Karen Roark, ROAN School teacher in Dalton, Pa., has been awarded a fellowship with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
NASA Selects Pennsylvania Teacher to Inspire Next Generation Explorers
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
House Dem blames leaders for party switch
From POLITICO:
House Dem blames leaders for party switch - - POLITICO.com
Democratic Rep. Parker Griffith announced Tuesday that he's switching parties – saying he can no longer align himself "with a party that continues to pursue legislation that is bad for our country, hurts our economy and drives us further and further into debt."Read the full story at the link below:
"Unfortunately there are those in the Democratic Leadership that continue to push an agenda focused on massive new spending, tax increases, bailouts and a health care bill that is bad for our healthcare system," Griffith said in a statement. "I have always considered myself to be an independent voice and I have tried to be that voice in Congress – but after watching this agenda firsthand I now believe that the differences in the two parties could not be more clear and that for me to be true to my core beliefs and values I must align myself with the Republican party and speak out clearly on these issues."
Griffith's party switch comes on the eve of a pivotal congressional health care vote and will send a jolt through a Democratic House Caucus that has already been unnerved by the recent retirements of a handful of members who, like Griffith, hail from districts that offer prime pickup opportunities for the GOP in 2010.
House Dem blames leaders for party switch - - POLITICO.com
500,000 doctors oppose Obamacare
Who you gonna trust with your family's health care? Harry Reid and Barack Obama or your doctor?
More than 500,000 U.S. doctors oppose the Obamacare bill about to be rammed through the U.S. Senate.
From TakeBackMedicine.org:
More than 500,000 U.S. doctors oppose the Obamacare bill about to be rammed through the U.S. Senate.
From TakeBackMedicine.org:
To date 43 state, county and national medical societies, representing nearly one‐half million physicians, have stated their public opposition to the Senate healthcare overhaul bill, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (H.R. 3590). It is time for Congress to slow down, take a step back, and change the direction of current reform efforts to ensure that it is done right!For more information, visit TakeBackMedicine.org
Senate Health Bill Remains a High-Cost Minefield for Small Business
America's small businesses, the backbone of the U.S. economy, will take a direct hit from Obamacare, according to the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council.
The SBE Council says the latest version of the Senate health care bill continues to ignore the plight of U.S. small businesses, and instead burdens them with additional taxes and regulations that will drive business costs higher.
"Rather than moving in a direction that heeds the concerns of small business, the Senate health bill imposes an even higher tax burden on our sector while retaining other tax, regulatory and compliance measures that will drive business and health coverage costs higher," SBE Council President & CEO Karen Kerrigan in a prepared statement.
According to SBE Council, the "manager's amendment" put forward by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid raises the Medicare payroll tax higher (from 0.5 percent to 0.9 percent), and exposes small businesses in the construction industry to a punishing employer mandate that will cripple this already hurting sector. The bill singles out the construction industry by not exempting businesses in this sector from the "play-or-pay" employer mandate that other firms with 50 or fewer employees are exempt from (although it does exempt construction firms with five employees or less). The latest Reid bill also increases the individual mandate penalty/tax, which will hit the self-employed, and maintains an array of other tax hikes and regulatory requirements that will drive up the cost of health coverage for small business.
Read the full SBE Council release at the link below:
Senate Health Bill Remains a High-Cost Minefield for Small Business
The SBE Council says the latest version of the Senate health care bill continues to ignore the plight of U.S. small businesses, and instead burdens them with additional taxes and regulations that will drive business costs higher.
"Rather than moving in a direction that heeds the concerns of small business, the Senate health bill imposes an even higher tax burden on our sector while retaining other tax, regulatory and compliance measures that will drive business and health coverage costs higher," SBE Council President & CEO Karen Kerrigan in a prepared statement.
According to SBE Council, the "manager's amendment" put forward by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid raises the Medicare payroll tax higher (from 0.5 percent to 0.9 percent), and exposes small businesses in the construction industry to a punishing employer mandate that will cripple this already hurting sector. The bill singles out the construction industry by not exempting businesses in this sector from the "play-or-pay" employer mandate that other firms with 50 or fewer employees are exempt from (although it does exempt construction firms with five employees or less). The latest Reid bill also increases the individual mandate penalty/tax, which will hit the self-employed, and maintains an array of other tax hikes and regulatory requirements that will drive up the cost of health coverage for small business.
Read the full SBE Council release at the link below:
Senate Health Bill Remains a High-Cost Minefield for Small Business
Rendell to ring in new year with layoffs?
Pennsylvania has lost more than 105,000 jobs in the past year alone, so why is Ed Rendell in such a hurry to lay off more state workers?
Taht's what columnist Kevin Cramsey is wondering, too.
From a new column at Harrisburg Examiner.com:
Rendell to ring in new year with layoffs?
Posted using ShareThis
Taht's what columnist Kevin Cramsey is wondering, too.
From a new column at Harrisburg Examiner.com:
The administration's head count is something like 721, but it doesn't include 60 or so who were offered up from the treasury and another 100-150 teachers, administrators and others who were cast out when Rendell ordered the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs to shutter the Scotland School for Veterans Children. There's probably more casualties out there if look hard enough.Read the full column at the link below:
Curiously, though the governor fusses and worries about state revenues being down due to a bad economy, he's willing to worsen the state's unemployment picture by putting even more people out of work and overtaxing the state's unemployment compensation fund.
Rendell to ring in new year with layoffs?
Posted using ShareThis
Investors.com - Louisiana Purchase And Omaha Stakes
Talk about adding insult to injuries. Not only will Obamacare raise taxes and increase insurance premiums for most Americans, but Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid is using your tax dollars to bribe Democratic Senators to vote for the bill. Take back your country. Vote out all Congressional Democrats in 2010.
Investors.com - Louisiana Purchase And Omaha Stakes
Investors.com - Louisiana Purchase And Omaha Stakes
Rep. Parker Griffith bolts Democratic Party for GOP House Caucus
Here's one way to save your political skin in 2010.
An Alabama Democrat has had enough with the Nancy Pelosi/Harry Reid/Barack Obama "Axis of Evil" and has decided to join the House Republican Caucus. The Republican Party has a big tent, folks. Democrats with common-sense are welcome.
Boehner Welcomes Rep. Parker Griffith to the House Republican Conference | Republican Leader John Boehner
An Alabama Democrat has had enough with the Nancy Pelosi/Harry Reid/Barack Obama "Axis of Evil" and has decided to join the House Republican Caucus. The Republican Party has a big tent, folks. Democrats with common-sense are welcome.
Boehner Welcomes Rep. Parker Griffith to the House Republican Conference | Republican Leader John Boehner
Gerlach: Health Care Bill Brings Blizzard of Spending, No Real Reforms
U.S. Rep. Jim Gerlach (PA-6th District) issued the following statement in response to the U.S. Senate's rush to pass a health care bill before Christmas:"While Mother Nature was dumping a record-setting amount of snow on southeastern Pennsylvania this weekend, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and his Democrat leadership colleagues unleashed a blizzard of taxpayer dollars in a frantic attempt to pass a health care bill that has more to do with scoring political points than making insurance affordable and improving the quality of health care. And American taxpayers will be paying for these deals aimed at paving the path to government-controlled health care long after the snow melts.
"After promising Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu $300 million in taxpayer dollars last month in exchange for her vote, Reid struck backroom deals that will force Pennsylvania taxpayers to help finance a $1.1 billion Medicaid bailout over the next 10 years for Nebraska, Massachusetts and Vermont. That is in addition to an estimated $2.2 billion Pennsylvania taxpayers will have to cover during the next decade if the Democrats’ health care proposal becomes law. Reid also slipped in a $100 million earmark for an unidentified hospital in an unidentified state to build a new facility.
"This avalanche of spending would be bad enough. But the Senate bill also retains the same job-crushing taxes and big government bureaucracy contained in the House health care bill, which I voted against on November 7. Taxes would climb by about $400 billion per year. That includes a $2 billion per year tax on medical testing products that help detect ovarian, breast and pancreatic cancer; products used in hip-replacement surgery and to help patients heal broken limbs; heart stents used in life-saving operations; and other medical devices. This tax would hit Pennsylvania particularly hard because of the approximately 600 medical device manufactures in the Commonwealth that employ roughly 20,000 people in jobs that often pay more than $50,000 per year.
"All of this taxing and spending will result in a bill that the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office confirmed would raise health insurance premiums by $300 per year for individuals and $2,100 per year for middle-class families. That’s unacceptable.
"Rather than buying votes, leaders in the House and Senate should be working on medical malpractice reforms that could save patients up to $140 billion per year and other bipartisan measures that would increase competition among private insurers to lower the cost of premiums and give consumers greater freedom and choices in buying coverage. I will continue working with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to achieve these goals."
Monday, December 21, 2009
Newspaper: Those 'incorrigible' PA lawmakers
Criminal charges against two dozen people connected with the Pennsylvania Legislature, including two men who served as Speaker of the House, appear to be acceptable to the majority of elected officials in Harrisburg, laments the state's biggest newspaper.
"Even after 25 indictments in the legislature, the folks in Harrisburg still don't get it," the newspaper writes in an editorial. "There is no revolt yet by fed-up legislators. No unified denunciation of corruption, no concerted push for reforms."
The editorial writers use the term "incorrigible" to describe Pennsylvania legislators, as in "bad beyond correction or reform: incorrigible behavior; an incorrigible liar; impervious to constraints or punishment"
Keep in mind that a majority of House Democrats elected since-indicted Rep. Bill DeWeese as Majority Whip in January of this year despite many questions raised about DeWeese's involvement in the "Bonusgate" corruption scandal that has hung over the Legislature for more than two years.
While calls for reform ring may hollow in the corridors of the state Capitol, the newspaper does see a small glimmer of hope for restoring integrity to Harrisburg:
"Even after 25 indictments in the legislature, the folks in Harrisburg still don't get it," the newspaper writes in an editorial. "There is no revolt yet by fed-up legislators. No unified denunciation of corruption, no concerted push for reforms."
The editorial writers use the term "incorrigible" to describe Pennsylvania legislators, as in "bad beyond correction or reform: incorrigible behavior; an incorrigible liar; impervious to constraints or punishment"
Keep in mind that a majority of House Democrats elected since-indicted Rep. Bill DeWeese as Majority Whip in January of this year despite many questions raised about DeWeese's involvement in the "Bonusgate" corruption scandal that has hung over the Legislature for more than two years.
While calls for reform ring may hollow in the corridors of the state Capitol, the newspaper does see a small glimmer of hope for restoring integrity to Harrisburg:
House Democrats did spurn their leaders Thursday by electing Rep. Frank Dermody (D., Allegheny), a former prosecutor, to replace DeWeese as majority whip. It could be a small sign of progress. Yet there is no general clamor for the big changes that are needed, such as campaign-finance limits or reforming the reapportionment process that leads to so much partisan entrenchment. The forecast is for more of the same.Read the full editorial at the newspaper's Web site.
Awards for Worst Media Performances in 2009
The Best of the Worst of the Liberal Media in 2009
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/nb-staff/2009/12/21/mrc-announces-awards-worst-media-performance-2009
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/nb-staff/2009/12/21/mrc-announces-awards-worst-media-performance-2009
Democrats Play 'Let's Make a Deal' with Your Money
U.S. Senator Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., issued the following statement on the latest Reid health care bill:
American Chronicle | Enzi: Democrats Play "Let´s Make a Deal" with Your Money
"The Democrats are playing ´Let´s make a deal´ with trillions of your hard-earned tax dollars. You and all the American people should know that the Majority Leader is buying his votes with your money. The Reid bill gives sweetheart deals to a few states and the rest of the country will foot the bill. Making unfair deals like this is the wrong way to legislate and the American people know it.Read the full statement at the link below:
American Chronicle | Enzi: Democrats Play "Let´s Make a Deal" with Your Money
Why The Grinch Was A Liberal
Another holiday gem at DotPenn exposing the secret political views of a well-known Christmas figure. This time, it's the Grinch.From DotPenn:
Revealed for the first time: the Christmas-snatching Grinch is actually a politically-correct progressive. Here are the top ten pieces of evidence.Read the full post, "Ten Reasons The Grinch Is A Progressive," at DotPenn
1. Instead of using a snowmobile prefers more environmentally-correct dog-powered sled.
So he took his dog Max, and he took some black thread, and he tied a big horn on the top of his head.
2. As a vegan, the Grinch refuses to eat Roast Beast.
3. Out-of-touch mountain retreat similar to confines of Washington D.C. beltway. (Both are also snow-covered thanks to Copenhagen treaty.)
4. Turning green from a lack of protein.
5. Hates Christians.
Your heart is full of unwashed socks, your soul is full of gunk... Mr. Gri-inch
Newspaper details 'Hands out in Harrisburg'
While ordinary Pennsylvanians had to do without services during the state's 101-day-old budget stalemate, elected lawmakers pocketed more than $2.2 million in per diem payments, according to the Reading Eagle.
From a story by reporter Darrin Youker:
Read the full story at the newspaper's Web site.
From a story by reporter Darrin Youker:
During the state's historic 101-day budget impasse that left state employees without paychecks, lawmakers were still getting paid.The top three recipients of per diem money from Berks County: Democratic Rep. Thomas R. Caltagirone: $23,546; Democratic Rep. Dante Santoni Jr.: $20,632; Republican Rep. Douglas G. Reichley: $13,798.
While their salaries were frozen during the budget negotiations, many lawmakers were still collecting $158 a day in per diem payments - money to cover food and lodging expenses while in Harrisburg. Some critics contend those payments covered expenses that lawmakers never incurred.
And between Jan. 1 and when the budget was adopted Oct. 5, lawmakers representing Berks County racked up $110,637 in expenses to do business in Harrisburg. Statewide, lawmakers collected more than $2.2 million.
Lawmakers in Harrisburg collect per diems, $158 for each day they spend in the capital. None has to produce receipts for those expenses, and that policy makes the system ripe for fraud, critics say.
On top of their salaries, reimbursement for mileage, car leases and other perks, lawmakers can request per diems for every day they are in Harrisburg.
Some lawmakers don't spend a dime on meals or lodging yet collect per diems anyway, said Tim Potts, a former legislative aide who co-founded Democracy Rising Pennsylvania. In some cases, legislative caucuses, or lobbyists, will pick up the tab for meals during legislative sessions, he said.
"If it's not criminal, it should be," Potts said of lawmakers taking money for expenses they never incurred.
Read the full story at the newspaper's Web site.
FRC Asks - 'Is There No Democratic Senator Who Cares About Life?'
Hey, Bob Casey Jr. ... They're talking to you.
FRC Asks - 'Is There No Democratic Senator Who Cares About Life?'
FRC Asks - 'Is There No Democratic Senator Who Cares About Life?'
Ed Schultz Admits MSNBC Serves as Mouthpiece for White House
If you're looking for news, stay clear of MSNBC. The state-run Obama Media is alive and well in the United States.
Ed Schultz Admits MSNBC Serves as Mouthpiece for White House | NewsBusters.org
Ed Schultz Admits MSNBC Serves as Mouthpiece for White House | NewsBusters.org
Thirty Pieces of Silver
One-by-one, Congressional Democrats have lined up to receive their "thirty pices of silver" to betray the American people. Sen. Ben Nelson is the latest.
Payoffs for states get Harry Reid to 60 votes - - POLITICO.com
Payoffs for states get Harry Reid to 60 votes - - POLITICO.com
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Conservative to challenge Kessler for 130th House seat
Two-term state Rep. David R. Kessler will face a Republican challenger in 2010.David M. Maloney Sr. has announced he is seeking the Republican primary nomination to challenge Kessler, a liberal Democrat who won the traditionally Republican Eastern Berks County House district in 2006.
"As a patriotic Republican, I feel that 2010 will be a critical election year as we the people, rise up to stop expanding government and the over-reaching of the Democrats in Harrisburg and Washington, D.C.," Maloney said in a prepared statement.
Maloney has lived in rural Pike Township with his wife and four children for the past 30 years. He served on the Oley Valley School Board from 2005-09.
As a self employed carpenter for the past 25 years, Malone said he has seen "the effects of this down economy and the hindrance government has placed on job growth."
His platform includes getting government out of the way of creating jobs; the elimination of school property taxes; Personal property rights; reducing the size of government; and improving public school performance and accountability.
"I would work to reduce taxes and eliminate wasteful programs," Maloney said. "I believe the job of our elected officials is to serve and represent the people, not the people supporting career politicians. I approach this campaign with a servant's heart and a deep affection for the people I have lived with in this district from the time I was a young boy."
Since announcing his intention to run for the state Legislature, Maloney says he has been encouraged by the positive reception he has received from residents of the 130th District and "it has confirmed and reinforced my decision; a decision I made humbly and prayerfully."
Among Maloney's civic activities are serving on the "Victory Mile" committee at Boyertown High School, an American Cancer Society Relay For Life Team Captain, member of several area sports clubs and associations, and serving as a PIAA official.
Maloney will formally announce his candidacy before friends and supporters on Wednesday, Dec. 30, at 7 p.m. at the Multi-Service building in Boyertown.
Former state Rep. Dennis Leh, a Republican who held the 130th Dist. seat for 20 years, will serve as Maloney's campaign chairman.
The 130th District includes Amity Township; Birdsboro; Boyertown; Colebrookdale Township; Douglass Township; Earl Township; Exeter Township (Districts 01, 03, 06 and 07); Fleetwood; Oley Township; Pike Township; Rockland Township; Ruscombmanor Township; and Union Township.
'Avatar' tops weekend box office
"Avatar" topped the box office this weekend with an estimated $73.0 million, according to BoxOfficeMojo.com
A pretty good start for one of the most expensive films ever made. And keep in mind that "Titanic," which went on to earn $600 million in domestic box office, started out slowly and built into a monster hit by word-of-mouth. Could James Cameron strike gold again?
WEEKEND TOP 5 STUDIO ESTIMATES, DECEMBER 18-20, 2009
Rank. Movie Title (Distributor)
Weekend Gross | Theaters | Total Gross | Week #
1. Avatar (Fox)
$73.0 million | 3,452 | $73.0 million | 1
2. The Princess and the Frog (Buena Vista)
$12.2 million | 3,475 | $44.8 million | 4
3. The Blind Side (Warner Bros.)
$10.0 million | 3,407 | $164.7 million | 5
4. Did You Hear About the Morgans? (Sony / Columbia)
$7.0 million | 2,718 | $7.0 million | 1
5. The Twilight Saga: New Moon (Summit Entertainment)
$4.4 million | 3,035 | $274.6 million | 5
A pretty good start for one of the most expensive films ever made. And keep in mind that "Titanic," which went on to earn $600 million in domestic box office, started out slowly and built into a monster hit by word-of-mouth. Could James Cameron strike gold again?
WEEKEND TOP 5 STUDIO ESTIMATES, DECEMBER 18-20, 2009
Rank. Movie Title (Distributor)
Weekend Gross | Theaters | Total Gross | Week #
1. Avatar (Fox)
$73.0 million | 3,452 | $73.0 million | 1
2. The Princess and the Frog (Buena Vista)
$12.2 million | 3,475 | $44.8 million | 4
3. The Blind Side (Warner Bros.)
$10.0 million | 3,407 | $164.7 million | 5
4. Did You Hear About the Morgans? (Sony / Columbia)
$7.0 million | 2,718 | $7.0 million | 1
5. The Twilight Saga: New Moon (Summit Entertainment)
$4.4 million | 3,035 | $274.6 million | 5
Columnist: Will Obama send flowers to his victims?
In the second of a three-part examination of the dangers of Obamacare, 84-year-old syndicated columnist and liberal activist Nat Hentoff argues that Obamacare is a government effort to cut off medical care to the chronically ill and those nearing the end of their lives.From Hentoff's column:
The callousness of the Harry Reid Democratic majority in bullying through a very cost-efficient health-care bill for President Obama's eager pen to sign was disgracefully clear when both the House and Senate, on party-line votes, decided to cut $43 billion of Medicare spending on what The New York Times' Robert Pear described (Dec. 5) as "home health services, a lifeline for homebound Medicare beneficiaries, which keeps them out of hospitals and nursing homes." The president, I'm sure, was pleased.Read the full column -- Will Obama send flowers to Obamacare victims?" --
When I was a kid, I used to read that the U.S. Senate was "the greatest deliberative body in the world."
Not that Republican majority leaders have been averse to ensuring party loyalty by stringent means; but for the Democratic machine to use such bare-knuckles tactics to pass this legislation so directly involving the future lifespans of so many Americans (regardless of age or political affiliation) should make President Obama pause.
But he is a very cool (as in cold) caretaker of the national budget.
Sen. John McCain is decidedly uncool during this debate, much to his credit. In a Dec. 5 interview with Don Imus, McCain said of the fears of Obamacare around the country: "There’s not a lot of happy people out there, so you see tea parties, and you see people who are madder than they've ever been in their life. And frankly, I'm madder than I’ve ever been."
Me, too.
The day after Reid secured his 60 votes to continue Senate debate on Obamacare, CBS' "60 Minutes" -- "The Cost of Dying" -- presented a cold, clear case for cutting the $43 billion Medicare spending on home health services that serve not only the elderly, but certainly many other Americans. Opening the program chillingly, Steve Kroft played the actuarial rather than the compassionate blues:
"Every medical study ever conducted has concluded that 100 percent of all Americans will eventually die. This comes as no great surprise, but the amount of money being spent at the very end of people's lives probably will. Last year, Medicare paid $50 billion just for doctor and hospital bills during the last two months of patients' lives -- that's more than the budget of the Department of Homeland Security or the Department of Education.
"And it has been estimated that 20 to 30 percent of these medical expenditures may have had no meaningful impact."
If I may interrupt, sir, what about the impact on the other lives? During the program, we hear from Dr. Ira Byock in the intensive-care unit at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H.:
"Denial of death at some point becomes a delusion, and we start acting in ways that make no sense whatsoever. And I think that's collectively what we're doing.”
Toward the end of "The Cost of Dying," Dr. Byock lectures us on our moral responsibilities in these matters: "Collectively, as a culture, we really have to acknowledge that we're mortal," he said. "Get over it. And start looking at what a healthy, morally robust way for people to die looks like."
John McCain isn't getting over it. And in next year's midterm elections, we'll see how many other Americans won't. Are they immoral?
The economy will surely be a major factor in these coming elections, but I expect many Americans going to the polls will indeed be thinking robustly of their own mortality.
here.
Rep. Joe Pitts: Debt is a Very Real Problem
Debt is a Very Real ProblemBy Congressman Joe Pitts
Recently, President Obama invited Republican Congressional leaders to the White House to discuss ways to stimulate job growth. Republicans presented a solid plan for economic growth that includes a call for the federal government to stop the cycle of debt and spending that will weigh down future generations. The President's response was a demand that Republicans to name a single economist that agreed with them.
Just a week later, 222 prominent economists from across the country signed onto a document clearly stating that, "The country's economic future depends on Congress' ability to rein in the growth of federal spending." These men and women hail from such prominent institutions as Harvard, University of Chicago and Columbia. Their advice should not be ignored. We need to control our spending and reduce our debt.
The facts are grim, and both Republicans and Democrats have ignored the problem for far too long. The President's long term budget indicates that by 2019 annual interest payments will be $774 billion. This will be more than we currently spend today on education, transportation and national defense combined.
We know how we got here. President Obama, speaking as a Senator in 2006, noted that, "America has a debt problem and a failure of leadership." Both parties have failed to make the tough choices that come with restraint. In both good and bad economic periods, the deficit has been ignored.
This year Congress voted to grow the federal government by over 7 percent. Some specific cabinet agencies have seen their budgets increased by nearly 50 percent in just the past two years. All of this comes during a period when tax revenues decreased dramatically.
To facilitate this growth, the House of Representatives voted to raise the federal debt limit by $300 billion, a move I opposed. That may seem like an incredible figure but the frightening reality is that this increase will only cover borrowing through February. In fact, the U.S. Treasury is over the debt limit right now and is only able to continue government operations through emergency accounting measures.
President Obama is right when he says he does not bear the full blame for deficits. However, this year's budget was not designed by former President George W. Bush, The bills sent to President Obama this year contained thousands of pork barrel projects. He signed these bills despite a campaign pledge not to support bills with earmarks in them.
President Obama is worried that if the spigot of government spending is turned down the economy as a whole may slow. However, in our present circumstances, cautious investors are putting less money into private business and more money into government treasuries. Reducing the money available for private investment holds back job growth.
I don't believe that we can spend our way out of this recession. We can, however, take steps that cost the government nothing. We can open up more foreign markets to U.S. trade, and we can halt job-killing bills and regulations.
Business owners make tough decisions every day about how to use their resources. Unfortunately, few in Congress are willing to make the same tough decisions about how to best use the taxpayers' money.
Speaking on the campaign trail, President Obama promised to go through the federal budget and eliminate waste "line-by-line." While he was successful in eliminating a few high profile defense programs this year, rapid growth in other areas offset any benefit of these meager cuts. Sticking ones finger in the dike doesn’t work when the water is pouring over the top.
I don't think it's too late for President Obama to support good ideas to bring about restraint. Members on both sides of the aisle would like to see a non-partisan commission formed to make recommendations for controlling the deficit. Congress would then have the opportunity to either accept or reject the recommendations without changes.
Early next year, the President will release his second budget, and I believe he has an opportunity to prove that he has thoughtfully considered our national priorities. He has already shown some backbone in fighting against popular weapons projects, but overcoming Congress' urge to spend will require many pitched battles. Restraint may be difficult, but it will help our economic growth in both the short and the long term.
U.S. Rep. Joe Pitts is a Republican who represents Pennsylvania's 16th Congressional District, which includes parts of Berks, Chester and Lancaster counties.
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Ebenezer Scrooge was a liberal
Terrific post at the always amusing DotPenn blog setting the record straight about Ebenezer Scrooge's political affiliation. From "Eleven Reasons Why Scrooge Is A Progressive" --
Ebenezer Scrooge, or just Scrooge, has often been portrayed as a miserly Conservative.
However, a closer examination of the skinflint character from Charles Dickens's Christmas classic, A Christmas Carol, reveals that, on the contrary, Scrooge is a progressive.
Here are eleven reasons why Scrooge is a progressive.
1) Scrooge relies on government programs to handle poverty.Read the full post at DotPenn
And the Union workhouses demanded Scrooge Are they still in operation? The Treadmill and the Poor Law are in full then? said Scrooge.
2.) He ignores private charities as the most effective way to help people in need.
I help to support the establishments I have mentioned they cost enough and those who are badly off must go there.
3.) Scrooge, an environmental progressive, refuses to allow his staff members to burn coal.
Scrooge had a very small fire but the clerk's fire was so very much smaller that it looked like one coal. But he couldn't replenish it for Scrooge kept the coal box in his own room and so surely as the clerk came in with the shovel the master predicted that it would be necessary for them to part.
4.) Apparently uses energy-saving florescent bulbs instead of incandescent light bulbs.
Darkness is cheap, and Scrooge liked it.
5.) Afraid his majority cultural lens will drown out alternative voices, Scrooge made sure he never said "Merry Christmas." Prefers the more politically-correct "Bah Humbug."
25 Weeks at No. 1
For those of you who are keeping track, this week marks the 25th time in 2009 that TONY PHYRILLAS reached No. 1 on the BlogNetNews.com/Pennsylvania Weekly Influence Index.
That distinction breaks the previous record of 24 trips to No. 1 set by TONY PHYRILLAS in 2008.
This blog also set a new record for most consecutive weeks at No. 1 with a six-week run at the top spot in January-February 2009.
My blog has finished No. 1, No. 2 or No. 3 in the Weekly Influence Index every week in 2009. Barring some unforeseen circumstance, TONY PHYRILLAS will finish in the Top 5 for 52 consecutive weeks this year, a record set in 2007 and matched in 2008. That's what I call consistency.
One other note about the BNN rankings. Only 5 Pennsylvania blogs out of the more than 100 that participate in the BNN site have reached the No. 1 spot in 2009, the fewest in any year since the rankings began. My closest rival has been the merry band of bloggers at PaWaterCooler.com
That distinction breaks the previous record of 24 trips to No. 1 set by TONY PHYRILLAS in 2008.
This blog also set a new record for most consecutive weeks at No. 1 with a six-week run at the top spot in January-February 2009.
My blog has finished No. 1, No. 2 or No. 3 in the Weekly Influence Index every week in 2009. Barring some unforeseen circumstance, TONY PHYRILLAS will finish in the Top 5 for 52 consecutive weeks this year, a record set in 2007 and matched in 2008. That's what I call consistency.
One other note about the BNN rankings. Only 5 Pennsylvania blogs out of the more than 100 that participate in the BNN site have reached the No. 1 spot in 2009, the fewest in any year since the rankings began. My closest rival has been the merry band of bloggers at PaWaterCooler.com
PA Communities Eligible for Historic Preservation Grants
The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission has $116,000 in grant money it wants to hand out to cities, boroughs and townships designated by the National Park Service as "certified local governments."
Grant applications are due by Jan. 15, 2010.
Follow the link below to find out more about how your community can benefit.
41 Pennsylvania Communities are Eligible for Historic Preservation Grants
Grant applications are due by Jan. 15, 2010.
Follow the link below to find out more about how your community can benefit.
41 Pennsylvania Communities are Eligible for Historic Preservation Grants
The real national debt
If the national debt of $12.4 trillion doesn't scare you, add the cost of unfunded liabilities (currently $62.9 trillion) to the total and you'll get a sense of how close this country is to declaring bankruptcy under the free-spending Democrats.From CNSNews.com:
While Congress has voted to raise the national debt ceiling to $12.4 trillion, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has reported that the federal government's unfunded liabilities – the costs of promised benefits through Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and several other programs – total $62.9 trillion in today's dollars.Read the full story at CNSNews.com
When asked about these costs and the government's entitlement promises to the American people, House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) told CNSNews.com that it is "irresponsible" for the federal government to continue to spend money it does not have and that this issue will be the “most important thing” Congress will discuss next year.
"I said on the floor last night, American families can't spend more than what they bring in for 36 of the last 40 years," Boehner told CNSNews.com at his weekly briefing. "No business in America can exist that spends more than it brings in for 36 of the last 40 years, and certainly, our government can't continue to exist if we continue to spend money that we don't have."
'Avatar' looks like a hit
The much-hyped James Cameron sci-fi adventure "Avatar" looks like it will dominate the weekend box office based on its opening Friday.Brandon Gray of BoxOfficeMojo.com reports that "Avatar" took in $27 million on approximately 7,000 screens at 3,452 sites (including $3.5 million from its midnight start). The picture's 3D presentations at 2,038 sites accounted for 58 percent of the gross.
The opening day receipts stand as the third highest-grossing ever for a December release, Gray says, just behind "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" (which took in $34.5 million) and "I Am Legend" (which took in $30.1 million.)
More analysis from Gray:
"Avatar" ranks 33rd among all movies, although several other December pictures were greater in terms of attendance. Among other comparable titles, Avatar had a far more prodigious beginning than the King Kong remake, another long, computer-generated spectacle, and its first day was about the same as Star Trek from earlier this year.The big problem for "Avatar" is the massive snowstorm traveling up the East Cost, which will probably discourage movie attendance tonight and Sunday.
Back in December 1997, the previous movie from "Avatar" director James Cameron, "Titanic," garnered $8.7 million on its opening day, which would equal around $14 million adjusted for ticket price inflation. The romantic epic had the second highest-grossing December launch on record at the time (behind "Scream 2"), and, remarkably, kept posting blockbuster grosses week-in and week-out. "Titanic" was the grand exception, and Avatar is not likely to see similar longevity, but December releases do typically make more than their openings would suggest at other times of the year, due to the nature of the holidays.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Losers Of World Unite
A must-read editorial in Investor's Business Daily about Barack Obama and the rest of his socialist buddies gathering in Europe to badmouth capitalism.
Investors.com - Losers Of World Unite — In Denmark
Investors.com - Losers Of World Unite — In Denmark
Newspaper: Obama/Pelosi 'stimulus' the costliest fiscal failure in U.S. history
From Investor's Business Daily:
This year's $787 billion "stimulus" is now the costliest fiscal failure in U.S. history. Put bluntly, it didn't work — in fact, it made things worse. So what do you follow it up with? Why, "Stimulus, Part II."Read the full editorial, "More Jobs Jive," at the newspaper's Web site.
Government is by its very essence wasteful, but it doesn't have to be stupid. Yet, with more than a year's experience under our belt and no real progress seen in ending our jobless recovery, you'd think Congress would be hesitant to pass another big-spending, job-killing failure like the last.
On Thursday, however, the House passed another $175 billion "jobs" bill. Given what we know, this is an act of either total ignorance or breathtaking political opportunism — or a bit of both.
It amounts to a third round of stimulus. In 2008, President George W. Bush tried one, handing out some $152 billion — a bit under 1% of GDP — to Americans and inviting them to spend it to get the economy growing again. Instead, they saved it or paid down credit cards.
This year's mammoth stimulus, we were assured by the Obama White House, would be different. It would cap unemployment at 8% and kick-start the economy. But the unemployment rate soared above 10%, and we've lost 4 million jobs this year alone.
So it's no longer debatable: Based on what was promised, the stimulus has failed. Even so, we now may get another one (called a "jobs bill" this time), which no doubt will be just as wasteful.
Brouillette, Epstein have made their lists and checked them twice
Who's been naughty or nice in Pennsylvania political circles this year? See what two leading government watchdogs have to say.
Capital Domes Head to Head: Brouillette, Epstein have made their lists and checked them twice
Capital Domes Head to Head: Brouillette, Epstein have made their lists and checked them twice
Sweet Salaries for Federal Workers
While millions of Americans struggle with unemployment and declining wages, Uncle Sam is paying big salaries to federal workers.
From The Washington Examiner:
From The Washington Examiner:
While many workers in the private sector have despaired of a pay increase in the past few years, Congress takes care of federal employees with annual raises, awarding 3.9 percent in 2009, 3.5 percent in 2008 and 2.7 percent in 2007.Federal salaries targeted as private sector pay stagnates | Washington Examiner
The average pay for the nation's 1.9 million federal workers is a little over $71,000, with the 372,041 federal workers in the Washington area earning an average of $94,047. The average salary for the nation's 108 million private-sector workers is $50,028.
While the proposed pay increase for next year is relatively small, the boost combined with an increase in federal government salaries amid a looming budget deficit crisis and the nation's 10 percent unemployment rate managed to raise some eyebrows.
"I about fell off my chair when I saw that the number of federal employees making more than $150,000 have more than doubled in the last 18 months," said Rep. Jason Chaffetz, a Utah Republican. "While the American people are hurting, the federal government is padding its pocket. This is totally inappropriate and unacceptable."
Report: Democratic districts received nearly twice the amount of stimulus funds as GOP districts
There really are two Americas. Under the "change" Barack Obama has brought, the federal government will help you out ... depending on your political party.
Report: Democratic districts received nearly twice the amount of stimulus funds as GOP districts | Washington Examiner
Report: Democratic districts received nearly twice the amount of stimulus funds as GOP districts | Washington Examiner
'Bear' it all on New Year's Day
If you're interested in taking off most of your clothes and jumping into some icy waters, then Pottstown is the place for you on Jan. 1, 2010.
From The Pottstown Mercury:
From The Pottstown Mercury:
POTTSTOWN — If the polar ice caps continue to melt, the namesake white bears who will be displaced are certainly welcome in Pottstown — at least on New Year's Day.Read the full story at the newspaper's Web site.
The call has been issued for all polar bears, real or otherwise, to join those gathered Jan. 1 in Pottstown's Riverfront Park for the annual leap into the welcoming waters of the Schuylkill River.
Yes, you read that right. Organizers are looking for people who want to jump into the river.
In January.
No, that's not a joke.
Stop laughing.
Really.
People do this.
In fact, last year, 57 brave souls did it, leaping into the 32.8-degree water before an adoring throng of 300 or more in order to prove — well, something.
Former Berks County man pleads not guilty in stalking of actress, family
Here's update on the Jennifer Garner stalker case, which has a Berks County connection:From the Reading Eagle:
LOS ANGELES - A former Reading man arrested outside a school attended by a daughter of Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck was charged Thursday with felony stalking and violating a restraining order.
Steven R. Burky, 37, whose last known address was on North Ninth Street, was arrested in Santa Monica on Monday at the nursery school where Violet Affleck, one of the couple's two daughters, is enrolled, police said.
Burky harassed Affleck and Garner and made threats that placed both in fear for the safety of their family, according to court records.
He pleaded not guilty at an arraignment Thursday afternoon and was ordered held on $300,000 bail, District Attorney spokeswoman Jane Robison said. A judge also ordered him to stay 500 feet away from Garner, Affleck and their family if released.
Pennsylvania's next fiscal crisis
An excellent Letter to the Editor from a Chester County resident about the ticking time bomb of public pensions that will hammer Pennsylvania taxpayers in the next few years thanks to the neglect and ineptness of Gov. Ed Rendell and the Pennsylvania Legislature.
Pennsylvania's next fiscal crisis: Public pensions
In June 2007, I wrote a letter in The Mercury about my objections to taxpayer supported pensions. It is more important than ever to terminate this policy immediately.
I just read where the Pennsylvania Public School Employees Retirement System is going to need $4 billion annually in additional tax revenue to support their programs. The projected needs will rise from $617 million this year to $1.1 billion in July, and then hit nearly $4.2 billion in July 2012. These same types of programs have bankrupted the major auto companies and there is no way the taxpayers can afford to fund such an out-of-control system! It's obvious that our governor and legislators are going to do absolutely nothing to help us, since they feed from the very same trough.
All taxpayer-supported pension payments should be terminated immediately and those employees should be allowed to contribute to a pension plan of their choice and suffer from market losses just like the rest of us.
Our "public servants" must be sent back into private life without the obscene perks they've been accustomed to. Call your legislators and voice your opinion before this situation becomes any worse. If our suggestions to these self-serving individuals fall on deaf ears, we need to make them pay at the ballot box.
JIM FITCH
Bucktown
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew interview on '60 Minutes'
From the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America:Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to Appear on '60 Minutes' Segment on Orthodox Christianity
New York, NY - His All Holiness Bartholomew, the spiritual leader of 300 million Orthodox Christians who constitute the second largest Christian church in the world, will be featured on the CBS News program "60 Minutes" reported by Bob Simon, scheduled to air on Sunday, December 20, 2009 at 7 p.m. EST. The segment will focus on the Orthodox Church, the most ancient Christian church, and its development from its earliest years to modern times in what is now the Republic of Turkey.
The Ecumenical Patriarch is in a unique position as a Christian leader in a Muslim environment. His All Holiness is the 270th successor to the see of St. Andrew the Apostle, who founded the 2000-year-old church of Constantinople (ancient Byzantium, modern Istanbul). Despite hostility from some elements of Turkish society, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew has been an outspoken supporter of Turkey's modernization and acceptance into the European Union. He has also worked for reconciliation among Christian churches and cooperation among Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and indeed all faith communities.
His All Holiness brought about Muslim leaders' first condemnation of the 9/11 attacks on America as anti-religious acts. He was named 11th among the world's 100 most influential people by Time magazine and was awarded the US Congressional Gold Medal for his efforts to promote human rights and religious tolerance. He is the first international environmental leader recognized by the United Nations as a Laureate Champion of the Earth for his pioneering work to protect the environment. Affectionately known as "the Green Patriarch," Patriarch Bartholomew has called upon leaders of all religious traditions to join him in this effort, noting simply that "If life is sacred, so is the entire web that sustains it."
His All Holiness recently concluded an extended visit to the U.S., where he participated in an environmental symposium in Mississippi, ministered to the five million Orthodox faithful in America, and met with President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and national religious leaders. He is the author of "Encountering the Mystery" (Doubleday) and "In the World, Yet Not of the World" (Fordham).
Newspaper: Thorns to judges who hired wives
From the editorial page of The Pottstown Mercury:
THORNS to the Montgomery County Common Pleas Court judges and salary board for supporting two judges hiring their wives as judicial secretaries at salaries of more than $50,000 at a time when other positions are being cut. Last week, the salary board approved county Judge Paul W. Tressler promoting his wife, Nancy Tressler, who is currently the judge's court crier, and Judge-elect Gary S. Silow hiring his wife, Mary B. Silow. Commissioner Joseph M. Hoeffel and Controller Diane B. Morgan voted against the measure. President Judge Richard J. Hodgson and Commissioners James R. Matthews and Bruce L. Castor Jr. voted in favor. The full-time positions pay a $52,721 annual salary each. Hodgson said the two judges employing their own spouses might appear to be questionable to some, but he didn't see it as a problem. These judges, who earn $161,850 a year with cost of living increases due Jan. 1, may prefer to work with their wives, and we expect that the two women are competent secretaries, but that doesn't excuse the nepotism of this decision excluding others from even being considered for these jobs.
Rodents in Harrisburg (and they weren't elected)
This might explain why Pennsylvania lawmakers usually eat out or have catered meals brought in.
From The Associated Press:
From The Associated Press:
Mice infestation shuts down Pa. Capitol cafeteria
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The cafeteria in Pennsylvania's Capitol was shut down and workers scoured the facility Friday after health inspectors found evidence of a rodent infestation and dishwashing water that wasn't hot enough.
The ground-floor cafeteria, a popular coffee and lunch spot for visitors to the statehouse and people who work there, was closed Thursday after state Department of Agriculture officials made an unannounced inspection.
"There were mouse droppings around the facility too numerous to mention," said Justin Fleming, a spokesman for the state Agriculture Department.
The droppings, which indicate the presence of live mice, are considered an imminent health risk, Fleming said. A leak that prevented the water in dishwashers from becoming hot enough to sterilize plates and utensils also was considered an imminent threat, he said.
The Governor Who Cried Wolf
Stop me if you've heard Ed Rendell make these threats before:
Governor Rendell Says Action Needed on Table Games Legislation to Keep Budget Balanced, Avoid Furloughs
Governor Rendell Says Action Needed on Table Games Legislation to Keep Budget Balanced, Avoid Furloughs
Sam Rohrer: Free the Hostages
State Rep. Sam Rohrer, R-Berks, a candidate for Pennsylvania governor, has sent a scathing message to supporters blasting the current governor and the Democratic leadership in the House for linking state funding to colleges with passage of expanded gambling.Here is Rohrer's comments:
Lobbyists for Organized Gambling are at it again! This time, their ally-in-chief, Governor Ed Rendell and a majority in the state House of Representatives are holding up hundreds of millions of dollars in higher education funding to Pitt, Penn State, Lincoln and Temple in an unprecedented push to legalize high-stakes, casino table games.
This bill is truly insidious.
In addition to giving casino operators a discounted 14% tax rate (as opposed to a 55% rate for slots), they will now be able to issue lines of credit to prospective gamblers. That’s right, predatory, credit card gambling.
Friends, you know the truth about this destructive lie. When Pennsylvania approved a state lottery, it was billed as the savior for senior programs. When they approved off-track betting, small games of chance and later 67,000 slot machines were proposed and approved, they came with a promise - easy cash to fund worthy programs.
To date friends, Pennsylvania's political leaders have embraced gambling, but failed to deliver the promised windfall profit. Sounds like a Ponzi scheme to me doesn't it?
This afternoon, we're headed back to the House floor to debate this bad bill. The deck is stacked, the special interests are getting ready to celebrate, but there is still hope!
Will you please contact your state representative this afternoon? Visit the Pennsylvania Family Institute to see who needs to hear from you, and the best way to get connected.
This battle is worth the 5-minute investment of your time and energy. Will you help take on Organized Gambling?
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