Category: Activism

AFP Gives Lesson In Right Blogging


The first event of Sam Rohrer’s tenure as director of the Pennsylvania Chapter of Americans for Prosperity (AFP) can’t be said to have gone off without a hitch but today’s 8-hour RightOnline Training Seminar ended as a major success.

The event was not held at the Valley Forge Convention Center as scheduled but at the adjacent  Radisson Hotel. A raging windstorms snarled roads throughout Southeast Pennsylvania causing the start to be delayed for late arrivals. Then, just as things got underway, power went out throughout Montgomery County putting, for a couple of hours, the proceedings in the dim glow of emergency lights and making the prepared PowerPoint presentations a moot endeavor.

Using the restrooms at the prestigious facility became a ad hoc cellphone flashlight adventure.

Still, the presenters, many of whose names are recognized throughout the nation, improvised and taught their lessons sans technology at the technology-oriented conference.

And the lights really were on for most the day.

Rohrer’s opening remarks were followed by ones from Steve Lonegan , the former mayor of Bogota, N.J. who ran against Chris Christie in 2009 Republican New Jersey Republican gubernatorial primary. Lonegan is the director of AFP’s New Jersey chapter.

“The once proud Democratic Party of my union grandparents has now become the Democrat Party of government workers,” Lonegan said referring to the turmoil that the Democrats and government workers are now causing by bizarre, angry demonstrations in Wisconsin, which are filled with violent imagery.

The first session of seminars followed with noted blogger Erick Telford giving a lesson on basic blogging and Rich Shaftan of Mountaintop Media giving tips on how to handle the press. They were followed by long-time journalist Trent Seibert of Texas Watchdog who described ways citizen-bloggers could do investigative reporting.

It was during Seibert’s talk that the power went out, ruining an elaborate visual display he said he had prepared. This  ironically occurred while he was  pointing out how bloggers caused major grief to Oscar/Nobel/etc. winner Al Gore by exposing his energy hypocrisy.

Still Seibert managed to convey that audits are often overlooked means of exposing government malfeasance that Tea Party activist would do well to mine. He cited several useful websites, including one capable of generating  Freedom Of Information Act letters, whose links AFP would be sending to event attenders.

In describing the new power of blogs, it was either Telford or Seibert who said that it was a Montana blogger who exposed the lies Dan Rather told shortly before the 2004 election regarding President Bush’s Texas Air National Guard Service.  The one who did the exposing was from Georgia and the site on which the exposing occurred was FreeRepublic.Com

With the power out, the agenda was rearranged with talks by Pennsylvania State Rep Jim Cox (R-129) and Lonegan coming next.

Cox noted a big difference between Gov. Tom Corbet and his predecessor Ed Rendell in that while Rendell would have a press conference at the drop of a hat, Corbett has been avoiding them. He said he hoped it was because Corbett was deliberately preparing a case to make to the citizens regarding his plans for the state. Cox said we will know on March 8 when he makes his budget address.

Cox said there were 98 new faces in the State House since 2007 and 110 since 2005 so the chance for real reform is good.

He said there has already been some significant rule changes. Uncontested resolutions — such as those honoring a Little League championship team — can now be voted on in bulk saving the legislators about an hour and a half a week. He also said bills are now going to be almost complete coming out of committee allowing more time to study them and less time for sneaky amendments.

Cox said he is concerned about various plans being aired to shrink the size of the legislature as this would result in representation that is much less responsive to the citizenry.

He said his crusade to abolish property taxes is advancing and a property tax relief caucus has formed in the House which now has 91 members.

Lonegan said that New Jersey led the nation in economic growth from 1776 to 1976. He said it’s now 48th. He said that while The Garden State’s property tax rate was the third highest in the nation by the 1960s it had neither a sales nor income tax. He said that  in 1966 tax a “temporary” sales tax strongly supported by the New Jersey State Education Association was passed to ease the property tax burden. The tax was made permanent in 1970 and raised to 5 percent. Six years later a income tax was added.

Lonegan said the rates continued to rise and that the state now has among the highest sales and income tax rates in the country and the highest property tax rate.

He said the NJEA is now pushing to consolidate school districts “to save money.”

The post lunch seminars featured Ethan Demme of Keystone Conservative talking about social media; Jennifer Stefano of Americans for Prosperity giving advice on the media skills for which she is noted; Telford describing the power of online video; and Shafton explaining how to interpret polling.

The day would down with a panel discussion  consisting of Demme, columnist Chris Freind and New Jersey blogger Rob Eichmann; followed by a talk by Guy Benson of Townhall.com

During the panel discussion Freind noted that he picks on both parties and described how he was harshly critical of Gov. Corbett’s $42 million plan to bail out Aker Shipyard. Lonegan chimed in that Christie just OK’d a $260 million bailout of an Atlantic City casino.

Benson encouraged all Tea Party people to stick to truth and the high road in dealing with their opponents despite the temptation to do otherwise regarding their hypocrisy concerning claims of desire for civil debate.

The event ended with a call by Lonegan for Pennslvania Tea Party members to pressure State House Appropriations Committee Chairman Bill Adolph (R-165) into letting HB 42 come to a vote. HB 42 — The Freedom of Choice in Health Care Act — protects the rights of patients to pay directly for medical services, and it prohibits penalties levied on citizens and businesses for declining to participate in a particular health plan.


Tea Party Group To Train Candidates Sat.

American Majority Action is hosting a candidate/campaign manager training event, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 5 in the lower level meeting room of the Marple Public Library, 2599 Sproul Road, Broomall, Pa. 19008.

The cost is $45 online or $35 at the door. It includes lunch and refreshment.

Luksik Talk To Delco Patriots Not Stopped By Storm

Luksik Talk To Delco Patriots Not Stopped By Storm — An impending snowstorm and a four-hour drive back to Johnstown kept conservative favorite Peg Luksik from her traditional mingle with the crowd but she still entranced a banquet room of Delaware County Patriots with her hour-plus talk of tips on dealing with elected officials.

Tonight’s meeting was at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Newtown Square which was a bit of a break for Peg since it was a half-hour closer to the the Turnpike than the Kings Mills in Aston where the meetings had been held. She said getting home took a priority this night since she was to meet her son who was on leave from the Navy.

The room was near full. It was reported that the night brought 35 new participants. So much for claims that passion was falling.

Mrs. Luksik said that politicians were people with feelings and that being nice to them was much better than ranting at them.

“You catch more flies with honey, than vinegar,” she said.

She said that meeting them at the district office is almost always more effective than trying to meet them in Harrisburg since there is much less competition for their time. She cited as example her interactions with Republican leader Mike Turzai, who is now majority leader. She said she gets much more time with him in his home office, which is in the 28th District in Allegheny County, than she does in Harrisburg.

She was quite high in her praise for Turzai.

Mrs. Luksik emphasized the importance of researching and understanding the issues before any meeting with an elected official. She also emphasized the importance of  accuracy and honesty. She cited several legislative battles that she won because her opponent was caught in bald lies.

She discounted the use of petitions and rallies. She said one of the most effective things an activist can do is a short, polite handwritten letter. She said thank you notes following a positive vote can be remarkably beneficial as can polite notes expressing disappointment following an undesired vote.

She emphasized the importance of attending municipal and school board meetings, a point made clear after her talk when it was revealed that Springfield activists squashed an expected tax hike in that town.

Mrs. Luksik gave an example as to how attending the small meetings made one knowledgeable and confident when dealing with officials in bigger arenas.

She emphasized the importance of teamwork and that nobody should be too proud to feel a job is beneath them.

“Everybody has to clean the bathrooms,” she said.

She talked about the importance of building bridges to political opponents and described how she managed to convince a group of Democrats the wisdom of making English the official language by reasonably describing the liberating benefits being required to learn it would grant those who don’t know it.

She did emphasize, however, the importance of not compromising on principles, and learning from failures.  She cited as an example the success homosexual activists have had over the last two decades.

Not that she was saying there was anything right about it.

Mrs. Luksik ended her talk by noting that America is founded on a specific belief that it is not government that is the ultimate authority, but God. She said that is the soul of America and that it is that soul for which we must fight.

The Delco Patriots will be having candidate and campaign manger training, Feb. 5, at the Marple Public Library.

Pre-registration cost will be $35, with a $45 cost for walk-ins.

Details should soon be available on the website.

Luksik Talk To Delco Patriots Not Stopped By Storm

Rep. Lawrence Nixes Pension, Per Diems

John Lawrence, the Tea Party Republican who beat incumbent Democrat Tim Houghton in November to represent the 13th District in the Pennsylvania House has declared that he will accept neither per diems nor pension.

“The citizens of Chester County are tired of rhetoric and are looking for action,” he said.  “If we are truly going to reduce the financial burden on taxpayers and get a handle on excessive state spending, then it is incumbent upon me as a lawmaker to lead by example.” 

 

Lawrence advocates replacing the current defined benefit plans for government workers with a defined contribution plan akin to the 401(k) of the private sector.

 

“Under the state pension system, if investment returns suddenly drop, as they have during the past few years, taxpayers are responsible for making up the difference.  The citizens of Pennsylvania should not be forced to fund the pensions of state legislators especially while many individuals have seen their personal retirement savings lose value,”  Lawrence said.

While the state’s pension policy is going to have a far greater impact on the lives of Pennsylvanians — the lame-duck bailout is estimated by Commonwealth Foundation to have a cost per household of  $1,360  per year — the $163 per diem policy for state legislators is a far more glaring example is what is wrong with government in the state.

Don’t forget these guys are already getting a base pay of close to $80,000, a great health plan and, of course, a pension to die for.

Lawrence had earlier said he will not accept the cost of living increase .

Hat tip to Bob Guzzardi.

Rep. Lawrence is no relation to the proprietor of this site.

Corbett Taps 2 Tea Partyers For Transition Team

Gov.-elect Tom Corbett has tapped Diana Reimer, a co-founder of the Philadelphia Tea Party Patriots and statewide coordinator for the national Tea Party Patriots organization, as a member of the Budget, Pensions and Revenue Committee of his transition team. He also picked Ana Puig, who co-chairs the Kitchen Table Patriots of Bucks County, for a spot on the teams’ Education Committee.

The transition team has 400 unpaid members serving on 17 committees.

Hat tip to Bob Guzzardi of LibertyIndex.Com .

Pileggi Stays To End In Lions’ Den

Pileggi Stays To End In Lions' DenPileggi Stays To End In Lions’ Den — Pennsylvania Senate Majority Leader Domenic Pileggi (R-9) entered the den that was Avondale Presbyterian Church, Dec. 2, to face about 130 lions associated with Chester County Tea Party groups. He answered generally unfriendly questions without getting flustered then stayed long after the event ended to field more.

The event was sponsored by Coalition for Advancing Freedom .

That’s not to say the questions were always answered completely or clearly.

Pileggi began with a description of what to expect in the next legislative session in which the Republicans will control the state house, senate and governor’s office.  He touched on redistricting which would apply to congressional seats and reapportionment which would pertain to state legislative seats. He noted that Pennsylvania is going to lose one congressman. He then went to describe the budget problems the state faces namely that it spends $28 billion while taking in $23 billion in revenue. He noted that Tom Corbett won the governor’s office on a no-tax pledge which was also taken by many winning legislators.

Expect cuts in spending.

Pileggi said that while Gov. Rendell was a major opponent of school choice Gov. Corbett will be a big supporter. He said to expect a major expansion of school choice, charter schools and related programs.

Pileggi said that the privatization of the state stores will be discussed. He said  Marcellus shale drilling will be a big part of the agenda.

Then came questions.

Several involved principles relating to state constitutional matters. Pileggi, in addressing one of them, said that when he votes it’s with the presumption that what he is voting for is in accordance with the state constitution. He noted that he receives few constituent comments regarding whether a particular bill is constitutional. Regarding  how the state’s unbalanced budgets don’t jibe with the constitutional requirement to have one, he pointed out that budget is based on projected revenue the projection of which, by law, comes solely from the governor’s office, which has quite a bit of leeway to fudge things. He noted in response to a question regarding how out  37 of the 68 House members who voted to call the pension bailout bill unconstitutional then went on to vote for the same bill, that what they were voting to call unconstitutional was a provision placed by the senate to provide for independent analysis of budget revenue projections.

Gossip wise he said several Republican senators carry a copy of the Constitution with them while in the Capitol citing by name Mike Folmer and John Eichelberger.

Pileggi said he kept his copy in his desk.

He took quite a bit of grief regarding the pension bailout and legislative and staff salaries.

It was noted that pension costs to the taxpayer will be rising from $500 million per year today to $6 billion in 2015 to $10 billion in 2030.

“We are here to tell you there is no institutional support from the taxpayers to support the existing scheme,” one man said.

Pileggi said that in the next legislative session the issue will be readdressed and he expects an attempt to turn the program into one of defined contributions for new hires. He noted that this will not help the present tax problem, and said that nothing could be done regarding the benefit for existing employees.

A man who had experience in dealing with pension issues in the private sector, however, challenged him on the matter. He told Pileggi that what normally happens is that the trouble plans are terminated and their assets are distributed to beneficiaries who are then placed in plans with defined contributions.

Pileggi asked to speak to the man after the meeting.

And he did.

Pileggi was confronted with the fact that there were 2,200 staffers for 203 house members and 900 staffers for 50 senators and more than 70 of them have salaries of over $100,000.

“We will reduce the number of staffers,” Pileggi promised. “Absolutely.”

Pileggi, when challenged, said his salary as majority leader was $110,000. He attempted to figure his pension but could not remember the formula. According to Commonwealth Foundation it would be 3.3 percent of his last year salary times years in office. Pileggi took office in 2002 so his pension would be $29,040 as of now.

“I’m not in the position for the compensation,” he said.

Regarding a question concerning teacher strikes, Pileggi said he was against the right for teachers to strike but thought that ending it might be complicated. It was pointed out that, that would not be case as most states do not grant teachers the right to strike and in Pennsylvania the teachers had no such right before 1970, a fact of which he seemed unaware. Pileggi said he would look into it.

He was asked by a union member if he supported “right to work” laws. These are laws that would prohibit requirements that one must be a union member to work at a plant organized by a union. Pileggi ducked it in a way that would give Sugar Ray Leonard a case of envy.

He said it was unfair to make a person pay union dues but it was wrong that a person not paying the dues should get paid the rate of a contract negotiated by the union.

He was asked what he thought of the Tea Party movement.

“I think the Tea Party is fabulous,” he said.

 

Pileggi Stays To End In Lions’ Den

 

An Evening With Newt

New Gingrich is coming to Bucks County courtesy of the Kitchen Table Patriots on Jan. 29 as part of its An Evening To Celebrate Restoring America.

The event runs 7 to 10 p.m. at the Washington Crossing Inn, 1295 General Washington Memorial Blvd., Washington Crossing, Pa. A VIP meet and greet starts at 6 p.m. Many victorious local and statewide candidates will be on hand as well.

Tickets are $150 per person and $250 per couple. For information visit TheKitchenTablePatriots.Org;  email TheKitchenTablePatriots@Gmail.com or call 215-534-1851.

Pa. Tea Party Ponders Opposing Expected Speaker

Rep. Sam Smith of the 66th District got the nod to be Speaker of Pennsylvania House at closed door meeting of the soon-to-be-in-control Republican caucus on Nov. 9 but the official vote comes Jan. 4 and it will be done in the open.

Bob Guzzardi of LibertyIndex.Com notes that if all Democrats and 11 Republicans vote against Smith, he will not get the job.

Smith was the man who submitted the infamous 2005 legislative pay-raise bill.

To his credit, though, he voted against the recently passed Gen Theft Pension Bailout Bill.

Tea Party favorite Rep. Daryl Metcalfe of the 12 District has asked that the Nov. 9 vote  be postponed until December so those members of 112-member Republican House Caucus who are new to Harrisburg could get a better feel of the personalities seeking the offices.

The state’s Tea Party movement is pondering a phone-bank crusade aimed at newly elected representatives encouraging them to vote against Smith, and other old guard Republicans tapped for top posts.

Tea Party Fissure In Philly

The fireworks that erupted at the end of Thursday’s post-election Tea Party panel hosted by the Loyal Opposition at The Union League of Philadelphia has resulted in the excommunication of two prominent Tea Partyers by Loyal Opposition head Kevin Kelly.

“I am hereby severing any relationship or partnership I have with Bob Guzzardi and Robert Sklaroff,” Kelly said in a broadcast email statement. “I will not work with them on any political endeavor from today forward. They are no longer welcome at Loyal Opposition events.”

Guzzardi heads LibertyIndex.Com while Dr. Sklaroff is a noted Philadelphia oncologist.

Sklaroff, Thursday, blasted  Kelly and Freind for actions relating to the controversy involving military re-enactor Rich Iott who was the unsuccessful GOP candidate in the Ohio 9th District congressional race. Iott wears Nazi-SS uniforms as part of war re-enactments.

This brought Sklaroff harsh rebukes from Kelly and from panelist Jennifer Stefano, who felt that Sklaroff was demanding that history be censored.

When the shouting ended, Kelly promised to talk with “Doctor Bob” and further discuss his concerns.

The promise, however, appears to be rescinded apparently in reaction to comments Sklaroff posted at the article on this site Early A.M. Tea Party Was SRO.

The controversy began when The Atlantic published this article in early October relating to the Tea-Party endorsed Iott.

Congressman Eric Cantor of Virginia, the Republican whip and a Jew, then condemned Iott.

Some came to Iott’s defense including Freind, who in this article,  called Cantor a “garden-variety political hack” and said what Iott was doing wasn’t any different than actors depicting the Nazis in The Sound of Music.

It soon became revealed, however, that the organization to which Iott belonged, Wiking, which depicted the 5.SS Wiking Division had a website — since changed — saying the members of the SS “gave their lives for their loved ones and a basic desire to be free.”

Dr. Sklaroff, who is Jewish, was, and remains, seriously upset that a Republican candidate would be associated with an organization that would have such a view.

For the record, Dr. Sklaroff has said he has no objection to military re-enactors wearing Nazi uniforms, even those of the SS, as part of accurate historical depictions.


Early A.M. Tea Party Was SRO

A standing-room-only crowd of 50 attended this morning’s post-election meeting of  Philadelphia-area tea party groups  for a panel discussion moderated by journalist Chris Freind at a conference room at The Union League of Philadelphia.

The panel was Diana Reimer of the Philadelphia Tea Party Patriots, Jennifer Turner Stefano of the Conservative Leadership Coalition, Lisa Esler of  Delaware County Patriots, Diane Canney of Valley Forge Patriots, Teri Adams of the Independence Hall Tea Party Association PAC, and Kevin Kelly of The Loyal Opposition, which hosted the event.

Before the discussion started the group was given a bit of good news from the Washington D.C.-based Americans for Tax Reform which reported that it was expecting the Bush tax cuts to be extended, in their entirety, for two years.

Much of the panel discussion involved the problem of Philadelphia which gave the Democrats 280,000 more votes than the GOP on Nov. 2. It was noted that if Philadelphia margin had been the same as it was during recent presidential elections — Democrat votes in the city exceeded Republicans by 478,000 in 2008 and  412,000 in 2004 — Democrats Joe Sestak and Dan Onorato would have won the senate and governor races respectively.

The last time the Democrat margin of victory in the city was less than 300,000 during a presidential year was in 1988 which was the last time the Republicans won the state.

Kelly, who has been battling the city’s Republican establishment, again expressed his belief that Philadelphia Republicans are not interested in winning due to a corrupt and cozy patronage relationship with the Democrats in power.

Members of the audience involved in city politics expressed agreement.

The generally collegial event ended in fireworks when Dr. Robert Sklaroff blasted  Kelly and Freind for refusing to condemn military re-enactor Rich Iott who was the unsuccessful GOP candidate in the Ohio 9th District congressional race and who was photographed wearing a Nazi SS uniform for one of his re-enactments.

Mrs. Stefano pointed out to Dr. Sklaroff that military re-enactments require the enemy to be depicted as well. This, however, did not appear to appease the good doctor.

Update: There is a report that Iott socialized dressed in his SS uniform. Depending on the context of the socialization — how long it occurred after the re-enactments and such — perhaps Dr. Sklaroff might have a point.