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Monday, November 30, 2009

Gallup: 'Obama Gets Poor Marks on Healthcare'

There really are two Americas as the leading Democratic Party statesman John Edwards is fond of saing. One where the elite liberal media and the professional political class lives and one the rest of call home.

Despite overwhelming opposition to Obamacare, the Democrats continue to push their massive government-run health care system.

From a NewsBusters.org article by Noel Sheppard on the latest Gallup poll:

The news was not good for Democrats and the Obama administration hoping to pass something before the Christmas break.

Quite the contrary, despite all the efforts of press members to sway the public concerning this matter, Gallup found Americans not only growing less and less interested in this current bill, but also giving the President his lowest approval rating to date concerning his handling of this issue.
Americans currently tilt against Congress' passing healthcare legislation, with 49% saying they would advise their member to vote against a bill (or they lean that way) and 44% saying they would advocate a vote in favor of the bill (or lean toward advising a yes vote).
What is indeed interesting is the abrupt change from October when those in favor outnumbered the opposition by ten points. That's a staggering about-face in less than two months.

This should also be quite concerning to the Obama-loving press: "Independents oppose passage of a bill by 53% to 37%."

But here's the money quote that'll really give his media sycophants nightmares:
The poll also finds 40% of Americans approving of President Obama's handling of healthcare policy, while 53% disapprove. This is slightly more negative than what Gallup found from July through September, and represents his worst review to date on this issue ... Independents are nearly twice as likely to disapprove (58%) as to approve (33%).
Read the full story at NewsBusters.org

Obamacare explained in 30 seconds

Columnist: PA needs constitutional convention

Pennsylvania needs a new constitution

By Lowman S. Henry

The time has come for a state constitutional convention.

It has become abundantly clear that not only is state government broken and dysfunctional, but that it is impossible for the current governmental structure to fix itself so that it can begin to address the many problems afflicting the commonwealth.

We have, of course, known this for many years. The now infamous legislative pay raise and resulting mass exodus of sitting legislators gave rise to calls for reform from virtually every quarter. The infusion of new blood under the Capitol dome generated much reform talk along with optimism that significant change would actually occur. News conferences were held, a few bills were introduced, and a couple of minor procedural changes were made.

But in the end real reform stalled and the legislature settled back into business as usual.

The possibility of reform might have ended there were it not for Attorney General Tom Corbett. The uproar resulting from the ill-fated pay raise shone a light on a number of shady legislative practices that otherwise had flourished like mushrooms in the darkened bowels of the capitol. It was enough to catch the attorney general's attention.

Corbett's investigation uncovered a systemic practice of allowing legislative staffers to leave the state payroll, work on campaigns, return to their jobs, and then receive bonuses to make up the lost income. It amounted to a taxpayer funded subsidy to political campaigns. The scandal, dubbed Bonusgate, eventually ensnared a sitting legislator, a former legislator and a number of Democratic staffers. Several have now copped plea bargains and the others will soon go to trial.

Calls for reform again were raised, but with attention focused on the Presidential race Bonusgate receded in the state's collective political consciousness.

But now Attorney General Corbett has initiated a second round of indictments. This time the wrong-doing was on the Republican side of the aisle. Now known as the Capitol Corruption Scandal, former House Speaker John Perzel and ten others stand accused of bilking taxpayers of $10 million to fund an elaborate computer system used allegedly for political purposes.

And the attorney general says there is more to come.

The corruption has infected both political parties. Corrupt practices by Republicans and Democrats alike have been revealed to be both systemic and pervasive. Worse, as the latest round of indictments showed, those involved and their minions were more than willing to destroy evidence and otherwise obstruct justice in an effort to cover up misdeeds.

It is not fair to paint everyone serving or working in state government with one broad brush. There are still good people in state government trying to do the right thing. But as we have seen even a major influx of new legislators has failed to generate meaningful reform. And, there are those now sitting in the General Assembly who benefitted —some knowingly and some unknowingly — by the illegal acts of now-indicted leadership and staff.

Overlay all of this with the state's on-going budget fiasco. Not only was the current state budget passed 101 days late, but it still is not completed. As we enter the sixth month of the fiscal year key legislation relative to revenue from expanded table gaming has not been passed. Neither has critical funding been approved for the state's universities.

The focus on the budget ground to a halt work on other pressing issues — including the many reform initiatives that were introduced earlier in this session. And don't look for much to happen anytime soon. The legislature recently returned from the month long recess to it needed to recover from the budget battle. Factor out Thanksgiving recess and Christmas recess and only a few legislative days remain this year. At that point, the General Assembly will reach the half way mark of the current session.

Massive corruption, institutional gridlock, greed, and pervasive arrogance all add up to a system that has failed we the people of Penn's Woods. Recent history has shown the system is incapable of reforming itself. That leaves us with but one option —a constitutional convention.

As we approach the 2010 elections, every citizen of Pennsylvania should demand of their candidates for governor, state senator and state representative that they will actively support and vote for the convening of a constitutional convention. Because only a constitutional convention, with no incumbent legislators sitting as delegates, can free us from the shackles of a state government that is incapable of meeting the challenges of the 21st century.

Lowman S. Henry is director and CEO of the Lincoln Institute of Public Opinion Research, a Harrisburg-based non-profit, educational foundation, and host of the American Radio Journal.

Say No To Government-Run Health Care

Is it getting hot in here?

When in doubt, vote the incumbent out

This Letter to the Editor originally published in The Pottstown Mercury echoes my frequent advice on elections: When in doubt, vote the incumbents out.
Vote out the incumbents

It seems that Fast Eddie and company in Harrisburg still do just as they please. They have forgotten the reaction to the "midnight pay raise;" the question is, have we? Eddie says the state has no money so let's lay off 200-plus state workers and close Daniel Boone Homestead. The only problem with this statement is that it comes weeks after Fast Eddie found $7 million to give to SEPTA workers as a signing bonus to settle their contract.

When was the last time you got a $1,200 bonus for working?

Here is a suggestion, why must a state representative have three offices? Rep. David Kessler has an office in Oley, an office in Boyertown and one in Harrisburg. Just think, in this day of e-mail, telephones, etc., they still have to have an office just miles apart. Why not an office in Harrisburg and one in your district? After failure to fund Veterans Outreach Centers, why fund three offices?

Next election is a very important election (as all elections are), I don't care if you are an elephant or donkey, vote American and un-elect the spend-happy Harrisburg and Washington fools. Remember the midnight pay raise — we did it once and we can do it again.

BILL EVENS
New Berlinville

'Global Warming Consensus: Garbage in, Garbage out'

Washington Examiner political analyst Michael Barone does his best to make sense of the revelation that much of the "scientific con census" over global warming is fictitious.

From his latest column:
For those of us who have long suspected that constructing scientific models of climate and weather is an enormously complex undertaking quite possibly beyond the capacity of current computer technology, the CRU e-mails are not so surprising.

Do we really suppose that anyone can construct a database of weather observations for the entire planet and its atmosphere adequate to make confident predictions of weather and climate 60 years from now? Predictions in which we have enough confidence to impose enormous costs on the American and world economies?

Copenhagen, despite Barack Obama's presence, seems sure to be a bust -- there will be no agreement on mandatory limits on carbon emissions. Even if there were, it would probably turn out to be no more effective than the limits others agreed to in Kyoto in 1997. In any case, China and India are not going to choke off their dazzling economic growth to please Western global warming alarmists.

The more interesting question going forward is whether European and American governmental, academic and corporate elites, having embraced global warming alarmism with religious fervor, will be shaken by the scandalous CRU e-mails. They should be.
Read the full column, "Global Warming Consensus: Garbage in, Garbage out," here.

Union Goons: Be Prepared

Senate Democrats: The American People Be Damned!

The latest Rasmussen Reports poll has 41% of Americans supporting the Democrats' health care legislation, but 53% opposed to it. So, of course, Congressional Democrats will push ahead with an ill-conceived plan that will add to the national debt, increase the federal bureaucracy, raise taxes and kill jobs.

From Rasmussen:
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 41% of voters nationwide favor the health care reform plan proposed by President Obama and congressional Democrats. Fifty-three percent (53%) are opposed to it. Those figures include 22% who Strongly Favor the plan and 40% who are Strongly Opposed.

Support for the legislation is up three percentage points from a week ago. However, last week's results were the lowest level of support ever recorded for the plan. With the exception of a few days following nationally televised presidential appeals for the legislation, the number of voters opposed to the plan has always exceeded the number who favor it.

While advocates say the plan is needed to control the cost of health care, 56% of voters now say it will have the opposite impact and push prices even higher. Just 17% believe passage of the plan will lead to lower costs.

Fifty percent (50%) believe passage of the legislation will lead to a lower quality of care while just 18% believe the care will get better.
Read more poll numbers an analysis at Rasmussen Reports.

Sunday, November 29, 2009

Let's see Julia Baird in shorts

Feminist Newsweek Editor Bashes Palin, Makes Excuses for Running-Shorts Cover | NewsBusters.org

Stephanopoulos: ClimateGate Complicates Copenhagen for Obama

This might be the first mention of Climategate in the mainstream media. George Stephanopoulos might have his Elite Liberal Media Club membership revoked for this infraction. Remember, we're suppose to ignore the global warming hoax.

Stephanopoulos: ClimateGate Complicates Copenhagen for Obama | NewsBusters.org

'New Moon' keeps rising at the box office

We have a monster hit on our hands, folks. Nothing this side of the much-anticipated "Avatar" can knock those teenage vampires and werewolves from their top perch at the box office.

"The Twilight Saga: New Moon" topped the box office this weekend with an estimated $42.5 million, according to BoxOfficeMojo.com

Throw in the Thanksgiving holiday haul, "New Moon" has earned $230.6 million domestically and $243 million overseas for a total of $473.6 in just nine days since its release.

WEEKEND TOP 5 STUDIO ESTIMATES, NOVEMBER 27-29, 2009

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

1. The Twilight Saga: New Moon (Summit Entertainment)
$42.5 million | 4,042 | $230.7 million | 2

2. The Blind Side (Warner Bros.)
$40.1 million | 3,140 | $100.3 million | 2

3. 2012 (Sony / Columbia)
$18.0 million | 3,444 | $138.8 million | 3

4. Old Dogs (Buena Vista)
$16.8 million | 3,425 | $24.1 million | 1

5. A Christmas Carol (2009) (Buena Vista)
$16.0 million | 3,013 | $105.4 million | 4

Bill O'Reilly: Faithful Fight Back

People of faith are finally standing up to the secular fascists who have waged war on Christianity for decades.

From Bill O'Reilly's latest column:
It took a while, we're talking decades, but finally some American religious leaders say they are fed up. A few days ago, a faith-based group including Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York issued a scathing indictment of secularism in the USA entitled "The Manhattan Declaration: A Call of Christian Conscience."

The document, which includes input from Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox Christians, basically says that Christian values are under siege in America and people of faith need to act aggressively to stem the tide. The declaration goes so far as to encourage civil disobedience and uses Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as a model for that.
Read the full column at the link below:

Bill O'Reilly : Faithfully Angry - Townhall.com

Cleaning Out the Climate Science Cesspool

Paul Driessen, writing at Townhall.com, about the unraveling global warming hoax:
Far worse for the Climate Armageddon movement, newly released emails from its leading scientists reveal a cesspool of intimidation, duplicity and fraud that could rock Copenhagen and the alarmist agenda to their core. The emails cast deepening suspicion over global warming data, science and models.

They reveal an unprecedented, systematic conspiracy to stifle discussion and debate, conceal and manipulate data, revise temperature trends that contradict predictions of dangerous warming, skew the peer-review process, pressure scientific journals and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to publish alarmist studies and exclude dissenting analyses, and avoid compliance with Freedom of Information requests.
Read the full column at the link below:

Paul Driessen : Cleaning Out the Climate Science Cesspool - Townhall.com

Climategate

Will Time Magazine Apologize to Glenn Beck?

Being part of the elite liberal media means never having to say you're sorry.

Ken Blackwell : Will Time Magazine Apologize to Glenn Beck? - Townhall.com

Saturday, November 28, 2009

Philly legend Al Alberts dies at 87

Al Alberts, who hosted a Philadelphia-based television talent-show for decades, died Friday at his home in Florida at the age of 87.

Although he was a founding member and lead singer of The Four Aces, an all-male harmony group that scored several hits, including "Three Coins in the Fountain," "Tell Me Why," and "Love is a Many Splendored Thing," Al Alberts will forever be remembered as the host "Al Alberts Showcase" which aired on Philadelphia's Channel 6 for 32 years.

His real name was Al Albertini, but with his wife Stella by his side, Al Alberts launched hundreds of careers on "Al Alberts Showcase."

Some of the biggest stars who got their start on "Showcase" include Teddy Pendergrass, Sister Sledge, Andrea McCardle and The Kinleys, a country music sister duo.

The Four Aces sold over 100 million records internationally, according to Al Alberts Web site.

Most recently, Roberts served as executive producer and host of a syndicated radio program called "Harmony."

You can visit Al Alberts' Web site at www.alalberts.net, where you can also order a copy of "Al's Song," his autobiography and the story of The Four Aces.

You Lie!

Friday, November 27, 2009

Newspaper: Rock the (Legislative) boat

A Berks County newspapers is calling for major change in the Pennsylvania Legislature by encouraging reform candidates to take on the professional political class in Harrisburg.

From the editorial in the Reading Eagle:
The Issue: Our entrenched state lawmakers have not budged on shrinking the size of the Legislature.

Our Opinion: We need candidates willing to rock the boat and knock problematic legislators overboard.

Dear Santa: We don't want to complicate your life, but we're asking for something a little different this year. We want candidates for the state Legislature who rock. By that we mean rock the boat.

We need them because things haven't gone swimmingly for Pennsylvania voters. We struggle to pay our bills with people out of work or living on reduced incomes and having trouble staying afloat, and our lawmakers paddle around in a cushy, oversized boat purchased at our expense.

This, after people have been asking for years that they do something about their bloated rolls: We have 50 senators and 203 representatives to serve 12.5 million Pennsylvanians, making it the largest full-time legislature in the country.

California has almost three times as many people, 36.7 million, yet it makes do with 40 senators and 180 representatives - and Californians deal with earthquakes, mudslides and forest fires.
Read the full editorial at the link below:

Commonwealth needs candidates who rock — the boat (11/27/09)

Turncoat Jim Matthews: 'I wanted him (Castor) to hurt, to feel the pain'

Margaret Gibbons does a nice job of pealing away the layers of hypocrisy on the reasons Montgomery County Commissioners Joe Hoeffel and Jim Matthews enacted an illegal policy to prevent some county workers from seeking elected office.

Matthews, especially, shows why he's not fit to serve as a county commissioner. (He's already been censured by the Montgomery County Republican Committee and will probably pull an Arlen Specter and run as a Democrat if he decides to seek reelection.)

As for Hoeffel, he's clueless. The judge essentially smacked him upside the head and Joe think he won the case.

The only person looking out for Montgomery County taxpayers is Republican Commissioner Bruce L. Castor Jr.

This is the best part of Gibbons' story from The Doylestown Intelligencer:
Following Nicholas' ruling, Hoeffel said, "We need more ethics and less politics in the Montgomery County courthouse. This ethics policy was a good faith attempt to achieve that."

He noted that the ban on political activity still remains for employees directly under the commissioners’ supervision. These employees range from the administration’s own employees such as the chief and deputy operating officers and members of the county solicitor's office to members and certain employees in the assessment appeals board to the purchasing director.

"So we got court approval for most of our employees subject to the resolution," said Hoeffel. "It's a good day, not a bad day."

Matthews said that one of the major reasons he worked to include the district attorney’s office in the ethics legislation was to get back at Castor, his former running mate, because of Castor's attempt to use the same legislation to go after his friends in county government. This would include long time Matthews ally, county Solicitor Barry M. Miller who worked on various Matthews political campaigns.

"I wanted him (Castor) to hurt, to feel the pain," said Matthews. "He (Castor) was directing all his efforts at my friends so they could not be in politics, so I figured we could throw in the DA's office and see if he likes that."

Matthews said he will seek the repeal of the ethics legislation now that Nicholas has ruled that it does not apply to the personnel in the row offices, claiming it is not fair to other employees to have restrictions while row office employees have none.
So you see kids, this has nothing to do with good government. It has to do with two career politicians carrying out their petty, personal vendettas using your tax dollars. Montgomery County deserves better than Joe Hoeffel and Jim Matthews.

Read the full story at the link below:

PhillyBurbs.com: A Montgomery County judge has ruled that county commissioners can’t control the political activity of employees of the sheriff and district attorney.

Posted using ShareThis

Cap-and-Trade Bill Targets Coal Industry, Exports Jobs

Cap-and-Trade Bill Targets Coal Industry, Exports Jobs, Massey Energy's Don Blankenship Says in Interview With The Hill, a Prominent Washington Newspaper

The Who Set to Rock Super Bowl XLIV Halftime Show

At least we won't have to worry about any wardrobe malfunctions.

The Who Set to Rock Super Bowl XLIV Halftime Show

A new job for Oprah?

U.S. Mint Announces 2010 Native American $1 Coin Design

Nobody wants to use the dollar coin, but the U.S. Mint keeps pushing it ... regardless of the cost.

United States Mint Announces 2010 Native American $1 Coin Design

Judge nixes 'power grab' by Joe Hoeffel

An attempt by professional politician Joe Hoeffel, a Democrat, to prevent some Republicans from seeking elected office in Montgomery County has been struck down in court.

The ruling comes as no surprise. The "ethics policy" enacted by Joe Hoeffel, a lawyer, and his sidekick, Jim Matthews, was clearly illegal. The political shenanigans by Hoeffel/Matthews cost the county a lot of money and distracted from their incompetence in running county government.

The Hoeffel/Matthews political ban was quickly challenged in court by the Montgomery County District Attorney and the Montgomery County Sheriff.

A judge ruled this week that the county commissioners do not have the authority to regulate district attorney and sheriff’s offices' employees.

From a story by Keith Phucas in today's edition of The Pottstown Mercury:
The ethics ordinance banned certain county employees from participating in political activities while they work for the county government.

The prohibition, which applies during working hours and during employees’ free time, forbids them from running for elected office, campaigning for a political candidate or managing a political campaign.

On Wednesday, Castor said he had predicted during the debates on the ethics policy earlier this year that it would invite a court challenge and hailed the judge’s decision.

"I said all along this was nothing but a power grab," he said. "Matthews allowed himself to be manipulated by Hoeffel."

Judge William T. Nicholas ruled the policy invalid for people working for the DA or the sheriff, writing in his opinion that the commissioners "do not have statutory authority to regulate the hiring, firing or supervision of employees of row officers."
Read the full story at the newspaper's Web site.

(P.S. -- After nearly bankrupting Montgomery County over the past two years, Hoeffel is seeking the Democratic nomination for governor of Pennsylvania in 2010, promising to continue the failed tax-and-spend policies of Ed Rendell.)

MSM Goes to Ridiculous Lengths to Avoid Climategate

MSM Goes to Ridiculous Lengths to Avoid Climategate by Ignoring IPCC Chairman Response to Scandal | NewsBusters.org

Poll: Just 31% Say U.S. Heading In Right Direction

How's this for a vote of no confidence on Barack Obama and Congressional Democrats?

Only 31% of American voters say the country is heading in the right direction, according to the latest Rasmussen Reports national survey.

From Rasmussen Reports:
The percentage of voters who feel this way has remained in the narrow range of 31% to 35% since late June, but voter perceptions of the nation’s current course have only been this low two other times this year, the last time in early October.

Following President Obama's inauguration in January, voter confidence in the direction of the country began steadily increasing, peaking at 40% in early May. While down since then, the latest finding is still four points higher than the week Obama took office and up 10 points from the week he was elected president in early November.

The majority of voters (64%) continue to believe the nation is heading down the wrong track, up slightly from last week. This finding has remained fairly consistent for months.
Read more at Rasmussen Reports

Obama Youth Recruits

Auditor General: 'Gambling With Taxpayer Money'

Auditor General Wagner Says Schools, Local Governments Profiting From Swaps are Still Gambling with Taxpayer Money

'Welcome to the 2009 Unnamed Holiday Season'

Welcome to the 2009 Unnamed Holiday Season

We will shop for Unnamed Holiday gifts. Our children will participate in public school Unnamed Holiday concerts celebrating snow, sleigh bells, and red-nosed reindeer, and then enjoy an Unnamed Holiday break. Municipalities will decorate with Unnamed Holiday trees, wreaths, bells, and maybe a life-sized Santa Claus complete with elves. Some retailers will again order their employees to offer only Unnamed Holiday greetings to customers. And of course there will be an undetermined number of court battles to force more Americans to Unname the holiday before us.

The situation would be amusing if the stakes were not so high. Unfortunately, the stakes could not be higher.

The argument given by the "Unnamers" is always framed as a Separation of Church and State civil rights issue. In reality, it has nothing to do with any particular Church. The goal is not keeping the State separate from a particular denomination. The goal is Separation of God and State. Americans as individuals may believe in a Deity, but that belief should have no place in the public arena. In the public arena, the secular State should be the final authority.

This has nothing to do with protecting individual civil rights and everything to do with expanding the power of the State. It is a fundamental shift in the fabric of our culture.

How can we be "endowed by our Creator with unalienable rights," if we cannot publicly acknowledge a Creator, whose authority is higher than the State's?
If there can be no acknowledgement of a power higher than the state, how can we as citizens have been endowed with unalienable rights at all?

If there are no unalienable rights, then the purpose of Government changes from "securing these rights" with the "consent of the governed" to something else. Something defined and controlled by the very Government that was instituted to protect us.

Something that inevitably becomes tyranny.

When Government seeks to grow, it must redefine itself from Servant of the governed to Master. Step One in that redefinition is removal of competitors. Hence, the Unnamed Holiday.

Everyone knows that one does not have to be Christian to celebrate the birth of Christ. He is the most pivotal figure in human history. Even our calendar is based on him. The celebration is a birthday party with a universal invitation to participate at whatever level an individual desires. And for two centuries Americans of all religious beliefs celebrated in joy and fellowship.

It's not the birth of Christ that is the problem. It is the Person. He taught us the truths that this country is founded upon – that there is a divine and almighty Creator, that our rights are unalienable because they come from Him, that Government was instituted to protect those rights, and that Government is answerable to both that Creator and the governed for its performance in that protection.

Two centuries ago, a group of gifted and courageous men, with "a firm reliance on Divine Providence," sacrificed all they had to give us a society based on those truths. Without the recognition of His existence and His authority, we will not preserve that society.

In that spirit, let me be the first to wish you a Merry Christmas!

Peg Luksik is seeking the Republican nomination for U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania in 2010. For more information about her campaign, visit www.pegluksik.com

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Has ClimateGate Changed Obama's Global Warming Strategy?

Has ClimateGate Changed Obama's Global Warming Strategy? | NewsBusters.org

Obama's Horn of Plenty

Rendell Appoints Ken Trujillo to Gaming Control Board

Governor Rendell Appoints Ken Trujillo to Gaming Control Board

Catholic Charities USA Thanksgiving Message and Blessing

Catholic Charities USA Thanksgiving Message and Blessing

Great moments in Thanksgiving politics

Great moments in Thanksgiving politics - Alexander Burns - POLITICO.com

Media Promote Church Involvement In Politics...For Liberal Agendas

Media Promote Church Involvement In Politics...For Liberal Agendas | NewsBusters.org

No leftovers this year?

Why Joe Pitts is thankful

This has been a momentous year with bitter political battles and real concern over the direction of the country. And while we continue to struggle through the worst recession in a decade, I believe that even at this time we have many reasons to give thanks.

The push for healthcare reform has sparked vigorous public debate. While there can be concerns over the tenor of the debate, I believe that it has sparked a renewed civic interest. At no other time in my public service have so many people come to me and discussed legislation in such great detail.

I frequently talk to constituents who point to a specific page and paragraph and ask what affect it will have on their healthcare. The public availability of legislation and the ease of access through the Internet have allowed more citizens than ever to engage in the debate at a high level of discourse. I believe that we should be profoundly thankful for our democratic system of government and a constitution that protects our right to freely express opinions.

Personally, I am thankful that residents of the 16th District are reaching out to let me know their thoughts about legislation. Just this year, I've received more than 57,000 letters, e-mails and phone calls. That's 20,000 more communications than in 2008. There has also been great turnout at townhalls and meetings held in the district. Such strong civic engagement helps me to better represent you in Congress.
In reference to healthcare, while I believe we need reform, I also believe that we should be profoundly thankful for medical professionals who are working hard to keep our nation healthy. In this past year, I've had the opportunity to personally meet with many doctors, nurses and administrators across the 16th District. They truly care for their patients and they want to be able to have the freedom to provide the medical services their patients need.

Doctors and nurses work long, stressful hours at medical practices, hospitals and nursing homes. We don’t always take the time to thank them for their hard work and for entering a profession that has so much responsibility.

But we have much more to be thankful for, just last week we observed Veterans Day and we honored those who have served in our armed forces. We should certainly be grateful for those who wore the uniform and fought to protect our nation.

At this moment we have soldiers engaged in battles to protect us from the threat of terrorism. Our armed forces in Afghanistan and Iraq are undertaking the difficult task of stabilizing those nations and engaging terrorists who are looking for opportunities to attack the United States. They are far from their families and they are risking their lives on a daily basis. If you have the opportunity, please take the time to personally thank someone who is serving in the armed forces.

Additionally, we should be thankful for a new generation of young people who want to serve our nation. The 16th District deadline for service academy nominations recently passed and this year my office saw a 30 percent increase in the number of applications. Though we are at war, more young men and women than ever are interested in leading our armed forces.

There are many more gifts from God for which we can be thankful. I am grateful for the opportunity to serve the citizens of the 16th Congressional District. I hope that everyone has blessed Thanksgiving and that it is time of both reflection and joy.

U.S. Rep. Joe Pitts is a Republican who represents Pennsylvania's 16th Congressional District in parts of Berks, Chester and Lancaster counties.

Guess Who's Coming To Dinner?

ClimateGate Smoking Gun Found, American Thinker Does Media's Job

ClimateGate Smoking Gun Found, American Thinker Does Media's Job | NewsBusters.org

ClimateGate Ignored, Again

ClimateGate Ignored, Again -- Broadcast Nets Go with State Dinner Menu, Sea Lions and Pete the Moose | NewsBusters.org

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Sam Rohrer: Be Thankful!



Be Thankful

The first Thanksgiving occurred in October of 1621 when Governor Bradford declared a day of public thanksgiving. Following President Washington's example, many presidents also issued some formal proclamation (Click here to read them). In 1863, President Lincoln took the tradition of a proclamation one step further and declared Thanksgiving Day a nationwide official day of recognition. As Americans, we’ve celebrated the day ever since.

For many, this may be just another vacation day for food, family, friends, and football. Certainly these things are fine. However, this year, it would be wonderful if we would re-focus our attention on actually "giving thanks" and ponder the purpose for the day. There are great lessons to be learned by looking back into history and considering why our ancestors were thankful.

For the Pilgrims, the focus of their thanks was on survival. They were thankful because they had harvested sufficient food to supply them through the coming winter (because the year before many died from lack of food). But they also expressed their gratitude to their friends Squanto and the Wampanoag Indians who because of their care and helpfulness taught the Pilgrims how to live in this New World. But most importantly, the object of their thanks was God who had "honored their obedience beyond their dreams." We should be thankful for all the material blessings we have. But, we should also look about and be grateful for all the people around us that in this last year helped us, encouraged us, and shared with us. But, the ultimate thanks should go to God who provides the ability to gain material things and provides the friends who make life rich and full.

So, in November of 2009 when so many things are of such concern, let's follow the example of the first Thanksgiving celebration and participate in the spirit of the first official day of Thanksgiving and Praise. Gratitude is such an important quality for any person to possess. When you gather around your table for Thanksgiving in just another day, go around the table and ask each person to share something for which they are thankful. Look around and then look up. If you have time, read through some of the early Proclamations. It will really make you thankful. That's what I intend to do with my entire family as we meet.

Be Thankful!

Sam Rohrer
Republican Candidate for Governor of Pennsylvania
www.samrohrer.org

The Official State Turkey of PA

Republicans post 7-point lead on Generic Ballot

The new blockbuster film "2012" depicts the end of the world in three years, but that scenario could come about in 2010 for the Democratic Party, which is poised to lose big in the midterm Congressional elections, crippling its far-left agenda and making Barack Obama a lame duck with two more years left in his term.

From Rasmussen Reports:
Republican candidates have extended their lead over Democrats to seven points, their biggest lead since early September, in the latest edition of the Generic Congressional Ballot.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 44% would vote for their district's Republican congressional candidate while 37% would opt for his or her Democratic opponent.

Support for the Republican party held steady from last week, while support for Democrats dropped slightly. Republicans have held the lead for over four months now. Democrats currently have majority control of both the House and Senate.

Voters not affiliated with either party continue to heavily favor Republicans, 44% to 20%.
Read more at Rasmussen Reports.

'The Dollar Bubble'



NIA Announces Release of 'The Dollar Bubble'

Impeach Obama movement growing



If you can't wait until the midterm elections to put a stop to the radical Obama agenda, you can add your name to the growing campaign to impeach Barack Obama.

From ImpeachObamaCampaign.com:
"How long must we wait ... how long should we sit back and permit Barack Hussein Obama to rip apart the fabric of this country before we take action? Why are we calling for the Impeachment of Barack Hussein Obama? Radio-personality Tammy Bruce may have said it best: '... ultimately, it comes down to... the fact that he seems to have, it seems to me, some malevolence toward this country, which is unabated.'"
To learn more about the campaign or sign the online petition, visit ImpeachObamaCampaign.com

Holiday Mail For Heroes

Schroder Collects Endorsements for Congressional Campaign

State Rep. Curt Schroder has announced the endorsement of seven fellow state lawmakers representing portions of the 6th Congressional District.

"I am pleased and honored to have the support of colleagues who know me well and have worked with me on many efforts to improve our region" Schroder said in a release.

State elected officials supporting Schroder include:
State Rep. Tim Hennessey (PA-26) Chester County

State Rep. Chris Ross (PA-158) Chester County

State Rep. Sam Rohrer (PA-128) Berks County

State Rep. Jim Cox (PA-129) Berks County

State Rep. Doug Reichley (PA-134) Portions of Berks and Lehigh Counties

State Rep. Kate Harper (PA-61) Montgomery County

State Rep. Michael Vereb (PA-150) Montgomery County
Schroder said the endorsements are an indication that he is the only candidate with the right experience to step into the 6th District Congressional seat.

"The problems we face mean the next Congressman from the 6th District will need to be prepared to get to work from day one," Schroder said. "I look forward to working with these elected officials as well as leaders from across the district to restore economic prosperity in our communities and create jobs in Pennsylvania."

Curt Schroder was first elected to represent the 155th District of Pennsylvania in the State Assembly in 1994. He and his wife reside in East Brandywine Township with their two children.

Watchdog Group: Chrysler's Fire Sale Funded On the Backs of Cash-Strapped Taxpayers

Watchdog Group: Chrysler's Fire Sale Funded On the Backs of Cash-Strapped Taxpayers

Without Their Support

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Three Things You Absolutely Must Know About Climategate

Three Things You Absolutely Must Know About Climategate

Frustrated 'reformer' will give up PA House seat in 2010

State Rep. Barbara McIlvaine Smith was swept into office in 2006 on a wave of reform talk after the pay-raise debacle of 2005.

Three years in Harrisburg has convinced McIlvaine Smith that reforming Harrisburg is a lost cause. She's bailing out, announcing this week that she will not seek re-election next year to her 156th House District seat.

McIlvaine Smith, a Democrat, told The West Chester Daily Local News she can no longer be part of a legislative body that is dysfunctional and unwilling to institute meaningful reform.

"The system is such that it's not set up to accomplish anything or to resolve issues," she told the newspaper. "The way it's set up, the leadership in all four caucuses has a vested interest in maintaining the status quo."

McIlvaine Smith blamed both Republican and Democratic leaders in the House and Senate for blocking meaningful reform.

"When I was elected, I got to Harrisburg with 50 reformers," she told the newspaper. "But the leaders pulled them in."

The 156th District had been held by Republicans from its creation in 1969 until 2006. McIlvaine Smith was a surprise winner when Republican Elinor Z. Taylor retired after holding the seat from 1971 to 2006.

Republicans should be able to win back the seat in 2010 if Chester County GOP Chairman Joseph "Skip" Brion gets his act together. Some inside the Chesco Republican Party blame Brion for picking the wrong candidate to run against McIlvaine Smith in 2006 and 2008 and then failing to support the candidate. Maybe this time, Brion can get it right.

Read the full story by reporter Dan Kristie at the link below:

The Daily Local News : Serving Chester County

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Seniors group: Dems plan devastating cuts to Medicare

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly for Consumer Protection in the U.S. Senate

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly for Consumer Protection in the U.S. Senate Health Reform

PA Adds H1N1 Vaccination Clinics

Pennsylvania Department of Health Announces Additional H1N1 Vaccination Clinics in Delaware, Lancaster, Lehigh Counties

Monday, November 23, 2009

'New Moon' shatters box-office records

While not my cup of tea (I prefer the classics such as "I Was A Teenage Werewolf"), a teen vampire/werewolf flick set all kinds of new box-office records over the weekend.

"The Twilight Saga: New Moon" made $142.8 million over the weekend and set the record for best opening day ever, beating "The Dark Night," which went on to make more than $533 million at the U.S. box-office.

Don't expect "New Moon" to top the caped crusader when the final box-office receipts are counted (there aren't that many teenage girls in the world), but there's no questioning the box-office appeal of horny teenage vampires and werewolves. "New Moon" cost just $50 million to produce, so it's already made its money back and then some.

And when you add to $132.1 million it made overseas, its total box-office take so far is nearly $275 million.

Here's this weekend's Top 5 domestic films, according to BoxOfficeMojo.com:
1 The Twilight Saga: New Moon $142,839,137
2 The Blind Side $34,119,372
3 2012 $26,410,206
4 Planet 51 $12,286,129
5 A Christmas Carol (2009) $12,275,024
The real loser this weekend was "2012" which saw its receipts drop nearly 60% from its opening weekend. It's doubtful the end-of-the-world saga will earn back its $200 million production costs.

Disney's computer-animated version of "A Christmas Carol" is also dropping fast, but it might be able to make back its $200 million production costs if it can attract enough audiences between now and Christmas Day.

Here's what Brandon Gray of BoxOfficeMojo had to say about "New Moon" and a record-breaking weekend:
"The Twilight Saga: New Moon" dawned with a hot-blooded $142.8 million on approximately 8,500 screens at 4,024 sites over the weekend, charting as the third highest-grossing opening behind only "The Dark Knight" and "Spider-Man 3" and the biggest of 2009. With the advent of New Moon, not to mention an excellent showing by "The Blind Side," overall business surged 57 percent over the same weekend last year when "Twilight" and "Bolt" debuted and was the second-highest seen in history, behind the weekend that "The Dark Knight" opened.

On its opening day, New Moon shattered the records for opening day ($72.7 million) and midnight showings ($26.3 million), thanks to the rush of its fervent fan base. Just like its predecessor, Twilight, the supernatural romance fell over 40 percent Friday-to-Saturday and the Friday accounted for more than half of the weekend business. On each day, New Moon essentially doubled the grosses of Twilight, which is an incredible feat for a sequel, especially when the first movie was already extremely popular. Twilight's first weekend came to $69.6 million, and, while it fell precipitously the following weekend, it held up well in its later weeks, ultimately grossing $192.8 million to become the biggest vampire movie on record (eclipsing "Interview with the Vampire" in attendance) as well as the top teen romance.

Global Warming Kool Aid

Poll: Support for Obamacare falls to new low

As Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid leads the Democratic Party to its Waterloo, a new Rasmussen poll shows just 38% of voters favor the health care plan proposed by President Obama and congressional Democrats.

That's the lowest level of support measured for the plan in nearly two dozen tracking polls conducted since June by Rasmussen Reports.

The latest Rasmussen Reports survey finds that 56% oppose the plan a clear majority and a warning to Democrats that their control of Congress will likely slip away in 2010 as they continue to push their big government higher taxes agenda.

From Rasmussen Reports:
Half the survey was conducted before the Senate voted late Saturday to begin debate on its version of the legislation. Support for the plan was slightly lower in the half of the survey conducted after the Senate vote.

Prior to this, support for the plan had never fallen below 41%. Last week, support for the plan was at 47%. Two weeks ago, the effort was supported by 45% of voters.

Intensity remains stronger among those who oppose the push to change the nation's health care system: 21% Strongly Favor the plan while 43% are Strongly Opposed.

Rasmussen Reports is continuing to track public opinion on the health care plan on a weekly basis. Next week's Monday morning update will give an indication of whether these numbers reflect a trend of growing opposition or are merely statistical noise.

Only 16% now believe passage of the plan will lead to lower health care costs. Nearly four times as many (60%) believe the plan will increase health care costs. Most (54%) also believe passage of the plan will hurt the quality of care.

As has been the case for months, Democrats favor the plan while Republicans and voters not affiliated with either major party are opposed. The latest numbers show support from 73% of those in the president's party. The plan is opposed by 83% of Republicans and 70% of unaffiliated voters.
For more poll results and analysis, check out Rasmussen Reports

'SNL' turns on Obama

Spotlight on 'ugly' contest between Specter, Sestak

POLITICO uses the Arlen Specter-Joe Sestak primary fight as an example of how ugly it's going to get for Congressional Democrats in 2010.

From an article by Alex Isenstadt:
The most closely watched Senate primary is in Pennsylvania, where Sen. Arlen Specter and Rep. Joe Sestak are slugging it out in unusually personal terms.

Specter has cast Sestak as ineffective and opportunistic, attacking him for his failure to register to vote in Pennsylvania until shortly before launching his 2006 congressional campaign and labeling the two-term congressman as "No Show Joe" — a reference to the House votes Sestak has missed while pursuing the Senate nomination.

Not to be outdone, Sestak has assailed the party-switching incumbent's character, referring to Specter as a "flight risk" for Democrats and reminding the party rank and file of Specter's decades-long career as a Republican. Last month, Sestak launched a website dedicated to "The Real Arlen Specter," featuring quotes Specter would rather forget and past tributes to the five-term incumbent from a cast of GOP heavies including President George W. Bush, Sen. Rick Santorum, Vice President Dick Cheney and Bush adviser Karl Rove.

While Democrats are buoyed by polling that suggests either candidate would run competitively against presumptive Republican nominee Pat Toomey, Republicans are nevertheless enjoying the show, applauding Sestak's attacks on Specter's left flank in the hopes that both will be drawn further leftward in the battle to win over the Democratic base of activists.

"It's going to be beyond ugly," said Terry Madonna, director of the Franklin and Marshall College poll, speaking to the tone of the May primary. "I think it's going to be at a level that's virtually unprecedented."
Read the full story at POLITICO.com

Making a list, checking it twice

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Republicans Continue To Lead Generic Ballot

If the midterm Congressional elections were held today, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid would be out of a job, with significant loses predicted for the Democratic Party.

Republican candidates maintain a six-point advantage over Democrats in the latest edition of the Generic Congressional Ballot published at Rasmussen Reports, which shows that 44% would vote for their district's Republican congressional candidate while 38% would opt for his or her Democratic opponent.

What could cost Democrats control of Congress is independent voters, who are expressing widespread disapproval of the way Democrats are running Congress.

Voters not affiliated with either party continue to heavily favor Republicans, 41% to 24%, the Rasmussen survey found.

Read more at Rasmussen Reports.

Fact-Checking Al Gore

'New Moon' a monster hit at box office

"The Twilight Saga: New Moon" topped the box office this weekend with an estimated $140.7 million, according to BoxOfficeMojo.com

It is the third biggest opening weekend in box office history behind "The Dark Knight" at $158.4 million and "Spider-Man 3" at $151.1 million

"The Twilight Saga: New Moon" also shattered the record for biggest opening day in history, topping "The Dark Knight"

From BoxOfficeMojo's Brandon Gray:

Claiming the record for the biggest one-day gross, "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" raked in an estimated $72.7 million on approximately 8,500 screens at 4,024 sites. "The Dark Knight" was the previous title holder with $67.2 million on around 9,300 screens at 4,366 sites.

New Moon's first day more than doubled that of its predecessor "Twilight," which debuted to $36 million on around 6,000 screens at 3,419 sites. Twilight's first weekend wound up at $69.6 million, which was also less than New Moon's first day. Due to fans storming theaters on its opening day, Twilight's first weekend was heavily Friday-loaded, leading to much lower grosses for Saturday ($21.3 million) and Sunday ($12.4 million). The fan fervor was even more intense for New Moon, so the picture will not maintain Friday's pace throughout the weekend.
WEEKEND TOP 5 STUDIO ESTIMATES, NOVEMBER 20-22, 2009

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

1. The Twilight Saga: New Moon (Summit Entertainment)
$140.7 million | 4,024 | $140.7 million | 1

2. The Blind Side (Warner Bros.)
$34.5 million | 3,110 | $34.5 million | 1

3. 2012 (Sony / Columbia)
$26.5 million | 3,408 | $108.2 million | 2

4. Planet 51 (Sony / Columbia)
$12.6 million | 3,035 | $12.6 million | 1

5. A Christmas Carol (2009) (Buena Vista)
$12.2 million | 3,578 | $79.8 million | 3

GOP: Breast exams show 'rationing'

If you're wondering what Obamcare will be like, you got a taste of it last week when the federal government unveiled its plan to ration health screening for women.

GOP: Breast exams show 'rationing' - Josh Gerstein - POLITICO.com

Working Out Differences

Gerlach: Pelosi Hands Out A Placebo

Congressman Jim Gerlach (PA-6th District) says the so-called "doc fix" bill House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her Democrat leadership team passed is nothing more than a placebo for physicians concerned about getting paid less next year to treat Medicare patients.

Gerlach said in a press release that Senate leaders have made it clear that the legislation, which the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office estimated would add $210 billion to the growing federal deficit during the next decade, has no chance of becoming law. In fact, the Senate rejected a similar measure in October to set new Medicare reimbursement rates.

From Gerlach:
"This vote was nothing more than political theater and does not move Congress any closer to a fiscally-sound solution for fair Medicare reimbursements that will allow doctors to continue delivering high-quality care to our senior citizens and other Medicare patients. Speaker Pelosi brought this bill to the floor as part of a backroom deal she cut with the American Medical Association. That deal called for Speaker Pelosi to support this flawed legislation in exchange for AMA support for her $1 trillion, government-controlled health care plan, which calls for slashing $500 billion from Medicare."

Gerlach supported a Republican alternative rejected by Pelosi and her leadership team that would have increased Medicare reimbursement rates 2 percent per year in each of the next four years. The alternative would have prevented the scheduled 21 percent reimbursement cut in 2010 and the roughly 5 percent cuts from 2011 through 2013. At a cost of $210 billion, the Democrats' bill would provide for a 0.8 percent payment rate increase in 2010, but physicians could see their rates cut as early as 2011.

The Republican alternative also called for the following cost-saving measures:
· Implementing comprehensive, meaningful medical liability reform, ending junk lawsuits and costly defensive medicine.

· Using existing resources available to the Health and Human Services Secretary contained in the “Medicare Improvement Fund,” which is designed to improve physician payments.

· Creating an approval process at Food and Drug Administration for bio-similar products with appropriate patent and market protections that continue to encourage innovation, providing Americans with access to affordable biologics and reducing the cost of health insurance.

· Enacting health insurance administrative simplification policies, eliminating inefficiencies that unnecessarily drive up health care costs, by creating greater standardization in health care forms and transactions.

Physicians also should understand Congress is likely to address ways to prevent a 21 percent reduction in Medicare reimbursement rates later this year either during discussion of an Omnibus Appropriations bill or in some other form, Gerlach added.

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Penn State about to stick it to football fans

I haven't been to a Penn State football game since I graduated from PSU ... and based on what columnist Rich Scarcella has to say about the school's plans to jack up ticket prices, I won't be attending a game anytime soon.

If you're a Penn State football fan, be prepared to shell out bigger bucks to watch the Nittany Lions play home games starting next season.

As long as Beaver Stadium continues to sell out for home games, PSU officials will continue to gouge fans.

"Either football season-ticket holders don't fully grasp what's going to happen or they don't know where to vent their anger," Scarcella writes. "The cost to attend a football game at Beaver Stadium will go up dramatically in 2011 for those who have season tickets between the goal lines."

Read Scarcella's full column at the link below:

Rich Scarcella: Want a good seat at Beaver Stadium? Prepare to pay

Friday, November 20, 2009

America Held Hostage

Obama job approval dips to 49%

Barack Obama's job approval numbers have been hovering around the 50% mark for months, but one major poll now has the president's approval ranking dropping to 49% with nowhere to go but down as Obama and his tone-deaf White House continue to defy the wishes of the American people.

From POLITICO:

President Barack Obama's approval ratings have dipped below 50 percent for the first time in one prominent poll amid a raft of bad news about the economy and continuing job losses.

The nation's economic woes pushed Obama down to a 49 percent approval rating in the respected Gallup daily tracking poll out Friday. Gallup said Obama's approval rating had been holding in the low 50s since September but hasn't dropped below 50 percent until now.

Obama started out his presidency with 68 percent approval rating in Gallup and saw most of the decline in July and August. One veteran pollster, Syracuse University's Jeffrey Stonecash, said the steep decline is the result of unreasonably inflated expectations about what Obama could accomplish in Washington.

"I'm not surprised by the demise here because the expectations I think were really unrealistic," Stonecash said. "He has huge problems trying to get this morass of the Democratic Party to move and to work to accomplish what he wants. The longer [health care] drags out the more his ratings are going to go down."
Read the full story by Josh Gerstein at POLITICO.com

Daily Presidential Tracking Poll: Obama Reaches New Low

I guess bowing to the emperor of Japan or groveling to the Chinese communist dicator didn't do much for Barack Obama.

The Rasmussen Reports Daily Presidential Tracking Poll has President Obama's job approval index at its lowest point in his presidency.

From Rassmussen Reports:
The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Friday shows that 27% of the nation's voters Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as President. Forty-one percent (41%) Strongly Disapprove giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of -14 (see trends).

Today's results match the lowest Approval Index rating yet recorded for this President and it's the third straight day at -14. Prior to these three days, Obama's ratings had fallen to -14 on only one day since taking office.

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

Overall, 47% of voters say they at least somewhat approve of the President's performance. Fifty-two percent (52%) now disapprove.
Read more at Rasmussen Reports.

Rotten Apple

'Ultimate soccer mom' gets jail for stealing $75,000

A Montgomery County woman known to friends as "the ultimate soccer mom" is headed to jail for stealing more than $75,000 from the youth soccer league for which her son once played, reporter Carl Hessler Jr. writes in today's edition of The Pottstown Mercury.

From Hessler's story:

Maryann Grant, 38, of Wellington Way, Red Hill, was sentenced in Montgomery County Court on Thursday to 9-to-23-months in the county jail, to be followed by five years' probation, in connection with thefts that occurred during her four-year tenure as treasurer of the nonprofit Valley Soccer Club, which serves the Upper Perkiomen Valley region.

"These types of offenses, we call them white collar crimes, they are often committed by people who are very involved in the community," said Judge Thomas P. Rogers, referring to testimony from Grant's friends and relatives that she was a dedicated community volunteer. "But these are offenses that violate the public trust. It cannot be tolerated."
Desperate circumstances lead some people to steal, but this woman apparently used some of the money to pay for a trip to Disney World.

And despite overwhelming evidence that she stole the money, her husband and family told the judge she was railroaded by police and the judicial system. I wasn't in the courtroom, but if you're the treasurer of an organization and $75,000 of the group's funds is missing, and you're the only person who has access to the account, you're responsible for it. It's that simple.

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

U.S. becoming 'spineless and brainless nation'

A guest column I wholeheartedly agree with from Yeh Ling-Ling executive director of the Alliance for a Sustainable USA, a national nonprofit organization based in California, about the rapid decline of the United States.

U.S. becoming 'spineless and brainless nation'

By Yeh Ling-Ling

The United States went from being the world's greatest creditor nation to being the world's greatest debtor nation in less than three decades. What happened?

While serving as comptroller general of the United States, David Walker urged our national leaders to learn from the fall of Rome. He warned that the U.S. budget deficits, extended wars abroad, health care and immigration are critical issues that require immediate actions.

Indeed, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan alone have cost American taxpayers more than $1 trillion, according to some estimates.

Our national debt has already exceeded $12 trillion, with no end in sight. American leaders should be told that most empires eventually fell due to the extended wars that bankrupted their treasuries.

If the above wars were to ensure our homeland security, why have our own borders remained so porous? Are most elected officials in Washington, D.C., not aware that many terrorists and criminal aliens live on U.S. soil?

Incredibly, most American leaders also lack courage and common sense in addressing other issues.

According to a Thomson Reuters report released Oct. 26, waste in the U.S. health-care system could total up to $850 billion a year.

Census data also show that recent immigrants and their U.S.-born children under 18 account for more than 70 percent of the growth of the uninsured population in the U.S.

Instead of working on trimming waste and reducing immigration as first steps to achieve sensible health-care reform, President Obama and Congress count on borrowing more from other countries to finance our needs.

The high costs of teen pregnancies, totaling 750,000 a year nationwide, have also been ignored.

Instead of enacting some sort of immigration moratorium so that we can put unemployed Americans, welfare recipients and nonviolent prisoners to work, Washington, D.C., has chosen to extend unemployment benefits and give out welfare costing taxpayers tens of billions of dollars yearly.

President Obama has spent hundreds of billions of dollars to create jobs for Americans. Yet he is promoting amnesty for possibly 20 million illegal aliens and massive numbers of "guest worker" visas. If his misleading "comprehensive immigration reform" is enacted, it will result in millions of new voters and an explosion of legal and illegal immigration!

Although some immigrants are assets to the U.S., most do not pay enough in taxes to cover the costs of social services rendered to their families due to their mostly low incomes.

Will our leaders ever realize that adding millions of people to the U.S. population every year essentially means more job seekers and patients as well as higher expenses for infrastructure?

Sadly, the United States, once the land of the free and the brave, is fast becoming a spineless and brainless nation.

Yeh Ling-Ling, a naturalized American citizen born in Vietnam of Chinese parents, is executive director of the Alliance for a Sustainable USA (www.asustainableusa.org), a national nonprofit organization based in Oakland, Calif.

Columnist: GOP must embrace conservatism

Lisa Mossie offers an excellent analysis of what's wrong with the Republican Party. By watering down its message to appeal to "moderates," the party has lost its focus ... and is losing elections.

The only way for the GOP to return to power is to embrace conservatism, Mossie argues in her latest column published in The Pottstown Mercury.

From Mossie's column:

Here's a memo to the GOP: You exist solely to win elections. These "safe," moderate candidates you have mincingly embraced, these entrenched incumbents: we're done with them. The worst has happened — we are utterly out of power. You can't scare us into voting for RINOs anymore.

True conservativism is hopeful and optimistic; it believes in the power of the individual and personal responsibility. It does not insult its constituency by claiming that only the superior mechanisms of an expanded state can offer the people happiness.

The time for half measures is over. It is time that the GOP embraced conservatism. They have nothing left to lose.
Read the full column at the newspaper's Web site.

Are you willing to risk your job?

No such place in Pennsylvania

PA Agriculture Department Urges Hunters to Share Their Harvest

PA Agriculture Department Urges Hunters to Share Their Harvest to Help Feed the Hungry

Tips to Avoid Being 'Driven to Distraction'

Tips to Avoid Being 'Driven to Distraction'

CBO: By 2019, Taxpayers Will Pay $196 Billion A Year for Obamacare, But 24 Million People Will Remain Uninsured

CNSNews.com - CBO: By 2019, Taxpayers Will Pay $196 Billion A Year for Obamacare, But 24 Million People Will Remain Uninsured

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Silencing Dissent? There's an App for That

Liberal Derangement Syndrome

Thursday, November 19, 2009

New Report Ranks Pennsylvania Among 'Terrible 10' Most Regressive Tax States

Working families in Pennsylvania pay a far higher share of their income in state and local taxes than their wealthiest counterparts, according to a new study by the Institute on Taxation & Economic Policy.

Other highlights (or low lights) from the study:
* Pennsylvania families earning less than $19,000 - the poorest fifth of Pennsylvania taxpayers - pay 11.3% of their income in Pennsylvania state and local taxes.

* Middle-income Pennsylvania taxpayers - those earning between $35,000 and $56,000 - pay 9.6% of their income in Pennsylvania state and local taxes.

* The richest Pennsylvania taxpayers - with average incomes of $1,369,600 - pay only 5% of their income in Pennsylvania state and local taxes.

* After accounting for federal deduction offsets, the discrepancy is even starker: the poorest fifth pay 11.2% of their income in state and local taxes, middle-income families pay 9.1%, and the richest Pennsylvanians pay 3.9%.

* Washington, Florida, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Illinois, Arizona, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Alabama were named as the 10 Most Regressive Tax States. Pennsylvania ranked ninth.
The review the entire report, "Who Pays? A Distributional Analysis of the Tax Systems in All 50 States," follow the link below:

New Report Ranks Pennsylvania Among 'Terrible 10' Most Regressive Tax States

PennDOT Introduces Branch of Service Veteran License Plates

PennDOT Introduces Branch of Service Veteran License Plates

File This Under 'Fiction'

Al Gore is back with more phony stuff about global warming, including a doctored photo for the cover of his new book. File this under fiction ... or maybe science fiction.

Al Gore Photoshops Hurricanes Into New Book's Cover | NewsBusters.org

Fuzzy Math on Jobs

Obama Response to Ft. Hood Terror Attack? Gun Control on U.S. Citizens

The Law Enforcement Alliance of America issued the following statement in response to Attorney General Eric Holder's call for stricter gun control measures against U.S. citizens, at least 13 of whom were gunned down by an armed Islamic terrorist at Ft. Hood.

LEAA's Executive Director Jim Fotis said, "Those behind the badge don't believe more restrictions on honest gun owners is a reasonable, practical or constitutional response to acts of terrorism. As a retired officer, I know that America's men and women in blue want to fight terrorism, to stop terrorists; not waste time keeping records on innocent gun owners!"

Read more at the link below:

Attorney General Holder Reveals Aggressive Gun Control In Response to Ft.