Pennsylvania politicians delivered a one-two punch to the gut of their contituents this week.
The first body blow came when Democrats and Republicans in the state House each re-elected the same leadership team that orchestrated the July 2005 legislative pay raise.
Despite all the talk of reform and promises by incumbents to mend their evil ways, little has changed in Harrisburg. One in five legislators were forced into retirement or voted out in the May primary and November general election, but the remaining members of Pennsylvania's political aristocracy decided to maintain the status quo.
Another blow to taxpayers came Friday when officials announced that the Legislature, the governor and most other statewide officials would get an automatic 2 percent pay raise. The legislators will see more money in their paychecks starting Dec. 1. The governor, his cabinet and state judges will get theirs come Jan. 1.
State Supreme Court Chief Justice Ralph Cappy, one of the architects of the July 2005 pay raise, will be the highest paid elected officials in Pennsylvania in 2007 with an annual salary of $180,336. The other six members of the state Supreme Court will earn $175,236 a year.
Gov. Ed Rendell, another prime mover behind the pay raise, will be paid $164,396. (This would be the very same Ed Rendell who vetoed a bill to allow communities to spread out collection of the $52 local services tax. Workers will see the entire amount removed from their first paycheck of 2007. When you’re making $164,000 a year, $52 means nothing, but when you work for a living, a $52 hit in your paycheck is significant.
House Speaker John Perzel, R-Philadelphia, another originator of the July 2005 pay raise, will pocket $114,916 a year.
The Senate president pro tempore will also get $114,916, but we won't find out who that is until next week when the Senate picks its leadership slate. The last pro tempore, Robert Jubelirer, was voted out of office in the May 2006 primary.
The starting salary for a Pennsylvania legislator will rise to $73,614 on Dec. 1, keeping the Pennsylvania's House of Lords among the highest paid lawmakers in the country, behind only California, Michigan and New York. Because Pennsylvania has the largest full-time Legislature in the country, it keeps its ranking as the most expensive in the land.
Pennsylvania politicians get an automatic pay raise every year unless they vote to turn it down. That hasn’t happened in the past 10 years. This year’s 2 percent increase is the lowest cost-of-living adjustment for state officials since 2002. In other years, the pay increase has exceeded 5 percent.
Although the base salary for legislators is $73,614, many of the 253 legislators will make much more because they hold various caucus leadership positions or serve as committee chairmen.
Salaries for 28 elected caucus leaders will range from $106,657 for majority and minority leaders, to $83,940 for caucus secretaries, administrators and policy committee chairs, according to the Harrisburg Patriot-News.
And the salary is just the beginning.
Lawmakers receive a lifetime pension (an average of $50,000 a year), full medical, dental and vision plans for themselves and family members, taxpayer-funded life insurance, long-term care insurance, free use of a state car or $650 a month to lease a car of their choice, gasoline reimbursement and $141 per diem for showing up for work in Harrisburg.
The per diem system is ripe with abuse. One legislator who lost re-election this year was known to drive to Harrisburg daily, sign in to collect his $141 per diem and then take the rest of the day off to play golf. Legislators can collect tens of thousands of dollars each year in per diems on top of their salary.
Taxpayers end up paying about $2.7 million a year in per diem reimbursements to legislators. The average legislator who was eligible claimed about $24,000 in per diems last year, according to The Associated Press. And some did a lot better. Rep. Gaynor Cawley, D-Scranton, collected a total of $39,998 in per diems from Jan. 1, 2005, through June 30, 2006, according to The Citizens Voice newspaper in Wilkes-Barre.
And this is just the perks taxpayers pay for.
Legislators also receive free meals, free trips, free lodging, free tickets to sporting events and concerts and all sorts of other gifts from lobbyists trying to influence legislation.
Pennsylvania voters sent a message in 2006. They want reform. Instead, the legislators who went back to Harrisburg this week betrayed the voters and returned the same self-serving leaders who gave us the July 2005 pay raise and repeatedly blocked efforts to eliminate property taxes. Putting Republicans John Perzel and Sam Smith and Democrat Bill DeWeese back into power is a travesty.
The ouster of 55 legislators was a start, but it's painfully obvious that hundreds more, both Democrats and Republicans, must be removed from office.
Tony Phyrillas is a columnist for The Mercury in Pottstown, Pa.
Friday, November 17, 2006
Tony Phyrillas: Who will control the House?
Control of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives could be determined Tuesday.
As of Friday, Republicans and Democrats each hold 101 seats in the 203 House. Republicans claim they won the final contest, the race for Chester County’s 156th Dist., but the counting continues. Another close race, in Chester County's 167th Dist., is also being reviewed by elections officials.
Republican Shannon Royer apparently won the 157th seat on Election Day by 19 votes over Democrat McIlvaine Smith. Unofficial results have Royer with 11,500 to McIlvaine Smith’s 11, 481 votes.
But the results are not yet officials, leaving some doubt over which party will control the state House in 2007 and who gets to be Speaker of the House.
Chester County officials issued the following statement Friday afternoon:
"The Provisional Board has finished reviewing all voters’ registration issues for the 156th District. The determination is that, of the 38 provisional ballots cast on Election Day, only 20 were validated for inclusion in the final vote count. The Provisional Board validation process began today for the 167th, in which 64 provisional voters will be reviewed. The Board of Elections will meet Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2006, at 10:30 am to hear challenges concerning the provisional and absentee ballots cast in the 156th and 167th Legislative Districts. The meeting will be held in room 171 of the Government Services Center, located at 601 Westtown Road in West Chester, PA.The Computation Board has completed the process for all precincts in Chester County, except for those precincts within the 156th and 167th districts. Until all challenges have been heard and decided upon, the districts cannot be certified."
In the 167th Dist., unofficial results show Republican Duane Milne received 13,309 votes, and Democrat Anne R. Crowley had 13,173 votes. Democrats have challenged the results.
Before the Nov. 7 election, Republicans held 109 seats in the House. The GOP's best-case scenario is a loss of 7 seats. And this is why the Republican caucus re-elected John Perzel as speaker and Sam Smith as majority leader? These two men presided over the loss of those 7 seats.
Perzel and Smith were also behind the July 20005 pay raise fiasco that started the whole anti-incumbent movement. Perzel and Smith also blocked all reforms and oppose efforts to eliminate property taxes.
If Republicans are wondering why they're no longer in control in Pennsylvania, look no further than Perzel and Smith (and the dimwitted Republicans who re-elected them as their caucus leaders).
Tony Phyrillas is a columnist for The Mercury in Pottstown, Pa. E-mail him at tphyrillas@pottsmerc.com
As of Friday, Republicans and Democrats each hold 101 seats in the 203 House. Republicans claim they won the final contest, the race for Chester County’s 156th Dist., but the counting continues. Another close race, in Chester County's 167th Dist., is also being reviewed by elections officials.
Republican Shannon Royer apparently won the 157th seat on Election Day by 19 votes over Democrat McIlvaine Smith. Unofficial results have Royer with 11,500 to McIlvaine Smith’s 11, 481 votes.
But the results are not yet officials, leaving some doubt over which party will control the state House in 2007 and who gets to be Speaker of the House.
Chester County officials issued the following statement Friday afternoon:
"The Provisional Board has finished reviewing all voters’ registration issues for the 156th District. The determination is that, of the 38 provisional ballots cast on Election Day, only 20 were validated for inclusion in the final vote count. The Provisional Board validation process began today for the 167th, in which 64 provisional voters will be reviewed. The Board of Elections will meet Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2006, at 10:30 am to hear challenges concerning the provisional and absentee ballots cast in the 156th and 167th Legislative Districts. The meeting will be held in room 171 of the Government Services Center, located at 601 Westtown Road in West Chester, PA.The Computation Board has completed the process for all precincts in Chester County, except for those precincts within the 156th and 167th districts. Until all challenges have been heard and decided upon, the districts cannot be certified."
In the 167th Dist., unofficial results show Republican Duane Milne received 13,309 votes, and Democrat Anne R. Crowley had 13,173 votes. Democrats have challenged the results.
Before the Nov. 7 election, Republicans held 109 seats in the House. The GOP's best-case scenario is a loss of 7 seats. And this is why the Republican caucus re-elected John Perzel as speaker and Sam Smith as majority leader? These two men presided over the loss of those 7 seats.
Perzel and Smith were also behind the July 20005 pay raise fiasco that started the whole anti-incumbent movement. Perzel and Smith also blocked all reforms and oppose efforts to eliminate property taxes.
If Republicans are wondering why they're no longer in control in Pennsylvania, look no further than Perzel and Smith (and the dimwitted Republicans who re-elected them as their caucus leaders).
Tony Phyrillas is a columnist for The Mercury in Pottstown, Pa. E-mail him at tphyrillas@pottsmerc.com
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Tony Phyrillas: Some final thoughts on the 2006 election
I've waited an entire week to comment on the results of the Nov. 7 election. Now that the dust has settled, here are some random thoughts.
While I was disappointed that Ed Rendell and his young ward, Bobby Casey Jr., won their respective races — both are bad for Pennsylvania — I can't say that I was surprised Republicans lost control of Congress.
The GOP majority over the past few years has betrayed the Republican cause and acted just like Democrats. They got lazy and greedy — just like Democrats. And there's no arguing that the Bush administration has botched the Iraq War. Republicans deserved what they got.
Having said that, my biggest worry over the next two years is that President Bush won't be able to appoint a solid conservative to the Supreme Court should one of the aging liberals on the court kick the bucket. Instead of a John Roberts or a Samuel Alito, we'll probably end up with another Anthony Kennedy or David Souter. That's the biggest downside to a Democratic majority in the Senate.
Otherwise, I had a pretty good Election Day.
My favorite candidate, Rep. Jim Gerlach (R-6th Dist.), won his race against the heavily favored Lois Murphy. It was a close contest, decided by just 3,000 votes. Gerlach beat the Democratic wave that sank so many other incumbent Republicans because of two reasons. First, he's a good Congressman who has done a good job representing his district. Second, Gerlach's campaign used excerpts from my columns in their newspaper and television advertising and also in direct mailings. I can't tell you how many Democrats, Libertarians and independents approached me to say they saw the commercials and had second thoughts about Gerlach's far left opponent. I'm convinced my endorsement put Gerlach over the top.
One of my favorite political sites, www.politicspa.com, compiled a list of the Best and Worst Political Campaigns of 2006. At the top of the list is Jim Gerlach for Congress.
Here's what the folks at www.politicspa.com had to say: "Let's be honest ... Congressman Jim Gerlach ran abysmal campaigns in the last two cycles. This time, Gerlach imported Mark Campbell. Campbell ran an aggressive, mean campaign — the only kind of campaign that might have given Gerlach a shot to avoid the strong Democratic tide this year. He is responsible for driving up opponent Lois Murphy's negatives to the point where some in the press even believed she was a lobbyist and plagiarizer. Campbell is the kind of guy you want running your race when everyone thinks you are going to lose. A week before the election, Chuck Todd (National Journal's Hotline editor) said of PA-6, "I'm picking Gerlach. He's run the best race of the cycle."
In some other races, 7 of the 10 legislators I endorsed in Berks County won their races. That's a pretty good batting average. Also, 11 of the 14 legislators running in Chester and Montgomery counties who I supported won their races.
This was a difficult year to be a Republican, but 2008 is right around the corner. George W. Bush will be leaving office and the Democrats won't be able to run against an incumbent president in 2008.
Democrats will also have two years of Congressional votes to defend. I can see the campaign ads already: "Democrat John Doe voted to give himself a pay raise in the past two years. Congresswoman Jane Doe voted with Nancy Pelosi 98 percent of the time."
What goes around comes around in politics and the Democrats will be on the defensive in 2008. They have to defend the most seats. The Democrats sat on their hands over the past two years and offered no solutions to any of the country's problems. Now that they're in the majority, they have to lead.
The GOP will make a strong comeback in 2008, winning back both house of Congress by large majorities and keeping the White House in Republican hands. It doesn't matter who the Republican presidential candidate is. Anybody running against Hillary Clinton will win.
Tony Phyrillas is a columnist for The Mercury in Pottstown, Pa. E-mail him at tphyrillas@pottsmerc.com
While I was disappointed that Ed Rendell and his young ward, Bobby Casey Jr., won their respective races — both are bad for Pennsylvania — I can't say that I was surprised Republicans lost control of Congress.
The GOP majority over the past few years has betrayed the Republican cause and acted just like Democrats. They got lazy and greedy — just like Democrats. And there's no arguing that the Bush administration has botched the Iraq War. Republicans deserved what they got.
Having said that, my biggest worry over the next two years is that President Bush won't be able to appoint a solid conservative to the Supreme Court should one of the aging liberals on the court kick the bucket. Instead of a John Roberts or a Samuel Alito, we'll probably end up with another Anthony Kennedy or David Souter. That's the biggest downside to a Democratic majority in the Senate.
Otherwise, I had a pretty good Election Day.
My favorite candidate, Rep. Jim Gerlach (R-6th Dist.), won his race against the heavily favored Lois Murphy. It was a close contest, decided by just 3,000 votes. Gerlach beat the Democratic wave that sank so many other incumbent Republicans because of two reasons. First, he's a good Congressman who has done a good job representing his district. Second, Gerlach's campaign used excerpts from my columns in their newspaper and television advertising and also in direct mailings. I can't tell you how many Democrats, Libertarians and independents approached me to say they saw the commercials and had second thoughts about Gerlach's far left opponent. I'm convinced my endorsement put Gerlach over the top.
One of my favorite political sites, www.politicspa.com, compiled a list of the Best and Worst Political Campaigns of 2006. At the top of the list is Jim Gerlach for Congress.
Here's what the folks at www.politicspa.com had to say: "Let's be honest ... Congressman Jim Gerlach ran abysmal campaigns in the last two cycles. This time, Gerlach imported Mark Campbell. Campbell ran an aggressive, mean campaign — the only kind of campaign that might have given Gerlach a shot to avoid the strong Democratic tide this year. He is responsible for driving up opponent Lois Murphy's negatives to the point where some in the press even believed she was a lobbyist and plagiarizer. Campbell is the kind of guy you want running your race when everyone thinks you are going to lose. A week before the election, Chuck Todd (National Journal's Hotline editor) said of PA-6, "I'm picking Gerlach. He's run the best race of the cycle."
In some other races, 7 of the 10 legislators I endorsed in Berks County won their races. That's a pretty good batting average. Also, 11 of the 14 legislators running in Chester and Montgomery counties who I supported won their races.
This was a difficult year to be a Republican, but 2008 is right around the corner. George W. Bush will be leaving office and the Democrats won't be able to run against an incumbent president in 2008.
Democrats will also have two years of Congressional votes to defend. I can see the campaign ads already: "Democrat John Doe voted to give himself a pay raise in the past two years. Congresswoman Jane Doe voted with Nancy Pelosi 98 percent of the time."
What goes around comes around in politics and the Democrats will be on the defensive in 2008. They have to defend the most seats. The Democrats sat on their hands over the past two years and offered no solutions to any of the country's problems. Now that they're in the majority, they have to lead.
The GOP will make a strong comeback in 2008, winning back both house of Congress by large majorities and keeping the White House in Republican hands. It doesn't matter who the Republican presidential candidate is. Anybody running against Hillary Clinton will win.
Tony Phyrillas is a columnist for The Mercury in Pottstown, Pa. E-mail him at tphyrillas@pottsmerc.com
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Tony Phyrillas: One crisis after another
Get used to seeing the word "crisis" frequently during the next four years of an Ed Rendell administration.
Rendell's Ministry of Propaganda and his allies in the news media worked hard in the months leading up to the Nov. 7 election to persuade millions of Pennsylvania voters that things couldn't be any better in Pennsylvania. Now that the election is over, and Rendell gets another four years in the governor's mansion, it's time for the truth to come out about the sorry state of the Commonwealth.
You didn't really believe those Rendell campaign commercials did you?
The first crisis that Pennsylvania has to deal with involves transportation. It will be followed by many more. Look for the pension crisis, the school funding crisis, the budget crisis, the healthcare crisis, etc.
Every one of those neglected areas will need billions of dollars to fix. And guess who will be paying the bill?
The chickens are coming home to roost for Rendell’s first four years of runaway spending and irresponsible borrowing, corporate welfare and the diversion of funds to prop up poorly managed mass transit systems in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.
One week after the election, the Pennsylvania Transportation Funding and Reform Commission, appointed by Rendell to study the state’s transportation infrastructure, has come back with some bad news.
In a 150-page report, the commission says Pennsylvania needs $1.7 billion to fix the state's highways and bridges and bankroll the perpetually failing SEPTA system.
And where will this money come from? The commission would like Pennsylvania residents to cough up more to obtain a driver’s license, register their vehicles and fill up a tank of gas.
The specifics will have to be ironed out by Rendell and the state Legislature, but the commission wants to see the 19-cents-per-gallon oil franchise tax raised by 11.5 cents per gallon. The higher gas tax, coupled with increased motor vehicle registration and license fees, would generate about $900 million for highway and bridge projects, the commission says.
The tax hikes won't stop there. The report also calls for raising $65 million for bridges and highways owned by counties and municipalities through an additional 1-cent increase in the oil franchise tax. The commission is also recommending a combination of state and local taxes to raise another $760 million for mass transit. The Rendell administration would raise its $576 million share by raising the 1 percent realty transfer tax by less than one percentage point; counties and municipalities would raise their shares by imposing local sales, earned-income, or realty-transfer taxes.
(Keep in mind that this new round of tax hikes is separate from the tax increases being considered by your local school board under Act 1, which Rendell signed into law earlier this year. Many school districts will be imposing earned-income tax hikes or increases in the personal income tax in a hair-brained scheme to lower property taxes. But in some school districts, up to 70 percent of taxpayers will end up paying more in taxes under Act 1. That's what Rendell and the state Legislature came up with as "tax relief" after months of negotiations. Also, Act 1 does not prevent school districts from raising property taxes every year.)
Rendell formed the transportation commission in early 2005 when the Republican-controlled Legislature refused to bail out the state’s mismanaged transit agencies. Rendell siphoned more than $400 million in federal highway funds to keep SEPTA afloat until 2007. Guess what? SEPTA is running out of money again. SEPTA and the Port Authority of Allegheny County expect to run up an $80 million deficit in the first six months of 2007.
Don't you feel like a jerk right about now for re-electing Rendell? This is the thanks you get? He is going to raise the gas tax and make you pay a higher mortgage. The Associated Press calculates the typical driver will pay $84 more a year to cover the higher gas tax and fee increases. The proposed realty transfer tax increase would add about $60 a year to a 30-year, $150,000 mortgage for homeowners, according to The Associated Press.
And this is just the beginning. By re-electing Rendell, Pennsylvania voters guaranteed four more years of higher taxes to pay for the massive expansion of state spending — $6 billion so far — under Rendell. And don't forget about that $4 billion in borrowing during Rendell's first four years in office. You and your children and your grandchildren will be paying off those loans long after Ed Rendell has moved on to bigger and better things.
Tony Phyrillas is a columnist for The Mercury in Pottstown, Pa. E-mail him at tphyrillas@pottsmerc.com
Rendell's Ministry of Propaganda and his allies in the news media worked hard in the months leading up to the Nov. 7 election to persuade millions of Pennsylvania voters that things couldn't be any better in Pennsylvania. Now that the election is over, and Rendell gets another four years in the governor's mansion, it's time for the truth to come out about the sorry state of the Commonwealth.
You didn't really believe those Rendell campaign commercials did you?
The first crisis that Pennsylvania has to deal with involves transportation. It will be followed by many more. Look for the pension crisis, the school funding crisis, the budget crisis, the healthcare crisis, etc.
Every one of those neglected areas will need billions of dollars to fix. And guess who will be paying the bill?
The chickens are coming home to roost for Rendell’s first four years of runaway spending and irresponsible borrowing, corporate welfare and the diversion of funds to prop up poorly managed mass transit systems in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.
One week after the election, the Pennsylvania Transportation Funding and Reform Commission, appointed by Rendell to study the state’s transportation infrastructure, has come back with some bad news.
In a 150-page report, the commission says Pennsylvania needs $1.7 billion to fix the state's highways and bridges and bankroll the perpetually failing SEPTA system.
And where will this money come from? The commission would like Pennsylvania residents to cough up more to obtain a driver’s license, register their vehicles and fill up a tank of gas.
The specifics will have to be ironed out by Rendell and the state Legislature, but the commission wants to see the 19-cents-per-gallon oil franchise tax raised by 11.5 cents per gallon. The higher gas tax, coupled with increased motor vehicle registration and license fees, would generate about $900 million for highway and bridge projects, the commission says.
The tax hikes won't stop there. The report also calls for raising $65 million for bridges and highways owned by counties and municipalities through an additional 1-cent increase in the oil franchise tax. The commission is also recommending a combination of state and local taxes to raise another $760 million for mass transit. The Rendell administration would raise its $576 million share by raising the 1 percent realty transfer tax by less than one percentage point; counties and municipalities would raise their shares by imposing local sales, earned-income, or realty-transfer taxes.
(Keep in mind that this new round of tax hikes is separate from the tax increases being considered by your local school board under Act 1, which Rendell signed into law earlier this year. Many school districts will be imposing earned-income tax hikes or increases in the personal income tax in a hair-brained scheme to lower property taxes. But in some school districts, up to 70 percent of taxpayers will end up paying more in taxes under Act 1. That's what Rendell and the state Legislature came up with as "tax relief" after months of negotiations. Also, Act 1 does not prevent school districts from raising property taxes every year.)
Rendell formed the transportation commission in early 2005 when the Republican-controlled Legislature refused to bail out the state’s mismanaged transit agencies. Rendell siphoned more than $400 million in federal highway funds to keep SEPTA afloat until 2007. Guess what? SEPTA is running out of money again. SEPTA and the Port Authority of Allegheny County expect to run up an $80 million deficit in the first six months of 2007.
Don't you feel like a jerk right about now for re-electing Rendell? This is the thanks you get? He is going to raise the gas tax and make you pay a higher mortgage. The Associated Press calculates the typical driver will pay $84 more a year to cover the higher gas tax and fee increases. The proposed realty transfer tax increase would add about $60 a year to a 30-year, $150,000 mortgage for homeowners, according to The Associated Press.
And this is just the beginning. By re-electing Rendell, Pennsylvania voters guaranteed four more years of higher taxes to pay for the massive expansion of state spending — $6 billion so far — under Rendell. And don't forget about that $4 billion in borrowing during Rendell's first four years in office. You and your children and your grandchildren will be paying off those loans long after Ed Rendell has moved on to bigger and better things.
Tony Phyrillas is a columnist for The Mercury in Pottstown, Pa. E-mail him at tphyrillas@pottsmerc.com
Friday, November 10, 2006
Tony Phyrillas: Rendell develops amnesia on property taxes
I warned you about Ed Rendell. In fact, I gave you 33 reasons why he did not deserve re-election. But did you listen? Nooooo! More than 2.4 million of you decided it was a good idea to give Rendell another four years to tax and spend Pennsylvania into the poor house.
Are you having second thoughts yet? If not, consider this.
The day after the Rendell landslide, the governor held a press conference to discuss his second-term agenda. What hot issues will Rendell tackle in 2007? He mentioned education, economic development, mass transit funding, term limits for the state Legislature and campaign finance reform.
Conspicuously absent from the governor's list of priorities was property tax relief.
That's right. The No. 1 issue that voters want addressed escaped the governor's mind.
This is the very same governor who promised four years ago to cut everyone's property tax bill by 30 percent while standing on his head. The very same governor who called for a special session of the Legislature last September to deal with property tax relief.
The very same governor who has tried all kinds of parlor tricks (Act 72, Act 1, Slot Machines) to distract Pennsylvania taxpayers from the fact that he has failed to deal with the issue.
Now that he's been re-elected, Rendell doesn't even want to discuss property taxes. Feeling duped?
Get ready for four more years of tax hikes. Rendell will push for an increase in the sales tax, the income tax and the gas tax in 2007. Get set for more spending. And brace yourself for more borrowing.
Right before the election, a report came out that Pennsylvania's debt has risen to $10 BILLION. It went up by $4 BILLION under Gov. Rendell. This is on top of record spending by Rendell, which has brought the state budget to $26.1 BILLION. Pennsylvania is spending a twice the rate of inflation. And we're deeper in debt. That is Rendell’s legacy. We are going to be paying for Rendell's spending for generations to come.
And this Monday, the long-awaited report on the state of Pennsylvania's transportation infrastructure comes out. Interesting how the report is being released a week after the election.
The report will say that Pennsylvania needs to find billions more each year to fix its roads and bridges. And if you've been listening closely to Rendell, the state needs to find a dedicated source of revenue to subsidize mass transit in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.
Translation: Get ready to pay more at the pump. Pennsylvania's gas tax will be going up.
In the meantime, get in touch with Rendell and remind him that he still works for you. Here's where to call or write: Gov. Edward G. Rendell's Office, 225 Main Capitol Building, Harrisburg, PA 17120. Call Rendell at 717-787-2500. You can leave an e-mail for him at the state's Web site, www.governor.state.pa.us
Tony Phyrillas is a columnist for The Mercury in Pottstown, Pa. E-mail him at tphyrillas@pottsmerc.com
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Tony Phyrillas: Bright spots for Republicans
For Pennsylvania Republicans looking for a glimmer of hope following Tuesday's Election Day drubbing, here's a few points to consider:
* Incumbent Republican Congressman Jim Gerlach won re-election against Lois Murphy. Gerlach was the No. 1 target of Democrats in the House of Representatives. Despite millions of dollars poured into the Murphy campaign and visits from Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi, Murphy was rejected by 6th District voters. This is a reace the Democrats wanted to win badly.
* Congressman Charlie Dent, R-15th, survived the Democratic tidal wave to easily win re-election to a third term representing the Lehigh Valley and parts of Montgomery County.
* Congressman Joe Pitts, R-16th, easily won re-election to his Congressional District in Chester, Lancaster and Berks counties.
* Incumbent Republican Phil English won re-election in the 3rd Congressional District
* Incumbent Republican John Peterson won re-election in the 5th Congressional District.
* Incumbent Republican Bill Shuster won re-election in the 9th Congressional District
* Incumbent Republican Tim Murphy won re-election in the 18th Congressional District
* Incumbent Republican Todd Platts won re-election in the 19th Congressional District.
* Mike Veon, the No. 2 Democrat in the state House and one of the architects of the July 2005 payjacking, lost to a GOP reformer in western Pennsylvania. Veon was the last man standing, voting against the pay raise repeal in November 2005. Veon is no longer standing, losing to Republican Jim Marshall.
* Seven of the 10 Republicans running for state Legislative seats in my neck of the woods, Berks County, won their races. The group of 10 ran as a reform coalition and promises to stir things up in Harrisburg.
* It does not appear that Democrats were able to win control of the Pennsylvania House despite Gov. Ed Rendell's coattails and the $3 million Rendell tossed into various Legislative races to help Democrats.
* The Republicans still hold a majority in the Pennsylvania Senate and with Rendell cronies Bob Jubilirer and Chip Brightbill gone, don't expect cooperation from the Republican Senate when it comes to pushing Rendell's agenda.
* Three candidates endorsed by the conservative Pennsylvania Club for Growth PAC, Mike Folmer (State Senate 48th District), Jim Cox (State House 128th District) and Todd Rock (State House 90th District) won their respective races Tuesday.
* The long-overdue house cleaning of what amounts to GOP leadership in Pennsylvania can now begin. After the loss of the U.S. Senate seat, the majority of U.S. House seats and the shrinking majority of the state House, it's time to take out the garbage. The only way the Republican Party can regain control of this state is to return to its conservative roots.
Tony Phyrillas is a columnist for The Mercury in Pottstown, Pa.
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Tony Phyrillas: GOP signs vandalized
Campaign signs for three Republican candidates were vandalized overnight in Berks County.
Someone spray-painted over the names of U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum, U.S. Rep. Jim Gerlach and state Rep. Sam Rohrer -- all Republicans -- on campaign signs along a two-mile stretch of Route 422 in Exeter.
Interestingly, campaign signs for Democratic candidates Bob Casey Jr., Lois Murphy and Russ Hummel -- placed right next to the vandalized GOP signs -- were not touched.
Gerlach was the victim of two other sign-related attacks in recent days. An elderly man ripped down dozens of Gerlach signs along Route 100 in Chester County. (The man is facing charges after a passing motorist called police).
Gerlach signs were also removed from a grassy area by the entrance to the Route 422 bypass in Douglassville. (Give the Gerlach camp credit. New Gerlach signs were back on Election Day in this area).
In Delaware County, someone painted a negative comment about U.S. Rep. Curt Weldon on the side of an overpass at a busy highway.
Are Democrats so desperate that they have to resort to vandalism because they're not getting out the vote they expected? Stay tuned.
Lois Murphy in my neighborhood?
Democrat Lois Murphy, challenging incumbent Jim Gerlach in the 6th Congressional District, stopped by the polling site in my hometown today. I can't figure out how she found the place since it's a long way from her swanky Main Line neighborhood that I wrote about in a column called "Lois Murphy is not my neighbor."
I heard that Mrs. Murphy was not too happy with the column or the Gerlach campaign's use of quotes from the column in campaign literature and television commercials attacking Murphy and her liberal supporters. For the record, I have no dealings with the Gerlach campaign.
A colleague at The Mercury was watching TV today and heard a promo from the anchorman about an "altercation" involving Murphy at a polling site. He naturally assumed it was me, but I was nowhere near the polling site when Mrs. Murphy pulled into town.
The incident happened in Murphy's real neighborhood, where an elderly Jim Gerlach supporter stood outside the poll with a campaign sign. The TV cameras showed Murphy's husband pushing the Gerlach supporter aside.
What's with all this aggression on the part of liberals these days?
Someone spray-painted over the names of U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum, U.S. Rep. Jim Gerlach and state Rep. Sam Rohrer -- all Republicans -- on campaign signs along a two-mile stretch of Route 422 in Exeter.
Interestingly, campaign signs for Democratic candidates Bob Casey Jr., Lois Murphy and Russ Hummel -- placed right next to the vandalized GOP signs -- were not touched.
Gerlach was the victim of two other sign-related attacks in recent days. An elderly man ripped down dozens of Gerlach signs along Route 100 in Chester County. (The man is facing charges after a passing motorist called police).
Gerlach signs were also removed from a grassy area by the entrance to the Route 422 bypass in Douglassville. (Give the Gerlach camp credit. New Gerlach signs were back on Election Day in this area).
In Delaware County, someone painted a negative comment about U.S. Rep. Curt Weldon on the side of an overpass at a busy highway.
Are Democrats so desperate that they have to resort to vandalism because they're not getting out the vote they expected? Stay tuned.
Lois Murphy in my neighborhood?
Democrat Lois Murphy, challenging incumbent Jim Gerlach in the 6th Congressional District, stopped by the polling site in my hometown today. I can't figure out how she found the place since it's a long way from her swanky Main Line neighborhood that I wrote about in a column called "Lois Murphy is not my neighbor."
I heard that Mrs. Murphy was not too happy with the column or the Gerlach campaign's use of quotes from the column in campaign literature and television commercials attacking Murphy and her liberal supporters. For the record, I have no dealings with the Gerlach campaign.
A colleague at The Mercury was watching TV today and heard a promo from the anchorman about an "altercation" involving Murphy at a polling site. He naturally assumed it was me, but I was nowhere near the polling site when Mrs. Murphy pulled into town.
The incident happened in Murphy's real neighborhood, where an elderly Jim Gerlach supporter stood outside the poll with a campaign sign. The TV cameras showed Murphy's husband pushing the Gerlach supporter aside.
What's with all this aggression on the part of liberals these days?
Tony Phyrillas is a columnist for The Mercury in Pottstown, Pa. E-mail him at tphyrillas@pottsmerc.com
Sunday, November 05, 2006
Election 2006!
[Reposted from GettysBLOG]
Election 2006!
It’s here! Finally! We can stop ducking the mud being flung from our TV screens!
But first, a word about how things really are: During President Bush’s first term and a half, this nation endured a massive terrorist attack that killed more that 3,000 people, injured and disabled hundreds more, and the attack was conducted on mainland US soil; we have endured a Season of the Hurricane that saw records smashed in numbers, and intensity of storms, and in the horrifying damage they caused, and the deaths along our coastlines; these same storms cost us valuable oil resources in the Gulf, damaging our economy; we experienced a market adjustment that led to economic down times, soon after Bush took office.
In spite of this, and in spite of conducting a global war on terror, this nation’s economy is thriving and humming along at a slow but steady rate of growth that no one predicted, or foresaw, except George Bush. Unemployment is down to record low levels, the stock market is at record high levels, the cost of fuel has begun to recede, and today, one of the men who threatened the peace and stability of the Middle East, and the World, was convicted and sentenced to death for crimes against humanity. The Bush Administration has seen Libyan dictator Kaddafi forgo his drive for weapons of mass destruction, and state sponsored terrorism, turning over all equipment used in the search for nuclear weapons; the nation of Afghanistan has overthrown the suffocating yoke of the Taliban and their Al Qaeda masters, now running an Islamic Democracy. Iraq, now rid of Saddam Hussein, is perhaps months behind Afghanistan.
Perhaps Bush has moved away from Stay the Course, but the National Democrats have not budged from their elitist “cut and run” policy. And remarks by John Kerry last week, and then his outright refusal to apologize for slighting our men and women of the military, demonstrate the disdain and scorn the National Democrats have for our troops.
Finally, can anyone, anyone at all define what the National Democrats stand for? Has anyone heard or seen a policy on anything from them…besides “cut and run”?
Stick with George Bush, and you will not go wrong. The same goes for a number of Republican candidates. Those who stick with Bush get our endorsement whole-heartedly.
CAUTION! When voting, DO NOT VOTE FOR STRAIGHT PARTY TICKETS! Vote for candidates, not parties. Both the Republican and Democratic parties have left their constituents behind!
Okay folks, here it is. We recommend the following candidates in the General Election on Tuesday!
For US Senate: Hands down, it is Rick Santorum! Proven experience, steady, energetic, bright, and loyal. Casey is a perennial runner…he runs for this, and he runs for that. No one knows what he stands for, but his early attack ads have never stopped. Santorum has campaigned on issues and record.
For Pennsylvania Governor: Enough of Fast Eddie and his dishonest campaign. He brags about stuff that he had no hand in, and condemns the Pay Raise that he signed and defended! He gave us a tax increase, a pitiful excuse for property tax relief, using that as an excuse to introduce casino gambling to Pennsylvania! NO MORE EDDIE! Vote for Lynn Swann! Lynn Swann started slow, and fell behind. No one raises money like Fast Eddie Rendell especially with his connections to Las Vegas Gambling interests. Despite that, Swann has run a steadily improving campaign, embraced reform to a point, and hit Rendell where he is most vulnerable: integrity! Swann is sincere, likeable, and has educated him in all the issues quite rapidly. He will be a very pleasant surprise in the Governor’s Mansion!
For Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor: Enough of Droll Knoll! Vote for the man who many think will someday sit in the Governor’s office, or some higher office, Jim Matthews!
For US Congress in the 19th District: Only one candidate fits the bill here, a proven member of the House of Representatives in Washington, Todd Platts! Platts takes care of his constituents, and serves Adams County well.
For Pennsylvania General Assembly, 91st District: This is the Gettysburg area seat formerly held by Steve Maitland, who still owes the citizens of the Commonwealth a substantial amount of ill-gotten money from the pay raise he kept, and his retirement account that was fattened by it. But this race is no longer about Maitland; it is about David LeVan and his proposed casino less than a mile from Gettysburg Battlefield. LeVan pumped huge wads of cash into the campaign of Republican Dan Moul. That is enough to sink Moul for us, since he favors the casino, and large development around Gettysburg! This will ruin the area’s flavor and destroy the historic nature of the area. WE STRONGLY URGE ALL REPUBLICANS, DEMOCRATS, AND INDEPENDENTS TO VOTE FOR PATRICK NAUGLE. Naugle is against the casino, for reduced and controlled growth, and has a strong base in environmental science. It is time someone of his stature and background serve in the General Assembly.
For Pennsylvania General Assembly, 193rd District: No question here! A man who has served loyally, intelligently, and faithfully for several terms, Steven Nickol!
For Pennsylvania General Assembly, 164th District: Our friend, Temple University student Casey Roncaglione is the man to send to Harrisburg. Mario Civera is running for his fourteenth term in the General Assembly. POLITICAL OFFICE SHOULD NOT BE A CAREER CHOICE! Civera voted for the pay raise. Though he has returned the cash, nothing is being done about his inflated retirement that went up with the unconstitutional pay raise he received. Roncaglione has embraced Reform, real Reform, Civera has not, Roncaglione has promised ethics, integrity, and honesty, Civera has not. Why is there even a question about whom to vote for here? Casey Roncaglione! Vote for him by name!
Locally, Straban Township has a referendum on adding two seats to the Board of Supervisors. We urge caution on this one. Mount Joy Township thought they were doing the right thing when they added members to their board, but now they are running a referendum to reduce the number back to the original. Here is the problem: Those in Straban who favor adding members are those who are against the Casino, and the rampant development that the current (and past) members of the Board of Supervisors have greased the skids to allow. If Straban adds two members to the board, those same people better get out and thoroughly investigate all the candidates to ensure they have identified any development/casino-friendly candidates. Frankly, the referendum should have been to pass a recall system to remove and replace supervisors who tilt too far in one direction. The current board all leans toward paving over the entire township. In other words, be careful what you ask for, you just might get it. Ask the citizens of Mount Joy Township.
CAUTION: WHATEVER YOU DO, WHATEVER THE WEATHER, VOTE! YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON WHO YOU ELECT THIS TERM. VOTE!
Vote for Rick Santorum for US Senate
Vote for Lynn Swann for Pennsylvania Governor
Vote for Jim Matthews for Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor
Vote for Todd Platts for US Congress, 19th District
Vote for Patrick Naugle for the Pennsylvania House, 91st District
Vote for Steve Nickol for the Pennsylvania House, 193rd District
Vote for Casey Roncaglione for the Pennsylvania House, 164th District!
In Straban Township, vote YES to add members to the Board of Supervisors!
VOTE TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 7th!
VOTE FOR CANDIDATES, NOT PARTIES!
GettysBLOG
Support the Roadmap to Reform!
“Kick the hubris out of Harrisburg!” -- THE CENTRIST
“Be steadfast in your anger, be sure in your convictions, be moved by the right and certainty that abuse of power must be defeated at every turn; uphold Liberty as the just reward of a watchful people, and let not those who have infringed upon that Liberty steal it away from you. Never loosen your grip on Liberty!"
--GettysBLOG
“Legislation without representation is tyranny.”
--GettysBLOG
Remember in November! Before you vote, GettysBLOG!
Copyright © 2006: GettysBLOG; All Rights Reserved.
It’s here! Finally! We can stop ducking the mud being flung from our TV screens!
But first, a word about how things really are: During President Bush’s first term and a half, this nation endured a massive terrorist attack that killed more that 3,000 people, injured and disabled hundreds more, and the attack was conducted on mainland US soil; we have endured a Season of the Hurricane that saw records smashed in numbers, and intensity of storms, and in the horrifying damage they caused, and the deaths along our coastlines; these same storms cost us valuable oil resources in the Gulf, damaging our economy; we experienced a market adjustment that led to economic down times, soon after Bush took office.
In spite of this, and in spite of conducting a global war on terror, this nation’s economy is thriving and humming along at a slow but steady rate of growth that no one predicted, or foresaw, except George Bush. Unemployment is down to record low levels, the stock market is at record high levels, the cost of fuel has begun to recede, and today, one of the men who threatened the peace and stability of the Middle East, and the World, was convicted and sentenced to death for crimes against humanity. The Bush Administration has seen Libyan dictator Kaddafi forgo his drive for weapons of mass destruction, and state sponsored terrorism, turning over all equipment used in the search for nuclear weapons; the nation of Afghanistan has overthrown the suffocating yoke of the Taliban and their Al Qaeda masters, now running an Islamic Democracy. Iraq, now rid of Saddam Hussein, is perhaps months behind Afghanistan.
Perhaps Bush has moved away from Stay the Course, but the National Democrats have not budged from their elitist “cut and run” policy. And remarks by John Kerry last week, and then his outright refusal to apologize for slighting our men and women of the military, demonstrate the disdain and scorn the National Democrats have for our troops.
Finally, can anyone, anyone at all define what the National Democrats stand for? Has anyone heard or seen a policy on anything from them…besides “cut and run”?
Stick with George Bush, and you will not go wrong. The same goes for a number of Republican candidates. Those who stick with Bush get our endorsement whole-heartedly.
CAUTION! When voting, DO NOT VOTE FOR STRAIGHT PARTY TICKETS! Vote for candidates, not parties. Both the Republican and Democratic parties have left their constituents behind!
Okay folks, here it is. We recommend the following candidates in the General Election on Tuesday!
For US Senate: Hands down, it is Rick Santorum! Proven experience, steady, energetic, bright, and loyal. Casey is a perennial runner…he runs for this, and he runs for that. No one knows what he stands for, but his early attack ads have never stopped. Santorum has campaigned on issues and record.
For Pennsylvania Governor: Enough of Fast Eddie and his dishonest campaign. He brags about stuff that he had no hand in, and condemns the Pay Raise that he signed and defended! He gave us a tax increase, a pitiful excuse for property tax relief, using that as an excuse to introduce casino gambling to Pennsylvania! NO MORE EDDIE! Vote for Lynn Swann! Lynn Swann started slow, and fell behind. No one raises money like Fast Eddie Rendell especially with his connections to Las Vegas Gambling interests. Despite that, Swann has run a steadily improving campaign, embraced reform to a point, and hit Rendell where he is most vulnerable: integrity! Swann is sincere, likeable, and has educated him in all the issues quite rapidly. He will be a very pleasant surprise in the Governor’s Mansion!
For Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor: Enough of Droll Knoll! Vote for the man who many think will someday sit in the Governor’s office, or some higher office, Jim Matthews!
For US Congress in the 19th District: Only one candidate fits the bill here, a proven member of the House of Representatives in Washington, Todd Platts! Platts takes care of his constituents, and serves Adams County well.
For Pennsylvania General Assembly, 91st District: This is the Gettysburg area seat formerly held by Steve Maitland, who still owes the citizens of the Commonwealth a substantial amount of ill-gotten money from the pay raise he kept, and his retirement account that was fattened by it. But this race is no longer about Maitland; it is about David LeVan and his proposed casino less than a mile from Gettysburg Battlefield. LeVan pumped huge wads of cash into the campaign of Republican Dan Moul. That is enough to sink Moul for us, since he favors the casino, and large development around Gettysburg! This will ruin the area’s flavor and destroy the historic nature of the area. WE STRONGLY URGE ALL REPUBLICANS, DEMOCRATS, AND INDEPENDENTS TO VOTE FOR PATRICK NAUGLE. Naugle is against the casino, for reduced and controlled growth, and has a strong base in environmental science. It is time someone of his stature and background serve in the General Assembly.
For Pennsylvania General Assembly, 193rd District: No question here! A man who has served loyally, intelligently, and faithfully for several terms, Steven Nickol!
For Pennsylvania General Assembly, 164th District: Our friend, Temple University student Casey Roncaglione is the man to send to Harrisburg. Mario Civera is running for his fourteenth term in the General Assembly. POLITICAL OFFICE SHOULD NOT BE A CAREER CHOICE! Civera voted for the pay raise. Though he has returned the cash, nothing is being done about his inflated retirement that went up with the unconstitutional pay raise he received. Roncaglione has embraced Reform, real Reform, Civera has not, Roncaglione has promised ethics, integrity, and honesty, Civera has not. Why is there even a question about whom to vote for here? Casey Roncaglione! Vote for him by name!
Locally, Straban Township has a referendum on adding two seats to the Board of Supervisors. We urge caution on this one. Mount Joy Township thought they were doing the right thing when they added members to their board, but now they are running a referendum to reduce the number back to the original. Here is the problem: Those in Straban who favor adding members are those who are against the Casino, and the rampant development that the current (and past) members of the Board of Supervisors have greased the skids to allow. If Straban adds two members to the board, those same people better get out and thoroughly investigate all the candidates to ensure they have identified any development/casino-friendly candidates. Frankly, the referendum should have been to pass a recall system to remove and replace supervisors who tilt too far in one direction. The current board all leans toward paving over the entire township. In other words, be careful what you ask for, you just might get it. Ask the citizens of Mount Joy Township.
CAUTION: WHATEVER YOU DO, WHATEVER THE WEATHER, VOTE! YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON WHO YOU ELECT THIS TERM. VOTE!
Vote for Rick Santorum for US Senate
Vote for Lynn Swann for Pennsylvania Governor
Vote for Jim Matthews for Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor
Vote for Todd Platts for US Congress, 19th District
Vote for Patrick Naugle for the Pennsylvania House, 91st District
Vote for Steve Nickol for the Pennsylvania House, 193rd District
Vote for Casey Roncaglione for the Pennsylvania House, 164th District!
In Straban Township, vote YES to add members to the Board of Supervisors!
VOTE TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 7th!
VOTE FOR CANDIDATES, NOT PARTIES!
GettysBLOG
Support the Roadmap to Reform!
“Kick the hubris out of Harrisburg!” -- THE CENTRIST
“Be steadfast in your anger, be sure in your convictions, be moved by the right and certainty that abuse of power must be defeated at every turn; uphold Liberty as the just reward of a watchful people, and let not those who have infringed upon that Liberty steal it away from you. Never loosen your grip on Liberty!"
--GettysBLOG
“Legislation without representation is tyranny.”
--GettysBLOG
Remember in November! Before you vote, GettysBLOG!
Copyright © 2006: GettysBLOG; All Rights Reserved.
THE CENTRIST
“Kick the hubris out of Harrisburg!” -- THE CENTRIST
"It is the duty of every citizen according to his best capacities to give validity to his convictions in political affairs." -- Albert Einstein
Remember in November! Before you vote, GettysBLOG!
Copyright © 2006: “THE CENTRIST”. All Rights Reserved.
“Kick the hubris out of Harrisburg!” -- THE CENTRIST
"It is the duty of every citizen according to his best capacities to give validity to his convictions in political affairs." -- Albert Einstein
Remember in November! Before you vote, GettysBLOG!
Copyright © 2006: “THE CENTRIST”. All Rights Reserved.
A Plea for Help
Dear readers,
As some of you probably know, the Gold Star Mothers is an organization of women who have lost a son or daughter in combat. Renowned artist Andrew Chernak has been commissioned to design and sculpt the National Gold Star Mothers Monument in Washington, D.C. Chernak, of suburban Philadelphia, recently unveiled the original Gold Star Mother’s monument in Putnam, New York. Below is a photo of the Putnam monument, dedicated in early July of this year.
A US Army Vietnam vet, Chernak needs help locating photographs of deceased Navy and Air Force veterans and their Gold Star Mothers. The plan is to etch and carve the photographs into the granite base. He has arranged for Army, Coast Guard and Marine Corp photos, but needs the Navy and Air Force Gold Star Mothers and their sons or daughters.Preferred are full face photos of both the Gold Star Mothers, and of their sons or daughters in Uniform.
Anyone in contact with a Gold Star Mother who would be willing to submit a photograph of herself and another of her son or daughter should please put them in contact with Mr. Chernak at the following email address: gsmmemorial@vetsnet.us
Thanks, Veterans, for all you have done. We must also never forget to thank the Mothers of the sons and daughters who gave the ultimate sacrifice for their nation. The sacrifice of the Gold Star Moms must be counted, remembered and honored as well.
Thank you in advance for all your help on this matter, and thank you again for all you've done.
THE CENTRIST
"It is the duty of every citizen according to his best capacities to give validity to his convictions in political affairs." -- Albert Einstein
Remember in November! Before you vote, GettysBLOG!
Copyright © 2006: “THE CENTRIST”. All Rights Reserved.
"It is the duty of every citizen according to his best capacities to give validity to his convictions in political affairs." -- Albert Einstein
Remember in November! Before you vote, GettysBLOG!
Copyright © 2006: “THE CENTRIST”. All Rights Reserved.
Saturday, November 04, 2006
Tony Phyrillas: Hidden voices should be heard
More than 165,000 Pennsylvania residents signed nominating petitions this year to place third-party and independent candidates on the Nov. 7 ballot. But you won't find most of those candidates on the ballot.
This is Pennsylvania, where Democrats and Republicans don't want voters to have a choice other than one of their hand-picked candidates.
Russ Diamond, the founder of PaCleanSweep, is one of the names you won't find on the ballot Tuesday. Diamond gathered 38,000 signatures to run as an independent for governor. That's 20 times more signatures than those required by Ed Rendell or Lynn Swann. But Diamond failed to make the ballot because he could not meet the 67,000-signature requirement set by an archaic formula in the state constitution.
Even when a third-party candidate gathers enough signatures, Democrat and Republican party bosses have ways to knock them off the ballot. A perfect example of this is Carl Romanelli, the Green Party candidate for U.S. Senate from Pennsylvania. Romanelli collected 99,802 nominating signatures to have his name put on the ballot next to Sen. Rick Santorum and Bob Casey Jr., but the Casey campaign and the Democratic Party took Romanelli to court.
A state judge ruled that Romanelli did not have enough valid signatures on his petitions so he kicked Romanelli off the ballot. Our Founding Fathers must be rolling in their graves. This is what passes for Democracy in modern-day Pennsylvania. Two political parties control elections and can disenfranchise thousands of their fellow citizens, with the blessing of the courts.
The state Constitution guarantees that "Elections shall be free and equal; and no power, civil or military, shall at any time interfere to prevent the free exercise of the right of suffrage."
Where is that Constitutional protection for Russ Diamond, Carl Romanelli and hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvania voters who don't want to register as Republican or Democrat?
The Pennsylvania Ballot Access Coalition held a press conference on the steps of the Capitol Rotunda in Harrisburg last week to bring attention to the denial of constitutional rights to so many Pennsylvanians.
Each of the speakers was introduced as a "hidden voice" by Ken Krawchuk, a perennial Libertarian Party candidate and an officer in the Pennsylvania Ballot Access Coalition.
Because of restrictive ballot access laws, Pennsylvania is one of only four states where third-party candidates will not be allowed to run for statewide office this year.
In addition to Diamond and Romanelli, several other candidates denied access to the 2006 ballot attended the press conference: Ronald W. Satz, Libertarian Party candidate for governor; Hagan Smith, Constitution Party candidate for governor; Tom Martin, Libertarian Party candidate for U.S. Senate) and Carl C. Edwards, Constitution Party candidate for U.S. Senate.
While some third-party candidates will be on the ballot for state legislative races, including Libertarian James Babb in Montgomery County's 157th state House District and Jeff Brindle, Socialist Party candidate for Chester County's 26th state House District, there are no candidates for governor, lieutenant governor or U.S. senator on Tuesday's ballot.
While the Democratic Party and Bob Casey are to blame for keeping Romanelli off the ballot, the Republican Party also wants to restrict ballot access. The only reason the two dominant parties have offered to deny third-party candidates access to elections is something they're calling "ballot clutter."
In other words, Republicans and Democrats think Pennsylvania voters are too dumb to choose a governor or a senator from a list of five candidates. They can only handle two: Rendell or Swann.
Never mind that in 2002, Democratic primary voters picked from nine candidates for lieutenant governor or in 2004, Democratic Party voters had 11 presidential candidates on the primary ballot. And in some legislative races this May, up to five Democrats or Republicans were on the ballot.
Pennsylvania's two-party monopoly (or should that be duopoly?) is a disgrace. The two major political parties and the courts have schemed for too long to deny Pennsylvania voters their most basic of rights.
If you are a member of the Libertarian Party, Green Party, Constitution Party, America First Party, Reform Party, Prohibition Party, Socialist Party or Unified Independent Party, you are a second class citizen.
If you're looking for another reason to vote out incumbents on Tuesday, keep in mind that most of the Democrats and Republicans on the ballot don't want you to have a choice.
The only recourse is to elect new candidates to the state Legislature and make sure they support the Voters' Choice Act. So far, only a handful of incumbent legislators have shown the courage to publicly support the bill. That list, along with more background about free and equal elections, is posted on the coalition's Web site, www.paballotaccess.org
In the meantime, there is something you can do Tuesday if you don't want to give Gov. Ed Rendell four more years as governor but you can't bring yourself to elect Lynn Swann. Same goes for the Santorum-Casey race. As a protest to the limits the major parties place on your right to choose, you can write in the names of third-party candidates.
Tony Phyrillas is a columnist for The Mercury in Pottstown, Pa. E-mail him at tphyrillas@pottsmerc.com
This is Pennsylvania, where Democrats and Republicans don't want voters to have a choice other than one of their hand-picked candidates.
Russ Diamond, the founder of PaCleanSweep, is one of the names you won't find on the ballot Tuesday. Diamond gathered 38,000 signatures to run as an independent for governor. That's 20 times more signatures than those required by Ed Rendell or Lynn Swann. But Diamond failed to make the ballot because he could not meet the 67,000-signature requirement set by an archaic formula in the state constitution.
Even when a third-party candidate gathers enough signatures, Democrat and Republican party bosses have ways to knock them off the ballot. A perfect example of this is Carl Romanelli, the Green Party candidate for U.S. Senate from Pennsylvania. Romanelli collected 99,802 nominating signatures to have his name put on the ballot next to Sen. Rick Santorum and Bob Casey Jr., but the Casey campaign and the Democratic Party took Romanelli to court.
A state judge ruled that Romanelli did not have enough valid signatures on his petitions so he kicked Romanelli off the ballot. Our Founding Fathers must be rolling in their graves. This is what passes for Democracy in modern-day Pennsylvania. Two political parties control elections and can disenfranchise thousands of their fellow citizens, with the blessing of the courts.
The state Constitution guarantees that "Elections shall be free and equal; and no power, civil or military, shall at any time interfere to prevent the free exercise of the right of suffrage."
Where is that Constitutional protection for Russ Diamond, Carl Romanelli and hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvania voters who don't want to register as Republican or Democrat?
The Pennsylvania Ballot Access Coalition held a press conference on the steps of the Capitol Rotunda in Harrisburg last week to bring attention to the denial of constitutional rights to so many Pennsylvanians.
Each of the speakers was introduced as a "hidden voice" by Ken Krawchuk, a perennial Libertarian Party candidate and an officer in the Pennsylvania Ballot Access Coalition.
Because of restrictive ballot access laws, Pennsylvania is one of only four states where third-party candidates will not be allowed to run for statewide office this year.
In addition to Diamond and Romanelli, several other candidates denied access to the 2006 ballot attended the press conference: Ronald W. Satz, Libertarian Party candidate for governor; Hagan Smith, Constitution Party candidate for governor; Tom Martin, Libertarian Party candidate for U.S. Senate) and Carl C. Edwards, Constitution Party candidate for U.S. Senate.
While some third-party candidates will be on the ballot for state legislative races, including Libertarian James Babb in Montgomery County's 157th state House District and Jeff Brindle, Socialist Party candidate for Chester County's 26th state House District, there are no candidates for governor, lieutenant governor or U.S. senator on Tuesday's ballot.
While the Democratic Party and Bob Casey are to blame for keeping Romanelli off the ballot, the Republican Party also wants to restrict ballot access. The only reason the two dominant parties have offered to deny third-party candidates access to elections is something they're calling "ballot clutter."
In other words, Republicans and Democrats think Pennsylvania voters are too dumb to choose a governor or a senator from a list of five candidates. They can only handle two: Rendell or Swann.
Never mind that in 2002, Democratic primary voters picked from nine candidates for lieutenant governor or in 2004, Democratic Party voters had 11 presidential candidates on the primary ballot. And in some legislative races this May, up to five Democrats or Republicans were on the ballot.
Pennsylvania's two-party monopoly (or should that be duopoly?) is a disgrace. The two major political parties and the courts have schemed for too long to deny Pennsylvania voters their most basic of rights.
If you are a member of the Libertarian Party, Green Party, Constitution Party, America First Party, Reform Party, Prohibition Party, Socialist Party or Unified Independent Party, you are a second class citizen.
If you're looking for another reason to vote out incumbents on Tuesday, keep in mind that most of the Democrats and Republicans on the ballot don't want you to have a choice.
The only recourse is to elect new candidates to the state Legislature and make sure they support the Voters' Choice Act. So far, only a handful of incumbent legislators have shown the courage to publicly support the bill. That list, along with more background about free and equal elections, is posted on the coalition's Web site, www.paballotaccess.org
In the meantime, there is something you can do Tuesday if you don't want to give Gov. Ed Rendell four more years as governor but you can't bring yourself to elect Lynn Swann. Same goes for the Santorum-Casey race. As a protest to the limits the major parties place on your right to choose, you can write in the names of third-party candidates.
Tony Phyrillas is a columnist for The Mercury in Pottstown, Pa. E-mail him at tphyrillas@pottsmerc.com
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Tony Phyrillas: 'Better than nothing'
I have a suggestion for a new state motto for Pennsylvania: "Better than nothing."
A coalition of reform groups gathered on the steps of the Capitol Rotunda in Harrisburg Tuesday to announce its report card for the governor and Legislature on a variety of reform issues.
Here's how it went: On election reform — F. On lame duck sessions — F. On redistricting — F. On legislative voting records — F. On campaign financing — F. On ballot access — F. You get the picture.
Gov. Ed Rendell and most of the incumbents in Harrisburg still don't get it. Everyone is calling themselves “reformers” these days, but talk is cheap. The incumbent politicians are telling voters what they want to hear to fool them into re-electing the usual suspects on Nov. 7. Then, it's back to business as usual.
The only way things will change in Harrisburg is for Rendell and most of the incumbent legislators on the ballot to lose. There are no Republicans or Democrats on the ballot this year. It's the status quo party versus citizen soldiers who want to change the system. It's a battle between the political aristocracy and the people.
So far this year, 31 incumbents have decided to retire rather than face the voters. Another 17 legislators, including the top two Republican leaders in the state Senate, were defeated in the May primary. That means up to 48 reformers will be going to Harrisburg next year. That may not be enough. They need reinforcements. More incumbents have to pay the price on Election Day for the pay raise vote and their overall lack of accomplishment in Harrisburg.
Back to the reform coalition for a minute. The group gave the governor and Legislature failing grades in every reform category except one, the recently enacted lobbyist disclosure bill that awaits Gov. Ed Rendell's signature. Until the bill is signed, Pennsylvania has the distinction of being the only state in the nation without rules to regulate lobbyists, who spend tens of millions of dollars every year to influence politicians and the laws they pass.
Barry Kauffman of Common Cause/PA gave the Legislature a “B minus” for the bill, but when pressed by reporters to justify such a high grade for what is widely seen as weak legislation, Kauffman said it was “better than nothing.”
Better than nothing. Where have we heard these words before?
In televised debates with Republican challenger Lynn Swann, Rendell said his attempt at tax reform (the rebates for low-income seniors) was “better than nothing.”
That seems to be the favorite phrase of incumbent politicians as we head to Nov. 7. It may not be property tax reform, but it's better than nothing. It may not really curb abuses by lobbyists and greedy politicians, but it's better than nothing.
Why should Pennsylvania always have to settle for less? Why can't we have real reform? Why do we have to tolerate so much mediocrity in our politicians?
It's not that we don't pay them well. Even after the July 2005 pay raise was repealed, Pennsylvania legislators are still the second highest paid in the nation. (And on Dec. 1, they will get a cost-of-living increase of at least 3.5 percent, raising the starting salary for a Pennsylvania legislator to around $74,000 a year. The pay raise is automatic unless the legislators vote not to accept it. Don’t hold your breath.)
The “better than nothing” attitude has also engulfed the race for governor and Pennsylvania senator. The state's liberal newspapers are falling all over themselves to endorse Democrats Ed Rendell and Bob Casey, but none of them have made a convincing case that either man is actually a good candidate for the office they're seeking. Rendell is “better than nothing” as governor. Casey is “better than nothing” as senator.
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, one of the state's largest newspapers and one of the few conservative voices in Pennsylvania, may have gotten it right. In an endorsement editorial published Sunday, the newspaper said it cannot endorse either Rendell or Swann for governor. Neither man is up to the job, according to the newspaper.
Rendell has failed on numerous fronts during his first four years and doesn't deserve another term, the newspaper argues. Swann is faulted because too many of his campaign officials were also involved with the architects of the July 2005 pay raise, the newspaper contends.
On a lighter note, the state reform coalition couldn't resist using the occasion of Halloween to announce its list of Top 10 Reform Tricks or Treats. OK, it was all tricks. Ten politicians were singled out for various shenanigans in 2006.
At the top of the list is none other than Gov. Rendell, who was awarded the title of “Biggest Phony Reformer.” Rendell was also described by the reform group as a “political acrobat” and an expert at “political juggling.” Way to go, Ed.
Catch me on the radio
I will be a guest on the Lowman Henry Show this Saturday to discuss the upcoming election. The program is broadcast live from 8 to 10 a.m. on WHYL-AM 960 Carlisle and WCDL-AM 1440 Scranton. You can also listen to live streaming audio of the Lowman Henry Show at www.whylradio.com. And you can download a recording of the broadcast to your computer from The Lincoln Institute's Web site at www.lincolninstitute.org.
I'll be analyzing the results of the election on the Nick Lawrence Show on WPAZ 1370 AM Pottstown on Thursday, Nov. 9, at 4 p.m. You can also listen to live streaming audio of the Nick Lawrence Show at www.1370wpaz.com.
Tony Phyrillas is a columnist for The Mercury in Pottstown, Pa. E-mail him at tphyrillas@pottsmerc.com
A coalition of reform groups gathered on the steps of the Capitol Rotunda in Harrisburg Tuesday to announce its report card for the governor and Legislature on a variety of reform issues.
Here's how it went: On election reform — F. On lame duck sessions — F. On redistricting — F. On legislative voting records — F. On campaign financing — F. On ballot access — F. You get the picture.
Gov. Ed Rendell and most of the incumbents in Harrisburg still don't get it. Everyone is calling themselves “reformers” these days, but talk is cheap. The incumbent politicians are telling voters what they want to hear to fool them into re-electing the usual suspects on Nov. 7. Then, it's back to business as usual.
The only way things will change in Harrisburg is for Rendell and most of the incumbent legislators on the ballot to lose. There are no Republicans or Democrats on the ballot this year. It's the status quo party versus citizen soldiers who want to change the system. It's a battle between the political aristocracy and the people.
So far this year, 31 incumbents have decided to retire rather than face the voters. Another 17 legislators, including the top two Republican leaders in the state Senate, were defeated in the May primary. That means up to 48 reformers will be going to Harrisburg next year. That may not be enough. They need reinforcements. More incumbents have to pay the price on Election Day for the pay raise vote and their overall lack of accomplishment in Harrisburg.
Back to the reform coalition for a minute. The group gave the governor and Legislature failing grades in every reform category except one, the recently enacted lobbyist disclosure bill that awaits Gov. Ed Rendell's signature. Until the bill is signed, Pennsylvania has the distinction of being the only state in the nation without rules to regulate lobbyists, who spend tens of millions of dollars every year to influence politicians and the laws they pass.
Barry Kauffman of Common Cause/PA gave the Legislature a “B minus” for the bill, but when pressed by reporters to justify such a high grade for what is widely seen as weak legislation, Kauffman said it was “better than nothing.”
Better than nothing. Where have we heard these words before?
In televised debates with Republican challenger Lynn Swann, Rendell said his attempt at tax reform (the rebates for low-income seniors) was “better than nothing.”
That seems to be the favorite phrase of incumbent politicians as we head to Nov. 7. It may not be property tax reform, but it's better than nothing. It may not really curb abuses by lobbyists and greedy politicians, but it's better than nothing.
Why should Pennsylvania always have to settle for less? Why can't we have real reform? Why do we have to tolerate so much mediocrity in our politicians?
It's not that we don't pay them well. Even after the July 2005 pay raise was repealed, Pennsylvania legislators are still the second highest paid in the nation. (And on Dec. 1, they will get a cost-of-living increase of at least 3.5 percent, raising the starting salary for a Pennsylvania legislator to around $74,000 a year. The pay raise is automatic unless the legislators vote not to accept it. Don’t hold your breath.)
The “better than nothing” attitude has also engulfed the race for governor and Pennsylvania senator. The state's liberal newspapers are falling all over themselves to endorse Democrats Ed Rendell and Bob Casey, but none of them have made a convincing case that either man is actually a good candidate for the office they're seeking. Rendell is “better than nothing” as governor. Casey is “better than nothing” as senator.
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, one of the state's largest newspapers and one of the few conservative voices in Pennsylvania, may have gotten it right. In an endorsement editorial published Sunday, the newspaper said it cannot endorse either Rendell or Swann for governor. Neither man is up to the job, according to the newspaper.
Rendell has failed on numerous fronts during his first four years and doesn't deserve another term, the newspaper argues. Swann is faulted because too many of his campaign officials were also involved with the architects of the July 2005 pay raise, the newspaper contends.
On a lighter note, the state reform coalition couldn't resist using the occasion of Halloween to announce its list of Top 10 Reform Tricks or Treats. OK, it was all tricks. Ten politicians were singled out for various shenanigans in 2006.
At the top of the list is none other than Gov. Rendell, who was awarded the title of “Biggest Phony Reformer.” Rendell was also described by the reform group as a “political acrobat” and an expert at “political juggling.” Way to go, Ed.
Catch me on the radio
I will be a guest on the Lowman Henry Show this Saturday to discuss the upcoming election. The program is broadcast live from 8 to 10 a.m. on WHYL-AM 960 Carlisle and WCDL-AM 1440 Scranton. You can also listen to live streaming audio of the Lowman Henry Show at www.whylradio.com. And you can download a recording of the broadcast to your computer from The Lincoln Institute's Web site at www.lincolninstitute.org.
I'll be analyzing the results of the election on the Nick Lawrence Show on WPAZ 1370 AM Pottstown on Thursday, Nov. 9, at 4 p.m. You can also listen to live streaming audio of the Nick Lawrence Show at www.1370wpaz.com.
Tony Phyrillas is a columnist for The Mercury in Pottstown, Pa. E-mail him at tphyrillas@pottsmerc.com
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
PennPatriot: In case you missed NPR's Radio Open Source program last night
My appearance on NPR's Radio Open Source show was a lot of fun. Eventhough, I have to admit I was overpowered by the guests. But hey, it was my first time participating on a nationally broadcasted talk radio show. I did my best :)
On the show, I tried to represent the views of the voters that live here in South Central Pennsylvania. Voters that are frankly fed up and frustrated. They are fed up with candidates that refuse to focus on solutions to real problems, who play the partisanship game and don't understand that government at all levels needs to be desperately reformed to overcome the challenges of the 21st Century. Meanwhile lower and middle class families here in Central Pennsylvania continue to struggle to make ends meat.
Voters here in Central Pennsylvania are tired of goverment smothering economic growth by legislating high taxes. They are tired of the burdonsome regulations tryannically imposed on them by Washington and Harrisburg that control virtually every aspec of life.
It's true folks, to many of us here in Central Pennsylvania feel that America is no longer the land of opportunity. Instead has become the land of big government, certification and regulation.
If you listen to the show, you will quickly understand why the people of South Central Pennsylvania are so frustrated and feel that not only are our political leaders out of touch with working class Pennsylvania families, but so are elite media types like Gar Joseph of the Philadelphia Daily News. Gar Joseph's narrow view of Pennsylvania forces me to seriously question his ability to accurately cover issues that impact our entire state. As an editor for the Philadelphia Daily News one would think that Gar Joseph should know all of Pennsylvania a little better than what he communicated on the show.
Contrary to the popular belief of Gar Joseph and other elite liberals, the people of Central Pennsylvania are not just ignorant, uneducated farm folk. The people that I know and have come to love here in Central PA are actually very strong-willed, hard-working, and independent. They are people that take their faith, their families and the health of their communities very seriously.
The Central Pennsylvania described by Gar Joseph in the first half of the talk show is a far cry from what it's actually like growing up or living here. Lowman Henry is right. Central PA communities are not dying. They are actually experience a rebirth economically, socially and politically. Areas of the state like State College in Centre County are experiencing tremendous economic growth. Economic growth has led to moderate population growth as well. Politically Central PA is leading the state goverment reform movement. Voters are engaged and are willing to hold legislators accountable for high taxes and out of control government spending.
Sadly the radio show didn't really focus on the important issues that matter in the Pennsylvania Senate race. In my opinion the real truth about the Santorum/Casey race is that most people here in the central part of the state are frustrated with both candidates. Some even feel the race has been a joke from the very beginning. There is no doubt that Santorum is the better candidate and that he has a better grasp of the issues and challenges that face our country. However, Santorum has also sold his conservative soul to the power of Washington. This has alienated his base. Most feel that Santorum is more focused on governing than he is advancing conservative reform or legislating conservative solutions. Santorum's support of the senior prescription drug benefit is a perfect example of this.
To download the show incase you missed it left click here and then click on save as. Enjoy!
On the show, I tried to represent the views of the voters that live here in South Central Pennsylvania. Voters that are frankly fed up and frustrated. They are fed up with candidates that refuse to focus on solutions to real problems, who play the partisanship game and don't understand that government at all levels needs to be desperately reformed to overcome the challenges of the 21st Century. Meanwhile lower and middle class families here in Central Pennsylvania continue to struggle to make ends meat.
Voters here in Central Pennsylvania are tired of goverment smothering economic growth by legislating high taxes. They are tired of the burdonsome regulations tryannically imposed on them by Washington and Harrisburg that control virtually every aspec of life.
It's true folks, to many of us here in Central Pennsylvania feel that America is no longer the land of opportunity. Instead has become the land of big government, certification and regulation.
If you listen to the show, you will quickly understand why the people of South Central Pennsylvania are so frustrated and feel that not only are our political leaders out of touch with working class Pennsylvania families, but so are elite media types like Gar Joseph of the Philadelphia Daily News. Gar Joseph's narrow view of Pennsylvania forces me to seriously question his ability to accurately cover issues that impact our entire state. As an editor for the Philadelphia Daily News one would think that Gar Joseph should know all of Pennsylvania a little better than what he communicated on the show.
Contrary to the popular belief of Gar Joseph and other elite liberals, the people of Central Pennsylvania are not just ignorant, uneducated farm folk. The people that I know and have come to love here in Central PA are actually very strong-willed, hard-working, and independent. They are people that take their faith, their families and the health of their communities very seriously.
The Central Pennsylvania described by Gar Joseph in the first half of the talk show is a far cry from what it's actually like growing up or living here. Lowman Henry is right. Central PA communities are not dying. They are actually experience a rebirth economically, socially and politically. Areas of the state like State College in Centre County are experiencing tremendous economic growth. Economic growth has led to moderate population growth as well. Politically Central PA is leading the state goverment reform movement. Voters are engaged and are willing to hold legislators accountable for high taxes and out of control government spending.
Sadly the radio show didn't really focus on the important issues that matter in the Pennsylvania Senate race. In my opinion the real truth about the Santorum/Casey race is that most people here in the central part of the state are frustrated with both candidates. Some even feel the race has been a joke from the very beginning. There is no doubt that Santorum is the better candidate and that he has a better grasp of the issues and challenges that face our country. However, Santorum has also sold his conservative soul to the power of Washington. This has alienated his base. Most feel that Santorum is more focused on governing than he is advancing conservative reform or legislating conservative solutions. Santorum's support of the senior prescription drug benefit is a perfect example of this.
To download the show incase you missed it left click here and then click on save as. Enjoy!
111: Why the Delco Times Should Print This Letter
A friend of ours recently sent a letter to the editors of the Delaware County Daily Times (or Delco Times). It was a letter the Times will never publish.
In a series of recent editorial pieces the Time editorial board issued their endorsements for local candidates in the coming election. The endorsements for state offices were covered in multiple articles, with at least one paragraph devoted to each race. My friend was anxious to see how Casey Roncaglione came out. Here is what the Delco Times had to say in making an endorsement for the 164th Legislative District (Pennsylvania House seat from eastern Delaware County – Upper Darby, East Lansdowne, Millbourne and Drexel Hill):
In a series of recent editorial pieces the Time editorial board issued their endorsements for local candidates in the coming election. The endorsements for state offices were covered in multiple articles, with at least one paragraph devoted to each race. My friend was anxious to see how Casey Roncaglione came out. Here is what the Delco Times had to say in making an endorsement for the 164th Legislative District (Pennsylvania House seat from eastern Delaware County – Upper Darby, East Lansdowne, Millbourne and Drexel Hill):
Pa. House, 164th District. This race at once offers one of the most clear-cut calls, and interesting candidates in the race.
Republican incumbent Mario Civera is another lawmaker whose service stretches for decades. He’s served in Harrisburg for 26 years.
He’s opposed by Democrat Casey Roncaglione, a Temple student and 2004 Upper Darby High graduate. Roncaglione brings the view of a new generation to the race. It’s one that should be encouraged.
Civera voted for the pay hike, and now admits it was a mistake. And he’s heard plenty about it from his constituents, as well as from Roncaglione. But Civera is a valuable member of the Legislature, who has a keen eye on education funding issues, as well as an independent streak, as evidenced by his willingness to back gun-control measures such as one-gun-a-month proposals to combat urban violence. The clear choice in the 164th is Mario Civera.
Now, 26 years is a long time, and for someone with so many years in office, Mr. Civera certainly has not done much to distinguish himself, nor to elevate himself. In fact, one would look at Civera as being ‘comfortable’, and in a ‘cushy’ position. He wields some power, but not much more than a Representative who has been reelected once. Civera is what we would describe as one of the RINOs (Republican In Name Only) that have ruined not only the state Republican Party, but also the state legislature, especially over the last four years under Governor “Fast Eddie” Rendell. The General Assembly has played too close, too cozy and far to cooperative with Rendell, and in return, he signed their pay raise, unconstitutional as it was. The merits of its constitutionality were recently destroyed in a State Supreme Court decision – with Chief Justice Ralph Cappy recusing himself – but most people who know how to read knew on the day after its passage in July of 2005 that it was unconstitutional on several levels.
Civera is a good friend of Speaker of the House John Perzel, who should be indicted for impersonating a Republican.
The raise became a cause celebre for a number of political and civic activist groups, and created a very effective one in Russ Diamond’s Operation Clean Sweep. As a result, coming into the next election, over 50 incumbents will not be running for reelection either by retirement or through being defeated. Many more incumbents are up against candidates backed by Operation Clean Sweep. The Reform movement has its roots in Tim Potts’ Democracy Rising site, and its Roadmap to Reform.
Civera is a good friend of Speaker of the House John Perzel, who should be indicted for impersonating a Republican.
The raise became a cause celebre for a number of political and civic activist groups, and created a very effective one in Russ Diamond’s Operation Clean Sweep. As a result, coming into the next election, over 50 incumbents will not be running for reelection either by retirement or through being defeated. Many more incumbents are up against candidates backed by Operation Clean Sweep. The Reform movement has its roots in Tim Potts’ Democracy Rising site, and its Roadmap to Reform.
[Note: we strongly urge anyone reading this to visit those sites and become familiar with the material on them. If you already have, it would be a good idea to revisit them and refresh your memory of why Pennsylvania is in the absolute political mess it is, and how to get out of that mess.]
That said, here is the letter written by my friend to the Delco Times regarding their endorsement of Civera:
That said, here is the letter written by my friend to the Delco Times regarding their endorsement of Civera:
Editors,
I believe you have made a serious mistake in not backing Casey Roncaglione. By using the logic that Civera is valuable to Delaware County because of his leadership position, you have stepped into the snare that causes the problems we have seen in the legislature over the past few years: greed, avarice, and a total disconnect with the electorate -- and the state Constitution.
The problem IS legislative leadership!
Casey Roncaglione offers a clear alternative to the same old, business-as-usual legislature that has brought us such dillies as the infamous Midnight Pay Raise (which Civera voted for), a tax increase, no legitimate property tax relief (a race track alone will never allow Chester to recover its tax base, but real property tax relief will help!), and no ethics reform or lobbyist disclosure. And they promise to raise the sales tax next term!
So much for the effectiveness of Mario Civera as a part of leadership!
The Pennsylvania House MUST have fresh ideas, members with ethical standards higher than the incumbents, and a new energy to move it out of the path of moneyed interests. Casey Roncaglione offers that choice.
Please reconsider your endorsement. Your readers will respect you for it, the voters will love you for it – and they’ll love having Casey Roncaglione working for them in Harrisburg!
Here is an important point: my friend the letter writer, and myself, are both good conservatives. And here we are advocating for a Democrat and against a Republican. We do so because Reform is more important than partisan politics. We do so because it is not just important, but vital, that the voters of Pennsylvania send a crystal clear message next Tuesday that there must be no more of the business as usual graft and corruption in our General Assembly (indeed, both parties are guilty of such).
In spite of calling it a clear choice, the editorial board of the Delco Times knows full well that to return Civera to office is to vote for continued graft and unconstitutionality in Harrisburg.
It really is that simple, folks. A governor and General Assembly that together have raised your taxes, failed to deliver meaningful legislation on ethics, lobbyist control, property tax reform, and enacted a bill to authorize the expansion of gambling in Pennsylvania that was passed as unconstitutionally as the infamous Midnight Pay Raise!
It does not matter which party you belong to, you must vote for Casey Roncaglione. If you are a Democrat, he is your candidate, and offers the clear choice for State Representative. If you are a Republican, you need to look at Casey Roncaglione’s website and his Blog, and see that his values, and ideas are far more in tune with yours than Civera’s desire to remain ‘comfortable’ in his ‘cushy’ position as part of leadership in a graft-ridden General Assembly.
The clear choice is Roncaglione. Vote Casey Roncaglione in the 164th District on November 7!
In spite of calling it a clear choice, the editorial board of the Delco Times knows full well that to return Civera to office is to vote for continued graft and unconstitutionality in Harrisburg.
It really is that simple, folks. A governor and General Assembly that together have raised your taxes, failed to deliver meaningful legislation on ethics, lobbyist control, property tax reform, and enacted a bill to authorize the expansion of gambling in Pennsylvania that was passed as unconstitutionally as the infamous Midnight Pay Raise!
It does not matter which party you belong to, you must vote for Casey Roncaglione. If you are a Democrat, he is your candidate, and offers the clear choice for State Representative. If you are a Republican, you need to look at Casey Roncaglione’s website and his Blog, and see that his values, and ideas are far more in tune with yours than Civera’s desire to remain ‘comfortable’ in his ‘cushy’ position as part of leadership in a graft-ridden General Assembly.
The clear choice is Roncaglione. Vote Casey Roncaglione in the 164th District on November 7!
THE CENTRIST
We support the Roadmap to Reform!
"It is the duty of every citizen according to his best capacities to give validity to his convictions in political affairs." -- Albert Einstein
Remember in November! Before you vote, GettysBLOG!
Copyright © 2006: “THE CENTRIST”. All Rights Reserved.
Monday, October 30, 2006
Tony Phyrillas: 33 reasons to vote out Ed Rendell
With a week to go until Election Day, the polls and pundits are saying that millions of Pennsylvania voters will walk into the voting booth Nov. 7 to re-elect Gov. Ed Rendell.
This will mean four more years of rising taxes, runaway spending and an overall decline in the standard of living for most Pennsylvanians. Are you better off today than you were four years ago when Rendell took office?
If you're still thinking of voting for Rendell, consider the following 33 reasons why Rendell does not deserve re-election:
1) Rendell signed the scandalous July 2005 pay raise bill into law and praised it as "good legislation." That breach of public trust alone is reason enough to deny Rendell another term.
2) While running for governor in 2002, Rendell promised to cut property taxes for every Pennsylvania homeowner by 30 percent. He failed to keep his promise for four consecutive years.
3) In 2003, Rendell signed the biggest income tax increase in the state's history, taking away $1 billion from the paychecks of working Pennsylvanians.
4) Rendell signed the worst gambling bill in the nation into law in July 2004, clearing the way for 61,000 slot machines to be brought into Pennsylvania, along with crime, corruption and gambling addiction.
5) State spending has increased at twice the rate of inflation under Rendell to a staggering $26.1 billion in a state where population growth is stagnant. People familiar with state finances predict that Rendell will propose another massive tax hike in 2007 to pay for his exorbitant spending.
6) Under Rendell, Pennsylvania ranks at the bottom of the list of states when it comes to forcing people off welfare rolls and into jobs.
7) Rendell siphoned $412 million in federal highway money in 2005 to keep SEPTA afloat so Philadelphia transit workers will continue to get paid and keep voting for Rendell. Meanwhile, the state’s highways and bridges are crumbling.
8) Instead of property tax reform, Rendell signed Act 72 in 2005 and Act 1 in 2006, two terrible bills that failed to address runaway spending by the state’s 501 school districts.
9) Rendell raided the state Lottery fund to come up with the $200 million for rebate scheme to bribe low-income seniors into voting for him this November instead of working for real property tax reform.
10) Rendell killed the Schuylkill Valley Metro rail plan by failing to support the project or making the case for the state to come up with its share of the funding needed to build it.
11) Rendell imposed the $52-a-year emergency services tax on most of the state's workers. In almost every case, the money did not go to fund "emergency services," but was spent elsewhere by local governments. It's a typical shell game Rendell plays with taxes.
12) Nearly 1 million working Pennsylvanians do not have health insurance coverage and Rendell refuses to support legislation that would level the playing field for the huge "for-profit" insurance companies operating in Pennsylvania.
13) Pennsylvania continues to be the No. 1 importer of garbage in the country. Rendell believes that taking in garbage from New York City, New Jersey and Puerto Rico is a good use of Pennsylvania land.
14) In each of Rendell's first four years in office, truckers have ranked Pennsylvania roads and highways as the worst in the nation.
15) According to FBI statistics, Pennsylvania has become a more dangerous place to live in the years Rendell has been governor. The murder rates in Philadelphia, Allentown, Reading and most other cities have reached historic highs and the governor continues to ignore the rise in violent crime.
16) College-educated young people are fleeing the state in record numbers to find good jobs as Pennsylvania fails to address the "brain drain" under Rendell.
17) Pennsylvania leads the nation in teacher strikes, another sorry achievement for the so-called "education governor."
18) A task force formed by Rendell reports that Pennsylvania is experiencing a transportation crisis. The state's infrastructure has been neglected to the point where roads can no longer handle the volume of traffic. The state’s transit systems have failed. Pennsylvania needs to come up with an additional $2.2 billion a year to deal with the problem.
19) Corporate welfare is Rendell's idea of stimulating the economy, with millions of taxpayer dollars going to build sports stadiums and support corporations that contribute to Rendell's campaign.
20) Rendell vetoed the Voter Protection Act of 2006, a bill that would prevent voter fraud in Pennsylvania in general and in Philadelphia in particular.
21) Rendell broke his promise to sign a tort reform bill that would control outrageous awards by juries and help keep doctors in Pennsylvania. Less than 10 percent of doctors educated in Pennsylvania stay in the state because of skyrocketing malpractice premiums.
22) Rendell gave political crony Joe Hoeffel a cushy $104,000-a-year state job as payback for Hoeffel dropping out of the race for lieutenant governor in 2006.
23) Pennsylvania is among the biggest spenders for public education, but test scores consistently rank among the lowest in the country. And what about the revolving door in the Education Department? Rendell went through three education secretaries in three years.
24) Rendell brought the "pay to play" system he nurtured in Philadelphia to Harrisburg, turning the governor's office into a Turkish bazaar, with the highest bidder having access to government. How else do you explain the $30 million in campaign contributions to Rendell?
25) Pennsylvania consistently ranks in the bottom rung of states when it comes to a business-friendly business environment. Rendell vetoed a Republican-backed measure to lower the state's corporate net income tax, which is the second highest in the nation.
26) Rendell has pardoned more convicted criminals in his first three years in office than any other Pennsylvania governor has done over the same time frame in the past 25 years.
27) Despite amassing a $1 billion budget surplus this year because of the 2003 income tax hike, Rendell refused to consider returning any of the money to taxpayers.
28) Rendell wants to impose California emissions standards in Pennsylvania, forcing motorists to pay higher inspection fees. More than 40 states have rejected the California rules.
29) In four years, Rendell has missed the constitutional deadline to sign the state budget four times.
30) It's unseemly for the governor to moonlight as a football analyst after Eagles games. If Rendell wants a career in broadcasting, he should give up the governor's job.
31) Rendell has used a state plane to shuttle from his shore home in Ocean City, N.J., to campaign events back in Pennsylvania at least a half-dozen times.
32) If Rendell wins re-election and decides to leave office in 2008 to take a post in Washington under a Democratic administration, Pennsylvania is left with Catherine Baker Knoll as governor.
33) Rendell insulted millions of Pennsylvania seniors by saying their lives are drab without casinos. Seniors should make Rendell pay for his insensitive remarks.
Tony Phyrillas is a columnist for The Mercury in Pottstown, Pa. Email him at tphyrillas@pottsmerc.com
Friday, October 27, 2006
Casey Roncaglione: Upper Darby House Race Heats Up
From KYW News Radio:
Unique Race for House Seat in Suburbs [read]
by KYW's David Madden
You’ve heard a lot about the hot races in the Philadelphia suburbs, particularly for Congress. But one interesting contest just under a lot of political radar screens pits a college student against a longtime state House veteran up for re-election. Mario Civera has represented Upper Darby as a state representative for 5 years longer than Casey Roncaglione has been alive. A 21-year-old Temple student, he takes exception to being called a novice but seems to embrace it at the same time.:
“Inexperience is going to be helpful here. Experience has brought us nothing but trouble.”
Besides, the democrat says, his business studies will help bring jobs to the district.
Civera says Roncaglione made his intentions known some time ago.
“I’d figured that this was going to happen because he had grabbed on to an issue and he’d just kept running with that issue.”
That issue? The now cancelled legislative pay raise which Civera insists he’s paid back every penny.
Roncaglione’s bottom line? It’s time for a change.
by KYW's David Madden
You’ve heard a lot about the hot races in the Philadelphia suburbs, particularly for Congress. But one interesting contest just under a lot of political radar screens pits a college student against a longtime state House veteran up for re-election. Mario Civera has represented Upper Darby as a state representative for 5 years longer than Casey Roncaglione has been alive. A 21-year-old Temple student, he takes exception to being called a novice but seems to embrace it at the same time.:
“Inexperience is going to be helpful here. Experience has brought us nothing but trouble.”
Besides, the democrat says, his business studies will help bring jobs to the district.
Civera says Roncaglione made his intentions known some time ago.
“I’d figured that this was going to happen because he had grabbed on to an issue and he’d just kept running with that issue.”
That issue? The now cancelled legislative pay raise which Civera insists he’s paid back every penny.
Roncaglione’s bottom line? It’s time for a change.
Read more about Casey Roncaglione, candidate for the Pennsylvania House from the 164th District at Casey Roncaglione for 164th District Representative
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Tony Phyrillas: Why should Pa. settle for mediocrity?
"Governors who have cut taxes and spending the most receive the highest grades. Those who have raised taxes and spending receive the lowest grades."
That conclusion is from the 40-page executive summary of a new report grading the nation's governors on fiscal policy.
The eighth annual survey was prepared by the Cato Institute, a non-profit policy research foundation in Washington, D.C. The institute is named for Cato's Letters, a series of libertarian pamphlets that helped lay the philosophical foundation for the American Revolution, according to the group's Web site.
Inexplicably, Gov. Ed Rendell received a C in the fiscal report card. Those of us living in Pennsylvania know firsthand that Rendell has tried everything in his power to destroy the state's economy over the past four years.
That includes raising taxes, increasing state spending to record levels, imposing burdensome regulations on businesses and borrowing hundreds of millions of dollars. That's a surefire recipe for fiscal disaster.
But the folks at the Cato Institute saw fit to give Rendell a C for his first term in office. That's an improvement over the F grade the Cato Institute gave Rendell for his first two years.
I'm not so sure the folks at Cato have been following Rendell's tenure closely because nearly every independent account of Pennsylvania's business climate has ranked the state near the bottom of the barrel. Rendell is also a master of propaganda. He could sell a snow cone to an Eskimo. He has a lot of voters believing he's going to cut their taxes even though he's raised taxes repeatedly since taking office in 2003.
Independent observers closer to home, such as the Commonwealth Foundation for Public Policy Alternatives, a free-market think tank in Harrisburg, have been far less kind to Rendell, giving the governor an F minus for his economic policies in a survey released earlier this year. Rendell also earned an F minus in the Commonwealth Foundation’s "Liberty Index" two years ago.
Back to the Cato rankings. While C is somewhere between average and mediocre, it beats the Ds and Fs earned by other governors.
Only one governor of the 46 reviewed earned an A this year — Republican Matt Blunt of Missouri. The next two highest-scoring Republicans are Rick Perry of Texas and Mark Sanford of South Carolina. The highest-scoring Democratic governors are John Lynch of New Hampshire and Phil Bredesen of Tennessee.
Blunt earned the gold star for cutting his state's budget, eliminating hundreds of government jobs and restraining Medicaid spending, according to the Cato Institute.
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who topped the 2004 governors report card with an A, drops to a D this year due to an overall increase in his state's budget.
The "Fiscal Policy Report Card on America's Governors: 2006," by Cato director of budget studies Stephen Slivinski, emphasizes the importance of tax cuts and provides evidence showing that "states that reduce taxes improve their prospects for economic growth," the institute states on its Web site.
The report card grades the governors on 23 objective measures, awarding the highest grades to those who have reined in spending and cut taxes.
Nine governors receive Fs. They are Kathleen Blanco of Louisiana, Michael Easley of North Carolina, Kenny Guinn of Nevada, Christine Gregoire of Washington, Mike Huckabee of Arkansas, Ruth Ann Minner of Delaware, Janet Napolitano of Arizona, Bob Riley of Alabama, and Brian Schweitzer of Montana.
Governors who received good grades in previous editions of the report card but have lower grades this year include Schwarzenegger (current grade, D); Jeb Bush of Florida (current grade, C); Bill Owens of Colorado (current grade, D); George Pataki of New York (current grade, D); and Bill Richardson of New Mexico (current grade, C).
The complete report can be viewed at the Cato Institute's Web site, www.cato.org
Pennsylvania voters will go to the polls Nov. 7 to decide if they want four more years of mediocrity with Ed Rendell or give Lynn Swann a chance to turn Pennsylvania around.
Tony Phyrillas is a columnist for The Mercury in Pottstown, Pa. E-mail him at tphyrillas@pottsmerc.com
That conclusion is from the 40-page executive summary of a new report grading the nation's governors on fiscal policy.
The eighth annual survey was prepared by the Cato Institute, a non-profit policy research foundation in Washington, D.C. The institute is named for Cato's Letters, a series of libertarian pamphlets that helped lay the philosophical foundation for the American Revolution, according to the group's Web site.
Inexplicably, Gov. Ed Rendell received a C in the fiscal report card. Those of us living in Pennsylvania know firsthand that Rendell has tried everything in his power to destroy the state's economy over the past four years.
That includes raising taxes, increasing state spending to record levels, imposing burdensome regulations on businesses and borrowing hundreds of millions of dollars. That's a surefire recipe for fiscal disaster.
But the folks at the Cato Institute saw fit to give Rendell a C for his first term in office. That's an improvement over the F grade the Cato Institute gave Rendell for his first two years.
I'm not so sure the folks at Cato have been following Rendell's tenure closely because nearly every independent account of Pennsylvania's business climate has ranked the state near the bottom of the barrel. Rendell is also a master of propaganda. He could sell a snow cone to an Eskimo. He has a lot of voters believing he's going to cut their taxes even though he's raised taxes repeatedly since taking office in 2003.
Independent observers closer to home, such as the Commonwealth Foundation for Public Policy Alternatives, a free-market think tank in Harrisburg, have been far less kind to Rendell, giving the governor an F minus for his economic policies in a survey released earlier this year. Rendell also earned an F minus in the Commonwealth Foundation’s "Liberty Index" two years ago.
Back to the Cato rankings. While C is somewhere between average and mediocre, it beats the Ds and Fs earned by other governors.
Only one governor of the 46 reviewed earned an A this year — Republican Matt Blunt of Missouri. The next two highest-scoring Republicans are Rick Perry of Texas and Mark Sanford of South Carolina. The highest-scoring Democratic governors are John Lynch of New Hampshire and Phil Bredesen of Tennessee.
Blunt earned the gold star for cutting his state's budget, eliminating hundreds of government jobs and restraining Medicaid spending, according to the Cato Institute.
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who topped the 2004 governors report card with an A, drops to a D this year due to an overall increase in his state's budget.
The "Fiscal Policy Report Card on America's Governors: 2006," by Cato director of budget studies Stephen Slivinski, emphasizes the importance of tax cuts and provides evidence showing that "states that reduce taxes improve their prospects for economic growth," the institute states on its Web site.
The report card grades the governors on 23 objective measures, awarding the highest grades to those who have reined in spending and cut taxes.
Nine governors receive Fs. They are Kathleen Blanco of Louisiana, Michael Easley of North Carolina, Kenny Guinn of Nevada, Christine Gregoire of Washington, Mike Huckabee of Arkansas, Ruth Ann Minner of Delaware, Janet Napolitano of Arizona, Bob Riley of Alabama, and Brian Schweitzer of Montana.
Governors who received good grades in previous editions of the report card but have lower grades this year include Schwarzenegger (current grade, D); Jeb Bush of Florida (current grade, C); Bill Owens of Colorado (current grade, D); George Pataki of New York (current grade, D); and Bill Richardson of New Mexico (current grade, C).
The complete report can be viewed at the Cato Institute's Web site, www.cato.org
Pennsylvania voters will go to the polls Nov. 7 to decide if they want four more years of mediocrity with Ed Rendell or give Lynn Swann a chance to turn Pennsylvania around.
Tony Phyrillas is a columnist for The Mercury in Pottstown, Pa. E-mail him at tphyrillas@pottsmerc.com
Monday, October 23, 2006
Tony Phyrillas: Rep. Dante Santoni is a phony
Most people don't know this, but I began my career as a political columnist with an article about my do-nothing state representative.
His name is Dante Santoni Jr. and the column, published in March 2004, asked the question, "What have you done for me lately, Dante?" I now have the answer to that question.
Thanks to Dante Santoni, I am now one of the most widely read political commentators in Pennsylvania. Three hundred columns after my initial "Dante" offering, my articles are not only published in The Mercury, but are linked to more than a dozen political Web sites and blogs.
I've been a guest on 17 radio shows and a panelist on the "Journalists Roundtable" program on the Pennsylvania Cable Network three times in the past six months. I've received e-mails about my columns from readers in 18 different states and six foreign countries. I've also been invited to speak to community groups about state and national politics.
For all that exposure, I'd like to publicly thank Dante Santoni for getting me started. It turns out Dante has done something for me after all. But he still hasn't done anything for the residents of the 126th House District, which is why Santoni is in the political fight of his life as the Nov. 7 election approaches.
Santoni barely survived the May primary, receiving just 45 percent of the vote. Unfortunately, two challengers split the other 55 percent, giving Santoni the Democratic nomination. It doesn't change the fact that the majority of voters in his own party rejected Santoni at the polls.
As we get closer to Election Day, Santoni appears to be self-destructing. A mailing on behalf of Santoni accusing his Republican opponent, Hal Baker, of questionable conduct while Baker worked as personnel director and acting county administrator for Berks County is pure fiction.
Santoni, who voted for the July 2005 pay raise for himself, concocted a wild story that Baker gave himself a pay raise while working for county government. A Berks County commissioner who sat on the board at the time of Baker's promotion issued a public statement saying that Baker's salary was set by the commissioners and it was based on merit and the fact that Baker was taking on addition responsibilities.
When Baker challenged Santoni about the political smear job during a debate on local cable television, Santoni blew a gasket. Like his good friend, Ed Rendell, Santoni got caught telling another fib.
Keep in mind that my March 2004 column criticizing Santoni for never sponsoring a bill, chairing a committee or delivering any substantial funding for projects in his district was written a full 16 months before Santoni voted himself a pay raise and took the money as unvouchered expenses, a practice ruled illegal by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.
In other words, the last two years haven't been a picnic for Santoni. In 14 years as a state legislator, Santoni has voted repeatedly to increase taxes, has raised his own pay twice and doubled his taxpayer-funded pension.
For the $1 million taxpayers have paid Santoni in salary and perks over the past 14 years, their state lawmaker has sponsored a grand total of one bill to rename a section of a highway in honor of a U.S. soldier killed in Iraq.
While the sentiment honoring a fallen soldier is a nice gesture, that's not why voters in the 126th District are sending Santoni to Harrisburg.
Santoni has promised for 14 consecutive years to deliver property tax relief to the residents of Berks County. He has broken that promise 14 years in a row. How many more chances are voters willing to give him?
Santoni is the poster child for everything wrong with the culture of Harrisburg. He votes 100 percent of the time with the Democratic Party bosses. He is beholden to lobbyists and special interest groups. He hides from constituents until election season rolls around.
While he's popular with the political establishment because he's a Zombie Democrat (no mind of his own), Santoni has failed to show any concern for his constituents back home who are struggling to stay afloat.
Santoni supported Ed Rendell's massive hike in the state income tax in 2003. He supported Rendell's flawed gambling bill in 2004. He voted to raise his own pay in July 2005. Santoni voted for the $52-a-year tax on working Pennsylvanians. He has rubber-stamped $6 billion in new spending during Rendell’s first four years in office.
For his loyalty to Rendell and the Democratic Party bosses, Santoni has been showered with tens of thousands of dollars in campaign donations, which allows him to run television commercials, touting all sorts of "accomplishments." Unfortunately, none of it is true.
When Santoni calls himself a "reformer" on TV and says "Harrisburg is broke and I'm working to fix it," he's full of baloney. Santoni couldn't spell R-E-F-O-R-M if you spotted him four of the six letter.
Voters in the 126th House District have a clear choice. Hal Baker is a dedicated public servant who wants to bring genuine reform to Harrisburg. Baker has come out of retirement because the people of his district need to send a public servant to Harrisburg.
Santoni is a career politician who has failed his constituents. Santoni is a big part of the problem. Baker is part of the solution.
Tony Phyrillas is a columnist for The Mercury in Pottstown, Pa. E-mail him at tphyrillas@pottsmerc.com
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Tony Phyrillas: Pennsylvania by the numbers
253 --The total number of members in the Pennsylvania Legislature. That includes 203 members of the House and 50 state senators.
120 -- The total number of members in the California Legislature. That includes 120 members of the House and 40 state senators.
341,000,000 -- The number of dollars it costs Pennsylvania taxpayers each year to pay for the largest full-time legislature in the U.S.
77 -- The average number of days the Pennsylvania Legislature was in session each year over the past five years.
72,187 -- The number of dollars in the starting salary of a Pennsylvania legislator.
27 -- The number of state senators who voted in favor of the July 2005 pay raise of 16 percent to 54 percent. Twenty-three voted against it.
119 -- The number of House members who voted for the July 2005 pay raise. A total of 79 House members voted against the pay raise. (Five legislators missed the 2 a.m. vote)
1 -- The number of people who could have stopped the July 2005 pay raise. His name is Gov. Ed Rendell, who could have vetoed the pay raise bill, but instead signed it into law and praised it as good legislation.
17 -- The number of incumbent state legislators voted out of office in the May 2006 primary.
31 -- The number of incumbent state legislators who decided to retire in 2006 rather than face the voters.
141 -- The dollar amount each legislator can collect daily as a per diem payment for just showing up for work. This is on top of salary and other benefits.
26,400,000 -- The dollar amount of campaign contributions for Gov. Ed Rendell.
9,000,000 -- The dollar amount of Rendell campaign contributions that came from Pennsylvania. Makes you wonder why so much out-of-state money ($17.4 million) has poured into Rendell’s war chest and what those contributors expect for their donations.
8,100,000 -- The dollar amount of campaign contributions for GOP governor candidate Lynn Swann. So much for the Republicans being the party of the rich.
1 -- Philadelphia's rank on the list of most violent large cities in the United States, according to a new survey issued by the FBI. (Just to jog your memory, Ed Rendell was District Attorney for two terms and Mayor of Philadelphia for two terms.)
650 -- The amount of taxpayer dollars a member of the Pennsylvania Legislature can use each month to lease a vehicle.
38 -- The number of Pennsylvania counties on the list of the 750 most heavily taxed counties in the United states, according to the Tax Foundation.
74 -- The highest number of votes the Commonwealth Caucus plan received in the House in 2006. It takes 102 votes to pass a bill. Not a single Democrat in the House supported the plan to eliminate property taxes.
0 -- The amount of money Pennsylvania residents have received in property tax cuts during the first four years of Gov. Ed Rendell's tenure.
0 -- The amount of money Pennsylvania residents can expect to receive in the next four years of Gov. Ed Rendell's tenure.
18 -- The number of counties Ed Rendell won in the 2002 race for governor.
49 -- The number of counties Ed Rendell failed to win in the 2002 race for governor.
864,000,000 -- The amount of surplus dollars in the 2006 state budget that Gov. Rendell and the Legislature decided not to return to Pennsylvania taxpayers.
13 -- The number of teacher strikes in Pennsylvania in 2005.
8 -- The total number of teacher strikes in 2005 in all the rest of the states combined.
109 -- The number of Republicans in the 203-member Pennsylvania House. Democrats can take control of the House by a net gain of eight seats.
29 -- The number of Republicans in the 50-member state Senate. (Because only half the senators stand re-election every four years, it's nearly impossible for Democrats to capture a majority in 2006).
1,900,000 -- The number of Pennsylvania residents who receive welfare benefits from the state. That compares to 1,500,000 welfare recipients when Ed Rendell came into office in 2003.
5,700,000,000 -- The amount in dollars that state spending has increased under Gov. Ed Rendell's tenure.
4,742,000,000 -- The amount of dollars that Pennsylvania taxpayers will have to pay by 2015-16 to fund pension plans for retired teachers and politicians. That compares to $693 million in fiscal year 2005-06.
Tony Phyrillas is a columnist for The Mercury in Pottstown. E-mail him at tphyrillas@pottsmerc.com
Monday, October 16, 2006
Tony Phyrillas: Republicans back reform agenda
Politics makes for strange bedfellows.
Ten Berks County candidates have combined forces to run as a reform coalition for the state Legislature. The group includes three incumbent legislators and an assortment of political newcomers. All have signed a formal statement titled "Promise to Berks."
The candidates have a few things in common besides their focus on reforming state government. They're all Republicans and their districts include portions of Berks County.
The group also has some differences. Three of the 10 either voted for the 2005 legislative pay raise or took the money as unvouchered expenses, a practice the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has ruled unconstitutional. Several of the first-time candidates in the coalition condemned the pay raise vote and defeated heavily-favored Republican incumbents in the May primary.
The coalition candidates are willing to put their differences aside because keeping a Republican majority in the Berks County legislative delegation is important to them. Only three of the dozen seats in Berks are held by Democrats. Berks has been a key battleground in the people's revolt against incumbent politicians since the Legislature voted itself pay raises of up to 54 percent in July 2005.
Four of the five incumbents who voted for the pay raise and had opposition in the primary were defeated by voters. The only incumbent who survived the voters' wrath was Democrat Rep. Dante Santoni Jr., who won the nomination for the 126th District because he had two challengers and his opponents split the majority of the vote. Santoni attracted just 45 percent of the vote from his own party.
Santoni is vulnerable not just for voting himself a pay raise, but he's one of the biggest underachievers in Harrisburg, unwilling or unable to introduce a single bill in 13 years. Santoni's opponent in November is Republican Hal Baker, a respected former Berks County government administrator who defeated two other Republicans in the primary to win the GOP nomination.
The members of the reform coalition are incumbent state Reps. David Argall, Doug Reichley and Sam Rohrer, incumbent state Sen. John Rafferty (44th Dist.) and six political newcomers: Baker, Jim Cox (129th Dist.), Mike Folmer (48th Senate Dist.), Gary Hornberger (125th Dist.), Carl Mantz (187th Dist.) and Billy Reed (130th Dist.)
Argall, Reichley and Rohrer bring some political baggage to the new reform coalition. Argall and Rohrer voted for the pay raise. Reichley voted no on the pay raise, but took the money as unvouchered expenses. (Rafferty voted no on the pay raise and did not accept the raise.) Argall and Reichley have returned the money. Rohrer said he voted "yes" on the raise because that was the only way he could get a House vote on the Commonwealth Caucus plan to eliminate property taxes.
Rohrer said he never took the pay raise money but did manage to get the Caucus plan on the House floor for a vote, but it attracted only 74 of the 102 necessary votes. The plan was defeated because every Democratic member of the House voted against it. (This is why it's hard to swallow Gov. Ed Rendell's claims that the Republican majority failed to deliver property tax relief. It's the Democrats who vote as a block and take their marching orders from Rendell.)
The "Promise to Berks" reads: "We believe that every elected official is responsible to serve the people, not to be served. We believe that we are accountable not just to the voters but to the generations who will follow, as well as those who have gone before us. Our responsibility is to support and defend the founding principles of this great nation as noted in the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution and the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. These are the foundations of our freedoms and adherence to them is the best hope of freedom for the generations to follow."
If elected, all 10 Berks Republicans promise to tackle the following their legislative priorities:
• Real tax reform by permanently eliminating school property taxes and opposing all new unfunded mandates to the counties, municipalities and school districts in Pennsylvania, which shifts tax increases to these bodies. It will also work to eliminate current unfunded mandates.
• Controlling spending by implementing the Taxpayers Bill of Rights to strictly limit increases in state spending to the concurrent rates of inflation and population growth and requiring a three-fifths majority to pass a tax increase.
• Reforming the Legislature by requiring an independent auditing firm to conduct a comprehensive audit of the General Assembly for fraud and mismanagement, enacting term limits on committee chairmanships and leadership, enact a five-year waiting period for former legislators and cabinet officials to become lobbyists and opposing passage of any legislation that has not met the procedural rigor detailed in Article III of the Pennsylvania Constitution.
Although the burden is still on the three Berks incumbents to show they've repented for their pay raise votes, Berks County has an opportunity to change the culture of Harrisburg by electing a block of reform candidates to the state Legislature.
Ten Berks County candidates have combined forces to run as a reform coalition for the state Legislature. The group includes three incumbent legislators and an assortment of political newcomers. All have signed a formal statement titled "Promise to Berks."
The candidates have a few things in common besides their focus on reforming state government. They're all Republicans and their districts include portions of Berks County.
The group also has some differences. Three of the 10 either voted for the 2005 legislative pay raise or took the money as unvouchered expenses, a practice the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has ruled unconstitutional. Several of the first-time candidates in the coalition condemned the pay raise vote and defeated heavily-favored Republican incumbents in the May primary.
The coalition candidates are willing to put their differences aside because keeping a Republican majority in the Berks County legislative delegation is important to them. Only three of the dozen seats in Berks are held by Democrats. Berks has been a key battleground in the people's revolt against incumbent politicians since the Legislature voted itself pay raises of up to 54 percent in July 2005.
Four of the five incumbents who voted for the pay raise and had opposition in the primary were defeated by voters. The only incumbent who survived the voters' wrath was Democrat Rep. Dante Santoni Jr., who won the nomination for the 126th District because he had two challengers and his opponents split the majority of the vote. Santoni attracted just 45 percent of the vote from his own party.
Santoni is vulnerable not just for voting himself a pay raise, but he's one of the biggest underachievers in Harrisburg, unwilling or unable to introduce a single bill in 13 years. Santoni's opponent in November is Republican Hal Baker, a respected former Berks County government administrator who defeated two other Republicans in the primary to win the GOP nomination.
The members of the reform coalition are incumbent state Reps. David Argall, Doug Reichley and Sam Rohrer, incumbent state Sen. John Rafferty (44th Dist.) and six political newcomers: Baker, Jim Cox (129th Dist.), Mike Folmer (48th Senate Dist.), Gary Hornberger (125th Dist.), Carl Mantz (187th Dist.) and Billy Reed (130th Dist.)
Argall, Reichley and Rohrer bring some political baggage to the new reform coalition. Argall and Rohrer voted for the pay raise. Reichley voted no on the pay raise, but took the money as unvouchered expenses. (Rafferty voted no on the pay raise and did not accept the raise.) Argall and Reichley have returned the money. Rohrer said he voted "yes" on the raise because that was the only way he could get a House vote on the Commonwealth Caucus plan to eliminate property taxes.
Rohrer said he never took the pay raise money but did manage to get the Caucus plan on the House floor for a vote, but it attracted only 74 of the 102 necessary votes. The plan was defeated because every Democratic member of the House voted against it. (This is why it's hard to swallow Gov. Ed Rendell's claims that the Republican majority failed to deliver property tax relief. It's the Democrats who vote as a block and take their marching orders from Rendell.)
The "Promise to Berks" reads: "We believe that every elected official is responsible to serve the people, not to be served. We believe that we are accountable not just to the voters but to the generations who will follow, as well as those who have gone before us. Our responsibility is to support and defend the founding principles of this great nation as noted in the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution and the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. These are the foundations of our freedoms and adherence to them is the best hope of freedom for the generations to follow."
If elected, all 10 Berks Republicans promise to tackle the following their legislative priorities:
• Real tax reform by permanently eliminating school property taxes and opposing all new unfunded mandates to the counties, municipalities and school districts in Pennsylvania, which shifts tax increases to these bodies. It will also work to eliminate current unfunded mandates.
• Controlling spending by implementing the Taxpayers Bill of Rights to strictly limit increases in state spending to the concurrent rates of inflation and population growth and requiring a three-fifths majority to pass a tax increase.
• Reforming the Legislature by requiring an independent auditing firm to conduct a comprehensive audit of the General Assembly for fraud and mismanagement, enacting term limits on committee chairmanships and leadership, enact a five-year waiting period for former legislators and cabinet officials to become lobbyists and opposing passage of any legislation that has not met the procedural rigor detailed in Article III of the Pennsylvania Constitution.
Although the burden is still on the three Berks incumbents to show they've repented for their pay raise votes, Berks County has an opportunity to change the culture of Harrisburg by electing a block of reform candidates to the state Legislature.
Tony Phyrillas is a columnist for The Mercury in Pottstown, Pa. E-mail him at tphyrillas@pottsmerc.com
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