Cyber Schools Threatened By Pa. Cuts

Cyber Schools Threatened By Pa. Cuts — The Pennsylvania House Education Committee will hold hearings, Monday, on proposals that threaten to slash funding for cyber schools, reports Commonwealth Foundation. And cyber schools already receive only 81 percent of what traditional districts receive per student!

These drastic cuts will make it difficult—if not impossible—for cyber schools to compete. Indeed, many will be forced to close if funding is reduced, the Foundation says.

Cyber schools are public charter schools that more than 32,000 Pennsylvania students have chosen as the school that best fits their needs. These kids should not be treated as separate and unequal second-class citizens by shortchanging their education funding.

The schools give children a chance to escape bullies and bad teachers, who do exist.

For those without children or whose children are beyond school age, the existence of cyber schools helps dissuade the unions from being completely unreasonable in their contract demands and placing even more of a burden on you home or business property tax.

The state’s porcine educational establishment sees them as a threat.

To send a message to our governmental leaders visit here

 

Cyber Schools Threatened By Pa. Cuts

Girl Needs Lung To Save Her Life

Sen. Pat Toomey has taken on the uncaring federal health care establishment in an attempt to  to save the life of a 10-year-old Newtown Square girl.

He notes that Sarah Murnaghan may have just weeks to live. Sarah has cystic fibrosis and needs a lung transplant. She is fighting for her life at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

“Pediatric organ donors are in short supply and the likelihood of Sarah receiving a pediatric lung in time is virtually non-existent,” Toomey said.

This is due, in part, because the decision is being made based on a waiting list rather than medical necessity.

Toomey notes that a federal mandate that allocation policies be based on medical necessity only applies to patients over the age of 12.

Sen. Toomey is asking the Department of Health Human Services for intervention.

“I have asked Secretary Sebelius to do everything she can to assist Sarah and I hope and pray that red tape doesn’t get in the way of helping her. I understand we need rules to prioritize organ transplants, but the fact that Sarah is 10 and not 12 shouldn’t be a reason to deny her a chance at life,” he said.

Toomey is also promoting this petition to save Sarah created by her family.

 

Girl Needs Lung To Save Her Life

 

Girl Needs Lung To Save Her Life

Did O Steal Election In Ohio?

Did O Steal Election In Ohio? — President Obama beat Republican Mitt Romney in Ohio by 166,214 votes out 5,489,028 cast last November for a 3 percent margin of victory.

Well it turns out that one out of every five — or 20 percent for public school grads — registered Ohio voter is ineligible to vote.

Now some could say that is just innocent sloppiness and these people never came out to vote anyone.

Or some could say that was a pretty strong sign that the Democrats stole the election in Ohio.

BTW, Ohio Secretary of State John Husted was given the cold shoulder by Attorney General Eric Holder when he sought a meeting to try to balance conflicting federal laws to pare down the list.

Hat tip Bryan Preston.

Did O Steal Election In Ohio?

Hearings Held On Pa. Child Abuse Bill

Hearings Held On Pa. Child Abuse Bill — Members of the House Children and Youth Committee recently held a public hearing on legislation that would more clearly define what constitutes child abuse in Pennsylvania and strengthen protections for children, reports State Rep. Jim Cox (R-129)

House Bill 726 proposes to lower the injury threshold for physical abuse, terming it “bodily injury” – the standard used for the crime of simple assault. The bill also defines, and makes it easier to substantiate, cases of serious emotional abuse or neglect, sexual abuse or exploitation, or conduct that intentionally compromises the safety of a child.

House Bill 726 was introduced based on recommendations made by the Task Force on Child Protection to improve state laws to protect against child abuse. The House Children and Youth Committee has made child protection one of the top priorities this session in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal.

 

Hearings Held On Pa. Child Abuse Bill

Child Identity Theft Bill Advances

Child Identity Theft Bill Advances — The House has approved a bill aimed at combating the growing crime of child identity theft, reports State Rep. Jim Cox (R-129)

House Bill 714 would include children within a protected class of victims for which the offense of identity theft receives an enhanced grading.

Often, a child doesn’t know his or her identity has been stolen until many years after the fact, when he or she first applies for college assistance or a credit card. This can lead to financial headaches and delayed enrollment in college until the situation can be resolved. The Federal Trade Commission has recognized identity theft committed against children as a growing problem. One study that found an estimated 142,000 instances of identity theft are perpetrated against children in the United States each year.

The bill now moves to the Senate for consideration.

Child Identity Theft Bill Advances

IRS Commissioners Constant Obama Visitors

Douglas Shulman, who was IRS commissioner during the Obama’s first term, visited the White House 118 times just in 2010 and 2011.
His successor, Steven Miller, also visited “numerous” times.

The IRS commissioner is a managerial position, not a policy one.

Mark Everson, who was IRS commission for most of the Bush II Administration, visited but once.

We should be very scared about what this administration is capable of doing.

Hat tip Commentary.

IRS Commissioners Constant Obama Visitors

IRS Commissioners Constant Obama Visitors

Court Upholds Redistricting Plan

Court Upholds Redistricting Plan — The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has upheld the constitutionality of a plan to redraw the boundaries of state House and Senate districts following the 2010 census, reports State Rep. Jim Cox (R-129)

Court Upholds Redistricting Plan

Today’s Meal

Today’s meal by Chef Bill was a Memorial Day barbecue featuring marinated chicken breast and bratwurst, the latter of which was served on a Lusitania roll and smothered in grilled green peppers and onions.

The side was crispy grilled potato skins and the wine was a homemade Valpolicella — thank you Joan at Wine and Beer Emporium out on Route 202.

Dessert was a strawberry rhubarb pie by Mrs. Chef Bill.

6 From Devil’s Brigrade Live In Pa.

6 From Devil’s Brigrade Live In Pa. — Sen. Pat Toomey notes that six veterans of World War II’s  legendary 1st Special Service Force, also known as the “Devil’s Brigade” live in Pennsylvania, the most of any state.

6 From Devil’s Brigrade Live In Pa.

The Origin Of Memorial Day

The Origin Of Memorial Day Courtesy of Patricia Keevil from here

On May 5, 1868, the Grand Army of the Republic
established Memorial Day or Decoration Day as the national day to
decorate the graves of the Civil War soldiers with flowers. Major
General John A. Logan appointed May 30 as the day to be observed.
Arlington National Cemetery had the first observance of the day on a
grand scale. The place was appropriate as it already housed graves of
over 20,000 Union dead and several hundred Confederate dead. Gen. and
Mrs. Ulysses S. Grant presided the meeting and the center point of these
Memorial Day ceremonies was the mourning-draped veranda of the Arlington
mansion. Speeches were followed by a march of soldiers’ children and
orphans and members of the GAR through the cemetery strewing flowers on
both Union and Confederate graves. They also recited prayers and sang
hymns for the dead.

Even before this declaration, local observances for these war dead were
being held at various places. In Columbus, Miss., a group of women
visited a cemetery on April 25 1866, to decorate the graves of
Confederate soldiers and the Union soldiers whop fell at the battle of
Siloh. Many cities in the North and the South claim to be the first to
celebrate Memorial Day in 1866 but Congress and President Lyndon Johnson
officially declared Waterloo in New York as the ‘birthplace’ of Memorial
Day in 1966. It was said that on May 5, 1866, a ceremony was held here
to honor local soldiers and sailors who fought in the Civil War,
businesses were closed for the day and residents furled flags at
half-mast. It was said to be the first formal, community-wide and
regular event.

In 1971, Memorial Day was declared a national holiday by the Congress,
who designated the last Monday in May as the day for its observance.
Many states observe separate Confederate Memorial Days. Mississippi
observes it on the last Monday of April, Alabama on the fourth Monday of
April, Georgia on April 26, North and South Carolina on May 10 and
Louisiana and Tennessee on June 3. In Tennessee, the day is named as
‘Confederate Decorations Day’ while Texas observes ‘Confederate Heroes
Day’ on January 19. In Virginia, Memorial Day is better known as ‘May
Confederate Memorial Day.’

Origin Of Memorial Day