Sunday, January 31, 2010
Sen. Susan Collins: Obama has 'blind spot' to terrorism
Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security Committee discusses the Obama administration's failures in dealing with the Christmas Day bomber.
Sen. Collins expresses her incredulity that the bomber was interrogated for only 50 minutes before getting his Miranda rights.
Sen. Collins says, "The Obama administration appears to have a blind spot when it comes to the War on Terrorism. ... Theres no other way to explain the irresponsible, indeed dangerous, decision on Abdulmutallab's interrogation. There's no other way to explain the inconceivable treatment of him as if he were a common criminal. This charade must stop. Foreign terrorists are enemy combatants and they must be treated as such. The safety of the American people depends on it."
Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
Poll: 61% Say Congress Doing Poor Job
A new Rasmussen Reports survey of Americans voters finds that 61% believe Congress is doing a poor job.In case you get all your information from the Mainstream Media, Congress has been controlled by the Democrats since the 2006 elections.
There is a bright side to the dismal poll numbers. Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid will be out as leaders of their respective chambers after the November election when Republicans will win majorities in the House and Senate.
From Rasmussen Reports:
The number of voters who give Congress a poor job performance rating is now at its highest level in more than three years. More voters also think most members of Congress are corrupt.Read more survey results at Rasmussen Reports.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 61% of likely voters say Congress is doing a poor job. Just 12% give Congress good or excellent ratings, marking no change from last month. Positive ratings for Congress have changed little from a year ago, when 14% gave the legislature good or excellent marks.
Since then, of course, Congress has passed a controversial economic stimulus plan and unpopular bailout plans for the financial industry, General Motors and Chrysler. The health care plan now stalled in Congress has long been opposed by most voters. In fact, 61% now want Congress to drop health care and focus on jobs.
Forty-five percent (45%) of voters now view most members of Congress as being corrupt, the highest level found since June 2008. Just 28% disagree and say most members are not corrupt. Another 26% are undecided.
Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
Obama TV Ratings Drop
You get the feeling people have had enough of The Chosen One?TV ratings for Barack Obama's first State of the Union address were down 7 percent compared to ratings for George W. Bush's first speech.
Doesn't make sense. The media keeps telling us Obama is the most popular person on the planet. There's more people in the U.S. than there were in 2002 and there's more TVs. You'd think Obama's ratings would go through the roof. Nope.
From The Associated Press:
About 48 million viewers watched President Barack Obama's first State of the Union address on 11 networks, with Fox TV drawing the biggest share.Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
The Nielsen Co. said viewership for Wednesday's speech was 7 percent lower than for President George W. Bush’s first such address in 2002 but 5 percent higher than for President Bill Clinton’s inaugural State of the Union speech in 1994.
From 9-10 p.m. EST, more than 9.7 million people watched the hour-plus speech on Fox, with ABC drawing 7.6 million viewers, NBC 7.2 million and CBS 6.2 million, according to preliminary Nielsen figures Thursday.
Among the cable news networks, Fox News was the leader with 5.7 million, followed by CNN with 3.3 million and MSNBC with 2.4 million. The speech also was carried live on Telemundo, Univision, BET and CNBC.
Mega Millions Arrives in PA
Pennsylvania has found another way to relieve you of that spare dollar sitting in your pocket. Mega Millions tickets go on sale in Pennsylvania starting Jan. 31.From the Pennsylvania Lottery:
Lottery players can purchase Mega Millions tickets in Pennsylvania starting on Sunday, Jan. 31. The first Mega Millions drawing for Pennsylvania players will be Tuesday, Feb. 2.Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
"Soon, Pennsylvanians will be able to buy Mega Millions tickets from their local PA Lottery retailers rather than traveling outside of the state," said Lottery Executive Director Ed Trees. "Players will be able to buy tickets for Mega Millions and Powerball, which will give them a chance to play for bigger jackpots four nights a week.
"With a greater number of people playing both games, we can expect to see jackpots roll higher and faster."
The Mega Millions jackpot rolled to an estimated annuity value of $144 million, or $89.5 million cash, for tonight's drawing, which will be the last drawing before Pennsylvania joins Mega Millions.
Mega Millions jackpots start at $12 million, tickets cost $1 per play and drawings are held on Tuesdays and Fridays at 11 p.m. EST in Atlanta. Every Tuesday and Friday, Pennsylvania players will be able to see televised Mega Millions drawings on these stations and at these times:-- Philadelphia - WPVI - 11:25 p.m.Mega Millions tickets will be available for purchase at more than 8,400 Pennsylvania Lottery retailers, where players already purchase tickets for Powerball and other games. Just as with Powerball, Mega Millions tickets will be available for purchase up to 13 weeks in advance and for the same night's drawing until 9:59 p.m.
-- Wilkes-Barre/Scranton - WNEP - 11 p.m.
-- Harrisburg/Lancaster/Lebanon/York - WGAL - 11:20 p.m.
-- Johnstown/Altoona - WTAJ - 11:20 p.m.
-- Pittsburgh - WTAE - 11:22 p.m.
-- Erie - WJET - 11:20 p.m.
The Multi-State Lottery Association, which manages the Powerball game, and the Mega Millions consortium reached an agreement in October 2009 on cross-selling Powerball and Mega Millions across U.S. lottery jurisdictions. Prior to the agreement, individual lotteries could only sell either Powerball or Mega Millions.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Friday, January 29, 2010
The Real Joe Hoeffel
Joseph M. Hoeffel III wants to be the next governor of Pennsylvania. He officially launched his campaign this week although he's been talking about running since last fall. Hoeffel served three terms as a U.S. Congressman before a failed bid to unseat Arlen Specter for U.S. Senate in 2004 (when Arlen was a Republican), and an abortive run for Pennsylvania Lt. Gov in 2006. After a stint in the Rendell Administration, Hoeffel settled for the post of a Montgomery County Commissioner in 2008. So who better to introduce Hoeffel to the rest of Pennsylvania than a resident of Montgomery County? This Letter to the Editor was published in The Pottstown Mercury. It pretty much sums up all you need to know about Joe Hoeffel, who proudly announced this week that he is running as the liberal candidate in the race. I guess Hoeffel didn't hear about the results from Massachusetts yet. If a liberal can't win in the Socialist Republican of Massachusetts, what chance will he have in Pennsylvania? I predict Hoeffel will finish a distant third ... maybe even fourth ... in the four-man race for the Democratic nomination for governor in May.
Joe Hoeffel is a tax-and spend liberal in the Ed Rendell moldOriginally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
In the Jan. 23 edition of The Mercury on page A5. Joe Hoeffel, the Democratic Montgomery County commissioner, announced that he will enter the Democrat primary for governor in May 2010.
Hoeffel described himself as "a pragmatic progressive" who would continue Gov. Ed Rendell's policies to expand health care accessibility, improve education and create jobs. Rendell's policies? Seven years without presenting a budget on time, granting positions to friends and political contributors and threatening a massive layoff of state employees if you would not vote his way. That's Ed Rendell's record in Harrisburg. Both the state and Montgomery County are running deficits. The county reached this position while Joe Hoeffell and Jim Matthews were in charge.
Hoeffel quote: "I would like to lead the party in a progressive political agenda that is socially liberal and socially responsible." Joe, that's what you did driving the county into the hole. Now you want to do what Rendell almost accomplished.
Hoeffel ran on a platform of political change to break up the "old boy Republican network in Montco ( eh......) that sounds familiar. What did we get? He immediately hired the losing candidates on his slate to high-paying county jobs. In some cases, he hired devotees who where less qualified than other candidates for the position. We got one husband-and-wife team pulling in high six-figure salary due to Joe and Jim's benevolence.
In his first election to county commissioner back in the 1990s, Hoeffel sent out a letter on his old law firm stationery that his new position could lend help to people who needed it. A hair away from being declared influence peddling, he quickly apologized and said it was one of the biggest mistakes of his political career. Irregardless, the message got out. So what did the automatons do ... elected him to Congress.
Joe Hoeffel thinks we are stupid. It is time to stop pulling a party lever. If we learned anything from the presidential election, the country was conned by a Chicago street hustle. Keep this nonsense out of Montgomery County. Get rid of these political drones. It is our only hope.
BILL MADARA
Gilbertsville
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Phoenixville councilman running for 157th House seat
Freshman Democrat state Rep. Paul Drucker will have a challenger for the 157th House District.Phoenixville Borough Councilman Kendrick Buckwalter told The Mercury he is seeking the Republican nomination to run for the 157th state House District.
Buckwalter told reporter Dennis Wright he is a mainstream conservative who takes constitutional government seriously.
A Phoenixville resident, Buckwalter is a small businessman and 15-year veteran of municipal government in the borough. He has served as chairman of Phoenixville's zoning hearing board, and has been elected to two terms on Borough Council, where he currently serves. He has also volunteered as a firefighter.
The district includes Phoenixville, Schuylkill and Tredyffrin townships in Chester County, and portions of Lower Providence and West Norriton in Montgomery County.
The seat was held by Rep. Carole Rubley from 1993 until her retirement in 2008. Political insiders blame Rubley's failure to endorse the Republican candidate as her successor for handing the seat to the Democrats in 2008. Drucker beat GOP challenger Guy Ciarrocchi by a margin of 50.9% to 49.1%.
Read more about Buckwalter in The Mercury.
For more on Buckwalter, check out his campaign Web site, http://buckwalterforpa.com/
Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
Franco Harris, Ana Ortiz help publicize 2010 Census
Gov. Ed Rendell has named Pittsburgh Steelers legend Franco Harris and actress Ana Ortiz of television's "Ugly Betty" to co-chair an advisory panel to ensure compliance with the 2010 Census."Each year, more than $400 billion in federal funds are allocated based in all or in part on the results of the Census," Rendell said. "That's more than $4 trillion over a 10-year period for critical things like schools, senior centers, job training centers, bridges, highways, public transit, and local emergency response services and training – a larger amount than many people realize."
Rendell said Pennsylvania cannot afford for any resident to skip participating in the Census, which involves answering only 10 questions and takes just 10 minutes to complete.
"According to the accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers, Pennsylvania's population in the 2000 Census was undercounted by 102,000 peoplem," Rendell said. "That's the equivalent of missing the cities of Altoona and Lancaster combined, or failing to count the entire city of Erie. We cannot let that happen again; there is too much at stake."
Read the full release at the link below:
Governor Rendell Enlists Franco Harris, Actress Ana Ortiz, Local Leaders to Help PA Ensure Complete, Accurate 2010 Census
Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
Pat Meehan Reaction to State of the Union Address
Pat Meehan, a Republican candidate for Congress in Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District, today applauded President Obama's use of the state of the Union to focus on economic and job creation issues, as well as the need for deficit reduction and cutting federal government spending. "The President continues to say all of the right things," said Meehan. "But the devil will be in the details, because as we have seen over the course of the past year, his words have not translated into meaningful and effective public policy."
"I was sad to see more finger pointing than I thought was appropriate," said Meehan. "Calls for bipartisanship should include real consideration of other opinions. On a range of issues, Republicans have put forward genuine solutions, but Democrats in Congress have used the advantages of their majority and procedural tools to completely shut Republicans outs of the legislative process. That is something that has to change."
"Jobs and the economy need to be our main focus," said Meehan. "We need to invest in programs and initiatives that will have a broad-based impact on the economy. Unfortunately, previous stimulus efforts focused on specific sectors of the economy, leaving many small businesses – which supplied two-thirds of newly created jobs over the past 35 years – to largely fend for themselves."
"Policy initiatives touched on in the address, such as enabling community banks to invest in small businesses and the elimination of the capital gains tax for small business investment hold great promise," said Meehan. "But the top concern of small business owners – particularly in terms of the ability to create new jobs – is lagging sales due to declines in consumer spending. If sales are down, the revenues are simply not there to hire new employees. That is why I believe we need to take a closer look at a temporary elimination of the payroll tax on American workers. This will put more money directly in the hands of consumers to help spur local economies in communities throughout the country – not just specific sectors favored by special interests in Washington. I urge Congress to consider this proposal to help provide small business owners with the jumpstart they need."
"I was also pleased to hear discussion of a small business tax credit for small businesses that hire new workers or raise wages," said Meehan. "But I disagree slightly on the nuance of how such a tax credit would be applied. Studies have shown that a broad job creation tax credit tends to disproportionately benefit larger companies that are already planning to hire new employees, regardless of the availability of the tax credit. As a result, this would tend to help businesses in economic sectors that have already weathered the financial storm. I would much prefer a more targeted tax credit for solo practitioners that would assist them in hiring their first or second employee. Such a focused effort would provide a greater incentive for small entrepreneurs to grow their business, creating hundreds of thousands of new jobs."
"Other proposals, such as implementing financial reforms, investing more in basic research, doubling exports, and revitalizing our community colleges all hold great promise," said Meehan. "The challenge will be the ability of Congress to implement these initiatives in a responsible and effective manner. The devil, as they say, will be in the details."
"I was also pleased with the call for a freeze in federal discretionary spending," said Meehan. "It represents a step in the right direction, but the specifics of how this is implemented are extremely important. The American people need to know if this discretionary spending freeze will lock in huge increases in spending levels that occurred last year. For example, if "stimulus" spending is also frozen in place, we will be locking a 66 percent increase in non-defense discretionary spending. That would be unacceptable."
"I also fear that Congressional Democrats will use the rhetoric of a spending freeze to gloss over the need for a true debate over government spending and the need to eliminate non-productive federal spending programs and reign in pork projects," said Meehan. "This is an issue that we will need to watch very closely going forward. We need to hold Congressional Democrats' feet to the fire on the issue of deficit reduction and government spending."
For more information on Meehan, visit www.meehanforcongress.com
F&M Poll: Bad News for Obama, Democrats
What's on the minds of Pennsylvania voters?The latest Franklin & Marshall College Poll has the answers ... and the news is bleak for Barack Obama and the Democrats.
Among the poll highlights:
1) Pennsylvanians continue to express pessimism about the economy. Four in ten (40% compared to 36% in October) say they are financially worse off this year than last, and only a quarter (27%) expects their personal finances to be better off a year from now.Complete results can be found at http://politics.fandm.edu
2) Among registered Democrats, Senator Specter leads Joe Sestak (30% to 13%) in the primary race for U.S. Senate, although 50 percent remain undecided. In possible general election match-ups, Pat Toomey leads both Specter (45% to 31%) and Sestak (41% to 19%) among likely voters. Registered Pennsylvanians cite health care (29%) and the economy (24%) as the most important issues in their vote for U.S. Senate.
3) Nearly three in four (72%) Pennsylvania Democrats remain undecided about the primary race for governor. Tom Corbett leads Sam Rohrer (23% to 5%) among Republicans for the gubernatorial nomination, but seven in ten (69%) remain undecided about their preference. Registered Pennsylvanians cite the economy (26%) and taxes (13%) as the most important issues in their vote for governor.
4) Favorability ratings for President Obama have changed slightly since October. His unfavorable rating increased by 5 percentage points, and he is now viewed favorably and unfavorably by equal proportions (44%) of registered Pennsylvanians. Senator Specter's favorability rating has risen slightly to 35 percent (compared to 28% in October), and his unfavorable rating stands at 43 percent (compared to 46% in October).
5) President Obama's job approval in Pennsylvania is the lowest of his presidency, with only 38 percent (compared to 40% in October) saying he is doing an excellent or good job. Senator Specter's job approval has risen slightly to 34 percent (compared to 29% in October), and about three in ten (29%) respondents say he deserves re-election (up from 23% in October). Those who say Specter does not deserve re-election cite his length of service (25%) and party switch (21%) as the main reasons.
6) Pennsylvanians continue to express dissatisfaction with the direction of the state, albeit less so than in October. 53 percent now say the state is off on the wrong track (compared to 60% in October), while 39 percent say the state is headed in the right direction (compared to 32% in October). Nearly eight in ten (78%) registered Pennsylvanians feel state government needs reform, and a similar number (72%) would favor a constitutional convention to review the state's constitution.
7) The job approval rating of the state legislature remains very low with only 16 percent of registered Pennsylvanians indicating it’s doing an excellent or good job, while 74 percent indicate it's doing only a fair or poor job. These figures have changed little since October.
Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
Phoenixville councilman running for 157th House seat
Freshman Democrat state Rep. Paul Drucker will have a challenger for the 157th House District.Phoenixville Borough Councilman Kendrick Buckwalter told The Mercury he is seeking the Republican nomination to run for the 157th state House District.
Buckwalter told reporter Dennis Wright he is a mainstream conservative who takes constitutional government seriously.
A Phoenixville resident, Buckwalter is a small businessman and 15-year veteran of municipal government in the borough. He has served as chairman of Phoenixville's zoning hearing board, and has been elected to two terms on Borough Council, where he currently serves. He has also volunteered as a firefighter.
The district includes Phoenixville, Schuylkill and Tredyffrin townships in Chester County, and portions of Lower Providence and West Norriton in Montgomery County.
The seat was held by Rep. Carole Rubley from 1993 until her retirement in 2008. Political insiders blame Rubley's failure to endorse the Republican candidate as her successor for handing the seat to the Democrats in 2008. Drucker beat GOP challenger Guy Ciarrocchi by a margin of 50.9% to 49.1%.
Read more about Buckwalter in The Mercury.
For more on Buckwalter, check out his campaign Web site, http://buckwalterforpa.com/
Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Rendell to deliver budget address Feb. 9
It seems like just yesterday we were debating the 2009-10 General Fund budget, but it's almost time to begin work on the 2010-11 state budget.
Gov. Ed Rendell will deliver his annual budget address to a joint session of the General Assembly at 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 9, in the chamber of the House of Representatives, the governor's office announced.
The last budget was adopted 101 days after the new fiscal year began because 1) the previous budget finished $3.25 billion in the red and 2) Rendell is a lame duck and 3) the current Legislative leadership is inept.
Has anything changed since last year? The current budget deficit is projected at a measly $500 million. Rendell is still a lame duck. The same Legislative leadership is in place.
We also have the added fun of 2010 being an election year when all 203 members of the House and 25 members of the Senate face the voters. And we've seen what kind of mood voters are in with recent elections in Virginia, New Jersey and Massachusetts.
So grab some popcorn, tune in to the Pennsylvania Cable Network on Feb. 9 and enjoy the show.
Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
Gov. Ed Rendell will deliver his annual budget address to a joint session of the General Assembly at 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 9, in the chamber of the House of Representatives, the governor's office announced.
The last budget was adopted 101 days after the new fiscal year began because 1) the previous budget finished $3.25 billion in the red and 2) Rendell is a lame duck and 3) the current Legislative leadership is inept.
Has anything changed since last year? The current budget deficit is projected at a measly $500 million. Rendell is still a lame duck. The same Legislative leadership is in place.
We also have the added fun of 2010 being an election year when all 203 members of the House and 25 members of the Senate face the voters. And we've seen what kind of mood voters are in with recent elections in Virginia, New Jersey and Massachusetts.
So grab some popcorn, tune in to the Pennsylvania Cable Network on Feb. 9 and enjoy the show.
Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
Joe Pitts: Scott Brown Stands Up for His State
Scott Brown Stands Up for His StateBy Congressman Joe Pitts
"The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people." – 10th Amendment to the United States Constitution
This week the talk of Washington and much of country was about Scott Brown's win in the special election to replace Sen. Ted Kennedy. With determination and a message that appealed to independent voters in Massachusetts, Brown shocked the country to become the first Republican Senator from the state in almost four decades.
There is almost no end to the speculation about why Brown was able to come from behind and win the seat. A critical difference between Brown and his opponent, however, was his stand against the current healthcare reform effort.
Brown repeatedly spoke out against the bills currently being considered in Washington, but yet he voted for and continues to support the 2006 Massachusetts healthcare law. Many Congressional Democrats point to Massachusetts as a model for national healthcare reform. But why would Brown oppose a national bill actually based on a state law he supports?
In part, because other states have not taken the same measures as Massachusetts and also because of the backroom deals cut in order to gain the support of critical Senators. Brown doesn’t believe that his state should be subject to billions in new taxes when it is still working to fix its own system.
The people of Massachusetts this week elected a Senator who would honestly represent their concerns in Washington, not the agenda of a political party. I think that the people of Massachusetts are rediscovering the wisdom of federalism.
Individual states have different characteristics and concerns so naturally political solutions will vary from state to state. The Founders, in their wisdom, created a political system that would limit the reach of the national government. They wanted to preserve freedom, and they knew that a powerful national government could easily lead to a tyranny of the majority.
Now Congress is considering a massive healthcare reform bill. Both the House and Senate bills are more than 2,000 pages long. The total costs for these bills rise to more than a trillion dollars each. There are hundreds of billions of dollars in tax increases and hundreds of billions of dollars in cuts to Medicare spending in these bills. Every person in the country would be greatly affected by a single piece of legislation.
This has a great number of Americans concerned about the direction of our country. The House healthcare bill passed with only a couple votes to spare. The Senate bill barely passed, with every Republican standing in opposition. Most polls show the country split down the middle about whether they support the Administration's plan for reform.
With so much on the line, Americans on both sides of the political spectrum are upset. The healthcare fight in Washington has all the appearances of a "winner takes all" battle. The townhalls this summer showed how concerned people were with both the content of the bills and how they were moving through Congress.
Now, in state capitols across the country, state legislators are preparing legislation that would exempt their constituents from the burdensome new mandates that could be created by these bills. They are standing on the 10th amendment, insisting that the federal government does not have the right to impose a national mandate to purchase government approved health insurance. Next week in Harrisburg state senators and representatives will stand on the steps of the capitol to formally introduce their bills to uphold freedom in our state.
This week I joined my colleagues in supporting a resolution reaffirming the commitment of the U.S. House of Representatives to the 10th amendment and the Constitution's insistence that Washington has a limited role to play in governing our nation.
Respect for the Constitution doesn't mean that Congress has no role in reforming our healthcare system. I believe there is broad agreement on a number of issues but since Republicans and many Democrats were locked out of the negotiations, we did not get bills that could get the kind of bipartisan backing that would reassure the American public.
I believe healthcare reform based on the principles of the Constitution will mean that individual states come to different conclusions. We can have national agreement on many issues, but the people of Massachusetts and the people of Pennsylvania should have the right to be different.
Congressman Joe Pitts is a Republican who represents Pennsylvania's 16th Congressional District in parts of Berks, Chester and Lancaster counties.
Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
State and Local Governments Cut Personnel and Benefits
While federal spending has risen by 24% under Barack Obama, state and local governments are learning to do with less.
State and Local Governments Cut Personnel and Benefits
State and Local Governments Cut Personnel and Benefits
Video Q&A with Tony Phyrillas
Do you have a question about regional, state or national politics? Tony Phyrillas has the answers and will respond to your question via video posted online at The Mercury’s Web site. If you would like our award-winning political columnist and No. 1 ranked blogger to respond to your question about current topics, e-mail him at tphyrillas@pottsmerc.com and look for Tony’s video response on our Web site, www.pottsmerc.com
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
U.S. ranks 8th in economic freedom
"When institutions protect the liberty of individuals, greater prosperity results for all." -- Adam Smith, "The Wealth of Nations"The United States could do no better than 8th place on the 2010 Index of Economic Freedom, jointly published by The Heritage Foundation and The Wall Street Journal.
And if Barack Obama and Congressional Democrats have anything to say about it, the U.S. could tumble further down on the list.
For the 16th consecutive year, Hong Kong ranked No. 1 as the world's freest economy, according to the 2010 Index of Economic Freedom.
Hong Kong's "economic freedom score" is 89.7, making its economy the freest among the 179 countries ranked. Singapore retains the second place ranking, followed by Australia and New Zealand. The United States ranks 8th place - behind Canada!
Here's what the authors of the Index had to say about the U.S.:
Its score is 2.7 points lower than last year, reflecting notable decreases in financial freedom, monetary freedom, and property rights. The United States has fallen to 2nd place out of three countries in the North America region.The 2010 Index measures the degree of economic freedom of 179 economies worldwide by assessing 10 factors: Business freedom, trade freedom, fiscal freedom, government spending, monetary freedom, investment freedom, financial freedom, property rights, freedom from corruption and labor freedom.
The U.S. government's interventionist responses to the financial and economic crisis that began in 2008 have significantly undermined economic freedom and long-term prospects for economic growth, according to the authors. "Economic freedom (in the United States) has declined in seven of the 10 categories measured in the Index."
Why is Hong Kong ranked No. 1?
The Index says Hong Kong's "competitive tax regime, respect for property rights, and flexible labor market, coupled with an educated and highly motivated workforce, have stimulated an innovative, prosperous economy." The Index also notes that Hong Kong's legal and regulatory framework for the financial sector is "transparent and efficient."
You can download the entire 2010 Index of Economic Freedom for free at http://www.heritage.org/index/
Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
Columnist: Sleeping through the revolt
Charles Krauthammer is amused by the reaction of top Democratic Party officials and their media allies to the crushing defeat (and repudiation of Barack Obama) in Massachusetts.From Krauthammer's latest column:
After Coakley's defeat, Obama pretended that the real cause was a generalized anger and frustration "not just because of what's happened in the last year or two years, but what's happened over the last eight years."Read the full column here.
Let's get this straight: The antipathy to George W. Bush is so enduring and powerful that ... it just elected a Republican senator in Massachusetts? Why, the man is omnipotent.
And the Democrats are delusional: Scott Brown won by running against Obama, not Bush. He won by brilliantly nationalizing the race, running hard against the Obama agenda, most notably Obamacare. Killing it was his No. 1 campaign promise.
Bull's eye. An astonishing 56 percent of Massachusetts voters, according to Rasmussen Reports, called health care their top issue. In a Fabrizio, McLaughlin & Associates poll, 78 percent of Brown voters said their vote was intended to stop Obamacare. Only a quarter of all voters in the Rasmussen poll cited the economy as their top issue, nicely refuting the Democratic view that Massachusetts was just the usual anti-incumbent resentment you expect in bad economic times.
Brown ran on a very specific, very clear agenda: Stop health care. Don't Mirandize terrorists. Don't raise taxes; cut them. And no more secret backroom deals with special interests.
Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
Poll: Toomey Leads Specter and Sestak
From the latest Rasmussen Reports:
Republican Pat Toomey now leads incumbent Senator Arlen Specter 49% to 40% in Pennsylvania's race for the U.S. Senate.Read more poll numbers on the Pennsylvania Senate race at Rasmussen Reports
The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Pennsylvania voters also finds Toomey with a 43% to 35% lead over Democratic challenger Joe Sestak.
A month ago Toomey led Specter by four and Sestak by six. In the state’s Democratic Senate Primary race, Specter now leads Sestak by 21 points.
Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
Monday, January 25, 2010
Poll: 54% Disapprove of Obama's Job Performance
What a difference a year makes.
Even before the humiliating loss in Massachusetts, where the Senate race was clearly a referendum on Obama's policies, the president's job approval numbers have declined steadily throughout his first year in office.
While 24% of Americans "strongly approve" of Obama, 41% "strongly disapprove" -- a negative swing of 17 points.
A year ago this week, 44% were in the "strongly approve" column while just 18% said they "strongly disapprove" of Obama. That was a positive swing of 26 points.
From Rasmussen Reports:
Even before the humiliating loss in Massachusetts, where the Senate race was clearly a referendum on Obama's policies, the president's job approval numbers have declined steadily throughout his first year in office.
While 24% of Americans "strongly approve" of Obama, 41% "strongly disapprove" -- a negative swing of 17 points.
A year ago this week, 44% were in the "strongly approve" column while just 18% said they "strongly disapprove" of Obama. That was a positive swing of 26 points.
From Rasmussen Reports:
The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Sunday shows that 24% of the nation's voters Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as President. Forty-one percent (41%) Strongly Disapprove giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of -17.Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
Overall, 46% of voters say they at least somewhat approve of the President's performance. Fifty-four percent (54%) disapprove.
The Presidential Approval Index is calculated by subtracting the number who Strongly Disapprove from the number who Strongly Approve.
'Avatar' tops box-office for 6th week
"Avatar" topped the box office this weekend with an estimated $36.0 million, according to BoxOfficeMojo.com, bringing its domestic gross to $552.7 million, second only to "Titanic," which holds the record at $600.7 million.
Jame Cameron's groundbreaking 3-D sci-fi adventure passed "The Dark Knight" at $533 million and now tries to unseat Cameron's "Titanic" on the all-time list.
From BoxOfficeMojo.com:
Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
Jame Cameron's groundbreaking 3-D sci-fi adventure passed "The Dark Knight" at $533 million and now tries to unseat Cameron's "Titanic" on the all-time list.
From BoxOfficeMojo.com:
WEEKEND TOP 5 STUDIO ESTIMATES, JANUARY 22-24, 2010
Rank. Movie Title (Distributor)
Weekend Gross | Theaters | Total Gross | Week #
1. Avatar (Fox)
$36.0 million | 3,141 | $552.8 million | 6
2. Legion (2010) (Sony / Screen Gems)
$18.2 million | 2,476 | $18.2 million | 1
3. The Book of Eli (Warner Bros.)
$17.0 million | 3,111 | $62.0 million | 2
4. The Tooth Fairy (Fox)
$14.5 million | 3,344 | $14.5 million | 1
5. The Lovely Bones (Paramount (DreamWorks))
$8.8 million | 2,571 | $31.6 million | 7
Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Unemployment up in 43 states
The Obama Recession continues -- 12 consecutive months of economic futility by the best and brightest the Democratic Party has to offer.
From The Associated Press:
From The Associated Press:
Unemployment rates rose in 43 states last month, the government said Friday, painting a bleak picture of the job market that illustrated nationwide data released two weeks ago.Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
The rise in joblessness was a sharp change from November, when 36 states said their unemployment rates fell. Four states — South Carolina, Delaware, Florida and North Carolina — reported record-high jobless rates in December.
New Jersey's rate, meanwhile, rose to a 33-year high of 10.1 percent while New York's reached a 26-year high of 9 percent.
Analysts said the report showed the economy is recovering at too weak a pace to generate consistent job creation.
Bill O'Reilly: Far Left Down For The Count
The signs of the Apocalypse are everywhere for the far left. A Republican wins Ted Kennedy's Senate seat. Air America goes off the air. Gitmo is still open. Obamacare is on life-support. Democrats are about lose control of both houses of Congress. Mainstream media ratings are in the tank.From Bill O'Reilly's latest column on the demise of the far left:
Just look at the polls, where 20% of Americans describe themselves as liberal. So you figure the far left is less than half of that. In addition, radical left-wing media outlets life MSNBC and Air America are failing. Yeah, Al Franken won in Minnesota, but that's was an anomaly. Today, he'd lose big.Read the full column at BillOReilly.com
If President Obama wants to avoid the fate of Jimmy Carter, he must move quickly to the center. He must be a tougher guy on terrorism, rethink the health care deal so Americans can understand it, and stimulate the economy by targeted tax cuts, not massive government spending.
With his power waning quickly, Mr. Obama has no time to lose.
Columnist: Time to hide, Liberals
It didn't take long for the American public to remember why they don't trust liberals in positions of authority, argues columnist Jay Ambrose.
From his latest:
Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
From his latest:
The arrogance was suffocating. Resurrected liberals were practically smirking as they instructed us to sweet-talk our way out of terrorist threats, advised we should quickly duplicate Europe's semi-socialist mistakes and condescendingly dished up all manner of other liberty-smothering ideological inanities that would transform America into a poor imitation of what it once was if anyone actually acted on them.Read the full column, "Time to hide, liberals," here
Ordinary Americans have caught onto all of this, and so, I am sorry, liberals, but the word of the day for you is "lose." Your side has lost elections in New Jersey and Virginia, and now your side has lost the Senate seat previously held by the very liberal Ted Kennedy in very liberal Massachusetts to Scott Brown, a Republican.
The message to the Democrats is simple. Either give up your liberal ways and veer toward the center or face political catastrophe in November's general election. The message to liberals generally is also simple: Get back into your witness protection program.
Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
Friday, January 22, 2010
Bikini controversy doesn't have legs
You knew the attacks were coming, but is this the best the far left can do? A photo of Scott Brown with his daughters wearing bikinis has offended some liberals who are trying to stir up a controversy.
What exactly is wrong with a dad posing with his daughters (Ayla on the left and Arianna on the right) before they hit the pool or the beach?
This is what the Huffington Post had to say:
After announcing that his daughters were "available" during Tuesday night's victory speech, an Animal New York tipster unearthed this Massachusetts' newest senator posing with his shell bikini-clad girls.Huffington Post then links to something or someone called Animal, who finds the photo "creepy" and claims Sen.-elect Brown is "pimping out his 'available' daughters."
Also, check out Ayla's MySpace and Facebook pages. The Boston College senior was a semi-finalist on American Idol. Arianna, according to her Facebook page, is a freshman at Syracuse University.
No wonder these people can't win an election.
Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
More Global Warming Lies Exposed
You're not going to believe this but a 2007 report by the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that claimed the Himalayan glaciers are likely to disappear within three decades -- the same report that was the the basis for much of the current hysteria about global warming -- has been found to contain numerous factual errors (aka lies).The U.N. panel now says there is not enough scientific evidence to back up the report's claims that the Himalayan ice cap is melting because of man-made climate change.
From an editorial in Investor's Business Daily:
Global Warming: The scientists who said that Himalayan glaciers will be gone by 2035 have admitted the claim has as much credibility as sightings of the mythical Yeti. It's their fraudulent claims that are melting away.Read the full editorial at the newspaper's Web site.
We hesitate to call it Glacier-gate, but the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the U.N. body tasked with scaring us to death about global warming, has admitted that the claim in its 2007 report about the Himalayan glaciers disappearing was not based on any scientific study or research. It was instead based on one scientist's speculation in a telephone interview with a reporter.
The IPCC claimed: "Glaciers in the Himalayas are receding faster than in any other part of the world and, if the present rate continues, the likelihood of their disappearing by the year 2035 and perhaps sooner is very high if the earth keeps warming at the current rate."
As it turns out, the earth hasn't been warming at all, at least not in the last decade, and reputable scientists have said it may continue to cool for decades to come. Even if it was warming, glaciologists insist, the sheer mass of Himalayan glaciers made such a prediction laughable.
Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
PA Unemployment at a 25-Year High
Be sure to thank Gov. Ed Rendell and President Obama for the wonderful job they're doing putting people back to work.
Remember all the hoopla by Gov. Ed Rendell when the Pennsylvania unemployment rate dropped a little last month?
Don't expect Rendell to be found as the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry announced that unemployment in Pennsylvania has risen to 8.9 percent in December. That's the state's highest unemployment level in 25 years.
Pennsylvania employers shed more than 8,100 jobs in December. Pennsylvania has lost 150,300 jobs since December 2008.
From a Department of Labor press release:
Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
Remember all the hoopla by Gov. Ed Rendell when the Pennsylvania unemployment rate dropped a little last month?
Don't expect Rendell to be found as the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry announced that unemployment in Pennsylvania has risen to 8.9 percent in December. That's the state's highest unemployment level in 25 years.
Pennsylvania employers shed more than 8,100 jobs in December. Pennsylvania has lost 150,300 jobs since December 2008.
From a Department of Labor press release:
Pennsylvania's seasonally adjusted civilian labor force -- the number of people working or looking for work -- decreased by 19,000 in December to 6,310,000. Resident employment dropped 37,000 in December, while unemployment was up 19,000. The Pennsylvania labor force was down 131,000 from December 2008.Pennsylvania's Employment Situation: December 2009
Pennsylvania's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose to 8.9 percent in December, up four-tenths of a percentage point from November. The state rate remained below the national unemployment rate, which remained at 10 percent in December.
Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Democrats Face Populist Revolt
From an excellent op-ed posted at POLITICO by William Schneider on the message voters delivered to Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid:
Dems face populist revolt - William Schneider - POLITICO.com
Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
The Massachusetts message to Democrats is, "Be afraid. Be very afraid." Because a full-scale populist revolt is breaking out in the country. Again.Read the full column at the link below:
Sen.-elect Scott Brown said on Tuesday night, "[Democrats] will be challenged again and again across this country. When there's trouble in Massachusetts, there's trouble everywhere. And now they know it."
A populist revolt is "us" versus "them." "Us" is "we the people." "Them" is the governing class. Right now, the governing class is mostly Democratic. It certainly is in Massachusetts, where every member of Congress, every statewide elected official and nearly 90 percent of state legislators are Democrats.
Why is this happening? For two reasons. One is the same reason it happened in the late 1970s and again in the early 1990s: the economy, stupid.
When joblessness goes up and the government doesn't seem to be able to do anything about it — or worse, when the government spends a lot of money and it doesn't seem to be doing much good — voters get mad. They take out their rage on political insiders. Throw the bums out! Cut their allowance! Limit their terms!
Dems face populist revolt - William Schneider - POLITICO.com
Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
Rep. Joe Pitts on Scott Brown Senate Victory
U.S. Rep. Joe Pitts, R-PA 16, released the following statement on the election of Republican Scott Brown to fill the remaining three years left in the term of Sen. Ted Kennedy:
"This is a strong signal that Congress has its priorities wrong. The American people want us to focus on job creation but instead the Administration and Congress has been spending all its energy trying to push through an expensive and extremely unpopular healthcare bill and massive spending bills that are bankrupting our country. The only new jobs created by the health care bill would be for government bureaucrats. I think Scott Brown will be a great Senator and I know his first priority will be getting the people of our nation and his state working again."
Arlen Specter, You're Next
Arlen "Formerly the 60th Vote for Senate Democrats" Specter released the following statement in regard to the Massachusetts special election results:"The Massachusetts election shows Washington must change its ways. Now that there 59 Democrats in the Senate, it will be indispensable for at least some bipartisanship to deal with the serious problems confronting America: creating jobs; reducing the deficit; reining in Wall Street; and stopping abusive insurance company practices like denying coverage on technicalities."
Arlen Specter the reformer?
This guy is schizophrenic.
What does Arlen Specter have going for him? He's abandoned the Republican Party and has not convinced a single Democrat that he's really one of them.
What's he going to do to win the Democratic primary in May? Have Barack Obama campaign for him? We all know how well that went for the Democratic candidates in Virginia, New Jersey and Massachusetts.
Don't be surprised if Specter decides to retire in the coming months rather than face a humiliating defeat at the hands of Pennsylvania voters.
Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
Columnist: Obama Already a Lame Duck
Can You Say "Lame Duck"?!By Bill Wilson
Albert Einstein, whom even the most zealous Obamatons would have to admit was at least a trifle smarter than their own icon, once defined insanity as "doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.
Mr. Obama, welcome to your padded room. We trust you will find the straight-jacket more than comfortable.
Even as Scott Brown was obliterating Martha Coakley in the race for "Ted Kennedy's seat," a typically petulant Barack Obama was sending out the word that he was right, the American people were wrong – and they had better change their ways.
As the popular Washington newspaper Politico reported just before the results begin pouring in: "President Barack Obama plans a combative response if, as White House aides fear, Democrats lose Tuesday's special Senate election in Massachusetts, close advisers say."
So, there you have it. And one is reminded of the late Dick Tuck's concession speech after his loss in the 1966 California State Senate election: "The people have spoken, the bastards."
Make no mistake about it: The Coakley defeat in Massachusetts was an outright and utter rejection of Barack Hussein Obama and his entire leftist agenda. He can twist and spin it anyway he wants; he can bob and weave, shuck and jive, attempt to end run the legislative system, and attack the American people as much as his unrepentant heart desires.
But, the fact is: Denial is not just the name of a river in Egypt
Martha Coakley ran as an Obama Democrat. She embraced his every deficit spending spree, tax increase, and Big Government takeover scheme – just as she embraced the man, himself, when he journeyed north to give her his ringing endorsement. That endorsement was supposed to turn the tide. It was supposed to make people's eyes once again glaze over and prompt them to pull the leftwing lever as they had done for the Wizard of Ooze barely a year ago.
But something has clearly changed – and that something is the view the American people now have towards a president who openly rejects their values, cynically denigrates their mores, and angrily denounces their "trifling" objections to his overriding will.
So, now, over the next four to five days, the world will watch while Barack Obama makes a decision that will fix his place in history: will he reorder his steps and work the people's will – or will he double down on insanity?
Let's put it this way: If the smart money could talk, it would likely query, "Can you say "lame duck"?
Bill Wilson is the president of Americans for Limited Government.
Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Warning to Dems: Voters out for blood
The tone-deaf and delusional men and women who are advising Barack Obama (David Axelrod, Rahm Emanuel, Valerie Jarrett) should read the quote below by Rep. Patrick Kennedy, a Democratic Congressman from Rhode Island (and Ted Kennedy's son).
From POLITICO:
Democrats brace for more 2010 fallout - Lisa Lerer and Manu Raju - POLITICO.com
Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
From POLITICO:
Moderate Democrats have grown increasingly anxious over the past few months, watching nervously as Democratic incumbents in swing districts announced retirements, as one of their own switched parties, as Republicans scored some recruiting coups and as Democrats lost key gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey.Read the full story at the link below:
But nothing set the alarms bells ringing quite like Scott Brown's come-from-behind victory over Martha Coakley in Massachusetts — and with it the loss of not just Ted Kennedy's Senate seat but also their party's 60-vote supermajority in the upper chamber.
Kennedy's son, Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.) said Democrats have to understand that they've entered a different era — and that they can't just assume that voters will be with them.
"It's like in Roman times, they'd be trotted out to the coliseum and the lions would be brought out," Kennedy said Tuesday night. "I mean, they're wanting blood and they're not getting it so they want to protest. And, you know, you can’t blame them. But frankly, the fact is we inherited this mess, and it’s becoming ours."
Democrats brace for more 2010 fallout - Lisa Lerer and Manu Raju - POLITICO.com
Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
Newspaper: 'Boston Tea Party' a message to Obama
The Wall Street Journal believes Barack Obama can salvage what's left of his failed presidency by listening to the American people instead of the "Democratic delusionists" who have been advising him over the past year.
Tuesday's stunning victory by Republican Scott Brown, which the newspaper calls a "historic election rebuke," was a clear signal that the majority of Americans want Obama to rethink most of his policies, especially government-run health care.
From the editorial:
Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
Tuesday's stunning victory by Republican Scott Brown, which the newspaper calls a "historic election rebuke," was a clear signal that the majority of Americans want Obama to rethink most of his policies, especially government-run health care.
From the editorial:
Yesterday's vote wasn't a repudiation of Mr. Obama's Presidency, or at least it needn't be. The President remains more popular than his policies, and voters want him to succeed. But they are also telling him he needs to steer a more moderate, less partisan course, returning to the pragmatism and comity that shaped his political rise but have vanished in his first, squandered year.Read the full editorial at the newspaper's Web site.
Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
Columnist: 'The party's over'
Writing in the Boston Herald, columnist Howie Carr had this to day about the stunning repudiation of the Democratic Party agenda by typically loyal Massachusetts voters:
Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
The lesson is clear. The people are mad as hell, and they aren't going to take it anymore.Read the full column, "The party's over for Obama & Co." at the newspaper's Web site.
This isn't an election, it's a movement. We reversed the curse - the Kennedy curse.
Over the past week or so, we've seen listening as people from out of state were saying something most of us have never heard before: "Oh Good, I wish I lived in Massachusetts."
Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
Pat Toomey: Voters rejected Obamacare
Pat Toomey, who is seeking the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania, issued a statement Tuesday night saying the victory by the GOP's Scott Brown in Massachusetts is a repudiation of the Obamacare bill being negotiated in secret by Congressional Democrats.From Toomey's statement:
Tonight, voters in Massachusetts made their voices heard. In one of the most Democratic states in the country, voters elected Republican Scott Brown to the U.S. Senate in a demonstration of their opposition to one-Party Democratic rule in Washington and the nearly $1 trillion health care monstrosity the Democrats are trying to ram through Congress.Toomey says it's time to start over and enact health care reforms that bring down medical costs without growing government.
Voters want health care reform but they are fed up with the bill being pushed by President Obama, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Senate Leader Harry Reid. That 2,000-page bill includes $500 billion in new taxes, a catalogue of Washington mandates and takeovers, a parade of sweetheart deals for individual politicians and special interests, and nothing to bring down premiums for average American families.
Now the one-Party-rule Democrats are talking about circumventing the normal congressional process, either by having the House accept the Senate version of the bill, or stalling Scott Brown’s swearing in. Yet even Democratic leaders like former Vermont Governor and Democratic National Chairman Howard Dean admit that Harry Reid's Senate bill does not move the country forward. Dean recently called the Senate bill, "a bigger bailout for the insurance industry than AIG." (ABC News, 12/16/09)
"Everyone can agree that we need real health care reform in this country," U.S. Senate candidate Pat Toomey said, "but it is clear that Americans all across the country are rejecting the Democrats' sweetheart deals, tax hikes, and massive spending. It is time to start over and begin the process of working on bipartisan, commonsense health care reform that brings real competition to the health insurance market and lowers the cost of care."
Last November, Toomey wrote an op-ed urging bipartisan health care reform. He proposed commonsense solutions like eliminating the unfair discrimination against individually purchased health insurance in our tax code, allowing people to buy insurance across state lines, implementing reasonable tort reform, and allowing small businesses and organizations to band together and form health associations.
"I urge the Democrats to put aside their partisan determination to ram a $1 trillion bill through Congress that a majority of Americans oppose," Toomey added. "Now, is the time to implement reforms that will truly help people afford health care, without breaking the bank in Washington."
Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
Sign the petition to seat Sen. Brown
The people have spoken but Democratic Party bosses will now attempt to keep Scott Brown from taking his place in the U.S. Senate as the rightful elected representative of the people of Massachusetts.
(When Ted Kennedy won a special election in 1962 he was seated the next day.)
Sign the online petition demanding an end to the one-party rule of Democrats in Congress.
For more, visit SeatSenatorBrown.com
Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
(When Ted Kennedy won a special election in 1962 he was seated the next day.)
Sign the online petition demanding an end to the one-party rule of Democrats in Congress.
For more, visit SeatSenatorBrown.com
Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
Voters to Obama: Can You Hear Us Now?
If tone-deaf Barack Obama didn't get the message from Virginia and New Jersey voters in November, he got it tonight in Massachusetts.Who says there's no such thing as a recall election?
Voters in Massachusetts -- the most Democratic state in the country -- changed their mind about Barack Obama by electing a Republican to the U.S. Senate seat held by the Kennedys for a half-century.
Stick a fork in Obamacare. It's done. Say goodbye to Democratic majorities in the House and Senate.
Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid have retreated to secret underground locations. Howard Dean could be heard screaming all the way from Vermont.
Voters took the Democrats to the woodshed Tuesday for a good old-fashioned whooping over uncontrolled spending and a health-care bill most Americans don't want or need.
Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Taking the nation's political temperature
Keep an eye on Pennsylvania Congressional races if you want an indication of how the rest of the country will go this year, argues columnist Salena Zito. There could be as many as 11 competitive House races in the state's 19 Congressional districts. And don't forget Arlen Specter's U.S. Senate seat, too.From Zito's latest column in The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:
In the past decade, Pennsylvania has been a Democrat-leaning presidential battleground. It went for Gore (51-46), Kerry (51-48) and Obama (55-44).Read the full column at the link below:
"Putting these numbers in perspective, the state tends to vote about 4 percentage points more for the Democratic nominee than the nation as a whole does," says Lara Brown, Villanova University professor.
Democrats have been increasingly confident that trend will continue, given 2006 midterm and 2008 general election wins. But change can come quickly.
Brown says a few Keystone State congressional seats Democrats hoped to win (districts 6 and 15) or were confident of keeping (7, 10 and 11) are beginning to trend against them.
RealClearPolitics' average for the generic ballot favors Republicans by 3 points.
If that's accurate, Brown explains, "Then in Pennsylvania what you can infer is that among likely voters, Democrats are only running ahead of Republicans by about 1 percentage point."
In other words, the state is extremely competitive and may -- depending on primary races -- again seem like a political "ground zero" come October.
Political thermometer - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
Monday, January 18, 2010
'Why Martin Luther King Was Republican'
A timely and thought-provoking column posted at HumanEvents.com by Frances Rice, chairwoman of the National Black Republican Association, on how the Democratic Party has taken advantage of blacks for decades. From Rice's op-ed:
Democrats have been running our inner-cities for the past 30 to 40 years, and blacks are still complaining about the same problems. More than $7 trillion dollars have been spent on poverty programs since Lyndon Johnson's War on Poverty with little, if any, impact on poverty. Diabolically, every election cycle, Democrats blame Republicans for the deplorable conditions in the inner-cities, then incite blacks to cast a protest vote against Republicans.Read the full column at the link below:
In order to break the Democrats' stranglehold on the black vote and free black Americans from the Democrat Party's economic plantation, we must shed the light of truth on the Democrats. We must demonstrate that the Democrat Party policies of socialism and dependency on government handouts offer the pathway to poverty, while Republican Party principles of hard work, personal responsibility, getting a good education and ownership of homes and small businesses offer the pathway to prosperity.
Why Martin Luther King Was Republican - HUMAN EVENTS
Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
Sign petition to repeal Obamacare
More than 5,000 people have signed the Club for Growth Repeal It! petition to stop Obamacare.
The campaign encourages citizens, candidates, and lawmakers to pledge to support the repeal and replacement of any health care takeover passed by Congress this year.
As of today, the Repeal It! pledge has been signed by:
20 sitting members of Congress;
69 House and Senate candidates; and,
More than 5,800 American citizens
Sign the petition at http://www.repealit.org/
Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
The campaign encourages citizens, candidates, and lawmakers to pledge to support the repeal and replacement of any health care takeover passed by Congress this year.
As of today, the Repeal It! pledge has been signed by:
20 sitting members of Congress;
69 House and Senate candidates; and,
More than 5,800 American citizens
Sign the petition at http://www.repealit.org/
Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
Catfight on the far left
Don't you just love it when a couple of liberals go at each other?
Rachel Maddow and Jon Stewart went at it after Maddow tried to blame the Haiti earthquake on George W. Bush. That was even too much lunacy for Stewart to take.
From a post at NewsBusters.org by Noel Sheppard:
Comedian Jon Stewart on Thursday mocked MSNBC's Rachel Maddow for using the tragedy in earthquake-rattled Haiti to bash former President George W. Bush.Read more and watch video highlights at NewsBusters.org
Not appreciating the ribbing, Maddow foolishly responded on her own program Friday proving once and for all that liberal media members love Jon Stewart -- as long as his target is conservatives, that is.
Precipitating the spat was the MSNBCer on Wednesday politicizing the growing Haitian crisis by saying, "All of that central to what the Obama administration says it wants to do differently than what Bush and Cheney did."
The "Daily Show" host marvelously noted, "Not the right time." Stewart concluded by mocking Maddow's audience, "Congratulations MSNBC viewers -- you're on the right side of this terrible, terrible tragedy"
Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Lowman Henry: Why Lt. Gov. Matters
Lieutenant governor matters in PennsylvaniaBy Lowman S. Henry
Dramatic developments in races for the United States Senate and Pennsylvania governor have dominated coverage of the 2010 elections in Penn's Woods. But a third statewide office will be on the ballot this year and it has drawn an unusually large field of contenders.
The job is that of Pennsylvania lieutenant governor. And it is apparently a plum assignment. The lieutenant governor is paid $161,000 per year and full state benefits. He or she gets a mansion with a pool at Ft. Indiantown Gap in Lebanon County, full state police protection, an ornate office in the center of the capitol and all the trappings of a top statewide official.
In exchange the lieutenant governor does, well, actually very little. The state constitution (a seldom read document) provides that the lieutenant governor serves as president of the state Senate. That basically means standing at the podium and looking good while senators go about the real business of governing.
Aside from that, the lieutenant governor basically sits around and waits for the governor to die, to become incapacitated, or to leave office prematurely. That has actually happened quite a bit in recent years. Lt. Gov. Mark Singel became acting governor when then Gov. Robert P. Casey Sr. had a multiple organ transplant. Then, in 2001, when Gov. Tom Ridge was summoned to Washington to help secure the homeland, Lt. Gov. Mark Schweiker became governor.
For his part, Schweiker actually made something of the lieutenant governor's office. He was delegated the responsibility of overseeing emergency preparedness and became the official face of state government often wearing plaid shirts during major snowstorms. His successor, the late Catherine Baker Knoll, did not look good in plaid, so she discontinued the practice.
The current lieutenant governor, state Sen. Joseph Scarnati, is something of an anomaly. He is the Senate president pro tempore, the guy who actually presides over the state senate when the lieutenant governor is otherwise occupied. When Mrs. Knoll, a Democrat, passed away, Sen. Scarnati, a Republican ascended to the office.
Having a governor and a lieutenant governor of differing political parties is virtually unheard of in Pennsylvania. That is because while nominees for the two offices are selected separately in the primary, voters cast but one vote in the general election for governor and the lieutenant governor comes along as sort of a package deal. Thus, it is not possible for a governor and lieutenant governor of differing parties to be elected.
That state of normalcy will be restored this year when voters elect a new governor. But, before that happens, voters of each party will get to determine in the May primary who will be their candidates for lieutenant governor. For Republicans the field is large and diverse, but few contenders have emerged on the Democratic side.
Depending on the day, there are over a dozen Republicans seeking the GOP nod for lieutenant governor. Campaigning with various degrees of seriousness are several state representatives, a couple of county commissioners and a former county executive, businessmen, reform activists, a city councilman, and even a minister.
At this point the Republican nomination appears to be wide open. Typically, the party's endorsed candidate for governor picks a running mate. But sheer numbers make that hazardous this year as one happy camper would be overwhelmed by disappointed also-rans. The number of candidates virtually ensures a contested primary, so a pick from the top could ultimately be rejected by voters.
Meanwhile, far fewer Democrats have shown an interest in the office. Perhaps that is because the race for governor on the Democratic side of the ledger is less settled than it is for Republicans. The only serious candidate to emerge to date is former Philadelphia Controller Jonathan Saidel. Several others have floated trial balloons, but at this point the nomination appears Saidel's to lose.
A flood of Republican candidates and a dearth of Democratic candidates only tend to make an obscure race even more so. Republican voters will have difficulty sorting through the field, while there is little interest on the Democratic side. With more fireworks expected in hotly contested U.S. Senate and gubernatorial races, the party nomination battles for lieutenant governor will be largely overlooked.
But they shouldn't be. While the office in and of itself has no power and virtually no influence, lieutenant governors have been called upon to step into the top spot. And when they are, the circumstances are almost always bad. And the only real chance for voters to weigh in comes during the primary process. So, while it may be second fiddle, it is important to pay attention to who is standing next to Pennsylvania's new governor on inauguration day.
Lowman S. Henry is Chairman & CEO of the Lincoln Institute and host of the weekly Lincoln Radio Journal. His e-mail address is lhenry@lincolninstitute.org
Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
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