68: “Savor it! Phase One Complete!”

Savor it folks! To quote my late mother, “Ya did good, kids!”. Here’s the quick results, you do the math: 2 State Senators, both high Republican leadership positions (Jubelirer and Brightbill) overwhelmingly sent packing; 11 incumbent members of the House of Representatives will not be running for reelection in November, 3 more are simply too close to call at this time, but with all precincts reporting, the incumbents are trailing by 90-150 votes [it is likely this will kick the house incumbent defeats up to 14 when all is said and done].

When the results are made official, the 16 people mentioned above will no longer be part of the legislative process after January of 2007.

Take a bow, please!

Now, sit back down, and lets get to work. The General Election is just 6 short months away. There is much to be done. There were, before the Primary, 203 House, and 25 Senate seats up for reelection. That number is now whittled down to 189 House, and 22 Senate seats. The number is actually less since a record number of incumbents chose not to run for re-election. [We’ll have the accurate numbers in a few days after sorting through things.]

They need to be swept from office in November. About 150 members of the House and 15 Senators woke up this morning to the news that the electorate of Pennsylvania, minus Philadelphia, Armstrong, Beaver, Berks, and Delaware County (who apparently still do not get it!) is still seething with anger over the Midnight Pay Raise, the lack of a property tax reform bill, and in general business as usual in Pennsylvania government. At dawn yesterday, they did not believe you would still be angry with them. They still refuse to accept that they acted unconstitutionally in passing the Midnight Pay Raise, the Gambling Bill, and in general, have done nothing but raise taxes, grow state government, and feather their own nests.

At sunrise today, the smart ones will have figured out that you’re still pissed at them.

The denunciative renunciation of Senators Brightbill and Jubelirer are clear and unequivocal messages to the body politic: sharpen your resumes, and start hunting for a new job after the New Year.

They will, of course, try their darnedest to assuage your anger by passing a few meaningful bills in the next six months. Remember, however, Brightbill and Jubelirer have nothing to lose. They should both step down immediately from their leadership positions, as should Representative Belardi. They no longer have the support of their constituents, and therefore, should no longer have the support of their peers in the General Assembly.

They will fail to realize in November that what they have done while in office is unforgivable.

Still out there with November targets on their backs are Ed Rendell, Catherine Baker Knoll, John Perzel, Sam Smith, David Argall, Elinor Z. Taylor, Mario Civera, Brett Feese, Bill DeWeese, Mike Veon (who the heck would vote for a guy who wears a Zoot Suit to the floor of the House? Come on Beaver County! Where are your heads?), Mark Cohen, Kevin Blaum, Dwight Evans, and Steven Stetler. And that’s just your leadership in state government. All of these folk, Rendell and Knoll included, are fully responsible for things like the Midnight Pay Raise, the Gambling Bill’s unconstitutional passage, and the failure to provide any form of tax relief whatsoever.

For starters, tune in to Pennsylvania Cable Network Thursday night at 8 to catch Tony Phyrillas on the “Journalists Roundtable” show. It is an excellent show, and Tony will be an excellent participant. He’s a guy you should get to know very well. We highly recommend that you read his blog, and his editorials at the Pottstown Mercury. He has the right mindset, and a great way of putting it in front of you.

And for gosh sakes, keep visiting Tim Potts at DemocracyRisingPA, Operation PAClean Sweep, Common Cause, Rock the Capital, the League of Women Voters of PA, and the other great websites listed in the side bar to the right under the heading Citizen-Patriot Heroes. They are all of that and more, and they have provided leadership to all of us spreading the word.

Finally, in addition to calling for the lame duck legislators to step down from their leadership positions immediately, including committee chairs, etc., we are calling on the Pennsylvania Gambling Control Commission to issue a moratorium on the granting of licenses of any kind throughout the state for one full year, to allow for the change in legislative environment that might repeal the gambling bill. The moratorium would save taxpayers potentially billions of dollars in damage claims if licenses were granted and the legislation repealed or rolled back.

Call and write your legislators and newspapers to back these moves!!

Remember in November, before you vote, GettysBLOG!

THE CENTRIST

“Kick the hubris out of Harrisburg!” -- THE CENTRIST

"It is the duty of every citizen according to his best capacities to give validity to his convictions in political affairs." -- Albert Einstein

Remember in May! Before you vote, GettysBLOG!

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