Pennsylvania Needs Less Spending Not More Revenue

If You Tax It They Will Leave

by Lowman S. Henry,
CEO, Lincoln Institute of Public Opinion Research



"If you want to go to work you can find a job."

How many places in Pennsylvania, in fact in America can make that boast? They can in Bradford County where County Commissioner Doug McLinko explains that drilling for gas in the Marcellus Shale deposit has been an economic boom for his region — this while the rest of the nation suffers through the biggest recession since the Great Depression.

One reason for the boom is that Pennsylvania has not killed off the still developing natural gas industry by enacting a severance tax that would make the activity less profitable and choke off or at least slow down the economic development which is currently taking place. But, there is growing political pressure to enact additional taxes on gas drillers.

It should be pointed out that the companies drilling in the Marcellus Shale region are already paying every tax that is levied on every other business in the state. Severance tax supporters portray the gas companies as virtual robber barons who are pillaging Penn's Woods natural resources and paying nothing for the privilege. That is simply not true. Pennsylvania has some of the highest corporate taxes in the nation. In fact we are the only state to impose both a Corporate Net Income Tax and a Capital Stock and Franchise Tax. The oppressive nature of the commonwealth's taxes is one reason why our economy has struggled in recent decades.

Proposed steep cuts in K-12 public education and state support for higher education have added to the pressure for enactment of a severance tax. But the education community in Pennsylvania has been living high off the hog for many years, receiving budget increases far above the rate of inflation during both good times and bad. The education establishment finally got too greedy by attempting to incorporate temporary federal stimulus money into its funding base, and now must deal with budget cuts.

The two issues should not be intermingled. No one industry in Pennsylvania should be singled out to pay for the overspending by state government in education and other areas. To over-tax gas drilling would simply put the brakes on development of the resource. The result of that would be a steep decline in the taxes they already pay, essentially negating the revenue from the severance tax. It is all rather academic, however, as Governor Tom Corbett has pledged not to raise taxes. Just last week, as the Marcellus Shale Commission began its work, Lt. Governor Jim Cawley stated flatly: "A severance tax is off the table."

But possible impact fees are on the table. The danger is that impact fees could become a Trojan horse for implementing a state tax. There is logic behind the state empowering counties and municipalities in the Marcellus Shale region to impose impact fees to mitigate local infrastructure and environmental damage. Such taxing decisions should be made locally, by county commissioners and township supervisors, with the money flowing into their coffers not into the abyss in Harrisburg.

Some at the capitol are already preparing to try and grab a share of the treasure. A spokesman for Senate President Pro Tempore Joseph Scarnati is suggesting impact fees include funding for the state's Growing Greener initiative. When an impact fee bill begins its trip through the legislative process look for others to add their favored projects or programs to the proposed law. In an era of cuts, lawmakers will circle this bill like starving buzzards above a carcass.

If a bill gets larded up with anything other than a local option impact fee it will certainly invite a gubernatorial veto. Levying an impact fee with any portion of the proceeds going to the state would be a clear violation of the governor's no new taxes pledge. Allowing counties and municipalities to assess fees dedicated solely for restoring infrastructure damage is not.

The problem is leadership in the state senate still ascribes to the old school thinking that Pennsylvania has a revenue problem. Tom Corbett, having come to power in the age of the Tea party, understands that we have a spending problem. That is why he has not singled out one industry for extra taxation, and proposed a budget that spends within our means. Given that the old tax and spend mentality got us into the current fiscal mess, the time has come to try Corbett's different approach.

(Lowman S. Henry is Chairman & CEO of the Lincoln Institute and host of the weekly Lincoln Radio Journal. His e-mail address is lhenry@lincolninstitute.org.)

Obama And Pelosi Sending More Jobs Overseas

In an interview with Diane Sawyer soon-to-be former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she was proud about the work she did on healthcare reform.

Allies and critics say Pelosi's legacy will be as much about the position she held as the sweeping agenda that she pursue.

From the Capitol, she led her party's efforts to overhaul the health care system, increase the minimum wage, reform the regulation of Wall Street and stimulate the economy. At times Pelosi pushed through intense Republican opposition.

Asked to assess her tenure, Pelosi quickly answered, "Job well done."

As part of the stimulus bill the Democrats pushed for electronic medical records. Americans were warned about the consequences of such a move.


The U.S. Senate on Tuesday approved an $838 billion "stimulus" bill by a 61-37 vote, capping more than a week of political sparring between critics of the measure and President Obama, who claimed during a press conference that an "economic emergency" made it necessary.

What didn't come up during the president's first press conference was how one section of the convoluted legislation--it's approximately 800 pages total--is intended to radically reshape the nation's medical system by having the government establish computerized medical records that would follow each American from birth to death.

Billions will be handed to companies creating these databases. Billions will be handed to universities to incorporate patient databases "into the initial and ongoing training of health professionals." There's a mention of future "smart card functionality."

Yet nowhere in this 140-page portion of the legislation does the government anticipate that some Americans may not want their medical histories electronically stored, shared, and searchable. Although a single paragraph promises that data-sharing will "be voluntary," there's no obvious way to opt out.

"Without those protections, Americans' electronic health records could be shared--without their consent--with over 600,000 covered entities through the forthcoming nationally linked electronic health records network," said Sue Blevins, president of the Institute for Health Freedom, a nonprofit group that advocates health care privacy.

The Wall Street Journal published an article today showing that Americans' fears may come true.

Indian technology companies are eyeing a coming wave of U.S. spending to digitize health-care records. But sensitivity over outsourcing and resistance by American hospitals to sending medical information overseas could thwart efforts to win big contracts.

The U.S. government next year will begin to dole out billions of dollars to health-care providers who adopt electronic medical records. Doctors also face a federal mandate to upgrade software as the U.S. switches to a new system of insurance billing codes.

For Indian companies with experience in software outsourcing, the flurry of health-related tech spending in the U.S. is "like another Y2K opportunity," says Pradep Nair, head of the health-care practice at New Delhi's HCL Technologies Ltd., referring to the turn-of-the-millennium computer glitch that provided work for Indian tech firms.

Some health-care providers are reluctant to send some patient information overseas, however. "As soon as it leaves the confines of the U.S., it's not subject to the same rigorous laws as we are," says George Conklin, chief information officer of Christus Health, an Irving, Texas, operator of more than 40 hospitals in six states. He says he has sent offshore only management of a small number of systems that strip out personal information, such as one that hospital staffers can use to identify departmental trends.

The article goes on to state how tough it is for Indian firms to attract the work but with $50 billion at stake you know they aren't going away anytime soon.

Obamanation Spending

So much for blaming Bush for the money spent on the Iraq War. It gets tiring to hear the same old whining. Bush is gone. Obama is in the present. Here is a story from the New York Post.


It was an $800 billion misadventure that will be wreaking havoc on the economy for years to come.

No, not the war in Iraq, where an American combat-troop presence officially comes to an end tomorrow.

We're talking about President Obama's economic-stimulus program.

Remember the stimulus? The miracle cure Obama said would boost the economy and save millions of jobs?

Well, the president's panacea turned out to be an $862 billion bottle of snake oil -- and it cost $100 billion more than the entire Iraq campaign to date.

According to the Congressional Budget Office, the total Iraq tab comes to $709 billion this month, a costly engagement in terms of treasure.

But as Randall Hoven points out on the American Thinker Web site and in the nearby chart, the war made up just 3.2 percent of federal spending while the fight raged. Leave it to the feds to make $700 billion look like a drop in the ocean.

And it accounts for less than 15 percent of the overall deficit since it began in 2003.

In fact, the war is to blame for a majority of the deficit only in 2007, when the US launched its surge, a brilliant success that changed the war. (If only all federal spending were as effective.)

Meanwhile, despite assurances that the stimulus would be "timely, targeted and temporary," Americans will be paying for some of it well into 2019.

Even with that vast, taxpayer-funded infusion, the economy remains stagnant, with unemployment pushing hard against 10 percent.

As Bush adviser Lawrence Lindsey wrote, "the actual performance of the economy is almost exactly what [Obama White House advisers] said would happen if we had done nothing."

But the beat goes on, and some of the more popular stimulus programs look likely to be made permanent -- in which case, the "temporary" fix could end up costing more than $3.2 trillion.

That's big bucks.

We want to know: Where's the bang?

Kanjorski And Carney Send Jobs Overseas

In his desperate attack on Lou Barletta Congressman Paul Kanjorski claims that Barletta favors tax breaks for companies sending jobs overseas. Hold one, I am laughing so hard I need to get up off the floor. Let's not leave Chris Carney off the hook either.

Barack Obama has been sending stimulus money to China. Even his own party people are begging him to stop.

"Today, we are demanding the Obama administration suspend this program immediately," said Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

The program has already spent $2 billion, funding enough projects to power 2.4 million homes. Any wind farm created in the U.S. is eligible for stimulus money to put up wind turbines, regardless of where those massive structures are made. Each turbine costs about $3 million, and reaches 40 stories into the sky.

An investigation by ABC News and the Investigative Reporting Workshop found that 79 percent of the program's money has gone to foreign companies, money that Schumer said was "federal tax dollars, the stimulus, which was sold as jobs in America."

The senators are especially alarmed about a project highlighted by ABC News in West Texas that uses turbines manufactured in China. The Texas wind farm is eligible for up to $450 million in stimulus funds.

The frustrated senators are concerned, though, that some of the money is also paying for manufacturing jobs in China, and they are pushing a bill requiring that stimulus projects create jobs in the United States. They want the wind energy program stopped before the Chinese turbine manufacturers can collect any money.

Obama's actions were met with such criticism that "Green" jobs are no longer on his agenda.

Noticeably absent from President Obama's latest economic-stimulus package are any further attempts to create jobs through "green" energy projects, reflecting a year in which the administration's original, loudly trumpeted efforts proved largely unfruitful.

The long delays typical with environmentally friendly projects - combined with reports of green stimulus funds being used to create jobs in China and other countries, rather than in the U.S. - appear to have killed the administration's appetite for pushing green projects as an economic cure.

The Department of Energy estimated that 82,000 jobs have been created and has acknowledged that as much as 80 percent of some green programs, including $2.3 billion of manufacturing tax credits, went to foreign firms that employed workers primarily in countries including China, South Korea and Spain, rather than in the United States.

Peter Morici, a business professor at the University of Maryland, said much of the green stimulus funding was "squandered."

Squandered??? And Paul Kanjorski wants to attack Barletta? Paul Kanjorski and Chris Carney voted for the stimulus bill that sent jobs overseas. Nuff said.

I Want Your Money

Kanjorski Drops Bombshell on Luzerne County Residents

The following is from a Lou Barletta For Congress 2010 press release:

Kanjorski drops bombshell on Luzerne County residents

Lou Barletta vows to fight this dangerous idea to bring
500 explosions a year to our area

Hazleton, PA – Paul Kanjorski wants to open a military-style training camp in Conyngham Township, a quiet community that will have to get used to “chases, machine-gun fire and bomb blasts” that will take place at the facility. (Washington Post, 2/23/10).

There would be about 500 bomb blasts a year at the site, according to published reports about a similar project proposed for Maryland. That project was successfully fought and killed by Maryland residents, who said the military-style camp would disrupt their lives.

Now, Kanjorski wants to bring this project to Conyngham Township under the guise of local job creation – yet according to the Washington Times, federal officials questioned about the Maryland project “did acknowledge that they could make no guarantee that the promised 400 jobs, many in food service, groundskeeping and maintenance, would go to local residents.” (3/29/10)

“In an election year, we expect Paul Kanjorski to come up with some wild ideas in his quest to retain power, but this one is hard to believe. Kanjorski is clearly out of touch if he believes the residents of Conyngham Township – and the miles around the site that will bear the brunt of repeated bomb blasts – would be in favor of this project. For Kanjorski to take a dangerous project that the people of Maryland rejected and now try to pass it on to the people of Northeastern Pennsylvania shows how desperate he is,” said Shawn Kelly, spokesman for Lou Barletta, Hazleton mayor and candidate for Congress.

Kanjorski has overpromised and underdelivered for the residents of the 11th District for years, and he’s always reached for the fantastical, whether it’s mystery employers only he knows about, moving sidewalks, monorails, inflatable dams, or everyone’s favorite, the Kanjorski family goldmine known to us as Cornerstone Technologies. Sadly, Kanjorski continues to lead people on with the promise of new jobs as unemployment in the region is at an 18-year high due to his failed economic policies.

Lou Barletta said, “I will never put residents of this district in danger by supporting a project like this. What guarantees are we going to have that children will not sneak onto this bomb range? What will this project do to home values? What businesses are going to move into a town that’s rocked by 500 explosions a year? Mr. Kanjorski’s project will completely destroy the area around it, and I’m going to fight it.

“We need good jobs and real answers to our problems, not more of Kanjorski’s fantasy projects – least of all one that will turn our communities into bomb ranges. I believe Northeastern Pennsylvania needs jobs, but not at any cost – and certainly not in exchange for 500 bomb blasts a year.”

Facts about Kanjorski’s bomb range

• This project was rejected by the citizens of a community in Maryland because the noise and commotion that would come from the chases, machine-gun fire, and bomb blasts would disrupt their way of life.
• The project was so toxic that U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski and Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley – both Democrats – withdrew their support of it after the public outcry.
• Only 400 jobs would be created. Most of them would be support-level jobs – food service, groundskeeping, and maintenance.
• Federal officials cannot guarantee that any of those jobs will go to local residents.
• From July 2009 to September 2009, the federal government narrowed down the list of potential sites to five – the Maryland site, two in Virginia, and two in West Virginia. Pennsylvania isn’t even on the list of finalists, let alone Northeastern Pennsylvania.
• The federal government is looking for a site within 150 miles of the U.S. Capitol. State Department officials say that distance was calculated as the maximum commute students could reasonably be required to travel by car from Washington in one day. Kanjorski’s bomb range is outside of that radius.
• Federal officials admitted there would be 500 bombs detonated at the facility each year.


Sources:
“Some in Md. town call anti-terrorism training plan a dud,” The Washington Post, Feb. 23, 2010
“‘Porky’ project smells bad to locals,” The Washington Times, March 29, 2010
“GSA drops plan for Maryland training site,” The Washington Times, July 29, 2010 End of Press Release

According to published reports the government tries to sell the public on the fact that they will be exploding 3 pound bombs at the training facility. S.O.P. found this video on the net. Here's what a 3 lbs. of explosive placed in a bunker looks like.


Ultra Slow Motion Explosion - Watch more Funny Videos

Instead of wasting our stimulus money which could be used elsewhere to stimulate this lucklaster economy why doesn't the government consider one of the 350 military bases it has closed under the Base Realignment and Closure (or BRAC)process.

Every time Paul Kanjorski slams Lou Barletta about the dredge project remember the EPA has identified and placed 34 military bases on its Superfund list and the agency is concerned with incomplete pollution cleanup at another 100 facilities. Maybe its time Kanjorski pays attention to the federal government.

Buy American??

I was thinking about the lawsuit filed by the Obama team against the state of Arizona over illegal immigration. If the federal government was doing its job Arizona would have no need to enact the controversial legislation.

But its not doing its job, plain and clear.

Frustration by states and local municipalities in dealing with the effects of the U.S. government failure to contain illegal migration into our soverign soil has sparked many attempts to take matters into their own hands. Another blur by the courts is the interpretation that states or local municipalities are pre-empted by federal law where illegal immigration is concerned. If they are pre-empted then doesn't that force states and municipalities to suffer the consequences of inaction?

So here is how I see it. I don't do my job but any attempt to have the job done will be met with lawsuits. What are states and municipalities to do in that case? What it proves to me is that the Obama administration wants illegal immigration and will stall any real attempt to fix it. UPDATE: Here is a link to today's ABCNews story that validates my assumption. Obama 'Scheming' on Immigrant Amnesty? Memo Draws Republican Fire

When this country was founded it was the states who were in charge of immigration. Along the way the Supreme Court and the federal government took the position that immigration was a national interest issue therefore the purveyance of the federal government.

Devin Dwyer penned this story on ABCNews today that further demonstrates the federal government's inability to be the central processor on immigration. The story is about a legal resident where his family's attempt to become U.S. citizens can take up to seven years. That is totally unacceptable. The U.S. government can't control the borders or process applications in a timely manner. The rest of us suffer.

So why is the title of this post "Buy American"? A little known provision in the stimulus law, ARRA, contains a Buy American provision for water projects funded and aimed at the Clean or Drinking Water State Revolving Funds.

The question I have is why does the federal government have a Buy American mandate but is willing to challenge an American state over illegal immigration? Doesn't make sense.

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"?

Mr. Kanjorski Where's The Jobs?

A look on Recovery.gov, the U.S. government’s official website, that provides America and the world easy access to data related to Recovery Act spending provides some interesting information about the results for the 10th and 11th Congressional districts so far.

If you look at this chart you will see that the reported jobs for the 1st quarter of this year show that the 10th Congressional district rated 9th while the 11th Congressional district ranked 15th. So much for Paul Kanjorski's claims of seniority, not that either district did so well. 176 jobs vs 131 jobs doesn't sound like it commands a resounding applause.

When you compare what was spent to get those jobs as referenced in this chart you will see that the 11th Congressional district outspent the 10th Congressional district by $329 million to $296 million.
Basically $33 milllion more was spent to get 45 less jobs. Why isn't Paul Kanjorski razing cane about that fact? Is he too consumed patting himself on the back over financial reform that turned out to be a joke?

The real joke is on his constituents. In 2009 he proclaimed that the stimulus bill would create/save 7,700 jobs in his district.

The $787 billion economic stimulus package signed Tuesday by President Barack Obama will save or create 7,700 jobs in the 11th Congressional District, said U.S. Rep Paul Kanjorski, D-11.

Kanjorski voted for the final version of the bill last week after voting against an earlier House version. His district includes Monroe County and all or parts of Luzerne, Lackawanna, Carbon and Columbia counties.

"While the final recovery bill is not perfect, nor does it address all my concerns, I strongly believe we must take quick action to help Americans who are struggling and help spur job creation," Kanjorski said in a statement.

It's pure politics when Ed Mitchell and Paul Kanjorski want to talk about the fictitious unemployment figure for Hazleton against Lou Barletta. The official from the state who are in charge of those figures more than once 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.

What is fact is that unemployment continues to rise in Northeastern Pennsylvania despite the expenditure of over $600 million dollars? Kanjo, why don't you give Lou Barletta $600 million and see how many jobs would be created? What's that? You wouldn't give him a dime. He already knows that by your strangulation with the Eachus as your accomplice of the money flow to the City.

Mohegan Sun Owners Receive $54 Million In Stimulus Funds

In a shocking story on ABCnews.com it has been revealed that the politically connected Mohegan Sun tribe which owns casinos including the Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs in Wilkes Barre Township received $54 million in stimulus money courtesy of Senator Chris Dodd of Connecticut.

The tribe runs the sprawling Mohegan Sun casino, halfway between New York City and Boston, which earned more than $1.3 billion in gross revenues in 2009. Each tribe member receives a cut of the profits, a number a tribal official said was "less than $30,000" per capita per year.

The stimulus money is a loan from a U.S. Department of Agriculture rural development program that is meant to help communities of less than 20,000 people that have been "unable to obtain other credit at reasonable rates and terms and are unable to finance the proposed project from their own resources."

In fiscal 2009, $53.6 million in casino profits went into the coffers of the Mohegan tribe, which uses the money to fund college scholarships, housing and health care.

American Indian tribes have received about $2 billion in stimulus loans and grants since the passage of the Recovery Act. The money received, by law, cannot be used for casinos or gambling projects, and is intended to revitalize Native American communities. There are currently 564 federally recognized tribes, and about 300 Indian casinos.

Now that's typical of what one would expect from the Obama team. With Paul Kanjorski's support he was able to help a non-tax paying entity receive federal tax dollars while this area struggles for stimulus money.

How about a college scholarship for the non- Indians in your district, Paul?? What's that I can't hear you?

The Mohegan Sun sponsors race cars and our arena.  Why are they allowed such expenses when Obama's czars are limiting compensation at corporations?

Kanjorski's Economy And His Unsupportable Assessments

On the heels of self-absorbed comments made by Kanjo strummin his banjo about the economy being the best of all mankind the Wall Street Journal writes today that consumers tightened their spending habits indicating that the economy is not on the road to recovery as potrayed by those in the Obama administration and its supporters.

Americans unexpectedly ratcheted back spending on everything from cars to clothing in May, adding to concerns that a volatile stock market and high unemployment are weighing down the economic recovery.

The Commerce Department reported Friday that sales at retail establishments—including department stores, gas stations and restaurants—fell 1.2% in May from April. The decline, driven by sharp drops in autos and building materials, was the first since September 2009, when sales fell 2.2%.

We all know that Kanjorski is the type to stretch the facts so the people can eat it up. "We are helluva alot better off as a country and as an economy than we have ever been in the history of mankind." He has the balls to say this in the face of double digit unemployment reaching Pennsylvania.

100 Stimulus Projects- A Second Opinion

Senator Tom Coburn penned this report titled 100 Stimulus Projects- A Second Opinion.

1. “Free” Stimulus Money Results in Higher Utility Costs for Residents of Perkins, Oklahoma ................ 6
2. FutureGen: The Stimulus Earmark that Wasn’t, Becomes the Costliest Pork Project in History ........ 7
3. Little-Used “Shovel-Ready” Bridges in Rural Wisconsin Given Priority Over Widely Used Structurally Deficient Bridges ...................................................................................................................................... 9
4. $800,000 for little-used Johnstown, Pennsylvania airport to repave a back-up runway; the “Airport
for Nobody” Has Already Received Tens of Millions in Taxpayer dollars ...................................................... 10
5. $3.4 Million for Wildlife “Eco-Passage” in Florida; Project Still May Take Years to Finish .................. 11
6. Nevada Non-Profit Gets Weatherization Contract After Being Fired For Same Work ........................ 12
7. Non-Existent Oklahoma Lake in Line for Over $1 Million To Construct a New Guardrail .................. 13
8. Taxpayers Taken for a Ride: Nearly $10 Million to be Spent to Renovate a Century Old TrainStation that Hasn’t Been Used in 30 Years ............................................................................................................... 14
9. Ten Thousand Dead People Get Stimulus Checks, Social Security Administration Blames a Tough Deadline ............................................................................................................................................................................ 16
10. Town of Union, New York, Encouraged to Spend Money It Did Not Request For a Homelessness Problem It Does Not Have ........................................................................................................................................... 17

Anniversary Of Stimulus How Did NEPA Fair Out?

Yesterday, Paul Kanjorski tried to demonstrate his "coolness" by using Twitter to announce he will run for a 13th term. Today Barack Obama announced to the world his perception on how well the stimulus program is working. As you can imagine his take is self-serving.

If you read the article you will see his proclamations are being met head-on with more than just skepticism.

Obama's next move is to send his munions like Paul Kanjorski out into the "wilderness" to tell the world about the stimulus program. They will spread more deception upon the public thinking we are incapable of our own assessment.

Well, here is one way to tell how NEPA is fairing out. Go to this site and punch in your zipcode.

Some results worth noting. Amount of jobs for Wilkes Barre 8.43, Hazleton 5.92 and the county that handed Kanjorski his win last time- Lackawanna- 32. Bloomsburg came in at 21 and Stroudsburg 11.15. What a hell of a track record for Paul. Not even 70 jobs for his district, yet his commercial from November, 2008 stated he and Barack "would stand up for us". Beautiful, just beautiful.

What was the cost for those jobs? How much did you and I spend for those jobs? $66,077,863.00 or approximately $1 million per job. Wouldn't we have been better given each job recipient $1 million dollars to spend?

Fannie and Freddie's End Run With Our Money

Does anyone in this administration have a clue?

Read the article about Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Are you getting taken care of by the goverment like this??

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.

Five Headlines You Should Pay Attention To!!!

Fed 'Extremely Uncomfortable' About Bailouts

Unemployment Rate Hits Highest Level Since 1983


Agency Says Bailout Will Cost Taxpayers More Congressional estimate finds financial sector bailout will cost taxpayers $167B more

Fannie, Freddie Worker Bonuses Total $210M

Former AIG CEO criticizes sucessors, bailout

Senator Mellow How About A Mini-Stimulus

Some people fly under the radar. Let's take a look at who donated to Senator Mellow in 2008. According to the state's webstie there were 878 donors. I believe there are 12 million people in Pennsylvania.

If you want to see how much political committees gave take a look at these that made the over $250.00 list.

Cycle 1 with 12 donors for $22,200.00

Cycle 2 with 1 donor for $280.00

Cycle 3 with 7 donors-$10,500.00

Cycle 4 with 60 donors-$48,525.00

Cycle 5 with 28 donors-$43,350.00

Cycle 6 with 15 donors-$36,250.00

Cycle 7 with 15 donors-$36,250.00

I chose Senator Mellow because the Blue Cross board he sits on has a sizable surplus of money. Acoording to Michelle Davidson, Blue Cross of NEPA spokesperson, this Blue is sitting on a $370 million dollar surplus. The state is sitting on $436 million of casino money earmarked for property tax reduction. And Obama said Congress needed to pass an economic stimulus. I found almost $800 million just by surfing the net.

Thomas Paine Asks "Have We Become A Nation Of Cowards?"

Paul Kanjorski, this one is for you. This article from 1995 written by Doug Bandow over at the CATO Institute concludes that term limits would re-establish a citizen legislature and curb a permanent political class.

Hazleton On The Short List For Stimulus Road Monies

Here are the planned highway and bridge improvements scheduled by Penn DOT as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Luzerne represents the County.

Luzerne Local Cleveland Street Bridge
Replacement of Cleveland Street Bridge over Mill Creek in Plains Township
Bridge Replacement
$2,193,785

Luzerne Route 29
John S. Fine Bridge Preservation
Preservation of State Route 29 Bridge over Susquehanna River and State Route 29 Bridge over State Route 2002 (Sans Souci Highway) in Hanover Township
Bridge Preservation
$24,200,000

Luzerne Routes 4016, 4001
SR 4001 over Branch of Hunlock Creek and SR 4016 over Marsh Creek
Bridge Rehabilitation of State Route 4001 bridge over Branch of Hunlock Creek and State Route 4016 bridge over Marsh Creek in Plymouth, Huntington and Ross Townships
Bridge Rehabilitation
$1,000,000

Luzerne Interstate 81
Interstate 81 Resurfacing
Interstate 81 Resurfacing from Milepost 139-144 in Luzerne County
Resurfacing
$3,630,000

Luzerne Interstate 81
Interstate 81 Resurfacing
Resurfacing of Interstate 81 Northbound and Southbound in Luzerne County
Resurfacing
$9,240,000

Here is a list of the projects paid for out of our state budget.

Luzerne Route 2004
River Road Bridge over Railroad
State Route 2004 over Luzerne County Railroad Authority Plains Township Bridge Replacement
Bridge Replacement
$5,539,296

Luzerne Route 2004
River Road Mine Entrance
State Route 2004 over Coal Mine Opening Plains Township Bridge Removal
Bridge Removal
$57,200

Luzerne Route 2004
River Road Bridge at Mill Creek
State Route 2004 over Mill CreekCity of Wilkes-Barre Bridge Rehabilitation
Bridge Rehabilitation
$907,834

Luzerne Route 11
Township Route 11 at Harvey's Creek
State Route 11 over Harvey's Creek Plymouth Township Bridge Replacement
Bridge Replacement
$2,288,000

Luzerne Route 115
PA 115 Lehigh Bridge
State Route 115 over Lehigh River Buck Township Bridge Replacement
Bridge Replacement
$2,288,000

Luzerne Route 1054
Evans Street over Toby's Creek
State Route 1054 over Toby's Creek Luzerne Borough Bridge Replacement
Bridge Replacement
$1,500,000

Luzerne Route 309
PA 309 and Saint Johns
State Route 309 and Township Route 427 Butler Township Intersection Improvement
Intersection Improvement
$1,397,760

Luzerne Route 2051
State Route 2051 over Gross Creek
State Route 2051 over Gross Creek Jeddo Borough Bridge Replacement
Bridge Replacement
$701,915

Luzerne Route 924
State Route 924 Barletta to Scotch
State Route 924 from Barletta Road to Scotch Pine Road Hazle Township Restoration, widening from two lanes to five lanes
Restoration
$7,124,724

Luzerne Interstate 81
Interstate 81 Southbound Grinding
Interstate 81 Southbound Luzerne County Interstate Preventative Maintenance including Bridge Preservation
Restoration
$6,973,547

Luzerne
Engine House Project Phase 1
White Haven Township Restoration of Engine House
Transportation Enhancement
$350,000

Luzerne Route 309
State Route 309 June 06 Flood
Flood Damage, June 2006, State Route 309
Restoration
$430,000

Luzerne Route 502
State Route 502, Bridge Preservation
State Route 502 Over Springbrook CreekPittston Township Bridge Preservation
Bridge Preservation Activities
$208,000

Luzerne Route 115
State Route 115, Bear Creek Dam Outlet
State Route 115 over Outlet to Bear Creek DamBear Creek Township Bridge Rehabilitation
Bridge Rehabilitation
$867,100

Luzerne Route 11
Luzerne County Surface Treatment
Various State Route's Luzerne County Surface Treatment
Surface Treatment
$2,400,000

Luzerne Route 11
Luzerne County Guiderail Maintenance
Various State Route's Luzerne County Guiderail and Median Barrier Maintenance
Guiderail Improvement
$850,000

Can you imagine that Todd Eachus is the House Majority Leader and Hazleton Area receives very little in the way of road improvements. Is that $24 million for Hanover Township alone??? All of the improvements in Eachus's district don't come close to that figure for just one project and there isn't one project for City of Hazleton out of $2.8 billion spent by PennDOT. Some stimulus for our area. Lost jobs and lost opporunity. Way to go Todd....!!!

Toomey May Take Specter Out Of Republican's Misery

According to DeRoy Murdock over at Scripp News Pat Toomey, a former Pennsylvania Congressman who stuck to his word on term limits, is pounding on Arlen Specter's electoral door over the next round of balloting for his seat.

Senator Arlen Specter's support for the 1,071-page Obama-Pelosi-Reid "stimulus" package will cost taxpayers $787 billion. That vote may cost the Pennsylvania Republican his job.

"I am very likely to make a run for the Senate," says Pat Toomey, a former Keystone State congressman and free-market stalwart. "Specter's vote was a profound betrayal of the Republican Party and conservative principles. It's a big factor (behind Toomey's potential challenge to Specter in 2010's Republican Senate primary).''

This rematch would pit Toomey, 47, against Specter, 79, seeking his sixth consecutive Senate term. Buoyed by conservative irritation with Specter's barely Republican, big-government record, Toomey came within two percentage points of retiring Specter in 2004. But Specter prevailed, thanks to the support of GOP establishmentarians and the incumbent loving, Republican-lite Bush political team.

For Specter, loyalty flows uphill. While top Republicans back him in tight races, he typically joins Democrats when the GOP desperately needs him. Exhibit A: Specter's February 13 "stimulus" vote, which will cost more than $1 trillion after interest payments are slathered atop its $787 billion budget.

"This stimulus bill is such a really outrageous lurch to the Left by the federal government," Toomey said. "It's not just a trillion dollars in spending. It is a huge expansion of government, undermining welfare reform, and staggering amounts of money to be borrowed. All of this could have been blocked. When the House Republicans voted this down, they empowered the Senate Republicans to demand real pro-growth tax cuts, less spending, and less of this terrible, liberal policy. President Obama would have had to agree, because he would have had no bill in the face of united Republican opposition. Instead, these three -- Specter plus Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins of Maine -- capitulated."

For many Republicans, Specter's vote for this pork-encrusted, incentive-challenged boondoggle was the final insult. "In a two-person race, Specter is toast," James Lee of Susquehanna Polling and Research told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. His late-February survey of 700 registered Pennsylvania voters found that 53 percent want a "new person" as senator. So do 66 percent of Republicans. (Error margin: 5.9 percent.)

The artillery is already lining up with promises of oodles of cash for Specter. This story was highlighted over at GrassrootsPA.com. Big Union Vows To Back Arlen Specter In 2010 If He Supports Employee Free Choice

This is big: Senior officials with the powerful AFL-CIO have privately assured GOP Senator Arlen Specter that they’ll throw their full support behind him in the 2010 Senate race if he votes for the Employee Free Choice Act, a senior labor strategist working closely with the AFL on the issue tells me.

This is significant, because it represents a big incentive for Specter to switch parties — and to support Employee Free Choice. Specter may be facing a serious GOP primary challenge from Club for Growth head Pat Toomey. If he loses that — or pulls out of the GOP first and becomes an Indy or a Dem — supporting Employee Free Choice could give him the organizational muscle from labor and Democratic support he needs to prevail in a general election and hold his seat.

The labor strategist tells me that top AFL-CIO officials have told Specter they’ll back him to the hilt if he supports their top priority.

“If Senator Specter supports working people — particularly voting with us on Employee Free Choice — the AFL-CIO will support him 100 percent of the way, whether in a primary or a general election,” the strategist says.

AFL-CIO spokesperson Eddie Vale declined comment.

Interestingly, because labor support would actually hurt him in a GOP primary, AFL-CIO’s promise also is an incentive to switch parties earlier, rather than later. Some analysts think his only hope of holding on to his seat is to switch parties and prevail in a general election, something which labor backing would make easier.

To be sure, there’s no telling what Specter will do, and another wild card is whether Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell would back a Specter switch.

Markos Moulitsas, who first heard these conversations, has an interesting rundown gaming out all the possibilities for Specter. This is getting mighty interesting.

Update: The AFL-CIO goes on the record about supporting Specter.

Update II: The story is sparking controversy among EFCA’s opponents. Associated Builders and Contractors national chair Jerry Gorski issued a statement blasting the AFL-CIO as “union bosses in Washington” who are trying to “buy a vote in support of the misnamed Employee Free Choice Act” and “shove this legislation onto the American public.”