Gene Stilp To Seek Democratic Nomination in the 11th

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.

When Did Politicians Last Surprise Us — By Doing What's Right?

Credit the headline to Thomas Friedman, a three-time Pulitzer prize winner, but more on that later in the post.

In an Opinion written by Mark Guydish of the Times Leader he drives home a great point about the necessity of transparency in government. He attacks House Majority Leader Todd Eachus for his "utterly uninformative remark" regarding legislative staff costs to the taxpayer's of Pennsylvania.

Eachus said “Our personnel office uses industry-wide best practices and standards, much like other public or private organizations, for salaries, ranges and job classifications. Beyond that, we don’t discuss details of our personnel decisions.”

When did the hiring practices and procedures of public officials become proprietary information? Is Eachus worried that Houses of Representatives in other states will steal Pennsylvania’s “best practices,” thus taking away our House’s competitive edge? Are we – despite having the most bloated legislative staff in the nation – at risk of a legislative staff gap?

Todd’s utterly uninformative remark was pathetic party-line self protection. In a legislature where $100 million goes toward staff, the names and salaries of staff members already are public. Sadly, you have to ask for them, and as former legislative aide turned reformer Tim Potts noted in an e-mail: “Technically, all staff work for the caucus leadership, not for the legislators.” Which means legislators can say they employ no staff, and be telling the truth.

Back to Thomas Friedman. He penned an Opinion for the New York Times about politicians doing what's right. Freidman was talking about the mosque in New York. The Standard Speaker picked up this column where the headline reads "The real divide is among Muslims." Friedman describes what he feels is missing in our leadership today by using Nelson Mandella as an example of rising above the crowd.

When the post-apartheid, black-led South African sports committee moved to change the team's name and colors, Mandela stopped them. He explained that part of making whites feel at home in a black-led South Africa was not uprooting all their cherished symbols. "That is selfish thinking," Mandela, played by Morgan Freeman, says in the movie. "It does not serve the nation." Then speaking of South Africa's whites, Mandela adds, "We have to surprise them with restraint and generosity." I love that line: "We have to surprise them." I was watching the movie on an airplane and scribbled that line down on my napkin because it summarizes what is missing today in so many places: Leaders who surprise us by rising above their histories, their constituencies, their pollsters, their circumstances — and just do the right things for their countries.

I tried to recall the last time a leader of importance surprised me on the upside by doing something positive, courageous and against the popular will of his country or party. I can think of a few: Yitzhak Rabin in signing onto the Oslo peace process. Anwar Sadat in going to Jerusalem. And, of course, Mandela in the way he led South Africa.

Eachus has been missing the point of leadership for a long time. He wants to hide behind House Rule 14 which he and his peers made to say that Per Diems are legal.

He doesn't want to disclose what the legislative salaries, ranges and job classifications. Why Todd? We must continue to ask Why? Here is a man who campaigned against midnight pay raises. Here is a man who campaigned against WAMS.

In this Opinion article from Robert Swift he informs us that WAMS are still available for incumbent protection.

It used to be that you knew a WAM when you saw one. A grant announced by a lawmaker to pay for repairs to a municipal building, the purchase of Little League equipment or a hometown festival. In recent years, you could get a good idea of the amount allocated for WAMs by checking the "community revitalization" spending item under the Department of Community and Economic Development.

That spending item is zero-funded in the new state budget, but WAMs have migrated to other repositories: "community conservation and employment" funded at $24 million and "urban development' funded at $10 million.

As WAMs have spread out so has the debate about what they are. The market-oriented Commonwealth Foundation has identified what it calls governor's WAMs. Some suggest that spending where officials can exercise discretion about who the recipients are constitute WAMs.

In this press release Rep. John Yudichak is transparent about the fact that legislatvie leadership accounts have $200 million in funds. Previously John Yudichak stated the Legislature "has to put more on the table," including long-hoarded leadership accounts, which he figures at about $200 million and calls "a padded reserve to buttress leaders."

In John Baer's column in the Philadelphia Daily News Cut services? Raise taxes? Let's try something newhe highlights some ideas that are right for Pennsylvanians.

Any WAMs, says Rep. Gene DePasquale, D-York, "should be first to go . . . clearly before cuts to health care, education or environmental protection."


Rep. Bryan Lentz, D-Delco, calls cutting WAMs "a good suggestion."

Back to Mark Guydish's Opinion. Amidst exposure of ingrained corruption and outcries for true reform, such a move is a no-brainer.

Which makes Eachus’ statement insulting to anyone with intelligence.

Yudichak Leads Effort To Reform Pennsylvania Government

In this Pittsburgh Tribune-Review article by Ashley Mannings and Brad Bumsted State Rep. John Yudichak is credited with leading the effort to reform the way Pennsylvania government accounts to its citizens.

"This effort is aimed at making sure we do not repeat the past mistakes," said Rep. Eugene DePasquale, D-York. "We have a lot of work needed to get Pennsylvania back on track."

"Our freedoms and liberties, guaranteed and enshrined in the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, are under attack, and the threat is from within," said Rep. Curt Schroder, R-Chester County.

Schroder and DePasquale, with Rep. John Yudichak, D-Luzerne County, and Rep. Mike Vereb, R-Montgomery County, unveiled their proposal outside Independence Hall in Philadelphia.

"This legislation is a step in the right direction," said Vereb, a former police officer. "A Public Integrity Commission with law enforcement powers will be able to root out corruption and make government more transparent for all citizens of Pennsylvania."

House Majority Leader Todd Eachus first won his seat with the support of State Rep. Bill DeWeese, now facing serious charges in the Bonusgate matter and headed to trial. Todd Eachus previously said he was "proud" to introduce Robert Powell, now admitted criminal, formerly associated  with Gladstone Partners, many times at public announcements regarding the proposed Hazleton Cargo Airport. Todd Eachus previously stood at the podium and introduced now admitted criminal Greg Skrepenak at the proposed cargo airport press conferences.

According to a January, 2010 article by Brad Bumsted [Former staffer John Paul Jones said he was brought onto Eachus' staff "solely" to do political work. He said he had a "beard assignment" that he was supposed to be working on "alternative energy" issues.

"But you didn't study alternative energy?" a prosecutor asked him. "No," Jones told the grand jury.

Jones testified that Eachus wanted to spend "soft dollars" through state-paid public service announcements so the campaigns would spend less of their resources.

There were occasions, Jones testified, where he and another aide were called in to provide staff support so Eachus could make fundraising calls in his office.]

I wonder when Todd Eachus is going to lead the charge for reform and greater transparency in Pennsylvania government.

DeWeese Held Over For Trial

A hearing was held today concerning charges leveled against State Representative Bill DeWeese in the Bonusgate investigation by AG Corbett's office. DeWeese stepped down earlier this year as House Majority Whip as a result of the charges but refuses to resign his office. He won the Democratic renomination for his office by the voters in his district in the spring.

The Post Gazette reported that Kevin Sidella, one of his aides, testified earlier today about the magnitude of campaign work he performed for DeWeese at the expense of Pennsylvania taxpayers.

Legislative aide Kevin Sidella was disenchanted with his assigned tasks of arranging meals and car washes for his boss, state Rep. Bill DeWeese, and there wasn't enough legitimate work to go around.

That's why he took on campaign fundraising, Mr. Sidella testified this morning in a preliminary hearing for Mr. DeWeese, D-Waynesburg.

"There was only so much work to go around. There wasn't a lot of work left," said Mr. Sidella, who is testifying under a grant of immunity.

Prosecutors now say it was a crime for Mr. DeWeese to keep Mr. Sidella on state payroll while his work days were consumed with political work. Mr. Sidella said he maintained the campaign check book, provided talking points for Mr. DeWeese's fund-raising phone calls and dug up dirt on political opponents.

It is illegal to use state resources for political work.

As Tracey Mauriello reported this afternoon DeWeese's defense was "We all did it" mentality.

Asked whether he was concerned that political work was being done on state time, Mr. DeWeese told the grand jury this: "That was not unusual. That was part of the culture. Looking back it was wrong. We shouldn't have done it but it was part of the political culture on Capitol Hill."


Prosecutors said Ms. DeWeese's own words helped them make their case during a preliminary hearing today.

"The defendant has clearly admitted to the crimes with which he was charged," prosecutor Kenneth Brown said.

Mr. DeWeese's attorney, William C. Costopoulos, disagreed, saying the Democratic state representative from Waynesburg "has not admitted to any crime" and that the charges against him are politically motivated and petty.

Whether he is guilty will be up to a jury.

It's a wonder with that statement why DeWeese went to trial.

DeWeese encouraged his protege Todd Eachus to run for Tom Stish's seat in 1995. DeWeese and his cronies poured money into successfully getting Eachus elected and Stish ousted. DeWeese mounted Stish's parking space sign on the marble fireplace in his office, so in his words, "he would never, ever forget."

Funny how life has a way of biting one in the arse.

Here is a report from Brad Bumsted of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review outlining testimony concerning Todd Eachus's role in the Bonusgate matter.

In grand jury testimony, former aides identify him as aggressive and portray a politically ambitious lawmaker climbing the ladder in the House. He previously served as policy committee chairman and also chaired the House Democratic Campaign Committee.

Former staffer John Paul Jones said he was brought onto Eachus' staff "solely" to do political work. He said he had a "beard assignment" that he was supposed to be working on "alternative energy" issues.

"But you didn't study alternative energy?" a prosecutor asked him. "No," Jones told the grand jury.

Jones testified that Eachus wanted to spend "soft dollars" through state-paid public service announcements so the campaigns would spend less of their resources.

There were occasions, Jones testified, where he and another aide were called in to provide staff support so Eachus could make fundraising calls in his office.

From the Seattle Times: But Eachus told WNEP-TV in Scranton this week that he was shocked and saddened "to see colleagues of ours having problems. But I say this, that anyone who has created a problem should face justice."

Maybe the local Northeastern Pennsylvania media outlets would like to explain why this information hasn't made it to print here when it makes all the way to Seattle.

John D. Forester Jr.'s Take On A Full Time Legislature

Yesterday, John D. Forester, Jr. penned this opinion in the Reading Eagle of the Pennsylvania legislature's claims to being a full time body.

I have a full-time job.

So far this year, I've taken one week of vacation and a few personal days, and I was off New Year's Day, Memorial Day and Independence Day. Not to mention weekends.

Still, I've managed to put in 130 workdays so far in 2010.

That's a full-time job.

State lawmakers also have full-time jobs.

So far this year, members of the House of Representatives have worked a total of 46 days, while members of the Senate have put in 44 workdays.

That's a full-time job?

State Senator Daylin Leach(leech of taxpayers money) tried to counter that opinion earlier this year with an op-ed column of his own. He blasted the Bonusgate Jury conclusion that Pennsylvania should return to a part time legislature. Yes, at one time Pennsylvania did have a part time legislature. In fact Pennsylvania only had 100 representatives in the 1800's.

Recently, the Pennsylvania Bonusgate grand jury issued a report which has received a great deal of media attention. This report had nothing to do with the specific criminal charges against specific individuals it investigated. This report was an extremely rare supplemental grand pronouncement on the state of our government, along with numerous recommendations for restructuring the entire Legislature.

The methodology, conclusions and recommendations of the report are, in many respects, dead wrong.

But because the grand jury's methodology was incomplete given its self-appointed role as the re-inventor of state government, its members' factual findings were often inaccurate. And given that, the recommendations based upon those findings were, for the most part, ill-conceived.

They also say being a Pennsylvania legislator should not qualify as full-time work. Wrong again. Most legislators spend 70 to 80 hours per week, every week, at their jobs and still struggle to keep up.


Inaccurate information leads to poor recommendations. Sure, some of the technical suggestions, such as consolidating House printing offices, might have merit, but their broad policy suggestions would do great harm to our state if implemented.

For example, a part-time Legislature is a terrible idea. We make decisions affecting tens of billions of dollars in complicated policy areas such as transportation, health care, criminal justice and economic development. In some matters, such as abortion, the death penalty and access to medical care, our decisions literally have life and death consequences.

Of course Senator Leach is way off the mark with his comments.

Nathan Benefield, director of policy research for the Commonwealth Foundation wrote an Opinion in The Mercury making the case for a part time Pennsylvania legislature.

Ask Pennsylvanians what comes to mind when they hear the words "state government," and the responses will regularly include corruption, late budgets, cronyism, wasteful spending, and ineffectiveness. In a January Franklin & Marshall College poll, only 16 percent of Pennsylvania voters said the state legislature was doing a "good" job.

It's not surprising, then, that the idea of returning Pennsylvania's Legislature to part-time is gaining steam given the lack of trust in our elected officials.

With a price tag that's grown to $300 million, Pennsylvania's 253-member General Assembly is the most expensive (and second largest) state legislature in the country. It's also among the four most "professionalized" in the nation, with staff totaling nearly 3,000. For perspective, the legislatures of Illinois and Ohio — the states closest in population to Pennsylvania — have 1,023 and 465 staff, respectively.

The annual salary for rank-and-file Pennsylvania legislators ($78,314) is the fourth-highest in the country.

There is a direct link between our full-time Legislature and our state economy. A Commonwealth Foundation analysis shows a strong connection between legislative professionalization and higher spending per capita, a higher tax burden, and less economic freedom. Specifically, each increase in the level of professionalization results in an estimated $441 increase in spending per person, and a 0.4 percent increase in taxes as a percentage of income. For highly professionalized legislatures, like Pennsylvania's, the effect is five times those estimates.

In contrast, consider the case of Texas. The Lone Star State has twice the population of Pennsylvania and is four times the size of the Keystone State geographically. Yet, the Texas legislature meets once every two years for 140 days to produce a biennial budget. When Texas lawmakers need to deal with emergency situations or revise their budget, they return for a limited, special session. During its 2007 session, Texas' legislature passed 1,672 bills, while Pennsylvania's full-time General Assembly passed less than one-fifth that number.

Over the last two years, Texas has created more jobs than Pennsylvania and the other 48 states combined!

The Department of Justice gives Pennsylvania an "F" for its limited disclosure of legislators' assets, holdings, and related information. A December 2008 USA TODAY analysis of Department of Justice statistics ranks Pennsylvania tied with Florida as the 11th most corrupt state in the union (with 4.5 public officials convicted for every 100,000 residents).


Brad Bumsted of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review chimed in with his own Opinion this weekend.

In all, 27 legislators, former lawmakers and staffers have been accused of crimes since 2008. That counts the federally indicted Fumo and former state Rep. Frank LaGrotta, D-Lawrence County, sentenced to House arrest after pleading guilty to two felony counts of conflict of interest.

The Ories, DeWeese and Perzel maintain their innocence.

The surge in corruption cases, at least in the public's mind, hasn't yet reached critical mass. It will unfortunately take more charges before the public demands a complete and thorough overhaul of the Pennsylvania General Assembly.

Legislators have used state tax money as their own, creating an Incumbency Protection Program that has perverted representative government and robbed Pennsylvanians of fair elections.

The title of Bumsted's Opinion says it all "When will enough be enough?"

Brett Cott Sentenced In Bonusgate Conviction

Democratic aide Brett Cott has been sentenced to 21-64 months in prison for his role in the Bonusgate scandal that rocked Harrisurg, Pennsylvania's capitol according to Brad Bumsted.

Citing a "clear violation of the public trust," a Dauphin County judge today sentenced a former aide of ex-Democratic Whip Mike Veon to 21 months to five years in a state prison for stealing taxpayer resources for political campaigns.

Cott was handcuffed and led away by sheriff's deputies after Common Pleas Judge Richard Lewis denied bail. He was to be taken to Dauphin County Prison to be transported to Camp Hill State Correctional Institution for processing into the state prison system.

Defense attorney Bryan Walk said he will appeal the conviction and the sentence. He called the sentence "excessive" and said there are drug dealers prosecuted by the attorney general's office who get less time.


The sentence was harsher than even prosecutors recommended. Tom Barnes of the Post-Gazette wrote:

The judge said Mr. Cott spent most of his time that was paid for on taxpayer dollars "orchestrating and mastermining political activity." The judge said "public money was used like monopoly money to run campaigns. Some potential candidates were scared off by this taxpayer funded juggernaut. The public was also victimized."

He said probation was not an option because that "would demean the seriousness of the crimes."

In a related story AG Tom Corbett withdrew his subpoenas of Twitter accounts seeking to find the identities of two users who have been critical of Mr. Corbett on the social networking site.

Deputy Attorney General E. Marc Costanzo said today the attorney general's office had no intention of violating anyone's First Amendment rights to free speech by issuing the subpoenas -- he said they were issued for "legal reasons, allowed by law. They had nothing to do with bloggers or tweets of people."

He said the state was trying to show that harsh, negative criticism of Mr. Corbett, especially in the blog CasablancaPA, was "part of Brett Cott's demeanor,"' and showed that he had no "remorse or contrition" about what he'd done. He said Mr. Cott's demeanor was a proper subject to be considered at sentencing.

In the attorney general's memo given to the judge before the sentencing, 17 "aggravating factors" were listed, showing that in the state's opinion Mr. Cott deserved a strong punishment.

One paragraph reads: "Defendant has extensively and anonymously utilized a blog entitled 'CasablancaPA, Exposing the hypocrisy of Tom Corbett,' to deflect blame and deny responsibility for his criminal conduct, and to attack and malign the investigative and prosecutorial process which resulted in his conviction."

Most in the blogging world including SOP scoffed at Corbett's strategy on this one. Cott was convicted and awaitiing sentencing. "Squishing the bug on the ground a little more" wasn't going to serve a greater purpose for society. With Pennsylvania's budget woes due to a loss of projected income meant that AG Corbett should have been a better steward of the resources provided to his office. He may make the claim that these people weren't paid anymore money to file the subpoenas. But most know that there are only so many hours in a work week. If one spends time on this issue another more pressing matter is being forgotten or put aside. Next time Tom use your head.

Legislators Are Asked- "What Else Is Being Hidden?"

In an editorial by Tribune-Review's state Capitol reporter Brad Bumsted he asks the question "What Else Is Being Hidden?".

Testimony in the trial of ex-Representative Michael Veon et al by Scott Brubaker highlighted how the Rules of the House allowed illegal bonuses paid for campaign work to remain hidden from the public.

Brubaker, former director of staffing and administration for the House Democratic Caucus, talked about how a lack of specificity in the House rules on disclosing bonuses to the public was seized on as justification to keep the program "hidden."

The fact they paid out $1.4 million in bonuses -- off the books from 2004 through 2006 -- is scandalous.

Salaries, of course, are public record. If someone in the media asked for Brubaker's salary, you'd be told that he was paid $120,564 in 2006, period, not that he received a $15,250 bonus. His actual compensation was $135,814.

Brubaker's wife, Jennifer, who has also entered guilty pleas in the case, was paid $94,770 as director of the House Democrats' Legislative Research Office. But she was paid an off-the-books bonus of $17,750, making her actual unreported compensation total $112,520.

The secrecy was "exactly why we did it. You could get a bonus, and you didn't have to disclose it," said Brubaker. House Rule 14 didn't require that bonuses be publicly disclosed, he said.

"We would not report something we didn't have to report," Brubaker testified.

Right. Of course, you never tell the taxpayers how their money actually is being spent.

That statement by Brubaker accurately summarizes why Pennsylvania state government is regressive, insular and, to a certain extent, corrupt.

Here's the really disturbing issue: What other legislative expenses, not covered by Rule 14 or the Right to Know Law, are being hidden from the public now?

Amen and Amen. House Rule 14 begs for overhaul. It is the same House Rule that allows legislators to collect per diems on a per day basis not actual expenses.

Brad Bumsted Writes About Mike Veon's Trial Defense

Brad Bumsted, the Tribune-Review's State Capital reporter, wrote a critque piece over the weekend on the defense employed for Michael Veon et al in their misuse of public funds trial, aka Bonusgagte. Mike Veon brought in an attorney friend who uses theatrics to bewilder the juries facing him.

Dan Raynak is throwing up that is part rope-a-dope, part David Copperfield, part blame-everyone-else and, most of all, let confusion reign.

Prosecutors believe they can win if they keep jurors' eye on the ball -- the specific counts of corruption against the former powerful legislative leader. On a daily basis, Raynak is trying to take their eyes off that ball.

Distraction is the name of the game for Raynak, a powerful and commanding presence in the courtroom. Dauphin County jurors will either love him or hate him

One image is hard even for Raynak to erase:

Displayed on an oversized screen for the jury was a color photo of Veon and his staff, each with a big cigar in hand, attending a fundraiser in his district while taxpayers picked up the tab for staff travel.

Bumsted highlights in his piece a parade of witnesses that will surely tilt the preponderance of evidence in the state's favor. He makes the case that Raynak will have a hard time convincing a jury there is a conspiracy to convict Michael Veon et al. SOP agrees that it will be hard to sway the jurors everyone is lying except Michael Veon.

Veon shouldn't take that assessment personal. It is what it is. There are parts to Michael Veon that really want a person to root for him, but there is little "Kazoo" saying "He's guilty". Only time will tell whether the Johnny Cocoran in Dan Raynak will prevail.

Eachus Headed For Trouble??

While Steve Mocarsky was writing a bio on Todd Eachus's career over at the Times Leader Brad Bumsted was opining on whether Eachus was in AG Tom Corbett's cross hairs. I guess authors see things differently on each side of the state.

To be fair Mocarsky did write about Eachus's silence over the corruption investigation. Judging from the comments neither Eachus nor Professor Baldino have any fan clubs.

Baldino's comment:

“If Eachus was a serious player or integral as to what was going on, why wasn’t he identified when (former state Rep. Mike) Veon and the others were announced as major defendants? It’s curious to me why Eachus’ name is just coming out now,” Baldino said.

Evidently no one told Baldino about Michael Veon's Motion To Dismiss based on selective prosecution last year that highlighted volumes of emails about Eachus and Bonusgate. CasablancaPa.com devoted a whole post to this subject in August, 2009.

Baldino's claim of ignorance earned him the top spot in CasablancaPa's post today. Maybe Mocarsky can refer to him as "NEPA Nimby" Tom Baldino.

Baldino made the same righteous claims about former Senator, now convicted felon Vincent Fumo this year.

"If Fumo is convicted, it makes you wonder how many other senators knew of it, or minimally used staff in the same way," said Baldino, who, like Fumo, grew up in South Philadelphia. "It raises doubts of why someone didn't say anything about this behavior of Fumo." Then again maybe Mocarsky can refer to him as Ostrich Tom Baldino.

Last year when the Luzerne County corruption scandal hit the news Eachus withdrew his support for the cargo airport proposed by one of the actors, Robert Powell.

"It is clear to me that all the questions need to be answered of the individuals surrounding the project. I'm going to suspend my support until all the questions are answered,"

Mr. Eachus, did you ever ask get an answer to your questions?? More importantly can you enlighten the public with the dates and times you asked those questions? Or is it that you don't want any questions asked because John Q. won't like the answers?

Could there be two investigations going on at once?? Just wondering.

Pennsylvania Lawmakers Mortally Wounded In Budget Process

If you were a Pennsylvania Legislator things weren't looking too good for you this weekend. Here is a wrap up of the "accolades" legislators received on their recent budget performance.

The budget's done, but state's dysfunction persists
Sunday, October 11, 2009
BY LAURA VECSEY lvecsey@patriot-news.com

The budget nightmare is over. So how about a little entertainment, Pennsylvania?

A little word-eating?

How about a nice round of shoe-dropping?

These things are possible, according to Attorney General Tom Corbett, who has been promising more indictments of state lawmakers and General Assembly staffers.

What a fitting follow-up for a state gone wild should that shoe-dropping come now.

Lawmakers and staffers could be safely removed from their posts, and public attention is still aimed toward our "leaders," so there's no time like the present.

It's kind of like late-night TV. You want to be the show that follows Leno.

Not that House Democratic leaders Dwight Evans, Todd Eachus or Keith McCall are exactly in that same comedic category, but the stage is suddenly empty.

Analysis: State budget delay cloaks politicians in shame
Buzz up!By Brad Bumsted, STATE CAPITOL REPORTER
Sunday, October 11, 2009

Asked about the 101-day delay, Rendell said, "The process is screwed up, and the system is broken."


All the while, most lawmakers racked up per diems at $158 per day for food and lodging. The tab exceeded $532,000 for July and August, records show.

There's no penalty for legislators or the governor if they don't meet the June 30th deadline when a budget is required by law.

The budget has been late seven years straight since Rendell took office in 2003.

In early September, Rendell identified "Ideology, partisanship and laziness," as reasons for the late budget this year.

Some legislators said the 2010 budget is in line with what the public wanted -- no broad-based tax increase. But Matthew Brouillette, president of the Commonwealth Foundation, said the budget "taxes too much, spends too much, and puts Pennsylvania on an unsustainable path to the future."

Broken budget trust
Buzz up!By Brad Bumsted, STATE CAPITOL REPORTER
Sunday, October 11, 2009

Long-term relations between the House and Senate were severely damaged by the budget battle, casting a cloud over future action on efforts to cap electric rates, next year's budget and trying to stem the impact of spiking pension costs in two years.


In the interest of getting a budget done, new House Democrat negotiators, Speaker Keith McCall of Carbon County and Majority Leader Todd Eachus of Luzerne County, inexplicably signed off on the deal.

Both taxes, for the most part, hit Democrat constituencies.

McCall and Eachus faced a full-scale revolt in their caucus over those measures as well as a plan to lease state forest land for natural gas drilling.

So the House Democrats broke the deal and sent the Senate a tax bill that eliminated the arts tax and small-games tax. The House Ds put in poison pills for the Senate, taxing smokeless tobacco and cigars and taxing natural gas extraction. Those two were ignored in the final agreement.

Senate Republican leaders and Senate Democrat leaders, and Rendell, were furious.


They had hung themselves out there on controversial taxes. In the end, Senate GOP leaders Joe Scarnati, R-Jefferson County, and Dominic Pileggi, R-Delaware County, felt far more comfortable dealing with Senate Dems and Rendell than the House Dems.

In fact, they didn't want to deal with them at all. Senate Democrat leaders felt the same.

Eachus said they had no choice based on their caucus's reaction. That's true. But what galled the other leaders is that Eachus and McCall didn't come back to them and say, "This won't work. Help us out."

House Appropriations Chairman Dwight Evans, D-Philadelphia, knows how to do a deal, one leader told me. These guys don't.

The Pennsylvania legislature owes a duty to the citizens of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to be more responsible and responsive to the wished of its constituents. Instead it seems it is hell bent on perpertuating a political machine for the purposes of duking it out at election time. Until those in the top offices of the House and the Senate turn the tide and forge a new direction they neither earned the title of "leadership" nor deserve it.

Your size is too big; your staff is too big. It is time to do what businesses and families do when the money they used to earn is not there, consolidate, do without.

Remember the old saying, the pigs get butchered but the hogs get slaughtered. Your pay package is at that point.

PA Budget Cluster Cluck- Brad Bumsted

Brad Bumsted is a veteran columnist and the state Capitol reporter for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. His coverage of Harrisburg highlights issues facing the Commonwealth on a daily basis. His latest column deals with the inept process that still has the state waiting for a signed budget. Oh yes folks, just like Paul Kanjorski's statement to CNBC that a bailout package was reached when it was not the press announcement by House Leadership and the Governor are about as premature as a teenage boy experiencing a sign of manhood.

In the days of the late Jim Manderino and Matt Ryan, a budget agreement among leaders and the governor would be rammed through both chambers of the General Assembly within 24 hours.

Bleary-eyed lawmakers would be kept up all night to vote on a document they had been given just hours before.

Manderino, a Westmoreland Democrat, and Ryan, a Delaware County Republican, both served as speakers and floor leaders in the state House. They never would have allowed a proposed state budget agreement to hang in the air for a week while special interests and editorial writers picked it apart.

That's what's going on in this new age of supposed reform and transparency. With each day, rank-and-file lawmakers get more nervous about voting for the proposal.

There are no all-night sessions now. Surely that is an improvement.

But a budget agreement between Gov. Ed Rendell and the four caucuses in the House and Senate was announced more than a week ago. The delay is not a result of reforms enacted after the 2005 middle-of-the-night pay raise.

In fact, the announcement of the agreement in the dark looked a lot like the pay-jacking era. Not a single document was handed out to the media on details of the plan. Through last weekend and last week, legislators could obtain no details.

Transparency? It looked more like a plan issued by the Kremlin.

What was going on was they had reached only a very broad agreement and they were still negotiating on line items. Everyone was in a hurry to declare a deal because Pennsylvania was 80 days late on a budget as of Sept. 18. The state remains the only one in the nation without a budget. Today is the 89th day since the July 1 deadline for a budget.

At the news conference, they talked in broad terms about the plan. Some elements had been announced Sept. 11 by leaders of both parties.

The governor and leaders have no one to thank but themselves.

In another article Bumsted talks about the employee topheaviness of the legislature.

Pennsylvania is the sixth-largest state, has 4 percent of the nation's population, but features the largest legislative staff in the nation with 2,919 employees working for the House and Senate.

Why? The state Legislature is one of the most partisan legislatures in the country and because lawmakers -- at your expense -- have created a perpetual re-election machine with their Harrisburg and district office staff.

One of the problems with getting the budget on time this year was Todd Eachus and Keith McCall. While their party gave them the leadership positions the party could not confer the juice necessary to keep their caucus in line. As Brad Bumsted points out previous leaders knew how to round up the pose and get things done. Senator Mellow proved that point when he interjected himself into the negotiations.

Mr. Mellow was credited by Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi, R-9, Chester, as the catalyst for the round of leadership talks the past two weeks that led to the agreement. The talks started at the lieutenant governor's residence at Fort Indiantown Gap.

The young bucks need to reconsider staying in their posts if they really care about the citizens of this Commonwealth.

Per Diem, I Just Came To Get My Per Diem

At a time when a budget deal is announced in Harrisburg you have people like Brad Bumsted over at the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review highlighting legislative excesses costing taxpayers big time. In this article he chronicles the catering bills paid for our legislators while they collect their per diem, an allowance part of which is to pay for meals. It's not only double dipping but it demonstrates the audacity of our legislators to lavish themselves while people are losing their jobs or going without health insurance.

Try $680 at Papa John's on March 10, 2008.

That same day, the House spent $4,612 on food from Zia's catering.

They spread the pizza purchases around.

On March 17, 2008, the House spent:

• $160 at Monte Carlo's Pizza

• $1,351 at Brother's Pizza

• $690 at Papa John's

• and $936 at Mama's Pizza, according to House records.

That's $3,137 worth of pizza -- in one day.

At an average, say, of $12 per pizza, that's 261 pies.

For opening-day ceremonies on Jan. 1, 2007, the catering tab was $15,000 from Our Daily Bread in Harrisburg. Of course, a lot of family and friends were fed that day as well.

Catering from Cantone's restaurant in July 2007 was $9,750.

Zia's catering was paid $5,150 on July 16 of that year.

The cost of per diems for the House then was about $29,000 per day.

During the 2008 budget impasse (very short by this year's standards), the House fed lawmakers on June 29 and 30, and July 2, 3 and 4.

On June 29, there were catering tabs for $6,175 from C & J Catering and $6,964 from Zia's.

That was $13, 319, or $65 per member.

Staffers undoubtedly take their share, so the per-member figure probably was a lot less.

On July 4, 2008, the House splurged -- if that's possible.

Because lawmakers had to work on Independence Day, they pulled out all stops with a $20,550 tab from Premier Catering. There are part-time workers in the commonwealth who would like to make that much in a year.

It's double dipping, pure and simple.

On many other days when they receive per diems now worth $158, lawmakers eat on the lobbyists' dime.

Very few if any legislators reduce per diems because they're getting free chow.

The House comptroller has said that if lawmakers eat meals provided by the chief clerk, they don't have to deduct that from their per diems. If they eat out, they are supposed to do so.

Lawmakers who eat free are pocketing lots of money.

On former Rep. Frank LaGrotta's blog (lagrottablog.blogspot.com), the Lawrence County Democrat recently recalled a song sung regularly by former Rep. Gerard Kosinski, a Philadelphia Democrat, whenever the House took the master roll call, to the tune of "Maria" from "West Side Story":

Per diem,

I just got another per diem.

For coming to the floor.

And doing nothing more,

All day ...

Per diem ...

My goal is to save my per diem.

To eat and drink all day,

While lobbyists, they pay,

For me ...

Rendell's Political Speech Coming To Hazleton

Evening Sun Photo by Meghan Gauriloff

It was reported by Sam Galski last week in the Standard Speaker that Fast Eddy Rendell was turned away on two occassions by the Hazleton Area School District when his office tried to arrange Rendell to speak at a Hazleton Area School.

Superintendent Sam Marolo and school board President Brian Earley insisted that the governor's visit is politically motivated and violates district policy pertaining to political activities on school property. Sounds like a reasonable assumption to me.

The word on the street is that eight out of nine Hazleton Area School Board members have signed a letter asking Rendell to come to Hazleton to speak.

You be the judge. Here is what PRN/USNewswire is reporting on Rendell's visits across the state.

Pennsylvania's next state budget must adequately invest in education in order to avoid local property tax increases, Governor Edward G. Rendell said today during a visit to the Fort Cherry School District in Washington County.

The Governor cautioned that a budget plan offered and approved by Senate Republicans would force school districts to hike property taxes and cut programs.

"I am not willing to accept their budget -- which is already $1.5 billion out of balance, as the economy has continued to slip -- because it is counter-productive to turning around our economy," Governor Rendell said. "In addition, a failure at the state level to fund essential programs and services simply shifts the tax burden to the local level."

He visited Adams and Cumberland County school districts with this message according to HEATHER FAULHEFER at the Evening Sun.

At the press briefing at Bermudian Springs High School, the governor defended his proposal to raise the state's personal income tax from 3.07 to 3.57 percent for three years, saying that the increase would, in part, provide funding for education and prevent local taxes from increasing.

Rendell has proposed an increase in education funding by $418 million, while the Republican-supported Senate Bill 850 would keep basic education funding the same as last year, providing $5.3 billion in basic education funding.

Rendell argued that Senate Bill 850 would hurt school districts like Bermudian Springs, which would receive $1 million less in the budget put forth by the Senate than in his budget.

Bermudian Springs School District Superintendent Paul Healey noted that the loss could not be absorbed by cutting pens and pencils - programs and people would be affected, he said.

"We need a state budget that does not pass the burden onto school boards to raise additional taxes," he said. "We need a state budget that recognizes that our most important resources are our children, and they do not deserve to be a pawn in a budget battle."

Local Republican legislators argue that, when combined with federal stimulus money, Senate Bill 850 does provide increases to school districts, just not as large an increase as the governor's proposal.

State Reps. Will Tallman, R-Reading Township, and Dan Moul, R-Conewago Township, attended Rendell's briefing and later said the governor was using scare tactics to gain approval of his tax increase.

Rendell is singling out the Republicans, not just the Senate as an institution that passed Senate Bill 850. If that isn't partisan and political nothing is.

Superintendent Paul Healey is another buffoon. Uhh Paul what difference does it make whether the state hikes taxes or the school district? Sounds like you want to make sure your school directors don't take the blame, let's blame state lawmakers. Why would you want to do that? Because your directors already raised taxes in June by 5.4%. What did you say Paul? That was the fourth consecutive hike in taxes. Mr. Healey what is your salary? $120,120.00. Ain't that a hoot. How many people in this state make $120,000 per year?

Brad Bumsted over at PittsburghLive calls Rendell's propaganda tour for what it is.

Rendell's propaganda campaign lays the groundwork for an income tax boost by pointing out all of the "devastating" consequences of spending less.

Rendell Defends Another Big Donor

While not being quite as arrogant as Blagojevich he certainly resembles him in some ways. Brad Bumsted at the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review writes another story about a donor to Ed Rendell's campaign that received a no-bid contract. Is it me or was(is) there a hugh fury about no-bid contracts in Luzerne County? The amount of no-bid contracts by Rendell is evoking crys of "pay-to-play."

Rendell on Thursday strongly denied the allegations, saying the contract had nothing to do with campaign contributions.

F. Kenneth Bailey of the Texas law firm Bailey Perrin Bailey LLP donated $59,200 in cash and airfare to Rendell in the seven months before the contract award and $31,900 after the agreement was signed, records show. He gave $25,000 to the Democratic Governors Association.

Bailey did not return phone calls for comment.

"Ken Bailey would have gotten the case whether I knew him, or whether or not he had ever contributed to me," Rendell said.

On that note Governor does Pennsylvania lack qualified lawyers to defend the state?? Does the state of Texas get the tax dollars or the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania?

"This is huge pay-to-play. That's all it is," said Mark Schwartz, a former staffer for the late House Speaker K. Leroy Irvis, D-Oakland. A potential judgment or settlement in a pharmaceutical case could be worth "hundreds of millions of dollars," said Schwartz, a Bryn Mawr lawyer.

Bailey Perrin would get 15 percent of any award, but nothing if it loses the case.

Rendell and most of Harrisburg still don't get it. The public wants more accountability and integrity from its government. If it looks like a dog and smells like a dog we don't care that it was groomed. We expect and should be able to read that the values demonstrated by our leaders inspire us to act in the same way. What this lesson teaches us is money leads to an abuse of power and privilege.

Brad Bumsted can be reached at bbumsted@tribweb.com or 717-787-1405.

AG Corbett Getting Ready To Release Corruption Probe Info

Brad Bumsted over at the Pittsburgh Tribune-Reivew writes that an announcement is forthcoming in a corruption investigation unrelated to Bonusgate.


By Brad Bumsted
STATE CAPITOL REPORTER
Tuesday, March 24, 2009

An announcement is forthcoming on a corruption investigation involving the state Legislature, Attorney General Tom Corbett said Monday.

"We have something coming up that's imminent, that when people hear it they'll think it's Bonusgate, but it's not," Corbett told KYW/KDKA radio. "That's about the only way I can put it."

He referred to an announcement "within a few days," but didn't provide details. His office refused to comment.

Widespread rumors have been circulating but we will have to stay tuned to see where this information takes us.