Miss USA exposes liberal intolerance

Have you been following the recent controversy at the Miss USA contest? A Christian contestant who was the front-runner was denied the crown by somebody called Perez Hilton, who I think is a long-lost relative of Paris Hilton.

Carrie Prejean - Miss California 2009 - was supposed to win, but ended up as first runner-up when some judges didn't like her answer to a question about gay marriage. Why that question was asked in the first place is beyond me. This is a beauty contest, not a political debate. Prejean stated that marriage should be between one man and one woman, which is the same answer Barack Obama gave last year during the campaign trail. I don't see anyone taking Obama's crown away, do you?

Here's what Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council has to say about the latest example of Christian-bashing for the far left:

Carrie Prejean has been victimized by this flagging production in a vain attempt to generate interest through controversy rather than substance," stated Perkins. Prejean's Christian beliefs were no secret to the organization; she quotes a biblical passage in her official bio on the Miss California USA website, citing Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me," as a daily source of inspiration. This fact, combined with so-called "celebrity blogger" Perez Hilton's reputation for outlandishness and homosexual activism, make the origins of this entire firestorm suspect. "Mr. Hilton attempted to transform this event into his own personal political soapbox so he could mock the traditional values Miss California holds dear. Based on her home state's recent vote on Proposition 8, a majority of the Californians she represents feel the same as she does.

Read the full release FRC at the link below:

Miss USA Pageant Guilty of Cheap Ratings Stunt at Expense of Miss California's Reputation

Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS

Next up for Tea Party movement

Lowman S. Henry, chairman & CEO of the Lincoln Institute, ponders the future of the Tea Party movement in his latest commentary.

Henry writes:

Millions of Americans turned out, some in pouring rain, on April 15th - tax day - to protest the big spending ways of Washington. It was a legitimate, spontaneous grassroots uprising the likes of which the nation has seldom seen, except perhaps in opposition to a foreign war. The trillion dollar "stimulus" bill, rapid expansion of the government control into the private sector, and the massive piling up of debt have combined to shock the middle class into action.

The mainstream news media by and large tried to ignore the tax day tea parties. But conservative media, such as Fox News and talk radio along with a more sophisticated on-line presence revealed the breath, depth, and extent of the tea party movement. It was real America - the folks who actually work, produce and drive our economy - taking the first steps toward reclaiming control of a government that has fallen into the hands of a socialist regime.

And the Obama administration, at least publically, seemed to not care. Apart from the abiding arrogance that is the hallmark of the new presidency the administration need not care too much - at least not yet - because the protest is as much against Republicans as it is against them. The fact is both parties have broken the sacred trust we the people put in them to run our government and neither has done much to restore confidence in their ability to lead.

Henry believes the Republican Party can tap into the energy of the Tea Party protesters and build a winning coalition for the future.

From his column:

I spoke last week to a Republican Congressman from Pennsylvania who told me it was absolutely essential that the GOP harness the energy of the tea party movement to invigorate it at the grass roots level. But, not only was there no outreach from the party at the tea party events, party leaders like Cronyn and Gleason went out of their way to alienate the very people they need to rebuild their depleted grassroots ranks.

The Congressman was, of course, absolutely correct in his assessment of the situation. Let me add that as much as the Republican Party needs the tea party protestors, the tea party protesters need the Republican Party. The GOP is the only vehicle capable of channeling the outrage into political action that will result in real change in Congress.

Of course, there's still a possibility the current inept leadership of the Republican Party will blow it, Henry says.

The problem is the actions of party leaders like (Texas Sen. John) Cronyn and (Pennsylvannia GOP Chairman Rob) Gleason only serve to drive a wedge between the official party and millions of potential new members who could inject a much needed burst of energy and enthusiasm into the ailing elephant. Obama realizes this, which is why at least for now he really isn't all that concerned.

Read the full commentary at Patownhall.com


Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS

Obama vs. America's veterans

Ralph Peters, a retired Army colonel, national security expert, author and newspaper columnist, tries to make sense out of the recent news that the Obama Administration considers military veterans (among others) as a potential threat to national security.

From his most recent column:

Racism is racism (unless you're a left-wing celebrity; then it's just humor). The left-wing propaganda document, published officially by your government under the title "Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment," might be the shabbiest U.S. government publication of our time.

The report warns that "the return of military veterans facing significant challenges reintegrating into their communities could lead to the potential emergence of terrorist groups or lone wolf extremists ... carrying out violent attacks."

The document's evidence? None.

The report contains no hard data, no statistics. It's nothing but a racist, anti-military opinion column that might pass muster in The New York Times but shouldn't be issued by our government.

The report continues by saying "rightwing extremists will attempt to recruit and radicalize returning veterans" who "possess combat skills."

The point? Our hayseed, uneducated, unskilled, wacko vets aren't able to think for themselves and will be patsies for right-wing fanatics. Guess that's how things look from Harvard.

The Obama Homeland Security Department report is profiling at its worst and
exposes the far-left's paranoia with anyone who disagrees with them, Peters
concludes.

Read the full column here.

Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS

Pennsylvania DEP Announces Grants to Clean Up Illegal Dump Sites

Pennsylvania DEP Announces Grants to Clean Up Illegal Dump Sites

FRC Action: Obama Administration Working to Overturn Pro-Life Laws in Other Countries

Why should the most pro-abortion president stop at U.S. borders? The Obama Administration is working to promote abortion in other countries ... using your tax dollars.

FRC Action: Obama Administration Working to Overturn Pro-Life Laws in Other Countries

Pennsylvania DEP Launches Annual Black Fly Control Program

Aerial spraying scheduled for 33 Pennsylvania counties. For a list of locations, click on the link below:

Pennsylvania DEP Launches Annual Black Fly Control Program

State Capitol Roundup

Here's the latest State Capitol Roundup courtesy of state Rep. Bob Mensch, R-147:

Alleged Pay-to-Play Contingency-Fee Legal Contract Poses Questions

The Texas law firm hired by the Rendell administration under a no-bid, contingency-fee contract appears to have engaged in similar practices in other states as well. Media reports indicate principles at Bailey, Perrin & Bailey contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to campaign efforts in several states that later contracted with the firm for legal services through no-bid contracts. In Pennsylvania, a BPB principle contributed more than $91,000 to Rendell's 2006 gubernatorial campaign prior to the firm's landing a contract with the Commonwealth. House Republicans recently unveiled a sweeping proposal to fundamentally reform how government operates and restore the public's trust. The Pennsylvania Agenda for Trust in Harrisburg seeks to end the pay-to-play mentality, allow the public to review contracts, ban government contracts from contributors, and prohibit consulting contracts with registered lobbyists. For more information, visit PAHouseGOP.com

Debate Over Gun Laws Continues

This week, Gov. Ed Rendell renewed his push for stronger gun laws, including allowing municipalities to adopt their own regulations and requiring owners to report any lost or stolen handguns. House Republicans have taken a hard line against violent crime through the adoption of Act 131 of 2008. The law includes increased penalties for the possession of stolen firearms and straw purchases, mandatory tracing of all illegally owned guns recovered by police, and penalties for lying on federal paperwork to buy a gun. Last fall's legislation also outlined specific offenses and penalties for violent crimes against law enforcement officers acting in the line of duty.

DEP Holds Workshops to Help Small Business Increase Energy Efficiency

The Department of Environmental Protection recently announced several workshops designed to help small and medium-sized businesses improve their energy efficiency and save money. The workshops will offer businesses information on energy supply options, illustrate how to identify energy cost-saving opportunities, and explain how to develop an energy plan. In addition, information about financial and technical resources for energy efficiency upgrades will be available. Registration for the workshops is free and sessions are open to the public. For more information, including local dates and times, visit Mensch's Web site at RepMensch.com

Flaws in State Gaming Law Point to Needed Reforms

While the Dauphin County district attorney dropped charges against slots casino licensee Louis DeNaples, the grand jury findings highlight serious flaws in Pennsylvania's gaming law and licensing process. House Republicans have proposed a series of changes, supported by the DA and the governor, that would: phase out legislative appointments to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, ensure law enforcement agencies' involvement in gaming investigations, ban felons from operating or working at casinos, and end the revolving door for well-connected individuals. The proposals are part of a much larger legislative package that was introduced by Republican lawmakers to fix the 2004 law responsible for expanding the state's gaming industry.

Originally published at TONY PHYRILLAS

Want less corruption? Shrink government!

Pennsylvania Commission for Women Launches Role Models Photo Exhibit at State Museum

Pennsylvania Commission for Women Launches Role Models Photo Exhibit at State Museum

'Tax relief from slots is like giving a Band-Aid to a dying homeowner'

Like offering a Band-Aid to a dying man, Gov. Ed Rendell's boast of property tax relief from slot-machine gambling is a gesture of relief when what is needed is massive reform, writes The Pottstown Mercury in a recent editorial exposing Rendell's sham property-tax boasts.

From the editorial:

Rendell said the expected distribution of $770 million will produce average school property-tax cuts of nearly $200 per property owner outside Philadelphia.

And 580,000 low-income seniors are expected to benefit from rent and property tax rebates that are partially funded by the slots money. The rebates of up to $975 are available to seniors whose income is $35,000 or less.

At first blush, the numbers may seem impressive, but the average suburban homeowner in this region has an annual property tax bill in the thousands -- closer to $3,000 as an average and some as high as $7,000 to $12,000, depending on the school district.

In places like Pottstown and Daniel Boone school districts, the property tax rates are higher because the property assessments in the region can not bear the educational costs. Pottstown struggles with diminishing property values, and Daniel Boone faces a growing student population with little commercial base and a large chunk of state-owned parkland, making homeowners the only source of tax revenue.

A tax rebate of $200 does little for the property owner struggling to pay a tax bill of $3,000 and does nothing to ensure equal education for Pennsylvania students regardless of ZIP code.

Proceeds from gambling to lessen the pain is not an answer. Rendell's Band-Aid is not going to stop the bleeding for Pennsylvania taxpayers.

Read the full editorial at the newspaper's Web site.

Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS

Who will watch government?

Gene Policinski, vice president and executive director of the First Amendment Center in Washington, D.C., goes to bat for the struggling newspaper industry, arguing in a new column that newspapers play a vital watchdog role in our Democratic society.

Some examples Policinski cites where newspapers uncovered government waste or fraud:

The Dominion Post, in Morgantown, W.Va., continued to investigate and question the operations of a board that governs the city's publicly funded senior center.

The Commercial Appeal of Memphis, Tenn., reported on contributions to the mayor's annual Christmas party that wound up in the mayor's pocket.

In Los Angeles, the Daily News reported on sizable tax bills being sent to home-based businesses as a result of a faulty assumption.

The Spokesman-Review, in Washington state, found in a public-records search that prosecutors declined to charge a former sheriff's deputy, in spite of having evidence of a crime, simply because the man was a veteran officer.

"And then there are the hundreds, if not thousands, of government meetings, decrees, bills, plans and pronouncements held up to scrutiny each week in the nation's dailies and weeklies, and on local and network TV news programs," Policinski writes.

Read the full column, "The press keeps an eye on Democracy," here.

Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS

Columnist: Obama, Biden are tightwads

Allen Hunt, writing at Townhall.com, notes that the Obamas and the Bidens are not exactly the most generous people in the United States.

Based on the numbers in their 2008 tax returns, the Bidens gave a measly 0.2 percent of their income to charity, Hunt writes.

The Obamas did better, giving 6.5 percent, but Hunt points out that the Obama's generosity may have a lot to do with Barack Obama's high-profile run for president than his giving nature.

From Hunt's column:

Two observations: Biden is stingy, and Obama only began giving when he knew the public would be watching.

Vice-President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, who have given about 0.2% of their income to charity in each of the years between 2000 and 2008. Less than ½ of one percentage point given to persons in need, to ministries of their Catholic Church, to agencies that serve the poor and the hurting. In fact, this year they gave a total of $1,885 to charity, marking the first time they had even given a sum larger than $1,000 for the entire year. In every year of this decade, the Bidens' income has exceeded $200,000, and for the first time they gave away more than $1000 of their own money. Astonishing stinginess. Record-setting, in fact.

Their stinginess makes Barack and Michelle Obama appear generous. The Obamas gave away 6.5% of their considerable income ($2.6 M) in 2008. They are showing progress. This percentage of giving (6.5%) marks their own personal best in the past decade. In fact, they gave less than 1% away in 2000, 2001, and 2002, only breaking into the paltry 1% category in 2003 and 2004, when he began to run for public office. Then, upon launching a bid for the presidency in 2005, their giving rose to 4.7%, and then 6.1% in 2006, and 5.8% in 2007.

Sadly, one has to wonder why the Obamas' giving only began to reach any meaningful level once they began to run for public office. Was it because they knew it would now be scrutinized by the public eye?

Read the full column at Townhall.com

Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS

Pennsylvania Academic Competition Week

The Pennsylvania House of Representatives has unanimously approved a resolution introduced by Rep. Sam Rohrer (R-Berks) marking the week of April 20 through April 24 as "Pennsylvania Academic Competition Week."

From Rohrer's office:

The House's adoption of the resolution coincides with the beginning of the 18^th annual Pennsylvania Academic Competition Week, which will conclude on Friday when students from across Pennsylvania will travel to Harrisburg to compete against each other in an academic contest.

"It is an honor to support this worthy initiative," Rohrer said. "The future of every free society rests in the minds and hearts of its young people. Liberty is at all times only one generation away from extinction. This event showcases the intellectual talents of tomorrow's leaders, who will one day carry forward the torch of American progress."

Each year, Rohrer authors and introduces a resolution officially establishing the last full week in April as Pennsylvania Academic Competition Week. Chester County Intermediate Unit organizes the event, which Rohrer has hosted for the last 11 years.

This year's Capitol competition will take place on Friday, April 24. Previous competitions have drawn more than 100 students. The championship team will receive a $2,000 scholarship for its high school and will have the opportunity to participate in the Panasonic Academic Challenge at Disney World in Florida in June.

Students will compete based on their knowledge in the following areas:

· Literature, fine arts and grammar.

· World history and geography.

· American history, geography and economics.

· Science.

· Contemporary events.

· Potpourri (any subject).

For more information about the Pennsylvania Academic Competition, visit the Chester County Intermediate Unit online at www.cciu.org/Departments/LER/SpecialEvents/paacadcomp.html

Cardinal Rigali Criticizes Draft NIH Guidelines for Destructive Stem Cell Research

"Suffering patients and their families deserve better," says Cardinal Rigali.

Read the full statement at the link below:

Cardinal Rigali Criticizes Draft NIH Guidelines for Destructive Stem Cell Research

Groups: Sebelius Unfit For Office in Wake of New Revelations

Groups: Sebelius Unfit For Office in Wake of New Revelations

'Another Tax Day, Another $265 billion'

By Congressman Joe Pitts

Another tax day is behind us, and most Americans are probably happy to see it gone. This gives us a good opportunity to reflect on our nation’s tax policy and evaluate where we are and where we are heading. Unfortunately, this year’s assessment carries little in the way of good news.

For starters, just going through the process of preparing and filing taxes in this country requires a tremendous amount of resources. In a comprehensive study conducted in 2005, the Tax Foundation found the estimated time and money cost of complying with the federal Internal Revenue Code was 6 billion hours, which they estimate to be worth $265 billion.

That’s an incredible amount of resources that are more or less wasted on complying with a vastly overcomplicated tax structure. But that is not the worst of it. The amount we have to hand over in taxes for each year is the real crime.

For perspective on how much we actually pay in taxes, I will turn again to the Tax Foundation, which notes that “In 2009, Americans worked 103 days of the year to pay for federal, state, and local taxes. This is more than the days worked to pay for housing, food, and clothing combined. Americans worked 38 days to pay income taxes, 27 days to pay Social Insurance taxes, 15 days to pay sales and excise taxes, 12 days to pay property taxes, 6 days to pay corporate income taxes, and 4 days to pay other taxes.” This means the average American was not earning money they could keep until well into April.

Yet, as if taxes aren’t already burdensome enough, Democrats in Congress and the White House are looking at all kinds of ways to increase taxes in order to pay for their ever-expanding government programs.

On April 1, the first tax increase of the Obama Administration took effect. It was appropriate that it took effect on April Fools Day because this tax seems more like a joke than good policy. The tax on cigarettes went up by 60 cents per pack in order to pay for a huge expansion in the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). SCHIP was first intended to provide health coverage for poor uninsured children, but the program has expanded to serve middle-income children and young adults.

This means we will use a decreasing revenue stream (people smoke less or quit when it costs more) to fund an expanding program. Ironically, we will need 22 million people to take up smoking if we hope to actually pay for the new spending that has resulted in an expansion of the SCHIP program.

This is also a regressive tax, hitting low-income individuals harder than the wealthy. During the campaign, candidate Obama promised that he would not raise taxes on Americans who make less than $250,000 per year. Yet, according to Gallup, 75 percent of American smokers make less than $60,000 a year and over 50 percent make less than $36,000 a year.

I am for healthcare for kids, and I am for getting people to quit smoking. But I am against healthcare run by bureaucrats and healthcare programs funded by cigarette taxes.

Unfortunately, it looks as though this will be just the first of many tax increases under the current Administration. The President’s budget, which has passed the House, calls for a number of tax increases in the midst of one of the worst economic recessions in decades.

The budget calls for an increase on all taxpayers making more than $200,000 a year. The President may think he is just increasing taxes on “rich” people, but the majority of the burden for this $637 billion tax increase will fall on small business owners (who pay taxes on this income as part of their individual returns). Small businesses create 60 to 80 percent of all new jobs in America.

The budget also calls for increased taxes on energy consumption through a complicated cap and trade program that could just as easily be called a cap and tax program. This will increase the cost of energy for every American.

The budget also caps the amount higher income earners can deduct from their taxes for charitable donations. It has been estimated this will reduce charitable giving by $9 billion a year at a time when we need charities the most.

The President’s budget reinstates the death tax, with a top margin of 55 percent. According to the Joint Committee on Taxation, the death tax has “broad economic effects,” and one study has found that the death tax is responsible for lowering overall employment by 1.5 million jobs over the previous ten years.

This isn’t responsible government and it isn’t good public policy.

Rep. Joe Pitts represents Pennsylvania's 16th Congressional District in Berks, Chester and Lancaster counties.

Citizens Against Net Taxes

If politicians could figure out a way to tax the air we breathe, they'd jump all over it.

One area that has resisted taxation so far is the Internet. But don't think for a minute that politicians aren't trying to figure out a way to tap into the massive potential to tax digital goods and services downloaded to your computer or mobile device.

That's where Citizens Against Net Taxes comes in.

The coalition has launched a new Web-based campaign to prevent politicians from taxing the Internet. The push includes an online petition in opposition to these taxes.

"As states work to address budget challenges, we are concerned that legislators will take the short-sighted position and raise taxes on digital goods -- a move that will increase costs for consumers and cause further harm to our economy," Randy Skoglund, executive director, Americans for Technology Leadership, said in a release. "State legislatures must encourage online economic activity that will help stimulate the economy. Imposing new taxes on the online sector will hurt already cash-strapped consumers, deter investment from technology companies and ultimately dampen state economic growth."

Citizens Against Net Taxes (CANT) is urging taxpayers to take a stand now against this added tax burden, and invites all to join the cause by signing an online petition at http://www.citizensagainstnettaxes.com/

For more on the campaign, check out the press release at this link:

Coalition Established to Fight Taxes on Digital Goods

Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS

Multiple campaign law violations by Rendell PAC

I missed this story when it first broke last week, but considering it was buried on page B6 of the local section of The Philadelphia Inquirer, it was easy to miss.

A political committee with ties to Gov. Rendell has agreed to pay $15,750 in fines to the Philadelphia Board of Ethics to settle a lawsuit, according to reporter Marcia Gelbart. By paying the fines, the Pennsylvanians for Better Leadership PAC admitted it violated the city's campaign finance rules 20 times.

From the article:

Richard Glazer, the ethics board's chairman, called the settlement "another chapter in the continuing saga of business as usual with no sincere effort at compliance."

Glazer said during yesterday's monthly Ethics Board meeting that "there is something not quite right about a system that essentially invites the well-financed and powerful, in this case Gov. Rendell, to direct contributions to city candidates through a PAC without public disclosure. To do this with impunity tends to undermine the ability to follow the political money through the system and the transformational goal of transparency."

Read the full article at the newspaper's Web site.

Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS

'The Un-silent Majority'

From an excellent commentary by Nathan A. Benefield and Matthew J. Brouillette of The Commonwealth Foundation on the growing Tea Party movement:

Nearly 10,000 Pennsylvanians rallied on Tax Day, April 15, against wasteful government spending, high and rising taxes, and burgeoning government debt and deficits. The nonpartisan, anti-establishment “Tea Parties” were held in more than 30 cities across Pennsylvania and close to 800 nationwide, and more are scheduled. Yet despite the clear message, defenders of the status quo kept asking, “Why?”

But we have some questions for them: Why do you think the government that got us into our financial mess will somehow get us out of it? Why is it that those who think we need to pay more in taxes have trouble paying taxes themselves? Why are those who want to be more “charitable” with other people's money are the least charitable with their own? Why do you rail against the “rich” for not “paying their fair share,” when the top quarter of income earners — those earning $65,000 or more — already pay more than 86 percent of all federal income taxes?

In addition to not answering these questions, many in Washington and Harrisburg are working to discredit and undermine the Tea Party protesters. Media reports and left-wing blogs have searched in vein for the boogeyman or conspiracy behind the Tea Party movement to marginalize it, often erroneously citing Fox News or FreedomWorks as the organizers.

Even the Republican Party tried to take credit for the tea parties, which is ironic given how protesters are just as upset by the wasteful spending and increased debt by Republicans as they are with President Obama and the Democrat-controlled Congress. But no centralized organization could have pulled off the number of events and gathered more than 550,000 people. Indeed, the Tax Day Tea Parties were driven by local grassroots organizers and activists.

Read the full column at The Commonwealth Foundation's Web site.

Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS

'Use of Force for the Protection of the Unborn Act'

Americans United for Life Applauds Oklahoma Becoming the First State to Give Pregnant Women the Right to Use Force to Defend Her Unborn Child

'Does a frog like boiling water?'

"Does a frog like boiling water? Probably not. But if you raise the heat up slowly, ostensibly, he won't notice he's being cooked."

That's how Jane Perkins starts her thought-provoking Letter to the Editor about how far-left radical elements are taking over our government.

The letter, originally published in The Pottstown Mercury. is an interesting commenary on the current state of America, where millions of people voted for a candidate they know little about, where members of Congress approve a $1 trillion stimulus plan without reading a single page of the bill, where propaganda routinely passes for "news."

"But what happens if we are so busy living our lives that we don't notice the heat slowly being turned up beneath us?" Perkins asks. We are the frogs, folks!

The Senate rubber-stamps every appointment Barack Obama sends down the pike, regardless if that person is a tax cheat or has radical views. Perkins specifically cites former ACLU attorney Dawn Johnson, whom Barack Obama has nominated for a high-level post in the Department of Justice.

Are these the people we want to represent us?

Perkins writes:

No matter our liberal or conservative tendencies, we are all Americans. We have a right and a responsibility to know who is representing us, not only through the election process, but also through the appointee process.

Read the full letter at the newspaper's Web site. And then ask yourself, is it getting warm in here?

Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS

Al Sharpton fined $285,000 for election law violations

Sharpton Fined $285K by FEC as Result of NLPC Complaint

FRC's Tony Perkins Challenges Sebelius' Integrity, Deep Ties to Late-Term Abortionist George Tiller

FRC's Tony Perkins Challenges Sebelius' Integrity, Deep Ties to Late-Term Abortionist George Tiller

Keeping you in the dark

"It should come as no surprise in a state where lawmakers like to operate in the dark - especially late at night, when they can award themselves pay hikes - that a bill in Harrisburg aims to make it harder for Pennsylvanians to follow what their elected officials are up to," writes The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Read the full editorial, "The fine print," about an effort by Pennsylvania legislators to make it more difficult for residents to follow government action, at the newspaper's Web site.

And let your legislator know that you won't stand for any more of their efforts to keep you in the dark about how your money is spent.

PJTV Attendance Count for Tea Parties Passes 540,000

PJTV Attendance Count for Tea Parties Passes 540,000

Vote 'Em Out!

Monday is the deadline to register to vote in the May 19 Pennsylvania Primary Election. This is considered an "off-year" election, but the people on the ballot (school board members, local officials) have the most direct impact on the taxes you pay.

Since more than 80 percent of your property tax bill goes to your local school district, the Primary Election may be the only chance you get to vote out the people who keep raising your taxes every year.

April 20 Is Voter Registration Deadline for May Primary Election

Janet Napolitano Has In Her Hands a List

American Legion: We are not the enemy

From a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano from David K. Rehbein, National Commander, The American Legion:

Your report states that "Rightwing extremists were concerned during the 1990s with the perception that illegal immigrants were taking away American jobs through their willingness to work at significantly lower wages." Secretary Napolitano, this is more than a perception to those who have lost their job. Would you categorize union members as "Right Wing extremists"?

In spite of this incomplete, and, I fear, politically-biased report, The American Legion and the Department of Homeland Security share many common and crucial interests, such as the Citizen Corps and disaster preparedness. Since you are a graduate of New Mexico Girls State, I trust that you are very familiar with The American Legion. I would be happy to meet with you at a time of mutual convenience to discuss issues such as border security and the war on terrorism. I think it is important for all of us to remember that Americans are not the enemy. The terrorists are.

You can read the full letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano from David K. Rehbein, National Commander, The American Legion, at this link.

The only person hiring is Ed Rendell

March was another bad month for Pennsylvanians looking for work.

It appears the only person hiring is Gov. Ed Rendell and you have to be a Democrat who contributed generously to his re-election campaign to land a job.

More than 60,000 Pennsylvania residents have lost their jobs in just the past two months alone.

Pennsylvania's job total fell below 5.7 million for the first time since June 2005, according to the state.

Pennsylvania's Employment Situation: March 2009

Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS

Columnist blasts Obama 'Gestapo' tactics

Less than three months on the job, Barack Obama has designated conservatives as rightwing extremists who pose a threat to his utopian socialist society.

Michael Reagan offers his take on the revelation that the Obama Department of Homeland Security has issued instructions to law enforcement across the county to be on the lookout for potential terrorist acts by conservatives.

From Reagan's column:

Have we really come to this? Has Adolf Hitler's propaganda chief Joseph Goebbels been reborn and recruited by the Obama administration to scare the heck out of the American people with absurdities such as this whacked-out document?

Obviously recognizing that public knowledge of the nonsense alleged in this document is very undesirable, the weirdoes who prepared it did not want you to see it.

They warn: "No portion of the LES information should be released to the media, the general public, or over non-secure Internet servers."

Too bad. The Washington Times got their hands on a copy and revealed it to the entire world.

Once it became public and many Americans reacted in disbelief, the Obama White House disavowed it despite the fact that a document as explosive as this could never have been distributed without the president's explicit approval in the first place.

The screed was prepared long before tens of thousands of outraged Americans banded together in today's peaceful Tea Party demonstrations, which by their very nature gave the lie to the outrageous allegations contained in the document.

The demonstrations were conducted by people who believe strongly in the very issues cited by the administration as those that incite violence, yet who themselves abhor violence as a political tactic.

They're getting ready to take names, so beware if you say anything negative about abortion or gay marriage or our out-of-control system of taxation.

Sounding like something out of a Gestapo directive, the document reveals that Homeland Security "will be working with its state and local partners over the next several months to ascertain with greater regional specificity the rise in rightwing extremist activity in the United States, with a particular emphasis on the political, economic, and social factors that drive rightwing extremist radicalization."

Read the full column, "The Obama Administration Says We're Dangerous, Rightwing Extremists," at The Reagan Exchange or Townhall.com

Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS

Unless You're Conservative

Ann Coulter on why Tea Parties struck a nerve on the far left

Ann Coulter is both amused and amazed at the reaction of the far left to the April 15 Tea Parties.

"I had no idea how important this week's nationwide anti-tax tea parties were until hearing liberals denounce them with such ferocity," Coulter writes in her latest column.

The usual far-left suspects, The New York Times, MSNBC, Air America and "every unbathed, basement-dwelling loser on the left wing blogosphere" spent the week leading up to the Tea Parties riduling ordinary Americans for simply exercising their right to protest a government that has grown too big and takes too much of teir pay checks, Coulter argues.

From Coulter's column:

The point of the tea parties is to note the fact that the Democrats' modus operandi is to lead voters to believe they are no more likely to raise taxes than Republicans, get elected and immediately raise taxes.

Apparently, the people who actually pay taxes consider this a bad idea.

Obama's biggest shortcoming is that he believes the things believed by all Democrats, which have had devastating consequences every time they are put into effect. Among these is the Democrats' admiration for raising taxes on the productive.

All Democrats for the last 30 years have tried to stimulate the economy by giving "tax cuts" to people who don't pay taxes. Evidently, offering to expand welfare payments isn't a big vote-getter.

And all that government spending on the Democrats' constituents will be paid for by raising taxes on the productive.

Read the full column at HumanEvents.com

Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS

Are you a threat to the Obamanation?

If you are a military veteran ...

If you believe the U.S. must do more to stem the flow of illegal aliens ...

If you oppose abortion-on-demand ...

If you protest high taxation and out-of-control government spending ...

You are a potential domestic terrorist, according to a new assessment released by the Obama Department of Homeland Security.

This would be the same Homeland Security Department that has banned the use of the word "terrorist" to describe Islamic extremists who want to kill Americans.

Now that we are living in the Obama-nation, the word "terrorist" is reserved for Americans with conservative beliefs.

And you wonder why gun sales are at an all-time high in the United States? It's only a matter of time before the liberal fascists move against Americans who believe in the Second Amendment right to bear arms.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano spent Thursday morning making the rounds on the morning news shows to defend the Obama Administration's latest assault on conservative Americans.

From The Associated Press:

Napolitano described the report, issued last week, as part of the department's routine of analyzing intelligence information to give law enforcement agencies guidance on possible security threats.

House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, assailed Napolitano's department for the report and pressed the agency to apologize to veterans.

"To characterize men and women returning home after defending our country as potential terrorists is offensive and unacceptable," Boehner said.

Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS

Ten Years After Columbine: Parents Not Engaged in School Safety

Ten Years After Columbine: Parents Not Engaged in School Safety

Mixed Martial Arts to Debut in Pennsylvania on April 19 in York County

Mixed Martial Arts to Debut in Pennsylvania on April 19 in York County

Justice Department Reaches Settlement With Philadelphia Regarding Polling Place Access For People With Disabilities

Justice Department Reaches Settlement With Philadelphia Regarding Polling Place Access For People With Disabilities

Tony Phyrillas on the radio

Tune in to "Talking Politics with Tony Phyrillas & Mike Pincus" today at 5 p.m. on WPAZ 1370 AM

"Talking Politics" can be heard every Thursday from 5 to 6 p.m. on WPAZ 1370 AM.

You can call the station at 610-326-4000 with questions or comments.

If you can't pick up the station's signal, you can listen to the program anywhere in the world on your computer. The show is simulcast at www.pottsmerc.com and www.1370wpaz.com

Baby, You're A Rich Man

We heard so much during the 2008 campaign how rich John and Cindy McCain were, but do you remember any reporting by the left-wing media about those other multi-millionaires, Barack and Michelle Obama?

The "man of the people," the community organizer who grew up on the streets of Chicago, and his wife earned $2.7 million last year, according to federal tax returns released by the White House on April 15.

That's a little better than minimum wage, isn't it?

Financially speaking, 2008 was a bad year for the Obama household. The previous year, the Obamas reported income of $4.2 million.

The median household income in the U.S. is $50,000. The Obamas are just like you and me.

The good news is that the Obamas did pay their federal income taxes to the tune of $855,323, or 32 percent of their income. That's more than you can say about half the tax-chearing Obama cabinet, including the guy who runs the IRS.

Vice President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, earned $269,256 last year, according to their tax returns. That might qualify them for federal assistance by Washington, D.C., standards.

Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS

Too complicated

How many members of Congress have read the Tax Code? It's up to 70,000 pages. The Cato Institute reports that Americans have to spend $300 billion a year to have their taxes prepared, which amounts to an additional tax -- unless you're a member of the Obama cabinet and don't pay taxes.

Meehan asks Corbett to investigate Rendell

Former U.S. Attorney Patrick Meehan, who is thinking about running for governor of Pennsylvania, wants Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett, who is also interested in running for governor, to investigate Gov. Ed Rendell, who currently occupies the governor's mansion. Did you get all that?

Meehan for Pennsylvania, an exploratory committee set up for a possible 2010 run by Meehan, released a copy of a letter Meehan wrote today to Corbett asking the state's top law enforcement officer to open an investigation of "pay-to-play" allegations involving Rendell and a Texas law firm hired by Rendell under a no-bid contract.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Rendell received more than $90,000 in campaign contributions from attorney F. Kenneth Bailey between February and October 2006. In August 2006, Bailey's law firm -- Bailey Perrin Bailey LLP of Houston, Texas -- was awarded a lucrative no-bid contingency fee contract to represent Pennsylvania in a lawsuit against Janssen Pharmaceuticals, according to The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

Rendell won a second term as governor of Pennsylvania in November 2006, far outspending his Republican opponent, former NFL star Lynn Swann.

From Meehan's letter:

I very much hope a thorough review will clearly establish that no wrongdoing occurred. All of us who have built the public trust know how important it is for the dealings of government to be truly transparent and free from the taint of corruption. It is long past time for Pennsylvanians to stop shrugging off allegations of improper dealings and "pay to play" as "business as usual."

Rendell has awarded more than $1 billion in no-bid contracts to politically-connected firms since he became governor in 2003.

Corbett is troubled by the contract with the Texas firm because he says the work the out-of-state law firm was hired to do could have been done by the Attorney General's Office.

Citing a recent editorial in The Wall Street Journal questioning the propriety of Rendell's relationship with the out-of-state law firm, Meehan urges Corbett to "assert your power as Attorney General and take control of this case on behalf of taxpayers."

The letter appears to take political shots at both Rendell and Corbett. Meehan accuses Corbett of enabling Rendell "to assume certain of your authority to pursue healthcare fraud on behalf of Pennsylvania taxpayers."

"Taxpayer dollars already underwrite a Medicaid Fraud Unit in your office," Corbett writes. "These lawyers should be in a position to pursue this litigation. By taking over this case from the Texas firm, the Commonwealth will be in the immediate position to realize the benefit of seven million dollars by settling with Eli Lilly, one of the defendants in this scope of litigation."

If Corbett doesn't want to pursue the case, Meehan said the attorney general should at least insist that a Pennsylvania law firm handle the case.

From Meehan's letter:

"The allegations and insinuations in the media concerning the award of this contract are serious. Pennsylvania has long been plagued by a 'pay to play' political culture that hinders our competitiveness as a state and undermines our citizen’s trust in government. Rooting out corruption and reversing perception must be a priority. A full investigation should be conducted to determine whether anything improper or illegal has occurred in this matter."

No comment yet from Corbett or Rendell about Meehan's letter, but I'm sure both will have plenty to say.

Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS

PA GOP: Democrats' favorite holiday is 'Tax Day'

Pennsylvania Republican Party Chairman Rob Gleason released the following statement concerning Tax Day 2009:

"Higher taxes, less income and a struggling economy are a combination that has made Tax Day 2009 a tough day for many hardworking Pennsylvanians. Unfortunately, higher taxes are something Pennsylvanians are going to have to get used to if President Barack Obama and Gov. Ed Rendell continue to expand their agendas of bloated government spending proposals and wasteful pork-barrel spending projects. Trillions of dollars in hardworking American tax dollars are being wasted and the Democrats' only response is to continue to increase spending on the backs of the taxpayer.

"In less than 100 days in office, the Obama administration has already demonstrated its blatant lack of respect for the American taxpayer. President Obama and the Democrats were so excited to spend our money and increase the size of government that they passed the largest spending bill in American history before allowing many in Congress to even read the bill. President Obama is also seeking tax increases that will hurt small business owners as well as Americans who offer donations to charitable organizations."

President Obama's budget is littered with increased taxes and fees, including:

* $989 billion in new taxes over the course of the next 10 years beginning in 2011 (Jake Tapper, "Almost $1 Trillion In New Taxes Over Next 10 yrs., Starting 2011," ABCNews, 2/26/09, http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2009/02/obamas-budget-a.html)

* A new tax on charitable donations that many have predicted would sharply decreased the amount of money donated each year, some predicting the new law would result in a transfer of more than $7 billion a year from charities to the federal government (Martin Feldstein, "An Anti-Charity Tax, at the Worst Time," The Washington Post, 3/25/09, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/24/AR2009032402462.html)

* Additionally, after examining Obama's budget proposal, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office found that the President's policies would result in increased government spending that would far outpace the money collected in tax revenue, even after all of Obama’s tax increases were implemented. They calculated that Obama's budget would force the nation to borrow nearly $9.3 trillion over the next 10 years. (Lori Montgomery, "U.S. Budget Deficit To Balloon, CBO Says," The Washington Post, 3/21/09, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/20/AR2009032001820.html)

Gleason continues: "Further proving the disconnect between President Obama and the average hardworking American, he chose to nominate four of his Democrat cronies to high-ranking positions in his Administration in spite of the fact that they failed to pay their taxes. Thanks to President Obama, we currently have a Treasury Secretary, Timothy Geithner, who not only failed to report income on his taxes, but admitted that he needed the assistance of a software program to fill out his forms. The fact that a sitting Treasury Secretary would need the assistance of tax preparation software is inexcusable and would be akin to Bill Gates seeking the advice of a computer technician he found on the internet to fix his laptop.

"The assault on the taxpayer is also evident in the policies of our own Gov. Ed Rendell, whose proposed $29 billion budget includes a staggering $281 million in tax increases. At a time when thousands of Pennsylvanians are struggling to keep their homes and support their families, our Governor wants to increase our state spending and make the taxpayer foot the bill.

"It's time for the Democrats to realize that history has proven that tax relief empowers the American people to do what they do best – strengthen our workforce and keep our economy competitive. As the cost of living continues to outpace the rate of inflation, it is critical that families have the economic freedom to make ends meet. The government must allow middle-class families to keep more of their hard-earned money!"

Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS

It's official: Toomey vs. Specter

A couple days after stepping down as president of the Club for Growth, former U.S. Congressman Pat Toomey made it official: He will challenge U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter in the 2010 Republican Primary.

"Pennsylvanians deserve a voice in the U.S. Senate that will honor our values and fight for limited government, individual freedom and fiscal responsibility," Toomey said. "I will be that voice."

It's no coincidence Toomey chose April 15 to make his announcement.

From The Associated Press:

Toomey headed the Club for Growth, a national conservative group that advocates smaller government and lower taxes, from the time he left Congress in 2005 until he stepped down Monday. The group was a major supporter of his 2004 campaign.

Prior to his election to the first of three terms in Congress in 1998, the Harvard-educated Toomey worked as an investment banker and operated several restaurants and bars in Pennsylvania with his brothers.

How worried is 79-year-old Arlen Specter about Toomey?

From the AP:

More than a year before the May 2010 primary, the campaign was already under way as Toomey publicly confirmed his candidacy.

Specter this month put up a cable TV ad that sought to link Toomey's career as an investment banker more than a decade ago to the current chaos in the nation's financial markets.

Imagine that. A guy who has served in the Senate since 1990 and been asleep at the wheel while the economy collapsed is trying to blame Toomey for the meltdown.

As I predicted in an earlier post, Specter will drop out of the race before 2010 because of unspecified health reasons. Specter knows he can't win the Republican primary, so he will bow out before he is handed a humiliating loss at the hands of GOP voters.

Read more about Toomey's challenge in today's edition of The Pottstown Mercury.

Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS

Rohrer: Rendell misses point about property taxes

State Rep. Sam Rohrer, R-Berks, who has led the fight to eliminate property taxes in Pennsylvania, says Gov. Ed Rendell still doesn't get it.

Pennsylvanians are no closer to truly owning their homes than they were when Rendell took office in 2003, according to Rohrer.

While Rendell is touting his administration expects to deliver $200 in average property tax relief to Pennsylvania homeowners this year, Rohrer says Rendell misses the point about Pennsylvania's onerous system of property taxes to fund schools.

"At the end of the day, not one single Pennsylvanian is any closer to truly owning their home as a result of legalized gambling," Rohrer said in a statement. "The only way Pennsylvanians can truly own their homes is if the state completely eliminates the school property tax. Until that happens, homeowners are merely renting their homes in exchange for school property tax payments. After all, if a homeowner fails to pay, the government will evict them."

Rendell's budget secretary announced today that she has certified approximately $770 million in property tax relief for 2009, but Rohrer argues that that is simply proof that people continue to lose money at Pennsylvania casinos.

"In order for homeowners to win, the Pennsylvanians who put their money in slot machines must lose," Rohrer said. "The entire system is built around creating more dependence. It seems that the governor desires that homeowners, from senior citizens to working families, become dependent on this state tax 'relief' program in order to be able to pay their school property tax bill rather than fixing the problem so they can keep their home. Schools are increasingly dependent on people losing their hard-earned money as the way to fund our public schools. Compulsive gamblers are then encouraged to look to government services to help them quit the addiction government encouraged them to start. The whole thing is set up so that people look toward government for the answers to their problems when, in fact, the existing school property tax system is the real problem."

The Rendell property tax relief provided an average of $169 per household in relief in 2008, although some homeowners received as little as $50.

Rohrer said the "relief" that Rendell is promoting has already been eaten up by higher property taxes imposed by most of the state's school districts.

"For many homeowners, the $200 in so-called 'relief' they will receive is less than the amount their property tax bills were raised since 2006," Rohrer said. "Pennsylvania homeowners deserve more than the false hope the governor’s gambling scheme has to offer."

Read Rohrer's full release at the Pennsylvania House Republican Caucus Web site.

Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS

Politicians target newspapers

Some members of the Pennsylvania Senate are pushing a bill that may put a final nail in the coffin of many newspapers across the state.

A bill in the Pennsylvania Legislature proposes removing public notices from newspapers and allowing government agencies to post information online on various Web sites.

That would not only drive away much-needed revenue for struggling newspapers, but would leave taxpayers in the dark about how government spends their money, argues the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association.

From an editorial in The Pottstown Mercury:

Nearly a century ago, the Pennsylvania Legislature passed a law requiring local townships, boroughs, school districts and other government entities to place notices in the local newspaper advising citizens of pending ordinances, budget spending proposals, property sales, election information, zoning changes, among other important issues.

The idea behind that early law was to inform residents affected by government plans. For years, that legislation provided a safeguard of open government — making it more difficult for elected officials to enact laws and spend money without notifying taxpayers.

Now, Senate Bill 419 would allow the government to control its own public notices and eliminate the independent, third-party verification that newspaper publication provides. It would be all too easy to manipulate the bidding process, favor certain contractors, and shield critical information.

Have you ever tried to navigate through a state Web site? It's nearly impossible to find information. And believe me, government bureaucrats will make it as difficult as they can to find legal notices online.

And what about the people who don't have access to the Internet? SB 419 clearly falls under the category of "If it's not broke, why fix it?"

It also makes you wonder what the real motive of lawmakers is. Could the bill be payback for newspapers exposing all the corruption in Harrisburg?

It's time to contact your local state senator and tell them that SB 419 should never see the light of day.

Read more in this editorial published in The Pottstown Mercury.

Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS

PA Game Commission Announces Gypsy Moth Spraying Plans

Game Commission Announces Gypsy Moth Spraying Plans

Lindsay Lohan needs a date

Lindsay Lohan's eHarmony Profile from Lindsay Lohan

Governor Rendell Announces Environmental Excellence Award Winners

Governor Rendell Announces Environmental Excellence Award Winners

Obama's Latest Speech Dodges Campaign Promise to Small Businesses

From the American Small Business League: Yesterday, President Barack Obama gave a 60-minute speech to the nation regarding the state of the economy. His speech discussed the Obama Administration's five pillars for addressing the economy, however President Obama's plans for helping America's biggest job creators, its small businesses, were conspicuously absent.

Read more about Obama's broken promises at the link below:

Obama's Latest Speech Dodges Campaign Promise to Small Businesses

AmericanFlags.com Supplies Thousands of Gadsden Flags for Tax Day Tea Party

AmericanFlags.com Supplies Thousands of Gadsden Flags for Tax Day Tea Party

2009 Pig Book highlights Congressional pork

Citizens Against Government Waste, a non-partisan watchdog group, has released its 2009 Congressional Pig Book, detailing nearly $20 billion in pork-barrel spending.

The Pig Book, now in its 19th year, details more than 10,000 earmarks totaling $19.6 billion. Something to think about as you rush to file your income taxes.

All that talk of change in Washington is more baloney, according to Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW).

"Everyone in Washington has promised a new era of transparency and restraint in earmarks, from President Obama to the leaders of both parties in Congress," CAGW President Tom Schatz said in a release accompany the 2009 Pig Book. "Sadly, the hard numbers from the 2009 appropriations bills tell a different story. The current Democratic congressional majority is following the same trajectory as their Republican predecessors. They came into power promising to cut earmarks, and made a big show of it during their first two years. However, as the 2009 Pig Book amply illustrates, pork-barrel spending is growing fast."

While the number of specific projects declined by 12.5 percent, from 11,610 in fiscal year 2008 to 10,160 in fiscal year 2009, Schatz said the total tax dollars spent to fund them increased by 14 percent, from $17.2 billion to $19.6 billion.

More from Citizens Against Government Waste:

Much has been made of reforms that require members of Congress to identify earmarks they request and the intended recipients of earmarked funds, but CAGW uncovered 221 earmarks worth $7.8 billion that were funded in circumvention of Congress's own transparency rules. These stealth earmarks were particularly prevalent in the 2009 Defense Appropriations Act, which included 142 anonymous earmarks worth $6.4 billion, a staggering 57 percent of the earmarked tax dollars.

Examples of pork in the 2009 Pig Book include:

* $3.8 million for the Old Tiger Stadium Conservancy in Detroit;
* $1.9 million for the Pleasure Beach water taxi service in Connecticut;
* $1.8 million for swine odor and manure management research in Ames, Iowa;
* $380,000 for a recreation and fairgrounds area in Kotzebue, Alaska;
* $143,000 for the Greater New Haven Labor History Association in Connecticut;
* $95,000 for the Canton Symphony Orchestra Association in Ohio; and
* $71,000 for Dance Theater Etcetera in Brooklyn for its Tolerance through Arts initiative.

The Pig Book Summary profiles the most egregious examples, breaks down pork per capita by state, and presents the annual "Oinker" Awards.

All 10,160 projects are listed in a searchable database on CAGW's Web site, www.cagw.org, where you can also download a copy of the 58-page Pig Book.

Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS