I tried to embed this video over at Gort's blog but the blogger comment doesn't permit it. He may look like Woodie Allen but the O'Jays definitely would be the theme song.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Pennsylvania's Do Nothing Legislature
If you look at my "Headline" section to the right you will see a news item where State Sen. Elder Vogel Jr introduced legislation to reduce the size of the Pennsylvania legislature by 40% to save approximately $100 million per year. It has now been 92 days into 2009 and do you know how many bills have been passed by the PA legislature? Well, almost none. How many became law? Well that answer is none.
Read this piece by John Baer of the Philly Daily News to get the full facts. Here's are some highlight of what he had to say.
How about legislation making it a crime to install or reinstall "fraudulent airbags"? Sen. Stewart Greenleaf, R-Montgomery County, has that in the Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure Committee.
This actually sounds like a good idea that should have been law years ago. It's just, I thought that installing or reinstalling "fraudulent airbags" was a reference to legislative elections and re-elections.
The State Government Committee also has a bill sponsored by Rep. Tina Pickett, R-Sullivan County, naming celestite (a vitreous crystal) as the state's official mineral.
My, what a busy committee that must be.
(So busy that last year it couldn't get around to moving a redistricting reform bill to make legislative campaigns competitive - in a year that 98 incumbents or candidates faced no opposition in the General Election. The committee's chaired by Philly Democrat Babette Josephs.)
And while U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter's Web site says that the chocolate chip is the state cookie, the official designation hasn't happened.
Oh, and no other legislation has passed this year, either. Not one bill. The Senate passed some anti-drug and mortgage reform measures. The House passed some bills, too. But you'll just have to wait for both chambers to agree on any new laws.
Bada bing, bada boom. Back to the reason and need for Elder Vogel's legislation. I do agree about "fradulent airbags".
Office Humour: How To Be Lazy In The Office And Get Away With It
Read this piece by John Baer of the Philly Daily News to get the full facts. Here's are some highlight of what he had to say.
How about legislation making it a crime to install or reinstall "fraudulent airbags"? Sen. Stewart Greenleaf, R-Montgomery County, has that in the Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure Committee.
This actually sounds like a good idea that should have been law years ago. It's just, I thought that installing or reinstalling "fraudulent airbags" was a reference to legislative elections and re-elections.
The State Government Committee also has a bill sponsored by Rep. Tina Pickett, R-Sullivan County, naming celestite (a vitreous crystal) as the state's official mineral.
My, what a busy committee that must be.
(So busy that last year it couldn't get around to moving a redistricting reform bill to make legislative campaigns competitive - in a year that 98 incumbents or candidates faced no opposition in the General Election. The committee's chaired by Philly Democrat Babette Josephs.)
And while U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter's Web site says that the chocolate chip is the state cookie, the official designation hasn't happened.
Oh, and no other legislation has passed this year, either. Not one bill. The Senate passed some anti-drug and mortgage reform measures. The House passed some bills, too. But you'll just have to wait for both chambers to agree on any new laws.
Bada bing, bada boom. Back to the reason and need for Elder Vogel's legislation. I do agree about "fradulent airbags".
Office Humour: How To Be Lazy In The Office And Get Away With It
It May Be A Specter To Behold But Who Is Tim Be-Holden To?
The Lebanon Daily News reports that a large contributor for the last several years to the campaign committee of Congressman Tim Holden is under investigation by the FBI.
The FBI is investigating PMA Group, Holden’s biggest campaign contributor in the past several elections, for making unlawful contributions to members of Congress. Using the names of at least two people who do not work for the company but are associated with its founder, Paul Magliochetti, investigators believe PMA increased the amount of money it could legally funnel to politicians.
Since 2001, Holden has received $75,000 from PMA Group and its associates, according to CRP. Last year, his campaign received $23,750, which put him among the top congressional members receiving donations from the firm.
PMA clients have also benefited from Holden’s influence. Last year, he arranged an earmark of $3.2 million for Fidelity Technologies that was contained in a massive defense-appropriations bill.
Holden, whose 17th Congressional District includes Lebanon County, claims there is nothing inappropriate about the contributions he has received from PMA or his efforts on behalf of Fidelity Technologies. The company, which manufactures training simulators for the military, was once in Holden’s congressional district and now lies just a few blocks outside of it. Many of his constituents are Fidelity Technologies employees, and the contract secured their jobs, Holden said.
“I’ve been working with (Fidelity Technologies) since my third term in Congress,” Holden said. “This project was not just something that was dreamt up. It was brought before the Pentagon, which fully vetted it, and it has been a very useful tool for the military.
Nice try Tim, but wasn't that Cornerstone Technologies working on a project for the military? Tom Daschle, Nancy Killefer, Timothy Geithner, Hilda Solis, Ron Kirk, and Kathleen Sebelius(who, by the way, replaced Tom Daschle as nominee after he withdrew)all owed back taxes. They were fully vetted, right? How can so many of President Obama's nominees owe back taxes?????? Who said only Republicans were rich?
The FBI is investigating PMA Group, Holden’s biggest campaign contributor in the past several elections, for making unlawful contributions to members of Congress. Using the names of at least two people who do not work for the company but are associated with its founder, Paul Magliochetti, investigators believe PMA increased the amount of money it could legally funnel to politicians.
Since 2001, Holden has received $75,000 from PMA Group and its associates, according to CRP. Last year, his campaign received $23,750, which put him among the top congressional members receiving donations from the firm.
PMA clients have also benefited from Holden’s influence. Last year, he arranged an earmark of $3.2 million for Fidelity Technologies that was contained in a massive defense-appropriations bill.
Holden, whose 17th Congressional District includes Lebanon County, claims there is nothing inappropriate about the contributions he has received from PMA or his efforts on behalf of Fidelity Technologies. The company, which manufactures training simulators for the military, was once in Holden’s congressional district and now lies just a few blocks outside of it. Many of his constituents are Fidelity Technologies employees, and the contract secured their jobs, Holden said.
“I’ve been working with (Fidelity Technologies) since my third term in Congress,” Holden said. “This project was not just something that was dreamt up. It was brought before the Pentagon, which fully vetted it, and it has been a very useful tool for the military.
Nice try Tim, but wasn't that Cornerstone Technologies working on a project for the military? Tom Daschle, Nancy Killefer, Timothy Geithner, Hilda Solis, Ron Kirk, and Kathleen Sebelius(who, by the way, replaced Tom Daschle as nominee after he withdrew)all owed back taxes. They were fully vetted, right? How can so many of President Obama's nominees owe back taxes?????? Who said only Republicans were rich?
Conflict of Interest?? Slow Down Fast Eddy At Work
Chris Freind at the Bulletin wrote this piece about the way Fast Eddy sees events in his state.
Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell’s recent decision to criticize the Sunoco oil company for laying off 750 workers raises a number of intriguing questions. While the governor held a press conference last week solely to excoriate Sunoco, calling the company’s decision “unconscionable,” he has been notably silent concerning the 3,000 layoffs — four times the number at Sunoco — that Comcast has executed in the past year.
Since the governor’s election in 2002, SUN PAC, Sunoco’s political action committee, has contributed $55,000 to Mr. Rendell, with Sunoco employees donating an additional $2,650.
During that same time period, Comcast’s PAC, its employees, and the spouses of its top executives, donated $634,350 to the governor. Additionally, Comcast spent at least $100,000 on Mr. Rendell’s inauguration festivities in 2007, being designated as a“Benefactor” by the governor, the highest level of a contributor.
Why do people complain about the no-bid work in Luzerne County? Read the last sentence of his article.
Under the Rendell administration, over $1 billion in no-bid contracts have been awarded.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Eachus Should Ask Governor Rendell To Resign, Not Corbett
Capitol Idea's John Micek is on a roll, baby. Take a look at his post on the best quote ever.
“President Obama was very quick to run to the private sector and ask for the resignation of the top individual in charge of [the General Motors] fiasco.I think he should be very quick to look at all of the states that have huge budget deficits that are looking for bailouts from the federal government, and maybe ask for [Gov.] Rendell to submit his resignation so that maybe we could get things back on track.”
Thanks to Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, Capitol Wire, and of course, John Micek.
Even The Best Get Stumped
John Micek wrote a piece this morning on Democratic Rep. Todd Eachus's efforts to introduce legislation that would require courts to provide representation to juveniles in delinquency or truancy proceedings.
He wrote it before he was reminded that Republican Senator Lisa Baker already made her announcement to do the exact same thing two days ago.
She scheduled a news conference for 11:30A.M. this morning to make the announcement. I thought she would appreciate the banner.
Take John Baer's Quiz On Pennsylvania's Leaders
Take John Baer's pop quiz about Pennsylvania leaders and the way they spend our/your money featured on Philly.com. It's an easy true or false test.
Here are the first three:
1) The Legislature doled out $3.7 million in questionable staff bonuses and paid (so far) $6 million in legal fees and expenses related to an investigation of the bonuses. This $9.7 million is just about the annual cost of operating Scotland School for Veterans' Children in south-central Pennsylvania (attended mostly by Philly kids), scheduled to be closed in June to save money.
2) This same $9.7 million in tax dollars for bonuses and lawyers (so far) is more than it costs to run the Scranton School for the Deaf, founded in 1880, serving more than 100 students, also scheduled to close to save money.
3) The $3.7 million in questionable bonuses, some in the five-figure range, is more than the cost of the Governor's Schools of Excellence, a program offering free study to outstanding students in a state that is last among the mid-Atlantic states in per capita college degrees. The program is slated for elimination to save money.
There are ten questions in all. And Todd Eachus wanted Tom Corbett to resign as Attorney General exactly why? Because the AG in Virginia did. Was the AG in Virginia in the midst of a hugh corruption probe of his state's Legislature when he proclaimed he would resign? By the way just a point of order Mr. Eachus. If you checked on the AG spot in Virginia you would find that no AG in Virgina has served for more than three years over the last thirty years. Wag the Dog, Wag the Dog, Wag the Dog.
Here are the first three:
1) The Legislature doled out $3.7 million in questionable staff bonuses and paid (so far) $6 million in legal fees and expenses related to an investigation of the bonuses. This $9.7 million is just about the annual cost of operating Scotland School for Veterans' Children in south-central Pennsylvania (attended mostly by Philly kids), scheduled to be closed in June to save money.
2) This same $9.7 million in tax dollars for bonuses and lawyers (so far) is more than it costs to run the Scranton School for the Deaf, founded in 1880, serving more than 100 students, also scheduled to close to save money.
3) The $3.7 million in questionable bonuses, some in the five-figure range, is more than the cost of the Governor's Schools of Excellence, a program offering free study to outstanding students in a state that is last among the mid-Atlantic states in per capita college degrees. The program is slated for elimination to save money.
There are ten questions in all. And Todd Eachus wanted Tom Corbett to resign as Attorney General exactly why? Because the AG in Virginia did. Was the AG in Virginia in the midst of a hugh corruption probe of his state's Legislature when he proclaimed he would resign? By the way just a point of order Mr. Eachus. If you checked on the AG spot in Virginia you would find that no AG in Virgina has served for more than three years over the last thirty years. Wag the Dog, Wag the Dog, Wag the Dog.
Merry Christmas, Wilkes Barre! The Grinch That Stole The Hotel Sterling
Merry Christmas, Wilkes Barre! That was the headline on a press release from Paul Kanjorski's office on 12/17/2004.
Development along the Riverfront is closely tied with the revitalization of the Hotel Sterling being undertaken by the non-profit community development organization CityVest, which Congressman Kanjorski helped to found several years ago. CityVest purchased the Hotel Sterling in 2002 and recently named three finalist architectural firms to compete to design the hotel's renovation into office, residential, and retail space. The renovation is expected to cost more than $20 million.
"Many of these projects have been on the planning books for years, but 2005 is the year we are going to see visible progress in downtown Wilkes-Barre with more than $100 million of public and private construction underway. As we look forward to a bright New Year, we should take a moment to look around at everything that is moving forward in Wilkes-Barre. We have a strong team in place, and we are doing some great things to improve the quality of life for the people who live and work in the City of Wilkes-Barre," said Congressman Kanjorski.
Uhh..Paully boy c'me here. Let's roll the picture forward to this article which appeared in the Citizen's Voice by DENISE ALLABAUGH on October 19, 2008.
CityVest, a nonprofit developer, still does not have a co-developer for the Hotel Sterling at River and Market streets, but the property acquisition, demolition and environmental abatement for the project has been complete, Rogers said. The riverfront project is capturing the attention of prospective developers and people interested in living in the historic landmark, he said.
After enduring years of decay and a close call with a wrecking ball, CityVest received a $1 million federal grant to purchase the once-majestic hotel at a tax sale in 2002 with the hope of retaining a co-developer to restore the building to its past prominence. Officials from the city, Luzerne County and Wilkes-Barre Area School District agreed to forgive $1 million in back taxes owed by the former owner.
CityVest also received $6 million in county funds and has a commitment for $3 million from the state. The county funds enabled CityVest to complete the property acquisition, demolition, environmental abatement and architectural work. Rogers estimated the entire project to redevelop the hotel could cost $24 million to $25 million.
Bill O'Boyle over at the Times Leader wrote a a similar article on July 30, 2008.
How about this press release from "Fast Eddy" Rendell dated August 2004.
The Governor also awarded $3 million in RACP funds for the redevelopment of the once prestigious Hotel Sterling, which is now vacant. The Hotel Sterling Complex, which is a designated Keystone Opportunity Zone, will include four structures totaling 180,000 square feet of commercial, office and residential space. CityVest, the Wilkes-Barre-based, non-profit residential and commercial development corporation, has already secured millions in city, county and federal funds and is anticipating immediate redevelopment of the hotel. Each of these projects brings promise of an attractive streetscape and revitalization to the downtown riverfront area.
RACP is a state grant program administered by the Office of the Budget for the acquisition and construction of regional economic, cultural, civic, and historical improvement projects. The $640 million in RACP funding approved by the Legislature in July is a vital component of the Governor’s economic-stimulus package, which leverages $2.3 billion in grants, loans and guarantees over the next three years to generate an anticipated $5 billion in private-sector investment to help start new businesses in Pennsylvania and help existing companies expand here. Where is the stimulus if there is no progress on the project?
So Eddy and Paully, let's talk about this money you've been handing out. Who is checking on the progress? If the money is not being used for almost 5 years isn't there another project worthy of funding? I'll give you one. How about the next phase of the Intermodal project in Hazleton? Shovel ready and instant jobs.
Ohh that's right. Republican Mayor, City of Hazleton. Democratic Representatives. Some bipartisanship. Only Obama should get that courtesy.
Justice Department Wants Republican Senator Ted Stevens Verdict Overturned Due To Its Mistake
According to CNN the Justice Deparment wants the guilty verdict against former Republican Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska set aside. The article cites the request amid charges by an FBI agent of prosecutorial misconduct. Evidently there was an interview of the contractor that was withheld by the government from the defense. The contractor valued the services provided to Stevens much less than he testified to during the trial.
Stevens lost a re-election bid in November to Democrat Mark Begich, who had been Anchorage's mayor. I wonder whether the FBI agent was a Democrat.
Stevens lost a re-election bid in November to Democrat Mark Begich, who had been Anchorage's mayor. I wonder whether the FBI agent was a Democrat.
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