The tallest tree in the world is a California redwood named Hyperion. Only a few scientists know where it is and they are not telling.
Month: February 2016
Structural Deficits Can’t be Fixed By Tax Hikes
Structural Deficits Can’t be Fixed By Tax Hikes by Leo Knepper
On Feb. 9, Governor Wolf will offer his annual budget address.
Despite being unable to force the legislature to raise taxes to cover a laundry list of campaign promises, Wolf will demand that the government spend even more money in his second budget address. This shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. Governor Wolf has been a broken record when it comes to calling for spending more money. How it makes sense from Wolf’s perspective to demand more spending and simultaneously insist that we have a “structural deficit” is anyone’s guess. If there were a structural deficit, the rational thing to do would be to cut spending. Considering the odd juxtaposition of demanding more spending and claiming a deficit, it was a smart move on his part to avoid the ironic humor of offering his budget address on Groundhog Day.
The Governor will likely offer a vision of the next budget filled with rainbows and unicorns for everyone. He is unlikely to offer any concrete plan to pay for it, outside of calling for one group or another to pay their “fair share”. For his 2015-2016 budget, Wolf singled out the natural gas industry as the source of nearly limitless tax revenue; at least, that is how he presented it. Thankfully, the legislature did not fall into this trap. All of the states who rely on severance tax revenue to meet their regular budget needs are in an incredible bind as the result of the collapse in the price of oil and gas. All of the other tax proposals that Wolf offered to pay for his spending binge were ultimately rejected by the General Assembly.
One way to streamline the budget process this year would be for the House and Senate to do something unusual for the government. Typically, the legislature has decided how much money it was going to spend and then scramble to determine who has to come up with the money to pay for it. This is the opposite of how things are done in the real world. This year the General Assembly should determine how much money is available first and then decide how to spend it. Families do this all the time, that is why they generally have food to eat but may not be able to take a vacation. The Governor and General Assembly would be smart to follow the same example.
Mr. Knepper is executive director of Citizens Alliance of Pennsylvania.
Structural Deficits Can’t be Fixed By Tax Hikes
Pennsylvania Presidential Candidates Debate In Swarthmore
Pennsylvania Presidential Candidates Debate In Swarthmore — Delco Debates will present its initial Regional Alternatives Forum, 2 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 14, at Swarthmore Borough Hall, 121 Park Ave., (19081).
“This Forum will present only Pennsylvania based Candidates for
President,” said Bob Small, who runs the forum. 
He said the candidates represent alternative and independent viewpoints.
“The six selected all have legitimate campaigns and an
electronic presence,” he said and noted more details can be found at Politics1.com.
Scheduled to appear are:
- Jim Babb of Montgomery County from The Vote for Noone Campaign
- Jim Hedges of Fulton County from the Prohibition Party.
- Tom Irwin of Mercer County from The American Party
- Tom Lineaweaver of Lebanon County from Freedom Party USA
- Michael Martisko, of Fayette County from National Sovereignty Party
- John Roy of Lehigh County from the Return to Christ Party
Each Candidate represents a different viewpoint and all will focus on immigration as the jumping off point, Small said.
The Forum will begin with opening statements, followed by audience question and answers, and end with closing statements.
Pennsylvania Presidential Candidates Debate In Swarthmore
William Lawrence Sr Omnibit 2-3-16
The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier can operate for 20 years without refueling.
William Lawrence Sr Omnibit 2-3-16
Wagner Describes Budget Reality
Wagner Describes Budget Reality — For those who missed state Sen. Scott Wagner’s interview with Robb Hanrahan on CBS21’s Face the State, Sunday, it can be found here or below.
Wagner is an excellent legislator and the interview is worth watching.
“If there is anything that I want to say today, that I want people to hear, we have a pension crisis. It’s a $60 billion crisis,” Wagner told Hanrahan. “We have no way of getting out of that crisis. We cannot change benefits for people in the system. Constitutionally, we cannot do it. Yeah, we can try. It will go to the state Supreme Court and get kicked back.”
Obviously, the Senator has looked into the matter. What likely motivated him do so was this revelation he reported back in May that there were those in the state getting $400,000-plus public pensions.
We would like to point out that whatever ink has been placed on paper by politicians working corruptly with lobbyists enough wind caused by cold, honest anger can blow those words away.
And yes, someone with a $477,591 pension– that’s you former Penn State president Rodney Erickson — asking a family with an income of $45,000 to bail him out, is something to be coldly and honestly angry about. It is the epitome of immoral indifference and injustice. It is something you would think would be more fitting of a French nobleman circa 1788 rather than an American.
By the way, Gary Schultz of Jerry Sandusky scandal fame has a publicly guaranteed pension of $330,699. Yes, working guy and gal, the powers-that-be want you to cover it.
We would like to also point out that the mild pension reforms being pushed by the decent Republicans in the legislature such as Wagner and which have been shot down time and again by the not-so-decent powers-that-be do not concern existing pensions and would be unarguably constitutional.
Also in the interview, Wagner said that Pennsylvania’s true spending is about $99 billion of which the widely discussed general fund budget consists of about $31 billion or less than a third.
Wagner described the state’s twisted budget process in which department heads expect automatic increases of up to 5 percent and say their funds have been cut if the hike is less. The commonsense business practice that Wagner advocates is reviewing for places were cuts can be made and existing funds better allocated.
Wagner noted that the state government is filled with what he termed “Swiss bank accounts” some of which are called Ledger 5 funds and are accessed at the discretion of the governor.
“There’s not a lot of transparency,” Wagner said. “. . . I asked our appropriations staff have we ever asked what what’s in those accounts.”
The staff said that they had asked.
So how did the governor reply?
“We never got an answer,” he said.
Wagner said he filed a “right to know” request 30 days ago and he is still awaiting a response.
Wagner said that among the money Gov. Wolf cut when he finally signed a budget on Dec. 29 was about $6 million for critical access hospitals, which are small 25-bed or less hospitals that serve rural districts and are now endangered.
“The Governor has $6 million in his grocery account,” Wagner said.
For some reason, though, he is holding these rural hospitals hostage.
“If these hospitals close, where do the people go?” Wagner said.
Wagner Describes Budget Reality
William Lawrence Sr Omnibit 2-2-16
They eat groundhogs in Michigan.
William Lawrence Sr Omnibit 2-2-16
PTCC Praised By Freedom Group
PTCC Praised By Freedom Group
By Robert Small
At the 24th Annual Bill of Rights Commemorative Banquet, Dec. 15, the winner of the 2015 Bill of Rights Award was David Baldinger of the Pennsylvania Taxpayers Cyber Coalition (PTCC). Carris Kocher, Founder and one of the main drivers of the Bill of Rights Bicentennial Committee, said David was chosen for his dedication to the 4th and 5th Amendment Rights to property.
Though one might characterize the BRBC as conservative, their
2013 Honoree was one Edward Snowden who, as Carris dryly remarked was “unavailable to personally accept this award”.
They seek to honor persons who have stood up for the Bill of Rights at great personal risk.
Their mailing address is Bill of Rights Bicentennnial Committee, P. O. Box 912, Concordville , Pa., 19331 or kochercj@verizon.net.
The Cyber Coalition has taken a stand on property tax reform and notes on its website that HB/SB 76 is pending in the Pennsylvania Legislature. This bill would shift the school funding burden to the Sales tax by increasing the rate to 7 percent (8 percent in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh) and taxing more goods and services.
It would raise the personal income tax rate from 3.07 percent to 4.34 percent.
Within two years, this would abolish the school property tax, except to the extent necessary to pay off existing school district debts. It would authorize school districts to levy a new tax on income (subject to referendum approval), to be collected by local authorities. However, these new provisions would also tie this funding to the vagaries of the economy.
On Nov. 21, SB 76 garnered a 24-24 tie vote in the Pa. Senate. The tie-breaking vote against it was cast by Lt. Gov. Mike Stack.
Having heard this, I spoke to my two local Pennsylvania Legislature members.
According to the office of State Rep. Leanne Kruger-Braneky (D-161), this bill will not come to the State House at this time. They also added that no other property tax relief is in the latest proposed budget. There is nothing else particularly in play regarding property tax relief. We are still awaiting a return call or email from State Senator Tom McGarrigle (R-26) after two weeks.
According to the PTCC, some of the major newly taxed goods would include much food and clothing items, and newly taxed services would include all or nearly all professional or technical (except business-to-business), personal, transportation, finance and insurance services.
As one reviews their website, there may be some caveats to a few of the items added to the taxable base, primarily magazines and newspapers many of whom, in this computer age, are barely financially viable. However, the majority seems reasonable, especially considering they would exempt items covered by WIC, etc. Obviously no piece of Legislation will have everyone’s approval on everything.
Some items that seem to be common-sensible, as opposed to government sensible, are all schools will be funded at their current levels and This Property Tax Independence Act completely eliminates the ability of local school boards to tax real estate, except to pay off their own district’s outstanding debt.
Furthermore, an analysis of the 2011-2012 version of the Property Tax Independence act by the Pennsylvania Independent Fiscal Office indicates the plan is financially viable.
There had been two Delaware County branches of the PTCC,
Delaware County 55% Coalition and Delaware County Taxpayers Coalition, but they both seem to have become inactive.
Nothing else will likely happen until the Pennsylvania Budget is passed.
We share with Illinois the distinction, if one can call it that, of going the longest in 2015 without passing a budget.
Mr. Small is a resident of Swarthmore. He can be reached at writ1@verizon.net
PTCC Praised By Freedom Group
Wolf Campaign Never Ends
Wolf Campaign Never Ends — Joe Shafer, who was Gov. Tom Wolf’s former deputy chief of staff, has a new job as director of independent expenditures with The Democratic Governor’s Association (DGA).
The DGA is affliated with America Works USA a 501(c)(4) group which is considered to be a “dark money” group in the sense it doesn’t have to disclose its donors.
America Works USA has been and continues to be active in Pennsylvania’s budget debate spending money on fliers and ads attacking Republican legislators unwilling to succumb to the Wolf’s ultimatums.
So much for being a governor willing to consider other points of view and seek compromise. For Wolf, it seems, the campaign never ends.
Wolf Campaign Never Ends
William Lawrence Sr Omnibit 2-1-16
The Romans had a festival of purification called Februa which means “I purify by sacrifice.” Guess what month is named for it.
William Lawrence Sr Omnibit 2-1-16
Rubio Gets Spirit of 76 Endorsement
Rubio Gets Spirit of 76 Endorsement — The Spirit of 76 PAC, a tri-state (DE, NJ, PA) conservative federal PAC announced today, Feb. 1, that its advisory board has unanimously voted to endorse Marco Rubio for President.
Calling Senator Rubio the “best candidate to run for President from either party since Ronald Reagan,” PAC Spokeswoman Teri Adams of Cheltenham Township, PA, described Rubio as “a passionate conservative with a congressional voting record that matches his strong principled rhetoric.
“In the Senate, Marco Rubio has almost single-handily defeated ObamaCare by inserting a provision in the budget which restricts the Obama administration from shifting taxpayer funds from other programs to bailout health care insurers who are experiencing unexpected heavy losses. ObamaCare cannot sustain this unanticipated budget shortfall,” said Ms. Adams.
“As a member of both the Senate Foreign Relations and Intelligence Committees for the past five years, Rubio has also gained extensive experience in foreign policy and national security issues,” said Advisory Board Member Jason O’Neill of Bear, DE. “This experience will be invaluable in the fall campaign and in January 2017, when Senator Rubio becomes the 45th President of the United States.”
In addition to his career in the US Senate, Marco Rubio is one of the few candidates to have also served as an elected official at both the state and local levels of government.
In the late 1990s, Rubio was elected to serve as a City Commissioner for West Miami Township and was elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 2000, representing the 111th district. Rubio eventually rose to become House Speaker. In 2010, Rubio was elected to the United States Senate after defeating incumbent Florida Governor Charlie Christ in a highly competitive race.
“Senator Rubio is the only Republican candidate to consistently defeat Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders in head-to-head general election polls,” said Advisory Board Member Bill Green of Marlton, NJ. “We think he is, by far, the best GOP candidate to represent the conservative cause and the Republican Party.”