Vinco Fumo is found guilty on 137 counts and guess who remains silent. Eric Heyl of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review wrote a great article on Ed Rendell's silence.
Even when his utterances are insensitive, Gov. Ed Rendell seldom is at a loss for words.
That's why his silence was perhaps the most startling development Monday after former state Sen. Vince Fumo's conviction on corruption charges so numerous that they confound even the most learned mathematical theorists.
Perhaps Rendell was embarrassed over being called as a character witness by Fumo's defense team.
The governor's silence, though, stood in stark contrast to his words last March, when he stood beside Fumo as the senator announced he was retiring from the Senate because of the criminal case.
"We're all complex people. No one is 100 percent good, and no one is 100 percent bad," Rendell said at the time. "The balance tips greatly toward the good work that Vince Fumo has done."
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
PA Turnpike Chief's Link To Fumo Raises Questions
Fallout from the Vince Fumo guilty verdict is raining down in Harrisburg. Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission Chairman Mitchell Rubin has an integrity problem that seems to be snowballing according to the Allentown Morning Call.
March 18, 2009
HARRISBURG | - Gov. Ed Rendell said Tuesday he will review whether the chairman of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission should keep the job despite income he received from a taxpayer-financed consulting job controlled by former Sen. Vince Fumo, whom a federal jury convicted of 137 corruption charges.
Also Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi, R- Delaware, called on commission Chairman Mitchell Rubin to explain why he should not resign the post and return the money he received from the consulting work that Fumo's prosecutors called a ghost job.
The pressure on Rubin came a day after a federal jury in Philadelphia convicted Fumo on all the charges against him, two of which focus on Rubin's separate $30,000-a-year, five-year contract with Senate Democrats, which ended in 2004.
The case against Fumo did not involve Rubin's Turnpike Commission post, and Rubin, 57, was not charged with any wrongdoing. Rubin was initially nominated to the Turnpike Commission in 1998 by then-Gov. Tom Ridge, a Republican.
Rubin's wife, Ruth Arnao, a longtime Fumo aide who ran the community group, also was convicted Monday of all 45 counts against her, including obstruction.
March 18, 2009
HARRISBURG | - Gov. Ed Rendell said Tuesday he will review whether the chairman of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission should keep the job despite income he received from a taxpayer-financed consulting job controlled by former Sen. Vince Fumo, whom a federal jury convicted of 137 corruption charges.
Also Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi, R- Delaware, called on commission Chairman Mitchell Rubin to explain why he should not resign the post and return the money he received from the consulting work that Fumo's prosecutors called a ghost job.
The pressure on Rubin came a day after a federal jury in Philadelphia convicted Fumo on all the charges against him, two of which focus on Rubin's separate $30,000-a-year, five-year contract with Senate Democrats, which ended in 2004.
The case against Fumo did not involve Rubin's Turnpike Commission post, and Rubin, 57, was not charged with any wrongdoing. Rubin was initially nominated to the Turnpike Commission in 1998 by then-Gov. Tom Ridge, a Republican.
Rubin's wife, Ruth Arnao, a longtime Fumo aide who ran the community group, also was convicted Monday of all 45 counts against her, including obstruction.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Kanjorski Can't Keep His Hands Off The Money
Can you imagine the audacity of AIG giving out bonuses to its employees when it is taking federal bailout money?? The whole AIG discombubulation has been screwed up ever since it started. Now you have New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo investigating the AIG bonuses. Congress is threatening to enact an AIG tax because Chris Dodd put an amendment in the TARP package that helped AIG execs keep those bonuses.
Read this commentary from Larry Kudlow.
This whole AIG fiasco — where the entire political class is suddenly screaming over bonuses paid to derivative traders in AIG’s financial-products division — is just a complete farce. What it really shows is how the government has completely bungled the AIG takeover. Blame the Bush administration and the Obama administration. It also shows, once again, why the government shouldn’t run anything, because it cannot run anything.
And as for the $165 million or so in AIG bonus payments, the Obama administration — including the president, Treasury man Tim Geithner, and economic adviser Larry Summers — knew all about them many months ago. They were undoubtedly informed of this during the White House transition.
So there’s no big surprise. Nobody should be shocked. But President Obama is doing his best play-acting ever. He knows full well that the nationwide outcry against federal bailouts and takeovers is only going to get worse on his watch. His poll numbers are already falling, and this AIG episode is going to pull them down more.
Incidentally, has anybody asked Team Obama why it is more than willing to break mortgage contracts with a bankruptcy-judge cram-down, but won’t cram-down compensation agreements for AIG, despite the fact that the U.S. government owns the company? Kind of odd, don’t you think?
Along comes ABC News Jonatahn Karl who reports that Paul Kanjorski accepted 12,000.00 from AIG last year. Our tax money ended up in his campaign. He kept saying during the campaign and later how he was warning everyone of the impending financial crisis. But that didn't stop him from accepting our money through them.
At least Kanjo is now included in the "AIG's Best Friends ($$$) in Washington" list.
Wouldn't it make sense that if the execs have to give the bonuses back Kanjo should return the contributions???
Read this commentary from Larry Kudlow.
This whole AIG fiasco — where the entire political class is suddenly screaming over bonuses paid to derivative traders in AIG’s financial-products division — is just a complete farce. What it really shows is how the government has completely bungled the AIG takeover. Blame the Bush administration and the Obama administration. It also shows, once again, why the government shouldn’t run anything, because it cannot run anything.
And as for the $165 million or so in AIG bonus payments, the Obama administration — including the president, Treasury man Tim Geithner, and economic adviser Larry Summers — knew all about them many months ago. They were undoubtedly informed of this during the White House transition.
So there’s no big surprise. Nobody should be shocked. But President Obama is doing his best play-acting ever. He knows full well that the nationwide outcry against federal bailouts and takeovers is only going to get worse on his watch. His poll numbers are already falling, and this AIG episode is going to pull them down more.
Incidentally, has anybody asked Team Obama why it is more than willing to break mortgage contracts with a bankruptcy-judge cram-down, but won’t cram-down compensation agreements for AIG, despite the fact that the U.S. government owns the company? Kind of odd, don’t you think?
Along comes ABC News Jonatahn Karl who reports that Paul Kanjorski accepted 12,000.00 from AIG last year. Our tax money ended up in his campaign. He kept saying during the campaign and later how he was warning everyone of the impending financial crisis. But that didn't stop him from accepting our money through them.
At least Kanjo is now included in the "AIG's Best Friends ($$$) in Washington" list.
Wouldn't it make sense that if the execs have to give the bonuses back Kanjo should return the contributions???
BREAKING NEWS--Brulo agrees to plead guilty
The Times Leader is reporting that Sandra Brulo agrees to plead guilty to a felony obstruction charge.
Posted: 1:52 PM
Updated: 2:22 PM
Suspended Luzerne County Probation official Sandra Brulo has agreed to plead guilty to a felony obstruction of justice charge, federal officials say.
Brulo also agreed to cooperate with federal officials in the public corruption probe, officials said.
Brulo, the county’s probation forensic program deputy director, was charged Feb. 20 with altering a juvenile court file with the intent to impair the file’s integrity for use in federal proceedings, officials said.
She has agreed to waive indictment and plead guilty, officials said. Brulo faces a maximum of 20 years in prison, up to $250,000 in fines and up to three years of supervised release, officials said.
Posted: 1:52 PM
Updated: 2:22 PM
Suspended Luzerne County Probation official Sandra Brulo has agreed to plead guilty to a felony obstruction of justice charge, federal officials say.
Brulo also agreed to cooperate with federal officials in the public corruption probe, officials said.
Brulo, the county’s probation forensic program deputy director, was charged Feb. 20 with altering a juvenile court file with the intent to impair the file’s integrity for use in federal proceedings, officials said.
She has agreed to waive indictment and plead guilty, officials said. Brulo faces a maximum of 20 years in prison, up to $250,000 in fines and up to three years of supervised release, officials said.
Greg Skrepenak- You Should Resgin Immediately
An article in today's Standard Speaker should spark a call for Greg Skrepenak to immediately resign his seat as a Luzerne County Commissioner. "Luzerne officials consider confiscation of juvenile facility"
BY MICHAEL P. BUFFER
STAFF WRITER
Published: Tuesday, March 17, 2009 4:13 AM EDT
WILKES-BARRE — Luzerne County officials said Monday they are looking into possible actions — including confiscating ownership of the private facility that detains juveniles in Pittston Township — to recover losses associated with a kickback scheme to defraud taxpayers.
Here is the part in this article that makes the case for Skrepenak to resign.
The property in Pittston Township is worth almost $8.7 million, according to the county’s 2008 assessed value.
County commissioners in 2003 agreed to pay daily rates to send juveniles to the Pittston Township facility but still planned to build a new county facility. In 2004, Todd Vonderheid and Greg Skrepenak became Democratic majority commissioners, and they approved a 20-year lease that would have cost more than $60 million.
Let's revisit a couple of old stories about the history of this juvenile detention mess.
12/31/2004
County declares emergency, OKs pact with juvenile care center
By James Conmy , Citizens' Voice Staff Writer
Luzerne County Commissioners Greg Skrepenak and Todd Vonderheid declared a state-of-emergency Thursday to ratify four short-term contracts with service providers for a Pittston Township juvenile care center. The county will begin a 20-year, $58 million lease for the facility with Pennsylvania Child Care on Jan. 1. All contracts with service providers at the facility expire Dec. 31.
An emergency was declared to bypass normal advertising requirements for services, Vonderheid said.
Why that statement alone doesn't have Skrepenak and Vonderheid in hot water with the AG or the Feds is somewhat mind boggling. The new Luzerne County Commissioners took office on January 1, 2004. At the end of the year they suddenly decide there is an “emergency” when in fact they had been paying PA ChildCare on a per diem basis for almost two years. On what grounds can they claim an emergency when they already were contracting with PA ChildCare and other facilities throughout the state.
Vonderheid justifies the lease cost based on prices paid for the last three years. Again, if they are doing it for the last three years where was the emergency? Other contracts approved at the same time were for food service, custodial and maintenance service, and health insurance. They were all for 120 days, except the custodial and maintenance contract, which is for 30 days.
Now to rewind the timemline tape a bit more.
03/06/2003
County OKs design plans for new juvenile detention center
By Fred Ney , Citizens' Voice Staff Writer
The new Luzerne County Juvenile Detention Center moved another step closer to reality Wednesday when the county commissioners approved spending $446,500 for design services.
Contract was awarded to Strach Associates, Plains Township.
Luzerne County Engineer Jim Brozena asked the commissioners to approve the proposal.
Commissioner Steve Urban questioned whether Brozena sought competitive bids for the work.
Brozena said he was not required to seek bids because engineering and architectural design are professional services and do not require bidding under the County Code.
So the taxpayers of Luzerne County paid $446,000.00 for engineering and architectural design on a building that never was built. Oh but there is more.
09/26/2001
Makowski says county will build, not lease, juvenile detention center
By Fred Ney , Citizens' Voice Staff Writer
Putting an end to speculation that Luzerne County might soon lease a new juvenile detention center in Pittston Township, Luzerne County Commissioner Chairman Tom Makowski said Tuesday that the county would build its own facility.
"It was an option that we did consider," Makowski said regarding the Pennsylvania Child Care LLC 48-bed project in the Vogelbacher Industrial Park. "We've considered a lot of things," he added.
"However, we're convinced that the best way to go is to build our own facility and we'll do that," he asserted. Makowski hinted that a site has been selected for the project but he said to reveal that now would be "premature."
"We'll be making an announcement soon," he promised.
The current county juvenile detention center on North River Street, Wilkes-Barre, is more than 60 years old and in deplorable condition.
Engineers and architects have calculated that it would cost about $2.5 million to repair it while a new facility would cost between $4 and $5 million.
Let us assume that the cost of the new facility would approach the assessment on the current facility. Now round that number to $9 million to be generous. This figure is also corroborated by Commissioner Steve Urban.
01/06/2006
County expects subsidies will offset higher lease for juvenile center
By James Conmy , Staff Writer
Minority Commissioner Stephen Urban challenged the 20-year, $58.9 million lease with Pennsylvania ChildCare when Skrepenak and Commissioner Todd Vonderheid authorized it late in 2003. He believes the county can build its own center for about $9 million.
If you were to take the estimated $9 million price tag(02/07/2003
New juvenile facility ready for business By Fred Ney , Citizens' Voice Staff Writer
PA ChildCare:The facility is reported to cost $7.4 million for a new county facility) and plug that figure into a mortgage calculator you will get the following result:
Mortgage Information
Loan amount $9,000,000.00
Term 20 years
Interest rate 4.800%
Monthly payment $58,406.17
Total payments $14,017,481.66
Total interest $5,017,481.66
It is hard to understand why Sam Diaz, as finance and budget director, did not speak about the disparity between county financing and the total amount of the lease. The county was spending over $44 million more than it would cost for it to finance and construct its own facility.
The $58.1 million lease gave Zapalla and Powell more borrowing capacity overall in the general financing market since it funds the debt service created by the construction of the facility on the part of their company.
You must also look at what it would have cost Luzerne County to build its own facility which was the original game plan. At a projected cost of $9 million and assuming an interest rate on funds to finance the project of 4.8% for twenty years (the length of the lease) the cost to the county would have been $14,017,481.66 not $58.1 million.
In fact the $58.1 million figure is not a definite one. It was the minimum that will be charged to Luzerne County by Pa ChildCare during the term of the lease. A 4.8% interest rate was quoted by one of the Commissioners.
Then the Commissioners had the audacity to raise the rate paid to PA ChildCare in the wake of an audit that said they were paying too much.
01/06/2006
County expects subsidies will offset higher lease for juvenile center
By James Conmy , Staff Writer
The cost of Luzerne County's lease of a Pittston Township juvenile care center will increase by approximately $1.35 million in 2006, a new expense that does not alarm most county officials.
The county had the opportunity to renegotiate the lease downward but they raised it upward.
Let us not forget what the County tried to do to the United Charities Home in West Hazleton. It was a blatant grab for those beds.
10/26/2006
State investigates West Hazleton child care facility
BY ROBERT KALINOWSKI
STAFF WRITER
“There was a recommendation (by the welfare agency) that, if possible, we systematically remove some of the children,” Kathy Bozinski said Wednesday.
Department of Public Welfare spokeswoman Stacey Ward disputes that, saying, “That recommendation was not made.”
It appears certain personnel in Luzerne County saw an opening to move kids from this facility to Pa ChildCare. The daily rate at United Charities was only $103.00 according to board member who is a friend of mine. The public outcry coupled with the fact that the investigation was blown up to be more than it was foiled this attempt. It is alleged that County officials contrived the need to move the kids to try to benefit PA ChildCare. The PA ChildCare facility was not at capacity. It needed to be to justify the lease. Only 44 beds of the 60 were occupied.
The Department of Welfare denies the created allegation made by county representatives. United Children’s Home was allowed an increase in the daily rate by the Department of Welfare to $110.00 per day. UCH has agreements with five counties to utilize its facility.
Audits find fraud but they do not find stupidity. When the public looks at all of this information collectively Skrep it is time to go.
BY MICHAEL P. BUFFER
STAFF WRITER
Published: Tuesday, March 17, 2009 4:13 AM EDT
WILKES-BARRE — Luzerne County officials said Monday they are looking into possible actions — including confiscating ownership of the private facility that detains juveniles in Pittston Township — to recover losses associated with a kickback scheme to defraud taxpayers.
Here is the part in this article that makes the case for Skrepenak to resign.
The property in Pittston Township is worth almost $8.7 million, according to the county’s 2008 assessed value.
County commissioners in 2003 agreed to pay daily rates to send juveniles to the Pittston Township facility but still planned to build a new county facility. In 2004, Todd Vonderheid and Greg Skrepenak became Democratic majority commissioners, and they approved a 20-year lease that would have cost more than $60 million.
Let's revisit a couple of old stories about the history of this juvenile detention mess.
12/31/2004
County declares emergency, OKs pact with juvenile care center
By James Conmy , Citizens' Voice Staff Writer
Luzerne County Commissioners Greg Skrepenak and Todd Vonderheid declared a state-of-emergency Thursday to ratify four short-term contracts with service providers for a Pittston Township juvenile care center. The county will begin a 20-year, $58 million lease for the facility with Pennsylvania Child Care on Jan. 1. All contracts with service providers at the facility expire Dec. 31.
An emergency was declared to bypass normal advertising requirements for services, Vonderheid said.
Why that statement alone doesn't have Skrepenak and Vonderheid in hot water with the AG or the Feds is somewhat mind boggling. The new Luzerne County Commissioners took office on January 1, 2004. At the end of the year they suddenly decide there is an “emergency” when in fact they had been paying PA ChildCare on a per diem basis for almost two years. On what grounds can they claim an emergency when they already were contracting with PA ChildCare and other facilities throughout the state.
Vonderheid justifies the lease cost based on prices paid for the last three years. Again, if they are doing it for the last three years where was the emergency? Other contracts approved at the same time were for food service, custodial and maintenance service, and health insurance. They were all for 120 days, except the custodial and maintenance contract, which is for 30 days.
Now to rewind the timemline tape a bit more.
03/06/2003
County OKs design plans for new juvenile detention center
By Fred Ney , Citizens' Voice Staff Writer
The new Luzerne County Juvenile Detention Center moved another step closer to reality Wednesday when the county commissioners approved spending $446,500 for design services.
Contract was awarded to Strach Associates, Plains Township.
Luzerne County Engineer Jim Brozena asked the commissioners to approve the proposal.
Commissioner Steve Urban questioned whether Brozena sought competitive bids for the work.
Brozena said he was not required to seek bids because engineering and architectural design are professional services and do not require bidding under the County Code.
So the taxpayers of Luzerne County paid $446,000.00 for engineering and architectural design on a building that never was built. Oh but there is more.
09/26/2001
Makowski says county will build, not lease, juvenile detention center
By Fred Ney , Citizens' Voice Staff Writer
Putting an end to speculation that Luzerne County might soon lease a new juvenile detention center in Pittston Township, Luzerne County Commissioner Chairman Tom Makowski said Tuesday that the county would build its own facility.
"It was an option that we did consider," Makowski said regarding the Pennsylvania Child Care LLC 48-bed project in the Vogelbacher Industrial Park. "We've considered a lot of things," he added.
"However, we're convinced that the best way to go is to build our own facility and we'll do that," he asserted. Makowski hinted that a site has been selected for the project but he said to reveal that now would be "premature."
"We'll be making an announcement soon," he promised.
The current county juvenile detention center on North River Street, Wilkes-Barre, is more than 60 years old and in deplorable condition.
Engineers and architects have calculated that it would cost about $2.5 million to repair it while a new facility would cost between $4 and $5 million.
Let us assume that the cost of the new facility would approach the assessment on the current facility. Now round that number to $9 million to be generous. This figure is also corroborated by Commissioner Steve Urban.
01/06/2006
County expects subsidies will offset higher lease for juvenile center
By James Conmy , Staff Writer
Minority Commissioner Stephen Urban challenged the 20-year, $58.9 million lease with Pennsylvania ChildCare when Skrepenak and Commissioner Todd Vonderheid authorized it late in 2003. He believes the county can build its own center for about $9 million.
If you were to take the estimated $9 million price tag(02/07/2003
New juvenile facility ready for business By Fred Ney , Citizens' Voice Staff Writer
PA ChildCare:The facility is reported to cost $7.4 million for a new county facility) and plug that figure into a mortgage calculator you will get the following result:
Mortgage Information
Loan amount $9,000,000.00
Term 20 years
Interest rate 4.800%
Monthly payment $58,406.17
Total payments $14,017,481.66
Total interest $5,017,481.66
It is hard to understand why Sam Diaz, as finance and budget director, did not speak about the disparity between county financing and the total amount of the lease. The county was spending over $44 million more than it would cost for it to finance and construct its own facility.
The $58.1 million lease gave Zapalla and Powell more borrowing capacity overall in the general financing market since it funds the debt service created by the construction of the facility on the part of their company.
You must also look at what it would have cost Luzerne County to build its own facility which was the original game plan. At a projected cost of $9 million and assuming an interest rate on funds to finance the project of 4.8% for twenty years (the length of the lease) the cost to the county would have been $14,017,481.66 not $58.1 million.
In fact the $58.1 million figure is not a definite one. It was the minimum that will be charged to Luzerne County by Pa ChildCare during the term of the lease. A 4.8% interest rate was quoted by one of the Commissioners.
Then the Commissioners had the audacity to raise the rate paid to PA ChildCare in the wake of an audit that said they were paying too much.
01/06/2006
County expects subsidies will offset higher lease for juvenile center
By James Conmy , Staff Writer
The cost of Luzerne County's lease of a Pittston Township juvenile care center will increase by approximately $1.35 million in 2006, a new expense that does not alarm most county officials.
The county had the opportunity to renegotiate the lease downward but they raised it upward.
Let us not forget what the County tried to do to the United Charities Home in West Hazleton. It was a blatant grab for those beds.
10/26/2006
State investigates West Hazleton child care facility
BY ROBERT KALINOWSKI
STAFF WRITER
“There was a recommendation (by the welfare agency) that, if possible, we systematically remove some of the children,” Kathy Bozinski said Wednesday.
Department of Public Welfare spokeswoman Stacey Ward disputes that, saying, “That recommendation was not made.”
It appears certain personnel in Luzerne County saw an opening to move kids from this facility to Pa ChildCare. The daily rate at United Charities was only $103.00 according to board member who is a friend of mine. The public outcry coupled with the fact that the investigation was blown up to be more than it was foiled this attempt. It is alleged that County officials contrived the need to move the kids to try to benefit PA ChildCare. The PA ChildCare facility was not at capacity. It needed to be to justify the lease. Only 44 beds of the 60 were occupied.
The Department of Welfare denies the created allegation made by county representatives. United Children’s Home was allowed an increase in the daily rate by the Department of Welfare to $110.00 per day. UCH has agreements with five counties to utilize its facility.
Audits find fraud but they do not find stupidity. When the public looks at all of this information collectively Skrep it is time to go.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Advice From Murtha Allies Guided Funding Requests, Documents Show
The Washington Post is reporting Electro-Optics Center relied on advice from a long time Murtha friend who now is an employee of the Congressman.
By Carol D. Leonnig
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, March 17, 2009; A06
A Pennsylvania defense research center regularly consulted with two "handlers" close to Rep. John P. Murtha (D-Pa.) as it collected nearly $250 million in federal funding through the lawmaker, according to documents obtained by The Washington Post and sources familiar with the funding requests. The center then channeled a significant portion of the funding to companies that were among Murtha's campaign supporters.
The two advisers included a lobbyist for PMA Group, a firm with close ties to Murtha that is the subject of a federal investigation into whether it made illegal contributions by reimbursing donors to the Pennsylvania lawmaker and other members of Congress. The Electro-Optics Center also relied on advice from a longtime Murtha friend who now works on the congressman's appropriations staff.
Federal agents are also exploring how the center obtained its funds after they received dozens of internal documents last year. It is unclear whether the records have become a central focus of the Justice Department's probe, but they open a window into a largely hidden process in which powerful lawmakers can direct funds to pet projects.
The Electro-Optics Center, created by Murtha a decade ago under the auspices of Pennsylvania State University, was envisioned as a way to spur a new high-tech industry and create jobs in economically depressed western Pennsylvania. Last year, the U.S. attorney in Pittsburgh received a packet of budget materials, memos and e-mails from inside the center documenting how closely its managers conferred with PMA about the best ways to get its projects funded in the federal budget, according to two sources familiar with the information.
The center was supposed to help contractors in researching laser and optics technology to improve products for the military, and center officials said contractors were supposed to benefit from some of the federal funds.
Unlike in traditional earmarks -- funding for specific projects publicly requested by members of Congress -- most of the money for the center came through a budget maneuver known as a "plus-up." The process for this kind of earmark allows lawmakers to add money to an existing program in the budget without public disclosure. The center sought $120 million in this type of money for itself and other companies in 2006 alone, according to the records.
Several of the center's partners hired PMA for lobbying. In the 2008 budget, PMA clients received $299 million in defense earmarks through Murtha and other lawmakers. PMA and its clients gave $775,000 in contributions to Murtha in the last election cycle.
You can read the rest on their website.
By Carol D. Leonnig
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, March 17, 2009; A06
A Pennsylvania defense research center regularly consulted with two "handlers" close to Rep. John P. Murtha (D-Pa.) as it collected nearly $250 million in federal funding through the lawmaker, according to documents obtained by The Washington Post and sources familiar with the funding requests. The center then channeled a significant portion of the funding to companies that were among Murtha's campaign supporters.
The two advisers included a lobbyist for PMA Group, a firm with close ties to Murtha that is the subject of a federal investigation into whether it made illegal contributions by reimbursing donors to the Pennsylvania lawmaker and other members of Congress. The Electro-Optics Center also relied on advice from a longtime Murtha friend who now works on the congressman's appropriations staff.
Federal agents are also exploring how the center obtained its funds after they received dozens of internal documents last year. It is unclear whether the records have become a central focus of the Justice Department's probe, but they open a window into a largely hidden process in which powerful lawmakers can direct funds to pet projects.
The Electro-Optics Center, created by Murtha a decade ago under the auspices of Pennsylvania State University, was envisioned as a way to spur a new high-tech industry and create jobs in economically depressed western Pennsylvania. Last year, the U.S. attorney in Pittsburgh received a packet of budget materials, memos and e-mails from inside the center documenting how closely its managers conferred with PMA about the best ways to get its projects funded in the federal budget, according to two sources familiar with the information.
The center was supposed to help contractors in researching laser and optics technology to improve products for the military, and center officials said contractors were supposed to benefit from some of the federal funds.
Unlike in traditional earmarks -- funding for specific projects publicly requested by members of Congress -- most of the money for the center came through a budget maneuver known as a "plus-up." The process for this kind of earmark allows lawmakers to add money to an existing program in the budget without public disclosure. The center sought $120 million in this type of money for itself and other companies in 2006 alone, according to the records.
Several of the center's partners hired PMA for lobbying. In the 2008 budget, PMA clients received $299 million in defense earmarks through Murtha and other lawmakers. PMA and its clients gave $775,000 in contributions to Murtha in the last election cycle.
You can read the rest on their website.
Rendell Tries To Convince Specter To Switch Parties
From Aaron Blake at The Hill.
Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell’s (D) office on Monday confirmed the governor’s recent comments that he has tried to get Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) to switch parties and run as a Democrat.
After Rendell said in a news station interview that he, Vice President Biden and Sen. Bob Casey Jr. (D-Pa.) have all lobbied Specter to make the switch, Casey’s office denied that Casey had done so in any private manner, and Biden’s office declined to comment.
But Rendell spokesman Chuck Ardo said Rendell has indeed tried to convince Specter on many occasions to switch parties.
“The governor has had conversations — both public and private — trying to urge Sen. Specter to switch parties, and each and every time, he has received a resounding ‘no’ in response,” Ardo said.
Ardo did not speak to how serious the supposed lobbying efforts by Biden and Casey were. He agreed with Casey’s office that Rendell might have been referring to an event last month at which Rendell and Biden joked about Specter switching parties.
“I think the governor was alluding to some [conversations that were] public, some private, some tongue-in-cheek, some a bit more serious,” Ardo said.
Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell’s (D) office on Monday confirmed the governor’s recent comments that he has tried to get Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) to switch parties and run as a Democrat.
After Rendell said in a news station interview that he, Vice President Biden and Sen. Bob Casey Jr. (D-Pa.) have all lobbied Specter to make the switch, Casey’s office denied that Casey had done so in any private manner, and Biden’s office declined to comment.
But Rendell spokesman Chuck Ardo said Rendell has indeed tried to convince Specter on many occasions to switch parties.
“The governor has had conversations — both public and private — trying to urge Sen. Specter to switch parties, and each and every time, he has received a resounding ‘no’ in response,” Ardo said.
Ardo did not speak to how serious the supposed lobbying efforts by Biden and Casey were. He agreed with Casey’s office that Rendell might have been referring to an event last month at which Rendell and Biden joked about Specter switching parties.
“I think the governor was alluding to some [conversations that were] public, some private, some tongue-in-cheek, some a bit more serious,” Ardo said.
AG Corbett Moves Closer Toward Running For PA Governor
There is this thing about being a governor who cannot seek another term. People want to jump in your grave faster than spit. An anticipated announcement was reported today on Philly.com.
Two-term state Attorney General Tom Corbett has taken his first official step toward a run for governor.
Corbett, 59, a Republican, filed paperwork today to form an exploratory committee after discussions with friends and family, a spokesman said.
"Pennsylvanians are looking for a leader with the experience to create economic opportunities for Pennsylvania families through tax cuts, cutting government waste and spending, reforming state government, and creating good family-sustaining jobs," Corbett said in a statement.
The paperwork filing allows Corbett to begin raising money and hiring staff for the 2010 race.
Corbett also announced members of his exploratory committee, among them some of the most influential names in state Republican politics. They include Bob Asher, Republican national committeeman, and Jack Barbour, CEO-elect of the Buchanan, Ingersoll & Rooney law firm, as cochairmen of his committee.
Christine Toretti, a Republican national committeewoman, will serve as a finance chairwoman. Sandra Schultz Newman, former Pennsylvania Supreme Court justice, will serve as an honorary chairwoman to the committee.
I believe he will work Bonusgate to victory for Governor. Of course along the way a few other criminal types will make it to the front page.
Two-term state Attorney General Tom Corbett has taken his first official step toward a run for governor.
Corbett, 59, a Republican, filed paperwork today to form an exploratory committee after discussions with friends and family, a spokesman said.
"Pennsylvanians are looking for a leader with the experience to create economic opportunities for Pennsylvania families through tax cuts, cutting government waste and spending, reforming state government, and creating good family-sustaining jobs," Corbett said in a statement.
The paperwork filing allows Corbett to begin raising money and hiring staff for the 2010 race.
Corbett also announced members of his exploratory committee, among them some of the most influential names in state Republican politics. They include Bob Asher, Republican national committeeman, and Jack Barbour, CEO-elect of the Buchanan, Ingersoll & Rooney law firm, as cochairmen of his committee.
Christine Toretti, a Republican national committeewoman, will serve as a finance chairwoman. Sandra Schultz Newman, former Pennsylvania Supreme Court justice, will serve as an honorary chairwoman to the committee.
I believe he will work Bonusgate to victory for Governor. Of course along the way a few other criminal types will make it to the front page.
Luzerne County Courthouse Meet The MONTAGUE, Texas Jail
INMATES GONE WILD!!!
ABC News is reporting about a small town jail that is the prison version of "Girls Gone Wild".
For months, perhaps longer, the Montague County Jail was "Animal House" meets Mayberry. Inside the small brick building across from the courthouse, inmates had the run of the place, having sex with their jailer girlfriends, bringing in recliners, taking drugs and chatting on cell phones supplied by friends or guards, according to authorities. They also disabled some of the surveillance cameras and made weapons out of nails.
The doors to two groups of cells didn't lock, but apparently no one tried to escape —perhaps because they had everything they needed inside.
The jailhouse escapades — some of which date to 2006, according to authorities — have rocked Montague (pronounced mahn-TAYG), a farming and ranching town of several hundred people near the Oklahoma line, about 65 miles northwest of Fort Worth.
There were whispers in the past year about an affair between a female jailer and male inmate, but folks dismissed the rumors as small-town gossip. It was not until late last month, when a Texas grand jury returned a 106-count indictment against the former sheriff and 16 others, that the inmates-gone-wild scandal broke wide open.
The indictment charged Bill Keating, sheriff from 2004 until December, with official oppression and having sex with female inmates. The others indicted include nine guards — seven women and two men — who were charged with various offenses involving sex or drugs and other contraband. Four inmates also were charged.
Local, state and federal authorities are still trying to figure out how this small-town Texas jail was turned into something resembling a frat house.
The new sheriff, Paul Cunningham, said he was stunned while touring the jail for the first time just hours after being sworn into office Jan. 1. He saw partitions made of paper towels that blocked jailers' view into cells, and pills scattered about.
Cunningham, who had not worked for the county before his election in November, immediately ordered the jail closed and moved the nearly 60 inmates to another institution.
Robert Gibbs and Jon Stewart Have It Wrong Again
This piece is a little off the political tract but not so much. By now some of you have heard about the thrashing Jon Stewart gave to Jim Cramer, well a pseudo thrashing as you about to see. The liberal media had a hay day with this piece. Even Robert Gibbs, the President's Press Secretary couldn't wait to chime in with his usual childish assessment of a media type.
Over at AOL News the headline read Robert Gibbs Relished Jon Stewart's Awesome Jim Cramer Takedown
On March 4th Cramer gave Gibbs a push back over his statements before the Jon Stewart show.
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs on Tuesday pushed back against Cramer’s comments that President Obama has caused “the greatest wealth destruction I have seen by a president.”
“I’m not sure what he’s pointing to, to make some of the statements,” Gibbs told reporters, adding that Mad Money is geared toward a small audience while Obama has to help the entire country.
Cramer in response pointed to the Dow Jones Industrial Average, the S&P 500, Nasdaq and the Russell Index, all of which are down huge since Inauguration Day. And the only small thing about the MadMo audience, he said, is its 401(k)s, pension plans and annuities after the damage Obama’s proposed spending plans have caused the markets.
The stock market right now is a better barometer of Americans’ wealth than the president and his press secretary seem to realize, Cramer said. And while Obama said he’s focused on Main Street rather than Wall Street, he needs to realize the two are merging. Everday people today have a tremendous amount of exposure to stocks and the declining markets.
Richard Cohen of the Washington Post wrote a great Op-Ed piece about the sensationalism of Stewart's piece that was really lacking any substance behind his attack.
What Jon Stewart needs is Jon Stewart. He could use a droll comedian to temper his ferocity and correct him when he's wrong, as he was about the financial media, particularly CNBC and its excitable analyst Jim Cramer. They didn't cover up the story of financial shenanigans. They didn't even know it existed.
The jist of his opinion relies on the facts that all of the chairmen of the financial giants held onto their stock during the tremendous fall in prices. If they didn't know what was happening on the inside how could Cramer know being on the outside. You can read the rest of his piece to understand how wrong Jon Stewart and Robert Gibbs were on this particular issue.
Robert Gibbs is going to learn in short order that his constant engagement of specific media people will not earn him points in the long run. I will be surprised if he lasts a year in the job.
One blogger over at AOL wrote: I don't like Jim Cramer, but he's right here. The people who are getting helped by Team Obama right now are folks who bought houses they couldn't afford. A home, like a stock portfolio, is an asset. People who bought their assets with cash in the stock market have no share of bailout loot while people who bought their assets with debt are being showered with help. Gibbs should be worried that ordinary people see right through this administration.
Over at AOL News the headline read Robert Gibbs Relished Jon Stewart's Awesome Jim Cramer Takedown
On March 4th Cramer gave Gibbs a push back over his statements before the Jon Stewart show.
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs on Tuesday pushed back against Cramer’s comments that President Obama has caused “the greatest wealth destruction I have seen by a president.”
“I’m not sure what he’s pointing to, to make some of the statements,” Gibbs told reporters, adding that Mad Money is geared toward a small audience while Obama has to help the entire country.
Cramer in response pointed to the Dow Jones Industrial Average, the S&P 500, Nasdaq and the Russell Index, all of which are down huge since Inauguration Day. And the only small thing about the MadMo audience, he said, is its 401(k)s, pension plans and annuities after the damage Obama’s proposed spending plans have caused the markets.
The stock market right now is a better barometer of Americans’ wealth than the president and his press secretary seem to realize, Cramer said. And while Obama said he’s focused on Main Street rather than Wall Street, he needs to realize the two are merging. Everday people today have a tremendous amount of exposure to stocks and the declining markets.
Richard Cohen of the Washington Post wrote a great Op-Ed piece about the sensationalism of Stewart's piece that was really lacking any substance behind his attack.
What Jon Stewart needs is Jon Stewart. He could use a droll comedian to temper his ferocity and correct him when he's wrong, as he was about the financial media, particularly CNBC and its excitable analyst Jim Cramer. They didn't cover up the story of financial shenanigans. They didn't even know it existed.
The jist of his opinion relies on the facts that all of the chairmen of the financial giants held onto their stock during the tremendous fall in prices. If they didn't know what was happening on the inside how could Cramer know being on the outside. You can read the rest of his piece to understand how wrong Jon Stewart and Robert Gibbs were on this particular issue.
Robert Gibbs is going to learn in short order that his constant engagement of specific media people will not earn him points in the long run. I will be surprised if he lasts a year in the job.
One blogger over at AOL wrote: I don't like Jim Cramer, but he's right here. The people who are getting helped by Team Obama right now are folks who bought houses they couldn't afford. A home, like a stock portfolio, is an asset. People who bought their assets with cash in the stock market have no share of bailout loot while people who bought their assets with debt are being showered with help. Gibbs should be worried that ordinary people see right through this administration.
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