Hyperinflation Nation Surpasses 25,000 Views in 36 Hours

It's a shame we can't cast a vote of no confidence against the Obama Administration. Six months into the era of "hope and change," we've gotten "despair and more of the same."

More than 3 million Americans have lost their jobs since Obama took office, bringing the nation's unemployment rate to nearly 10 percent.

Gas prices are creeping toward $3.00 per gallon.

The trillion-dollar "stimulus" bill turned out to be what many predicted: A Democratic Party pork bill to reward the special interests who helped get them elected.

The government has taken over the banks, the car companies and now wants to run the health care system.

If Cap and Trade passes the Senate, electricity rates will skyrocket.

And what about the price of potatoes? Yes, potatoes.

That's what tipped off Mark Cour at the Circumlocution for Dummies blog that something is terribly wrong with America in the age of Obama.

From Circumlocution:

I'm not sure if anyone other than myself noticed, but the price of practically everything you may set out to purchase has escalated of late. Escalated and then some, I’d say. On Friday I paid $6.99 for a 10-pound bag of potatoes. That same bag of spuds would have set me back for $2.99 as little as a year ago.

And as I was exiting the supermarket with my overpriced veggies in hand, I passed a guy wearing a T-shirt with that “Yes we can” bit emblazoned on it. And after a quick mumble to myself, I thought, Yes we can? Yes we can, what?

Exactly what are we doing?

It get much better. It's one of the best commentaries I've read anywhere about the current state of affairs in this country.

Read the full post, "Yes we can, what?," at Circumlocution for Dummies

State Rep. Sam Rohrer, R-Berks, made the following comments at a PACT with PA Press Conference in Harrisburg regarding the move by Gov. Rendell and House Democrats to raise taxes for Pennsylvania families and business owners:

Can we really afford to raise taxes? What will be the impact on our taxpayers – our small businesses- our struggling economy – on jobs? If taxes are raised, can the honestly be called "temporary?"

These are all great questions and they must be openly discussed, not twisted and spun to try and convince the public that what they know to be poison is really medicine.

Well if we look at history, this legislature hasn't done so well in regard to this principle. In 1991 we were faced with a $1 billion deficit—but instead of cutting back on spending, taxes were raised $3 billion - $ 1 Billion in needed revenue, $2 Billion to “buy” the votes. That $2Billion/yr has resulted in taxpayers losing over $35 Billion dollars. You see raising taxes is VERY expensive.

In fact, this legislature has resorted to raising taxes in every previous recession (1983, 1991, and 2003). Today, we're facing a $3 billion+ deficit from just this current year with the need to address in this budget an equivalent of around $7Billion. Does anyone think we can afford to raise taxes without absolutely destroying our economy and breaking the backs of our taxpayers? So history doesn't look to good. Now is the time to learn from history, consider the negative impact of the previous tax increases and live within available revenues.

Fact 1: Tax Freedom Day, or the day where Americans stop working to pay taxes and start working for themselves, fell on April 13th. Pennsylvanians work a full 103 days, or three and a half months, to pay federal, state and income taxes. During 2009, you and I will pay more in taxes than we spend on food, clothing, and housing combined.

Fact 2: Pennsylvanians in particular shoulder a heavy burden: with the 11th high state and local tax burden in the country, Pennsylvanians pay on average $13,000 PER PERSON (not wage-earner) in taxes. In 2008-2009, our Pennsylvania state and local governments spent $10,000 for every man, woman, and child.

Fact 3: Raising the PIT as the Governor wants to do will destroy jobs: According to the PA State Tax Analysis Modeling Program, or PA-STAMP, a 1% increase in personal income tax would result in a net loss of 47,633 jobs next year.

The Supreme Court today overturned a lower court ruling written by Judge Sonia Sotomayor establishing racial quotas in a case involving New Haven, Conn., firefighters.

The top court ruled 5-4 that racial quotas are unconstitutional and sent the case back to the appeals court.

The ruling shows clearly what an intellectual lightweight Sotomayor is and also exposes her lack of basic understanding of the U.S. Constitution. That might explain why Barack Obama picked her for the court. Peas in a Pod.

Sotomayor will still get confirmed by the intellectual lightweights in the U.S. Senate, but at least the pretense of her qualification for the Supreme Court is no longer in question.

We now understand she was nominated because she's a Hispanic woman ... and not the most qualified person for the job. Isn't that filling a racial quota?

The problem with liberals is that they're stuck in the 1960s and 1970s. Time has passed them by.

Can your family afford a state income tax increase right now? If not, you must make your voice heard in Harrisburg, where Gov. Ed Rendell and his doormat Democrats in the House are planning to raise the state income by 16 percent to cover the $3.2 billion budget deficit they ran up in the past year.

If you're tired of sending your paycheck to Harrisburg, if you're tired of uncontrolled spending by professional politicians, you need to send a message to your state House member that you will vote them out in 2010 if they vote to raise your taxes in 2009.

Find out more at StopPATaxHike.com

All the propaganda. All the back room deals. All the pork amendments to buy votes.

And all Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi could get was a 219-212 margin to pass the cap and trade energy tax in the House?

Don't be surprised if the $1.9 trillion global warming tax fails in the Senate.

A 7-vote margin in the overwhelmingly Democratic House? That's pathetic. A total of 44 Demcorats voted against cap and trade! It took 8 GOP House members to pass it.

It's not looking good for Obamacare or other future Obama spending sprees.

House Democrats are beginning to worry about their re-election chances in 2010 as the Obama recession continues, unemployment is reaching record levels and the unprecedented debt Obama has piled on the U.S. takes its toll.

Democrats control the House of Representatives by a 255-178 majority, but Nancy Pelosi could barely muster enough votes to pass the $1.9 trillion cap and trade energy tax.

In fact, the Democrats didn't have enough votes until 8 Republicans crossed over to support the largest tax increase in U.S. history.

Michelle Malkin has the names and photos of the 8 turncoat Republicans who sold out the U.S. taxpayer to appease the global warming fanatics.

Electricity rates (and all energy costs) will skyrocket for American families and businesses if the cap and trade bill passes the Senate. Barack Obama has already vowed to sign the tax increase into law.

Read Malkin's full post, "The 8 cap-and-tax Republicans…and the 44 Democrats who voted no" at her blog.

And be sure to remember their names when they're up for re-election in 2010.

Republican Party of Pennsylvania Chairman Rob Gleason released the following statement regarding the Congressional Democrats' "cap and trade" energy tax:

"I am deeply concerned by President Obama and the Democrat's support for the national energy tax known as 'cap and trade'," Gleason said. "'Cap and trade' is an impractical approach to energy independence and will kill jobs and tax millions of hardworking families. In these difficult economic times, it is wrong to force the average American family to pay an extra $1200 in energy costs when many are struggling just to make ends' meet.

"'Cap and trade' will have a devastating effect on Pennsylvanians who work in the energy industry, particularly in the coal and natural gas sectors. Our Commonwealth deserves a comprehensive energy plan. Instead of a massive tax increase that will force millions of jobs overseas, we need to pursue 'all of the above' energy strategies that will decrease our dependence on foreign sources of energy while keeping jobs here at home.

"I urge all members of the Pennsylvania Congressional Delegation to stand up for common sense and stand against this destructive tax increase."

According to the nonpartisan Tax Foundation, implementing 'cap and trade' would cost this country $144.8 billion, or $1,218 per household. (Andrew Chamberlain, "Who Pays for Climate Policy? New Estimates of the Household Burden and Economic Impact Of A U.S. Cap-And-Trade System," Tax Foundation Working Paper #6, 3/16/09)

In order to demonstrate high costs of 'cap and trade' legislation on hardworking families, the Republican Party of Pennsylvania will be hand-delivering candles to our Democrat colleagues today. If a national energy tax is implemented in this country, candles will be the only way many Americans will be able to afford to light their homes.

As House Democrats prepare to pass a $1.9 trillion global warming tax, let's take a step back and review some of the facts about the greatest hoax in human history.

From an editorialin The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review exposing the global warming fraud:

Climate change Chicken Littles squawked last week and too many supposedly objective media outlets compliantly engaged in global warming stenography.

"The observed climate changes that we report are not opinions to be debated," said Jerry Melillo, one of the chief authors of a White House-released study predicting global warming Armageddon. "They are facts to be dealt with."

Selective facts presented dishonestly and dealt with hysterically, we would add.

Geophysicist David Deming offers some badly needed perspective:

• There has been no sea level rise for the past three years

• Hurricane, typhoon and tropical cyclone activity is at a 30-year low

• Satellite data don't indicate global warming but temperatures about the same or even lower than they were in 1979

• Mean global sea ice is at the same levels as it was when monitoring began that same year.

And then there's this from Dr. Deming:

"The new scare report issued by the Obama administration refers to the work of Stephen H. Schneider six times. You will recall that Schneider is infamous for telling Discover magazine (October 1989) that 'we have to offer up scary scenarios, make simplified, dramatic statements, and make little mention of any doubts we might have ... each of us has to decide what the right balance is between being effective and being honest.'"

Global warming is the greatest fraud ever committed by men against mankind. Who will hold these fraudsters accountable?

Congressman Mike Pence, chairman of the House Republican Conference, made the following statement on the House floor in regards to the Democrats' $1.9 trillion national energy tax:

"The Old Book contains an admonition to lawmakers with these words: ‘Woe to you because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry and you yourselves will not lift a finger to help them.' In the midst of the worst economy in a generation, remarkably House Democrats are poised this week to load the American people down with a national energy tax. And the American people deserve to know it.

"Now, there's lots of debate about what this bill will cost the average American but there is no dispute the Democrat cap and trade bill will raise the cost of energy to every household in America, every small business, every family farm, and it will cost millions of American jobs. And the vote is tomorrow.

"If you oppose the national energy tax, I say call your congressman. If you think the Democrat cap and trade bill will cap growth and trade jobs, call your congressman. If you believe the American people deserve an all-of-the-above energy strategy that will create jobs, achieve energy independence and a cleaner environment then endorse the Republican alternative, call your congressman.

"A minority in Congress plus the American people equals a majority. We can reject cap and trade this week and so we must."

America's third largest political party is warning that Nancy Pelosi and House Democrats are rushing toward a massive new energy tax on American families known as "cap and trade," or the Waxman-Markey bill.

"With unemployment rising above and beyond what President Obama said it would be with the multi-hundred billion dollar stimulus bill, now is not the time to dismantle our economy with a multi-hundred billion dollar energy tax hike," said William Redpath of the Libertarian Party.

"Libertarians urge House members to defeat this job-killing tax hike on Americans," said Redpath. "Libertarian candidates are out there every day proposing proven solutions to create the jobs we need and restore our prosperity. This $1.9 trillion tax hike would destroy millions of jobs and impose dramatically higher prices for everything."

More from a Libertarian Party release:

At nearly 1,000 pages, H.R. 2454, sponsored by Democrat Reps. Henry Waxman and Edward Markey, imposes new taxes on any economic activity that produces carbon dioxide. Pelosi hopes to rush the bill to a vote, despite no net temperature increase globally over the last decade, significant research showing man-made carbon dioxide isn't changing the climate and opposition from thousands of scientists.

The economic impact would be harsh. According to research from the independent, non-partisan Heritage Foundation, the bill would have devastating impacts on the average American family.

The research found that by 2035, gasoline prices would increase 58 percent, natural gas prices would increase 55 percent, prices for home heating oil would increase 56 percent, and worst of all, electricity prices would jump 90 percent.

While the average American would pay the tax once in the form of higher energy prices, they also pay it again in higher costs for goods that must be manufactured and services that must be provided using energy.

The average family of four could see $2,979 in higher prices per year, paying $4,609 more in 2035 alone. The total costs to the average family in higher prices, from 2012 to 2035, reach $71,493.

The bill would also destroy millions of jobs, even taking into account Obama administration promises of new “green” jobs. The research finds an average annual job loss of 1,145,000 jobs per year because of Waxman-Markey. In the worst years, 2,479,000 Americans will lose their jobs annually under Waxman-Markey.

Rep. Joe Pitts, a Republican who represents Pennsylvania's 16th Congressional District, is a straight shooter, especially when it comes to looking out for the taxpayer.

Pitts is warning that Nancy Pelosi and Democrats are rushing the Waxman-Markey energy tax bill through the House before taxpayers can figure out how much it's going to cost them.

From a statement issued by Pitts:

"Every American should be gravely concerned about this legislation. Protecting the environment is extremely important, but we should do so wisely and carefully. This is reckless and extreme legislation that will hurt people who are already suffering and do significant damage to the American economy. It will drive manufacturing jobs out of the country to places like China. It will hurt American competitiveness in the world economy. Pennsylvania will be among the hardest hit states.

"The economics of this are simple: affordable energy is critical to prosperity. This legislation will make energy much more expensive. That translates to a less prosperous America with higher poverty rates, higher taxes, and a much bigger national debt. The right way to protect the environment is to make clean energy cheaper by encouraging proven sources of clean energy like wind, solar, and nuclear along with the development of cutting-edge technologies like plug-in hybrid cars and hydrogen fuel cells.

"I will be offering amendments to this bill in an attempt to limit its damage to the economy. However, I expect Democratic leaders to block votes on those amendments."

Pitts is a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which has primary jurisdiction over the legislation. He is also a member of the committee's Energy and Environment Subcommittee.

Veteran Harrisburg reporter Brad Bumsted does a good job of getting to the heart of the current stalemate between Gov. Rendell and his doormat House Democrats versus the Republican-controlled Senate.

Rendell and Democratic leaders want to raise the state income tax by 16 percent to make up for the $3.2 billion deficit Rendell ran up this year.

Senate Republicans (and their House counterparts) say they will not support any new taxes.

What's at stake is control of the Legislature in 2010 and beyond. Rendell is a lame duck. What he wants doesn't matter.

If Senate Republicans cave on the tax issue, they lose all credibility with voters and Democrats will chip away at the GOP's 30-20 majority.

If even one of the 99 Republicans in the House caves on the tax issue, Republicans will become a permanent minority.

Voters are angry. Angry about runaway spending. Angry about the state's economic woes, brought on largely by Rendell's failed policies.

Voters changed 1 in 3 members of the House over the past two election cycles since the infamous pay raise vote in 2005. If House members give in to Rendell and approve a tax hike, expect another large-scale voter revolt in 2010.

That's what Busted thinks, too.

From his latest column in The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:

Will the GOP hold the line?

Are we in for a replay of the 1991 budget battle under then-Gov. Robert P. Casey when it took until mid-August to round up the votes for an income tax hike?

That began as an effort to close a $1 billion deficit. In the end, the tax hike was almost $3 billion. About $2 billion in additional spending bought members' tax votes. Hundreds of millions went for increased program spending sought by Democrat lawmakers, along with millions for their pet projects.

But the bigger question comes if the full Legislature acquiesces to Rendell and goes along with a tax increase. With the 2005 pay-jacking outrage still fresh in the minds of many, will a full-scale public revolt be next?

Read the full column, "Rendell's tax hike shell game," at the newspaper's Web site.

This is the gun control debate in a nutshell. Governments don't want citizens to own guns so the people can never stand up to a tyrannical government. How different things would have turned out in Iran if the people could have fought back against the government thugs carrying the guns.

Five incumbent members of the Owen J. Roberts School Board were ousted by district voters in the May primary election.

So what does the school board do at its June meeting? The board voted 5-4 to fire Superintendent Myra Forrest, who has a five-year contract that runs through June 2010. District taxpayers will pay Forrest's $165,000-a-year salary even if she sits at home for the next year.

Over in neighboring Pottstown, two incumbent school board members were ousted in the May primary and another two will probably lose their seats in the November election.

The current lame duck board is considering a recommendation from its personnel committee to extend the contracts of the superintendent and other top administrators for another three years.

The current contracts run through 2010 and the logical thing to do is allow the new school board to make a decision on the administrators. A vote on extending the contracts was tabled at the last school board meeting, but could be brought back at a future meeting.

What's the solution? Shouldn't there be a law in Pennsylvania that prevents lame duck school boards from making rash decisions that could impact taxpayers for years to come?

Or maybe a new law isn't needed. A judge in Schuylkill County has removed eight elected members from the North Schuylkill School Board in a case involving a superintendent controversy. See story in the Pottsville Republican.

Read more about the OJR superintendent firing in today's edition of The Mercury.

Also check out a Web site set up by critics of the board's decision, site, www.TheFactsAboutOJRSD.com

"It's time to write a new chapter in Pennsylvania's history," says Chester County Commissioner Carol Aichele in announcing her intention to run for Pennsylvania lieutenant governor.

The two-term Republican Chester County commissioner officially launched her bid to become Pennsylvania's next lieutenant governor today.

Aichele said it was time for a new approach to governing in Harrisburg.

"Pennsylvania has steep challenges ahead that require strong leadership," Aichele said in a prepared statement. "It's time to write a new chapter in Pennsylvania's history and fix what is broken in our state. If I have the honor of serving as lieutenant governor, I'll work hard with the newly elected governor to do just that."

Aichele's first official event as a candidate is a fundraiser in King of Prussia hosted by former Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice Sandra Schultz Newman. The event is expected to raise $100,000 for the Aichele campaign.

Joseph "Skip" Brion, treasurer of the Republican Party of Pennsylvania and chairman of the Chester County Republican Committee, enthusiastically endorsed Aichele and said she is the right person for the job.

"Carol Aichele has been a top vote-getter in one of Pennsylvania’s largest suburban counties," Brion said." She will help attract voters next year in all areas of the state, but especially in large suburban areas that are critical in statewide elections. Carol is the kind of accomplished and experienced leader we need working for us in Harrisburg."

Aichele, who calls herself a fiscal conservative, noted that Pennsylvania's next administration will face many daunting tasks after eight years under Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell.

"We must focus on creating jobs, fixing our economy and providing relief to families and businesses struggling with high taxes," Aichele said. "Pennsylvania needs a new beginning."

As a Chester County commissioner, Aichele led the effort to help the county achieve a Triple A bond rating from Moody's Investors Services, one of the few counties in the country to achieve this status, resulting in millions of dollars in savings for taxpayers each year, her campaign noted.

She also worked to Chester County's tax rate among the lowest in Southeastern Pennsylvania.

In addition to serving two terms as commissioner, Aichele was the first woman elected controller in Chester County and has served as the chairwoman of the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission.

Aichele, a former math and science teacher, also served six years as a member of the Tredyffrin-Easttown School Board, with two years as board president. She has served in numerous leadership positions on various boards and community organizations for more than 25 years.

Aichele is a graduate of Cornell University with a degree in economics. She and her husband, Steve, have three grown children and three grandchildren.

Additional information can be found at her campaign Web site, www.CarolAichele.com

The Republican Party of Pennsylvania released a new Web ad titled "$500" today, examining the true cost of Gov. Ed Rendell and the Democrats' plan to raise personal income taxes by 16% on Pennsylvania families.

From a GOP press release:

"Pennsylvanians should be outraged by the Governor's proposal to increase taxes," said PA GOP Chairman Rob Gleason. "Rather than make fiscally responsible decisions in Harrisburg, he has decided to shift the burden of the state's $3 billion budget deficit to Pennsylvania families by calling for a major tax hike. Governor Ed Rendell's decision to cut the annual budget of every hardworking Pennsylvania family by $500 is deplorable."

The Republican Party of Pennsylvania encourages Pennsylvanians to contact Gov. Ed Rendell and Democrat Party leaders and to pass a fiscally responsible budget that will not increase taxes before the end of the fiscal year on June 30.

"For months, Republicans have put forth real solutions that will balance our budget without raising taxes. It is time for Democrats to do the job they are paid to do and make tough decisions in Harrisburg, not force hardworking Pennsylvanians to carry the burden of their out-of-control spending proposals and decision to increase taxes."

Can your family afford a state income tax increase right now? If not, you must make your voice heard in Harrisburg, where Gov. Ed Rendell and his doormat Democrats in the House are planning to raise the state income by 16 percent to cover the $3.2 billion budget deficit they ran up in the past year.

If you're tired of sending your paycheck to Harrisburg, if you're tired of uncontrolled spending by professional politicians, you need to send a message to your state House member that you will vote them out in 2010 if they vote to raise your taxes in 2009.

Find out more at StopPATaxHike.com

Syndicated columnist Charles Krauthammer chides Barack Obama for his ineffective response to the Iranian crisis, essentially calling Obama a coward for his failure to act decisively as the Iranian people stand up to their tyrannical government.

From Krauthammer's latest column in Investor's Business Daily:

All hangs in the balance. The Khamenei regime is deciding whether to do a Tiananmen. And what side is the Obama administration taking? None. Except for the desire that this "vigorous debate" (press secretary Robert Gibbs' disgraceful euphemism) over election "irregularities" not stand in the way of U.S.-Iranian engagement on nuclear weapons.

Even from the narrow perspective of the nuclear issue, the administration's geopolitical calculus is absurd. There is zero chance that any such talks will denuclearize Iran. On Monday, Ahmadinejad declared yet again that the nuclear "file is shut, forever."

The only hope for a resolution of the nuclear question is regime change, which (if the successor regime were as moderate as pre-Khomeini Iran) might either stop the program, or make it manageable and nonthreatening.

That's our fundamental interest. And our fundamental values demand that we stand with demonstrators opposing a regime that is the antithesis of all we believe.

And where is our president? Afraid of "meddling." Afraid to take sides between the head-breaking, women-shackling exporters of terror — and the people in the street yearning to breathe free. This from a president who fancies himself the restorer of America's moral standing in the world.

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

Rep. Curt Schroder, R-155, on the Rendell drumbeat for higher taxes to help the governor dig out of the $3.2 billion deficit he created:

"The Rendell administration is spending a lot of time selling the idea that we have a revenue crisis in this state and more money is needed," Schroder said in a written statement. "We don't have a revenue crisis in Pennsylvania. We have a spending crisis and it's time we acknowledge it and begin dealing with it responsibly."

Schroder said the Senate's budget bill, which was killed by Democrats in House committee, was widely criticized for the depth of cuts it proposed. While acknowledging that the bill was far from perfect, he said it reflected the economic realities facing lawmakers and Pennsylvania citizens.

"Now is the time to scale back state government, to cut non-essential services and discretionary grant programs, and hold the line on spending," said Schroder. "The governor's budget proposes $700 million in new state spending at a time when people are losing their jobs, and losing their homes to foreclosure. Now he proposes to take even more out of their paychecks. This is not a responsible solution. It's time to cut spending now!"

Congressman Jim Gerlach, R-6th Dist., is hosting a forum Tuesday morning to provide constituents an opportunity to learn how cap-and-trade bill and other issues before Congress could affect jobs and utility rates

WHAT: Energy Roundtable Discussion

WHEN: Tuesday, June 23 at 9:00 A.M.

WHERE: Chester County Economic Development Council
Eagleview Corporate Center
737 Constitution Drive
Exton, PA 19341

CONFIRMED ATTENDEES INCLUDE:
· Pennsylvania PUC Commissioner Robert F. Powelson
· Nancy Keefer, President & CEO, Chester County Chamber of Business and Industry
· Exelon Energy
· PPL

Let's assume for a moment that 10 members of the Republican Senate majority go insane and vote with the 20 Senate Democrats to support Gov. Ed Rendell's 16% income tax hike, which would drain $4.5 billion from working Pennsylvanians and small business owners over the next three years.

The tax hike would still have to pass the House, where Democrats hold a 104-99 majority.

For any legislation to pass the lower chamber, a majority vote of 102 members is needed.

For Rendell's tax hike to die in the House, only three Democrats need to join the 99 Republicans in voting against an income-tax increase.

In the past two weeks, I've been posting contact information for Southeast Pennsylvania House members who are serving in their first or second terms.

Only three of the lawmakers listed below need to oppose Rendell's tax hike and stand with their constituents against higher taxes and runaway spending.

If you recognize the names below as your representative, click on the link and send them a message that you can't afford to pay any more taxes ... and remind them that you will never vote for them again if they support Rendell's tax hikes.

Rep. Brendan F. Boyle, 170th Dist.

Rep. Matthew D. Bradford, 70th Dist.

Rep. Tim Briggs, 149th Dist.

Rep. Paul J. Drucker, 157th Dist.

Rep. Tom Houghton, 13th Dist.

Rep. David R. Kessler, 130th Dist.

Rep. Barbara McIlvaine Smith, 156th Dist.

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

House Republicans Pledge to Fight Income Tax Hike

Gov. Ed Rendell this week called on the General Assembly to increase the Personal Income Tax by 16.28 percent to generate $1.5 billion in new revenue. The increase is expected to cost a Pennsylvania family earning $50,000 a year about $250 annually. House Republicans have rejected the necessity of such a tax increase, and instead say state government must live within its means. Additionally, another week has passed in the Democrat-controlled House with no legislative action to bring a budget proposal to the House floor, making the prospect for enacting a state budget prior to the June 30 deadline virtually impossible. House Republicans are committed to controlling spending and ensuring that already-anxious families are not saddled with higher income taxes. For the latest state budget news, visit PAHouseGOP.com

Lawmakers Outline 'Pact with PA' to Reform Budget Process in Pennsylvania

Several House and Senate Republicans gathered this week to unveil the "Pact with PA" proposal, an agreement between state legislators and taxpayers to redefine the state's budgeting process to reflect what people can afford to pay instead of what government wants to spend. Pact for PA outlines five key budgetary principles: no tax increases, no additional state debt, preserving the Rainy Day Fund for its original intent, stabilizing existing financial obligations and enacting proactive tax reform to improve Pennsylvania's job climate. Lawmakers point to these principles as being essential for the state to move toward long-term fiscal stability and economic growth. For the latest legislative news, visit PAHouseGOP.com

Lawmakers Seek to Reduce Welfare Fraud During Tough Budget Year

House Republicans are renewing calls for legislation to enact stricter controls on the distribution of welfare funding following the recent arrest of 16 state and City of Philadelphia employees involved in a half-million dollar fraud operation. Legislation sponsored by Rep. Bryan Cutler (R-Peach Bottom) to address several lax policies in the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) has already been introduced. House Bill 1638 would require photo identification to be issued to LIHEAP recipients, establish a computerized income eligibility verification system to reduce fraud and duplication, create a case review system and establish an Office of Program Compliance for LIHEAP. The legislation is currently awaiting consideration by the House Health and Human Services Committee.

Hearing Shows Need for Unemployment Compensation Overhaul

The House Republican Policy Committee, chaired by Rep. Stan Saylor (R-York), recently held a fact-finding hearing on unemployment compensation issues in Pennsylvania. The hearing was led by Rep. Bob Mensch (R-Montgomery), who is proposing several reforms to the system. The legislation would help the unemployed find a job in their field by requiring registration with PA CareerLink; enabling departing employees to receive benefits immediately following the allowance of a severance pay period; and changing how weekly benefit rates are calculated. Testimony offered at the hearing also highlighted the potential for an estimated $2 billion in cost overruns through 2016 as a result of a diminished Unemployment Trust Fund if steps are not taken to address ballooning expenses.

Another 18,000 Pennsylvania residents lost their jobs in May, bringing the state's unemployment rate to 8.2 percent, up from 7.8 percent the previous month, according to the latest numbers released by the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry.

Pennsylvania has lost 185,000 jobs since May 2008. The 8.2% unemployment rate is the highest the state has seen since 1985.

Despite the continuing recession, Gov. Ed Rendell wants to raise taxes on working Pennsylvanians and small business owners.

A coalition of business and industry groups predicts the loss of an additional 24,000 jobs if Gov. Rendell is successful in persuading the Pennsylvania Legislature to increase the state's income tax by 16 percent to help make up for the $3.2 billion budget deficit Rendell has run up in the past year.

For more labor statistics, click on the link below:

Pennsylvania's Employment Situation: May 2009

News item: Gas prices rise for 50th straight day

Just a reminder to thank Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi for keeping gas prices high by refusing to drill for oil off U.S. shores, blocking new nuclear power plants and ignoring the vast coal resources in the U.S.

Rep. Barbara McIlvaine Smith is a Democrat who represents the 156th House District in Chester County.

McIlvaine Smith has an important vote to cast on behalf of the residents of the 156th District. Gov. Ed Rendell wants to spend $29 billion for the 2009-10 fiscal year. The only way to balance Rendell's budget is through major tax increases. Rendell's current budget is expected to finish $3.2 billion in the red but he still wants to spend more of your money next year.

McIlvaine Smith is being pressured by Rendell and the Democratic party bosses in Harrisburg to raise taxes on his constituents to continue the out-of-control spending in Harrisburg.

If you live in the 156th House District -- the borough of West Chester; the townships of East Goshen and West Goshen; part of East Bradford Township (South 1 and South 2 precincts) -- you need to remind Rep. McIlvaine Smith that if she votes to raise your taxes, she will not receive your vote in 2010 when she seeks re-election.

You can send an e-mail through his Web site http://www.pahouse.com/bsmith or use the following contact information:

Hon. Barbara McIlvaine Smith
107 East Chestnut Street
West Chester, PA 19380
(610) 696-4990
Fax: (610) 738-2163

Hon. Barbara McIlvaine Smith
121A East Wing
PO Box 202156
Harrisburg, PA 17120-2156
(717) 705-1922
Fax: (717) 780-4778

Somebody should tell Gov. Ed Rendell there's a recession going on.

With tens of thousands of Pennsylvania residents out of work and businesses closing their doors every day, the last thing the state needs to do is raise taxes on workers and small business owners.

That's the message a group of business leaders want to send to Gov. Rendell and the Pennsylvania Legislature as state officials get closer to the state's annual budget deadline.

The National Federation of Independent Business/Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Business Council, the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry, and the Pennsylvania Manufacturers' Association issued a joint statement warning that a 16-percent increase in the state's personal income tax would result in the loss of 24,000 jobs.

And that's the short-term consequences, warn business leaders. Higher taxes will worsen the Commonwealth's budget and financial problems, and extend them deeper into the future, the business coalition says.

Gov. Rendell's tax hike also would reduce Pennsylvanians' disposable income by an estimated $1 billion, the group estimates.

Along with the personal income tax increase, Rendell also wants to impose new taxes on tobacco and the fledgling natural gas industry, the business leaders said. There is also a movement in the Legislature to allow counties to raise the state sales tax.

"When you tax something, you get less of it," NFIB state director Kevin Shivers said in a written statement. "The decline in sales tax revenues and income tax collections are a stark reminder that consumers are afraid to spend because they are worried about their jobs and economic uncertainty. Proposing new taxes now would have a chilling effect on Pennsylvania's economy."

More from Shivers:

"Pennsylvania businesses already are being asked to pay $400 million in new payroll taxes to help pay down the $1 billion deficit in the state's unemployment fund. Raising the state income tax -- which is THE business tax for most small businesses -- would be especially harmful in the current climate and impede our ability to recover. Business will be forced to adapt to such dramatic losses in revenue by postponing new hiring, equipment purchases and upgrades; reducing work hours for current employees; and unfortunately cutting jobs."

Pottstown School Board members Nat White and Dennis Wausnock will the guests on "Talking Politics with Tony Phyrillas & Mike Pincus" Thursday at 5 p.m. on WPAZ 1370 AM

They will be discussing the the vote by the school board Thursday night on the $54 million budget, and the recommendation by the personnel committee to extend by three years the contracts of the district's four top administrators.

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

If you can't receive the radio signal, you can listen to the broadcast online at www.pottsmerc.com or www.1370wpaz.com

The Commonwealth Foundation has announced the winners of the Please, No More Taxes! video contest:

First Prize ($2,500): Colin Jones of Bethel Park
Second Prize ($1,000): Robert Madeley of Mohnton
Third Prize ($500): Spencer Folmar of Morrisdale

From a press release:

The Commonwealth Foundation sponsored the contest as a component of a campaign to raise awareness of Pennsylvania's punishing tax burden and the need for Gov. Rendell and the legislature to make it tolerable. Fourteen videos were submitted, each focusing on how Pennsylvania's heavy tax burden negatively impacts economic competitiveness with other states, wages, or the standard of living. A panel of judges rated how well each entrant's video incorporate humor, creativity, persuasiveness, and accuracy.

All three winners are students. Matt Brouillette, president on the Commonwealth Foundation, said, "It's encouraging to see students who understand what some politicians in Harrisburg do not, that raising taxes in a recession will hurt businesses and people."

Jones and Madeley will be freshmen this fall at Pitt and Temple, respectively. Folmar will be a sophomore at Grove City College.

The winning videos can be viewed at PleaseNoMoreTaxes.org/contest

While Gov. Ed Rendell wants to saddle Pennsylvania's beleaguered taxpayers with a 16% increase in the personal income tax, a group of Republican lawmakers have announced the "Pact with PA" offering a road map to fiscal stability without tax hikes.

"The Pact with Pennsylvania is more than a promise made by the lawmakers who adopt it," said state Rep. Sam Rohrer, R-Berks. "It is a promise to their constituents that they will abide by the commonsense principles in the agreement. It is a basic fiscal framework that, if embraced, will assure a workable budget that meets not only the demands of the moment, but the uncertainties of the future."

The Pact is an agreement detailing the five principles that should guide lawmakers' actions during upcoming budget negotiations and the eventual budget vote. Those principles include:

1. No tax increases.
2. No additional state debt.
3. Rainy Day Fund: preserved for original intent.
4. Stabilize existing financial obligations.
5. Proactive tax reform to improve Pennsylvania’s job climate.

"We want a budget that protects the state's savings account, addresses long-term issues, promotes economic growth and that does not raise taxes or increase debt," said Rohrer, who addressed the need to avoid a tax increase as outlined in point No. 1 of the pact. "It is heartless to suggest that, while they're struggling to make it through an economic recession, the state should take more from Pennsylvanians through higher taxes. State lawmakers should not kick taxpayers while they're down. It is entirely inappropriate to add greater tax burdens to our citizens just because that is easier than living within our means."

The Pact has been endorsed Rep. Sam Rohrer (R-128), Republican chairman of the House Finance Committee; Rep. Gordon Denlinger (R-99), Republican chairman of the House Policy Committee Task Force on Budget and Economic Issues; Rep. Mike Turzai (R-28), House Republican whip; Sen. Pat Browne (R-16), Republican chairman of the Senate Finance Committee; and Sen. John H. Eichelberger Jr. (R-30), member of the Senate Finance Committee and chairman of the Senate Local Government Committee.

The legislators are encouraging their colleagues in the House and Senate, and the governor, to participate in the agreement between lawmakers and residents.

Copies of the "Pact with Pennsylvania" are available at Rohrer's Web site at SamRohrer.com

Rep. Tim Briggs is a freshman Democrat who represents the 149th House District in Montgomery County.

Briggs has served in the Legislature for five months. His first major vote will be on Gov. Ed Rendell's $29 billion budget for the 2009-10 fiscal year. The only way to balance Rendell's budget is through major tax increases. Rendell's current budget is expected to finish $3.2 billion in the red but he still wants to spend more of your money next year.

Briggs is being pressured by Rendell and the Democratic party bosses in Harrisburg to raise taxes on his constituents to continue the out-of-control spending in Harrisburg.

If you live in the 149th House District -- King of Prussia, Swedesburg, Swedeland, Gulph Mills, Villanova, Rosemont, Bryn Mawr, Haverford, Ardmore, Wynnewood, and Penn Wynne, the townships of Lower Merion (PART), and Upper Merion, and the boroughs of West Conshohocken, and Bridgeport -- you need to remind Rep. Briggs that if he votes to raise your taxes, he will not receive your vote in 2010 when he seeks re-election.

You can send an e-mail through his Web site http://www.pahouse.com/Briggs or use the following contact information:

Hon. Tim Briggs
677 West DeKalb Pike
2nd Floor
King of Prussia, PA 19406-3065
(610) 768-3135
Fax: (610) 768-3112

Hon. Tim Briggs
06 East Wing
PO Box 202149
Harrisburg, PA 17120-2149
(717) 705-7011
Fax: (717) 772-9860

Stop me if you've heard this one before: Gov. Ed Rendell wants to raise your taxes.

The same governor who signed the second biggest income tax hike in state history when he first took office in 2003 wants to raise the state's personal income tax again.

It seems Gov. Rendell has spent all of the money the first tax hike brought in, so he'd like you (the few Pennsylvania residents who still have a job) to send more of your paycheck to him so he can spend it before he leaves office at the end of 2010.

Some good early reaction to Rendell's idiotic plan to raise taxes during a recession from conservative bloggers.

From POLICY BLOG:

Governor Rendell announced today that to satisfy his appetite for more spending, he would like to increase Pennsylvania's Personal Income Tax (PIT) by 0.5 percentage points - to 3.57%.

As we announced yesterday, a PIT increase would cost thousands of Pennsylvania jobs.

Our updated analysis reveals that Rendell's latest proposed increase would cost 24,000 Pennsylvanians their jobs. This is on top of those jobs already lost during the current recession.

From Lincoln Blog:

The movie "Hangover" continues to top the box office charts, and here in Harrisburg Governor Ed Rendell's pursuit of a new state budget is about as, well, juvenile.

Like the schoolyard bully given a wedgie, the governor is threatening to take the budget ball and hide in his room until he again gets his way. And he's willing to stay there until at least Labor Day, or so he says.

Yep, that's the latest from Rendell. Give me what I want or nobody gets anything. That is his response to legislative Republicans who have refused to roll over and give him new taxes, and who are insisting that the state trim the budget and spend within our means.

From Gunservatively:

I don't call him "Rundown Rendell" for nothing. Fast Eddie continues to try to destroy the state of Pennsylvania with his old tired "tax and spend" philosophy. His latest idea: a 16% personal income tax increase. Another liberal-genius way to lose tens of thousands of Pennsylvania jobs that Pennsylvania doesn't have to lose to begin with.

Pennsylvania continues to lead the nation in teacher strikes even though Pennsylvania teachers are among the highest paid in the U.S.

Trying to make sense of this contradiction is one of the goals of Stop Teacher Strikes Inc., the Pennsylvania-based advocacy group working to prevent teacher strikes. (It's illegal in the majority of states for teachers to strike.)

In order to have a fair debate about teacher compensation, you have to start with the facts. How much do Pennsylvania teachers earn?

Stop Teacher Strikes Inc. has a link at its Web site to a database that lists 195,000 Pennsylvania public school employee names and salaries.

The searchable statewide database, which includes teachers and administrators, is accessible via www.stopteacherstrikes.org

The database originated at the Asbury Park Press Web site http://php.app.com/PAteachers/search.php

Another good source of information about public education in Pennsylvania is School Board Transparency.

From a recent press release issued by Simon Campbell, president of StopTeacherStrikes Inc.:

"With the most recent salary data (2007-2008) now released by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, the Asbury Park Press has once again done an outstanding job at bringing searchable public information to millions of Pennsylvania residents. Any Pennsylvania public school student can now research the salary of his or her teacher to gain an understanding of Pennsylvania's Right-to-Know-Law, and appreciate the difference between public sector and private sector employees. Taxpayers can also review how much money all school employees make, to see how public money is being allocated. The publishing of this data may also help taxpayers understand why some public servants feel the need to eject children from their classrooms by going on strike for higher compensation.

Also profiled on the new "Pension Scheme" Web page of www.stopteacherstrikes.org is the manner in which Pennsylvania State Education Association President (PSEA) union president James Testerman is able to collect a teacher's salary for not being a teacher; thereby enabling him to obtain a taxpayer-guaranteed public employee pension plan for the nine years and counting he has spent working for a private organization. This scheme is also being used by other teacher union officials.

With the Pennsylvania school employee retirement fund in crisis and facing a massive shortfall in 2012-2013, the message is clear. If you don't actually work as a public employee, yet you want a defined-benefit public employee pension plan that taxpayers will bail out, just find a way to become a union boss."

I predicted a schism in the Montgomery County Republican Party over the 24th District state Senate race in a June 8 column you can read here.

Below is a copy of a letter state Rep. Bob Mensch sent over the weekend to Montgomery County GOP Chairman Bob Kerns regarding the soon-to-be vacated 24th state Senate seat held by Rob Wonderling.

It appears Rep. Mensch, who was the first to announce he is running for the Senate seat, initially had the support of Kerns until Montgomery County Commissioner Bruce L. Castor Jr. also expressed interest in the seat.

From the tone of the note, it appears Kerns is favoring Castor over Mensch. Castor has not announced his candidacy yet, but is expected to enter the race. A third Republican, former state Rep. Jay Moyer, is also planning to run, but nobody is paying much attention to Moyer.

Here is Mensch's June 14 letter to Kerns:

Bob,

I was honored and flattered when you called me on June 1st to ask me to run for the 24th Senatorial District as your, County Chairman's, candidate. However, since then I've been disappointed that you have decided instead to campaign full time for Bruce Castor, so I guess your commitment to me on June 1st wasn't really worth very much.

I'm not going to recount all the incidents and occurrences in the past two weeks, but there is one large issue which screams foul, and that is the total lack of integrity to send me a copy of the poll that you insist on running to favor Castor. On several occasions, and notably, in front of others on June 5th at Republican State Committee you promised me a copy, but I've not yet received one. I understand that the other County Chairmen (Bucks, Lehigh and Northampton) have received theirs as well as Jay Moyer. I've emailed you several times asking for a copy, but to no avail. Then, earlier this evening I received a voice mail from someone by the name Ken Gates, with the message that I need to respond by tomorrow morning with any comments or changes on the poll. Funny thing though, he called from a private number and didn't leave an email or a phone number for me to respond. He said he sent a copy to me via email, but I have not received one in either of my emails, and he will be unable to present a verifiable receipt that he did. At this point, this just seems to be one more purposeful deceit in this process.

I have no doubt, despite your first commitment to me, you will continue to try to create every advantage for Castor in this polling process. Regardless, I will continue to pursue the nomination, even though I fully realize you are stacking the deck for Castor in Montgomery County. You know if Bruce is so serious about public service in the State legislature, why don't you first encourage him to run for the House seat in the 70th, which was lost by the Republicans in the last election.

You have my cell and you have my email. I expect to hear from you before this poll "goes to press". My previous two emails to you have not been responded to, but I expect that you will respond to this message.

Sincerely

Bob Mensch

While Gov. Ed Rendell and House Democratic leaders are pushing for more spending and higher taxes, a group of Pennsylvania lawmakers will unveil an alternative plan called 'Pact with PA' on Tuesday. Th Pact is an "agreement with taxpayers offers principles for a sound state budget."

Here's some more information about the plan from state Rep. Sam Rohrer, R-Berks:

WHAT: A news conference to unveil the "Pact with Pennsylvania," a proposed agreement between fiscally responsible lawmakers and the taxpayers they represent in the state Legislature that offers commonsense principles to deal with Pennsylvania's looming budget deficit and bring spending into balance with revenues.

WHO: Rep. Sam Rohrer (R-128), Republican chairman of the House Finance Committee; Sen. Pat Browne (R-16), Republican chairman of the Senate Finance Committee; Rep. Gordon Denlinger (R-99), Republican chairman of the House Policy Committee Task Force on Budget and Economic Issues; Rep. Mike Turzai (R-28), House Republican whip; and Sen. John H. Eichelberger Jr. (R-30), member of the Senate Finance Committee and chairman of the Senate Local Government Committee.

DATE: Tuesday, June 16.

TIME: 9:30 a.m.

WHERE: Capitol Media Center, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Check out www.firedavidletterman.com

Brad Bumsted of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review does a nice job of putting the state budget process into the right perspective in his latest column.

Gov. Ed Rendell and House Democrats want to increase state spending (and raise taxes) even though the current budget is more than $3 billion in the red and tens of thousands of Pennsylvanians are out of work.

Republican lawmakers want minimal cuts in state spending and have introduced a $27 billion balanced budget.

From Busted's latest column:

What's at stake between $27 billion and $29 billion is quite simply whether you pay higher state taxes. And talk is aplenty of a state income tax increase to close a projected $3.2 billion deficit.

Rendell's propaganda campaign lays the groundwork for an income tax boost by pointing out all of the "devastating" consequences of spending less.

Busted also questions the use of taxpayer dollars by Rendell to promote his deficit, higher-taxes budget.

"How many hundreds of employee hours and state tax dollars went into preparing these news releases, which are all aimed at spending even more of your tax dollars?" Busted asks.

And how much did the recent propaganda bus tour orchestrated by Rendell cost taxpayers?

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

Rep. Tom Houghton is a freshman Democrat who represents the 13th House District in Chester County.

Houghton has served in the Legislature for five months. His first major vote will be on Gov. Ed Rendell's $29 billion budget for the 2009-10 fiscal year. The only way to balance Rendell's budget is through major tax increases. Rendell's current budget is expected to finish $3.2 billion in the red but he still wants to spend more of your money next year.

Houghton campaigned on the promise of reducing property taxes but he is being pressured by Rendell and the Democratic party bosses in Harrisburg to raise taxes on his constituents to continue the out-of-control spending in Harrisburg.

If you live in the 13th House District -- the townships of East Fallowfield, East Nottingham, Elk, Franklin, Highland, London Grove, Londonderry, Lower Oxford, New London, Penn, Sadsbury, Upper Oxford, West Fallowfield, West Nottingham and West Sadsbury and the boroughs of Atglen, Modena, Oxford, Parkesburg, South Coatesville and West Grove -- you need to remind Rep. Houghton that if he votes to raise your taxes, he will not receive your vote in 2010 when he seeks re-election.

You can send an e-mail through his Web site http://www.pahouse.com/Houghton or use the following contact information:

Hon. Tom Houghton
3157 Limestone Road
Suite 101
Cochranville, PA 19330
(610) 593-6565
Fax: (610) 593-7041

Hon. Tom Houghton
121B East Wing
PO Box 202013
Harrisburg, PA 17120-2013
(717) 772-2426
Fax: (717) 787-6727

StopTeacherStrikes Inc., the Pennsylvania-based advocacy group working to prevent teacher strikes, has posted a link at its Web site to a database that lists 195,000 Pennsylvania school employee names and salaries. The searchable statewide database, which includes teachers and administrators, is accessible via the StopTeacherStrikes home page www.stopteacherstrikes.org and at the Asbury Park Press Web site http://php.app.com/PAteachers/search.php

From Simon Campbell, president of StopTeacherStrikes Inc.:

"With the most recent salary data (2007-2008) now released by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, the Asbury Park Press has once again done an outstanding job at bringing searchable public information to millions of Pennsylvania residents. Any Pennsylvania public school student can now research the salary of his or her teacher to gain an understanding of Pennsylvania's Right-to-Know-Law, and appreciate the difference between public sector and private sector employees. Taxpayers can also review how much money all school employees make, to see how public money is being allocated. The publishing of this data may also help taxpayers understand why some public servants feel the need to eject children from their classrooms by going on strike for higher compensation.

Also profiled on the new "Pension Scheme" Web page of www.stopteacherstrikes.org is the manner in which Pennsylvania State Education Association President (PSEA) union president James Testerman is able to collect a teacher's salary for not being a teacher; thereby enabling him to obtain a taxpayer-guaranteed public employee pension plan for the nine years and counting he has spent working for a private organization. This scheme is also being used by other teacher union officials.

With the Pennsylvania school employee retirement fund in crisis and facing a massive shortfall in 2012-2013, the message is clear. If you don't actually work as a public employee, yet you want a defined-benefit public employee pension plan that taxpayers will bail out, just find a way to become a union boss."

Here's this week's State Capitol Roundup provided by state Rep. Bob Mensch (R-147):

House Democrats Defeat Responsible State Budget in Committee

The Democrat majority on the House Appropriations Committee voted against a Senate-endorsed, fiscally responsible budget this week. The $27.3 billion spending plan was rejected on a party-line vote, with opponents claiming its spending cuts were too deep and would harm public education and other government initiatives. House Republicans are advocating a responsible budget that recognizes the limitations imposed by the struggling economy while ensuring the state's core government operations continue. House Democrats and the Rendell administration continue to push for a $29 billion budget that spends beyond our means and could only be implemented with a substantial income or sales tax increase. The current fiscal year ends June 30.

Democrats' Universal Health Care Plan Poised for House Vote

A proposal to expand state government's role in the health care industry is poised for a final vote in the House next week. Under House Bill 1, the state's adultBasic program, which provides health insurance for certain low-income individuals, would nearly triple in size. House Republicans are concerned that the plan helps only a small segment of the uninsured population and fails to address the underlying causes of skyrocketing health care costs. They also question funding the program with several one-time funding sources and a tax on people who have private insurance. Republicans are instead focused on comprehensive health care reform that ensures affordable, accessible care for all Pennsylvanians. Visit PAHouseGOP.com and click on "health care" for more information.

Lawmakers Rally to Defeat Democrat Tax Hikes

More than 30 lawmakers were joined by citizens from across the Commonwealth this week as they rallied against higher taxes and wasteful state spending. The Pennsylvania State Capitol Taxpayers' Protest was held in response to comments from Gov. Ed Rendell and House Democrat leaders suggesting an increase in income or sales taxes to pay for a proposed state budget spending increase of $1.2 billion over the current year's spending. This increase in state spending comes at a time when state revenues are expected to be down by more than $3.2 billion by the end of the fiscal year. As budget negotiations continue in the coming weeks, House Republicans have pledged to stand firm against broad-based tax increases. For the latest legislative news, visit PAHouseGOP.com

Rep. David R. Kessler is in his second term representing the 130th House District in Berks County. Kessler, a Democrat, was elected to the House in 2006.

His first major vote of 2009 will be on Gov. Ed Rendell's $29 billion budget for the 2009-10 fiscal year. The only way to balance Rendell's budget is through major tax increases. Rendell's current budget is expected to finish $3.2 billion in the red but he still wants to spend more of your money next year.

Kessler campaigned on the promise of reducing property taxes but he is being pressured by Rendell and the Harrisburg party bosses to raise taxes on his constituents to continue the out-of-control spending in the State Capitol.

If you live in the 130th House District -- the townships of Amity, Colebrookdale, Douglass, Earl, Exeter (PART, Districts 01, 03, 06 and 07), Oley, Pike, Rockland, Ruscombmanor and Union and the boroughs of Birdsboro, Boyertown and Fleetwood -- you need to remind Rep. Kessler that if he votes to raise your taxes in 2009, he will not receive your vote in 2010 when he seeks re-election.

You can send an e-mail through his Web site http://www.pahouse.com/kessler or use the following contact information:

Hon. David R. Kessler
2 Scholl Drive
Oley, PA 19547
(610) 987-0980
Fax: (610) 987-0798

Hon. David R. Kessler
53 Warwick Street
Boyertown, PA 19512
(610) 369-3010
Fax: (610) 369-3011

Hon. David R. Kessler
115A East Wing
PO Box 202130
Harrisburg, PA 17120-2130
(717) 787-2769
Fax: (717) 780-4768

NEWS ITEM: Americans' net worth shrinks $1.33 trillion in 1Q

From The Associated Press:

American households lost $1.33 trillion of their wealth in the first three months of the year as the recession took a bite out of stock portfolios and dragged down home prices.

The Federal Reserve says household net worth fell to $50.38 trillion in the January-March quarter, the lowest level since the third quarter of 2004.

The first-quarter figure marked a decline of 2.6 percent, or $1.33 trillion, from the final quarter of 2008. Revised figures show that during the recession's deepest point in the October-December period, Americans' net worth fell by 8.6 percent.

Net worth represents total assets such as homes and checking accounts, minus liabilities like mortgages and credit card debt.

In case you haven't heard, Barack Obama has been president during the first quarter of 2009 and Democrats control both houses of Congress. How's that "hope and change" thing working out for you?

The Republican Party of Pennsylvania has launched a new Web site, www.GiveItBackArlen.com, to allow Republican donors to more easily request a refund of their contribution from Senator Arlen Specter's campaign.

Specter announced last month he was switching to the Democratic Party in a last-ditch attempt to save his floundering political career.

"We have heard from a number of individuals who donated to Senator Specter's campaign because they wanted to support a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in 2010," Republican Party of Pennsylvania Chairman Rob Gleason said in a press relase. "Many of these individuals have been actively contributing to Senator Specter for years; however they feel betrayed due to Specter's support of President Barack Obama's irresponsible stimulus package and his subsequent decision to switch his political affiliation. We are encouraging these donors to contribute these funds to our Party as we work to win back this important seat in 2010.

More from Gleason:

"It seems appropriate that we are launching this site today as Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Specter hold an 'official' event touting the stimulus package in Cumberland County. Today's event highlights the further attempts of the Democrat establishment, including Vice President Joe Biden, to pull out all the stops to hand the Democrat Party's nomination for the U.S. Senate to Arlen Specter. The President, Vice President, Governor Ed Rendell, U.S. Senator Bobby Casey and other Party leaders need to realize that Pennsylvanians don't like their candidates to be chosen in back rooms in Washington or Harrisburg and that Senator Arlen Specter can’t hide from the voters who will ultimately judge his record."

Our Party's newest Web site, www.GiveItBackArlen.com, will allow individuals who contributed to the Specter campaign to easily fill out their information and apply for a refund. Once you submit your information, the site will automatically generate an e-mail that will be sent directly to the Specter campaign requesting a refund on your behalf. Our goal is to ensure that donors who thought they were giving to a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate have the opportunity to get back their donations. We will then encourage these donors to make a contribution to our Party’s efforts to win back this important seat next year.

State Rep. Bob Mensch, R-147th District, a candidate for the 24th state Senate District seat being vacated by Sen. Rob Wonderling, is the guest today on "Talking Politics with Tony Phyrillas & Mike Pincus."

Mensch will discuss his qualifications for the Senate and also update listeners on the state budget debate in Harrisburg.

The one-hour program airs Thursdays from 5-6 p.m. on WPAZ 1370 AM.

You can call 610-326-4000 with questions or comments during the live broadcast.

"Talking Politics" can also be heard online at www.pottsmerc.com and www.1370WPAZ.com

It's becoming clear that the "stimulus" bill signed by Barack Obama in February has failed to deliver the promised jobs. The propaganda machine in the White House and Obama's media allies have now turned to something "saved jobs" to continue the farce.

"More than 1.6 million jobs have disappeared since the stimulus package was signed in February," says Investor's Business Daily. "Government can't create jobs, only dependency. Make-work jobs will not turn the economy around."

From a new IBD editorial:

The Obama administration, totally unfamiliar with the first rule of holes, has announced it's about to really, really ramp up stimulus spending to create 600,000 jobs this summer. That's on top of the 150,000 jobs it has "saved," though there's no way to identify or measure such jobs.

The unemployment rate, which was never supposed to rise above 8% because of the stimulus, is now approaching 10%. The excuse given is that not enough of the stimulus money has been dispersed.

Monday's announcement of a new and improved stimulus is just old wine in new bottles. In the first 100 days of the stimulus, some $44 billion was spent as jobs continued to hemorrhage. Now we're asked to do more of the same and expect different results.

Obama's 600,000 figure includes 125,000 temporary summer youth jobs and is based on economic projections, not an actual count. The only thing you can accurately count is the number of Americans working — and that's going down fast.

The administration is playing a shell game with its "saved or created" job claims. Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, said as much to the tax-challenged Timothy Geithner at a March hearing.

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

Rep. Matthew D. Bradford is a freshman Democrat who represents the 70th House District in parts of Montgomery County.

Bradford has served in the Legislature for five months. His first major vote will be on Gov. Ed Rendell's $29 billion budget for the 2009-10 fiscal year. The only way to balance Rendell's budget is through major tax increases. Rendell's current budget is expected to finish $3.2 billion in the red.

Bradford campaigned on the promise of reducing property taxes. Ironically he is being pressured by Rendell and the Democratic party bosses in Harrisburg to raise taxes on his constituents to continue the out-of-control spending in Harrisburg.

If you live in the 70th House District -- the townships of of East Norriton (PART, Districts 01 [PART, Divisions 01, 02 and 03] and 02), Lower Salford, Skippack (PART, District 01), Towamencin (PART, Districts 02 [PART, Divisions 02 and 03] and 03 [PART, Division 03]) and Worcester and the borough of Norristown (PART, Districts 01 [PART, Divisions 02 and 03], 03 and 04) -- you need to remind Rep. Bradford that if he votes to raise your taxes, he will not receive your vote in 2010 when he seeks re-election.

You can send an e-mail through his Web site http://www.pahouse.com/Bradford or use the following contact information:

Hon. Matthew D. Bradford
1846 Markley Street
Norristown, PA 19401-2904
Office Hours: 9-5
(610) 270-1150
Fax: (610) 270-1895

Hon. Matthew D. Bradford
2000 Bustard Road Suite 6
PO Box 118
Cedars, PA 19423
Office Hours: 9-5
(610) 222-3490
Fax: (610) 222-3494

Hon. Matthew D. Bradford
117 B East Wing
PO Box 202070
Harrisburg, PA 17120-2070
(717) 772-2572
Fax: (717) 772-2360

If the majority of Pennsylvania residents (55 percent according to the latest Susquehanna Polling and Research Inc. poll) oppose Card Check, why are Arlen Specter and Bob Casey planning to vote in favor of the job-killing bill?

Do they know better than their constituents? Hasn't Pennsylvania lost enough jobs? Who do they represent anyway? Big Labor?

If Specter and Casey won't stand up for Pennsylvania workers and vote against the Employee Free Choice Act, it's time for Pennsylvania voters to elect new U.S. Senators.

The American people are no longer being fooled by the Democrats' "stimulus" boondoggle, which has failed to create jobs or jump-start the U.S. economy.

From Rasmussen Reports:

Forty-five percent (45%) of Americans say the rest of the new government spending authorized in the $787-billion economic stimulus plan should now be canceled.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that just 36% disagree and 20% are not sure. According to news reports, only $36 billion of the stimulus plan had been spent as of late May.

According to news reports, only $36 billion of the stimulus plan had been spent as of late May.

Just 20% of adults say the tax cuts included in the stimulus plan should be canceled while 55% disagree. The stimulus plan includes $288 billion in tax cuts.

Read the full poll results at Rasmussen Reports.

Here's a roundup of news coverage of Tuesday's Taxpayers Protest at the State Capitol:

From a story by Lauren Boyer of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:

Special-interest groups clamoring for a share of taxpayers' dollars are like pigs at a trough, Republican Rep. Daryl Metcalfe said Tuesday.

"The taxpayers who are providing the feed in this trough have had enough," said Metcalfe of Cranberry, surrounded by dozens of taxpayers gathered for a rally to protest a potential state income-tax increase.

Read the full story, "Taxpayer rally targets special-interest groups" at the newspaper's Web site.

Read "Capitol rally protests possible state tax increases" at the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Web site.

Read "Protesters rally against tax hikes at state Capitol" at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Web site.

Read "Taxpayers' protest held in Capitol Rotunda in Harrisburg" at the Harrisburg Patriot-News Web site.

Also check out this video from FOX 43 News.

Inexplicably, The Associated Press failed to cover the rally. Since most of the newspapers, radio and television stations in Pennsylvania rely on the AP for coverage of Harrisburg news, most Pennsylvania residents did not hear about the rally.

You can find a list of state legislators who are standing with constituents in opposing new taxes at www.statecapitolprotest.com

There's also video from Tuesday's rally posted at state Rep. Daryl Metcalfe's Web site, http://www.repmetcalfe.com/

Close to 7 million seniors -- 1 in every 7 -- will receive a smaller Social Security check next year, according to a new analysis by The Senior Citizens League

Millions of other seniors who do not have their Medicare premiums automatically deducted from their checks will also have fewer Social Security dollars leftover next year, the League says.

All this is happening while the Obama Administration spends billions on wars, foreign aid and bailouts for his rich benefactors. What about ordinary American citizens?

Learn what you can do to pressure Barack Obama and Congressional Democrats on this important issue at the link below.

One in Seven Seniors Faces Social Security Check Cuts in 2010

Pennsylvania's 2nd Annual Walk For The Wounded will be held Sunday, June 14, from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Rose Tree Park in Media, Delaware County.

Operation First Response is a national organization that cares for wounded soldiers and their families. The group invites all veterans and residents in Southeastern Pennsylvania to support the fundraiser with their "heart and dollars."

In addition to the walk, there will be free concerts, a visit by the Philadelphia Eagles cheerleaders, the Sixers Dancers and St. Joe's basketball coach Phil Martelli.

Operation First Response says 90 percent of funds raised will go directly to soldiers in need.

You can register for the walk or make a donation online at www.operationfirstresponse.org

Rep. Paul J. Drucker is a freshman Democrat who represents the 157th House Dist. in parts of Chester and Montgomery counties.

Drucker has served in the Legislature for five months. His first major vote will be on Gov. Ed Rendell's $29 billion budget for the 2009-10 fiscal year. The only way to balance Rendell's budget is through major tax increases. Rendell's current budget is expected to finish $3.2 billion in the red.

Drucker campaigned on the promise of reducing property taxes. Ironically he is being pressured by Rendell and the Democratic party bosses in Harrisburg to raise taxes on his constituents to continue the out-of-control spending in Harrisburg.

If you live in the 157th District (Schuylkill and Tredyffrin townships, Phoenixville Borough and parts of Lower Providence and West Norriton townships), you need to remind Rep. Drucker that if he votes to raise your taxes, he will not receive your vote in 2010 when he seeks re-election.

You can send an e-mail through his Web site, http://www.pahouse.com/Drucker or use the following contact information:

Hon. Paul J. Drucker
992 Old Eagle School Road
Suite 909
Wayne, PA 19087
(610) 688-5691
Fax: (610) 688-5695

Hon. Paul J. Drucker
2812-A Egypt Road
Audubon, PA 19403
(610) 631-2865
Fax: (610) 631-2867

Hon. Paul J. Drucker
323 Irvis Office Building
PO Box 202157
Harrisburg, PA 17120-2157
(717) 705-2003
Fax: (717) 772-2943

From a weekend editorial in The Wall Street Journal:

Global warming alarmists are fond of invoking the authority of experts against the skepticism of supposedly amateur detractors -- a.k.a. "deniers." So when one of those experts says that a recent report on the effects of climate change is "worse than fiction, it is a lie," the alarmists should, well, be alarmed.

The latest contretemps pits former U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, now president of the Geneva-based Global Humanitarian Forum, against Roger Pielke, Jr., an expert in disaster trends at the University of Colorado. Mr. Annan's outfit issued a lengthy report late last month warning that climate change-induced disasters, such as droughts and floods, kill 315,000 each year and cost $125 billion, numbers it says will rise to 500,000 dead and $340 billion by 2030. Adding to the gloom, Mr. Annan predicts "mass starvation, mass migration, and mass sickness" unless countries agree to "the most ambitious international agreement ever negotiated" at a meeting this year in Copenhagen.

Even on its own terms, the numbers here are a lot less scary when put into context. Malaria kills an estimated one million people a year, while AIDS claims an estimated two million. As for the economic costs, $125 billion is slightly less than the GDP of New Zealand. Question: Are targeted campaigns using proven methods to spare the world three million AIDS and malaria deaths a year a better use of scarce resources than a multitrillion-dollar attempt to re-engineer the global economy and save, at most, a tenth that number? We'd say yes.

Read the full editorial, "Worse than fiction," at the newspaper's Web site.

Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS

The House Appropriations Committee, voting along party lines Monday, rejected the Senate's $27.3 billion no tax increase budget.

That leaves Gov. Ed Rendell's $29 billion deficit budget (with a variety of tax increases) on the table. And Rendell's budget does not address that $3.2 billion deficit in the current fiscal year.

Rep. Doug Reichley (R-Berks/Lehigh), Republican vice chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, issued the following statement:

"Today we saw firsthand the commitment of House Democrats to avoid passing a budget bill that reins in state spending and averts a state personal income tax increase. Senate Bill 850 spends significantly less than Governor Ed Rendell's budget proposal. The budget supported by Democrats has not been introduced yet, but will likely spend more money than Pennsylvania is capable of taking in without a tax increase amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars. They have not offered their own budget, or legislation detailing which taxes they would increase and by how much.

"None of the taxes the governor relies on for his budget have been detailed in bill form. No new proposal has been put forth by the governor now that his proposed budget from February is seriously out of balance.

"There are 22 days until the end of the fiscal year. Republicans will not be voting for tax increases to pay for more spending during this recession no matter how often Democrats tell us that we need to be taxed more.

"I put forth the idea that we can advance the budget process by reporting Senate Bill 850 from committee with a negative recommendation, which is permitted according to House rules, but this attempt to move forward was blocked with a partisan vote to defeat the bill. Now, we're back at square one, no closer to having a budget bill to debate on the House floor and with the governor touring the state to promote higher taxes."

Jerry Knowles was sworn-in today as the newest member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.

Knowles won a special election last month to fill the remainder of Rep. David Argall's term in the 124th House District after Argall was elected to the state Senate.

The 124th District covers parts of Schuylkill and Berks counties.

Knowles is a former police officer. He served on the Tamaqua Borough Council and eventually as mayor of Tamaqua. He also served six years as a Schuylkill County commissioner and worked for 10 years on the House staff and as director of special projects for Rep. Argall.

With that kind of background, expect Knowles to hit the ground running.

The addition of Knowles gives Republicans 99 seats in the 203-member House.

Learn more about Knowles at his legislative Web site, http://www.repknowles.com/

While the Pennsylvania Legislature debates what to designated as the state reptile and is busy issuing proclamations, somebody is thinking about how to deal with the state's fiscal crisis.

In this case, it would be the staff of The Harrisburg Patriot-News, which published a series of articles Sunday under the banner, "Big Ideas for Pennsylvania."

"We're in a real mess here with the June 30 budget deadline looming," the newspaper says. "The state is looking at a $3 billion deficit and there are no signs that the economy is going to improve any time soon."

The suggestions are intended to spark debate on ways the state can save money or find new sources of revenue.

The "big ideas" include:

1) Sell the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board

2) Charge tolls on Pennsylvania's interstates

3) Expand gambling in Pennsylvania

4) Enact a mileage tax

5) Give state employees a 4-day work week

6) Overhaul the state pension program

I don't agree with all of the ideas, but I applaud the newspaper for offering the pros and cons of each. It's a shame the most expensive state Legislature in the country can't find the time to discuss these proposals in between voting on proclamations such as "June Is Dairy Month."

P.S. -- The Patriot-News is also taking suggestions from readers for other ways the state can save money.

Lowman S. Henry, writing at Lincoln Blog, is skeptical of a proposal floated by Gov. Ed Rendell and House Democrats for a "temporary" increase in the state income tax to deal with the $3.2 billion deficit Rendell and the Legislature created.

When was the last time a "temporary" tax was repealed? Never. When has Ed Rendell kept a promise to taxpayers? Never.

From Lincoln Blog:

Sensing there is virtually no chance of getting a broad-based tax hike approved by the legislature, Governor Ed Rendell floating a new trial balloon: a temporary 1% rate hike in the state personal income tax.

Temporary, right, uh huh. The Governor wants the tax hike just to get us through the recession and to cushion the loss of federal stimulus money in two years and then it would go away. (Wink, wink.)

Come on governor, we all know there is no such thing as a temporary tax hike. We are still paying a special levy imposed to help finance recovery from the great Johnstown flood. And Johnstown hasn't been flooded in generations with anything but John Murtha's pork-barrel spending.

Read the full post at Lincoln Blog.

Despite the propaganda from the White House and the white-washing of the severity of the current recession by the state-run Obama Media, the latest economic numbers paint a clear picture of failure on the part of Barack Obama and his advisers.

Most Americans are worse off today than they were five months ago when Barack Obama moved into the White House. Obama has managed to make the economic crisis worse. So much for that "hope and change" so many American voters fell for in November.

From a new column by Dick Morris and Eileen McGann:

The stimulus package was a total and complete failure. As predicted, as happened with Bush's 2008 tax cut, as happened with the Japanese stimulus packages of the '90s, fearful consumers sat on their money and wouldn't spend it. Keynesian economics didn't work. Again.

But the debt sure piled up. The deficit quadrupled and is sending interest rates soaring, as the government elbows aside businesses and consumers at the loan window, all in a desperate effort to borrow enough money to spend enough money to stimulate the economy, which isn't happening.

Read the full column at Townhall.com

With Gov. Ed Rendell and House Democrats pushing for higher taxes to dig themselves out of the fiscal hole they created, it's time for Pennsylvania taxpayers to be heard.

Join the State Capitol Taxpayers' Protest on Tuesday, June 9

Here is some basic information courtesy of The Commonwealth Foundation:

WHAT: Concerned citizens who will descend on Harrisburg for the all-day Pennsylvania State Capitol Taxpayers' Protest, will be welcomed by a united coalition led by State Representative Daryl Metcalfe (R-Butler) and more than 30 fiscally conservative state lawmakers, state and national watchdog groups and radio talk shows hosts.

WHO: Some of the outstanding confirmed speakers and organizations participating will include: Jim Broussard, Citizens Against Higher Taxes; Josh Culling, National Taxpayers' Union; Bob Durgin and R.J. Harris, WHP 580; Patrick Gleason, Americans For Tax Reform; Kevin Shivers, NFIB; David Taylor, Pennsylvania Manufacturers' Association; Susan Staub, Right to Work; Matt Brouillette, Commonwealth Foundation; Jeffrey Trimbath, The Heritage Foundation; Colin Hanna, Let Freedom Ring and many others. State Senator John Eichelberger and Representatives Kerry Benninghoff, Karen Boback, Paul Clymer, Jim Cox, Tom Creighton, Scott Hutchinson, Rob Kauffman, Tim Krieger, Bob Mensch, Donna Oberlander, Tom Quigley, Kathy Rapp, Mike Reese, Brad Roae, Todd Rock, Sam Rohrer, Curt Schroder, Jerry Stern, Rosemarie Swanger, Will Tallman, Katie True, Mike Turzai, Matt Gabler, Stan Saylor, Sheryl Delozier, Carl Metzgar, Seth Grove, John Payne, Gordon Denlinger and Keith Gillespie are also scheduled to participate.

WHEN: Tuesday, June 9, 2009 at 10 a.m.

WHERE: State Capitol Rotunda, Harrisburg

For more information, visit www.statecapitolprotest.com

A news release from The Commonwealth Foundation:

Brouillette to Counter Rendell's 'Tax You More' Bus Tour
Present the truth about taxes and spending in our public schools

Harrisburg, PA — Gov. Rendell's week-long, state-wide bus tour to scare and mislead Pennsylvanians into thinking they pay too little in taxes and don't spend enough on public education will be met head on by Commonwealth Foundation president and CEO Matthew Brouillette.

As Rendell burns tax dollars in the gas tank of a giant campaign bus to lobby for higher taxes for public education, Brouillette — a former teacher, football/baseball coach, and school board member — will be at each stop along the way to present the truth about education funding under the proposed Senate budget.

"The governor's education half-truths, misleading rhetoric, and inaccurate characterizations will be met with the reality about Pennsylvania's public school funding and performance," said Brouillette. "Contrary to what will be stated in the governor's campaign to raise taxes on working Pennsylvanians, public education spending would still be the highest it has ever been under the Senate's proposed spending plans—despite a severe recession and a $3 billion deficit."

"The people of Pennsylvania deserve the truth about taxes and spending in their public schools," Brouillette noted, "so we'll be following the governor's 'Tax You More Bus Tour' to provide the facts to local communities and media in the wake of the governor's fallacies."

Brouillette will hold informal news conferences immediately following each of Rendell's bus stops across Pennsylvania. Monday's tour stops include:

EVENT #1: U.S. Sen. Casey, Secretary Zahorchak to discuss education funding
TIME: Noon
LOCATION: East Pennsboro Area High School, 425 Shady Lane, Enola, Cumberland County

EVENT #2: Secretary Zahorchak to discuss education funding
TIME: 3 p.m.
LOCATION: Hollidaysburg Area Junior High School, 1000 Hewit St., Hollidaysburg, Blair County

EVENT #3: Secretary Zahorchak to discuss education funding
TIME: 6 p.m.
LOCATION: Baldwin High School, 4653 Clairton Blvd., Pittsburgh

Check CommonwealthFoundation.org for event updates throughout the week, as well as specific information on public education funding.

From House Republican Leader Sam Smith (R-Jefferson County) on the announcement that Gov. Ed Renell will kick off a statewide bus tour outlining the "evils" of the no tax increase balanced budget passed by Senate Republicans:

"The governor is hitting the campaign trail again, only this time for higher taxes. A few weeks ago, we predicted the series of scare press releases, and his administration orchestrated at least 15 so far. We should have predicted the scare bus tour, because here it comes. It's a campaign tactic to support unrealistic spending increases and push for large tax increase. It's the 'Tax You More Bus Tour.'

"Increasing taxes is wrong, and now is possibly the worst time to take any more money out of the wallets of Pennsylvanians."

Despite a record $3.2 billion budget deficit projected for the current fiscal year, Rendell and House Democrats want to raise taxes and increase state spending to an astronomical $29 billion for the 2009-10 fiscal year.

Senate Republicans passed an alternative $27.3 billion that calls for no new taxes, but maintains funding for essential state programs. The vote was 30-20, with every single Senate Democrat opposing the budget.

The Senate version of the budget has been praised by independent organizations (The Commonwealth Foundation, Lincoln Institute) as a fiscally-responsible alternative to Rendell's uncontrolled spending.

Despite the scare tactics by the Rendell Administration and their teachers union allies, the Senate-passed education funding plan provides a minimum increase of 3.1 percent funding over the current year for every school district in the state, Smith noted.

Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS

Here's this week's State Capitol Roundup courtesy of state Rep. Bob Mensch (R-147):

Budget Deadline Looms With Little Progress

Another week of House session has come and gone with no action on the 2009-10 State Budget. Currently, the General Assembly has two drastically different proposals in the House Appropriations Committee-the $27.3 billion Senate-passed proposal (Senate Bill 850) and the House Democrats' $29 billion plan (House Bill 1416) to increase spending to the tune of $700 million. Figures released this week showed that May tax revenues were down more than expected, leading officials to revise projections for the budget deficit to $3.2 billion. With less than a month left before the June 30 deadline, Republican lawmakers are urging their colleagues to get the process underway and engage in serious discussions about reining in government spending and avoiding massive tax increases. For the latest state budget news, visit PAHouseGOP.com and click on "state budget news."

House Republicans Concerned About Unaffordable Health Care Bill

Legislation voted out of the House Insurance Committee seeks to expand a government-run, one-size-fits-all approach to the health care industry at taxpayers' expense. Under House Bill 1, the state's AdultBasic program would use federal funds to augment state funding for an unprecedented expansion of state-run health care despite a $3.2 billion fiscal crisis. If passed, the legislation would also impose new taxes on health insurance premiums. Despite numerous unanswered questions and requests for hearings on the long-term effects of the proposal, the legislation was strong-armed out of the committee in a party-line vote. House Republicans are committed to improving Pennsylvanians' access to health care by making it more affordable and keeping patients and their doctors-rather than bureaucrats-in charge of their health care decisions, all without the need for a tax increase. For more information, visit PAHouseGOP.com and click on "health care."

Education Funding Legislation Will Lead to Future Tax Increases

Republican members of the House Education Committee voted in favor of greater fiscal accountability and efficiency this week when they opposed an unaffordable education funding bill for the 2009-10 school year. The proposal would cost nearly $6 billion to implement and derives a great deal of funding from one-time, federal stimulus funds. When that money runs out, Pennsylvania families will face significant tax increases to fill the billion-dollar funding hole. House Republicans are committed to public education and to protecting taxpayers from further burdens by ensuring state government is living within its means. Despite concerns raised by both Republicans and Democrats, the bill was approved by a party-line vote.

With Gov. Ed Rendell and House Democrats pushing for higher taxes to dig themselves out of the fiscal hole they created, it's time for Pennsylvania taxpayers to be heard.

Join the State Capitol Taxpayers' Protest on Tuesday, June 9

Here is some basic information courtesy of The Commonwealth Foundation:

WHAT: Concerned citizens who will descend on Harrisburg for the all-day Pennsylvania State Capitol Taxpayers' Protest, will be welcomed by a united coalition led by State Representative Daryl Metcalfe (R-Butler) and more than 30 fiscally conservative state lawmakers, state and national watchdog groups and radio talk shows hosts.

WHO: Some of the outstanding confirmed speakers and organizations participating will include: Jim Broussard, Citizens Against Higher Taxes; Josh Culling, National Taxpayers' Union; Bob Durgin and R.J. Harris, WHP 580; Patrick Gleason, Americans For Tax Reform; Kevin Shivers, NFIB; David Taylor, Pennsylvania Manufacturers' Association; Susan Staub, Right to Work; Matt Brouillette, Commonwealth Foundation; Jeffrey Trimbath, The Heritage Foundation; Colin Hanna, Let Freedom Ring and many others. State Senator John Eichelberger and Representatives Kerry Benninghoff, Karen Boback, Paul Clymer, Jim Cox, Tom Creighton, Scott Hutchinson, Rob Kauffman, Tim Krieger, Bob Mensch, Donna Oberlander, Tom Quigley, Kathy Rapp, Mike Reese, Brad Roae, Todd Rock, Sam Rohrer, Curt Schroder, Jerry Stern, Rosemarie Swanger, Will Tallman, Katie True, Mike Turzai, Matt Gabler, Stan Saylor, Sheryl Delozier, Carl Metzgar, Seth Grove, John Payne, Gordon Denlinger and Keith Gillespie are also scheduled to participate.

WHEN: Tuesday, June 9, 2009 at 10 a.m.

WHERE: State Capitol Rotunda, Harrisburg

For more information, visit www.statecapitolprotest.com

Brad Bumsted of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review has an interesting story about a possible Tom Corbett/Pat Meehan "dream ticket" for Pennsylvania governor/lieutenant governor in 2010.

Both men have announced interest in running for governor, but only one will get the Republican Party nomination. The lieutenant governor is elected separately.

Allegheny County Republican Chairman Jim Roddey is pushing a Corbett/Meehan ticket.

From Bumsted's article:

In the letter made public today, Roddey said: "I strongly believe the two of you would make a winning ticket — two tough prosecutors to clean up and reform state government. Based on Tom's ability to win in a tough political environment, I am asking you to refocus your efforts and running with him for lieutenant governor."

Both candidates have geographic bases and records as prosecutors, but Roddey noted that Corbett twice has been elected statewide, including a 380,000-vote victory in November during a Democratic sweep.

Meehan trails badly in most polls of perspective GOP gubernatorial candidates and isn't widely known outside the Philadelphia area, but he does make an attractive lieutenant governor candidate.

And keep in mind that there's no law that a governor or lieutenant governor has to run for re-election to a second term.

Bob Casey Jr.'s U.S. Senate term ends in 2012 and a high-profile Republican will be needed to challenge Casey.

Corbett could serve one term as governor and then take on Casey, clearing the way for a Meehan run for governor. Or Meehan could end up challenging Casey if Corbett wants a second term as governor.

The other high-profile Republican expressing an interest in running for governor is Congressman Jim Gerlach, who represents Pennsylvania's 6th District. Gerlach has the same weakness as Meehan; he is a relative unknown outside Southeastern Pennsylvania.

Unlike Meehan, who resigned last year as U.S. Attorney for SE Pennsylvania, Gerlach has a job and party leaders are worried that the GOP would lose the 6th District seat if anyone other than Gerlach ran.

Read the Bumsted's full story at the newspaper's Web site.

The Obama Recession continues.

Five months into his failed presidency, the U.S. has registered the worst unemployment numbers in more than 25 years. And we're not even counting the tens of thousands of jobs that will be lost after Obama restructures the auto industry.

Statement of U.S. Labor Secretary Hilda L. Solis on May 2009 employment numbers

Did you hear about the Muslim fanatic who gunned down a soldier outside an Arkansas Army recruitment center? Probably not.

The story received little coverage by the mainstream media, which has been fixated all week with the murder of an infamous Kansas abortion doctor.

Michelle Malkin couldn't help but notice the double-standard in the media's coverage of the two violent acts.

The killing of abortionist George Tiller was Page 1 news in most newspapers and led the network news broadcasts. The murder of Pvt. William Long by a domestic terrorist was virtually ignored by the media and the Obama Administration, which is working hard to persuade Americans that we are not at war with radical Islam despite having several hundred thousand troops currently fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.

From Malkin's latest column:

When a right-wing Christian vigilante kills, millions of fingers pull the trigger. When a left-wing Muslim vigilante kills, he kills alone.

These are the instantly ossifying narratives in the Sunday shooting death of late-term abortion provider George Tiller of Kansas vs. the Monday shootings of two Arkansas military recruiters.

Tiller's suspected murderer, Scott Roeder, is white, Christian, anti-government and anti-abortion. The gunman in the military recruitment center attack, Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad, is black, a Muslim convert, anti-military and anti-American.

Both crimes are despicable, cowardly acts of domestic terrorism. But the disparate treatment of the two brutal cases by both the White House and the media is striking.

President Obama issued a statement condemning "heinous acts of violence" within hours of Tiller's death. The Justice Department issued its own statement and sent federal marshals to protect abortion clinics.

News anchors and headline writers abandoned all qualms about labeling the gunman a terrorist. An almost gleeful excess of mainstream commentary poured forth on the climate of hate and fear created by conservative talk radio, blogs and Fox News in reporting Tiller's activities.

By contrast, Obama was silent about the military recruiter attacks that left 24-year-old Pvt. William Long dead and 18-year-old Pvt. Quinton Ezeagwula gravely wounded.

Read the full column, "Two Standards In The Media's World Of Hate," at the Investor's Business Daily Web site.

Tony Fratto of CNBC has a problem with Barack Obama's bogus "jobs saved" claim:

"After nearly twenty years in Washington I thought I've seen every trick ever conceived, but the White House claims of "jobs saved" attributed to the stimulus bill is unrivaled. What causes the jaw to drop is not just the breathtaking deception of the claim, but the gullibility of the Washington press corps to continue reporting it."

If I -- or even my predecessors in the Clinton Administration -- had tried to pull off this ridiculous gimmick we would have been run out of town. I don't even believe it's possible to look back and accurately measure the "job-saving" impact of Bush or Clinton Administration policies, let alone to measure in real time, or project into the future.

On Friday the BLS will release its estimate of May job losses. They will also report their revisions for March and April. And White House officials will once again gear up the spin machine on how many jobs have been "saved".

A self-respecting press corps would vigorously question the White House on their claims. We'll see if we have one.

Read 'The White House 'Jobs-Saved' Deception' at the CNBC Web site.

In light of recent highly-publicized cases of teachers taking advantage of students, PA School Watch offers an important commentary what parents can do to protect their children while they're in the care of teachers.

From the post:

Seems like its open season on children. This is not meant to be a flip statement, but have you watched the news? Everyday children are being victimized by members of the school community. The usual reaction is, how can a teacher do that?

PA School Watch is a non-profit, non-partisan political action group with a goal of creating the safest educational environment for the children of Pennsylvania.

Read the full commentary, "Open Season" at PASchoolWatch.org

By way of NewsBusters, Nobel Prize-winning global warming alarmist Al Gore stands to make millions of dollars if the Obama Administration is successful in passing "cap-and-trade" climate change legislation through Congress.

The information comes from an investigative report by the Reuters news agency.

From the Reuters report by David Lawsky:

An environmental start-up backed by Al Gore's venture capital firm aims to take advantage of coming U.S. climate change legislation by helping companies like Coca Cola and even cities cut pollution.

Hara, a 25-employee company that debuted in 2008, provides online software to help companies reduce their carbon footprint -- a $2.5 billion market that will grow 10-fold if the proposed energy bill, which will require companies to get permits for emissions, becomes law, Chief Executive Amit Chatterjee said.

At the heart of the legislation is a "cap-and-trade" system that will gradually reduce the amount of greenhouse gases emitted by industry, by requiring them to have permits to spew their emissions.

Read "Reuters Exposes Gore's Global Warming Profit Motive" at NewsBusters.

Read the Reuters report, "Gore-backed Hara sees profit from low-carbon economy," at Reuters' Web site.

Also check out the CFP blog, where Steve Milloy has this to say about the sordid affair: "Operating as a stealth tax, cap-and-trade will make the vast majority of Americans poorer and less free — but Al Gore, Kleiner Perkins, Amit Chatterjee and Hara will be laughing all the way to the bank."

Pennsylvania taxpayers are encouraged to visit Harrisburg on Tuesday, June 9, to send a message to their legislators that they can't afford to pay any higher taxes.

For more information on the day-long event, visit www.statecapitolprotest.com

Within 24 hours of the announcement by state Sen. Rob Wonderling that he is resigning his Senate seat to take a private-sector job, Montgomery County Commissioner Bruce L. Castor Jr. and state Rep. Bob Mensch, R-147, each stated publicly they'd like to replace Wonderling.

Both already have high-profile elected positions, but a chance to serve in the state Senate is too good for either official to pass up.

There's no downside for either man to make a run for the Republican nomination in the predominantly Republican district. Castor and Mensch both have jobs to fall back on.

Castor still has two years left in his four-year term as one of three elected commissioners running one of the largest county governments in the state. Mensch won re-election last November to a second two-year term in the state House.

They don't have to quit their day job to make a run for Wonderling's 24th Senate District seat. The loser simply returns to his current position. The winner gets to move to a higher-profile office.

Castor would appear to be the bigger beneficiary because he is currently in political purgatory as the odd-man out in a power sharing agreement between renegade Republican Commissioner Jim Matthews and Democratic Commissioner Joe Hoeffel. Although Castor was the top vote-getter in the 2007 election (and basically got Matthews re-elected on his coattails), Matthews surrendered control of county government to Hoeffel rather than allow Castor to take the lead.

Although he would have the least seniority of anyone in the 50-member Senate, the Republicans have a solid 30-20 majority and can push their agenda, especially with a lame duck governor in Ed Rendell counting down the days to the end of his term.

Mensch would rather run every four years for the Legislature as a member of the Senate instead of every two years in the House. He would also like to be in the majority instead of suffering another two years in the Democratic-controlled House.

A potential Castor-Mensch showdown for the 24th Senate District seat will probably a cordial affair with both men touting their experience. Both are fiscal conservatives so don't expect any major differences on the issues. They are friends and will remain friends despite the outcome of an election.

While Mensch represents many of the same communities in the House that Wonderling has in his Senate district, I think Castor has the edge because of better name recognition throughout Montgomery County ... and beyond.

The 24th District stretches over four counties and Castor is better known as the flamboyant, two-term Montgomery County District Attorney. Castor also has more access to cash and has run larger campaigns as Montgomery County D.A. and commissioner.

And consider this scenario. Castor could win the state Senate seat in a special election this year, but make a run for higher office in 2010, say lieutenant governor, giving Mensch another shot at the 24th District Senate seat next year. Stranger things have happened.

Former Pennsylvania House Democratic Leader Bill DeWeese engaged in the same illegal activities that led to criminal charges against 12 underlings, according to court documents filed on behalf of former state Rep. Mike Veon, who served as DeWeese's right-hand man, reports Mark Scolforo of The Associated Press.

From Scolforo's story on the ongoing Bonusgate corruption case:

In the filing, Veon said prosecutors' own investigative materials show that DeWeese and his staff did many of the same things that prompted the charges. As a result, Veon said the charges against him should be dropped.

Veon served as whip while DeWeese was Democratic floor leader for many years before Veon lost re-election in 2006. The new filing is the first public sign that the investigation has caused a rift between the two.

Veon and 11 others associated with the House Democratic caucus were charged last summer with theft, conflict of interest and conspiracy in what prosecutors say was a scheme to divert public resources and state employees for campaigning or other improper purposes.

DeWeese, who bowed to political pressure and stepped down as the House Democratic leader in January of this year, is still part of the Democratic leadership team. He has not been charged with any criminal wrongdoing but his name continues to surface in the ongoing corruption investigation.

After millions of dollars in bonus payments were allegedly made to Democratic House staffers for political work, the Democrats regained majority control of the state House in 2006 after 12 years of Republican control.

A two-term state representative from Montgomery County is the first candidate to officially throw his hat in the ring for the soon-to-be-vacated state Senate seat held by Sen. Rob Wonderling.

State Rep. Bob Mensch, R-147th Dist., announced his candidacy via e-mail today, less than 24-hours after Wonderling said he would be stepping down.

"I wish to bring my experiences in industry and government to this opportunity," Mensch said. "I am proud that I am not a career politician, but instead am someone who truly enjoys the challenges and the satisfactions of public life."

Wonderling, a Republican serving his second, four-year term, is leaving to take the helm of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce.

His resignation should set off a scramble for the 24th state Senate seat, which spans parts of Bucks, Lehigh, Montgomery and Northampton counties.

Mensch was elected to the state House in 2006 and currently serves on the House Consumer Affairs, Subcommittee on Telecommunications Committee (minority chairman); Insurance Committee; and Local Government Committee (minority secretary).

For more on Mensch, visit his campaign Web site, www.electmensch.com

Opportunities to run for a state Senate seat don't come around very often in Pennsylvania. Monday's announcement by state Sen. Rob Wonderling that he is resigning his 24th Senatorial District seat to take a job as president and CEO of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce will prompt a lot of jockeying to replace Wonderling.

The 24th District covers parts of Bucks, Lehigh, Montgomery and Northampton counties. A prominent political figure from Montgomery County just happens to live in one of the communities within the 24th Senate District.

Montgomery County Commissioner Bruce L. Castor, a former county District Attorney, is considering making a run for the Republican nomination for Wonderling's seat.

"I am weighing all of these factors and considering whether my experience in government and in the judicial system would offer the best representation to residents of the 24th Senate District," Castor said in a prepared statement released today. "I am continuing to discuss this decision with citizens, Republican Party leaders and my family. The most important factor in my decision is whether I think I can do more good in Harrisburg then I can in Norristown."

That's is a no-brainer. Under the secret power-sharing pact made last year by Republican Commissioner Jim Matthews and Democratic Commissioner Joe Hoeffel, Castor is the odd-man out on the three-member commissioners' board.

Hoeffel makes all the decisions and Matthews rubber-stamps them, often keeping Castor out of the loop. As long as Matthews bows to Hoeffel's wishes, Castor might as well give up the commissioners' seat since he doesn't have a role in determining county policy.

The only other rub is that Castor has been considering a run for lieutenant governor in 2010. If he runs for state Senate, it's doubtful he'll make another run for higher office next year. Would he want to be labeled a perpetual candidate like Bob Casey Jr., who is planning his next political campaign as soon as he wins an election?

Republican Chester County Commissioner Carol Aichele has announced she plans to run for Pennsylvania lieutenant governor in 2010.

"I've spoken with people statewide, grassroots folks, and the response has been really very positive," Aichele told reporter Michael P. Rellahan. "People said they found that I'd be a very positive balance to the ticket."

Aichele, who is serving in her second term as a county commissioner, formed the Friends of Carole Aichele, certifying the finance committee with the state Board of Elections as required by law, according to Rellahan.

She will make a formal announcement later this month and hold a fundraiser June 23, hosted by retired state Supreme Court Judge Sandra Schulze Newman.

From Rellahan's story:

Aichele declined to discuss specifics of her run for the post, but she said she believed her experience as a county executive — especially one with a proven financial track record as Chester County — was a positive for voters.

"The kind of experience that I have is something that will bring a positive dimension to a new Republican leadership," she said. "That is what is needed to fix what is broken in our state."

While it's always nice to see a woman seek higher office, there is a glaring problem with Aichele. She isn't exactly a top draw among voters in her own backyard.

Aichele was a favorite to win the vacated 19th state Senate seat in Chester County in 2006, but lost to Democratic county commissioner Andy Dinniman in what remains one of the few SE Pennsylvania counties where Republicans have a voter registration edge.

Political insiders criticized Aichele for a lackluster campaign.

Not exactly the kind of runningmate Tom Corbett is looking for as he prepares to seek the Republican nomination for governor in 2010, although a Corbett-Aichele ticket would have geographic balance.

An Aichele candidacy also poses a problem for Congressman Jim Gerlach, who is also interested in running for governor. Since Gerlach and Aichele both live in Chester County, there's no balance in a potential ticket.

Read the full story about Aichele's potential bid for statewide office in The Pottstown Mercury Web site.

With one month to go in the current fiscal year, Pennsylvania's General Fund budget is $2.8 billion in the red.

The Pennsylvania Department of Revenue released the May tax revenue numbers today and the state's bottom line is not looking so good.

Pennsylvania collected $1.6 billion in General Fund revenue in May, which was $287.5 million, or 15.1 percent, less than anticipated, according to Revenue Secretary Stephen H. Stetler. Fiscal year-to-date General Fund collections total $23.3 billion, which is $2.8 billion, or 10.9 percent, below estimate, Stetler reported.

Gov. Ed Rendell, who signed the deficit budget last July knowing it would never come close to balancing, now projects a deficit of $3.2 billion by the end of the current fiscal year on June 30.

Here's the blow-by-blow breakdown from the Revenue Department:

Sales tax receipts totaled $607.4 million for May, $106.4 million below estimate. Sales tax collections, year-to-date, total $7.5 billion, which is $527.7 million, or 6.6 percent, less than anticipated.

Personal income tax (PIT) revenue in May was $721.4 million, $55.7 million below estimate. This brings year-to-date PIT collections to $9.4 billion, which is $1.1 billion, or 10.4 percent, below estimate.

May corporation tax revenue of $81.6 million was $38.8 million below estimate. Year-to-date corporation tax collections total $4.4 billion, which is $531.4 million, or 10.7 percent, below estimate.

Other General Fund revenue figures for the month included $65.3 million in inheritance tax, $10.8 million below estimate, bringing the year-to-date total to $704.5 million, which is $94.4 million below estimate.

Realty transfer tax was $18.6 million for May, $12.2 million below estimate, bringing the total to $267.3 million for the year, which is $105.2 million less than anticipated.

Other General Fund tax revenue including cigarette, malt beverage and liquor taxes totaled $83.3 million for the month, $10.4 million below estimate, bringing the year-to-date total to $958.2 million, which is $21.2 million below estimate.

I'm not entirely surprised by today's announcement that Republican state Sen. Rob Wonderling will resign his Senate seat to accept the high-profile post as president and CEO of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce.

Wonderling is an ambitious man who would like to be governor of Pennsylvania one day. In fact, he was rumoured to be interested in a run for lieutenant governor in 2010.

Leaving the Senate, where he is one of 50, and returning to the private sector should put Wonderling in a better position to make a run for governor or maybe Congress. (Pat Toomey chose a similar path, leaving the U.S. Congress to run the Club for Growth and returning as a U.S. Senate candidate.)

With Attorney General Tom Corbett the leading Republican candidate for governor in 2010, Wonderling would have at least four years to wait for an opportunity to make a run for governor. Wonderling could bide his time in the state Senate or make a lot more money (and important contacts) as head of the state's largest business group.

From a press release Wonderling issued today announcing his decision to head the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce:

"After much prayer and careful deliberation with my family, I have accepted this unique opportunity to serve the greater Philadelphia region. I have spent more than half of my adult life serving the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, most recently as a Senator to the citizens of the 24th district. Each day has been an honor and pleasure to do so.”

"It has always been my belief that our democracy is best served by citizens who enter into public service for a period of time and then return to the private sector giving an opportunity for another citizen with fresh ideas and new thinking to take up the mantle of public service. Moving forward, I have no doubt, that there will be a citizen of the 24th district who will serve with distinction in the Pennsylvania Senate."

Wonderling kept a foot in the private sector even though he held the "full-time" legislative position. Wonderling currently works for Bentley Systems Inc., a multi-national software company.

Prior to being elected to the Pennsylvania Senate, Wonderling served as Gov. Tom Ridge's deputy secretary of transportation. Before joining the Ridge Administration, he worked for Air products and Chemicals Inc., and was president of the PENJERDEL Council, where he worked closely with the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce on issues involving the Delaware Valley's economic and environmental prosperity.

The current president and CEO of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce is former Pennsylvania Gov. Mark Schweiker, who finished the remainder of Tom Ridge's term after Ridge was asked to head up Homeland Security after 9/11.

Schweiker led the Chamber for six years.

Read more about Wonderling's hiring at the Chamber's Web site.