Sights on Pennsylvania

Do Democrats Really Believe Their Own Bunkum?

noreply@blogger.com (McGruff) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 21:55:00 +0000

Some articles that really shine light on the hypocrisy of the national Democratic machine.

For those who think capitalists are dirty, profit seeking junkies that are detrimental to those who don't have look where public employees are putting their pension money to create wealth.

Public Pensions Increase Private-Equity Investments

Large public pension plans are pouring more money into private-equity funds, deepening ties between government workers and an industry currently under the harsh glare of U.S. presidential politics.

Big public-employee pensions had about $220 billion invested in private equity in September, or 11% of their assets, according to Wilshire Trust Universe Comparison Service, which tracks the holdings of pensions, foundations and endowments.

AFSCME blasts Romney About Bain Past

The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, or Afscme, one of the nation’s biggest public-workers unions, has members with billions of dollars invested in about 150 pension funds, some of which is invested in private-equity funds, WSJ reports Thursday.

That wouldn’t be that surprising, given the union’s pension fund is meant to make its members money, and PE firms can do pretty well in that whole money making job.

But, the WSJ story is about the fact that Afscme and other pension funds for public workers have made quite a lot of noise about Mitt Romney’s work at private-equity giant Bain Capital.

They emulate what they blast Romney for. Romney shouldn't duck questions about his wealth. He should remind the American people how successful he is and that is what we need as a President. Last election the majority put an amateur in there and look what we got.

Look at unemployment during the Bush years and Obama's term.

You will see this chart chopped for those who want to skew the data.

Putting the Numbers into Perspective

President Bush’s overall record continues to look far better than President Obama’s to date. Over President Bush’s presidency, the private sector created a net 141,000 jobs. Surprisingly, this number includes the 3.78 million private sector jobs lost in 2008. In contrast, under President Obama’s administration, the private sector has still lost a net 2.91 million private sector jobs. If I blame Bush and Clinton for the January 2009 and January 2001 numbers, respectively, the private sector would still have lost 2.07 million private sector jobs under the Obama administration.

Gene Stilp To Seek Democratic Nomination in the 11th

noreply@blogger.com (McGruff) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 18:36:00 +0000

Political activist Gene Stilp held a press conference today to announce his intention to seek the Democratic nomination in a run against Congressman Lou Barletta. Here's a link to the Pennlive.com article.

Stilp, who has gained notoriety in Pennsylvania for his battles against utillities, legislative pay raises, is announcing his intent to get into the race against Republican U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta in a Capitol news conference.

The recent redrawing of congressional boundaries extended Barletta's district into much of Dauphin and Cumberland counties as well as souteastern Perry County.

Brad Bumsted of the Pittsburgh Tribune Review wrote this opinion piece on Gene Stilp on January 8,2006. He's fun-loving and eccentric. Next.

Is Bill Vinsko Telling The Truth?

noreply@blogger.com (McGruff) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 16:28:00 +0000

In this segment of "You Be The Judge" Bill Vinsko tells the public that his campaign money came from individuals, not PAC money like other candidates.

How does he explain this picture?

I guess every profession has one.

How To Try To Influence Votes And Make Friends

noreply@blogger.com (McGruff) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 19:28:00 +0000

From Bill Vinsko For Congress website:

I am very proud to receive such great support from I.B.E.W. and its outstanding membership. Their workers exemplify the hard-working Americans and Pennsylvanians that I will represent when elected to Congress. They need jobs, the 11th District needs jobs, Pennsylvania needs jobs and America needs jobs. It’s time to ensure that the middle class is protected and that we put America back to work. With the help of IBEW and other great organizations, it can still be done. I want to publicly thank I.B.E.W. and Mike Kwashnik for their faith in my candidacy.

Bill, why don't you ask your Democratic friends in the Senate why they haven't passed any of the 27 jobs bills sitting before them?

On November 18, 2011 Gort published Vinsko's response to Congressman Lou Barletta's fundraising efforts. Here is one particular statement from Vinsko.

The people of the 11th Congressional District need a congressman who is ready to lead and not to follow; someone who is truly an independent thinker, guided by principle and not party doctrine.

If that check isn't party doctrine then nothing is.

Joe Valenti in Pittston Politics basically makes the case that the magisterial arm of the Pennsylvania Court System is a "quasi political machine" where Vinsko has deep roots.

You see, Bill Amesbury was in Vinsko’s law office from 2003 until he won a spot on the bench. And, I’m sure Vinsko was quite supportive of Amesbury’s run for judge.
Now it’s time to return the favor.

While a District Justice is not allowed to participate in any partisan politics and you’ll never see them at a political rally, the District Justice network is a tight organization that takes care of their own.

And, the only one running for congress that truly has only one degree of separation with that network is Bill Vinsko.

And, no one politician, political organization and or machine can personally touch the vast area of the congressional district with one exception, the District Justice network.

Who said corruption left the Luzerne County Court System? Maybe it just changed its face with Vinsko being their rally cry.

There's A Catch- Another Obama Gimmick

noreply@blogger.com (McGruff) — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 21:24:00 +0000

Should WE Keep Paying People Not To Work

noreply@blogger.com (McGruff) — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 22:51:00 +0000

This Opinion piece comes from Foxnews.com:

Do we really want paying people not to work for 99 weeks – nearly two years – to be a permanent feature of the American economic system? Is that what the American people voted for in the historic landslide election of 2010? If not, then why are Republicans poised to – for the first time since the election – extend this program?

The economic case for nearly two years of unemployment benefits is extremely weak. While supporters tout the demand-side effect of the benefit checks being spent, they ignore the much larger supply-side effect of creating a significant disincentive for work and consequently for economic production. The same Keynesians who brought us trillions of failed stimulus and a mountain of debt tell us the paying people not to work is a good way to grow the economy. Common sense – and the data – say otherwise.

As the Cato Institute’s Alan Reynolds eloquently explained: “Whether the government pays people to work or to stay on the dole, it has to get the money by taxing, borrowing or printing money — all of which reduce real income and employment opportunities in the private sector. … If every dollar of unemployment benefits really added $1.61 to real GDP, then putting everyone on the dole would make us all much richer.”

In reality, economists have shown that unemployment benefits actually increase unemployment because they increase the average duration of unemployment for individuals. There is less incentive to search for new employment when the government pays people as much as 60 percent of their previous salary to do nothing at all.

It should be no surprise then that since the extended benefits were signed into law, the median duration of unemployment has more than doubled from 9.6 weeks to 20.8 weeks, and the unemployment rate has remained stubbornly high for months on end.

Not all of this can be attributed to overly-generous unemployment benefits, of course, but they certainly aren’t helping. And given that more people are staying on government benefits for longer periods of time, federal spending on unemployment compensation has nearly quadrupled from $45 billion in 2008 to $160 billion in 2010 – all funded by higher taxes or federal debt, which takes resources out of job creators’ hands.

House Republicans will have their first opportunity to end this costly giveaway. To win, they need only to do nothing; the 99 weeks of unemployment are set to expire at the end of the year, automatically returning to the standard 26 weeks of unemployment (some states pay more).

Unfortunately, it looks like most Republicans missed one of the key messages of the landslide 2010 election – no more expensive giveaways.

Last Thursday The Washington Post reported that House Republicans plan to renew the expiring benefits program in a larger package that also includes an extension of the Social Security payroll tax cut. Perhaps it will be similar to a bill introduced by their Republican counterparts in the Senate, which extends the benefits but subjects them to means testing. Regardless, it will mean continuing to pay many people for nearly two years for not working.

This is a key test for the House Republican majority: will they listen to the small-government mandate that swept them into office? Or will they succumb to political pressure and advance a disastrous economic policy?

Barletta Rips Obama Campaign Visit

noreply@blogger.com (McGruff) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 19:14:00 +0000

In this Times Leader article by Jonathan Riskind Congressman Lou Barletta rips into President Obama for playing politics with his visit to Scranton, Pennsylvania today.

U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta said Tuesday he supports extending the Social Security payroll tax cut into 2012, but criticized President Obama’s visit to Scranton today as playing politics with the issue.

Guest speaker, U.S. Congressman, Lou Barletta, addresses the gathering at the Chamber of Commerce autumn Breakfast Meeting.

Obama

Obama is to make a pitch for the payroll tax cut extension during his speech this afternoon at Scranton High School.

Barletta, a Republican from Hazleton, said keeping the payroll tax low for another year is a good idea because “I believe that money is better staying in the pockets of American citizens than it is in the coffers of the federal government.”

But Barletta said Obama would be better served by staying in Washington and working with Senate Democrats to pass “some of the 20-plus job-creating bills that we in the House passed, and that are now sitting in the Senate.

Rep. Tom Marino On President Obama's Visit To Scranton, PA.

noreply@blogger.com (McGruff) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 18:43:00 +0000

WASHINGTON – Rep. Tom Marino, PA-10, today issued this statement regarding President Obama’s visit to Scranton, Pa., in the neighboring 11th Congressional District:

“A visit by a President is always exciting but today’s appearance has lost some of its luster because of the President’s poor performance in the White House.

“His lack of leadership and his refusal to do what is best for the country and his insistence on sticking to his worn-out ideologies and Chicago-style politics is clearly hurting the national economy and Americans of all walks of life.

“He delays making important decisions and leading at a time when we need a strong and reassuring President.

“One of the best examples is the President’s delaying of the Keystone Pipeline, a project that would immediately employ 20,000 people with the promise of 200,000 jobs down the road.

“A true leader would not table such an important project just to appeal to opposing sides of his political base. The question is clear: `President Obama, do you want to pander to extreme leftist environmentalists or do you want to create thousands of good-paying, union-labor jobs?’

“If the President wants to make a career out of not being able to make a decision, he should go back to the U.S. Senate where the Democratic leadership has refused to vote on important bills passed by the House including 20-plus job-creating measures.

“President Obama can do all the campaigning he wants but we in Pennsylvania have a good memory. We remember what he really thinks of us and how he mocked our respect for our religion, for life and for our Second Amendment rights.”

Boehner Visits Flood Victims

noreply@blogger.com (McGruff) — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 21:26:00 +0000

Barletta and Boehner Tour Bloomsburg Flood Area Just a year ago the political pundits were saying our area would have no clout in Washington if Paul Kanjorski was not reelected. Bringing the Speaker of the United States House of Representative to tour the flood damaged areas in your district during your first term is an accomplishment worth noting on both sides of the political party aisle. Lou Barletta deserves credit, I don't care who you are.

How Can The Democrats Stand For This?

noreply@blogger.com (McGruff) — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 15:14:00 +0000

Judge wins election despite money and ethics troubles

By Mark Fazlollah

Inquirer Staff Writer

Thomas M. Nocella is being sued over sale of VFW land.

Newly elected Common Pleas Court Judge Thomas M. Nocella credits U.S. Rep. Bob Brady - Philadelphia's Democratic Party boss - for intervening with ward leaders to put him on the ticket.

"He is the one in control," said Nocella, 67, rated qualified for the bench by the Philadelphia Bar Association, despite having been sanctioned by the city Ethics Commission in 2009.

He pointed out that he had done years of free legal work for the party and said the judgeship was his reward. "That's the way it's done in Pennsylvania," he said.

On Jan. 2, he will begin drawing a $165,000 judicial salary. Nocella welcomes the new income because there is a $358,000 IRS lien against him, the state says he ignored local taxes for years, and he has more than $1 million in debts listed in a bankruptcy case.

Vince Fumo was resentenced by U.S. District Judge Ronald Buckwalter last week. He tagged another 6 months onto Fumo's original sentence. In this Newsworks article Buckwalter sums up what is wrong with the Philadelphia political machine.

"I'll never understand Philadelphia politics. Not in my life," said Judge Ronald Buckwalter after listening to Fumo speak for more than an hour.

How in the wide world of sports can a Judge say he is getting $165,000 in salary for FREE legal work?

Yannuzzi And Graham Job Creators Leads to Continued Employment For Hazleton

noreply@blogger.com (McGruff) — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 20:09:00 +0000

In the City of Hazleton Municipal races for Mayor and City Council, Mayor Joe Yannuzzi and Councilwoman Evelyn Graham placed this ad in the Standard Speaker to highlight the amount of jobs both officials created in Hazleton during their lifetimes.

Yannuzzi created several companies that continue to operate today. Yannuzzi Inc., Yannuzzi Plumbing and Heating, J Distributing, and Crossroad Computers were started by Joe Yannuzzi and still operate today in some capacity. Yannuzzi Inc. and Crossroad Computers continue to operated under their same name. Yannuzzi Plumbing and Heating is now part of Zola's Plumbing and Heating. J Distributing is now YOU Trucking.

Evelyn Graham and her late husband, Seymour started Kama Plastics in the Heights Section of Hazleton. Eventually the company was sold to Alcoa who then sold it to Multi-Plastics, Inc.

The amount of jobs remaining in Hazleton from those business startups is at least 250 jobs.

Their opponents have no job creation experience or any adminstration experience. Grace Cuozzo has refused to answer the question surrounding her Social Security Disability award, however she has not held a job in decades according to her State Ethics Commission filings. Her inexperience in any management position as well as any elected governmental position cannot be ignored in applying for the lead job in Hazleton.

John Medashefski opposed portions of the Illegal Immigration Relief Ordinance that is very popular with most voters in Hazleton. Past remarks by Medashefski regarding the direction from the city's chief executive supports the following assessment.

Yannuzzi's experience and leadership speak volumes to the reason voters in Hazleton should re-elect Yannuzzi to the position of Mayor. Yannuzzi has brought the compliment of officers in the Hazleton Police Department back to 40. He has added two additional code enforcement officers and one health officer to help with the City's enforcement.

Yannuzzi announced that the deficit spending of the last few years has been stopped in the year 2010. It appears that financial results will have the city breaking even when compared to its budget.

Yannuzzi brought in the Pennsylvania Economy League to look at all operations of the City of Hazleton and asked for recommendations. Their overall examination will be reported in the future and can provide a blueprint to keep Hazleton's operations in the black.

The candidates will face off in a debate to be aired on Channel 13. Let's see if Cuozzo can act like a proper person and leave the name calling at the door.

Graham's accomplishments in the Hazleton area are too numerous to mention. Her generosity and committment to Hazleton residents make her re-election an almost certain victory.

Polling numbers for both Yannuzzi and Graham show significant leads, however they intend on campaigning right up until the polls close.

Sending Jobs Overseas To Cure Our Recession?

noreply@blogger.com (McGruff) — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 11:50:00 +0000

If you have been following Fisker Automotive and Vice President Joe Biden you would know this is his "darling" he enveloped with open arms. Fisker secured a $529 million dollar loan guarantee for its startup electric car company from the Department of Energy.

A venture capital firm financing Fisker includes former Vice President Al Gore. Oh, the price of the car, $97,000.00.for its luxury version and $57,000.00 for the mass produced vehicle. Now that's a price we all can afford. Remember, Barack Obama put a Car Czar in charge of Government Motors and the electric car,Volt, will only set us back $41,000.00. Yet, the Democrats call the Republicans "rich". What a laugh.

ABC news is reporting that Fisker created 500 manufacturing jobs in Finland to produce the car. You can read the story here.

Henrik Fisker said the U.S. money has been spent on engineering and design work that stayed in the U.S., not on the 500 manufacturing jobs that went to a rural Finnish firm, Valmet Automotive.

An investigation by ABC News and the Center for Public Integrity's iWatch News found that the DOE's bet carries risks for taxpayers, has raised concern among industry observers and government auditors, and adds to questions about the way billions of dollars in loans for smart cars and green energy companies have been awarded. Fisker is more than a year behind rolling out its $97,000 luxury vehicle bankrolled in part with DOE money. While more are promised soon, just 40 of its Karma cars (below) have been manufactured and only two delivered to customers' driveways, including one to movie star Leonardo DiCaprio. Tesla's SEC filings reveal the start-up has lost money every quarter. And while its federal funding is intended to help it mass produce a new $57,400 Model S sedan, the company has no experience in a project so vast.

What's that Democrats..ahhh...it's George Bush's fault, right. Leonardo DiCaprio??

American Flag Not Welcome At Olive Garden??

noreply@blogger.com (McGruff) — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 20:24:00 +0000

Pennsylvania- Maybe Government Needs To Go On A Diet

noreply@blogger.com (McGruff) — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 01:01:00 +0000

Three days ago the Pittsburgh Tribune published this article about tax revenue by Thomas Olson.

Pennsylvania tax revenue increases 6.2% over last year

If Pennsylvania's tax collections are any guide, the state's economy is starting to pull out of its recessionary slump, according to experts in Harrisburg.

Overall tax receipts from individuals and companies in Pennsylvania for the fiscal year ended June 30 increased 6.2 percent to nearly $26.5 billion, according to the state Department of Revenue. And taxes of $194 million collected in July and August, the first two months of the current fiscal year, were 5.9 percent ahead of last year's pace.

Today the Times Leader features this article.

Pa. state tax revenues lag expectations by $215M

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania tax collections are lagging $215 million behind projections after the first three months of the state government's fiscal year.

State Revenue Secretary Daniel Meuser announced Monday the state general fund brought in $5.8 billion from the start of July through the end of September. That's 3.5 percent below expectations.

September collections were $152 million less than had been estimated. Major categories contributing to the shortfall are corporate and personal income taxes.

However, taxes on liquor, cigarettes and table games are running ahead of expectations.

What a beautiful dysfunctional state. Jobs and sales of goods aren't leading us out of the recession. The vices are. They should just legalize prostitution and get it over with.

Maybe this is what they mean by tolling 80!!!

noreply@blogger.com (McGruff) — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 22:14:00 +0000

Federal Employee Benefits Outstrip Social Security

noreply@blogger.com (McGruff) — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 20:57:00 +0000

It is hard for public employees to understand why there is such a backlash by the private sector against their benefit package and overall work environment. On a federal level there are about 10 million persons involved compared to 54 million Social Security beneficairies.

ABCnews published this story that outlines this issue in a very succint perspetive.

The government paid a record $268 billion in pension and health benefits last year to 10 million former civil servants, military personnel and their dependents, about $100 billion more than was paid a decade earlier after adjusting for inflation. And $7 billion more was deposited into tax-deferred accounts of current workers.

In addition, the federal government last year made more than a half-trillion dollars in future commitments, valued in 2010 dollars that will cost far more to pay in coming decades. Added last year:

•$107 billion in retirement benefits accumulated by current workers.

•$106 billion in new benefits granted to veterans.

•More than $300 billion in the snowballing expense of previous retirement promises that have no source of funding.

In all, the government committed more money to the 10 million former public servants last year than the $690 billion it paid to 54 million Social Security beneficiaries.

Government employees will foster the argument that they work for their money just like the private sector. What they fail to understand is the liberties they have working for government agencies, holidays, personal days, sick day accumulation, payments made to remain off the government sponsored healthcare, defined pensions, etc. are NOT the norm in the private industry.

Obama just today announced he wants a federal takeover of the nation's power grid. Our nation does not need another bureaucratic agency with more employees that we can't afford through taxation.

Car czar, energy czar, count them; there are 32 czars in the Obama administration. In April Obama announced his czars aren't going anywhere. He won't abrogate his Presidential perogative. Although not a supporter the liberals don't have to look far to understand why the Tea Party was formed.

Hazleton Area School District- Poor Performance Continues For Years

noreply@blogger.com (McGruff) — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 14:32:00 +0000

In today's Standard Speaker veteran reporter Mia Light writes a story that Hazleton Area School District students failed to meet standardized testing benchmarks according to results released by the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

The Pennsylvania System of School Assessments test is administered every spring to every Pennsylvania student in grades 3 through 8 and grade 11 in reading and math; students in grades 5, 8 and 11 are assessed in writing; and students in grades 4, 8 and 11 are assessed in science.

The test scores, from the 2010-11 school year, are part of the data used to determine whether schools have achieved Adequate Yearly Progress under the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

Other data used to determine AYP includes percentage of student population that takes the test, school attendance rates and graduation rates.

In the Hazleton Area School District, where data from the 10 individual schools are combined to determine whether the district as a whole achieved AYP, the results were split 50/50 - results met the mark in five district schools and failed to make the grade in five others.

Hazleton Area schools that made the AYP grade include Freeland Elementary/Middle School, McAdoo-Kelayres Elementary School, West Hazleton Elementary/Middle School and, by default, Arthur Street Elementary School and its annex.

The state Department of Education classifies Arthur Street and the annex as a "feeder school," which means it contains only students below third grade and does not get tested for AYP. Because Arthur Street and the annex feed into schools that are held accountable for third grade PSSA results, the Arthur Street school and annex receive AYP results based on overall district results. Because the district's third grade met the thresholds in math and reading overall, Arthur Street and the annex are identified as having met AYP.

The five district schools where the AYP requirements were not met include Drums Elementary/Middle School, Hazleton Elementary/Middle School, Heights-Terrace Elementary/Middle School, Valley Elementary/Middle School and the high school.

At Drums, AYP was achieved in attendance and test participation but not in academic performance. Students there did achieve AYP in math and reading overall, but students in the special education sub-group failed to meet the mark in mathematics, which cast an AYP failure on the school's final grade.

According to the Department of Education, this is the first time the Drums school did not meet all AYP measures. In the first year of not meeting AYP, a school is placed in "Warning" status, meaning it fell short but has another year to achieve the standards before any consequences are imposed.

In July the Times Leader ran a story about teachers' ratings in area school districts. As part of the federal stimulus reporting the teachers ratings were released by the Pennsylvania Department of Education according to school district. The federal stimulus program poured billions into education and required measures be taken to reform the decline in student test scores witnessed nationwide.

The following charts, produced by Gary Visgatis and Mark Guydish of the Times Leader, show that teachers in the Hazleton Area School district received a 100% approval rating but student acheivement was not one of the measures used to evaluate teachers.

On July 16, 2011 the Standard Speaker published an article written by Mia Light about An investigation is under way into why test scores at several Hazleton Area School District buildings in the 2008-09 school year were "statistically atypical" and highlighted in a state report that questioned whether they were earned fairly. Subsequently HASD personnel suggested that a reporting error may have skewed that data although a full report has never been filed or reported to the public.

Hazleton Area School District was ranked 402nd out of 498 Pennsylvania school districts in 2011 by the Pittsburgh Business Times. The ranking was based on five years of student academic performance on the PSSAs for math, reading, writing and three years of science. The HASD was rated 368 out of 500 in 2007 by the same publication and went down to 401 out of 498 in 2010.

Hazleton Area School District board members and administrators need to stop the intense bickering, partisan degradations, and outright bullying of each other and get back to educating our children.

At the same time 94% of all Pennsylvania school districts made the grade on performance standards according to Mary Niederberger and Eleanor Chute of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. These facts should be an eye opener for the public.

Obama's Claim On Jobs A Myth

noreply@blogger.com (McGruff) — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 17:14:00 +0000

Obama plan would make small dent in jobless rate

Even if Congress heeds President Barack Obama's demands to "pass this bill right away" and enacts his jobs and tax plan in its entirety, the unemployment rate probably still would hover in nosebleed territory for at least three more years.

Why? Because the 1.9 million new jobs the White House says the bill would produce in 2012 falls short of what it's needed to put the economy back on track to return to pre-recession jobless levels of under 6 percent, from today's rate of 9.1 percent.

That's how deep the jobs hole is. The persistent weakness of the U.S. economy has left 14 million people unemployed and more than 25 million unable to find full-time work.

More on the Obama Campaign and A Stimulus Recipient Hosting a $25,000.00 Fundraiser

Missouri stimulus beneficiary hosting a $25,000-a-head fundraiser for Obama

Tom Carnahan is at the helm of Wind Capital Group, an investment firm that received a $107 million federal tax credit to develop a wind power facility in his home state of Missouri. In October, he’s scheduled to host a $25,000-per-person fundraiser to aid Obama’s reelection effort.

“At a time when Barack Obama is under fire for steering hundreds of millions of dollars in stimulus funds to a failed company linked to a major campaign donor, it is stunning that he would come to Missouri and raise money with another recipient of stimulus cash,” Smith said in a statement to POLITICO. “Sadly, Missourians have come to expect this kind of pay-to-play from the Obama administration. November 2012 can’t come soon enough.”

Please tell me how this scheme is all that much different than what Mericle did with Ciavarella and Conahan.

Democrats Block Disaster Aid Bill

noreply@blogger.com (McGruff) — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 13:19:00 +0000

Just last April Democrats were excoriating House Republicans asserting they were holding government hostage during the contrived government shutdown debacle. In a tit-for-tat move the Senate Democrats are now the "stonewallers" on keeping the government going by failing to pass the stopgap CR(continuing resolution).

In this latest saga the government is holding disaster relief hostage. Up and down the Wyoming Valley political pundits took jabs at Congressmen Lou Barletta and Tom Marino during the first showdown. It remains to be seen whether they voice the same opinion against the likes of Harry Reid and his cohorts in the Senate. Senate Blocks House Disaster Aid Bill

The Democrats are holding out for funding what they call an "Energy Department Loan Program". Well twist my britches in a knot and send me over the edge. The White House embarassment over the Solyndra bankruptcy announcement after backing it with loans(Obama administration agreed to Solyndra loan days after insiders foresaw firm's failure) this past week and charges it inflated the claim of green jobs (Fly a plane or drive a bus? Then Obama says you've a GREEN job: White House accused of massaging eco-employment figures) shows genuine chutzpah to make this issue a stumbling block to disaster aid.

Administration Defends Half Billion Dollar Loan to Bankrupt ‘Clean Energy’ Firm

Obama administration officials told U.S. lawmakers Wednesday that a contributor to the president’s 2008 campaign played no role in pushing the $535 billion federal loan to the bankrupt solar panel firm Solyndra, Inc., raided by the FBI last week.

However, one Energy Department official did not answer directly when asked whether he had direct communications with the White House over the loan provided through stimulus money.

Emails obtained by the House Energy and Commerce Committee appear to show that Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and Department of Energy (DOE) employees had expressed concerns that the process was being rushed – even as President Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and Energy Secretary Steven Chu were touting the California-based “clean energy” company as the wave of the future.

The Administration was warned back in 2009 about Solyndra but they threw caution to the wind with taxpayer money.

There's an even bigger problem that has been put on the back burner. Our government has not passed a budget in 900 days making these CR's a necessary evil.

Is it any wonder why this nation is so colossally screwed? Right now party leaders on both sides of the aisle are using this nation as a pawn in their political brinksmanship.

The amount of disaster aid needed to re-fund FEMA is a drop in the federal budget bucket at $ 7 billion when we are racking up multi trillion dollar deficits. Everyone in Washington knows that FEMA is going to get its money so get on with it.

Did anyone tell the leaders that 1 in 4 children in Northeastern Pennsylvania live in poverty?

One in every four children in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre/Hazleton metropolitan area lived in poverty in 2010, a dramatic increase over the previous year that came even as median household income in the region edged up slightly, new U.S. Census Bureau estimates indicated Thursday.

The jump was accompanied by a rise in the number of regional households that received food stamps, according to the American Community Survey, a census sampling of counties with population of at least 65,000.

"We are really talking about a huge portion of residents in Northeastern Pennsylvania who have trouble putting food on the table," said Teri Ooms, director of the Institute for Public Policy and Economic Development, a Wilkes-Barre-based think tank.

Families have lost everything, children are living in poverty, and Washington is quamired. They got molasses in their britches in a time when this nation needs action and compromise. The Democrats know they can't keep spending and the Republicans know that the government still has responsibilities. In that statemen

Clinton Tells Obama His Plan Won't Work

noreply@blogger.com (McGruff) — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 22:23:00 +0000

Foxnews is reporting that Bill Clinton stated raising his taxes won't solve the current economic problem.

Both sides in the debate on job growth and deficit spending are claiming an ally in Bill Clinton, the multimillionaire former president who has declared his willingness to pay more in taxes, but said that it won't help get the economy moving.

Clinton, in interviews over the weekend, touted President Obama's $447 billion jobs package as a smart move. But speaking with Newsmax, he criticized the president's deficit-reduction plan, which calls for $1.5 trillion in tax hikes to be collected by raising the rates on people making $200,000 or more and adding an additional calculation for people making more than $1 million.

"It's okay with me. I'll pay more. But it won't solve the problem," Clinton said, adding that the country shouldn't deal with increased taxes or spending cuts "until we get this economy off the ground."

Clinton also said that Obama "knows perfectly well the Republicans aren't going to be for" a debt-reduction package that raises taxes. He said he would advise Obama and House Speaker John Boehner to "go work it out. Meanwhile, focus on putting America back to work now, because it just confused Americans."

Following the interview, House Republican Leader Eric Cantor said he hopes Obama will "heed" Clinton's advice
.

Barletta Fights For FEMA Help Desperately Needed In His District

noreply@blogger.com (McGruff) — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 21:17:00 +0000

This Morning Call blog reports Congressman Lou Barletta has joined 70 Democrats in asking Republican Leadership to give FEMA a larger relief pool of funds.

Around 70 House Democrats sent a letter to House Republican leadership urging them to accept a larger funding pool for FEMA disaster relief. Among those Democrat signatures one name sticks out: Pennsylvania Republican Lou Barletta.

Barletta, whose 11th district was ravaged by recent flooding, said he has joined the Democrats because his constituents need the extra help. He described grown men and women crying on their front porches, their homes destroyed, possessions lost, wondering if anyone will help.

How much to supplement FEMA's disaster relief fund in the wake of Hurricanes Irene and Lee has become a major sticking point in passing a resolution to keep the government funded through November. At issue is this: The House Republicans want to pass a "continuing resolution" with $3.65 billion for the fund with offsets. The Senate has already passed a stand alone measure providing $6.9 billion for FEMA. Majority Leader Harry Reid has said if the House passes its funding bill and sends it to the Senate he will attempt to amend it with the larger FEMA pot. House Democrats are also planning to vote against the bill.

Barletta said he has not yet decided whether he too will vote against the House Republican version.
In the letter, the members write that "FEMA cannot begin full recovery efforts in areas recently devastated because of the lack of adequate resources." The fund is expected to run out of money before the end of the month. "We have an obligation to fulfill to our fellow citizens," they write. "FEMA and other federal agencies need the entirety of the Senate's bill to help suffering Americans today. Please prevent disaster aid from getting caught up in budget brinksmanship by bringing the bill passed by the Senate up for a vote.

In related news, Reid secured a handful of Senate Republican votes to pass the $6.9 billion FEMA funding bill. Among those Republicans was Pennsylvania GOP Pat Toomey. Reid will need those votes again if he wants to amend the House bill and there's no guarantee Toomey and the other will vote for it a second time around.

Vinsko The Country Cluber- Insensitive During This Crisis

noreply@blogger.com (McGruff) — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 20:05:00 +0000

If Congressman Lou Barletta put out a press release like this one the local media would be all over him. Pundits local and afar would be chastizing him for insensitivity in this time of such devastation and destruction to homes and lives in Northeastern Pennsylvania. He would be called a rich country cluber.

The Citizen's Voice announced on the VINSKO COCKTAIL PARTY.

The Bill Vinsko for Congress Committee will host a cocktail party from 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday at the Wyoming Valley Country Club, Hanover Township. Tickets are $125 per person. For information and tickets, call (well you didn't think I would really publish the number did you?).

Nice timing Attorney Vinsko. While he is enjoying the caviar and martinis at the Club people a few miles away have no heat, electricity, water, or sewer. Kanjorski built a campaign around Frank Harrison's junket while the giardiasis crisis hit the region. Look's like Tropical Storm Lee may show Vinsko what happened to General Lee in Gettysburg.

BTW Mr. Vinsko, this one is on me. Why don't you have the mandatory federal disclaimer notice at the end of this political ad? One would think an attorney would be up on federal laws concerning campaign notices but then again anyone who is part of Tom Leighton's machine seems to be able to skirt those laws.

Disrespectful Taste At 9/11 Ceremony

noreply@blogger.com (McGruff) — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 14:23:00 +0000

Her expression says it all!!

Paul Kanjorski Are You Done Gloating??

noreply@blogger.com (McGruff) — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 03:02:00 +0000

Citizens Blame Levee For Damage To Town

Many residents said they now plan to move because they’ve suffered enough.

By Steve Mocarsky smocarsky@timesleader.com
Staff Writer

SHICKSHINNY – Residents’ emotions in this borough of less than 1,000 ran the gamut Monday as they began recovery from Friday’s flood devastation.

One was resentment.

“I’m going to go to the dike (in the Wyoming Valley) and put a big sign on it that says ‘Happy 150th Anniversary, Shickshinny. Here’s your gift.’ I don’t care what the politicians say. These people know what that dike is doing to them. It’s killing this town,” Shickshinny Fire Chief/Emergency Management Coordinator Kevin Morris said.

Mayor Beverly Moore estimated 80 percent of the town was affected by flood waters that in lower-lying areas rose to the roofs of houses when the Susquehanna River crested at 42.66 feet.
Morris and others believe the Wyoming Valley Levee System north of them did its job – keeping the water within the river banks.

That is, until the waters pass through the system and hit downstream communities such as Shickshinny with greater force than ever because they can no longer spread out upstream.

“This may be the death of the town and it’s mainly due to that dike,” Morris said.
If it’s suggested that the Wyoming Valley would have been flooded without the levee, Morris believes fair is fair. “Let them share the pain. Why is Mrs. Smith on Main Street in Wilkes-Barre any better than Mrs. Smith on Main Street in Shickshinny?”

“I think this is the end of the line. I hope not and I’m trying to be optimistic, but there are a lot of homeowners who just said, ‘I’ve had enough,’ ” Morris said.

Cynthia Beach, 53, has lived with her husband, Doug, 54, at their 10 N. Susquehanna Ave. home for about 30 years, but they don’t plan on staying there much longer. Hit by flood waters five times before, the past weekend’s disaster was the final straw.
“We’ve been through it enough. We’re just tired. We’re not getting any younger,” Cynthia said. “The neighbors next door are leaving. They’re tired too.”

The Beaches and their children, Andrew, 22, and Joseph, 19, were able to get some belongings moved out before the midnight evacuation, but they still lost a lot.

“The government keeps promising this and promising that, and they’re never going to do anything,” Doug Beach said. “They don’t want to raise (a levee), so we’re just going to leave.”
“Or let them tear (the house) down and give us the money,” Cynthia Beach said.

A couple blocks north, Lillian Kresge, 85, sat in a lawn chair across the street from her home of 45 years watching her nephew, Aaron Jones and his son, Aaron Jr., wash her porch with a high-pressure sprayer.

As she looked at her mud-covered belongings on the sidewalk, her voice cracked as she fought back tears. “You think you’re all right until you sit down, and then you fall apart.”

Kresge has been hit by smaller floods before and has recovered. Can she do it again?
“I don’t want to. I love my house. I hate the thoughts of having to leave it. But at this point, I’m going to have to, I guess. We’ll see,” she said.

Kresge, too, thinks Shickshinny deserves a levee. She and other residents feel slighted, ignored, even in TV news coverage, Kresge said. “You never see anything much about Shickshinny. It’s like we don’t exist.”

Morris, the fire chief, said he and other officials began assessing the damage on Monday.
“Normally that happens a lot quicker because the fire hall and the borough building aren’t affected,” Morris said. But both took on 4 to 6 feet of water.

The borough set up an emergency command center a few lots up from the fire hall on West Union Street in the garage of Bob McDaniels. American Red Cross representatives made their first appearance in Shickshinny on Monday. “Everything we got up to this point has been private donations. Shickshinny area takes care of Shickshinny when it comes to something like this,” Morris said.

Holly Morris, fire company president, said there would be food and supplies at the command center and the Methodist church on South Main Street.

Mayor Moore, a nurse at Berwick Hospital, said she expected a tetanus clinic would be set up in the borough this week.

As far as relief in the form of a levee, Moore said she doubts Shickshinny will ever see one. “I honestly think they would buy out the town before they would put a dike down here,” she said.

Read more: http://www.timesleader.com/news/Citizens_blame_levee_for_damage_to_town_09-12-2011.html#ixzz1XtMK2VOO

Biden, Clinton, Car 54 Where Are You!!!

noreply@blogger.com (McGruff) — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 02:30:00 +0000

August, 2008 Now Vice President Joe Biden told us how his childhood left a lasting impression.

Joe Biden left blue-collar, bare-knuckles Scranton for the greener pastures of Delaware when he was only 10 years old. But Scranton, it turns out, left an indelible impression on him. Barack Obama's running mate has returned again and again to the city of his youth, where he attended grammar school at St. Paul's, learned politics at his Irish-Catholic grandfather's knee, and made friendships that have lasted 60 years. He's such a familiar presence here and in the Philadelphia media market -- which includes Delaware, his political base for more than 35 years -- that he's known as Pennsylvania's third senator.

That may be one reason Biden's on the Democratic ticket. In choosing a lunch-bucket Democrat, Obama hopes to capitalize on Biden's appeal to the socially conservative, working-class voters who populate Scranton and many other regions of Pennsylvania. Named for the late governor from Scranton, so-called "Casey Democrats" are a critical voting bloc -- and they largely spurned Obama in the primary, handing Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton a 10-point victory.

March, 2008 Hilary Clinton returns to her roots in Scranton.

Hillary Clinton begins her six-week siege of Pennsylvania today with an afternoon rally in Scranton, where her rough-hewn father, Hugh Rodham, was born to Welsh immigrants almost 97 years ago. Once a major mining community, the city now is best known as the setting television types picked for NBC's sitcom "The Office." Scranton, nestled in state's northeast corner, has embraced this reflected glory; as noted in a New York Times article last year, the publicity is a welcome change for a city "whose name never seemed to appear in print without the words 'hardscrabble former coal-mining town.' "

Paul Kanjorski thumps his chest over what he did for Wilkes Barre and the levee system. He failed to acknowledge the devastation and destruction the citizens are presently suffering at the fate of Tropical Storm Lee downstream because of that same system. Instead this tragedy was all about him.

Wilkes Barre gives thanks to God, Levees and Paul Kanjorski.

And Todd Eachus protege Edddie Day Pashinski had this to say.

But everyone should be thankful that it never failed, said state Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski, who represents the city. "I hope that people take a moment tonight and say a prayer and thank the Lord that that dike held," Mr. Pashinski said. "Those of you that experienced 1972 know what kind of devastation we experienced in Wilkes-Barre and throughout the entire valley. Ladies and gentlemen, we dodged a major bullet."

Oh yeah? Ask the residents in West Pittston and Duryea if they feel like they "dodged the bullet". How about West Nanticoke?? Downtown Shickshinny look below:

Flood ravages Shickshinny.
Doesn't look like the representative knows what dodging the bullet means. The bullet wasn't dodged Mr. Pashinski; it was fired at other communities.

And pandering Tom Leighton had this to say about Paul Kanjorski.

Mayor Tom Leighton ordered an evacuation of homes in flood zones near the river and the unpredictable creeks that run through the city. About 20,000 people fled as Wilkes-Barre prepared for a worst-case scenario similar to the wrath of Agnes, which flooded the city from River Street to Wilkes-Barre Boulevard almost 40 years ago. Had the city sustained a similar flood, the waters would not only have devastated homes, but also would have closed businesses that employ the 15,000 people who comprise the state's fourth-largest downtown workforce, Mr. Leighton said. But that never happened, thanks in part to former U.S. Rep. Paul E. Kanjorski's work to raise the levee system in the Wyoming Valley, Mr. Leighton said. "Without his hard work in Washington over the years, this valley would have been ruined," Mr. Leighton said.

Let's get back to the beginning of this post.

Where is Joe Biden and Hilary Clinton in this crisis? I know where Lou Barletta and Tom Marino are. Nough Said.