Corbett Primaried By Bob Guzzardi

Corbett Primaried By Bob Guzzardi
Bob Guzzardi

Main Line businessman Bob Guzzardi has announced that he will be taking on Gov. Tom Corbett in the Republican primary, May 20.

Guzzardi notes that  Corbett is expected to be the first incumbent to lose Pennsylvania’s gubernatorial race since 1854, and that Pennsylvania Republicans need a chance to choose an alternative.

Guzzardi is the first to announce a primary challenge to Corbett.

He cites Corbett’s $2.4 billion annual tax increase and his looming general election defeat as his reasons for running along with the governor’s many failures  such as the inability to privatize liquor sales or pass meaningful prevailing wage reform.

“The contest is between the Forgotten Taxpayer who works, saves and invests to raise the standard of living for all and the establishment insiders who use government for their own financial benefit or who want power,” Guzzardi said.

Guzzardi said that his platform will include true state pension reform; expanding Marcellus Shale natural gas production to lower energy costs, create productive jobs and raise the standard of living for all; and vouchers for all students — not just those living in Philadelphia or low economic areas.

Corbett Primaried By Bob Guzzardi

Steve Barrar Statement Concerning Gas Tax Hike

Below is a statement sent by Rep. Steve Barrar regarding HB 1060 — the former SB1– which called for spending $2.4 billion in state spending on transportation projects will funded by an increase in the state gasoline tax along with hikes to various driver fees.

The final House vote came Nov. 21 and was 113 to 85 with a 64  Republicans and 48 Democrats voting aye, and 45 Republicans and 40 Democrats in opposition. Barrar was among the nays.

The day before the Senate voted, 43-7,  in concurrence with the House bill. Scott Hutchinson of the 21st District and Kim Ward of the 39th District were the only Republican dissenters. The Democrat minority went 17-5 for the bill.

Prior to the vote, Rep. Steve Barrar sent the statement to a member of the Delaware County Patriots.

“Thanks for contacting me about the SB1 transportation funding bill. I am opposed to this legislation and wanted to explain why I will vote against this bill today. Since learning even more about the numerous tax increases contained in the bill, I am determined to do all possible to defeat this bill unless there is an opportunity to amend it with language that will reduce the amount of the tax increases.

The tax increases in HB1060 the former Senate Bill 1 are excessive… 28.5 cent gas increase and .39 cent on diesel over 3 to 5 years will be hard for many people to deal with, plus the bill raises almost every fee there is at PennDot and places a $100 surcharge on traffic tickets. This bill will have a huge impact on small businesses and its inflationary impact is unpredictable.

The bill also allows counties to put on a $5 registration fee on every car in the county where you live. They can do anything they want with the money.

I have been out the past few months asking people and small business owner how they feel about this proposed legislation… over 80% have said no way would they support this bill. I stood at the WAWA last Sunday for 2 hours asking people about this legislation. I had a grand total of 1 person say they were OK with the bill. Most were surprised saying that they have not heard anything about a gas tax increase and many were very angry and demanded I promise to vote no for such a large increase.

I agree we need more money for transportation infrastructure, but we need a way to fund it that makes sense and reflects what we can afford !!! This bill hurts more then it helps and I can not support this proposal.

I appreciate your taking time to write me. If you need to discuss this further please contact me at 610-636-7924. Thank you!”

Stephen Barrar
Pa House of Reps.
160th Legislative District

HOW LOCAL REPS VOTED
District    / PA Representative    Yes    No
159    Thaddeus Kirkland (D)    X
160    Stephen Barrar (R)          X
161    Joseph Hackett (R)    X
162    Nick Miccarelli (R)    X
163    Nicholas Micozzie (R)    X
164    Margo Davidson (D)    X
165    William Adolph (R)    X
166    Greg Vitali (D)    X
168    Tom Killion (R)    X
185    Maria Donatucci (D)    X
191    Ronald Waters (D)    X

 

Visit BillLawrenceDittos.com for Steve Barrar Statement Concerning Gas Tax Hike
Visit BillLawrenceOnline.com for Steve Barrar Statement Concerning Gas Tax Hike

 

House Saves Pennsylvania

The GOP-controlled Pennsylvania House, yesterday, Nov. 18,  rejected, 103-98, a $2.3 billion “transportation” bill that would have given the state the highest gasoline tax in the nation.

The 103 compassionate legislators who killed it understood that the citizens of this state are hurting and just can’t have any more taken from them whether it be from taxes or mandates or just general crony capitalist greed.

It would have also increased other things such as vehicle registration fees and turnpike tolls.

The plan was strongly supported by Republican Gov. Tom Corbett and the Republican-controlled Senate. There was no Democrat opposition to it. The only bulwark against it was the Republicans in the House. It held.

Thank you.

The plan called for spending $1.65 billion on highways and bridges, $497 million on mass transit and $144 million on “multi-modal” transportation.

It should be noted that most if not all the money would have gone to those with connections whether it be prevailing-wage construction work to protected unions or those working for government authorities such as at SEPTA.

Are our highways and bridges really in that bad shape? Well, here’s a thought: vote on each bridge and highway project individually. Sure, it would be more work but it’s not as though our legislators are being paid pocket change.

For those who cry crisis and claim to be supporters of the public good here’s another thought: Demand that these jobs be exempted from the prevailing wage requirements mandate that hikes the cost of construction by 20 percent on the average. Granted, that concerning the highway work federal reform would be required as well but it would be nice to see this start being discussed as proof that those we elect to represent us actually do so — and understand the issue.

Visit BillLawrenceDittos.com for House Saves Pennsylvania
Visit BillLawrenceOnline.com for House Saves Pennsylvania
Visit Rights-Right.com, where you can find Cryptowit Quote Puzzles by William W. Lawrence Sr.
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Corbett Kudos For June

Corbett Kudos For June — Pennsylvania gained 19,100 jobs in June, the highest in the nation behind California’s 30,200. In third place was Wisconsin at 17,500.

So thank you Gov. Corbett for your tenacious support for the development of our natural gas resources.

If only we could get the federal government to allow gas extraction in the Delaware River Basin as it did in the Susquehanna River Basin during the Bush Administration.

Corbett Kudos For June

Tom Corbett and GOP Fail Pennsylvania — Again

 

If you strike out two of every three times at bat, you’re a Hall of Famer. One out of four gives you a long career. But go 0 for the season and your contract won’t be renewed.

On that last point, welcome to the lives of Gov. Tom Corbett and the Republican-controlled Pennsylvania legislature.

Once again, the pols have recessed for the summer with zero success passing any major initiatives, keeping Pennsylvania stuck in the dark ages. So where does that leave us? Do we carry the torch of hope that lights the way to a better tomorrow? Do we still possess the faith that each successive generation will fare better than the one before it?

Nope.

And because Corbett, who had a 10-point victory in 2010, and the Republican legislature, which enjoys historic majorities in both houses, lack the courage to fix our once-great commonwealth, Pennsylvania further plummets into the oblivion of mediocrity.

If things were peachy, doing nothing would be acceptable. But they aren’t, and “business as usual” — the endless routine of committee meetings, press releases, and little substantive action — won’t break the logjam created by years of inaction.

Our politicians don’t understand — or don’t care — that this crisis has put the economic health of our state in serious jeopardy. Too many hide and duck or are just flat-out incompetent, breeding a climate of cynicism and mistrust — toxic to the optimism so necessary for growth.

Not all that long ago, Pennsylvania was the leading industrial state in the country — and a leader on the world stage. It was a powerful magnet for companies to locate here, and with them came the best and brightest workforce in America. Our children were educated in the state, and actually stayed in Pennsylvania because of the jobs created by a booming economy.

But now, with our well-deserved reputation for corruption and a government seemingly hostile to all but the insiders, we stand at the brink.
And yet with everything in their favor, including widespread support on a number of issues, the Governor and legislature dropped the ball — again. Consider:

1. Liquor privatization: Despite the vast majority of Pennsylvanians favoring the state getting out of the liquor business — with the reasonable expectation that consumer choice would rise and prices would fall — nothing happened. Given the Republicans’ total control, this abysmal failure must be laid at the feet of Corbett. Saying “I want privatization” but not lifting a finger to get it is pathetic. There was no barnstorming the state, no use of the bully pulpit, no playing hardball with recalcitrant Republicans. In fact, he all but ignored the legislature until the 11th hour, and even then screwed the pooch. But what else is new?

The only silver lining is that the privatization bills were ill-conceived, as none eliminated the whopping 18 percent Johnstown Flood Tax (of 1936) levied on every bottle of wine and liquor. Failure to do so in the future (and the odds are long that anything will happen in the fall) will only serve to lessen choice and raise prices, making “privatization” a bad word. Leave it to Corbett to take a great idea and turn it to dung. Bottom line: Do it right, or don’t do it at all.

2. Pension reform: The problem of massively ballooning pension payments over the next several years is so monumental that it threatens the very stability of the state. Given that Corbett has demonstrated an inability to handle even the most basic matters, the assumption that he could tackle such a pressing problem was a fairy tale. But he and the legislature punted on even the most fundamental reform: requiring all future state employees be given a 401k plan rather than a pension. A no-brainer, to be sure, and one that no reasonable person could oppose, since public employees should never have a hands-down advantage over those in the private sector. But nothing was done.

And the next generation will thank Corbett for this massive debt load by fleeing as soon as they can. Brilliant.

3. Transportation: This is yet another issue that, while long overdue, thankfully didn’t happen. Incomprehensibly, the Senate passed a bill that would have placed a 37-cent-per-gallon gas tax on Pennsylvanians to fix roads and bridges. Thankfully the House nixed that, but here’s the kicker: Corbett wanted upward of a 75-cent-per-gallon tax, which would have made Pennsylvania’s gas tax the highest in the nation.

Since when is breaking the backs of Pennsylvanians the path to prosperity? Instead of raising taxes, here’s an idea: Why not increase revenue by instituting pro-growth policies? It’s really not that hard. If you make Pennsylvania a viable place to do business, companies will come, as will their employees — and a whole boatload of revenue follows. The more money pumped into the economy, the more state coffers fill. But that remains a foreign concept, with Pennsylvania maintaining one of the most hostile business climates in the nation.

But what do you expect from lawyers/politicians with virtually no real-world business experience? Who have never encountered innovation-stifling and job-killing rules and regulations? Who have never had to meet a payroll? Who don’t know what it’s like to look a longtime employee in the eye and issue a pink slip because the government forces his hand?

We should expect exactly what we get. Nothing.

4. Second-highest corporate tax: One way not to attract business is by maintaining the second-highest corporate net income tax in the country. Lowering it is an issue both business and labor could and should agree upon, and it should have been done on Day One. Creating jobs floats all boats, union and otherwise. But nothing was done.

Astoundingly, the Corbett plan recently unveiled is to lower that rate by just three points — but over 12 years! Seriously? What savvy CEO will jump on the “opportunity” to come to Pennsylvania on the off-chance that the state will lower its tax by 2025? That level of obtuseness is so great that I am, for once, at a loss of words.

OK, that’s not true. But the words are unprintable.

5. Philadelphia’s schools. The way not to bail out the black hole called Philly schools is by throwing more taxpayer money at the problem and holding onto jobs that need to be eliminated. Shedding 3,800 school district positions isn’t a travesty — it’s a good start. Cutting art and music isn’t the answer, however — increasing revenue is. But rather than force Mayor Nutter and Philadelphia to live within its means, however, like families and businesses do, Corbett and the legislature just perpetuated a failed system.

The chance to fix education through school choice, competition and other reforms came and went. So things will only get worse, if that’s even possible. However, if city revenue were increased by attracting business and residents, then at least the rest of the state wouldn’t yet again be funding Philadelphia’s bad habits. But it’s a case of chicken and the egg. How do you entice companies when you are the cumulatively highest-taxed city in the nation with skyrocketing levels of crime, homeless and poverty?

Common sense dictates that the answer isn’t throwing money, with no accountability, at the problem, nor extending the city’s 8 percent sales tax. But that’s exactly what they did.

After the Hurricane Katrina debacle, there was absolutely nothing George W. Bush could do to save his presidency or his party. With reelection numbers in the 20s, Tom Corbett is in the same position. (Republicans already lost 10 percent of their Senate membership in 2012, and the first-ever Democrat was elected as attorney general, Corbett’s prior position.) The only difference between Bush and Corbett is that it only took our
governor two years to achieve such a distinction.

If there were All Star voting in politics, Tom Corbett wouldn’t even be on the ballot.

 

Tom Corbett and GOP Fail Pennsylvania — Again

Freindly Fire Recap

Freindly Fire Recap
By Chris Freind

It’s been another banner week for battering common sense, but what else is new? However, there was one bright spot, and that leads off our weekly recap:

Tom Corbett’s NCAA Lawsuit Folly: Honest to God, Corbett acts more like Adam Sandler’s deer-in-the-headlights characters every day – slow, clueless, out-to-lunch. The only differences are that 1) People are laughing at Corbett, not with him, and 2) Sandler always wins at the end of the movie. In Tommy Boy’s case, the final scene is coming quickly, and there will be no contract renewal for a sequel.

The latest scene in The Tom and Jerry (Sandusky) Show was the common sense ruling – a no-brainer to everyone but Corbett – by federal Judge Yvette Kane. By her throwing out Corbett’s baseless lawsuit against the NCAA for its sanctions levied against Penn State, the governor gets the worst of both worlds: his crass political move spectacularly backfired, further tanking his already basement-dwelling approval rating.

Were the sanctions an outrageous over-reach? Absolutely. But remember that Gov. Corbett, as a Penn State trustee, agreed to and approved of the sanctions. In an overtly calculated effort to show he “cared” about Penn State – and to improve his abysmal approval rating – he sued the NCAA over those very same penalties.

And what are the reviews for Corbett now? Well, a Quinnipiac poll conducted right before the court decision found that six of 10 Pennsylvanians think Corbett, as then-attorney general, mishandled the Sandusky investigation – a significant reason why a majority (by a whopping 20 percentage points) do not believe he deserves reelection.

Any guesses as to how his embarrassing NCAA-lawsuit thumping will affect those numbers? Single digits, here he comes!


* * *

 

Chrysler Rejecting Jeep Recall: In some respects, this case has the potential to be just as disconcerting as the IRS and AP phone record scandals. The government, via the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, is threatening a federal lawsuit against Chrysler if it doesn’t recall nearly three million Jeeps, alleging that those vehicles’ gas tanks pose a safety issue in rear-end collisions.

Forget the fact that the government’s data is very sketchy (37 accidents and 51 deaths, for Jeeps going back as far as 1993, which, Chrysler states, is about one fatality every one million miles driven).

The big issue is that the vehicles in question meet federal safety requirements – which the government does not contest! In other words, if you accomplish everything you are mandated to do, meeting or exceeding all requirements, the government can still completely disregard that compliance on the whim of bureaucrats seeking a mega-power trip. And for the record, the NHTSA stated the Jeep’s gas tank design “may”, not “does,” pose a safety issue. Way to try to spend other people’s money, in this case hundreds of millions.

When a government is above the very law that it creates, everyone and everything is at risk. Kudos to Chrysler for having the guts – rare indeed – to shove it right back up the government’s tailpipe.


* * *

 

Major League Baseball’s Insane Lawsuit: Speaking of lawsuits with absolutely no merit, the action of Major League Baseball regarding the latest steroid saga is downright foul.

Don’t forget that baseball, and Commissioner Bud Selig in particular, have been the sporting world’s biggest hypocrites when it comes to banning steroids. For years, they officially condemned such substances while not lifting a finger to outlaw them, (having done so only several years ago), instead cashing in big-time on players clearly using “juice.”

Now it wants to appear “tough,” but is vastly overstepping its bounds. In an action that should have no legal standing whatsoever, the League filed a lawsuit accusing Anthony Bosch, owner of Biogenesis, a now-closed anti-aging clinic, for “intentional and unjustified tortious interference” with contracts between MLB and its players by providing them with steroids and possibly other banned substances.

There are frivolous lawsuits, and then there is this.

How can Major League Baseball possibly have grounds to sue a private individual for interfering with the contracts of players?

What’s next? Will baseball sue the Netherlands in World Court if players smoke pot in Amsterdam, which, while legal there, would undoubtedly be interfering with player contracts here?

Stay tuned, as this subject will be revisited.



* * *

 

Chris Christie’s special election: Taxpayer-friendly? New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has always fashioned himself an advocate of taxpayers, eliminating wasteful spending. He has done a fantastic job, which makes his latest action somewhat troubling.

Upon the death of Sen. Frank Lautenberg, Christie used his power to schedule a special election. The problem is that he did so for this October, just a month before the November election, in which he is on the ballot for re-election.

Millions in taxpayer money are used to process a statewide election. So the obvious question stands: Why not save that dough and just have the special election on the same date as the general? Common sense, it would seem. And since New Jersey is already being represented in Washington by the new interim senator, it’s not be like there was an urgency to fill a vacancy.

The real reason, obviously, is that Christie does not want to share the ballot with Cory Booker, the popular mayor of Newark who will undoubtedly be the Democratic candidate for Senate. It’s not that Christie himself is in danger of losing, as he is the most popular governor in the country with a stellar track record. (Anyone listening in Pennsylvania? Anyone?) But most observers believe he wants his reelection margin to be as large as possible, since winning big would help him in 2016 infinitely more than edging out a lesser opponent.

Is this a sound move? In most places, it wouldn’t be, as the political motivations are obvious. But Christie is Christie, and New Jerseyans, used to the roughest, most callous politicians in the nation, won’t even bat an eye. So while Christie will get a free pass on this one, it is nonetheless disappointing to see such a blatant compromise of political principles for such an openly political reason.

We can only hope that’s where Christie’s slippery slope ends.

No Cheers For Corbett In Alcohol Sting

No Cheers For Corbett In Alcohol Sting

The season has finally arrived!

Memorial Day weekend ushered in the unofficial start of summer when people relax with family and friends, enjoying what little leisure time is left in America.

But Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett made it abundantly clear he wasn’t interested in that season.

For him, it was all about making it Open Season — on Pennsylvanians.

In a move that defies every ounce of common sense for a governor touting the lowest popularity in the nation, Corbett had his state police slip across the border over the weekend to engage in sting operations, targeting Pennsylvanians for the capital crime of buying liquor in Delaware and crossing back into the Keystone State.

And what was the mammoth haul of Tommy’s troopers?

The equivalent of 17 cases of beer, 10 cases of wine, and 15 bottles of liquor.

At least Pennsylvania has no other pressing problems to which its increasingly limited resources should be allocated. Oh, wait. It does. A lot, actually.

That was made readily apparent watching the local news when, immediately after the liquor confiscation story, it was reported that Pennsylvania had the worst, most dangerous bridges in the nation (while Delaware’s were second best).

How can the governor reconcile those things? Despite having historic Republican majorities in both legislative chambers, Corbett has made zero headway fixing our crumbling infrastructure, yet prioritizes undercover operations (which nab three people) buying alcohol in another state. Going out on a limb here, but wouldn’t the substantial resources spent on operations in Delaware be better utilized elsewhere? Like in Pennsylvania?

How much taxpayer money was wasted on logistics, fuel costs, and troopers’ salaries, compared to the miniscule tax Pennsylvania “lost?” The numbers aren’t even in the same ballpark, so what were they doing? Squandering resources just to make a point — whatever that point is?

Try explaining that to the family who loses a loved one to a drunk driver who maybe, just maybe, could have been stopped had the state police been patrolling in-state. Or to those victimized by burglary, assault and numerous other crimes while their police were busy making out-of-state, small-time liquor busts.

On a holiday weekend where there is always an upswing in driving while intoxicated (there were five fatal DUI crashes, according to state police), the governor unleashed his dogs on those simply trying to avoid the whopping 18 percent Johnstown Flood Tax of 1936 (plus the additional sales tax) that Pennsylvania levies on wine and liquor.

Is this his way of strong-arming his liquor privatization plan? A kind of “pass my bill or it’ll be like this until you do” message?

Great, except that his bill wouldn’t keep people from flocking to other states to buy liquor, as Freindly Fire explained in a prior column. No one is a bigger privatization proponent than I, but do it right or not at all. But since neither Corbett’s nor the Legislature’s plan eliminate the Johnstown tax, prices will remain high or, quite likely, further increase, if either proposal passes.

And if Delaware stings aren’t about liquor privatization, then what are they about? And why?

Give Tom Corbett credit for one thing: If he’s trying to attain a single-digit approval rating, he is succeeding better than the Democrats ever dreamed.

Aside from the sheer stupidity of engaging in such an operation, several questions are worth asking:

1. Are Pennsylvania State Police legally permitted to operate in other states? If so, why? A call to the Delaware State Police yielded no information, as two individuals had no knowledge of Pennsylvania’s actions. Which makes sense, since it is not in Delaware’s interest to put a damper on legal Delaware commerce.

2. How is this not a violation on the Interstate Commerce Clause? It should be, but the 21st Amendment has a provision allowing states to regulate alcohol almost any way they want. It should be changed.

3. Since random, empty liquor boxes are used to package alcoholic and non-alcoholic bottles at the checkout counter, do the police have probable cause to search one’s trunk after the border crossing is made? How do the police know that the Grey Goose box doesn’t contain soda and non-alcoholic beer? As long as we’re talking about amendments, the governor and police should read the Fourth one. It’s kind of important.

4. When Corbett’s liquor privatization plan doesn’t pass this month — and it probably won’t — will the number of search and seizures escalate? Bet you a case of Delaware liquor they will.

Corbett continues to rationalize why his Jerry Sandusky investigation took so long. One excuse was that he didn’t have the necessary resources, since as attorney general, he didn’t control the state police — the governor did. Under that rationale, Tom Corbett as governor is, and must be, responsible for all operations of the state police under his command, so the buck stops with him on these heavy-handed liquor stings.

As the backlash grows, it has become yet another reason why next year’s re-election chances looks very sobering for Tom Corbett.

 

No Cheers For Corbett In Alcohol Sting

Corbett Puts Brake On Common Core

Corbett Puts Brake On Common Core — Penn Delco School Director Lisa Esler reports that Gov. Tom Corbett has put the brake on the implementation of Common Core — a corporation-conceived national educational curriculum being pushed by Washington.

Good for the Governor.

Mrs. Esler also says that the below resolution will be proposed at the next Penn Delco School Board meeting:

The Penn-Delco School District
Aston, PA 19014

Resolution Opposing Common Core State Standards Initiative

May 2013

Whereas, a solid education of children is the responsibility of the parents, supported by the locally elected Penn Delco School Board based on a strong foundation of accountability and transparency, that is built by open communication about the policies, programs, curriculum and the funding of these education processes; and,

Whereas, the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) Initiative is not a state-led initiative, as it is being presented, but is instead a subpar and unproven experimental set of national standards lacking empirical data to support them, that are still in the early stages of development, and local school board members, school leaders, teachers and most importantly parents were not included in the discussion, evaluation and preparation of the Common Core; and,

Whereas, through a collaboration between three non-governmental organizations, National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers, both of which are Washington D C based trade associations with zero grant of legislative authority from states to draft national standards. The primary drafters, Achieve, Inc., is a non-profit progressive education group with a political bias based in Washington DC; and,

Whereas, Common Core State Standards Initiative was financed by private groups that stand to profit from the sales of textbooks and testing equipment to support these new experimental standards which by-passed our state legislature and impose these controls over the Pennsylvania Content Standards and Testing; and,

Whereas, Common Core State Standard Initiative binds us to an established copyright over standards, from which we cannot delete, replace or add beyond an additional 15% even if parents, teachers, and the local school board all agree, ignoring academic freedom, teacher autonomy, stifling creativity, innovation, eliminating  a laboratory environment & best practices; and,

Whereas,  General Educational Provisions Act prohibits federal authority over curriculum and testing; however, the U.S. Department of Education’s Cooperative Agreement confirms Common Core’s test-building and data collection is federally managed, thereby violating Federal Law; and,

Whereas, Common Core State Standards Initiative violates Constitutional and statutory prohibitions, pressuring states to adopt the standards, even before they were written, and tied financial incentives to “Race to the Top”. If States did not adopt the Common Core Standards they faced penalties, and loss of funds; and,
Whereas, the federal government is imposing an unfunded mandate on our state for unproven Common Core instruction, training, and testing platforms without any pledge of financial support from federal, state or local government; and,

Whereas, neither the Pennsylvania Secretary of Education nor the Governor of Pennsylvania are authorized by the Pennsylvania State Constitution to change public education standards and curricula without prior passage of legislation in the Pennsylvania General Assembly whose mandated responsibility in Article III, Section 14 is “to provide for the maintenance and support of a thorough and efficient system of public education to serve the needs of the Commonwealth.”; and,

Whereas, the CCSS requires collection and sharing of massive amounts of personal student and teacher data creating substantial risk of privacy breach; Now Therefore be it

RESOLVED, That The Penn Delco School District does not subscribe to a one size fits all top down approach to education and recognizes that CCSS as an inappropriate overreach of untested, experimental education standards that are not developed from the results based evidence of their efficacy nor on demonstrated best practices;

RESOLVED, that the Penn Delco School District rejects the collection of personal student data for any non-educational purpose without the prior written consent of a parent;

RESOLVED, That the Board of School Directors of Penn Delco School District hereby officially advises the State Board of Education, the Pennsylvania Secretary of Education, the Governor of Pennsylvania, the Senate and House of Representatives’ Education Committees and the Independent Regulatory Review Commission that it opposes the Common Core Standard Initiative.



Corbett Puts Brake On Common Core

Corbett The Wimp Bleeding In Water

Corbett The Wimp Bleeding In Water— The leftists who run the old media smell blood  and are bolting in to rip chunks from Tom Corbett’s thrashing body as he flounders in the waters of next year’s gubernatorial race.

The Delaware County Daily Times used the entire front page of their tabloid the other day to boast how former Congressman Joe Sestak would crush the hapless Republican incumbent if the election was now.

Today’s The Philadelphia Inquirer front carries the headline “Corbett again sees fault among jobless” mocking him for his comment regarding the state’s high unemployment, which was “. . .there are many employers that say, ‘We’re looking for people but we
can’t find anybody that has passed a drug test,’ a lot of them. And that’s a concern for me because we’re having a serious
problem with that.”

If Corbett could push through a law ending automatic deductions of union dues from paychecks — which, btw, would be a effective tool in creating jobs — or repealing the law allowing for the  hateful teacher strikes, we could get behind him and actually see him having a chance.

But it appears he can’t even get the liquor stores privatized despite the Republicans controlling everything in Harrisburg, and the plan being popular among the residents of the state.

Go Castor.

Corbett The Wimp

Concerns About Corbett

Concerns About Corbett — From GOP activist Bob Guzzardi of Montgomery County:

The Republican Primary voter is noticing that Governor Corbett is not producing any meaningful legislation they want. The Unions are doing better.

It is expected that liquor privatization will degenerate into liquor modernization.

Pension Reform is, effectively. blocked and taxpayers face a $41 billion dollar expense.

United Commercial and Food Workers Union workers at state store got a 4 year contract with 4% increase.

State System of Higher Education gets huge increase “The contract, which covers 5,500 faculty members, provides for salary increases of 11.5 percent or 19 percent over its four-year life, with junior faculty getting the higher increases. Faculty now receives salaries ranging between $44,795 and $107,870 a year”  which is an hourly rate that would impress a Wall Street CEO

Voter ID is still stalled because of inept execution by Secretary of State and Corbett Crony Carole Aichele. Can anyone be this inept or is it intentional slow rolling of real voter reform? like the Sandusky investigation. Corbett has both ways saying he passed Voter ID and then, to help Philadelphia Unions and Democrats so they won’t roll out full bore against him, slow rolls implementation.

Debt increased $4.6 billion with a good portion going to Liberal Democratic and Union construction projects.

Unions are doing well; the Forgotten Taxpayer, not so much.

 

Concerns About Corbett