Friday, December 31, 2010

Ezra Klein Laments 'Confusing' Nature of Our Old Constitution

WashPost's Ezra Klein Laments 'Confusing' Nature of Our Old Constitution

Olbermann Continues Losing Viewers

Open Thread: Olbermann Continues Losing Viewers

Aaron Sorkin: Palin is ‘Idiot’ and ‘Mean Woman,’Republicans ‘Have Moved into a Mental Institution’

Aaron Sorkin: Palin is ‘Idiot’ and ‘Mean Woman,’Republicans ‘Have Moved into a Mental Institution’

Rep. Vereb calls for jail time for Sunshine Act violators

Elected officials routinely thumb their nose at the Pennsylvania Sunshine Law and conduct the public's business behind closed doors because they know the only punishment is a slam on the wrist. A little jail time might get thim to think twice about breaking the law, especially you school board members out there.

Vereb calls for jail time for Sunshine Act violators - timesherald.com

Larry Elder: Who's blaming Obama for high gas prices?

Larry Elder: Who's blaming Obama for high gas prices? | Washington Examiner

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Bob Hope defines the Democrats

Time Mag Headline 'Holiday Blizzard: More Signs of Global Warming'

Time Mag Headline 'Holiday Blizzard: More Signs of Global Warming'

PennDOT Announces Year-End Contracting Results

PennDOT Announces Year-End Contracting Results

Senate Ethics Committee Will Not Punish Senator Dodd for Corrupt Real Estate Deal

Senate Ethics Committee Will Not Punish Senator Dodd for Corrupt Real Estate Deal; Dismisses Judicial Watch's Senate Ethics Complaint as Dodd's Term Ends

Obama's terrible, horrible, no good, very bad year

Obama's terrible, horrible, no good, very bad year - pottsmerc.com

Cleaning up Ed Rendell's mess

Amazing how much damage Ed Rendell has done to Pennsylvania over the past 8 years. Despite $8 billion in new spending and billions more in borrowing, Rendell failed to solve any of the state's major problems and is hading the mess to Gov.-elect Tom Corbett.

Rendell gives Corbett handbook of challenges ahead | PoconoRecord.com

Monday, December 27, 2010

Great Moments in Unintended Consequences

Sen. Roy Blunt: Obama chose 'ideology' over 'jobs'

Bureaucrats Secretly Implement ObamaCare

Government Death Panels will soon be deciding who lives and who dies as Obama's bureacrats begin to implement new Obamacare provisions starting Jan. 1

Bureaucrats Secretly Implement ObamaCare

Global Warming Buries New York Under Snow

Global Warming Buries New York Under Snow - HUMAN EVENTS

Why are teachers learning Spanish?

Teachers in the Reading School District are learning Spanish? Shouldn't the students be learning English?

City teachers learning Spanish

14 places to slash federal spending

Democrats and their big-government allies are always arguing there's nothing to cut from the bloated federal budget.

The folks at Reason magazine beg to differ, offering 14 specific programs or agencies that could be slashed to save taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars every year.

My favorite:

End (or at Least Audit) the Fed:
The Fed is the biggest bastion of central planning in the American economy, and eliminating it would both move us toward a freer market and remove history’s most powerful enabler of government waste. If that’s politically impossible, auditing the Fed would at least peel away the bank’s veneer of inscrutable wizardry to reveal the feckless dithering at the heart of U.S. monetary policy.
Read the full article, "How to Slash the State: 14 ways to dismantle a monstrous government, one program at a time," here.

State Police: Seven Killed, 264 Injured in Crashes During Holiday Travel Period

State Police: Seven Killed, 264 Injured in Crashes During Holiday Travel Period

Governor Rendell Orders Flags at Capitol, Berks County to Fly at Half-Staff in Honor of Sen. Michael A. O'Pake

Governor Rendell Orders Flags at Capitol, Berks County to Fly at Half-Staff in Honor of Sen. Michael A. O'Pake

Alarming Rise in 2010 Law Enforcement Officer Fatalities

Alarming Rise in 2010 Law Enforcement Officer Fatalities

The Obama Recession Continues

Two in Five Americans Feel Less Secure Financially Than One Year Ago

2010 Disaster Recap

State Sen. Mike Folmer closes Berks County office

No need to keep a Berks office (12/26/10)

Taxman spying from above

Pennsylvania State Rep.-elect Mark M. Gillen is troubled by the government's use of aerial reconnaissance to spy on property owners.

Young's column had powerful implications (12/26/10)

Saturday, December 25, 2010

The Festivus

Star Wars Christmas Special... That Everyone Really Wanted.

My All-Time Favorite Christmas Song



"If Every Day Was Like Christmas" by Elvis Presley

Linus Christmas Monologue from 'A Charlie Brown Christmas'

Ronald Reagan Christmas address (12/23/81)

Christmas 1944: When U.S. Troops Said ‘Nuts!’ to the Enemy

Christmas 1944: When U.S. Troops Said ‘Nuts!’ to the Enemy | CNSnews.com

Santa's business is getting sleighed

Santa: I'm skipping that house

Christmas Food Court Flash Mob, Hallelujah Chorus - Must See!

Bing Crosby & David Bowie - The Little Drummer Boy / Peace On Earth

'Hallelujah'

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Newspaper: PA Legislature should put teeth in the state Sunshine Act

Legislature should put teeth in the state Sunshine Act (12/22/10)

Pennsylvania Turnpike makes U-turn



Here's what we do know: Tolls on the Pennsylvania Turnpike will go up Jan. 2, 2011.

Up until today, motorists who pay cash would not know how much the tolls would be because the bureaucrats at the Turnpike Commission decided to print tickets without prices on them.

That controversial (and stupid) decision has been overturned.

But tolls are still going up thanks to a plan pushed a couple of years ago by Gov. Ed Rendell and Democrats in the state Legislature.

Turnpike makes U-turn, decides to print tolls on tickets - pottsmerc.com

New Videos Highlight Human Impact of Lawsuit Abuse

New Videos Highlight Human Impact of Lawsuit Abuse

Center for Immigration Studies Analysis of the Census: Population Up 27 Million in Just 10 Years

Center for Immigration Studies Analysis of the Census: Population Up 27 Million in Just 10 Years

Mass Immigration Into U.S. Unsustainable, Warns FAIR

New Census Data Reveal Immigration is Fueling Runaway U.S. Population Growth

Judicial Watch Praises New 'Tea Party Congress' Move to Preserve Office of Congressional Ethics

Judicial Watch Praises New 'Tea Party Congress' Move to Preserve Office of Congressional Ethics

Monday, December 20, 2010

Newspaper: Kill The Lame Duck

From Investor's Business Daily:

Governance: It is an anachronism a constitutional amendment tried to kill. It lets defeated legislators wreak political and economic havoc without consequence. Like the dodo, the lame duck should be extinct.

Kill The Lame Duck - Investors.com

Top 10 Bad Developments For Global Warming Alarmists

Top 10 Bad Developments For Global Warming Alarmists - HUMAN EVENTS

'Study' Claiming Fox News Viewers 'Misinformed' Is Fraught With Errors

'Study' Claiming Fox News Viewers 'Misinformed' Is Fraught With Errors

65,000 unique visitors

My site counter has recorded 65,000 unique visitors to The Centrist. Thanks for checking out this blog ... and come back again.

The Lamest Duck

'Republicans prevented a massive, job-killing New Year's Day tax increase'

Friday, December 17, 2010

Is Obama Destined to be a Footnote in Presidential History?

Is Obama Destined to be a Footnote in Presidential History?

Obamacare for illegals

ICE will now provide heart surgery, biopsies and psychiatric care to detainees - National Immigration reform | Examiner.com

New Videos Highlight Human Impact of Lawsuit Abuse

New Videos Highlight Human Impact of Lawsuit Abuse

U.S. DOT Proposes Rule to Ban Hand-Held Cell Phone Use for Commercial Truck and Bus Drivers

U.S. DOT Proposes Rule to Ban Hand-Held Cell Phone Use for Commercial Truck and Bus Drivers

Ousted Lawmaker Energized By New Job

Hey, Pennsylvania taxpayers, your tax dollars will now go to ousted state Rep. David Kessler to study using algae as an alternative fuel. Pork-barrel spending at its worst.

Ousted Lawmaker Energized By New Job - Regional News - Berks Story - WFMZ Allentown

Krauthammer to headline Pennsylvania Leadership Conference

The 2011 PA Leadership Conference, featuring the largest gathering of conservatives in Pennsylvania, has lined up one of the sharpest conservative thinkers in the world for this year's event.

Charles Krauthammer, Pulitzer Prize winning columnist and a Fox News commentator, will be the dinner speaker at the 2011 Pennsylvania Leadership Conference to be held April 8-9 at the Radisson Penn Harris Convention Center in Camp Hill, Pa.

From a press release announcing Krauthammer's appearance:
"We are excited to have Dr. Krauthammer as the next in a long series of influential conservative speakers to address the annual Pennsylvania Leadership Conference," said Lowman Henry, President of the Pennsylvania Leadership Council which organizes the event. "In an era when many commentators offer only shop worn analysis, Dr. Krauthammer stands out as a thoughtful voice of reason who injects logic and perspective into the public debate."

The Pennsylvania Leadership Conference is the premiere annual gathering of public policy conservatives from through the commonwealth and beyond. The conference features well known national speakers, and a who's who of state-level government and policy leaders offering commentary and panel presentations.

Dr. Krauthammer was named by the Financial Times as the most influential commentator in America. Since 1985 he has written a syndicated column for the Washington Post, winning the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished commentary in 1987. His column now appears in more than 250 newspapers worldwide.

A contributing editor to the Weekly Standard and to the New Republic, Dr. Krauthammer is a Fox News contributor appearing nightly on Fox's evening news program Special Report with Bret Baier. He is also a weekly panelist on Inside Washington.
Complete information and registration for the 2011 Pennsylvania Leadership Conference can be found at the conference's newly redesigned website, www.paleadershipconference.org

Newspaper: Repeal automatic COLA for politicians

From the editorial pages of The Pottstown Mercury:
THORNS to the state Legislature for continuing the practice of automatic cost-of-living adjustments even though many legislators give them back or donate the money to charity. We don't want our tax dollars going to the charity of choice for lawmakers; we want the money to stay in the state coffers. The Legislature, along with members of the executive branch, including the governor, and judges receive an automatic cost-of-living adjustment each year under a 1995 law. This year, the COLA for lawmakers kicked in Dec. 1, while the higher pay for judges begins Jan. 1. Pay for rank-and-file legislators increased from $78,315 to $79,623 on Dec. 1, while higher-ranking officials are paid more. Instead of legislators giving it back, the law should be repealed.
Roses for soliciting public input in schools' chief search - pottsmerc.com

Tax Deal Passes, GOP Wants Permanent Cuts

Take a look at the final votes to extend the Bush Tax Cuts - 277-148 in the House and 81-19 in the Senate, with solid Democratic majorities in both chambers. But this only a two-year extension. When more Republicans join Congress in January, let's push for a permanent extension to get the U.S. economy moving again.

Tax Deal Passes, GOP Wants Permanent Cuts - HUMAN EVENTS

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Poll Bob Casey's Job Approval Sinks

Casey's Job Approval Sinks, but He Is Polling Well for 2012 : Roll Call

Dems driving businesses under with high taxes

The United States leads the world in something - the highest corporate income tax. And Democrats wonder why we've had 10% unemployment for the past two years?

A Rate Which Lives In Infamy - Investors.com

Corbett Inaugural website launches

Gov.-elect Tom Corbett and Lt. Gov.-elect Jim Cawley's Inaugural website has launched at www.CorbettCawleyInaugural.com

The theme of the new Republican administration is "Rebuilding Pennsylvania," which is a big task after the disastrous eight years of the Rendell administration.

The website provides detailed information on the Inaugural activities. Pennsylvania residents can also find information on how to reserve and purchase tickets for Inaugural events.

The site will be updated right up until the January 18, 2011, Inauguration.

Gallup Poll: Obama loses some backing from liberals

Gallup Poll: Obama loses some backing from liberals - latimes.com

More than 1.4 Million Stranded Holiday Drivers Expected by AAA

More than 1.4 Million Stranded Holiday Drivers Expected by AAA

Seventh Annual Farmers Insurance Study Ranks the Most Secure Places to Live in the U.S.

Seventh Annual Farmers Insurance Study Ranks the Most Secure Places to Live in the U.S.

Cost of PA Legislature: $318M a year

It costs $318 million a year to operate the Pennsylvania Legislature. Anyone think they're getting their money's worth?

Commission: Legislature's spending fell last year - pottsmerc.com

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Survey: Most Pa. residents believe economy will improve

Survey: Most Pa. residents believe economy will improve - pottsmerc.com

The Obama Constitution

DCED Secretary Says Harrisburg is 'Financially Distressed' Under Act 47

Another U.S. city run into the ground by Democrats.

DCED Secretary Says Harrisburg is 'Financially Distressed' Under Act 47

FRC, Members of Congress, Governors, and Conservative Leaders Release Open Letter Calling for Civil Debate, End to Character Assassination

FRC, Members of Congress, Governors, and Conservative Leaders Release Open Letter Calling for Civil Debate, End to Character Assassination

First Annual 'Index of Family Belonging and Rejection' Finds Only 45 percent of American Children Growing Up In Intact Families

First Annual 'Index of Family Belonging and Rejection' Finds Only 45 percent of American Children Growing Up In Intact Families

Most Americans Will Still Consider Showing up to Work When Sick This Cold & Flu Season, National Survey Finds

Most Americans Will Still Consider Showing up to Work When Sick This Cold & Flu Season, National Survey Finds

2012 Presidential Election: 18 Republican Contenders and President Obama Ranked By Communications Skills

2012 Presidential Election: 18 Republican Contenders and President Obama Ranked By Communications Skills

TIME Names Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook Founder and CEO, The 2010 TIME Person of the Year

TIME Names Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook Founder and CEO, The 2010 TIME Person of the Year

Monday, December 13, 2010

Governor Christie: Telling it like it is; Getting things done

Vote for the Most Outrageous Liberal Media Quotes of 2010 at MRC.org

Vote for the Most Outrageous Liberal Media Quotes of 2010 at MRC.org

65,000 Visitors to The Centrist

My site counter has recorded 65,000 unique visitors to The Centrist. Thanks for check out the blog ... and come back again.

Newspaper: Solution to property taxes within Legislature's reach

Solution to property taxes within Legislature's reach (12/12/10)

Mark Levin: ABC Edited Out Palin's Mention Of My Book

'The American Dream' Trailer

The American Dream Trailer from American Dream on Vimeo.

Three Organizations Launch Comprehensive Earmark Request Database

Three Organizations Launch Comprehensive Earmark Request Database

Reid's Lame-Duck Lands Bill Threatens Border Security

Reid's Lame-Duck Lands Bill Threatens Border Security

Richard Viguerie: Cuccinelli Obamacare Court Victory is a Major Win for the Tea Party

Richard Viguerie: Cuccinelli Obamacare Court Victory is a Major Win for the Tea Party

Landmark Praises Court Ruling in VA 'Obamacare' Suit

Landmark Praises Court Ruling in VA 'Obamacare' Suit

Federal Judge Gets It Half Right in Striking Down Health Care Law

Federal Judge Gets It Half Right in Striking Down Health Care Law

Don't Forget to Report Deer Harvests

Don't Forget to Report Deer Harvests

You call this pension reform?

This is Ed Rendell's idea of pension reform. The bill, which was backed by the teachers union, was passed with the support of Rendell and the Democratic majority in the state Legislature.

From The Associated Press:
Structural changes passed last month in Pennsylvania's large pension plans for state government workers and school district employees will still leave taxpayers on the hook for billions of dollars in new costs in the coming years.

The cost to the state government and school districts will go from $1.25 billion this year to just under $2 billion next year, but the average annual price tag for the coming decade amounts to $5.3 billion.
Pension law leaves taxpayers with $5B annual cost - pottsmerc.com

Wednesday, December 08, 2010

Newspaper: Bush job approval rating higher than Obama's

How the mighty have fallen. Americans are waking up from their Kool-Aid induced stupor and realizing what a huge mistake they made in electing Barack Obama president.

A new Gallup Poll shows the job approval rating for "The Anointed One" has dropped below that of President George W. Bush.

Check it out at the liberal New York Daily News and at Politico

Marion Nestle, Food Fascist

Marion Nestle, Food Fascist

Cognitive Dissonance On The Left

Cognitive Dissonance On The Left - HUMAN EVENTS

Is Hollywood mounting a war on Christmas?

Is Hollywood mounting a war on Christmas?

Pennsylvania State Police, National Group Urge Public to Join 'Project Blue Light' to Honor Fallen Officers

Pennsylvania State Police, National Group Urge Public to Join 'Project Blue Light' to Honor Fallen Officers

New Resources to Help Employees Keep More of Their Money at Tax Time

PA Office of Financial Education Offers Businesses New Resources to Help Employees Keep More of Their Money at Tax Time

Obama vs. The Left

Tuesday, December 07, 2010

Let's Compromise

Liberalism in 120 Seconds: Global warming alarmists vs. sanity

Cuckoo In Cancun

The global warming crowd may be suffering from hypothermia.

From Investor's Business Daily:
Still think those who continue to push the idea of man-made climate change are well-grounded and rational? Think again.

Consider Christiana Figueres, executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. She opened the U.N's global warming conference last week with a prayer to Ixchel, the Mayan goddess of the moon.

This mythological supreme being of fertility is supposed to be good for sending rain for crops. Maybe that's the sort of blessing Figueres had in mind when, from Cancun's — no joke — Moon Palace, she called Ixchel "the goddess of reason, creativity and weaving" and hoped delegates would be inspired by her.

And did we mention that the multitasking Ixchel is also some kind of jaguar? Given her many roles, is it really reasonable to ask her to also save the planet from global warming?

But then if she did that, the alarmists wouldn't have to take junkets to balmy resorts in December to save the world from mankind.
Read the full editorial at the link below:

Cuckoo In Cancun - Investors.com

National Inflation Association Addresses Bernanke's '60 Minutes' Interview

NIA Addresses Bernanke's '60 Minutes' Interview

Obama Unravels…

NRO's Jim Geraghty: "Watching Barack Obama in a press conference discussing the tax deal, it feels like we’re watching his presidency lose all coherence."

Obama Unravels… - By Jim Geraghty - The Campaign Spot - National Review Online

Offshore Drilling Ban Will Limit Job Growth and Raise Fuel Costs, Harming American Consumers and Economy

Offshore Drilling Ban Will Limit Job Growth and Raise Fuel Costs, Harming American Consumers and Economy

Concord Coalition Says Major Tax Reform Should Follow Two-Year Extension of Tax Cuts

Concord Coalition Says Major Tax Reform Should Follow Two-Year Extension of Tax Cuts

Timely Tips on Charitable Giving

Pennsylvania Department of State Provides Timely Tips on Charitable Giving

Public Invited to Visit the Governor's Residence during Holiday Season

Public Invited to Visit the Governor's Residence during Holiday Season

Governor Rendell Announces Appointments

Governor Rendell Announces Appointments

Governor Rendell Reminds Residents of Dec. 31 Property Tax/Rent Rebate Deadline, Free Application Assistance Available

Governor Rendell Reminds Residents of Dec. 31 Property Tax/Rent Rebate Deadline, Free Application Assistance Available

Obama's New Theme Song: 'Surrender'



A dedication to Barack Obama for caving in on the Bush Tax Cuts. Maybe we can repeal Obamacare while we're on a roll?

Pennsylvania Governor Rendell Orders Flags to Fly at Half-Staff in Honor of Pearl Harbor Day

Pennsylvania Governor Rendell Orders Flags to Fly at Half-Staff in Honor of Pearl Harbor Day

Saturday, December 04, 2010

Hold the Brownies! Bill Could Limit Bake Sales

Hold the Brownies! Bill Could Limit Bake Sales | CNSnews.com

Where Will Seniors Get Health Care?

Where Will Seniors Get Health Care?

Richard Viguerie: Senator DeMint Gives GOP Incumbents a Pass, But Other Conservatives Won't

Richard Viguerie: Senator DeMint Gives GOP Incumbents a Pass, But Other Conservatives Won't

STOP THE GROUND ZERO MOSQUE

Blue Collar Corner 'Move the GZ Mosque Campaign' Creates Tsunami through Social Media

Blue Collar Corner 'Move the GZ Mosque Campaign' Creates Tsunami through Social Media

Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL) Delivers Weekly GOP Address

Obama: Fool Me Four Times

Friday, December 03, 2010

Newspaper: Thorns to greedy PA judges

From the editorial pages of The Pottstown Mercury:
THORNS to Pennsylvania judges for disregarding the tax burden on Pennsylvania residents by leasing luxury automobiles including Cadillacs, Mercedes and high-end SUVs. The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported Sunday that 25 jurists in the state lease cars under a provision that reimburses them up to $600 a month; 13 opt not to lease vehicles. The state began paying for cars for appellate judges in 1990, and the practice continues despite other elected and appointed state officials who use cheaper fleet vehicles to keep costs down. The state's top judges are among the nation's highest paid. Some make in excess of $175,000 a year, yet lease high-end vehicles at taxpayer expense. Among the judges' cars are $568 a month for a 2010 Cadillac driven by Chief Justice Ronald Castille and $450 a month for a 2010 Mercedes Benz driven by Superior Court Judge Sallie Updyke Mundy. Supreme Court Justice Max Baer leases a 2010 GMC Acadia from his brother's Washington dealership for $510 a month. One person quoted in the news article called it symbolic of a "culture of arrogance." Sound like Harrisburg?
Roses to state rep for helping remodel Boyertown office - pottsmerc.com

Bill O'Reilly to Jimmy Carter: Shut the hell up!

Bill O'Reilly: Bill's Column - Jimmy Carter Gone Wild

Unemployment Rate Climbs to 9.8%

The failure of Barack Obama's economic policies is complete. The U.S. unemployment rate for November rose to 9.8% - with the number of unemployed Americans climbing from 14.8 million to 15.1 million.

All this despite trillions of dollars in federal spending to "stimulate" the economy and reduce unemployment.

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele released the following statement today:
"Today's jobs report showing unemployment jumping to 9.8 percent only confirms that President Obama's agenda of out-of-control spending, higher taxes, and bigger government has the economy moving in the wrong direction. Despite the clear message sent in last month's elections, Democrats continue to ignore the American people by remaining focused on enacting a host of liberal priorities that will do nothing to create jobs. All the while, they have left a massive job-killing tax increase hanging over the heads of every single American family and small business, prolonging the existing economic uncertainty that has kept employers from hiring. Instead of continuing the same wish-list mentality that pushed through big government Democrat programs in the face of high unemployment and record deficits, Democrats should work with Republicans to start putting the American people's priorities first – getting our country back on a path to economic prosperity and making sure no one sees a tax hike on January 1st."

Roses to State Rep. David Maloney for helping remodel Boyertown office

Republican David Maloney hasn't taken office yet in the PA Legislature, but he's already saving money for constituents in Berks County's 130th District.

Roses to state rep for helping remodel Boyertown office - pottsmerc.com

Nat Hentoff: Lame duck president clings to Obamacare

Lame duck president clings to Obamacare - pottsmerc.com

Editorial: Time to kill automatic political pay hikes

Editorial: Time to kill automatic political pay hikes - delcotimes.com

Wednesday, December 01, 2010

Newspaper: Hands Off Our Net

Hands Off Our Net - Investors.com

Government Wasted $3.2 Million on Misleading Andy Griffith Obamacare Ads

YID With LID: Government Wasted $3.2 Million on Misleading Andy Griffith Obamacare Ads

PCCD Reminds Holiday Shoppers to Protect Against Identity Theft

PCCD Reminds Holiday Shoppers to Protect Against Identity Theft

Video: Real Airport Security

Pennsylvanians Reminded to Apply for 2011 Dog Licenses by Jan. 1

Pennsylvanians Reminded to Apply for 2011 Dog Licenses by Jan. 1

Death Panels? NYC Will Send Ambulances to Save Organs of People Deemed Likely to Die

Death Panels? NYC Will Send Ambulances to Save Organs of People Deemed Likely to Die | CNSnews.com

Does Pennsylvania Consider Actor Mark Ruffalo a Terrorist?

Another reminder of the disastrous Rendell Administration.

Does Pennsylvania Consider Actor Mark Ruffalo a Terrorist?

The Libertarian Youth Movement: Q&A with Michelle Fields of Students for...