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Wednesday, March 31, 2010

PA $750M in the red, Rendell in denial

The Pennsylvania Department of Revenue is expected to announce on April 1 that March tax revenues are expected to come in $273 million below the official estimate.

Pennsylvania is expecting a year-to-date budget shortfall of $750 million for the current fiscal year, which ends June 30. The state ran up a $3.25 billion deficit in the previous budget year.

Despite the ocean of red ink, Gov. Ed Rendell is in full-blown spin mode.

"With the significant revenue month of April just ahead, it is important to wait and see how the major tax category collections come in before we make assumptions about end-of-year revenues," Rendell said. "At this point it would be premature to deviate from the plan that I have already presented to balance the budget.

Republican lawmakers are more realistic about the state's fiscal woes.

From The Associated Press:
A top Republican state senator says Pennsylvania's budget situation is worsening and says it's reasonable to expect a $1 billion deficit by July 1.

Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Jake Corman said Wednesday that disappointing March tax collections are likely to bring the state's fiscal year shortfall to at least $700 million.

With three months to go in the fiscal year, the Centre County Republican says a $1 billion deficit, or more than 3 percent, is possible.

Corman says Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell should consider additional cuts in this year's budget.

However, Rendell said in a statement responding to Corman that a balanced budget is still within reach since April is also a big month for revenue.
He says it is important to wait before making assumptions.
Denial is a river that runs through Harrisburg.

Read Rendell's full statement at the link below:

Balanced Budget Still Within Reach Despite Weak March Revenues

PatriotPledge.org Launches the Patriot Pledge

The Patriot Pledge (www.patriotpledge.org) is an oath demanded by the people of all candidates running for elected office within the Congressional branch of the federal government. It is an oath each candidate signs committing him or her to the following:
* I will not serve within the Congressional branch of the federal government for more than 12 years.

* I will have a complete understanding of every provision of a bill prior to casting a vote in favor of it.

* I will spend the government's money as prudently as I would spend my own money, recognizing that each dollar the government spends was taken from a working citizen or borrowed against our future.

* I will not accept any health or retirement benefits after departing Congress provided to me as a member and will work to pass legislation ensuring Congress is part of the same social security and health benefits system provided to common working class Americans.

* I will record and post transcripts or videos on the internet of all meetings I or my staff hold with any lobbyist (or former congressmen) while serving in the Congress and I vow not to become a lobbyist following my tenure in Congress.
Read more at the link below:

PatriotPledge.org Launches the Patriot Pledge

More evidence Obamacare is a job-killer

Boeing to Recognize Charge Associated With Health Care Law

69th Annual Peabody Awards Winners Announced

69th Annual Peabody Awards Winners Announced

John Boehner: Drilling decision falls short

Based on the mountain of broken promises Obama has amassed so far and his record of deception, I'm having a hard time believing his offshore drilling plan will do anything.

John Boehner: Drilling decision falls short - Jake Sherman - POLITICO.com

Obama Circle of Friends

Recession ... Depression ... Recovery

Recession is when your neighbor loses his job, Depression is when you lose your job, and Recovery is when Obama loses his job.

2010 Sammies Winners Announced

The Sam Adams Alliance has announced the winners of the 2010 Sammies Awards, honoring the "finest in citizen leadership and political activism."

The theme of this year's Sammies, "We Are All Activists Now", draws inspiration from the last year's historic burst of political engagement, manifest in tea parties, town halls, and a surge of citizen leadership at the state and local levels, according to the Sam Adams Alliance.

The awards honor activism in six categories. Follow the link below to review the list of winners.

2010 Sammies Winners Announced

Barack Obama struggles to capitalize in polls

Barack Obama struggles to capitalize in polls - Josh Gerstein - POLITICO.com

Media Then and Now: Rep. John Lewis Given Pass for House Floor Nazi Reference in 1995

Media Then and Now: Rep. John Lewis Given Pass for House Floor Nazi Reference in 1995 | NewsBusters.org

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

The Media's Public Enemy No. 1



The Media's Public Enemy No. 1: Critics of ObamaCare | NewsBusters.org

How dumb is Joe Biden?

April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month

FocusDriven Applauds U.S. House Passage of Resolution to Designate April as National Distracted Driving Awareness Month

2010 Census National Participation Rate Surpasses 50 Percent Mark

2010 Census National Participation Rate Surpasses 50 Percent Mark

Pennsylvania AFL-CIO Endorses Arlen Specter

Pennsylvania's largest labor union is backing Sen. Arlen Specter in the May Democratic primary against U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak.

I'm guessing Specter will be backing Card Check, Cap-and-Trade and any other job-killing legislation Congressional Democrats are pushing in return for labor's support.

The Pa. AFL-CIO also announced endorsements in five contested Democratic primaries for Pennsylvania Congressional seats. For the full list, click on the link below:

unionPennsylvania AFL-CIO Endorses Senator Arlen Specter in the May 18th Primary Election

Democrats target Tea Party candidates



The Democratic Party is scared to death of the Tea Party movement - and it should be.

From The Washington Post's insightful political blog The Fix by About Chris Cillizza:
Democratic group targets tea party candidates

1. Craig Varoga, a longtime Democratic political operative, has formed a group -- known as Patriot Majority PAC -- with the specific goal of keeping tea party candidates out of office.

"Americans need to confront the dangerous ideas of the tea party movement head on, without any fear, before they gain any additional traction in the legislative process or the 2010 elections," said Varoga, who managed former Iowa governor Tom Vilsack's 2008 presidential run.

The idea behind Patriot Majority PAC is to pick 12 to 15 races where tea party-affiliated candidates are running then launch a barrage of television and radio ads (as well as online targeting) to keep them from winning. The funding, according to Varoga, will come entirely from individuals and thanks to a ruling in U.S. District Court last week the group will be able to expressly advocate for the defeat of candidates.

(Varoga also hopes to establish Patriot Majority as a clearinghouse for information -- on the negative side of the ledger -- about the tea party movement. "We are asking all Americans to join us and oppose the extreme tactics of the tea party and the dangerous ideas behind them," he said.)

While Varoga has yet to identify his targeted races, the first real test of the power of the tea party movement will come May 18 in Kentucky where ophthalmologist Rand Paul, a favorite of the tea party crowd, will face off against Secretary of State Trey Grayson who has the support -- whether public or implicit -- of the vast majority of establishment Republicans in Kentucky and nationally.

A victory by Paul would give further legitimacy to the power of the Tea Party movement -- and could potentially endanger other Republican incumbents or quasi incumbents like Grayson. It could also jeopardize Republicans' chances of picking up a bundle of seats in the House and Senate this fall.

Some Left-Wing Nut Job Wants This Republican Dead ...

No Time for a Real Threat as ABC and CBS Skip Arrest of Man Targeting GOP's Cantor | NewsBusters.org

Hollywood Idiot: We Need To Ask Osama Bin Laden Why He's Mad At Us

No, it's not Sean Penn this time. It's C-list actor Matthew Modine, but it just goes to show how stupid the Hollywood left is.

Actor: We Need To Ask Osama Bin Laden Why He's Mad At Us | NewsBusters.org

Columnist: Liberals wrong about Tea Party

Columnist Jay Ambrose does a nice job of dispelling many of the myths about the Tea Party movement spread by the far-left media.

From his latest column:
Discredit the message by discrediting the messenger. That's what a lot of this anti-Tea Party rhetoric is about, and the resort to it is understandable when the monstrosity being defended was brought to us through endless exaggerations and an ideology at war with America's having a decent future.

But I think there is something else at play besides defending a position, and it is a leftist conviction that those who do not see the world the way the left sees it are lacking in compassion or intelligence and are inferior for other reasons, to boot.

The name for this is bigotry.
Read the full column here.

Video: 4 Million Jobs Lost Under Obama

Tea Party in Russia

Group: PA Neglects Beer Taxes

A group that bills itself as the alcohol industry watchdog says many states, including Pennsylvania, should consider higher taxes on beer to make up for budget shortfalls.

Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Wyoming have not passed a beer tax increase in 50 years or more, according to the Marin Institute.

From a press release the group issued today: "Astonishingly, in 47 states, the decrease in real value of the current beer tax (due to inflation) ranges from 25 percent to over 75 percent. Included with the maps is a handy table that chronicles all the data state-by-state including current beer tax rates."

This is graphic proof that Big Alcohol lobbying efforts are extremely effective at preventing sound public policy and balanced state budgets," said Michael Scippa, advocacy director at Marin Institute. "Their well-funded influence peddling is especially effective when coupled with generous campaign contributions."

"We hope state legislatures and governors looking for alternatives to draconian cuts to budgets and services will use this data," Simon added. "Then enact long-overdue increases to beer taxes and index them to inflation to prevent future losses."

Read the full release at the link below. You can also check out the group's Web site to see where your state stands on beer taxes.

State Governments Neglect Beer Taxes

Rendell Signs 2 Bills

Governor Rendell Signs Legislation

PA Human Relations Commission Announces Montgomery County Civil Rights Award Winners

PA Human Relations Commission Announces Montgomery County Civil Rights Award Winners

Working for the government until April 9

From the non-partisan Tax Foundation:
Tax Freedom Day will arrive on April 9 this year, the 99th day of 2010.

That means Ameri­cans will work well over three months of the year, from January 1 to April 9, before they have earned enough money to pay this year's tax obli­gations at the federal, state and local levels.

Tax Freedom Day arrives a day later in 2010 than it did in 2009, but more than two weeks earlier than in 2007.

This shift toward a lower tax burden since 2007 has been driven by three factors:

* The recession has reduced tax collections even faster than it has reduced income;
* President Obama and the Congress have enacted large but temporary income tax cuts for 2009 and 2010, just as President Bush did in 2008; and
* Two significant taxes were repealed for 2010 as part of previous legislation, the estate tax and the so-called PEP and Pease provisions of the income tax.

Despite all these tax reductions, Americans will pay more taxes in 2010 than they will spend on food, clothing and shelter combined.

• Each state has its own Tax Freedom Day. Alaska's is earliest on March 26, and Connecticut celebrates last on April 27. High-income states pay much more in federal taxes, and they often have higher state-local taxes as well. Joining Connecticut in the latest celebrations are New Jersey, New York, Maryland and Washington. Alaska is joined in early celebration by Louisiana, South Dakota, Mississippi and West Virginia.
Tax Freedom Day for Pennsylvania comes on April 13. Pennsylvania ranks 11th among the states on the list of worst tax burden, according to the Tax Foundation.

Read the full 8-page report at the Tax Foundation Web site.

Stimulus stumbles hold lessons for health care sell

Stimulus stumbles hold lessons for health care sell - Carol E. Lee - POLITICO.com

Happy Easter: Newsweek Defines Jesus as 'Typically Cranky'

The left-wing loons who run Newsweek take their annual shot at Christians.

Happy Easter, Newsweek Fans: Religion Editor Defines Jesus as 'Typically Cranky' | NewsBusters.org

Monday, March 29, 2010

Capitol South - The Finale

Columnist: Freedom of speech costly but not a luxury

The recent controversy involving the cancellation of a speech by conservative columnist Ann Coulter shows once again that liberals support freedom of speech only when they agree with the person doing the speaking.a

From a column by Nathalie Des Rosiers:
We are left with a bad taste in our mouths when offensive speech is silenced, no matter how distasteful or ridiculous it may be. Universities, as institutions dedicated to the pursuit of truth, the creation of knowledge and the exchange of ideas, must confront this question head-on.

In earlier days, less security-sensitive universities would likely have just held the event and dealt with the consequences. They would have been willing to gamble that neither the speaker nor students would be harmed in the process. They would have assumed that, although at times unpleasant, public events rarely turned into blood baths.

Nowadays, however, experts in risk-management would quiver at the suggestion that heading off trouble before it happens may not be the only option.

It is important to remember that not everything can be managed by security experts, who are trained to fear the worst and inevitably suggest cancellation or additional resources to deal with potential trouble. They alone should not make decisions that relate to speech because they may not be sufficiently sensitive to the loss to our democracy and to the university's mission when speech is silenced.

Indeed, it could be that universities must accept that part of their educational function is to create the space for controversial speech to occur and that unpleasantness is part of that process. A measure of discomfort and risk is inevitable in living with free speech.
Read the full column at the link below:

Freedom of speech costly but not a luxury - thestar.com

Doctors Sue to Overturn the Health Care Bill

Doctors Sue to Overturn the Health Care Bill

A definition of 'politics'

"The word 'politics' is derived from the word 'poly', meaning 'many', and the word 'ticks', meaning 'blood sucking parasites'."

— Larry Hardiman

Just making a little change

Americans for Responsible Health Care to Launch Nationwide Petition Drive to Repeal Obamacare

Americans for Responsible Health Care to Launch Nationwide Petition Drive to Support Repeal of New National Health Care Program

Letter Carriers Oppose Ending Saturday Mail Delivery

Letter Carriers Union Assails Postal Service for Lobbying Public to End Saturday Delivery

American Red Cross Collects $400M for Haiti Relief

American Red Cross Announces Spending Plan for Relief and Recovery in Haiti

Rep. Joe Pitts on 'What's Wrong With Obamacare'

What's Wrong with Obamacare

By Congressman Joe Pitts

The Democrats' health legislation has now been forced through Congress and into law despite bipartisan opposition in Congress and widespread public opposition. Three dozen House Democrats opposed it. Every Republican opposed it. Only slightly more than a third of the public supports it.

Democrats were barely able to pass the bill, even though there are 75 more Democrats in the House than Republicans, and an unusually lopsided majority in the Senate as well. Only a year's worth of cajoling, back-room deals, demonizing of industry, and cooking of the numbers made it possible.

What will the consequences be? It won’t be pretty.

Not counting the new law, the nation's unfunded liability for entitlements is already $104 trillion dollars. That is seven times the size of the U.S. economy. That's according to Richard Fisher, President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. The unfunded liability is the difference between promised benefits and the money that will be collected in taxes to pay for them.

The entitlement crisis has arrived. This year, many years before it was projected to, Social Security will pay out more in benefits than it will collect in payroll taxes. Former President Bush, with my support, proposed a plan to change the way Social Security is paid for to put it on a sound footing. After a shameful campaign of scaring seniors, Democrats defeated this plan without ever offering their own. Now, Social Security is well on its way to insolvency.

Medicare's problems are far worse. Medicare's unfunded liability is five times that of Social Security. Obamacare doesn’t solve this crisis. It adds to it.

Instead of finding ways to make these programs solvent, Congress and President Obama have hastened their collapse. By adding an entire new entitlement program we cannot afford, the solvency of the government itself is now severely threatened. The math just doesn’t add up. It is no wonder, then, that Moody's has announced it is likely to downgrade the government’s bond rating soon. The cost of that alone will be dramatic.

What, then should we have done instead?

On my Web site, I have a detailed memorandum outlining affordable ways to help the uninsured, to cover people with pre-existing conditions, and to achieve the other worthy goals of Obamacare.

The fundamental problem behind our entitlement crisis is the lack of free market forces involved. Already, nearly half of all Americans are on government healthcare programs that compete with no one. Even private insurance sees only limited competition, since the government will not allow insurance companies to compete across state lines.

Beyond economics and business models, however, we need an entirely new way of looking at healthcare. Early in this debate a Republican said, "We don't have healthcare in this country — we just have sick care." Americans wait until they are sick to pay attention to their health. The point is, as Ben Franklin said, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."

Chester County's John Emmons works for a company called Mannington Mills. The company is self-insured, so every dollar spent on employee health comes out of the company’s bank account. John is the leader of the company’s wellness initiative.

The program offers free health screenings for early detection, a fitness center, offers health classes, a Weight Watchers program, a smoking cessation program, sports leagues, and wellness coaches.

John reports that "Mannington's health care costs have fallen both in 2008 and 2009. We're going for three in a row in 2010." Clearly, Mannington Mills is doing it right.

John says, "Unfortunately, our president and the Democratic-led Congress just wasted a year, further dividing the country and burdening taxpayers with a new source of debt. … If they are serious about solutions, perhaps they should come and talk with some of us who have done it, rather than twist arms, make deals and mislead the American people."

Health reform is possible. John Emmons' company has done it. If Washington had listened to John and the millions of Americans who think like he does, real reform might have happened this year. Real reforms would protect patients while lowering costs. Instead, our problems are now worse.

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

Will MSM Let Obama Get Away With 'We Don't Quit' War Whopper?

Will MSM Let Obama Get Away With 'We Don't Quit' War Whopper? | NewsBusters.org

Video: Courts must step in to stop Obamacare



To view other installment of Video Q&A, click here.

'The sad truth — Obamacare is built on lies'

An excellent letter to the editor published in The Mercury from a Berks County resident who sees through the Obama smokescreen on the so-called health care reform bill:
The sad truth — Obamacare is built on lies

President Obama promised not to sign into law any bill that adds a dime to the deficit. It's only through some creative gimmicks employed by the Congressional Democratic leadership that his promise is kept. The Democrats plan to fund this massive bill by funneling money away from already established entitlement programs (like Medicare and Medicaid) and spending it on health care. The money siphoned from the other programs will then be replenished, and the Democrats get to claim that health care reform is deficit neutral, even though it's really indirectly adding trillions to the deficit.

Democrats also insist that you'll be able to keep your current insurance. This isn't true; employers will drop private insurance and force their employees into the government plan all in the name of cutting costs. If corporations are given the option of paying for their employees' private insurance versus paying a 10 percent fine for not providing their employees with insurance, they'll choose whichever option is cheaper, and that option is the fine. This means that millions of Americans will lose their current insurance.

Liberals seriously believe that the government can provide better coverage than the private sector. Do these liberals feel comfortable having their insurance administered by the same people who run the DMV or the postal service? I doubt it.

The Democrats argue that this multi-trillion bill will actually reduce the deficit. How can spending trillions of dollars reduce the deficit? Like the axiom goes: "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is."

CONNOR KURTZ
Douglassville

What Dems Should Fear The Most

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Newspaper: Pennsylvania deserves better Sunshine Act

A day doesn't go by when elected officials don't violate the Pennsylvania Sunshine Act by conducting the public's business behind closed doors.

An effort in the state Legislature to put some teeth behind the law -- such as raising the fine for violators from $100 to $1,000 -- is long overdue, argues the Reading Eagle.

Among the suggested improvements:

Any reform bill, the newspaper argues, should include:
A requirement that public bodies prepare an agenda prior to all public meetings and make it available 48 hours ahead of the meeting; and that such an agenda include matters scheduled for official action and describe any private session it plans to hold.

A requirement that public bodies keep verbatim records of all closed meetings, in the form of an audio or video recording, so that, if the private session is challenged in court, a judge could review the meeting to determine if it was closed legally.

Giving courts the power to require that a given meeting be open to the public and giving courts the power to void any action taken in violation of the Sunshine Act.

These requirements would force public bodies to justify executive sessions and give the public both more reason to believe in their legitimacy and give recourse if a member of the public believes a violation occurred.
Read the full editorial at the link below:

Pennsylvania public deserves a much better Sunshine Act

Baby's First Words

Gerlach: 'Pelosi Prescription' slashes Medicare, raises taxes

'Pelosi Prescription' slashes Medicare, raises taxes

By Congressman Jim Gerlach

Supporters of the health care overhaul that Speaker Nancy Pelosi muscled through the U.S. House of Representatives argue this will be the greatest accomplishment since Social Security and Medicare.

What supporters of the $2.4 trillion scheme brush under the rug is that the health care overhaul will siphon resources from Social Security and Medicare at a time when the federal government is struggling to meet its existing entitlement program obligations.

Recent estimates show that Medicare could go bankrupt as early as 2017. Social Security benefits will exceed revenues by $29 billion this year alone, and the money could run out completely by 2037.

Those dire projections come just as approximately 78 million Baby Boomers are about to flood the Social Security and Medicare systems.

The Pelosi Prescription will only make matters worse by raiding Social Security and Medicare.

Specifically, the federal government is going to have to intercept $398 billion from Medicare Part A and $53 billion from new Social Security taxes in the coming years to pay for the new health care entitlement program.

What this Pelosi Prescription amounts to is buying a vacation home when you are already behind on your mortgage and car payments.

In addition, the Pelosi Prescription takes a hatchet to the popular Medicare Advantage program. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Web site says Medicare Advantage clients enjoy "extra benefits and lower copayments than in the original Medicare."

Some of those extra benefits include dental and vision coverage not included in traditional Medicare programs.

In the 6th Congressional District, more than 27,000 seniors use Medicare Advantage to pay for doctor visits and other services.

There are 687,469 Pennsylvania seniors enrolled. Under the Pelosi Prescription, funding for Medicare Advantage will be slashed by $132 billion.

The independent Medicare Payment Advisory Commission estimates that 1 in 5 seniors would no longer be able to enroll in Medicare Advantage.

Meanwhile, the Pelosi Prescription calls for higher Medicare payroll taxes and a new tax on medical products that will hit Pennsylvania's thriving biotechnology and life sciences sector particularly hard.

There are about 600 biotechnology and life sciences companies that employ approximately 20,000 workers here in Pennsylvania. In the 6th District, companies such as Fujirebio, Orthovita and Nueronetics have predicted that the new tax on medical products would force them to rethink hiring new workers and jeopardize the investment that fuels life-saving research and development.

The new law also fines individuals who do not buy or obtain government-approved insurance. To make sure that mandate is enforced, the law calls for hiring approximately 16,000 new IRS agents and employees to monitor citizens.

Can you believe it has come to that in a nation where the Founding Fathers insisted on a Bill of Rights to protect citizens from unreasonable government intrusion into their lives?

No wonder the majority of my constituents and our nation oppose the Pelosi Prescription.

It is difficult to imagine an instance when Congress' decision to slash $523.5 billion from Medicare, raise taxes by more than $400 billion in the midst of recession and hire 12,000 new IRS agents to monitor citizens would not be met with anything other than intense public outrage.

Congressman Jim Gerlach is a Republican who represents Pennsylvania's 6th Congressional District in parts of Berks, Chester, Lehigh and Montgomery counties. He lives in Chester Springs, Chester County.

Selective Memory

Media Forget Leftwing Violence at 2008 GOP Convention | NewsBusters.org

'Dragon' knocks 'Alice' from box-office perch

The 3-D phenomenon is here to stay. It appears that the best way to conquer the box-office these days is to release a film in 3-D. Following the path of "Avatar" (7 weeks at No. 1) and "Alice in Wonderland" (3 weeks at No. 1) we have another No. 1 film released in 3-D.

"How to Train Your Dragon" topped the box office this weekend with an estimated $43.3 million according to BoxOfficeMojo.com

"Avatar" and "Alice" have already accounted for more than $1 billion in tickets sales domestically in 2010. With "Clash of the Titans" and "Toy Story 3" coming out this spring, don't be surprised if most, if not all, of the top-grossing films of 2010 will be 3-D releases.
WEEKEND TOP 5 STUDIO ESTIMATES, MARCH 26-28, 2010

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

1. How to Train Your Dragon (Paramount (DreamWorks))
$43.3 million | 4,055 | $43.3 million | 1

2. Alice in Wonderland (2010) (Buena Vista)
$17.3 million | 3,384 | $293.1 million | 4

3. Hot Tub Time Machine (MGM)
$13.7 million | 2,754 | $13.7 million | 1

4. The Bounty Hunter (Sony / Columbia)
$12.4 million | 3,074 | $38.8 million | 2

5. Diary of a Wimpy Kid (Fox)
$10.0 million | 3,083 | $35.8 million | 2

Sarah Palin: Media 'lies' about links between tea parties, violence

Palin: Media 'lies' about links between tea parties, violence - Kenneth P. Vogel - POLITICO.com

Liberals Have Trouble With Math

An estimated 20,000 people attended a Tea Party rally in Nevada, but liberal CNN under counted the crowd by about 19,500. Keep underestimating the Tea Party movement until November when millions of Americans show up at the polls to oust the Pelosi/Reid Regime.

CNN Lowballs Nevada Tea Party Event: 'Hundreds of People, at Least Dozens of People'; Politico Reports 20,000 | NewsBusters.org

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Pa. jobs headed to Mexico

The last few jobs left at the once mighty Dana steel plants in Berks and Montgomery counties are headed to Mexico. Be sure to thank Gov. Ed Rendell for the wonderful job he's doing keeping companies from leaving the state.

Ex-Dana workers to be laid off or relocated

Guest Column: I trust Sam Rohrer with my future

GO SAM GO! GO SAM GO! This chant sends an aspirant chill right down my spine. Maybe, it is the passion of the people. Maybe, it is the voices in unity that rattle and shake the walls as they chant. Maybe, it is the force of our knowing the issues that Pennsylvanians face, and the knowledge that we support a man of integrity and honor to ameliorate those issues.

I suppose it is time I explain the reasons that I support Sam Rohrer to be our next Governor. The journey over the last few months has inspired me, and has shown me that there are those in the political realm who are still fighting to protect my future, as well as the futures of my family, friends, and neighbors. The latest poll showed that 66% of Republicans do not know who they are voting for on May 18th. Therefore, please allow me to help you make an informed decision.

The first time I talked with Sam was through e-mail. I was looking for information and questioning the possibility of internships. For those reasons, I emailed him asking to arrange a meeting. He welcomed me, and I met him a few weeks later in his office. At our meeting, we discussed the current issues challenging Pennsylvania. He held principle above party and that was quite obvious, despite my being so young at the time. I visited him again and he continued to inspire in me the need to serve.

In his current undertaking of running for the highest office in our Commonwealth, that of Governor, I have been working diligently in explaining Sam’s vision for a brighter and greater Pennsylvania to the students within the state. This has been a challenge; but I feel it is a worthy cause. I believe Sam will protect and defend my rights as a free citizen of this country. Every night, I can sleep with the fact that I know he is there working for me. Once the students of this state hear his message, they too will know that they need to vote for Sam.

What specifically makes Sam stand out as the best candidate for Governor?

Check out Sam's five goals and responsibilities:
Remove Roadblocks to Job Creation & Economic Recovery.
Reduce Government Cost Through Disciplined Taxes & Lower Spending.
Stabilize School Funding & Eliminate School Property Taxes.
Improve Student Performance by Expanding Choice and Empowering Parents.
Restore the Culture of Ethics and Integrity in Government.
For more information about Sam's goals, please visit www.samrohrer.org As you can see, Sam knows the issues that affect Pennsylvanians. He stood up because he was called on to do that which is necessary to ensure the government of Pennsylvania is renewed and reformed so that it will serve we, the people, once more.

"This campaign is more than a challenge to old politics - it's a fight for the survival of constitutional principles. This has been the cause of my life, and it will be the focus of my administration." - Representative Sam Rohrer

Sam is also helped by so many who believe in him greatly. Take a look at the statement on his Web site:
"SamRohrer.org is a movement of citizens. More than organizing for a single candidate or political party, the aim of this campaign is to lay the foundation for a stronger, freer Pennsylvania.

We believe that it is the duty and charge of every elected official to diligently pursue restrained, responsible, and ethical government.

We believe that lowering taxes, restraining spending and removing old regulatory barriers is the proven formula for economic growth.

We believe that academic excellence thrives when parents have greater choice and control over the educational decisions of their children.

We believe that it is the responsibility of government to defend freedom for homeowners, working families and risk-taking entrepreneurs.

We believe that defending vulnerable life and safeguarding the institution of family is a charge and responsibility for our generation."
I know the people working for Sam are not in this to take over the Governor's Mansion, but to bring an administration of principle back to Harrisburg -- back into the executive branch of Pennsylvania, as principle has been absent for almost a full eight years under the current administration.

I believe in Sam. I believe his vision is that which is needed for our Commonwealth. We need to once again hold the title of "Keystone State" proudly. We, as a state, held the other states together at one time. Over time, that strength has tarnished and diminished greatly. With Sam's becoming our next Governor, he will ensure that we are the greatest and strongest state again!

We live in a volatile political climate; but, with Sam's experience, his dignity, his passion, his conservative principles, he will be the greatest Governor for whom we can ever hope.

I am ready to trust him with my future and my life … are you?

For liberty, freedom, and independence,

Wesley T. Stefanick

Wesley Stefanick is the statewide director of SAMForce, the Student Action Movement to elect Sam Rohrer governor of Pennsylvania. For more information log on to www.samforce.us

Weekly GOP Address: Obamacare will raise insurance premiums, kill jobs



In the Weekly Republican Address, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell discusses the flawed health care bill passed by Democrats and why it should be repealed and replaced.

McConnell says, "In one of the most divisive legislative debates in modern history, Democrats decided to go the partisan route and blatantly ignore the will of the people. Americans opposed this legislation, and, now theyre clamoring to see it repealed and replaced. Democratic Leaders and White House officials may be celebrating their victory this week, but most of the rest of the country is not. Most people arent interested in celebrating a bill that makes their lives more complicated, takes more out of their paychecks and puts decisions theyre used to making themselves into the hands of federal bureaucrats."

Dick Morris: Out With the Traitors!

Not sure about the Novemember election? Dick Morris has a suggestion. Vote out the 216 Democrats who supported Obamacare.

Dick Morris and Eileen McGann : Out With the Traitors! - Townhall.com

And you thought members of Congress were overpaid

2,000 House staffers make six figures - Erika Lovley - POLITICO.com

Obama Using Death Threats To Democrats As Fundraiser

Obama Using Death Threats To Democrats As Fundraiser | NewsBusters.org

Friday, March 26, 2010

Video: Sam Rohrer on Obamacare Debacle

Cypriot Foreign Minister Markos Kyprianou Meets With US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton


Cypriot Foreign Minister Markos Kyprianou Meets With US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton

Police: Drunk man tried to revive dead opossum

It's too early for April Fool's Day so this must be for real.

And the dateline is Punxsutawney, Pa., home of another famous critter.

Police: Drunk man tried to revive dead opossum | KOMO News - Breaking News, Sports, Traffic and Weather - Seattle, Washington | Offbeat

Union of Unemployed: 'First Things First'

Now that the euphoria over Obamacare is starting to die down, can we focus on the 31 million unemployed and underemployed Americans?

That's what the group Ur Union of Unemployed is saying.

From a UCubed press release:
The most urgent social justice issue confronting the nation at this moment is not health care, not banking reform and not climate change – it is the abandonment of 31 million unemployed and underemployed Americans.

"These are desperate hours for America's unemployed," said Rick Sloan, acting director for Ur Union of Unemployed. "And the failure of lawmakers to respond in a meaningful way is pushing many beyond their ability to cope."

Ur Union of Unemployed, also known as UCubed, is calling for a large and immediate response to the crisis, with federal funds being allocated to employ millions of jobless Americans at the state, local and federal level.
Read the full release at the link below:

Union of Unemployed: 'First Things First'

Webinar: Can Small Business Survive Healthcare Reform?

Extensis Group and the Marquis Agency to Host Business Webinar Entitled: Can Small Business Survive Healthcare Reform?

Face of the tea party is female

Face of the tea party is female - Kenneth P. Vogel - POLITICO.com

Video: Rep. Reichley Concerned About Obamacare Impact on Pennsylvania



Originally posted at THE CENTRIST

Obamacare threatens more U.S. jobs

That didn't take long. Within days of passage of Obamacare, U.S. firms have started warning about eliminating benefits for workers or cutting jobs entirely under the costly government takeover of health care. Just what this country needs after 13 consecutive months of job losses under Barack Obama.

From a story by Josh Funk of The Associated Press:
OMAHA, Neb. — Deere & Co. said Thursday that changes to the health care law signed into law this week will raise related costs this year by $150 million.

The biggest U.S. maker of farm equipment became the second major company in as many days to say it would take a charge for fiscal 2010.

Deere and Caterpillar Inc., which reported that it would record a $100 million charge Wednesday, say the health care overhaul President Barack Obama signed Wednesday will make a subsidy the companies receive for retiree drug coverage taxable in 2011.

Both companies said it was a one-time charge as they adjust to the new level of expected taxes.

Deere and Caterpillar were among the 10 companies that sent a letter to Congressional leaders in December warning of cost increases. Others were: Boeing Co., Con-Way Inc., Exelon Corp., Navistar Inc., Verizon, Xerox Corp., Public Service Enterprise Group Inc., and Met Life Inc.
Read the full story here.

40 States Challenge Legality of Obamacare

Illinois Is 40th State to Defend Health Care Choice; Oklahoma Health Freedom Bill Poised for Ballot

Obamacare Praised by Fidel Castro

U.S. Health Care Bill Praised by Fidel Castro - Round About Place

2,000 House staffers make six figures

File this under "your tax dollars at work."

From POLITICO:
Nearly 2,000 House of Representative staffers pulled down six-figure salaries in 2009, including 43 staffers who earned the maximum $172,500 — or more than three times the median U.S. household income.

Starting salaries on Capitol Hill are still low — many entry-level congressional jobs pay less than $30,000 a year. And many of the most highly paid staffers could make several times the maximum by jumping to lobbying and consulting jobs in the private sector.

But the salary data, compiled for POLITICO by LegiStorm.com, show that it’s possible to make an enviable living in Congress, even without winning an election.

The 43 staffers who maxed out at $172,500 — the salary cap for leadership and committee staffers — include John Lawrence, chief of staff to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi; Paula Nowakowski, the late chief of staff to House Minority Leader John Boehner; and House Parliamentarian John Sullivan. They earned only slightly less than rank-and-file members of Congress, who make $174,000.

All the salary data are part of the public record and are culled from congressional office disbursement reports.
So much for the myth of "public servants" forgoing big money in the private sector to devote themselves to toil for the government.

Read the full story at the link below:

2,000 House staffers make six figures - Erika Lovley - POLITICO.com

Pre-existing condition?

49 of 50 States Have Lost Jobs Since Democrats' Stimulus

Every time Barack Obama, Joe Biden or Nancy Pelosi say that the "stimulus" is working, they insult your intelligence.

From a post by Rep. Dave Camp, ranking Republican on the House Ways & Means Committee:
While the President recently claimed his February 2009 stimulus bill will "save or create 1.5 million jobs in 2010 after saving or creating as many as 2 million jobs thus far,” the table below compares the White House's original projections of state-by-state job creation with the actual change in state payroll employment through February 2010, using the latest data from the U.S. Department of Labor. The data show that only Alaska and the District of Columbia have seen net job creation since the enactment of stimulus, and even those levels fall far short of what the White House originally forecast.
To see a state-by-state breakdown of job loses, click here.

Thorns to U.S. Census for wasting tax dollars

From the editorial page of The Pottstown Mercury:
First came a letter giving notice that a U.S. Census form is in the mail. Next came the Census form itself. Then a postcard followed, reminding people to fill out the form. THORNS for the loss of trees and expense in all that government paperwork. We understand the government is working hard to solicit participation in the Census count, and the reminders are well-intentioned, but as much as we dislike them, robo-calls would be more environmentally friendly. The Census program is also hiring door-to-door census-takers to make sure nobody is missed. Seems like they will get better results than the mailbox triple-play.

After bankrupting N.J., Jon Corzine cashes in

After bankrupting New Jersey, former Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine lands on his feet with a cushy corporate job. There's just no justice in the world.

From The Philadelphia Inquirer:
Former Gov. Jon S. Corzine is headed back to the private sector after accepting a job as chairman and chief executive officer for futures and options broker MF Global Holdings, the company announced yesterday.

Corzine, 63, who served as chief financial officer and chairman of Wall Street firm Goldman Sachs before being elected to represent New Jersey in the U.S. Senate, where he served from 2001 to 2006, was also appointed an operating partner at J.C. Flowers & Co., a buyout firm. He will also be the John L. Weinberg/Goldman Sachs & Co. Visiting Professor at Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs for the 2010-11 school year, according to MF Global.

"MF Global is a firm with tremendous potential and excellent talent," Corzine said. "I see a substantial opportunity for the firm to expand its leadership position in serving clients globally in cash and derivatives markets. I look forward to working with MF Global's team to set a strategic path that will take the firm to new levels of growth, profitability and reputation."

Corzine served one term as New Jersey's governor before losing his reelection bid to Republican challenger Christopher J. Christie.
Read the full story at the newspaper's Web site.

More Global Warming Hot Air

National Geographic Warns Global Warming Leads to Increased Violence... Possibly Even 'Genocide' | NewsBusters.org

NPR Ditches 'Pro-life' Label in Favor of Left-leaning 'Abortion Rights Opponent'

Your tax dollars are paying for this propaganda.

NPR Ditches 'Pro-life' Label in Favor of Left-leaning 'Abortion Rights Opponent' | NewsBusters.org

Forbes: Is a Chavez-Style Media Crackdown Coming to America?

Forbes: Is a Chavez-Style Media Crackdown Coming to America? | NewsBusters.org

Reading Obama's Tea Leaves

Columnist: Obamacare Must Be Repealed

"When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty." -- Thomas Jefferson

A must-read column by Brian Darling, director of U.S. Senate relations at The Heritage Foundation, on what needs to happen when members of Congress forget who they work for.

From his column:
The American people need to replace members who ignore the clear will of the American people. In response to the Boston Tea Party the British Parliament passed several acts that became known as the "Intolerable Acts."

We have a new Intolerable Act. ObamaCare, including intolerable provisions that should be subject to legal, legislative and electoral attack. The effort is underway.
Read the full column at the link below:

Obamacare Must Be Repealed - HUMAN EVENTS

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Lame Duck

Worst unemployment in 25 years

Thirteen months later, the Obama/Pelosi "stimulus" package isn't doing much stimulating.

From the Philadelphia Business Journal:
Unemployment climbed to 11.4 percent in Philadelphia in January and to 8.9 percent across the state in February, levels not seen in more than 25 years, City Controller Alan Butkovitz said Thursday in his monthly economic snapshot.

Pennsylvania's unemployment rate was last at 8.9 percent in September 1984 and Philadelphia's unemployment rate was last at 11.4 percent in May 1983. The city's January unemployment rate, which is the most recent data available, increased nearly a full percentage point from December.
Can't wait to see the job loses once Obamacare gets roling.

City controller says Phila. unemployment jumped to 11.4% in Jan. - Philadelphia Business Journal:

Eric Cantor blames Democrats for 'fanning flames' on threats

"People should not fear their government. Government should fear their people."

From POLITICO:
House Minority Whip Eric Cantor blamed top Democrats for "fanning the flames" regarding threats to members of Congress — and says his office in Richmond was shot at earlier this week.

Cantor, a Virginia Republican, said the heads of the Democratic National Committee and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee are using allegations of harassment and threats to Democrats nationwide for political purposes.

Cantor said he doesn't release information about the incidents of threats against himself to the media because it would only ratchet up violence. But he did say a bullet shot through the window in his campaign office in Richmond on Monday evening, and he has received threats because he is Jewish.

According to a statement by the Richmond Police department, the bullet struck the window in a "downward direction" and broke the window, but did not penetrate the window blinds – suggesting that it was not a point blank shot at Cantor's office window.
Read more:

Eric Cantor blames Democrats for 'fanning flames' on threats - Jake Sherman and Patrick O'Connor - POLITICO.com

Congress May Legalize Internet Gambling

If they can tax it, Congress will figure out a way to make it legal so the government can take its cut.

Rep. McDermott's New Internet Gambling Legislation Would Increase Projected Revenue to Up To $72 Billion Over 10 Years

Guest Column: ObamaCare - 'The Bigger the Lie'

ObamaCare: 'The Bigger the Lie'

By Howard Rich

Lost amid the partisan sniping and procedural jousting over the passage of "Obamacare" is a fundamental, unavoidable hypocrisy – one that's worth unmasking as Washington politicians continue to ignore the will of the American people and plunge our nation deeper into full-blown socialism.

President Barack Obama and his Congressional allies are spending money that they know we don't have on a program that they know isn't going to work – all in an effort to expand government's control over the private sector and its reach into the private lives of American citizens.

Sound a bit conspiratorial?

It's not – at least not when you turn down the partisan rhetoric (on both sides of the debate) and start examining what this monstrosity actually does.

"ObamaCare is really about who commands the country's medical resources," an editorial in The Wall Street Journal noted the day before the legislation was passed. "It vastly accelerates the march toward a totally state-driven system, in contrast to reforms that would fix today's distorted status quo by putting consumers in control."

With government already purchasing nearly half of all health care services in America (a system that's rampant with fraud and anti-competitive price-fixing), just who did you think was responsible for the "distorted status quo" that Obamacare ostensibly seeks to correct?

Here's a hint – it's not those "evil" insurance companies, which will be receiving nearly a half-trillion dollars in "Obamacare" subsidies.

Consistent with the core fallacy of other recent socialist misadventures (like former President George Bush's TARP bailout or Obama's so-called "stimulus"), Washington politicians are once again attempting to solve problems that have been exacerbated by excessive government interventionism with additional government interventionism. "Dumping buckets of water on the head of a drowning victim," if you will.

Even though America can't even begin to afford its current entitlement obligations, Washington's answer is to create yet another new entitlement program – something that Republicans who voted in favor of Bush's prescription drug benefit know all about. And even as Medicare and Medicaid have failed spectacularly (and expensively) to provide cost-effective health care, Obama and his allies are using this failure as an excuse to dramatically escalate their "government knows best" approach to include individual mandates and huge fines for families and small businesses who fail to comply.

It's a power grab, pure and simple. And a money grab, which is why "Obamacare" spends $10 billion to hire 17,000 new tax collectors at the IRS to rake in billions of dollars from America's newly-created class of "illegally uninsured" citizens.

That hardly sounds like a plan built around "expanding coverage," does it?

Obviously "Obamacare" isn't going to reduce the deficit either. In fact when the actual cost of just one of the variables ignored by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) is calculated into the legislation, its price tag soars by nearly $208 billion (putting it $59 billion in the red).

Even "Obamacare's" worst-case deficit projections are likely to prove overly-optimistic. In 1965, for example, government accountants predicted that the hospital insurance portion of Medicaid would cost $9 billion by 1990. It wound up costing $63 billion. Even after adjusting for inflation, that's still twice as expensive as the government originally estimated.

Earlier this month The New York Times – ostensibly seeking to build momentum for universal coverage – published a story highlighting the un-sustainability of Medicaid. The story revealed that last year, while state governments were relying on bailout money to fund skyrocketing growth rates, the program added 3.3 million new members – raising its total enrollment to 47 million. It is going broke, clearly, although that didn't stop Obama and his Congressional allies from raiding $202 billion from its coffers (as well as $53 billion from Social Security) to make their plan appear deficit neutral.

And that may be the ultimate irony of "Obamacare" – that it is funding tomorrow's big government obligations with the failed promises of yesterday.

Howard Rich is chairman of Americans for Limited Government.

Obamacare will cost even more jobs

Deere Says New Health Care Reform Law Will Increase 2010 Expense by $150 Million After-Tax

Newspaper: Jail time for Mike Veon



See related editorial, "The Veon verdict: Jail these crooks," at The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Web site.

Rep. Joe Pitts Condemns Threats to Members of Congress



From Republican Congressman Joe Pitts:
"When the government ignores the will of the people, a high level of frustration is to be expected. But that frustration needs to be channeled into political activity, not threats and violence. I urge those who opposed this bill to remember that history and fiscal reality will prove them right. And I urge the citizens of this country who are angry to remember that they are on the right side of this debate and they should act accordingly. In America, that is what elections are for.

Who stabbed Pia Varma in the back?

Pia Varma, a Republican challenger to Democratic U.S. Rep. Bob Brady, a career politician who has held Pennsylvania's First Congressional District seat since 1998, has been knocked off the ballot.

The candidate blames fellow Republicans for challenging the signatures on her nominating petition but GOP officials blame Brady.

Either way, it shows you that politics is a contact sport. If you're going to take on a political giant like Brady in a one-party town like Philadelphia, be prepared for anything.

From a story by reporter Miriam Hill in The Philadelphia Inquirer:
Pia Varma, the Republican challenger to U.S. Rep. Bob Brady who dubbed herself the "Liberty Belle," has been temporarily silenced, and she's blaming her fellow party members.

Yesterday, Commonwealth Court Judge Johnny J. Butler ordered Varma removed as a candidate from the May primary ballot in the First Congressional District because she failed to submit at least 1,000 valid signatures of registered voters on nominating petitions for her campaign.

Varma, 27, pointed the finger at Republican City Committee Chairman Vito Canuso and General Counsel Michael Meehan for the problem. She said she relied on them to gather legitimate signatures.

"The Republican Party in the city of Philadelphia is either incompetent, or they're corrupt," she said.

She said she believed city Republicans had a deal with Brady to keep her off the ballot.

Canuso denied that.

"It's a shame what happened, but I think she is misinformed," Canuso said. "She should call me and talk to me about rather than make comments, but she's allowed."

Meehan could not be reached for comment.

Brady said Varma and the party "should do their job like we have to do our job in the Democratic Party." He said he played no role in the effort to remove Varma from the ballot.

"It's a shame for this lady. She put her trust in someone. They didn't do the job," Brady said.
Read the full story at the newspaper's Web site.

Now that's what I call a fan

A suburban Philadelphia woman on trial for allegedly offering undercover officers sex for Phillies World Series tickets, took the stand in her defense. Judging from her testimony, many she should have kept her mouth shut.

From a story by reporter Larry King in The Philadelphia Inquirer:
Susan Finkelstein, the admittedly rabid Phillies fan charged in Bucks County with prostitution, strongly denied in court this morning that she ever offered sex for tickets to last fall's World Series.

Yes, she placed a "goofy" Craigslist ad with sexual overtones.

Yes, she e-mailed photos of her breasts to a would-be World Series ticket-seller, hoping to use her "feminine wiles" to get a good deal.

Yes, she was desperate for tickets.

But no, Finkelstein insisted, she never offered any sexual favors as part of the bargaining.

"Are you a prostitute," her lawyer, William J. Brennan asked.

"No, I am not," Finkelstein said.
Read the rest of the story at the newspaper's Web site.

How Quickly The Media Forget

Networks Already Forgot Obscene Calls and Threats to Stupak -- From Last Week | NewsBusters.org

That's Not All Folks!

FRC targets Rep. Stupak for defeat

From the Family Research Council:
"FRC Action PAC will target for defeat 20 members of Congress including Congressman Bart Stupak. Over the next seven months and on Election Day, our PAC members and the thousands of families we represent will send a powerful message that can't be ignored -- 'it's time to replace this Congress, repeal this law and restore our constitutional freedoms'."
White House Is Right to Be Embarrassed by Executive Order

How's that Obamacare working out for you?

How's that Obamacare working out for you? As well as the Obama "stimulus" package?

Employers are already warning workers about higher health-care costs and reduced benefits, according to The Wall Street Journal.

From a new WSJ editorial:
Even before President Obama signed the bill on Tuesday, Caterpillar said it would cost the company at least $100 million more in the first year alone. Medical device maker Medtronic warned that new taxes on its products could force it to lay off a thousand workers. Now Verizon joins the roll of businesses staring at adverse consequences.

In an email titled "President Obama Signs Health Care Legislation" sent to all employees Tuesday night, the telecom giant warned that "we expect that Verizon's costs will increase in the short term." While executive vice president for human resources Marc Reed wrote that "it is difficult at this point to gauge the precise impact of this legislation," and that ObamaCare does reflect some of the company's policy priorities, the message to workers was clear: Expect changes for the worse to your health benefits as the direct result of this bill, and maybe as soon as this year.
And this is just the beginning of the havoc Obamacare will create.

Read the full editorial here.

The Liberal Media's Myth of Right Wing Violence

It's amazing how intolerant the far left is when it comes to free speech.

The Media's Myth of Right Wing Violence | NewsBusters.org

Video: Less Talk, More Action Needed From Obama to Create Jobs

This Day In History

On March 25, 1894, Jacob S. Coxey began leading an "army" of unemployed from Massillon, Ohio, to Washington D.C., to demand help from the federal government.

It's time for another march on Washington.

The Obama Recession is in its 13th month and Obama, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid have given nothing but lip service to the 17 million Americans out of work.

An ACORN by any other name

An ACORN by any other name ... is still a nut.

Don't be fooled by the name change. These are the same people who have stolen elections and used our tax dollars for all sorts of questionable schemes. This is a ploy to get more tax dollars.

ACORN arm in Pennsylvania takes new name - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Only 16% Return Census Forms So Far

Despite the media blitz, the letter telling you the form is coming, the form itself and the post card reminding you to send back the form, the U.S. Census Bureau reports that only 16 percent of American households have participated so far in the 2010 Census.

What could be the problem? Could it be mistrust of the federal government? Just a guess.

From a story by Hope Yen of The Associated Press:
Roughly 100 million households to go.

One week after U.S. census forms were mailed to 120 million households, about 16 percent of the nation has completed those forms and sent them back. That number puts the government on its way to matching or surpassing mail participation rates in 2000 of 72 percent, the Census Bureau said Wednesday.

The bureau will continue to accept mailed-in forms through most of April.

From May until July, it will send census-takers to each home that doesn't reply by mail, which is more costly and sometimes leads to more inaccurate responses. The Census Bureau has estimated it would save $1.5 billion in follow-up visits if everyone who receives a census form mails it back.
Census Bureau Rolls Out New Interactive Maps Showing 2010 Census Mail Participation Rates

Rep. Mike Pence: 'This Fight is Not Over'

Liberal columnist advocates violence against Tea Party protesters

Liberal hypocrisy at its finest. If a Tea Party protesters yells at a Congressman, bash their brains in, says Washington Post columnist Courtland Milloy.

WaPo Civility: 'Knock Every Racist and Homophobic Tooth Out of Their Cro-Magnon Heads' | NewsBusters.org

NJ joins the fight against Obamacare

From a post by John George at Philadelphia Business Journal:
NJ Physicians, a physician-run organization that advocates for patient access to quality health care, filed a complaint in federal court in Newark, N.J., Tuesday seeking to nullify the health-care reform bill.

"This act predominantly addresses insurance coverage issues without correcting a system that mandates the practice of defensive medicine and encourages inefficient care models," said Steven Kern, lawyer for NJ Physicians. "True reform would overhaul the health-care system to reward efficiency and successful outcomes. Despite its purported goals, we believe this legislation would make access to health care more difficult and would increase the cost and reduce the quality of health care currently enjoyed by the vast majority of the population."

The complaint contends Congress violated citizens' Constitutional rights and undermined the sovereignty of the states.
Read the full article at the link below:

Philadelphia Business Journal: NJ Physicians, AGs sue to block health legislation

Small school district runs up $1.5 in legal fees

When you budget $900,000 for legal fees and you already spend $1.5 million for lawyers, something doesn't add up.

Can somebody explain to me how giving a lawyer $190/hour helps educate students?

Public school spending is out of control and here's an other example of some of the problems.

Read an editorial about how school districts spend their money at the link below:

Phoenixville taxpayers deserve to see legal bills' detail -

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A Tale of Two F-Bombs

A Tale of Two F-Bombs: WaPo, MSNBC, CNN Bothered By Cheney in 2004, Not Biden Six Years Later | NewsBusters.org

And the winner is ...

Gasoline pump prices highest since October 2008

Be sure to thank Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi for rising gas prices. The Democrats have broken their promises (surprise, surprise) to allow more drilling for oil off American shores. So consumers will pay $3 for gas all summer. Another reason to vote out Democrats in November.

Gasoline pump prices highest since October 2008 - The Mercury (pottsmerc.com)

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Realtors Oppose Rendell's Proposed Tax on Professional Services in Real Estate Transactions

The way the housing market has been struggling over the past couple of years, is it really wise to impose additional taxes on home buyers?

The Pennsylvania Association of REALTORS® doesn't think so, either.

"Consumers in Pennsylvania will have to spend thousands of dollars more to purchase a home if Gov. Rendell's plan is enacted," said PAR President Don Roth. "Housing will become less affordable and beyond the reach of many Pennsylvanians."

From a PAR press release:
According to Roth, the proposed tax would affect every profession and service connected to a real estate transaction. In addition to paying a 4-percent tax on real estate agent/broker services, consumers will have to pay a 4-percent tax on appraisals, attorney services, credit reports, mortgage originations, home inspections, surveys, title searches, construction, architectural services and site preparation.
Read the full release at the link below:

REALTORS(R) Oppose Gov. Edward G. Rendell's Proposed Tax on Professional Services in Real Estate Transactions

National Poll Finds Americans Oppose Tax on Soft Drinks

National Poll Finds Americans Oppose Tax on Soft Drinks; Don't Believe it Will Go to Improve Public Health

Rep. Reichley: Rendell budget passed by House Dems is a 'sham'

Rep. Doug Reichley (R-Berks/Lehigh), vice chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, released the following statement after Tuesday's passage of House Bill 2279, Gov. Rendell's latest $29 billion red-ink budget proposal:
"It is no coincidence that the budget bill that passed today was voted on exactly 100 days before the June 30 deadline. Unfortunately, the governor and his allies would prefer to pass a bill that does not bear any reality to the financial difficulties faced by many families, businesses and organizations rather than to pass a fiscally responsible spending plan for Pennsylvania. The governor's proposal, passed with unanimous support from House Democrats, spends far more than the state is taking in, exceeding tax revenue by billions of dollars, and relying on deferred payments into state employee and teacher pension funds. Such reckless spending only compounds the problem we are currently facing.

"The governor's budget also unwisely uses a whistling through the graveyard approach by basing his spending plan on receiving $850 million in federal aid for Medical Assistance, the state-administered health care plan for the poor, elderly, and disabled in Pennsylvania. The problem is there is no telling if and when the state will receive those federal funds. The governor and his supporters in the House Democratic Caucus should have learned after seven years of missing budget deadlines that you do not achieve a balanced budget by crossing your collective fingers and wishing for federal aid.

"We need to act now to protect against tax increases in the future. We need to act now with further decreases in state spending. We need to fix foreseeable problems with the state employees and public school employees retirement systems before we reach the tipping point.

"Clearly, the bill that passed today is not the bill that will become law. It's a sham, designed to provide taxpayers with the illusion that the budget process has started in earnest. This is not a real, negotiated, fiscally sustainable budget. We will all end up paying for it, well beyond when the governor leaves office."

Obama appoints radical to federal bench

Do you have a right to health care? Judicial nominee Liu thinks so | The Daily Caller - Breaking News, Opinion, Research, and Entertainment

Pelosi Opens Ice Cream Parlor

PA GOP: Hoeffel, Onorato, Wagner, Williams Support Obama-Pelosi Agenda

Just in case you weren't sure the four Democratic candidates for Pennsylvania governor stood on Obamacare, the Republican Party of Pennsylvania has issued a press release reminding voters that Joe Hoeffel, Dan Onorato, Jack Wagner and Anthony Whilliams support ObamaCare.

Republican Party of Pennsylvania Chairman Rob Gleason released the following statement:
"Despite numerous polls showing Pennsylvanians expressing their strong disapproval of the health care legislation that was pushed through Congress late Sunday night, Pennsylvania Democratic gubernatorial candidates Joe Hoeffel, Dan Onorato, Jack Wagner and Tony Williams showed just how out-of-touch they were with hardworking Pennsylvanians by voicing their strong endorsement of the Obama-Pelosi health care bill that will raise taxes, kill jobs and drive a government-sized wedge between patients and their doctors," Gleason said. "At a time when Pennsylvanians are struggling to make ends meet, Pennsylvania Democrats are showing yet again that they care little about fiscal responsibility or the fact that this bill will add $4 billion to the national deficit in the first year alone!

"While our Republican gubernatorial candidate and Attorney General Tom Corbett is fighting this unconstitutional piece of legislation, his Democratic challengers are endorsing it as good policy.

"Pennsylvanians don't want to elect a candidate who will run our state like extreme liberal Nancy Pelosi. We need to elect a leader who will look out for the best interests of the Pennsylvania taxpayer. Pennsylvania needs a fighter like Tom Corbett!"
Joe Hoeffel – "The health care bill passed this weekend … is landmark legislation that will provide health insurance to tens of millions of Americans, end many insurance company abuses and over time reduce our national debt."

Dan Onorato - "As Allegheny County Executive, I have seen firsthand the devastation caused by the lack of competition, as costs continue to rise, individuals are priced out of the system, small businesses are destroyed and families are burdened with unsustainable expenses. I will be prepared as governor to help achieve the goal of improving affordability, access and quality in health care."

Tony Williams - "This is an historic moment in our national history, when countless Pennsylvania residents will have easier access, more affordable access to health care as a result of the reform law President Obama signed today."

Clint Eisenhower, Spokesman for Jack Wagner - "Jack supports the federal health care package because it will provide health insurance to an additional 1.3 million Pennsylvanians and will also provide a protective mechanism to those who are vulnerable to losing health care and to college students and young people who still live at home."