News, Entertainment, Enlightenment
Obama Aunt Public Housing — Illegal and living in public housing, but I forgot to mention,
it’s Obama’s aunt!!While she has been discovered and no action taken, watch her
unbelievable remarks during this interview:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2BGiF69hEo
The murder of Caylee Anthony has inspired two bills that are now of the floor of the Pennsylvania House.
HB 1841 introduced by Tarah Toohil (R-116) would make strengthen the penalties of providing false reports to police during a criminal investigation involving a child.
HB 1842 introduced by Justin J. Simmons (R-131) would strengthen the penalties of for concealing the death of a child.
The bills — together known as Caylee’s Laws — would make upgrade both crimes to third-degree felonies and increase the maximum penalties to seven years and a $15,000 fine.
Hat tip Rep. Jim Cox (R-129)
“WH website still touting pledge to halve deficit – Wash Examiner
When President Obama unveiled his budget on Monday, it became clear that he would break his pledge to cut the deficit in half in his first term in office. But the White House website is still prominently touting the promise.
When visitors to the White House website click on “Fiscal Responsibility” under the “Issues” section, they are directed to a page that includes the following:
“Cut the deficit in half by the end of the President’s first term. On January 20, 2009, the President inherited a $1.3 trillion budget deficit. The President has put forth a budget that will halve this deficit by the end of his first term, bring non-defense discretionary spending to its lowest level as a share of GDP since 1962. ”
“Looks like the White House website could use some updating.”
OR maybe a website czar
A bill that would increase penalties for willful unemployment compensation fraud has been sent to the House for a vote, State Rep. Jim Cox (R-129) said.
It was unanimously passed out of the House Labor and Industry Committee, Feb. 14. unanimously voted to send a bill to the House this week that will increase penalties for willful unemployment compensation fraud.
HB 1852 would increase the penalty period for individuals who commit unemployment compensation fraud from two weeks to 10 weeks and would remove the current four-year limit on the imposition of these penalty weeks, Cox said. The bill would add a 15 percent penalty to the total owed to the fund for a fraudulent claim and create a 52-week penalty for individuals who commit willful fraud to collect benefits while in prison.
It is estimated the proposal will save the Unemployment Compensation Trust Fund $15 million to $20 million annually. Pennsylvania’s rate of fraudulent unemployment claims is more than 5 percent, exceeding the national average.
Rick Hits Big Time — Rick Hits Big TimeReader Tom C reports that today’s New York Times, that dying dinosaur soon to be owned by the Mexicans (Todas las noticias de que está en condiciones de imprimir. Viva Carlos Slim, Si) is carrying four pieces today, Feb. 18, savaging Rick Santorum — including two on the op-ed page.
Wow, it’s almost like he was Ronald Reagan or something.
Go Rick.
A Pennsylvanian for president.
Casey SOPA Late Response — Better a month late than never one supposes.
Sen. Bob Casey (D) finally got back to us on the request we made Jan. 18 that he oppose the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect IP Act (PIPA). Both bills were put on hold that day after massive protests.
He never really did do much to stop them.
Sen. Pat Toomey (R) responded almost immediately and announced his opposition to the bills later that day.
Anyway, here is Sen. Casey’s response:
Dear Mr. Lawrence:
Thank you for taking the time to contact me regarding S. 968, the Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property (PROTECT IP) Act of 2011, and H.R. 3261, the Stop Online Piracy Act. I appreciate hearing from you about this issue.
S. 968 was introduced by Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont on May 12, 2011. The PROTECT IP Act would allow the Attorney General and property rights holders to take legal action against only foreign-based websites strictly dedicated to copyright infringement and intellectual property theft. After legal action is taken and a judge finds the particular foreign-based website guilty of being dedicated to intellectual property theft, payment processors such as credit card companies and other payment systems would no longer be allowed to process payments to that illegal foreign site. It would also allow the Attorney General and intellectual property holders to seek a court order to shut down websites engaging in piracy.
S. 968 was voted out of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary unanimously on May 26, 2011. A version of this bill, H.R. 3261, the Stop Online Piracy Act, was introduced in the House of Representatives by Representative Lamar Smith of Texas on October 26, 2011. It was referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary, where hearings were held.
Over the past several months, I have heard from numerous groups and individuals concerned that internet piracy destroys American jobs, threatens public safety—for example, through the sales of counterfeit pharmaceuticals—and violates the intellectual property rights of creative and innovative American artists, inventors and entrepreneurs. These diverse groups strongly supported the bill as a means to shut down foreign rogue websites that are dedicated exclusively to intellectual property theft.
More recently, I have heard from individuals who are concerned that these bills violate their right to freedom of speech, as well as from constituents concerned that they would shut down sites like Google, Wikipedia, Facebook and YouTube. I take very seriously concerns about censorship and infringing freedom of speech. Accordingly, I was pleased that the bills were removed from the Senate calendar so that further consideration could be given to these concerns.
At this point, I think it is important for all interested parties—including Internet users, technology companies and intellectual property holders—to take a step back and begin a dialogue on how to protect the legitimate rights of innovators and creative artists, and protect public safety in the face of counterfeit products, while at the same time assuring that First Amendment rights are not infringed and the further development of robust internet is not inhibited. I also look forward to new legislation being developed that appropriately balances all of these objectives. Please be assured that as this process advances, I will have your views in mind.
Again, thank you for sharing your thoughts with me. Please do not hesitate to contact me in the future about this or any other matter of importance to you.
I encourage you to visit my website, casey.senate.gov. I invite you to use this online office as a comprehensive resource to stay up-to-date on my work in Washington, request assistance from my office, or share with me your thoughts on the issues that matter most to you and to Pennsylvania.
Sincerely,
Bob Casey
United States Senator
Would Bon Jovi Get Half Staff
With the sparse media coverage of Whitney Houston’s death
and funeral, it’s not surprising that her years of military service
have gone largely unnoticed, as were her activities as an undercover cop
in New Jersey (was she really killed after a sting went bad?). After
all, she must have done these dangerous things to warrant all
New Jersey state flags being flown at half-mast in her honor, as ordered
by Governor Chris Christie.
Because the opposite simply defies common sense. If Houston was not a
police officer gunned down in the line of duty, nor a military hero
killed in a war zone, that means that the hugely significant act of
lowering the flags in deference to her was because she was … a singer?
Really, Governor? A singer? That’s what it’s come down to in Jersey?
Sure, Whitney Houston was a Jersey native, proud of her Garden State
roots. And undeniably, she was one of the most dynamic pop stars of all
time, changing the musical landscape forever and inspiring some of the
brightest performers of today.
But she was just a singer. That’s not to minimize her
accomplishments, as they are many, but let’s cut through the emotion and
talk brass tacks. She was a popular singer, past her prime, with a
not-exactly-stellar personal history.
Play word association with most people about Whitney Houston, and they will tell you two things: great singer and crack addict.
That’s reason enough not to elevate Houston to god-like status. While
Christie can’t control the media’s nauseating coverage of all things
Whitney, he certainly could have sent a message by NOT lowering the
flags for her. By doing so, Houston is now perceived, more than she ever
has been, as a special role model, one for whom the government has
issued its seal of approval.
Where does it end? What is the litmus test for getting flags lowered on your behalf—once
the hallowed territory of those who gave the ultimate sacrifice in
service of their country? Christie has changed the rules forever.
If Jon Bon Jovi happens to meet his maker next week, will the Guv give him the same special treatment? And what is the threshold? Record sales? Movie appearances? Rehab stints?
More ominous is to ponder Bon Jovi’s flag fate had he died before
Whitney. Would Christie have honored him the same way? And if not, would
that have been because Bon Jovi wouldn’t have provided the same
perceived political benefit?
Houston fans will take this as a personal affront to Whitney and her
family, but the point remains a valid one, and that bring us to two
possibilities.
1) Is Christie’s move a political calculation,
pandering to constituencies that are not in his camp? And if so, is the
Governor’s attempt at making inroads with the black community and young
hipsters done to seem more “moderate and compassionate,” both perceived
necessities if Christie is running for president or vice-president?
If that is the case, it is a massive miscalculation on three counts.
First, he won’t win over those constituencies because he lowers flags.
He can only do so by sticking to his core convictions, explaining to
them why his vision will benefit them more than failed Democratic
policies will. Second, he has now alienated an influential part of his
natural base—active and retired police and military personnel. Last,
such perceived political posturing doesn’t sit well with the vast
majority of regular, non-political citizens. They may not see his
motives as politically calculated, but many see his decision as a total
lack of good judgment.
2) Of course, there may be absolutely no political calculation
whatsoever, with Christie making his decision on a human level only. I,
for one, would certainly like to think so, as no media commentator has
defended Christie’s bulldog approach to tough issues more than Freindly Fire (and, to be fair, hammered him when he was wrong, such as “HelicopterGate”).
But that is exactly why politicians should not be lowering flags and
honoring anyone they happen to like. The nature of politicians is such
that everything they do is perceived to be calculated, that behind every
move is an ulterior motive to curry favor with a particular
constituency.
Why wasn’t the solemn act of lowering flags to honor real heroes left
intact? Why is nothing sacred anymore? Why is common sense so
incredibly uncommon these days, even by those from whom we expect more?
Perception is reality, and the growing perception—from both the
media’s nonstop Whitney coverage and Chris Christie stamping his
imprimatur on her entire life—is that she should be emulated and admired
as one of the nation’s great role models.
Pennsylvania Senate Changes Health Plan — State Senate President Pro-Tempore Joe Scarnati (R-25) confirmed in a Feb. 9 letter to the Bucks County Courier Times that the Senate is replacing its luxury employee medical plan with one akin to the kind almost universal in the private sector. It is expected to save the state $1 million annually.
The elimination of indemnity health plans was approved in December by The Senate Committee on Management Operations, according to the Courier Times, and all senators, employees and retirees will be in a preferred provider organization plan by April 1.
The Courier Times and its sister paper, The Intelligencer ran a series of articles in May describing the scandalous benefits. They deserve a big pat on the back.
But one suspects the matter would have been quickly forgotten if it wasn’t for the growth of certain ornery constituent groups whose loyalty lies with issues rather than an established party.
Health benefits for about 900 Senate employees cost $16.8 million last year.
Under indemnity plans, the insured can see any doctor who accepts the insurance and all expenses are covered after a deductible is reached.
They are almost non-existent in the private sector now.
Rick Hits Big Time: 0 Wants Dirt — Below is a message received by a conservative who has managed to get himself placed on the Obama campaign’s mailing list. So much for running on the issues with vigorous and fair debate about the common good.
Of course since Romney wasn’t doing that why should we who care about this country expect different from the Democrats, whose sole raison d’être is to acquire a soft life through government power?
Name Withheld
Rick Santorum — Pennsylvania’s own — is currently rocketing to the top of the Republican primary polls in key states around the country. I mean, who’d have guessed?
Here’s someone who has actually bragged that he was a tea partier before there was a Tea Party — someone whose extreme-right social views are as out of touch as they are memorable.
Folks across the country are just starting to learn about Rick Santorum as he enjoys his newfound wave of popularity. But people here have known him for some time — long before he was out on the national stage like he is now. And it’s on us to make sure the rest of the country sees Rick Santorum’s true colors.
Share your recollections of Rick Santorum’s record in Pennsylvania.
We all have a role to play in helping introduce the real Rick Santorum to voters in the 49 other states. Your story will help hold him responsible for his actions — and could inspire other Pennsylvanians to get involved and raise their voices, too.
And when it comes to his greatest hits in this state, you’ll have no shortage of material to choose from.
Share what you want the rest of the country to know about Rick Santorum — and then ask your fellow Pennsylvanians to join you:
http://pa.barackobama.com/Santorum
Thanks,
Bill
Bill Hyers
Pennsylvania State Director
Obama for America
Holy Humor — Off The Internet
Courtesy of Cathy Martin
During these serious and troubled times, people of all faiths should remember these four great religious truths:
1. Muslims do not recognize Jews as God’s Chosen People.
2. Jews do not recognize Jesus as the Messiah.
3.Protestants do not recognize the Pope as the leader of the Christian world.
4. Baptists do not recognize each other at the liquor store.
GOOD SAMARITAN
A Sunday school teacher was telling her class the story of the Good Samaritan.
She asked the class, “If you saw a person lying on the roadside, all wounded and bleeding, what would you do?” A thoughtful little girl broke the hushed silence, “I think I’d throw up..”
DID NOAH FISH?
A Sunday school teacher asked, “Johnny, do you think Noah did a lot of fishing when he was on the Ark ?” “No,” replied Johnny. “How could he, with just two worms.”
THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD
A Sunday School teacher decided to have her young class memorize one of the most quoted passages in the Bible – Psalm 23 . She gave the youngsters a month to learn the chapter. Little Rick was excited about the task – but he just couldn’t remember the Psalm. After much practice, he could barely get past the first line. On the day that the kids were scheduled to recite Psalm 23 in front of the congregation, Ricky was so nervous. When it was his turn, he stepped up to the microphone and said proudly, “The Lord is my Shepherd, and that’s all I need to know.”
UNANSWERED PRAYER
The preacher’s 5 year-old daughter noticed that her father always paused and bowed his head for a moment before starting his sermon. One day, she asked him why. “Well, Honey,” he began, proud that his daughter was so observant of his messages. “I’m asking the Lord to help me preach a good sermon.” “How come He doesn’t answer it?” she asked.
BEING THANKFUL
A Rabbi said to a precocious six-year-old boy, “So your mother says your prayers for you each night? That’s very commendable. What does she say?” The little boy replied, “Thank God he’s in bed!”
ALL MEN / ALL GIRLS
When my daughter, Kelli, said her bedtime prayers, she would bless every family member, every friend, and every animal (current and past).. For several weeks, after we had finished the nightly prayer, Kelli would say, “And all girls.” This soon became part of her nightly routine, to include this closing. My curiosity got the best of me and I asked her, “Kelli, why do you always add the part about all girls?” Her response, “Because everybody always finish their prayers by saying ‘All Men’!”
SAY A PRAYER
Little Johnny and his family were having Sunday dinner at his Grandmother’s house. Everyone was seated around the table as the food was being served. When Little Johnny received his plate, he started eating right away. “Johnny! Please wait until we say our prayer.” said his mother. “I don’t need to,” the boy replied.. “Of course, you do “his mother insisted. “We always say a prayer before eating at our house.” “That’s at our house.” Johnny explained. “But this is Grandma’s house and she knows how to cook.”
