RINOs have forgotten President Ronald Maximus Regan's admonition that government is the problem, not the solution.

Nugent says the 2008 presidential race is a clear repudiation of RINOs, including John McCain.

From his column:

John McCain has been a RINO on campaign finance, immigration, global warming and other issues and look what happened to him. He had reached across the aisle so many times to cut deals with the liberals that he had to pick Governor Palin, a true conservative, to try and lure disenfranchised and disgusted conservatives back into the fold. Didn't work. Senator McCain was the wrong candidate at the right time. RINOs lose elections;
conservatives win them.

Read the full column at HumanEvents.com

Rep. Kessler backs himself into a corner

State Rep. David Kessler may regret his decision to keep his post as an Oley Township Supervisor when he was elected to the state House of Representatives in 2006.

In nearly every case, officials give up municipal positions when they win a seat in the Legislature, but not Kessler, who decided to serve as both a township official and a state representative in the 130th House District.

Kessler, a Democratic who believes he is the only qualified resident of Oley to serve as a township supervisor, now finds himself in a position of casting the deciding vote to keep the township's full-time police department.

The other two members of the Board of Supervisors are split on the issue. One wants to cut the police force. The other is willing to raise taxes to keep 24-hour police coverage.

The only way to pay for the police force is a tax increase, something future political opponents will use against Kessler. But if Kessler votes to eliminate police protection, a future opponent can hit him on being soft on crime. It's a no-win position that Kessler put himself in.

(Kessler won re-election to a second term in the state House last week by defeating Dick Gokey by a margin of 17,675 to 13,634 votes).

Read more about the future of the Oley police force in today's Reading Eagle.

Sterns to seek 29th state Senate seat

Attorney Gretchen Sterns, a Republican from Schuylkill County, has made it official. She is a candidate for the vacant 29th state Senate District seat won by Sen. Jim Rhoades, who was killed in a car crash last month. A special election will be held in 2009 to fill Rhoades' seat.

From a press release issued by Sterns:

Democrats now control the White House, oversized majorities in both houses of Congress, the Governor's mansion, and the State House, and they seek to complete their dominance by taking control of the State Senate.

If recent elections have taught us anything, it's that the voters are hungry for candidates who hail from outside the political class, with whom they can identify, who they believe understand the challenges they face, and who are disconnected from the failed economic policies of Governor Rendell.

As a middle-class mother who grew up on a farm and works full-time to make ends meet for my family, I will speak credibly and articulately to the issues affecting the hardworking people of our region: the economy, taxes, and health care.

If Republicans are to retain Sen. Rhoades' seat and regain the taxpayers' trust, then we must turn the page from overspending, tax increases, and scandal – and put forth a new, energetic leader committed to the principles upon which America – and our Party – we're founded: 1) limited and ethical government; 2) low taxes; and 3) personal responsibility.

To this end, I officially declare my candidacy for the vacant 29th Senate District seat.

For more on the 29th District Senate race, check out The Clarke Report.

For more on Sterns, visit the profile page at her Pottsville law firm.

The State of the GOP

'Talking Politics' on the radio today

"Talking Politics with Tony Phyrillas and Mike Pincus" can be heard Thursdays at 5 p.m. on WPAZ 1370 AM

You can join the conversation by calling the station at 610-326-4000.

"Talking Politics" can also be heard live online at http://www.1370wpaz.com/ and http://www.pottsmerc.com/

RNC Files Lawsuits Challenging Constitutionality of Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act's Ban on National Parties

RNC Files Lawsuits Challenging Constitutionality of Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act's Ban on National Parties

Flags at Half-Staff In Honor of Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. Knoll

Pennsylvania Governor Rendell Orders U.S., State Flags at Half-Staff Following Death of Lt. Gov. Knoll

Keep track of Obama promises

Barack Obama made a lot of promises to a lot of people to get himself elected president of the United States. Obama is already backpedaling on some of the promises even before he's been sworn into office.

The editors of Investor's Business Daily have painstakingly researched the Obama campaign to find 40 concrete promises Obama made to voters. They've compiles the list in a handy file called "A Checklist Of Obama's Many Promises."

The list includes some big ones ...

"Give a tax break to 95% of Americans"

"Eliminate oil imports from the Middle East in 10 years"

"Create 5 million green jobs"

"Remove troops from Iraq by the summer of 2010"

"Demand higher standards and more accountability from our teachers"

... and some lesser-known ones ...

"Make employers offer seven paid sick days per year"

"Weatherize 1 million homes annually"

"Increase the minimum wage to $9.50 an hour by 2009"

"Get 1 million plug-in hybrids on the road by 2015"

"No more homeless veterans"

Print out your own copy of the list. Stick it on the refrigerator door and mark off the promises Obama keeps or the one's he breaks.

From the newspaper's Web site:

Few presidential candidates have made more specific promises to American voters than Barack Obama. They came so fast and furious in the latter part of the campaign, you'd be excused for not keeping up. So as a public service, we've put together a handy checklist of some of the biggest Obama promises — culled from his "Blueprint for Change," his campaign speeches and advertisements. Clip it. Save it. And see how he did in four years.

For the full list visit the newspaper's Web site.

Assault on Christmas begins earlier every year

From Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council:

O Come, All Ye Unfaithful

Atheists in Washington, D.C. are hoping to drive their secular point home on the side of 200 metro buses this Christmas. In a new ad campaign that challenges faith, the American Humanist Association (AHA) says, "Why believe in a god? Just be good for goodness' sake."

The AHA is using the holiday season to suggest that morality can exist without religion. "Our reason for doing it during the holidays is there are an awful lot of agnostics, atheists and other types of non-theists who feel a little alone during the holidays because of its association with traditional religion," said Fred Edwords.

But they face a big challenge persuading most Americans, 92 percent of whom told Pew Research that they believe in God. The man for whom the federal city is named warned Americans in his farewell address to the nation in 1796 against those who would suggest "that morality can be maintained without religion ... reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle."

For more on the "Godless Holiday Ads," visit the CNSNews.com Web site.

Stealing elections

Election Day came and went, but the editorial board at Investor's Business Daily is having a hard time dealing with the lack of integrity on the part of the Barack Obama campaign and the disputed race for U.S. Senate in Minnesota.

"Many millions in dubious campaign donations to Barack Obama are going unaudited. Meanwhile, Minnesota's Senate race is ripe for the stealing. When elections lack integrity, the people no longer rule," the newspaper says in an editorial titled Cheat.gov

From IBD:

Having reneged on his pledge to accept public financing, Obama will likely escape an audit by the Federal Election Commission — which the heavily outspent loser, McCain, must undergo because he took public funding. So much for those filthy-rich Republicans taking advantage of a system supposedly skewed in their favor.

What all this means is we might never get to the bottom of who the thousands of fictitious donors were with names such as "Test Person" and "Doodad Pro." We might never know if the next president of the United States intentionally took money that exceeded the limits allowed under law, or money from foreign powers.

We might never know if the more than $800,000 in falsely reported funds the Obama campaign paid an offshoot of the left-wing organization ACORN was a coordinated national scam, although the FBI is reportedly investigating the group.

ACORN filed more than 43,000 new voter registration forms in Minnesota, where the razor-thin margin of victory for Republican Sen. Norm Coleman over former "Saturday Night Live" comedian Al Franken evaporated from more than 700 votes to just 221 nearly overnight thanks to "typos" discovered over a week before a scheduled recount. Fox News reports that much of Franken's mysterious new votes come from one heavily Democratic small town.

That seat could give Democrats an effectively filibuster-proof Senate majority. But if the cloud of voter fraud hangs over both the Senate and the White House — with Obama's untraceable millions in question — the soon-to-be president might want to change the name of his new Web site from "change.gov" to "cheat.gov."

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

Your tax dollars at work

What is the most expensive state legislature in the country up to these days?

This just in from the House Democratic Communications Office on behalf of state Rep. Mike Hanna (D-Clinton/Centre):

Hanna resolution naming Jan. 11-17 'Snowmobile Safety Week' adopted in House

HARRISBURG, Nov. 12 – State Rep. Mike Hanna, D-Clinton/Centre, said a resolution he sponsored (H.R. 942) that designates Jan. 11-17, 2009 as "Snowmobile Safety Week" in Pennsylvania was adopted in the House today.

"People need to take safety precautions on a snowmobile, just like they do when driving other motorized vehicles," Hanna said. "Things like wearing a helmet and responding appropriately to weather conditions can mean the difference between having a great outdoor experience and having a serious accident."

He said in the first three months of 2008, there were 18 snowmobile accidents in Pennsylvania, with 15 injuries and 3 deaths reported.

"We need to promote responsible riding practices, such as avoiding alcohol and maintaining safe speeds, to make snowmobiling a safe and enjoyable activity during the winter season," Hanna said.

More than 40,000 people in Pennsylvania participate in snowmobiling, contributing $160 million to the state's economy.

More of the same in Harrisburg

Little is likely to change in Harrisburg based on last week's election results in the state Legislature, says The Pottstown Mercury.

With Democrats adding to their one-vote majority in the House, expect the same moribund leadership that has led the Legislature in the past two years.

From an editorial in today's edition of the newspaper:

The election is over, but now begins the power play to determine leadership posts in the next legislative term -- and it's business as usual with lawmakers jockeying for the pay and prestige that come with top leadership positions in the General Assembly.

The power play for leadership posts on the state level comes at a time when borough and city leaders are grappling with massive revenue shortfalls as ripple effects of the nation's economic crisis. Pottstown Borough Council last night heard a presentation for a budget that would eliminate 13 positions and drastically slash funding for fire companies, parks and other borough services.

But, in Harrisburg, it's business as usual. The 315 million-dollar monster that is the state Legislature just keeps rolling along. Little changed in the election on the state legislative front. And, little is changing now as the play for power positions goes into full swing.

Another day, a lot of dollars: Business as usual.

Read the full editorial, "Power Play Is On For Leadership Posts," at the newspaper's Web site.

Clinging to their guns

Maybe Barack Obama was right about bitter Pennsylvania residents clinging to their guns and religion.

Since Obama's election on Nov. 4, gun dealers in Pennsylvania (and across the nation) report sales increases of up to 50 percent.

"People are panic-buying," Russell Jones of Jones Gun Shop in center city Allentown told The Morning-Call newspaper.

With Obama, a longtime gun-control advocate, soon to occupy the White House, and Democratic majorities in both the House and Senate, anti-gun groups could have a field day with new restrictions or outright bans on weapons.

From The Morning-Call:

"(Obama's) rhetoric regarding the Second Amendment is deceptive," said Lawrence Keane, senior vice president and general counsel for the National Shooting Sports Foundation. "He cannot say he supports the Second Amendment and then say he wants to ban semiautomatic firearms."

Keane's group estimates gun sales are up about 10 percent so far this year and were up about 15 percent in October. He said the increase is "primarily driven by the election," and he expects sales to jump even further this month.

Joe Keffer, president of the Pennsylvania Association of Firearms Retailers, said the last time he saw sales so high was in the early 1990s, when federal officials were debating the assault weapons ban.

Keffer, who also owns a gun store near Lancaster, said sales of assault rifles and other items remained high for nearly a year before the ban ultimately passed in 1994.

He expects the current zeal to buy guns could be similarly sustained.

"We're what, two months away from him even taking office?" Keffer said. "I think there's a good possibility it could continue."

Read the full article by reporter Brian Callaway at the newspaper's Web site.

Change?

Up the Down Economic Escalator

A new study released by the Economic Mobility Project confirms what many of us already know: The ability of Americans to move up in the income distribution has changed little since the 1980s.

More than 50 percent of individuals ages 25 to 44 who start in the bottom of the income distribution remain there 10 years later, the report says.

"This new report confirms even greater 'stickiness' at the bottom of the income ladder than previous project reports have found," said John E. Morton, Pew's managing director of Economic Policy and director of the Economic Mobility Project. "Over the last two decades, the majority of the least affluent Americans are not experiencing upward mobility relative to others, and those who are mobile don't get very far. Because a belief in upward mobility is central to the American story, it is critical that our nation's leaders take note of and engage in serious debate about policies that might address these disturbing findings."

Bottom line: The policies of both Democrats and Republicans in Congress and in the White House have destroyed the American Middle Class. And sending the same clown back to Congress will ensure that most Americans will never see an improvement in their economic station. Having second thoughts about voting back all those Democrats to Congress on Nov. 4?

More Than 7 in 10 Americans Who Start at the Bottom of the Income Ladder Remain Below Middle Income Status 10 Years Later

Top revenue official bails out on Rendell

I guess Revenue Secretary Tom Wolf is tired of announcing the monthly deficits run up by the Rendell Administration.

Four months into the 2008-09 fiscal year, Rendell has run up four consecutive monthly deficits totaling more than $550 million.

And there's no end in sight. Some lawmakers predict the state will end the current fiscal year with a deficit of $1.5 billion to $3 billion.

Pennsylvania Governor Rendell Announces Resignation of Tom Wolf, Appointment of Stephen Stetler as Revenue Secretary

Chuck Norris writes to Barack Obama

Hollywood tough-guy Chuck Norris, now a conservative columnist and author, pens an open letter to President-elect Barack Obama on how The Chosen One can win over the 58 million Americans who did not vote for him on Nov. 4.

Among Norris' suggestions: Use and cite the Constitution; Protect American life; and Lead more from the center.

From Norris' column:

We will be watching who you choose to be in your Cabinet. We will discern how you lead Pelosi and Reid. We will be observing those you select as candidates for Supreme Court justices. The election is over. No more promises. No more words. You might work well in a team, but this time, you don't have congressional members to hide behind. You're on your own -- leading the pack -- and the whole country is watching. I, especially, am watching. So make sure you lead more from the center.

Read the full column, "Obama, Now That You Work for Me" at Townhall.com

The Obamas and School Choice

Must be nice to be rich and famous. President-elect Barack Obama and his wife have a choice to make about where to send their daughters to school.

Will they choose an exclusive private school or the failed Washington, D.C., school system? What do you think?

Wealthy families like the Obamas have a choice of where to send their kids to school. Most Americans do not.

Funny how Obama catered to the teachers' unions during the campaign and would not support school choice, isn't it?

The Alliance for School Choice has launched a new campaign - Let Parents Choose - to help build support for school choice, something Sen. John McCain backed during the campaign. Perhaps the Obamas would now like to join the effort.

Read more about the School Choice campaign at POLICY BLOG or go directly to http://www.letparentschoose.org/

POLICY BLOG also has a companion site called SchoolChoiceSaves.org that worth a visit.

Viguerie on the road back for conservatives

Richard Viguerie, chairman of ConservativeHQ.com, has a roadmap for rebuilding the Republican Party.

It's in his book, "Conservatives Betrayed: How George W. Bush and Other Big Government Republicans Hijacked the Conservative Cause"

Richard Viguerie, in Conservatives Betrayed, Foresaw Collapse of GOP and Describes the Road Back for Conservatives

RNC: Transitioning on Lobbyists

After spending the entire campaign decrying the influence of lobbyists, Obama will allow them on his transition team, says the Republican National Committee.

Change or more of the same?

Tell the truth, you Obama-maniacs out there. You feel kinda used, don't you? Get used to it.

RNC: Transitioning on Lobbyists

Non-believers for Obama

Dr. Paul Kengor, professor of political science and executive director of the Center for Vision & Values at Grove City College, has an interesting column about one of the most under-reported stories in the 2008 presidential race.

Non-religious Americans (up to 11 million) came out in large numbers for Barack Obama on Election Day, Kengor says.

"The vast majority of self-described non-religious voting Americans went for Obama," Kengor writes.

The liberal media has ignored the growing support of the Democratic Party among atheists, choosing to concentrate on the so-called "religious right," Kengor argues.

Kengor writes:

It is quite telling that liberal journalists are constantly wringing their hands over the evangelical vote, but could care less about the rise of an atheist vote. Whereas evangelicals scare them to death—and are highlighted as a dangerous force—atheists are of no concern whatsoever.

Non-believers have forged a potent voting bloc, probably unprecedented in American history. And while a lot of Republicans push to make the GOP an even bigger "tent," count me as one who prefers to cede this vote to the Democrats.

That's a huge advantage for the Democratic nominee, one that gets more powerful every four years.

What does all this mean?

The Democratic Party has found another core group it can rely on for future elections. In addition to labor unions and blacks, the left can now count on a growing constituency of non-believers to pull the Democratic Party lever regardless of who the candidate is on the ballot.

Kengor writes:

The contrast is clear when broken down among church attendance. Those who attend church services "once a week" voted for McCain by 55 to 43 percent, while those who attend "a few times a year" went for Obama 59 to 39 percent, and those who "never" go to church voted Obama 67 to 30 percent.

The numbers are consistent among denominations: John McCain actually won Catholics who attend Mass weekly (50 to 49 percent), but was trounced by Catholics who don't attend weekly (58 to 40 percent). McCain's largest margin was white evangelical/born-again Christians, which he swept 74 to 24 percent. Yet, even then, that margin was not as wide as those with no religious affiliation who went for Obama.

What's most significant is that this is nothing new. It is a recent trend gravitating to an increasingly secular Democratic Party.

Read Kengor's full column, "I'm Pagan and I Vote," at The Center for Vision & Values Web site.

A Grateful Nation Pauses to Remember

"Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few." — Winston Churchill, August 20th, 1940

Read the full message that accompanies this cartoon at GetLiberty.org

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If you're interested in having your business promoted in Montgomery, Chester and Berks counties, the contact information for WPAZ 1370 AM is below. "Talking Politics" can be heard every Thursday from 5-6 p.m. on WPAZ and is simulcast at www.1370wpaz.com and www.pottsmerc.com

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Richard Viguerie: Off With Their Heads!

Thanks to pressure from conservatives, the No. 2 and No. 3 Republican leaders in the House have resigned in the wake of the disastrous showing by Republicans on Election Day.

But that's not enough, says Richard Viguerie, chairman of ConservativeHQ.com

Viguerie also wants to oust House Minority Leader John Boehner, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Republican Party Chairman Mike Duncan, and Congressman Tom Cole, chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee.

"Now it's time to finish the job. The Republican leaders in the House and Senate, at the Republican National Committee, and everyone else responsible for this debacle, must go," Viguerie says.

Read more from Viguerie below:

Richard Viguerie: Conservatives Deserve Credit for Resignations of Blunt, Putnam

Praise for 1.1 million Pennsylvania veterans

Governor Rendell Praises Veterans for Their Service, Sacrifice

How long will media continue Obama charade?

In light of the Washington Post ombudsman admitting her newspaper gave lopsided coverage to Barack Obama, by Colonel Robert L. Pappas, USMC, Ret., wants to know if the liberal media intends to continue the charade when it comes to coverage of the Obama White House?

From a new online column by Pappas:

Now, what will the Post do? Continue the charade? Anyone with any integrity would run those issues to ground and put them out for the whole world to see, and let the chips fall where they may. Does the Post and/or you have that level of integrity? I am hopeful, but admit to cynicism. We'll see.

Good questions raised by Col. Pappas. The liberal media helped get Obama elected. They had a horse in the race. Will the media criticize Obama when he screws up or will the media continue ignoring legitimate news when it is not complimentary of Obama? At what point will the American public abandon the mainstream media entirely knowing that most newspapers and television outlets are in bed with Obama?

Read the full post, "An Open Letter to the Washington Post," at Pappas' Web site.

Chester County no longer a GOP stronghold

Columnists at The West Chester Daily Local News are still trying to make sense of the Nov. 4 election results, which saw Democrats make dramatic gains in Chester county, once a Republican stronghold.

Here's a sampling from recent columns.

From Jim Giuliano:

Democrats in Chester County are rejoicing over victories by some of their candidates and by the changing voting patters that show a swing away from the solid Republican monolith that we once knew and tolerated, if not loved.

The whole thing is quite a shock to those of us who can remember the days when the Chester County Democratic Party could hold its annual meeting in the back of a minivan and still have room left over for a tray of cold cuts.

Here's what's really strange. The pattern is repeating itself across the country. I heard one Republican analyst say, because of growing Hispanic populations, the party is worried about losing Texas in the next election. Texas!

So even the powerful can fall when they don't heed the will of the people. And there's a lesson in there for Democrats.

From Jim Callahan:

None of this is the fault of the local Republican Party. It was the Democratic candidate. People like him. I'm sure that most party Republicans worked as hard as they could, ditto for Democrats, but at some point candidates can supersede political organizations. This was that kind of an election in Chester County and in the nation.

Seemingly dragged along for the ride were two Democratic candidates for state representative, Tom Houghton in the Oxford area, and Paul J. Drucker in the Tredyffrin-Phoenixville area. The re-election of Democratic Rep. Barbara McIlvaine Smith validated her absurdly close victory over Republican Shannon Royer two years ago with a much more comfortable margin this time over Royer. It seems the only kind of luck Shannon has is buzzard's luck. He said he got beat in 2006 because it was a lousy year for Republicans. He was right. He said the same thing last week. He was also right.

The Republican Party can snap right back in 2010 if conditions are remotely favorable. There is one slight difficulty. All three are incumbents. And incumbents can be difficult to dislodge.

From Dan Kristie:

Still, more than half of the votes cast in Chester County were straight-party. Of the 252,674 people who voted, 128,298 handed in a straight party ballot. Of those ballots, 63,717 were Republican, 61,768 were Democrat 2,555 were Independent, 237 were Libertarian, and 21 were Constitution.

The straight-party voting might have made the difference for a few state house candidates. I think it really helped Democrat Paul Drucker in the 157th District, but the election returns are such that, without outside polling data, I can't really make a convincing argument.

'With Obama in charge, say your prayers'

One of my favorite Pennsylvania columnists, Gil Spencer of The Delaware County Daily & Sunday Times, still can't get over Barack Obama's election as president.

While most Americans are basking in the euphoria of an Obama victory, Spencer believes the storm is coming.

From Spencer's latest column:

During the campaign he was called "No-Drama Obama." But drama is coming — and soon.

A few short weeks ago, Obama's running mate spoke an inconvenient truth when he warned the country that, "mark my words," an international crisis will be manufactured to test the mettle of the new and inexperienced 47-year-old president.

Will he have that "spine of steel" Joe Biden predicted, or will he be President Merkin Muffley of Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove?

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

RepublicanForAReason.com

If you're still in mourning over the Nov. 4 election results, get over it. It's time to think ahead and come up with a strategy to revive the Republican Party.

You can start by visiting a new grassroots Web site launched by the Republican National Committee.

RNC Launches New Web Site: 'RepublicanForAReason.com'

Newspaper: Obama making mistakes already

Is it possible for "The Messiah" to make a mistake?

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review says "The Chosen One" has already made three major blunders and he's still months away from taking office as president.

From the editorial in today's edition:

It's special-interest politics at its worst and suggests an Obama administration won't be the politics of "change" but politics as usual.

On the foreign front, Obama has hinted he will back off a deal to install a missile-defense system in Poland to guard against Russian aggression.

On the domestic front, Obama is working to scuttle the Colombia Free Trade Agreement and will push to eliminate rules calling for secret ballots to form unions. Both moves are pandering to labor unions that helped get Obama elected but would be disastrous to the U.S. economy.

Also on the domestic front, Obama will continue a Bush administration policy of subsidizing U.S. ethanol producers, the kind of wasteful pork spending Washington politicians love. So much for encouraging energy independence.

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

A day to say 'thanks'

'Holiday Mail for Heroes' to Deliver 1 Million Cards to Service Members and Families

'Holiday Mail for Heroes' to Deliver One Million Cards to Service Members and Families

Veterans Day Message

A message from U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Dr. James B. Peake:

Ninety years ago today, the guns fell silent in Europe. World War I - the "war to end all wars" - was over. Almost five million Americans served during that first modern, mechanized war. Our last living link with them, 107-year-old Army veteran Frank Buckles, observes this Veterans Day at his farm in West Virginia.

It is important, on Veterans Day, for all Americans to reflect on the service and sacrifice of our veterans, from Mr. Buckles to the men and women who recently fought for us in Iraq and Afghanistan. Their bravery, their resourcefulness, and their patriotism mark them as our nation's finest citizens.

Since 2001, the President and Congress have provided the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) with a 98 percent increase in funding, and with the guidance and support to enable VA to honor America's debt to the men and women whose patriotic service and sacrifice have kept our nation free and prosperous; to provide them with medical and financial help when they need it most; and to build and maintain beautiful national cemeteries to perpetuate their memory and their accomplishments.

During this Administration, VA has met the challenge of a new generation of veterans: those tempered by war in Iraq and Afghanistan, and those who have defended America's interests elsewhere while their comrades served in combat.

The Benefits Delivery at Discharge program serves these separating service members at 154 locations, assisting them to file for VA disability benefits. To further help these men and women, a new insurance benefit is in place to assist them with the costs of living with traumatic injury; life insurance coverage has increased by $100,000; and the time it takes to process requests for education benefits has been reduced from 50 days to less than 20.

One hundred Iraq and Afghanistan veterans have been hired to reach out to their fellow veterans throughout the nation and tell them about the benefits and services VA offers. Federal Recovery Coordinators are on board, actively engaged in helping severely injured veterans and their families navigate our system for health care and financial benefits. Our Vet Centers now provide bereavement counseling to families of those who have given their lives in the war against terror, and we've provided health care to nearly 350,000 new veterans -- about 40 percent of all separated war veterans.

Our program to screen all veterans coming to us who served in Iraq and Afghanistan for possible traumatic brain injury is giving us great insight into how best to serve these men and women. Those who screen positive are referred for a comprehensive medical evaluation to confirm the diagnosis, and are quickly and appropriately treated.

For those with very severe injuries like brain injury, amputations, visual impairment and burns, we've established Polytrauma Rehabilitation Centers in Richmond, Va., Tampa, Fla., Minneapolis, and Palo Alto, Calif., to provide the very finest, state-of-the-art care. They are examples of great cooperation across the continuum of care with the Department of Defense.
While caring for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans has been among VA's most important priorities, we continue to provide the full spectrum of care and benefits to our veterans of other eras.

Since 2001, we've reduced our average number of days required to completely process a claim from a high of 233 days in 2002 to 162 days today and have reduced the number of disability claims pending from 432,000 in 2002 to 384,500 through a combination of process improvements, increased staffing and improved training. We've placed particular emphasis on adjudicating claims for veterans aged 70 or older. Our home loan guaranty limit has increased from $203,000 to as much as $729,750, providing a better opportunity for veterans who want to own a home. The programs to deal with the issue of veteran homelessness have measurably paid off, reducing the number of homeless veterans by nearly 40 percent from 2001 to 2007.

The number of veterans enrolled in VA health care has increased from 4.8 million to 7.8 million in the past eight years. Their care is provided by the Veterans Health Administration, an organization that excels in the provision of high quality health care, that has set benchmarks in patient satisfaction in the American Customer Satisfaction Index for seven consecutive years; that has substantially cut waiting times and improved access to care throughout the nation; and that has set, and met, a standard of 24 hours for initial assessment and a 14-day standard for comprehensive assessment of new mental health patients, thanks to more than 4,100 mental health professionals hired in the last five years.

VA leads the nation in the development and use of electronic health records, receiving the coveted "Innovations Award" from Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government in 2006. We've laid the groundwork for sharing electronic records with the Department of Defense, launched a web-based application to allow patients and their families to interact with VA physicians over the Internet, and worked hard to set the "gold standard" for health information security to protect the vital personal information veterans entrust to us.

Addressing readjustment needs and rural access, we have announced plans to place at least one Vet Center in every county in which there are 50,000 or more veterans. We are also purchasing fifty "mobile Vet Centers" -- vans which will travel to rural areas throughout the nation to bring Vet Center services to veterans in rural and highly rural areas; we're also in the process of expanding our community-based outpatient clinics to a total of 782, an increase of 100 in five years.

Our National Shrine Program has uplifted the beauty of our cemeteries, and by the end of 2009 six new national cemeteries will have opened for burials, adding to the six cemeteries we have already opened since 2001.

I am proud of this great record of accomplishment, prouder still of the approximately 270,000 men and women of VA who daily fulfill President Lincoln's promise to care for veterans and their families; and proudest to have had the opportunity to serve men and women like Frank Buckles, whose dedicated service to our nation in all its wars has enabled generations of Americans to live their lives in freedom.

Extinct Animals

Argall makes bid for Rhoades' Senate seat official

The No. 2 Republican in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives wants to move up to the Pennsylvania Senate.

Rep. David Argall, who has represented the 124th House District since 1985 and just won re-election to a new two-year term, announced today he will seek the 29th Senate seat held by James Rhoades, who was killed in a car crash last month.

Rhoades, who was first elected to the state Senate in 1980, won re-election posthumously on Nov. 4, ensuring a special election to fill his seat.

Argall told the Reading Eagle that he will not seek another term as House Republican Whip to concentrate on a Senate run. A date for the special election has not been set. It could be delayed to the 2009 primary election.

One of the reasons Argall wants to serve in the Senate, he told reporter Mary Young, is that he could be more effective with the GOP majority in the Senate rather than the minority in the House, which is controlled by Democrats.

Argall has been the target of criticism from conservative Republicans because he supported the 2005 pay raise and also helped get GOP votes to pass Gov. Ed Rendell's tax-and-spend agenda since 2003.

The 29th Senate District stretches across six counties including Berks and Schuylkill.

Read more about Argall's political future at the newspaper's Web site.

Say 'Thank you' to American troops

An appeal from Berks Enduring Freedom to send a "thank you" to American troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan:

Have you ever wanted to say "Thank you" in a tangible way to those men and women who serve our country? If so, here is a great opportunity.

Berks Enduring Freedom, a local organization, needs our help. They are sending about 1,100 boxes of donated items to about 550 troops from Berks County who are currently serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. They have received tens of thousands of new items (food, hygiene supplies, books, CDs, etc. – it is an amazing assortment) from local businesses and individuals, but now everything needs to be packaged for shipping.

It is easy work, and quite unglamorous. Zara and I went on Saturday and Sunday afternoons for a total of about 3 hours, and we spent our time putting small food packages (instant oatmeal, Cheese-It and Goldfish crackers, etc.) and hygiene supplies (tissues, cotton balls, Q-tips, etc.) into zip-lock baggies. They also have a craft room where Zara made cards and wrote a letter to be included in the boxes. Volunteers are needed Monday through Thursday this week to help prepare the boxes, and especially at night on Wednesday and Thursday. The hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

On Friday from 8 a.m. to noon all the boxes must be loaded onto trucks for shipping. Currently they have only a few people lined up to carry boxes.

The warehouse (heated, lighted, wheelchair accessible, with bathrooms) is very easy to get to; it is located in the same building as Grainger, 4201 Pottstown Pike (Route 61) next to Bob Fisher Chevrolet. If you are coming south from Leesport it is on the left after the Tuckerton traffic light; coming north from Reading it is on the right. Everyone (about 8 to 10 people) was very friendly and down to earth. One of the aspects that I really liked was that they put us to work immediately – no wasted time. They also have good food donated by local eateries if you want a snack or meal while you are there.

Additional information can be found at http://www.berksenduringfreedom.com/ or by calling Simone Sauers at 610-682-0428 or Dory at 610-683-8197, or Steve Johnson, Home 610.779.0289 or Cell 610.207.6250

Zara and I had a great time doing this together, and you will too. Please help if you can, even for one hour. Thank you.

Steve Johnson

Chesco to host property tax forum

Property taxes and the weather. Everybody talks about it, but nobody does anything about it.

Chester County officials want to talk about property taxes.

The entire county is invited to attend a forum at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 13, in the commissioners' boardroom on the fifth floor of the courthouse North Wing on North High Street in West Chester.

"We need the opportunity to have a conversation with the taxpayers," Commissioners' Chairwoman Carol Aichele told the West Chester Daily Local News. "The bottom line is that we cannot run Chester County in the year 2009 for the same amount of money that we did in 2008."

Translation: Property taxes are going up for county residents in 2009.

The proposed $461.4 million budget introduced by county staff last month includes a 5 percent increase in property taxes, from the current millage of 3.804 to 4.018, says reporter Michael Rellehan.

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

Details of the 2009 Chester County budget are available online at www.chesco.org