Specter is Done

There was an effort in Lehigh County to censure Senator Specter for his vote on the Stimulus Bill. Some argued that it wasn't a good idea. Some argued that it might cause Specter to leave the party, which would make it hard for Pat Toomey to win an election against Specter as a Democrat.

Of course, I argued against these ludicrous positions. Now the poll numbers are proving the point that I predicted.

As I stated right away, "However, he will not win a Democrat primary."

While many in the GOP worried about the political implications of what was happening, the reality was obvious. Which seems to be something that many political handlers and others seem to fail to grasp.

Apparently, according to a recent poll, only 28% of voters think that Specter deserves to be re-elected to the Senate.

How often will the GOP political handlers be proven wrong for the grassroots to say, 'hey, you don't know what you are talking about?"

As I said, Specter will not win the Democrat primary. In fact, I will now predict that he will not even run for the position. He will retire. But, if he runs, he will lose.

And there is a danger. Too many Republicans have followed the "Specter Strategy". Which is, appease the Liberals and assume that the Republicans will vote for a Republican "no matter what". Well, if the GOP political geniuses won't wake up yet, they better. The GOP base, and many Independents and even enough Democrats actually believe in principles of limited government.

But I am not a political handler who claims to be a political guru. I merely use common sense.

WANTED: GOP CAP & TAX 8

The real problem with these eight is that they allowed Democrats in tough districts to vote against Cap & Trade. If these so-called Republicans had voted against the bill, it would have been defeated. Unless, Pelosi and her armtwisters convinced more Democrats to vote for the bill - which would have put their seats in jeopardy in 2010.

Which is more pragmatic? Standing on principle and putting more Dems in trouble in the next election cycle? Or appeasing liberals? And if they are in tough districts themselves, then they, and the GOP, should be educating the voters that global warming stopped in 1998 and that man-made carbon emissions have virtually little to no impact on global warming. Which has been proven by SCIENCE, not CONSENSUS.

That is where the GOP constantly fails - to educate the public and shifting public opinion.

Boehner Shows Some Backbone

One of the frustrations of the GOP grassroots is the almost total abdication of any leadership based on principles.

I watched House Minority Leaders John Boehner on Friday. It was uplifting. He demanded, and won the right, to take as much time as he needed to point out all the concerns with the 300 page amendment to the Cap & Tax bill - which was delivered at 3 a.m. that same morning.

Such is the sloppy process of government under Democrat leadership.

And a number of the provisions in this bill are unbelievable.

I would like to thank my friends at Conservative Allies of PA for supplying these links. You can watch the floor speech from Minority Leader Boehner:

JOHN BOEHNER SLAPS DOWN WAXMAN - PART 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jbMzaQZ_G4
JOHN BOEHNER SLAPS DOWN WAXMAN - PART 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPbSV3ykRuI
JOHN BOEHNER SLAPS DOWN WAXMAN - PART 3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1lC4u8NLoc
JOHN BOEHNER SLAPS DOWN WAXMAN - PART 4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSKIeH69Dcs
JOHN BOEHNER SLAPS DOWN WAXMAN - PART 5
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IT5SDV00Duc
JOHN BOEHNER SLAPS DOWN WAXMAN - PART 6
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChoEI3ioRnE
JOHN BOEHNER SLAPS DOWN WAXMAN - PART 7
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8r3QLvBWAYk

Cap & Trade Farce

The Cap & Trade fiasco narrowly passed in the House with a 7 vote margin. Eight Republicans voted for this travesty while 42 Democrats used common sense and opposed the bill. These Republicans need to go. Am I being a "purist"? Yes. I oppose socialist solutions to mythical problems that will create more economic problems. So should all Republicans.

Even candidate Obama admitted that electricity prices "would necessarily skyrocket".

And in typical Democrat fashion, a 300 page amendment was dropped off at 3 in the morning.

Give credit to Minority Leader John Boehner who paged through the document and raised all the questions he had about what was in the legislation. As he stated, (paraphrase) "If you are gonna drop off a 300 page amendment at three in the morning, the American public has a right to know what is in it before we vote on it."

Some of the items -

It establishes a federal housing code to conform with California's environmentally restrictive code. (Why do Democrats want to be more like California? Aren't they bankrupt and rapidly declining as a state?)

It mandates that municipalities have inspectors to comply with the above provision. Of course, this is another unfunded mandate.

It mandates that you cannot sell your house until it complies with this new code.

It establishes more welfare to offset much higher energy costs for welfare recipients. Of course, the middle class will suffer these higher energy costs. So the middle class will pay more in energy costs AND more to supply additional welfare benefits.

But let's look at the big picture. Global warming has been the greatest hype ever.

Temperature data used to justify the alarm has been debunked numerous times. Why? Thermometers were placed over asphalt which, as any child who walks with barefeet knows, gets quite hot in the sun. Thermometers were also found near a.c. vents (which emit heat to the outside) and in other areas that did not represent true ambient temperature.

A 2007 NASA report debunks the claim that man-made global warming is causing the great Arctic meltdown. Their conclusion? Arctic ice goes through a decades long cycle which causes the ice pack to expand and contract. This reminds me of the great ozone hole scare of the 80's. Remember that one? The "deniers" were attacked when they said that the ozone hole goes through cycles as well.

NASA also announced that that sun is a primary cause of any warming - imagine that - and that Mars also experienced global warming. Can't wait to buy a Martian SUV. As the sun goes through its normal cycles, it has an impact on the planets. Wow! Now that's radical. Here is another article about the radical concept that the sun might warm the planet.

And more and more meterologists are admitting that global warming has halted for the last decade and that global COOLING has started. Almost 32,000 American scientists have signed a petition that "there is no convincing scientific evidence" of man-made global warming. Here is a detailed blog about the flaws of the UN IPCC reports.

And last, the greenies declare that this is a jobs bill. If so, why do they have provisions to provide healthcare benefits for those who become unemployed as a result of this legislation? Spain just embarked on a similar jobs program. The result was 2.2 jobs lost for every green job that was created. And each job created only cost about $800,000! Only in politics is such incompetence tolerated. Instead of 'creating' jobs, why not just hand out $8,000 each to 100 people? Here is an analysis from the Heritage Foundation.

Who are the Republican Eight who will hopefully be Specterized soon? And if they face a primary challenge, you might want to send a few dollars to their opponents.

Bono Mack (CA-45th)

Castle (DE)

Kirk (IL-10th)

Reichert (WA-8th)

Lance (NJ-7th)

LoBiondo (NJ-2nd)

McHugh (NY-23rd)

Smith, C. (NJ-4th)

Who in the PA delegation voted for this monstrosity?

Brady (D) 1st

Kanjorski (D) 11th

Doyle (D) 14th

Fattah (D) 2nd

P. Murphy (D) 8th

Murtha (D) 12th

Schwartz (D) 13th

Sestak (D) 7th

Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan to Congressman Dent's man Millan: Your guy is a Hypocrite

The dust hasn't settled on Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan's 2009 mayoral race, and will not until October at the earliest. Come on, he is a stone cold lock, and we all know it.

So our very own Vice President, Joe Biden (D-Unofficial part time Scranton Wilkes Barre homeboy) called to ask John Callahan to challenge Charlie Dent.

Hey, if the second in command to the commander in chief calls, you have to listen, right?

I could care less right now about the dynamics involved, what has my attention is Congressman Dent's man Shawn Millan telling John he should drop out of the mayoral race if he is running for Congress.

I like Shawn. I like that every time Congressman Dent has a conference call concerning Veterans affairs I get a call inviting me to participate. I just want to say that up front.

But John Callahan has a point, in telling Shawn Millan to shut up. Charlie ran for State Senator while still a State Representative. Charlie Dent also ran for Pat Toomey's Congressional seat while still halfway through his Senate term. Callahan's jab is a fair one.

I hope that John decides to run. He will get serious financial support that will rival Charlie Dent's, and have the backing of the Obama team. The Lehigh Valley will be treated to political bloodsport unseen for decades. Think of John Callahan as William Wallace leading his forces against the British. Political blood will spill, and this time Wallace might win in November 2010

A Temporary Tax Hike? Please...

Something is seriously wrong in politics.

Either:

a) Politicians think the voters are stupid;

b) Voters actually are stupid;

c) Politicians are stupid;

d) Politicians and Voters are typically uninformed and have no 'political memory' and only think in the short term.

Many citizens might shout with glee that the answer is "c" or most pundits would jump to answer "a" in a more sober, reasoned manner. But the answer is "d".

What is "political memory"? The failure of a political memory is forgetting past policy decisions and their later impact, or policy failures, or assuming that things are "different" today. Politicians and voters routinely fail to have any political memory.

Look at the current plan to temporarily raise income taxes to get through the Commonwealth's budget crisis. Once again, politicians fail to acknowledge the real problem. Much like an addicted gambler or heroin user, addicts spin elaborate stories and fantasies to justify their behavior and to explain that they don't really have a problem.

The addiction in government is spending. In government, when times are good and the treasury coffers are full it is time to spend a lot of money. Times are good, so it is time to expand government to do more good things! When times are bad and the cupboards are bare, it is time to spend a lot of money because people need it and it will "help" the economy. The addict always has an excuse to justify their continued behavior.

So Governor Rendell and other addicts call for a temporary 'quick fix' just to get them through a tough time.

Here are some examples to refresh your political memory:

1) Allentown "needed" the EMS Tax ($52 a year from all who work in the city) and the $2.5 million a year to help "fix" its fiscal troubles. This year, we face a $9 million dollar deficit. Of course, the structural deficit and exploding bureaucracy is not the problem. I often joked during the EMS debate that if you "gave City Hall two and a half million dollars, they will spend all three million of it". Budget numbers show this to be the case.

2) The Sales Tax was introduced in Pennsylvania in 1953. It was 1%. It was to be used solely for education funding. Today it is 6%. Most is not used for education. Education relies heavily on property taxes. So to ease this property tax burden, we "need" casinos. And now we need table games because the slots don't provide enough revenue.

3) When the Federal Income Tax was established by the 16th Amendment to the Constitution, some advocated that a cap of 6% be placed into the amendment. This provision was laughed off as unnecessary because the tax would never exceed 6% and, in fact, it might lead to all the tax brackets to be raised to 6%! (OH! The lost opportunity! Could you imagine a flat tax of 6%? Our economy would be exploding!) Well, maximum tax rates peaked at over 90% for a number of years. Today, the maximum is 35%. In 1913, the corporate tax rate was 2%. Today, it is 39% and the second highest in the world. Also, the complexity of the tax has exploded. In 1913, the tax form was two double sided pages. This INCLUDED the instructions to complete the form.

from Taxhistory.org

So the first 1040 form was two pages, including instructions and worksheets. Today, the 1040 form is only one double-sided page. According to the Tax Education Foundation, in 2005 the instruction booklet was 142 pages long.

The 1913 law was only 14 pages long (the whole bill was 27 pages but the other portion dealt with tariffs) and the regulations were 400 pages long. In 2005, the tax code, the law, is now an incredible 1.3 MILLION words long and the IRS Regulations are just under 5.9 MILLION words - around 55,000 pages.

4) And let's look to Massachusetts which also enacted a temporary income tax hike. They face the same situation as Pennsylvania. Bad economic conditions and a decline of revenue. (Again, spending is not the issue, remember?) They also faced a $619 million dollar deficit, so state politicians looked to a temporary tax hike as an emergency provision to plug the hole until conditions get better. According to the Middlesex News, "Rep. David P. Magnani yesterday emphasized that the hikes would only be in place for 18 months and that revenue generated would only go towards past bills."

The Boston Herald reported "The Democratic House leadership yesterday agreed to plug last year’s budget deficit with a temporary, 18-month hike in the state’s income tax".

The Boston Globe reported, "House leaders plan to push for the state to deal with the fiscal... deficit and pay old Medicaid debts by temporarily increasing the state income tax from 5 percent to 5.75 percent, sources said yesterday."

Ironically, The Globe & Herald articles were published on July 4th. How could that be? For newspaper trivia fans, you might know that the Middlesex News became the MetroWest Daily News in 1998.

However, these articles appeared in 1989.

And, two decades later, the 18 month 'temporary' tax hike is still in place. And it is still in place despite the "unusually harsh language" from the Chair of the Massachusetts House Ways and Means Committee, "I speak for the Democrat leadership on this issue. Governor, you are not getting permanent new taxes out of the House. Do you get it?” - The Boston Globe, July 7th, 1989

Beware the false and empty comments and promises of politicians. They are quite adept at word games. Voters must learn that if it ain't in the law, it ain't gonna happen. According to the Beacon Hill, June 23, 1997:

House Speaker Thomas Finneran disputes Anderson’s contention that Beacon Hill promised to roll back the 1989 tax increase once the debt was paid.
“Maybe somebody at the time said, ‘Well, gee, maybe we should or maybe we could consider rolling it back,’ but Barbara has been around long enough to know statements come and go and language is statutory. I don’t know how someone would attach legitimacy to a comment made in the hall, in a hearing, or even on the House floor.”

When will politicians and voters learn? The EMS tax should have only been used for property tax reduction or to free up money for debt reduction by relieving the police and fire budgets. The 6% tax cap on federal income tax should have been added to the amendment language. And if you are gonna pass a "temporary" tax hike, make damn sure there is a statutory sunset provision in the law.

A Visual Aid for Spending...

(NOTE: From some conservatives in the State of Delaware with some edits by me.)

What does a trillion dollars look like? How about 12 trillion?

All this talk about "stimulus packages" and "bailouts"... ?????? A billion dollars...A hundred billion dollars...Eight hundred billion dollars...One TRILLION dollars...What does that look like? I mean, these various numbers are tossed around like so many doggie treats, so let's get a sense of what exactly a trillion dollars looks like.

We'll start with a $100 dollar bill. Currently the largest U.S. denomination in general circulation. Most everyone has seen them, slightly fewer have owned them. Guaranteed to make friends wherever they go.

A packet of one hundred $100 bills is less than 1/2" thick and contains $10,000. Fits in your pocket easily and is more than enough for week or two of shamefully decadent fun.

Believe it or not, this next little pile is $1 million dollars (100 packets of $10,000). You could stuff that into a grocery bag and walk around with it.

While a measly $1 million looked a little unimpressive, $100 million is a little more respectable. It fits neatly on a standard pallet...

And $1 BILLION dollars... now we're really getting somewhere...

Next we'll look at ONE TRILLION dollars. This is that number we've been hearing about so much. What is a trillion dollars? Well, it's a million million. It's a thousand billion. It's a one followed by 12 zeros. You ready for this? It's pretty surprising. Ladies and gentlemen... I give you $1 trillion dollars...

Notice the pallets are double stacked! And look at the very tiny person in the lower left corner.

Now imagine what $12 Trillion (our national debt) would look like. Add eleven more double pallet stacks to the picture above. What do you think the chances of we the people ever paying it back and getting out of debt? Right, we would always remain as debtors. And how much benefit would we the people have received in return for assuming this massive debt load which was thrust upon us? That’s right, “None.”

Yet, politicians keep spending with an almost insane obsession. Most Democrats and far too many Republicans keep adding pallets of money onto this debt.

Furthermore the greatest portion of this debt is owed to the Federal Reserve, the FED. They along with members of congress are responsible for this travesty. Its critical that Ron Paul’s legislation, HR 1207, to audit the FED, is passed ASAP. Right now 237 House members have signed on as co-sponsors. If your representative hasn’t, it’s critical that they do.

Here is a list of sponsors. The PA Delegation does pretty well with 11 out of 19 as sponsors. Thank you to all of those who think that an audit of the Federal Reserve is a prudent and reasonable action.

Here is a list of the NON-sponsors. Contact them! Even if you don't live in their district, they need to represent the interests of ALL Americans.

(Click on name for webpage. Click on "Contact" tab for contact information.)

Robert Brady (D-PA-1)

Chaka Fattah (D-PA-2)

Kathy Dahlkemper (D-PA-3)

Joe Sestak (D-PA-7)

Paul Kanjorski (D-PA-11)

John Murtha (D-PA-12)

Allyson Schwartz (D-PA-13)

Mike Doyle (D-PA-14)

Comment on Rendell's Tax Hike Proposal

Want to comment on Governor Rendell's proposed income tax increase?

Comment here:

www.stoppataxhike.com

"Purists" vs. Hypocrites

As the GOP debates its direction (why is it even a debate?) there is a term being tossed around by the establishment. They label those who are a perceived problem in the GOP as "purists".

Some information:

"Republicans will uphold and defend out party's core principles: Constrain the federal government to its legitimate constitutional functions...Spend only what is necessary, and tax only to raise revenue for essential government functions...those who created this bloated government will not admit a single mistake or abolish a single program." - 2008 Republican Platform

"Reducing the size of government. Streamlining the bureaucracy. Returning power to the states. These are all stances the Republican Party, in opposition to the Democratic Party, adopted early in our history. The Republican Party, since its inception, has been at the forefront of the fight for individuals’ rights in opposition to a large, bloated government." - Republican Party of Pennsylvania

So who are the "purists"?

They are those who believe in principles of limited government. They believe in the words espoused by our platforms, documents, the Constitution and the principles espoused by our Founding Fathers. What do "purists" expect?

Government should spend less than it takes in - no deficit spending.

Government should not rely on borrowed money - credit card spending is bad for a government.

Public debt is a useful tool, when used sparingly, but public debt is exploding and out of control.

Government should not intrude on private operations - which means government shouldn't "help" business or other efforts.

But, here is the dirty little secret. Politics is the business of handing out "stuff" in order to gain and/or retain power.

The "purists" say that the GOP should not be doing such things.

The "hypocrites" or pragmatists declare that in order to get elected or re-elected, the GOP must hand out cardboard checks, do "good" things for society and wield government power to make people happy - and expand government spending and power in the process.

This is THE battle line among Republicans. Should government be limited or should principles of Big Government power be utilized to help the GOP gain and or stay in power?

Well, the "purists" believe in our Founding Principles. It is that simple.

The "hypocrites" believe in power and saying and doing whatever it takes to be in power.

I know which side I am on. If I am called a "purist", thank you.

Since this is the debate that has been established the debate must be carried out. Many examples of hypocrisy will be supplied over the next several months on this blog.

We either believe what we say or we don't. If we don't, I wish that elected officials and their political handlers would have the spine to declare it. If they govern one way and are upset that people point that out, I simply say that they are to blame.

Follow our principles or declare new ones. But that is a "purist" sentiment. However, hypocrites want the other option - do whatever we want while pretending to operate under a banner of declared principles even if we don't follow them at all.

Otto von Bismarck declared that hypcorisy is "When you say that you agree with a thing in principle (and) you mean that you have not the slightest intention of carrying it out in practice."

So the simple question jumps out at all of us. If Republicans advocate policies that go against our stated principles and support Big Government are they not hypocrites? And if those who declare that violations of our DECLARED principles are wrong, are we purists? And, if so, is that so bad?

Which would you rather be - a hypocrite or a purist? Once again, I know which side I stand on.

As I stated, since "purists" are being attacked, many examples of "hypocrisy" will have to be detailed and explained on this blog. The people can easily determine, with common sense, if the "purists" or the "hypocrites" are wrong. Much like Thomas Jefferson, when that debate is waged, I will ALWAYS side with the common sense of the people.

Lehigh County GOP on the Offense for Taxpayers?

There is one fundamental frustration that the grass roots has with GOP leaders. The base of the GOP sees a persistent lack of initiative and a constant defensive posture by the Party and most of its elected officials. And, it is quite demoralizing when many seem to consistently act out of some sort of inferiority complex or shame about GOP principles.

But in war, business and politics, initiative is a crucial ingredient for success. As the old saying goes in football, a prevent defense only allows the other team to score. The grandfather of strategy, Sun Tzu described the importance of initiative the best: "Those skilled in war bring the enemy to the field of battle and are not brought there by him".

The best military illustration of this principle can be seen in the movie Gettysburg. During the first day of the battle, Union Cavalry General Buford explains why they must fight so hard against the first Confederate units. "You know what's gonna happen here in the morning? The whole damn rebel army's gonna be here. They'll move through this town and occupy these hills on the other side. When our people get here Lee will have the high ground and there'll be the devil to pay... We can deprive the enemy of the high ground."

General Lee also understood the importance of initiative when he rebuked Cavalry General J.E.B. Stuart for his multiple day separation, and lack of communication, with the Confederate army. (This was a private meeting so the quote is historically speculative) - "You left here with no word of your movement or movement of the enemy for several days. Meanwhile, we were engaged here and drawn into battle without adequate knowledge of the enemy's strength or position, without knowledge of the ground. So it is only by God's grace that we did not meet disaster here." This was on the night of July 2nd. Pickett's charge followed the next day; which led to disaster.

How does this principle apply to politics? As a persistent advocate that the GOP MUST go on offense against Democrats, especially at the local level, two recent moves by GOP County Commissioners and candidates are heartening. The first proves the theorem; the second is a bold move with much potential. And risk. As any worthy military commander or strategist understands, any maneuver has risk. However, one cannot achieve anything other than short-term, lame advantages by risking little. As the old homily declares, "Nothing ventured, nothing gained."

I posted about a proposal by GOP Commissioner candidates. And this effort has already proven the theorem.

A more transparent, accountable government can only benefit all citizens. This proposal for increased transparency regarding campaign contributions will allow greater, and easier, scrutiny by citizens. This will only help expose and/or prevent potential favoritism and possible corruption.

How did Democrat County Executive Don Cunningham respond to the GOP proposal? Naturally, there were the typical whining charges that this was some sort of election ploy. When will politicians get it? Anything done during a campaign is some sort of election ploy and both sides do the same thing. That is why we have campaigns. However, if this is merely another bunch of empty campaign promises, the effort will backfire. Many in the grassroots tire of Republicans campaigning like fiscal conservatives but governing like Big Spending liberals.

However, County Executive Cunningham apparently has provided reluctant support for the concept and he has called for even tougher reporting standards. This can only be a victory for all citizens of Lehigh County.

The GOP chose its own ground and forced the Democrats to respond. Maybe the GOP can respond with even tougher reporting standards, or broaden the reform effort to cover other areas. If the Republican Party continually fights for open, accountable government and routinely fights for taxpayers, issue by issue, the GOP will only grow and strengthen.

Now GOP Commissioner Dean Browning has another proposal. I have heard a routine excuse to justify "uncontrollable" spending in Allentown, Lehigh County and in East Penn School District. The universal excuse runs something like, "We have little control over spending and few areas to cut spending because salary and benefits are (around) 75% of the budget." Of course, they always forget to mention that governing bodies routinely approve new positions, pay raises (via budgets) and contracts for unionized workers. Don't they have control then? But for most politicians, excuse making, and avoiding responsibility, is a high art form.

GOP Commissioner Dean Browning calls for a formal mechanism to limit wage and benefit growth for county employees by limiting increases to either an increase in property tax revenue or by using the Social Security Cost of Living increase as an index.

There are a host of questions to ask about this proposal. Would a tax hike factor into such an increase? Does this proposal only cover non-unionized county workers? If so, they will unionize as fast as possible, so it seems that such a proposal must also apply to union contracts. There are, and will be, many other questions.

But government spending must be brought under control at all levels. Controlling government employee salary and benefit expenses must be part of that solution.

However, the debate can start. And the GOP can start establishing the initiative instead of merely weakly responding to our opponents.

Hopefully, some are starting to 'get it' because this is about the strength, and possibly the survival of the Republican Party. If the GOP remains on the defensive, and merely responds to initiatives by liberals and Democrats, it will continue to dwindle in numbers and influence. Many have been shouting the warning. Maybe, just maybe, some with influence are starting to listen.

Then we can achieve not only skirmishing victories during elections, but achieve strategic victories on the policy battlefield. After all, isn't that the real purpose of political parties?

A Bit of Humor...

Two crocodiles were hanging out in Washington D.C.

The smaller one turned to the larger one and said, "I can't understand how you can be so much bigger than me. We're the same age and we were the same size as kids. I just don't get it."

"Well," said the larger crocodile, "what have you been eating?"

"Politicians, just like you."

"Hmm. Well, where do you catch them?", asked the bigger crocodile.

"Down on the other side of the lake near the Capitol parking lot."

"Okay. Same here. How do you catch your prey?"

"Well, I crawl up under the luxury cars and wait for one to unlock the door. Then I jump out, grab a leg and shake the shit of 'em and then eat 'em."

"Ah! That explains it." The larger crocodile continued, " I see your problem. You're not getting any nourishment. See, if you shake the shit out of a politician there's nothing left but an asshole and a briefcase."

Future Direction of the GOP?

The future direction of the GOP? Some discussion on the show "Business Matters"...

Who will determine the future of the Republican party?

Also, watch GOP State Committeewoman Wanda Mercado-Arroyo on June 29th on Business Matters -

Monday, June 29th Why Don't Americans Care? A look at American voter apathy.Alfonso Todd (Lifestyles of the GSS), Esther Lee (NAACP - Bethlehem), Wanda Mercado-Arroyo (Lehigh County Republican Party), Tim Brennan (Pennsylvania Young Democrats)

Congressman Dent Announces American Leaders Lecture Series

I received a letter from the Dent campaign.

While hearing for years that we "can't move to the right because we won't win elections" it seems that there might be some concerns brewing.

For a long time, the "wizards of smart" have assumed that Republicans will vote for a Republican 'no matter what'. It doesn't matter how they vote, or what legislation they support, as long as they are a candidate with an "R" by their name and they are running against an 'evil' Democrat, the assumption is that Republicans will vote Republican.

Perhaps the local wizards of smart are starting to retool their political calculators based on many examples over the last few years that disprove this failed 'theory'.

Hence, the campaign effort called the American Leaders Lecture Series. The letter announces that the first speaker will be the very conservative House Whip Eric Cantor (VA). Representative Cantor is a member of the conservative House Republican Study Committee. The letter also announces two other prominent conservatives, Newt Gingrich and LA Governor Bobby Jindal, as future speakers.

Is Congressman Dent trying to appear more conservative? He is a member of the very moderate (to liberal) Mainstream Republican Tuesday Group. This group has been devastated in recent elections and I doubt if it was because previous members were not moderate enough. In fact, I have argued before that moderate Republicans are losing BECAUSE they are moderate Republicans. Why vote for Liberal Lite when you can get the real brand?

I would be very encouraged if Congressman Dent moved to the Right, or at least abandoned the ludicrous strategy of moving to the Left. In his letter, Congressman Dent declares, "They (speakers) have said they are very interested in coming to support my re-election effort because they believe, as I do, that by limiting what government spends and takes from our families we increase our opportunity for prosperity."

Great words, but what does the record for 2009 show so far?

Here is a compilation of the most important pieces of legislation for the year. I eliminated all the routine procedural votes, naming of post offices and courthouses, Resolutions that praise puppy dogs and blue skies (a bit sarcastic), etc. These are all FISCAL issues, none of those dreaded pesky social issues that the Big Government Republicans keep using as a smoke screen.

The Bill # will provide a link to the actual Roll Call vote. The Bill Title will provide a link to a descriptive summary of the bill. Then the votes for Eric Cantor, Charlie Dent and Nancy Pelosi are provided. For instances where Nancy Pelosi did not vote at all (which is typical for any House Speaker) I substitute the vote of Maxine Waters - an indisputable ultra-liberal House member.

HR12, Paycheck Fairness Act No; Yes; Yes
HR2, CHIP Reauthorization Act No; Yes; Yes
HR2, CHIP Reauthorization Act No; Yes; Yes
HR384, TARP Reform and Accountability Act Yes Yes Yes (Waters)
S181, Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act No; No; Yes
HR2, CHIP Reauthorization Act, Concurrence with a Senate Amendment No; Yes; Yes
HR143, Removal of Rangel as Chair of Ways and Means Committee pending completion of investigation
Note: Motion to table this effort. “No” was for a vote on this measure.
No; Voted “Present”; Yes (Waters)
HR80, Captive Primate Safety Act No; Yes; Yes
HR86, Omnibus Appropriations Act No; Yes; Yes (Waters)
HRES189, Flake Resolution to investigate earmarks and campaign contributions
Note: Motion to table this effort.
No; Voted “Present”; Yes (Waters)
HR1106, Helping Families Save Their Homes Act No; No; Yes
HRES212, Flake Resolution to investigate earmarks and campaign contributions
Note: Motion to table this effort.
No; Voted “Present”; Yes (Waters)
S22, Omnibus Public Land Management Act No; Yes; Yes
HR1262, Federal Water Pollution Control Act Authorization Amendments No; Yes; Yes (Waters)HR1388, Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education (GIVE) Act No; Yes; Yes
HR1586, Penalize TARP Recipients Yes; Yes; Yes (Waters)
HR146, Omnibus Public Land Management Act, Concur with Senate Version No; Yes; Yes (Waters)
HRES286, Flake Resolution to investigate earmarks and campaign contributions
Note: Motion to table this effort.
No Vote; Voted “Present”; No Vote (Waters)
HRES295, Flake Resolution to investigate earmarks and campaign contributions
Note: Motion to table this effort.
No; Voted “Present”; Yes (Waters)
HRES312, Flake Resolution to investigate earmarks and campaign contributions
Note: Motion to table this effort
No; Voted “Present”; Yes (Waters)
HR1139, COPS Improvement Act No; Yes; Yes (Waters)
HR1746, Pre-Disaster Mitigation Act No; Yes; Yes (Waters)
SCONRES13, Conference Report on Congressional Budget for 2010
Note: A prelimnary approval of budget for 2010
No; No; Yes
HR1913, Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act No; Yes; Yes
HR627, Credit Cardholders Bill of Rights Act No; Yes; Yes
HR1728, Mortgage Reform and Anti-Predatory Lending Act No; Yes; Yes (Waters)
HRES425, Flake Resolution to investigate earmarks and campaign contributions
Note: Motion to table this effort.
No; Voted “Present”; Yes (Waters)
HRES432, Providing for oversight of weapons acquisition Yes; Yes; Yes (Waters)
S454, To improve the organization and acquisition of weapons systems Yes; Yes; No (Waters)
HR2187, 21st Century Green Public School Facilities Act No; Yes; Yes (Waters)
HR627, Credit Cardholders Bill of Rights Act (all but Senate Amendment 512) No; Yes; Yes (Waters)
HR627, Concur with Senate Amendment 512 Yes; Yes; No (Waters)
HR915, FAA Reauthorization Act No; Yes; Yes (Waters)
HRES500, Motion to refer
Note: To investigate Murtha and his relation to PMA scandal
No; Voted “Present”; Yes
HR2200, Transportation Security Administration Authorization Act Yes; Yes; Yes
HR626, Federal Employee Paid Parental Leave Act No; No; No Vote (Waters)

The conclusion seems obvious. Charlie Dent votes more often - on important bills - with the Leftist members of Congress rather than the House GOP Whip (Whose job it is to garner Republican votes!). Also, on votes that affect pork, Charlie has voted "Present" quite often. Look to the vote on Charlie Rangel's removal as Chair of the House Ways and Means Committee until an investigation is completed about his tax problems. Rangel hands out the 'checks' to fellow congresspersons. Also, look to the vote on Murtha's problems with pork recipient PMA. Another "Present" vote. And Charlie has consistently refused to support Congressman Jeff Flake's attempts for a review of earmarks and campaign contributions.

But you can draw your own conclusions if you wish to do some more research with the links provided.

UPDATE 6/18, 14:30: An anonymous poster pointed out the fact that Dent's votes on the removal of Charlie Rangel (HR143) and for an investigation of Murtha & PMA (HRES500) required a "Present" vote due to his position on the Ethics Committee which requires that he recuse himself from such votes. I assume the poster is correct but I have not confirmed this.

Again, readers can reach their own conclusions based on the other 34 votes.

Who Should Apologize?

East Penn's infamous Ghost Contract vote approved a new teacher's contract WITHOUT a final, written copy for review. This incomprehensible travesty was also discussed in East Penn: Talk about secret government!. Because citizens were constantly told that this practice was "normal" and that there were no issues for such a ludicrous process, a citizen compared the old contract with the new and with the "Summary Sheet" used to approve the contract.

He found a number of discrepancies, went to a school board meeting and during the public comment portion he mentioned his findings and asked a few questions about the discrepancies. How do politicians and bureaucrats react?:

Here is a summary of the letter:

"I am pleased to relate that your accusations are completely unfounded and wrong."

"Basically, you uncovered omissions from the current contract."

"I am inviting you to come to a future Board meeting to offer a public apology regarding the derogatory statements that you made..."

Okay, so the citizen discovers discrepancies and points them out at a Board meeting. Superintendent Seidenberger declares that the discovered discrepancies are "completely unfounded and wrong." Then he later admits, in the same letter, that the citizen "uncovered ommissions" from the contract(s) and the Summary sheet. Then, this political bureaucrat demands that the citizen APOLOGIZE for being correct?

So a citizen, who dares to ask the "ruling class" a question is urged to apologize to the government?! What country is this?

Morning Call columnist Bill White also has some serious issues with the response of the East Penn Superintendent.

http://blogs.mcall.com/bill_white/2009/06/harrumph-harrumph.html


"But in my opinion, public employees have no business asking taxpayers to apologize for questioning their actions, even when the concerns are unfounded. You answer the question — if there’s a misconception, you clarify it — thank them for their interest, and move on.

I also see no reason why taxpayers should be expected to schedule private meetings to air their concerns, although I’m glad that's an option in East Penn. Courtesy of the floor is a perfectly appropriate forum for raising questions, if not for getting an immediate answer.

So as far as I’m concerned, Superintendent Seidenberger is the one who ought to be apologizing. We’ll all appreciate his sense of fairness."

Scott Ott in it to Win?

It seems that Lehigh County Executive candidate Scott Ott might be in this thing to win. He hit the ground running and had a respectable showing during the primary. Sure, he was unchallenged, but he put up a respectable vote total, especially when compared to the incumbent, Don Cunningham.

There is no doubt that Don Cunningham is in office, like so many Democrats across the country, because the GOP incumbent four years ago sold out Republican principles and embraced Big Government "pragmatism". The resulting shellacking of Jane Ervin was due to the fact that many Republicans voted for Cunningham who portrayed himself as a fiscal conservative. The Republican intellegentsia routinely assume that Republicans would vote for a Republican no matter what. I have heard many times, "Would you rather see a Democrat in office?" Well, during this election, and has been proven many times, rank and file Republicans are not voting for anybody with an "R" by their name no matter what.

(Ervin's political advisor currently works for Congressman Dent. One hopes that this inane thinking is not infecting Congressman Dent's political "strategery".)

But Scott Ott is taking it to Cunningham and the myth that he is fiscally responsible. This is refreshing after hearing for years - from GOP "leaders" and advisors - that we can't "offend Democrats", or that Dems are "too popular" to go after on issues. (No matter the GOP is in such dismal disarray!)

From Scott's blog @ http://www.scottott.org/:

Top 5 Reasons to Fire Don Cunningham in 2009


When you run for office, it's not enough to simply convince people you can do the job better, you have to give voters a reason to fire the incumbent. This isn't dirty or negative campaigning, it's just a fact of life that folks are more likely to stick than to switch.
I'm running for Lehigh County Executive against Don Cunningham. So, here's a list of the...
Top 5 Reasons to Fire Don Cunningham in 2009

1. His annual out-of-balance budgets, relying on reserves to cover deficit spending, this year to the tune of $12 million. In 2005, he attacked the incumbent for precisely the same fiscal charade, at which time he professed belief in 5-year budget plans. Such a long-term plan, if it exists, would have to show a major tax increase in 2010 or 2011. But his personal 5-year career plan doesn't include serving as Lehigh County Executive past 2010. (see item #5 below).

2. During his 2005 campaign he rightly criticized the incumbent for raising taxes 69.5 percent, but once elected, he didn't return that money to the taxpayers nor slash the tax rate. He spent all of that, and more. (see item #1 above)

3. Campaigning in 2005 he promised to build the county courthouse for a mere $17 million instead of the then-forecast $73 million. He told voters that he would lease space in existing buildings to save some $56 million. Instead, he built a courthouse that's half of the original plan, and rehabbed some existing rental space for a total of about $70 million.

4. With workers and business people nationwide concerned about losing the right to a federally-supervised secret ballot union vote, Don Cunningham has actually certified a card-check "election" adding 447 new unionized employees to the Lehigh County government payroll. Doing so, he denied workers the protection that the secret ballot provides from potential abuses by both union leaders and business owners.

5. By running for Governor while also running for re-election as County Executive Don Cunningham sends a message that the people of Lehigh County are merely a speed bump on his road to Harrisburg. He hopes to serve only one year of his four-year term, and most of that he'll devote to running around the state raising millions of dollars. That time would be better spent working to cut spending from his $12 million unbalanced county budget.I'm running for Lehigh County Executive to help restore common sense to government, to balance the budget through cutting costs and programs, to prevent further card-check union votes, and to foster the free-market energy and personal responsibility that has made Lehigh County a great place to live and work.

Purist comment gets GOP official booted

The grass roots revolt continues.

A spokesperson for the Marathon County, Wisconsin, Republican Party was booted by the rank and file after criticizing Rush Limbaugh and other "purists" in the GOP.

A sign of things to come? Perhaps.

I will deal with this "purist" argument in a future blog entitled "Purists vs. Hypocrites" and the phony "social moderate" argument.

Also, I will have comments about the local effort by Country Club Republicans who, incomprehensibly (though in fact, not surprisingly) met at a country club to determine the future course of the GOP.

But there is no doubt that those who claim to be "pragmatic" are on the way out the door. As they should be. These "move to the left", "bipartisan", "compromise", Republicans have literally destroyed the GOP.

Principled Republicans have not. It was Principled Republicans who BUILT a majority at the federal and many state levels. Then the "wizards of smart", as Rush calls them, took over. And what have we to show for it? The GOP is in a major strategic withdrawal all across the country.

It is time the Principled Republicans call the shots again.

For those who might be interested, this very debate will be the feature of the next "Business Matters" show this Monday.

From the "Business Matters" staff:


Monday’s at 8:00pm on WFMZ.

6/15 – Who will determine the future of the Republican party?
Julian Stolz, Activist
Wayne Woodman, Activist
Joe Hilliard, FreedomWorks
Charles Snelling, Activist

PRODUCER’S NOTE: We always do our best to run shows that are timely and relevant to our viewers, and it is clear to me that we are discussing an issue that remains an important one, particularly as the local Republican party (including two of our guests) meets to try and determine a set of core principles to discuss. This show was also interesting for me in its tone – too often, political shows and debates break down into screaming matches. This one, however, did not. That being said, the divisions and disagreements were clear. It was especially interesting to watch this show and realize that this was just a microcosm of the debate that is playing out at a national level.

To view the show online, visit WFMZ’s website at: http://www.wfmz.com/businessmatters

______________________________
Michael Schlossberg
Borough Business Revitalization Coordinator
Alburtis, Coopersburg, Hellertown & Macungie
Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce
840 Hamilton Street, Suite 205
Allentown, PA 18101
Phone: 484-809-1796
Fax: 610-437-4907
Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce
The Blog of the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce

Borough Business Revitalization Program
Business Matters on WFMZ

What can I do?

I here this question often. I attend many meetings of the many limited government groups that are forming.

After the question, "What are the Republicans doing?" I hear, "What can I do?"

I was very encouraged and excited today.

I received a call today from a friend who has been getting involved. I often hear many complain that others "don't get it". I often remind many that we are all at different places on the "road" in this fight. Some are way out in front. Some get it and are right behind. Others know something is seriously wrong with government, at all levels, and are further behind. The goal is simple.

Keep them moving along.

But, back to my friend. He is right next to me. Let me explain.

He learned about a specific government grant. It is in an area that he has a fair degree of expertise. As he learned about the "program" funded by the grant, alarm bells went off.

See, too often, we automatically assume that anything that government does that is portrayed as "good" is good. And that it will be well managed. Well, more and more people are assuming different things.

My friend did some basic research and made some calls. He found out to whom the grant was awarded. Then he found out how to contact the person who received the grant. Then he started asking some simple questions.

Needless to say, the grant recipient took great offense that a private citizen would dare to ask some simple questions. However, he has scheduled a meeting to learn more. And THEN he contacted me to find out what to do next. We are planning a detailed strategy to learn the whole life cycle of this grant. How it was awarded. How much taxpayer money had to be raised to award that amount of money. (Remember, if "$x" is awarded it takes much more than "$x" in taxpayer money to hand it out.) Then we will find out what is actually done to justify the "$x". I am confident that our findings will raise a lot of questions with the public.

And we plan to hold politicians who awarded the grant RESPONSIBLE for the waste. If they approved it or awarded it, they ARE RESPONSIBLE for not doing their homework. They can explain it to the voters when we are done.

Here is the point. If hundreds of citizens start to do this, we will expose a lot. And changes will happen very quickly as irresponsible politicians have to explain the waste of money.

As I tell more and more people, all we have to do as citizens is to start flipping over the rocks of Big Government - Local, state and federal. First, you will see many things scurrying away from the sunlight. Then, we need persistence to start digging and asking questions. Then we need to notify the public about the reality.

Limited Government activists have the easiest argument to win. We simply have to prove that government fails at most of what it tries to do and it wastes a lot of money in the process.

But we need people to start flipping over the rocks and to start investigating.

If you want to get involved, please contact me. If a hundred people do this for a hundred things over the next six months we can easily prove that Big Government fails and wastes a lot of money at the local, state and federal levels. Until then, things will continue to worsen.

If you consider yourself a limited government patriot, get involved. If you learn of a program, or a grant, or some other government effort that strikes you in your gut as a waste of money, kick over the rock and start asking questions. Then contact myself and others for more help.

Chances are, you are probably right, and in fact, the situation is worse than you can even imagine. And the effort required will be far less than you imagine as well.

Unless you are will to do that, then stop complaining. But until we start flipping rocks over, the Big Government politicians and Feeders at the Government Trough will continue to waste your hard earned money.

Oh, and to clarify. I don't care if it is a politician with a "D" by their name or an "R". Big Government, irresponsible politicians are the problem, not a party label.

Protest Postcards

The Pocono Tea Party groups have printed up a bunch of protest postcards. Want to tell your politicans to stop spending your hard earned money in a reckless manner? email me!

Another Limited Government Group Forms!

I have been recounting the number of limited government/citizen activist groups that have been forming in the region. I have been lucky enough to be invited to most of these meetings.

Last night, another group held its first meeting at Northampton Community College. Their focus is to spread the word about individual rights and how Big Government increasingly violates and even destroys individual rights.

Who was there? About 50. Blue collar, to retired to professionals. The youngest was 18. Oldest was around 70. What was the biggest gripe (once again)?

Elected officials are failing taxpayers and are failing to defend our Founding Principles. Elected officials of BOTH PARTIES.

I have almost begged the GOP to wake up to what is happening and TAP INTO the growing movement that is taking shape.

Of course, to do that, they would have to shake off the Big Money, Big Power trip that they are focused on. Politics as usual will lead to the demise of the GOP.

In fact, a few leaders (and a Congressman) have stated that the "pendulum" will swing back because history proves that the minority party will gain seats and that the polls seem to show that the Democrats are screwing up, which will help the GOP.

Forgive me, but that is not a strategy. Sure, it might work for the next election cycle, but what then? See that is the entire problem. We have no long term strategy. And our intellectual geniuses simply hope that our opponents mess up enough so we will probably win some seats back in Congress?

Such is "leadership" among the political class of today.

East Penn whines about a 10% increase in funding?

In these tough times, many are happy to keep their jobs. Charities struggle to deal with declining contributions. Businesses struggle to cut costs to hopefully save jobs and, ultimately, to save the business for better times.

Yet, those who feed at the government trough complain about a 10% increase in funding!

Is it arrogance or stupidity?

Wednesday, at Emmaus High School the Government Propaganda machine rolled through and blasted a Republican budget proposal that recognizes reality. Of course, the trough feeders paraded themselves and even children to decry the massive "cuts" to education in these tough economic times.

Of course, pro Big Government types have language deficencies. See, what they call a "cut" is actually an increase.

Matt Brouillette, of the Commonwealth Foundation, has been right behind the Big Government Propaganda tour bus and has been pointing a few facts. Here is a link to a statement.

See, East Penn is getting a 10% increase in state funding. This is after a 4% hike in taxes last year and another planned tax hike this year. Remember, enrollment in the district has stabilized in the last few years and inflation is virtually non-existent. But, the Big Government Spenders can't control themselves. They have no spending controls in place. Non-education spending has been exploding. No one is advocating the teachers and textbooks get tossed out the door.

But a 10% increase is not enough to satisfy these irresponsible spenders of hard earned taxpayer dollars.

Arrogance or stupidity? It's probably a lot of both.