With Access Comes Influence

Obama's First State Dinner: High Rolling Top Donors, Bundlers Among Elites Invited

"Obama's First State Dinner: High Rolling Top Donors, Bundlers Among Elites Invited"While millions of Americans sit in homeless shelters unemployed, liberals sit around the Thanksgiving table in the White House stuffing their fat faces at taxpayer expense, discussing the next TRILLION dollar "stimulus" package and how they will carve that up amongst themselves.
penniless_taxpayer Nov-26

Paul Kanjorski- When Are We Going To Get Help!!

Unemployment Rate 1999-2009 Source Bureau Of Labor and Statisitcs
Paul Kanjorski campaigned that his senority was needed in Washington. He has been trying to re-invent himself after narrowly winning his seat last election. Well, Paul, tell us when we are going to recover?

Kanjorski stood side by side with Barack Obama during the campaign touting they were "The Right Team." Kanjo said they "would fix America, tax cuts for the middle class, protect Social Security, keep our jobs here at home."

Tax cuts..uhhh NO...as a matter of fact we are hearing rumblings of tax increases
Fixed Social Security...No...Read what the CATO Institute has to say about the trouble Social Security is in right now
Keep our jobs here at home....No..Cash For Clunkers helped bring autoworkers back in CANADA.

According to Kanjorski's own website 143,000 jobs were to be saved in Pennsylvania with the economic stimulus package. Recovery.gov, the government run statistical database on the stimulus progress, lists just 7,427 jobs saved to date. Do the math; its only a little over 5% of what was promised. Congratulations, Paul, that puts us at 27th on the list of Most Jobs Created By State. Some seniority clout.

Look at the unemployment rate chart at the top. Right now we are at 10.2% unemployment with predictions that the rate will remain that high through 2010.

We need another term of Paul Kanjorski like we need a moneyless bank account. Oh, forgot, that's what we will get with another term of Banjo Kanjo.

Eachus - No Show At Hazleton Intermodel Dedication

On Monday, November 16, 2009 the City of Hazleton hosted a dedication of its newly constructed Intermodel Transportation Station. Dignitaries from as far away as Harrisburg attended the event. Even Congressman Kanjorski's office sent a representative which demonstrated Mayor Lou Barletta's non-partisan approach to this important occasion.

However, in his typical partisan fashion, Representative Todd Eachus failed to even acknowledge the event. You see that he, nor any representative, is conspicuously absent in the photo. Instead he chose to use his political influence and scheduled a hearing over Hazleton Creek Properties reclamation project, another Hazleton endeavour.

Eachus not only failed to support the mine reclamation project but he has tried unsuccessfully to rally the troops to oppose it. He scheduled that hearing at the Hazleton Area School District Administration building on the same day so he can't claim he wasn't in town. The reason Eachus could not show his face at the Intermodel dedication is his lack of any contribution to the project.

Toby Gruver, Deputy Secretary of Transportation, came all the way from Harrisburg to partake of this event. Eachus couldn't drive from Drums.

You will rarely see SOP refer to Eachus as Representative because he fails miserably at representing the City of Hazleton. Since he is a carpetbagger he has no real ties to the community he represents in Harrisburg. His political science degree steered him to the Hazleton area and he has used this district to foster his own political interests, not the interests of the area.

Eachus has lost his sense of what is really right for the people. The voters don't care about the feud between Eachus and Barletta. They want to know what is going to be accomplished for the region. When Eachus tries to tackle Barletta he misses the point that most of the electorate could care less. Only his backroom cronies revel in the fight.

As for the hearing he held at the adminstration building he came late. I watched him walk in. So much for really caring about the evironment vs. his real mission to have a dog and pony show. His acknowledgement of the long shoremen, Local 92, also went unreturned.

All's Good In the Media World!!!

Wilkes University President Tops Pay Scale Wilkes University President Joseph “Tim” Gilmour’s compensation has risen faster and higher than any other local president of the area’s five private institutions, soaring by 78 percent since his first year in 2001-02.

Were you ever questioned whether you had a B M while you were a kid? Check this story out. They are trying to figure whether B & M ever did the work according to its contractural agreement. Guess the investigators are "soiling" their pants trying to find the answer. Luzerne County paid Long Island-based B & M Investigations $35,000 to prepare a detailed report about background-check procedures, but county officials can’t locate this document.

B & M, which is being investigated by federal agents according to a well-placed county source, was contracted to establish pre-employment background check standards for all county positions, according to its county contract.

It’s unclear why the report, if completed, was never distributed to multiple county officials. B & M was supposed to evaluate the county’s current procedures and recommend a new plan that could be used by all departments, the contract said.

Top Headlines On The Citizen's Voice...The Whole Story In A Nutshell

Richards fired from county position
Toole postpones all November cases
Court mulls Lokuta's return to county bench
Attorney: Conahan's ties to chairman no conflict
County official's resignation to take effect next month

Is Pennsylvania's Legislature Too Big??

SOP has written about this problem numerous times. It's about time mainstream media agrees with SOP.

Breaking New- Attorney General Corbett Announces A New Round of Charges In Bonusgate

AP Photo PennLive Website
Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett announced that he will be holding a press conference at 1P.M. concerning a new round of arrests in the Bonusgate scandal.

SOP's information is that as this post is written the defendants will be turining themselves into District Magistrate offices for processing. According to a source close to SOP there will be a slew of arrests this round.

Pennlive is reporting that these arrests could bring to a close a 16-month grand jury probe of House Republican operations that sought to determine whether caucus leaders had used publicly-funded resources to support candidates and campaigns.

Among those believed to be targets of the investigation are former House Speaker John Perzel, R-Philadel[phia, his longtime chief of staff Brian J. Preski, and former House Republican chief counsel Brett Feese.

A source close to SOP stated that the investigation will be ongoing even after the arrests. Bonusgate will more than likely last past AG Corbett's term.

Update: Watch PCN Live which is carrying the announcement.

Update 2: Here are three links to the Grand Jury Presentments found on the Post Gazette Website" Part I Part II Part III Here is a link to the investigation timeline. Here is a link to a list of the defendants and the charges.

What I found interesting in listening to Corbett's announcement was his emphasis and slight chastise of the media for calling this investigation "Bonusgate." He distinguished between the actions of the Democrats charged where they used taxpayer money to pay bonuses for work on campaigns in contrast to the Republican role of using taxpayer money to develop campaign software and technology for campaign purposes. Corbett stressed that his investigation concerns the misuse of taxpayer money for any purpose other than a legitimate one. He reminded the media repeatedly that they tagged the first round as Bonsugate and that it would be up to them to label this round. So let SOP throw in the term Techo-Gate as a possible sequel to Bonusgate.

Corbett reiterated his position that the investigation is ongoing. SOP believes the same scenario of sending invitations to testify before the grand jury will precede the next round of arrests.

Mr. Perzel issued a statement before Mr.Corbet's news conference was over denying the charges.

"First and foremost, I am innocent of the charges against me," the statement said. "I have faithfully served the people of my district, my city and my state for more than 30 years, and I have never used public funds for my personal or political gain.

"Second, this investigation has lasted for nearly three years, and it's only now, on the eve of his gubernatorial campaign and in response to claims that he was unfairly pursuing only Democrats, that Attorney General Corbett has decided to bring charges against 10 Republicans, including me. It smacks of political opportunism at the expense of my reputation, and I am going to fight very aggressively to prove my innocence."

Asked about Mr. Perzel's statement accusing him of using the prosecution to boost his gubernatorial bid, Mr. Corbett flatly refused to respond.

"Why should I?" he declared.

Click here for a link to AG Corbett's press release.

Republicans Preparing For Bonusgate Issues...But

As previously reported here the time is nearing for the next round of Bonusgate indictments. CasablancaPA has been providing excellent detailed coverage of the "possible participants" in the Bonusgate tale of taxpayer wasted dollars.

However, the folks at the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review are relentless in their coverage of what could possibly turn out to be Harrisburg's biggest political scandal of the last 100 years. Brad Bumsted's excellent coverage extends to today's article about Minority Policy Chairman Stan Saylor's advice to freshmen on what to expect when the "General" files charges against current or former GOP members or staffers in an ongoing corruption case.

"I think there's a belief that Thursday is the day (Corbett) will bring down the findings," said freshman Rep. Mike Reese, R-Mt. Pleasant.

If you read the article it focuses entirely on Republicans since, to date, only Democrats have been charged in this scandal.

Hold onto your hats, folks. The Democrats are not off the hook by a long shot according to our sources in Harrisburg. Although there have been no reports of target letters it is SOP's information that a top legislator and the person he replaced as top legislator will be indicted. It is possible other persons in their offices will receive the same fate but, as of now, SOP can only confidently report that at least those two will be "invited to the party."

On the Republican side it is pretty much a forgone conclusion that former speaker of the House of Representatives John Perzel and his former chief of staff Brian Preski will be receiving a "present" as the General likes to term it.

Mike Veon, one of the original twelve indicted, brought up the names of Todd Eachus, Bill DeWeese, Steven Stetler, and others in his court filings. Word has it that those filings didn't go unnoticed on the 16th floor at Strawberry Square.

Looks like it is onto Bonus-Gate after Budget-Late in Pennsylvania.

The Real Heroes in America

Nancy Pelosi and the rest of her supporters don't hold a candle to these American Heroes.

One of the Biggest Alpha Hotels on The Planet

Frank Mocks Health Reform Protesters, Bachmann

Alpha Hotel Rep. Barney Frank took a swipe at Rep. Michele Bachmann for organizing a rally to protest the Democrats' health care plan.

Democracy or Mockery???

MoveOn Threatens to Push Primary Opponents to Dems Voting Against Health Plan

Moveon.org has reportedly raised $3,578,117 in contributions to fund primary challenges against 'any Democratic senator who blocks an up-or-down vote on health care reform with a public option,' according to an e-mail sent to group members on Thursday.

Has Obama Been Disingenuous With America

FOXNews.com
- November 06, 2009
AMA's Endorsement of House Health Care Bill Sparks Internal Uprising

Some AMA members are outraged that the group's trustees made the endorsement without the formal approval of the organization's House of Delegates.

Elected Officials- The Public Said NO!

FBI questioned former stadium authority chairman about Cordaro and concessions BY JOE MCDONALD (STAFF WRITER) Published: November 6, 2009 Times-Tribune

Lackawanna County agrees to keep prison vendor's public records secret and approves new contract By Charles Schillinger (Staff Writer) Published: November 7, 2009 Times-Tribune

Election results in question after voting machine glitch discovered BY BORYS KRAWCZENIUK (STAFF WRITER) Published: November 6, 2009 Scranton Times

Didn't the public makes its point correctly on Tuesday??

LaGrotta claims innocence in scandal (Bonusgate)The book is Mr. LaGrotta's description of what happens when power, ambition, arrogance and poor choices collide in a politically charged capital city.

And to those who say Republican wins in this area were a fluke

Republican wins may mark big change in Westmoreland County By Rich Cholodofsky Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

BTW,,pssstt...look for Bonusgate indictments anyday now and look for quite a few...not only R's ....

More Mellow Arrogance And Entitlement

Times Tribune Photo
While discussing certain politicians with a former Hazleton Area School Board member I was searching for the right description of their arrogant actions. Where is Steven Segal when you need him?

One local council member complained when he found out that he was losing his health insurance paid for by taxpayers including those that don't have health insurance. Term- Just More Entitlement

A state legislator will not listen to you when you talk to him. He already "knows everything" and WILL TELL YOU that even though you are the person with the degree in the area of knowledge his four year political science degree makes him an authority on everything. Term- Narcissistic Entitlement

A senator can pay himself an exhorbitant amount of rent and dismisses the situation as "No harm, No foul." In today's Times Tribune BORYS KRAWCZENIUK sheds light on Senator Mellow's campaign practice to routinely write checks to "cash".

Over the past nine years, state Senate Minority Leader Robert J. Mellow's chief campaign committee paid more than $188,000 in checks made out to "cash," without disclosing who received the money and, in many cases, exactly what the money was used for - despite a state election law that specifically calls for complete disclosure.

"The payments to cash" - an issue not unique to the Archbald Democrat, although his committee has issued by far the most checks to "cash" of any committee statewide - raise questions about the state's ability and interest in enforcing the state campaign finance law, as well as in whose pockets contributions ultimately wind up.


The cavalier attitude on the part of the Department of State as well as his campaign workers just demonstrates the type of insulation that politicians feel they have in the power of incumbency.

SOP is not surprised at the questionable ethics involved in these situations. There are no shocking revelations here. What is missing are core family values taught at an early age.

How many times did our parents tell us our actions are wrong? Their observations didn't mean, as children, we need to go to jail or be arrested.(Even Ciavarella found that out the hard way.) It just meant we needed to correct our behaviors.

Mellow's answer to his rental circumstances was "I did nothing wrong." When Todd Eachus is asked about Bonusgate he keeps telling people he "did nothing wrong" despite court filings that prove otherwise.

Power corrupts absolutely. We use the term power broker. The real power brokers are the voters but they just don't get it.

According to Rasmussen Reportsthe latest national telephone survey shows that 83% now view government ethics and corruption as very important, placing it just ahead of the economy on a list of 10 key electoral issues regularly tracked..

This is the first time since October 2007 that voters have rated ethics and corruption as more important than the economy. Voters viewed the two issues evenly in November and December 2007 before placing a higher priority on the economy starting in January 2008.

Last month, 86% of voters said economic issues were very important while 80% saw government ethics that way.

The new findings come at a time when 43% of voters say the president is doing a poor job addressing government ethics and reducing corruption, up five points from early September and the highest level measured since he took office. Forty percent (40%) now give the president good or excellent ratings on his handling of the issue.

Make sure you go the polls this coming Tuesday and exercise your right to rid corruption. SOP is not surprised by this statement in the Rasmussen Report. While Republicans and voters not affiliated with either party rank ethics and corruption as the most important issue, Democrats put health care at the top of the list.

Health care is an important issue but you won't get the right bill with the right provisions if you don't deal with ethics and corruption. Remember that promise Obama made regarding lobbyists in November, 2007, "lobbyists won't find a job in my White House". It didn't take much time for his rule to reach reality for him to break that promise. He changed the name from White House to Open House with noted celebreties and lobbyists given access.

It is no wonder that politicians like Eachus and Mellow snub their noses at the constituency. Power equals privilege. Tuesday teach politicians that the privilege only starts if the voters allow it.