Kanjorski Flip Flops On Town Hall Meetings

Back on July 2, 2010 Paul Kanjorski appeared on the Webster and Nancy show featured on WILK news radio. According to "Hot Air" he made these comments when asked about town hall meetings with Lou Barletta's response.

Last week the 13-term Democrat from Nanticoke was criticized and attacked for his statements about minorities and “defective” people. On Thursday, while appearing as a guest on WILK Radio’s “Webster and Nancy Show,” Kanjorski was asked if he was going to hold any public town hall meetings with his constituents.

“We will do everything we can to meet with people, but I’m not going to set myself up for, you know, nuts to hit me with a camera.”

He said often times “people can’t resist changing what you said or taking things out of context.” He said these “snippets” lead to “distortions.”

“I’m not going to arm my opponent with a baseball bat,” Kanjorski said later in the interview.

Kanjorski’s Republican opponent, Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta, leveled criticism against the congressman.

“Paul Kanjorski has been in Congress for 26 years and his response to our region’s 10 percent unemployment rate is to call his constituents ‘nuts’ and to attack the city of Hazleton,” Barletta said. “Do these so-called ‘nuts’ who attend town meetings fall into Kanjorski’s ‘defective people’ category?”

The voters have every right to expect Kanjorski to meet with them in their district to hold him accountable for his job performance. Whether that means “nuts” who want to take down his responses or just voters who are sick of the big-spending agenda Kanjorski supports, those constituents deserve Kanjorski’s time. If he feels above accountability, then he should find another line of work, preferably with those who share his unique perspective on “defectives” and “minorities.”

Kanjorski had no problem attending a town hall meeting sponsored by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority held at the Woodlands on July 8, 2010, just six days after the exchange on Webster and Nancy. I guess the prospect of a free meal was too enticing for Kanjorski to pass it up.

Rockin Traddy chided Kanjorski for his "Telephone Town Hall Meetings" back in August, 2009.

It seems that Paul Kanjorski is afraid of having a real town hall meeting with his constituents.

They are planning a "telephone town hall meeting" tomorrow evening at 7pm. You have to call his office to get on the list and they will call you prior to the meeting. You will then be connected in a conference call with him. Call his office and and plan to holler at Kanjorski with the Traddy.

What a wuss.

Barletta attacked Kanjorski in August over these taxpayer funded tele-town hall meetings and the carefully veiled mailers from his Congressional office.

In today's Times Leader Ed Mitchell, Kanjorski's media spokesman, tries to spin this issue claiming Kanjorski has held several town hall meetings during the current election cycle and all were open to the public.

The Times Leader e-mail archives indicate the paper received five of the six “media advisories” sent from Kanjorski’s Washington, D.C., office. Only one of the five advisories mentioned the term “town hall meeting” – the one held at the Downtown Scranton Senior Center.

None of the advisories mentions that the general public was invited. Each has a specific topic to be discussed by Kanjorski. The topics for the Sept. 1, 2 and 8 appearances were Social Security and health care reform law. On Sept. 7 and a second Sept. 8 appearance, the topic was the Wall Street reform law.

Shawn Kelly, spokesman for Barletta, said the meetings held by Kanjorski are not actual town hall meetings.

“It’s bogus,” Kelly said. “Kanjorski cannot go back in time and say that he held town hall meetings when he clearly did not. No matter what Kanjorski claims they are, these were not town hall meetings.”

In June, Kanjorski, 73, D-Nanticoke, announced he would forego the face-to-face town hall meetings for telephone town halls. Other congressmen across the state, mainly Democrats, also announced they wouldn’t be holding the traditional town hall gatherings in their districts or hadn’t decided if they would.

Kanjorski explained his decision by saying he has found that telephone town meetings can be especially effective because he can interact with as many as 8,000 Northeastern Pennsylvanians on a single phone call. On Wednesday of this week, however, Mitchell said Kanjorski had held six town hall meetings since Sept. 1.

“He changed his mind,” Mitchell said.

That came after Barletta’s announcement on Tuesday that he would hold five town hall meetings – one in each of the five counties that comprise the 11th District.

Commenting on the debate, Chris Borick, Ph.D., political science professor at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, said the term town hall meeting is not clearly defined. He said there is no set rule in Congress that defines what a town hall meeting is.

“It’s basically a matter of semantics. You can call a meeting with anybody a town hall meeting, but if the argument is that (Kanjorski) is not meeting with citizens in a well-advertised, open forum, then these don’t appear to qualify.”

Borick said Kanjorski has had meetings with certain elements of his constituency regarding predetermined, specific topics.

“As we’ve come to know town hall meetings in the last two election cycles, these don’t seem to fit the standard definition of what constitutes a town hall meeting,” he said.

Kanjorski's incumbency gives him the power to waste taxpayer money so he can reach his constituents voters surreptitiously.

At this link in the Times Leader article you can read Kanjorski's invitations. Read them. "Congressman Kanjorski...will discuss his efforts... For the past two years Kanjorski has been working on this legislation..." It appears to be the definition of soft campaigning at taxpayer expense.

This article from Queens Crap spells it out correctly.

“This is a persistent problem that the incumbent newsletters that go out ... are all about promoting the individual [and] much less about constituent service,” the literature is more about self-aggrandizement and evoking “warm and fuzzy feelings” than providing constituent service.

Whether it is mailers or carefully orchestrated meetings it is really about getting re-elected, not the taxpayer. In the old days if an elected official wanted to talk to the taxpayer the solon went to meet with Joe, not the other way around.

Paul Kanjorski And His Act 47 Cities

PA2010 featured this article about Paul Kanjorski's attempts to attack Repulican Lou Barletta's stewardship of the City of Hazleton.

The local focus, in campaign e-mail missives to reporters framing Barletta as a failed mayor, mirror efforts by Democratic incumbents across the country to localize races that Republicans prefer to play on national issues. Whether Kanjorski’s criticisms gain any political traction—and whether they will form a foundation for his paid media campaign against Barletta—remains to be seen.

From the Pennsylvania Legislator’s Municipal Deskbook, Third Edition (2006)
Municipal Fiscal Distress and Recovery

In an effort to address the short-term and long-term financial difficulties faced by municipalities in the 1980s, the Municipalities Financial Recovery Act was enacted in 1987. This statute, commonly known as
Act 47, accomplishes four objectives:

1. A state assistance plan was developed to aid distressed municipalities to restore their financial integrity while leaving principal responsibility for the conduct of financial affairs to its locally elected officials.

2. Procedures for a distressed municipality to file a municipal debt readjustment (bankruptcy) under federal law were updated.

3. A method was established to consolidate or merge distressed municipalities that no longer are considered viable with more viable communities. (Note: These provisions were later repealed and replaced by the Municipal Consolidation or Merger Act.2 )

4. A grant and loan program was established to assist distressed municipalities in paying their current operating expenses, thereby allowing them to use locally generated revenue to retire debt.

Act 47, in a nutshell, includes the following:

• Provides criteria for identifying distress.
•  Outlines the powers and duties of the Department of Community and Economic Development in assisting a community to alleviate its distressed status.
• Grants standing to numerous parties to request a determination of municipal financial distress.
• Specifically provides a procedure for declaring a municipality as being distressed and subsequently authorizing the appointment of a distressed municipality coordinator.
• Requires the formulation of a fiscal plan unique to the distressed municipality, which will enable the municipality to remedy its distress status.
• Gives the distressed municipality the option of formulating its own fiscal plan.
• Requires the Commonwealth to withhold all state funds except those considered absolutely essential when a distressed municipality refuses to adopt a fiscal solvency plan.
• If needed, authorizes a distressed municipality to file a municipal debt readjustment action under federal law.

According to the Pennsylvania State of Innovation website there are nineteen municipalities in Pennsylvania under Act 47. Four of those municipalities (21%)are located in Kanjorsk's congressional district and have distress determinations under Act 47- West Hazleton since 2003, Scranton since 1992, Township of Plymouth since 2004 and Kanjorski's own hometown, Nanticoke since 2006.

The City of Hazleton is not on that list. Mitchell's proselytizing statements about mismanagement are a desparate attempt to save his candidate. Kanjorski saddled Nanticoke with the failed Kanjorski center. Kanjorski was their solicitor from 1969 to 1981.

Here is an assessment by Kanjorski of Nanticoke's plight in 2003. "Nanticoke has definitely been going through a transition," he admitted. "It suffered, like all of Northeastern Pennsylvania, from the devastation of the coal mining industry, and that happened probably in the late 40s when gas and oil became standard fuels, replacing anthracite."

Kanjorski explained that the American trend of leaving cities for suburban areas is a factor.

"What has happened in Nanticoke is basically in transition from a thriving center core population to a bedroom city," he said.
The decline of Nanticoke's downtown is representative of what is happening throughout the U.S.

"I look back and think if I return to Nanticoke after 20 years, the downtown will have several new buildings, boutique shops and retail stores, parking to accommodate them, houses up to standard," he said. "(There will be) a high quality of life, and a periphery of jobs and parks around the community and new communities around those areas ... Assuming the area can attract the kinds of jobs and industry that will sustain this kind of growth."

Kanjorski said there are two very promising prospects for offices in downtown Nanticoke, which he said, is working on moving along as fast as he can.

There is $2 million in grants for Market Street - part of, which is a Keystone Opportunity Zone - which John Toole said, has been "sitting there for years."

"We've had a lot of plans for Market Street, and they just haven't taken off yet," John Toole said. "I always have people contacting me, and the (chamber) does too, looking for small or certain-sized spaces to lease."

Now Nanticoke is in a distressed financial situation. Kanjorski should e answering questions on what he is going to do about the plight of the cities in his district. After all he wants to continue representing them.

Paul Kanjorski should take responsibility for his role in their plight and concentrate on the situation in his own home town before he focuses on Hazleton.

Mitchell Wrong On Barletta Position Regading Social Security

In the 2008 race between Lou Barletta and Paul Kanjorski I wrote a post covering the misleading information that was coming from the Kanjorski camp about social security and privatization.

In today's Times Leader Bill O'Boyle's article points out that Mitchell and Kanjorski are bringing up that dead horse again.

The Lou Barletta campaign says U.S. Rep. Paul Kanjorski is once again lying about Barletta’s stance on Social Security, despite being caught doing so by an independent fact-checking organization two years ago.

Ed Mitchell, spokesman for the Kanjorski campaign, said the FactCheck report dealt with the 2008 campaign and not 2002.

“The real fact is in 2002 Lou Barletta came out for personal savings accounts, which is a privatization of Social Security,” Mitchell said. “He endorsed George Bush and ran on the GOP platform that supported privatization of Social Security. He held this position for six years until on May 27, 2008, he flip-flopped because he was getting so much political heat.

Here is the Lou Barletta For Congress political commercial from 2002 on the subject. It is found on the Libary of Congress website and now on Youtube. If you click on the Library of Congress link, click on Otober 28 then click on "Click to Enter Site" then click on "Have you seen the Barletta television commericals Click Here. Click on the one "I signed a pledge in a roomful of senior citizens that said I would not privatize Social Security."

This is the REAL FACT Mr. Mitchell.

Ed Mitchell is lying to you. Again- From The Barletta Campaign

I received the following release from the Lou Barletta For Congress Communications Coordinator Shawn Kelly.

Once again, the Kanjorski campaign is stretching the facts in a desperate bid to stay in power.

Kanjorski spokesman Ed Mitchell lied to you about the City of Hazleton’s pension fund. Mitchell said Tuesday: "Other cities have pension problems, but like the jobless rate, Hazleton's is the worst.”

Completely false.

Here’s what the Scranton Times published today:
“Scranton, compared to cities of similar size, has one of the most poorly funded pension plans in the state, the report states, while 55 percent of pension systems in the region are in some form of distressed status. … Scranton has $64.3 million in its pension fund, but obligations of twice that, $138 million, for a funding ratio of 47 percent. Any funding ratio under 50 percent is deemed severely distressed by the Public Employee Retirement Commission.” (“State: 55 percent of NEPA municipal pensions distressed,” Scranton Times, July 28, 2010)

Hazleton’s funding ratio, for comparison, is 52 percent, and the city is considered “moderately distressed” by the state. (“Pa.: 28 pension plans distressed,” Times Leader, July 27, 2010)

And once again, Mitchell lied about Hazleton’s unemployment rate.

According to the Citizens’ Voice, William Sholly, industry and business analyst for the Pa. Center for Workforce Information & Analysis (the center that published the unemployment rate Kanjorski and his spokesman tout), Hazleton’s high unemployment rate is misleading: “There were fewer employed people in the city of Hazleton since last year, but more people are in the labor force and so the rate can increase quite a bit, based on the numbers." (“Hazleton’s unemployment highest in Pa.,” Citizens’ Voice, July 7, 2010)

Mitchell continues to lie on behalf of his desperate boss, and reporters continue to report their bogus claims as fact.

I know it’s easy to get drawn in by the lies of Kanjorski and his spokesman. Kanjorski and his Mitchell-led spin machine are getting incredibly desperate.

Look at the facts:
• Kanjorski has represented this region for 26 years.
• Kanjorski took more than $4.2 million in campaign contributions from the financial services industry – the very industry he is supposed to oversee (Source: Center for Responsive Politics).
• Kanjorski’s failure to exert proper oversight led to the biggest economic collapse since the Great Depression.
• That collapse knocked billions of dollars out of pension funds, 401(k)s, and other retirement portfolios.
• More than half – 55 percent – of pension systems in Northeastern Pennsylvania are in some form of distressed status.

And Kanjorski blames Lou Barletta for Hazleton’s pension fund? How does he explain the pension fund situation in Scranton? Or Roaring Brook Township? Or Dunmore? Or Hanover Township? Or the dozen other municipalities with
similar or worse pension fund issues?

Kanjorski and Mitchell are trying to shift the blame away from Kanjorski’s failed policies and failed leadership – and they’re doing it by lying and stretching the facts about Lou Barletta’s record. They’re blaming Lou Barletta for problems that exist on a national and statewide level.
This isn’t the first time Mitchell lied to you, either. He lied about Hazleton being unique in balancing its budget and claimed that no other municipalities had to raise taxes or cut services. Think of your own coverage area – possibly even your own neighborhood – and you know that’s not true. More than that, it’s demonstrably not true.

We fully expect Kanjorski and Mitchell to continue their desperate attacks. I strongly encourage you to factcheck every single claim Mitchell makes, as he clearly cannot distinguish fact from fantasy. This is a very important race, and the entire Kanjorski/Mitchell strategy is to lie, to mislead, and to get media outlets to publish blurbs that can be used in television ads.

If you have any questions, please contact me.
Thanks.


Shawn

Ed Mitchell's WILK RANT

Yesterday on WILK Steve Corbett read an email sent by Ed Mitchell to him about Lou Barletta. Here is the response to part of the substance of his claims.

Fact 1: Hazleton is not nor can it be bankrupt And it is not broke either- Why? Have Ed Mitchell personally supply me with the bankruptcy filing for Hazleton. It doesn't exist. Wilkes Barre is in financial hardship and so is Scranton. Scranton's been in Act 47 for since 1992. Is Mitchell crowing about Doherty? Even Reading is in financial distress. Heck the country is in financial distress.

Hazleton's property tax millage is currently at 2.38 due to reassessment. Previously the millage was 25 mills with another 5 mills permitted by Luzerne County Court every year for a total of thirty mills per Third Class City Code. Hazleton was at 30 mills for at least 30+ years leaving it cash strapped over time with ever increasing costs.

After reassessment the millage was dropped to 1.4 last year. Hazleton City Council approved an increase to 2.38 this year. Since Third Class City Code permits cities like Hazleton to assess up to 25 mills it has a long way to go before it will ever be bankrupt or broke.

On the contrary unlike the federal government that can keep printing money Hazleton is trying to live within its means. It is reducing spending and laying off personnel. Their audit will prove those facts to be true for this year. They are not running up accumulated debt unlike Maryann Petrilla and theDemocrats of Luzerne County(last report $466 million), Ed Rendell, Todd Eachus and Pennsylvania( $40 billion or a 73% increase since 2002 ), and Barack Obama and Paul Kanjorski($13 Trillion and counting ).

Barletta found alternative solutions to prevent tax hikes before reassessment when Hazleton's tax rate was stalled at 25 mills by the same law for over 30 years. Imagine trying to run a business with the same income for the last 30 years(his tenure the last ten of those) while everything else went up. And he doesn't want to raise taxes although he and council were forced to this year just to keep the city operating.

It is true that property taxes were raised 70% this year but it amounts to $98.00 per $100,000.00 assessment and hadn't been raised for over 30 years. Since the average home in Hazleton is valued at less than $100,000.00 the impact is not as bad as it could be. Hazleton City government was sensitive to the burden it would place on taxpayers. Coupled with that tax increase was pending layoffs that will start next week.

Instead of raising taxes the City has an opportunity to sell the water assets of the HCA which is permitted by Pennsylvania law. Water rates may increase but they are going to increase anyway. There are too many miles of 80 year old water lines in Hazleton to prevent that from occurring. And the fiscal impact of water rates will monetarily be less than the tax consequences.

Fact 2: Citing the report in Hazleton's unemployment is totally inaccurate.- Why? The official from the state who was in charge of those figures stated they were misleading and should not be relied on from a statistical sense. "Sholly said the figure is a little misleading:" It should be no surprise that neither Mitchell nor Kanjorski would want to be honest about that fact.

Hazleton does not have industrial parks located within its boundaries. The Valmont Industrial Park, Humboldt Industrial Park, the McAdoo Industrial Park, and the Butler Industrial Park are all located outside its boundaries. The reason any figure on Hazleton is misleading is due to the residency of the people employed in those parks. Anyone working outside of Hazleton who is laid off would be counted as a residential statistic of Hazleton, not the place where they are employed
( "Data refer to place of residence ") .

That is the reason the government created Local Area Unemployment Statistics. In order for your statistics to be valid the sample must be broad enough to be meaningful, therefore it is better to look at a region or county. Here is a link to a state file that shows unemployment by county on page 12. Look at this chart located on the CanDo web page showing that unemployment in Luzerne County has been steadily rising.

Companies in those parks include ADM, Cargill, Hershey, OfficeMax, Nature's Bounty, Amazon, Quebecor, Autozone, and more. Those are national companies. The reason people are getting laid off is due to the national economy, not lack of sales to local merchants or customers. It is Paul Kanjorski and Barack Obama policies that are responsible for the national trends, not Lou Barletta.

Kanjorski made the claim that the stimulus program would create/save 7,700 jobs in his district when it was passed.

Any unemployment figure reported for Luzerne County or Hazleton for that matter is reflective of the ineffectiveness of the stimulus program to really create jobs. A look at Recovery.gov shows that only 131 jobs were created in the 11th Congressional district for the first quarter of this year. And the cost to create those jobs was over $329 million. What a dismal showing and hardly anywhere near 7,700.

"It's certainly is a very big stimulus bill, a very big stimulus bill, some politicians give you a lot less substance than their political rhetoric" I hear Clara Peller calling out to Paul Kanjorski "Where's The Jobs"?

Mitchell And Kanjorski Enjoy Heads In The Sand

In a feeble attempt to recover from headlines regarding Kanjorski requesting campaign contributions from those he regulates Ed Mitchell and Paul Kanjorski tried to deflect the criticism with attacks on Lou Barletta as Mayor of Hazleton in today's Times Leader.

What has obviously become their game plan for the fall Mitchell pointed to the financial problems Hazleton is facing at the moment. Is Hazleton facing financial problems now? Yes. Has Hazleton faced financial problems in the past? Yes. Is it likely Hazleton will face problems in the future? Maybe.

What Mitchell and Kanjorski have their heads stuck in the sand about is the fact that all over his district municipality after municipality are facing fire financial straits. Here are some of the recent tough decisions that elected officials had to make in just a few municipalities and counties in the 11th Congressional District.

Scranton:

Scrantonians would not face a tax increase under a 2010 budget released Friday, but holding that line would be balanced against city job cuts and increased parking meter rates.

"Obviously, we're in the midst of a recession," Mayor Chris Doherty said. "We don't want to increase taxes if we don't have to."

Overall, spending would decrease from $78.6 million in 2009 to $77.8 million under the new plan, so the pain avoided by property owners must be spread elsewhere.

Twenty-seven jobs would be eliminated under the budget, Business Administrator Stu Renda said, including five Department of Public Works jobs, eight vacant Fire Department positions and six positions related to the Single Tax Office.

Parking meter rates, meanwhile, would be increased from 25 cents per half hour to 50 cents, and the initial parking meter fine would increase from $10 to $20.. - Scranton Times, Nov. 14, 2009

WILKES-BARRE

Over the past four and a half years, my administration has made staffing cuts in every department, reduced spending and prioritized our goals to fit within the constraints of the budget. We have decreased the number of employees in administrative positions, while increasing the number of police officers on our streets. We have tightened our belts and done more with less.- Mayor Tom Leighton's 2009 Budget Address

It was Paul Kanjorski's PAC, Citizens For Action, that gave Mayor Tom Leighton $20,000.00 in campaign contributions for his race against Rep. John Yudichak. Donations are signs you support a candidate and his actions. Evidently Kanjorski has no problem with Leighton's layoffs but wants to take a hypocritical position with respect to Barletta.

DUNMORE

For months, Dunmore borough officials warned layoffs could be looming as a necessary cost-savings measure in the cash-strapped borough.

Those warnings became reality as council laid off both full- and part-time employees and consolidated positions, and combined some duties, which they said should save the borough about $146,000.

"One of the hardest things I've ever had to do was lay off people," council President Timothy Burke said, addressing the layoffs at a special council meeting Monday.

The Department of Public Works lost five employees - two full-time and three part-time, said Paul Nardozzi, DPW liaison and council vice president.- Scranton Times, Jan. 13, 2010

STROUDSBURG

Borough council members blamed rising costs and plummeting revenues for the 3.5-mill property tax increase in the proposed 2010 Stroudsburg budget on Wednesday night.
The municipal tax rate will increase from the 2009 level of 35.5 mills to 39 mills next year if the borough council votes to adopt the budget at the next scheduled meeting on Dec. 17
- "Stroudsburg proposes 2010 budget with increased taxes," Pocono Record, Dec. 3, 2009

Luzerne County has raised taxes.

The common denominator is that Paul Kanjorski represents all of these communities. Maybe it is federal actions or inactions that have helped to burden these municipalities.

Shawn Kelly, Communications Coordinator of the Barletta For Congress campaign makes the following assessment:

"Is Kanjorski is out of touch, or he is again stretching the facts to win an election?

"Maybe Kanjorski should take a lesson from Mayor Barletta and other elected officials in his district – unlike Congress, they don't spend money they don't have. When they have to lay off employees, they do so reluctantly; they don't hire more government workers the way Washington does.

"It's time for Kanjorski to stop attacking and start helping the municipalities and citizens of Northeastern Pennsylvania."

Ed Mitchell- When Will Paul Pay The $250,000 Owed To The DCCC?

In today's Times Leader Bill O'Boyle writes a column about Kanjorski's campaign money vs. Lou Barletta's campagin funds.

There seems to be on factual piece missing from this article. Boyle writes

According to reports filed with the Federal Election Commission in Washington, Kanjorski, of Nanticoke, has $952,233 cash on hand and no debt as the November general election looms.

In fact Paul Kanjorski owes a $250,000 payment from his campaign funds for dues assessed to him by the DCCC that has not been made. I call that debt.

If Kanjorski's campaign were to make that payment instead of $952,233 on hand the CFC would have $702,233. Since Ed Mitchell stated it costs approximately $100,000 per week to advertise on television Mitchell will only be able to buy seven weeks of air time.

“We’ll just have to wait and see what he comes up with,” said Ed Mitchell, spokesman for Kanjorski’s campaign. “Mr. Barletta claims to be a major fundraiser nationally, but it seems like he is lagging behind.”

It is a fact that Lou Barletta For Congress has raised more money at this point in time than in the 2008 race.

Kanjorski claims to be a powerful person in Congress.

Democratic leaders assess dues on members of their caucus, ranging from $800,000 each for top lawmakers to $150,000 annually for less powerful members.

Rep. Paul Kanjorski, a Pennsylvania Democrat who won re-election with 52 percent of the vote, has not paid his $250,000 DCCC dues despite almost $1.2 million in the bank.

So how powerful is he if his DCCC dues assessment is only $250,000 out of $800,000 potential?

As for Kanjorski's campaign money I point to a comment left on the O'Boyle article. (V)irtually all of Kanjorskis money comes from Wall Street banks, insurance companies, credit unions, and others that he is supposed to regulate. Aren't those types of conflict of interest what Kanjorski has been howling about with the fiancial institutions he claims need regulating?

Kanjorski Spokesman’s Statement Raises Concerns About Eachus’ Ties to Bonusgate

Tara Toohil - Eachus Opponent 116th

Press Release From Tara Toohil

Party officials calling into question lawmakers ties to state scandal

Hazleton, PA – Yesterday, Ed Mitchell a well-respected and highly influential person in the Democrat Party raised the issue of a local lawmakers ties to the Bonusgate scandal which used tax dollars to pay for campaigns.

Mayor Tom Leighton of Wilkes-Barre is also raising this issue. It is important to note that the individual they have attacked is not the only one tied up in this scandal.

Tarah Toohil had this to say, “Representative Todd Eachus is neck deep in this mess. Mr. Eachus has been called before the Grand Jury to testify on Bonusgate and he has refused. Some of the staffers that have been implicated in the scandal were on his payroll and as Majority Leader he has oversight of how Democratic Caucus funds are spent. Congressman Kanjorski’s spokesman Ed Mitchell and Mayor Leighton have done a public service by raising the issue and I challenge Mr. Eachus to come clean on his connections to the Bonusgate scandal. High ranking members within Eachus’s own Party are asking for answers and he should do the right thing and appear before the Grand Jury and tell the truth.”

U.S. Marine Stands Up To Barack Obama

This story is about one Marine and one Marine only:

Tea Party Marine Sticks by His Guns in Fight With Government and Obama
By Joshua Rhett Miller
- FOXNews.com

A U.S. Marine whose Facebook posts led to a refresher course last week on the Pentagon's directives on political activities is not running for cover as he continues to post or support material critical of the government and President Obama.

Sgt. Gary Stein created the Facebook group "Armed Forces Tea Party Patriots" four weeks ago to voice his opposition to Obama's health care overhaul. Superior officers asked the 24-year-old Marine to review directives on political activities before he was interviewed on TV, and Stein removed the Facebook group -- only to see it revived by a civilian member of a local Tea Party group hours later. Stein now serves as an administrator of the group, which has more than 9,100 members, including some soldiers on active duty.

According to Department of Defense directives, military personnel on active duty are prohibited from sponsoring a political club, writing anything that solicits votes for a political cause or speaking at any event that promotes a political movement. They may also not participate in any "radio, television, or other program or group discussion as an advocate for or against a partisan political party, candidate, or cause" or distribute "partisan political" literature.

Ed Mitchell Linked To Times Leader City Editor

There is an interesting post over at Pennsylvania Political Clouds linking Ed Mitchell to a Times Leader editor.

OBAMA/KANJORSKI ZERO PERCENT FOR SENIORS AND VETERANS

OBAMA/KANJORSKI ZERO PERCENT FOR SENIORS AND VETERANS

In a statement on his political website Paul Kanjorski blasts Lou Bareltta about the economic crisis?

So the next question is why didn't you do anything about the crisis, Paul? The financial sector collapse which your committee provides overshight led to the largest recession since the Great Depression. The financial stimulus has been a dismal failure. Ask car dealers about their sales since the end of Cash For Clunkers. Actually Cash For Clunkers would be an appropriate name for Congress at this point.

Paul, you rolled the dice becuase you thought we would be in recovery by now. Where's immigration reform? Where's healthcare reform? How come Congress voted itself a 6% budget increase while the Obama Administration denies veterans and senior citizens a cost of living increase for the next two years?

Sadly, it's Republicans who are rushing to get bills that will give an emergency COLA that might allow about $400 bucks for 2010.

Look at this article from the Dallas Veterans Administration Examiner. Have you had enough yet? Now, Obama cuts pension to WWII Veterans.

First, in March of this year, the Obama Administration proposed a bill that would authorize the VA to bill private health insurance companies for the treatment provided to veterans with regard to service related injuries. The White House claims the bill would save the VA over $500 million per year, but it would have a negative impact on veterans, and their families, who rely on the VA for their health care needs.

Second, the Obama Administration continues to refuse to exempt veterans who utilize the Veterans Health Care System for their health care needs, from taxes and fees associated with the proposed Health Care bills. Rep. Steve Buyer (R-Ind) continues to push for the protection of veterans.

Then there is the 2010 Cost of Living Allowance. On September 14, Rep. Walter Jones (R-NC3) proposed legislation that would give Social Security a COLA increase for 2010, although the CPI-W remains at 0. No word yet (unless I have missed it) if veterans will be getting the same increase, should the proposal pass.

“He believes that in today’s tough economic times we need a Congressman who has a record of fighting for veterans’ benefits, protecting Social Security and Medicare for seniors and pushing for job creation and affordable health care for all working families.- Ed Mitchell On Paul Kanjorski Sure doesn't sound like someone was pitching for the veterans or the seniors.



Is this the change we asked for? Are your taxes cut? According to this articleObama wants to raise them. When it was in his best interests Kanjorski was the one claiming he and Obama are the right team.

I don't think there is anyone who's has benefited more from Paul Kanjorski's seniority than Paul Kanjorski and his family- Corey O'Brien, Democratic Candidate For 11th Congresional District on Paul Kanjorski WILK Interview 10/05/2009

Ed Mitchell Admits Paying Camerman to Follow Lou Barletta

But does the story end there.

My peer, Gort, once requested in his blog that if anyone knew Lou Barletta's campaign whereabouts let him know and he would post it. I was almost tempted to answer that request from May 21, 2008. However, circumstances known to me prevented releasing information ahead of time.

Lou Barletta was confronted by at least five camera-toting persons during this election at any given time at his campaign office, City Hall, Funfest, Scranton City Council, various speaking engagements like the American Legion in Wilkes Barre, and fundraisers including one at Damon's in Hazleton(I will post a special story on this one) plus a private, invitation only affair at the Stegmaier Manson.

It appears Ed Mitchell was so desparate in his quest to get Paul Kanjorski re-elected that he allowed and permitted himself to transcend levels lower than a snake. His first political commercial proffered Paul was a family man with "middle class values". Ed didn't waste any time to destroy the Barletta family, the DeAngelo famly, and all the friends and employees involved with subsequent commercials. Ed, those are not the values my parents taught me. The first question to Ed Mitchell...Did Paul know you paid someone to harass, videotape, and follow Lou Barlettta?

I will publicly name the photographers that went after Lou because I have photographs of them to back me up. The first person to approach Lou with a camcorder was identified as Mike Quinn, a bartender at The Bog in Scranton. You can see his work as LoserLou2008 on Youtube.com. Unfortunately for Mike an employee of Lou's campaign readily recognized him when the campaign captured pictures of him. There's a CIA saying. Don't worry about who you are watching, worry about who is watching you.

Ed Mitchell made the claim that these people were only sent to fundraisers. As you will see videographers showed up at official City Hall business which had nothing to do with the campaign.

If you visit Mike's Youtube page you will see a girl who I refer to as Lucy Lu. She claimed to be an aspiring journalism student but, wow, did she have her facts screwed up. You can read a post on the Youtube site that expalins the meaning of that sentence. She was the second to confront Lou in her failed attempt to get a "gotcha" moment. It was curious that both of them throughout the rest of the campaign remained in obscurity.

One young man showed up at Scranton City Hall to videotape Lou during a speaking engagement. The campaign has pictures of him but were unable to identify the videographer.


The next person, who is featured in the Times Leader story, was Joseph Van Wie, part owner of Agapic Films. Ironically the company's first film was titled "Gentleman Jack." Mr. Van Wie filled out a volunteer card and asked for a yard sign as part of his infiltration into the Barletta campaign. Watergate comes to mind.

At the Stegmaier event Joe was noticed hiding in some bushes. Campaign personnel brought Lou's car around the back of the mansion to try to avoid him. When Joe noticed Lou was leaving by a different route he jumped out of the bushes and proceeded to chase after Lou's car. He shouted "Mayor, Do you think you are sexy?" I would say not Joe's brightest moment in filming.

One late afternoon Lou and Vince Galko, his campaign manager, were driving in Scranton coming from an event when they noticed Van Wie sitting at the counter of a local eatery. He spotted the car outside the window and pretended he was videtaping them with his hands. It was a light-hearted moment for both as each took it in stride. Lou and Vince both smiled and laughed at Joe's humor. Joseph Van Wie commented to Vince at one point in the campaign that his candidate was good because he was not finding the "gotcha" moment he NEEDED.

Here are two pictures from Funfest 2008 in Hazleton showing Joe Wie following Lou. Joe is seen at the immediate left of Lou's left shoulder wearing the yellow hat. Take notice that Joe was following Lou at the Funfest event, yet another example of Lou acting in his official capacity of Mayor of Hazleton. These pictures do not corroborate Ed Mitchell's story. At the end of this piece I am posting more pictures so the reader can get a real flavor for Ed Mitchell's lies.










If you go to Open Secrets at this link you will see a campaign expenditure for AGAPIC Films for $9,420.00. Let's hold Paul's feet to the fire. Paul, why would you let your media guy stoop to such a distasteful tactic? Lou's wife was with him at times. If you weren't a part of this I believe it is time you come out and say so. Otherwise, to me, you were as complicit as all get out. How is this episode going to play out among your peers in Washington? Was this tactic their suggestion? Did Nancy Pelosi grant permission for a tracker to be deceiving including wearing the opponents campaign button? Or was Rahm Emanuel the strategist?

In the next edition I will write about Accountability Moments, Michael Stark, and his visit to Damon's restaurant after coming all the way from Virginia.

Here are the pics.

Barletta Raised Over $1 Million in Contributions

Over a week ago there was speculation that Lou Barletta was in financial trouble according to a story in the Citizen's Voice.

In his typical Russian style propaganda Ed Mitchell was quoted in the article- "The spokesman for Barletta’s opponent, Democratic U.S. Rep. Paul E. Kanjorski, said the Barletta campaign’s denial of money troubles doesn’t ring true.

“Usually, when a campaign starts buying day to day, they’re having money troubles. You can spin it any way you want,” Kanjorski spokesman Ed Mitchell said."

According to an article that appeared today in PolictickerPA "The Congressional campaign of Republican Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta says it has now raised over $1 million."

While it may be true that Kanjorski will raise more money most of it will come from lobbyists and PACS that he owes favors or has performed favors. Google the Community Choice in Real Estate Act. You will get your answer why the National Association of Realtors have paid over $900,000.00 for Kanjorski mailings and television ads. In addition the association paid for a trip to Miami.

But there is real story in this situation that is not being covered. The Community Choice in Real Estate Act has been proposed every session since 2001 and NEVER PASSED! Paul Kanjorski and Ed Mitchell have been touting the influence and power that comes with being in Washington for 24 years. Evidently its not enough to get once simple act passed. Kanjorski should hang his head in shame for not delivering victory to the NAR. Of course one would think that the NAR would have a Plan B by now rather than keeping a dead horse in the barn.