News, Entertainment, Enlightenment
PragerU has a great video — The Dark Art of Framing — that explains why many believe lies about our society told by very bad people and how these very bad people convince those many to believe those lies.
Check it out here: https://www.prageru.com/video/the-dark-art-of-framing/
Wolf Wants Republican Swamp Rat For Commonwealth Court Says CAP
By Leo Knepper
Due to a recent retirement, Governor Wolf has an opportunity to fill a vacancy on the Commonwealth Court, one of Pennsylvania’s two intermediate appellate courts. The Governor would have had to work hard to make a worse choice than Drew Crompton.
Crompton’s name isn’t likely one that most Pennsylvanians are familiar with, but he has worked for the Senate for over two decades. He currently serves as Chief of Staff and counsel for Pennsylvania Senate Pro-Tempore Joe Scarnati. Over the course of his career, Crompton has been on the periphery of ignoble moments in Pennsylvania’s recent history. Two stand out, and are worthy of special attention.
In 2005, Crompton authored a memo suggesting that activists exercising their First Amendment rights in advocating for the repeal of the “midnight pay raise” should have to register as lobbyists. Concerning the memo, The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review stated, “It suggests an orchestrated plan of attempted intimidation that, to this day, we believe is worthy of a Justice Department investigation.”
In 2006, Crompton took three months of “unpaid” leave from the Senate to work on Lynn Swann’s gubernatorial campaign. He then, remarkably, received a $19,647 bonus. This activity resulted in an investigation by the Attorney General’s office. Although no Senate Republicans were charged with wrongdoing, a similar scheme among House Democrats resulted in multiple arrests and convictions.
Crompton’s role in the Senate would raise serious questions about his impartiality in legal cases. How will his involvement in the drafting of legislation, public statements, and issuance of internal documents impact his ability to hear cases? How many plaintiffs or defendants will seek his recusal? How disruptive will it be for the Senate to have parties to cases file suits seeking email communications on legal matters authored by Crompton?
In the entirety of Pennsylvania, there certainly must be more qualified candidates to serve out a term on the Court.
Mr. Knepper is executive director of Citizens Alliance of Pennsylvania.
Giuliani Letter To Graham — Rudy Giuliani, Nov. 22, sent a letter — which we have included as four jpeg files — to Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) describing how U.S. chargé d’affaires to Ukraine, Bill Taylor has prevented at least three people from obtaining visas because they planned to provide direct testimony that high ranking Democrats affiliated with the Obama Administration used Ukraine as a base in which to attempt the rig the 2016 election, and, of course, a personal piggy bank.
Mayor Giuliani said that these people even hired a lawyer to try to resolve the matter and that the lawyer is willing to provide the Senate with his memoranda and emails.
Rudy is asking for Graham’s help in getting these people visas. It should be a no-brainer. Why not hear what they have to say?
Rudy’s letter:
The common swift may fly 10 months without landing.
Biden Says Vote Trump — In what may be the most bizarre occurrence in the upcoming presidential race Grandfather Joe Biden, the leading Democrat, just told his supporters to vote for Donald Trump.
Obama Caged Children — A reader sent us this link to a New York Post story describing how the United Nations condemned the USA for its caging of children at the border. Over 100,000 were trapped in detention centers the UN raged.
It was in 2015.
Barack Obama was president.
Thank you, Matthew.
By the way, the Post story notes that most of establishment media scrubbed the 2015 stories critical of our last president.
No Miranda, Europe’s highest mountain is not in the Alps but in Russia. It’s Mount Elbrus in the Caucasus Range with a height of 18,510Â feet.
Gift Ban Introduced In Pa House
By Leo Knepper
In late 2014 and early 2015, five current and former members of the General Assembly were charged with bribery and other charges related to their acceptance of cash “gifts” from a lobbyist. The House and Senate changed their chambers’ rules to prohibit the acceptance of cash gifts from lobbyists, but the law hasn’t changed. One of the reasons the law wasn’t changed was because banning only cash gifts could raise questions for lawmakers about the kinds of gifts they can still accept.
What kinds of gifts can they accept? Virtually anything as long as they follow the disclosure rules. Lawmakers are required to disclose gifts of more than $250 per year from any source and transportation, lodging, and hospitality worth more than $650. Over the years, those gifts have included everything from Super Bowl tickets to Turkish rugs. As long as they follow the rules, pretty much anything is fair game.
That might finally be changing. On Nov. 18, the House State Government Committee advanced House Bill 1945. Per the co-sponsorship memo:
“The legislation will prohibit public officers, public employees and candidates for public office from accepting a gift of cash in any amount. The same individuals will be prohibited from accepting any gift that has either a fair market value or an aggregate actual cost of more than $50 from any one person in a calendar year. In addition, public officers, public employees and candidates for public office will be prohibited from accepting hospitality, transportation or lodging that has either a fair market value of an aggregate actual cost of more than $500 from any one person in a calendar year…Gifts and hospitality, transportation and lodging received that attain these thresholds will be reported on the individuals’ Statement of Financial Interests along with the circumstances surrounding the receipt of the same.”
At CAP, we generally aren’t a fan of banning things or unnecessary regulations. However, given the sheer number of public officials from Pennsylvania who end up in prison, we think that enacting these changes makes a lot of sense. There is room for improvement in HB 1945, but it is undoubtedly a step in the right direction.
We will be keeping our eye on the legislation and will keep you informed about its progress.
Mr. Knepper is executive director of Citizens Alliance of Pennsylvania.