Richard Dreyfuss WPHT Civics Lesson

Richard Dreyfuss  has his heart in the right place but his mind remains mostly stuck in the left one. Richard Dreyfuss WPHT Civics Lesson

The man  who won the 1978 Best Actor Oscar for The Goodbye Girl and might be best known for his role as Matt Hooper in Jaws described to a crowd of about 700 at The National Constitution Center, June 8, his plan to return the teaching of civics to its proper place in the nation’s schools.

The event was hosted by WPHT 1210, now calling itself “Talk Radio WPHT” instead of “The Big Talker”.

It was moderated by WPHT’s Dom Giordano.

Dreyfuss said the germ for the idea for what became The Dreyfuss Initiative occurred during the 2000 election when “the court stopped the election process”.

This brought one loud, derisive snort of laughter from a member of the audience.

Dreyfuss continued saying “All my friends targeted Bush as the enemy.” He became convinced, however, that it was the ignorance of his friends and of the American public that was what allowed such a thing to happen.

Anyway, Dreyfuss was eventually hired for a stage show in England from which he was quickly fired after it was discovered that he wasn’t being falsely humble when he said he couldn’t sing or dance.  While between jobs he “trolled for work” and found it lecturing on history and current events.

At this point he became aware of a dearth of understanding by citizens as to how their governments work. This was even more true of Europeans than Americans, he said.

So began the Initiative which has pointedly politically diverse board of governance — noted pollster Frank Luntz is a director and Scott Faulkner, who was the Reagan-Bush campaign’s national director of personnel in 1980 and was elected by the Gingrich Congress to be the first Chief Administrative Officer of the U.S. House of Representatives in 1995 is executive director.

Faulkner, in fact, shared the stage with Dreyfuss in Philly.

Dreyfuss lecture rambled  with occasional shots at George W. Bush, Fox News and Rupert Murdoch. After stridently blaming Fox for harming the political discourse, Giordano suggested he add MSNBC to list. Dreyfuss considered for a moment then agreed.

And Dreyfuss did not, this evening, do the civic-minded thing and consider the claims he was spouting as facts. In describing one of the sins of America he said that 90 blacks a month were lynched for 100 years which would mean that there were a 108,000 blacks lynched during the Jim Crow era.

According to the Tuskegee Institute, there were 3,446 blacks and 1,297 whites lynched in this country between 1882 and 1968.

Still, Dreyfuss truly expressed love for this country. He said it was the best in history and warned that if we did not start taking the teaching of this seriously it would not last the 21st century.

Dreyfuss showed respect for the Tea Party giving one questioner who identified himself as a member of a New Jersey group much praise and encouragement. He also singled out Republican congressmen Darrell Issa and Speaker John Boehner as being the only political figures who have given him support.

Of the 20 or so persons who lined up to ask Dreyfuss questions only five got to ask them due to the length of Dreyfuss’s answers.

Also, Giordano said that the meeting was being streamed live although it was not broadcasts over the air on WPHT due to the Phillies-Dodgers game. The Phils won 2-0, by the way, behind Cole Hamels’ pitching, a Ryan Howard home run and a Shane Victorino triple.

Dreyfuss expressed criticism about the entertainment now being provided by Hollywood. He said the only movies being made involved “teenaged angst about vampires” or “self-congratulatory” exercises in technology like Avatar.

The Independence Hall Tea Party Association passed out flyers after the event advertising “The Energy Independence Day Tea Party” which will be held on Independence Mall, 1-3 p.m., July 4. It will feature Giordano, Ambassador John Bolton, The Honorable Anna Little, businessman Joey Vento, the 286 Band and include a debate about energy.

The event is free.

There will be an after-party featuring soft drinks and hor dourves. Cost is $20 and reservations are required. Call 215-690-4043.

Also there will be a pre-event lunch. Stay tuned for details.

Co-sponsors are the Cherry Hill Tea Party and the Diamond State Tea Party.

Richard Dreyfuss WPHT Civics Lesson

Pa. Should Follow Tenn. Lead On Teachers Union

Tennessee , June 1, ended collective bargaining for school teachers, a story pointedly ignored by the in-the-pocket-for-the-left news media.

The law signed by Gov. Bill Haslam allows for a process called “collaborative conferencing” but leaves the school boards with the final say — the teachers get no right to appeal; no right to ask for binding arbitration.

Further, there are certain things the teachers may not negotiate namely staffing decisions, the use of grant money, the employee evaluation process and whether or not payroll deductions can be made for
political purposes.

It sounds almost like what existed in Pennsylvania before 1970 when the teachers got their right to strike.

Pennsylvania, the state most tortured by child-hating teacher strikes and “work to rule” negotiating strategies, is pondering plans to replace teacher strikes with binding arbitration and allow for seniority-based economic furloughs.

That’s not the way to solve the problem.

What Tennessee did is the way to solve the problem.

Hat tip FreeRepublic.Com

Barletta Bans Recordings At Town Halls

Barletta Bans Recordings At Town Halls — Newly minted coal-country congressmen Lou Barletta (R-Pa11) and Tom Marino (R-Pa10) have sparked fears they have gone Potomac by instituting recording bans at recent town hall meetings.

Barletta has denied the claim saying the event at which he banned personal recordings was a  “private” meeting.

To which he had opened to the old media who of course were given permission to record.

The congressmen’s actions were motivated by orchestrated attempts by Democrats to infiltrate the town halls with unruly disrupters whose antics would be recorded and placed on the YouTube in the hope it would indicate widespread grassroots opposition to Republican policy.

It was an effort to mimic action in 2009 and 2010 by Tea Partyers which led to big Republican gains last November.

What should be remembered, however, is that it wasn’t the angry protestors who made the Democrat incumbents look bad but their responses to them. The incumbents, perhaps most famously Arlen Specter,  were recorded being abusive, mocking and dismissive to them, after which they arrogantly ended constituent meetings completely.

If Barletta and Marino follow that path they will be one-termers.

If they, however, let them obscenely and abusively vent and are judicious in their response the strategy will backfire badly on the Democrats.

The Republicans simply have to make sure they have their own recordings to put on YouTube.

It remains to be seen if they are smart enough to do this.

Barletta Bans Recordings At Town Halls

Middle Class Parents Vs. Billionaire Corporations

Middle Class Parents Vs. Billionaire Corporations — The article is being published with the kind permission of Tea Party activist Bob Guzzardi.

The House Republicans are considering giving $ 603,543,000, in this year alone to billionaire private corporations. This is $181, 113,000 more than Governor Corbett proposed.

The entire cost of SB 1, Vouchers/EITC over four years, is: $ 734, 947, 772

SB 1 is designed to subsidize, as required by Article III, section 14 of the Pennsylvania Constitution, the education of children, particularly the poor caught in violent and educationally dysfunctional schools and middle class struggling economically.

In comparison consider the how the state subsidizes  education’s  Princes and Princesses:

UPENN’s president Amy Gutmann’s compensation: $1,367,000 and Penn State’s Graham( $800, 592 according to Journal of Higher Education) flies in one of Penn State’s three airplanes from its own airport. UPITT’s Chancellor;$600,045, Temple U President Anne Weaver Hart; $602, 403) UPITT Chancellor Mark Nordenberg received a 5.7% increase in 2010, $26,500, for a total annual salary of $486,000. This is base salary and not total compensation.

A change in course directing money away from billionaire private corporations to those who need it most may be an idea worth considering. Misallocating taxpayer resources is not in the public interest or advance the general welfare.

 

 

Middle Class Parents Vs. Billionaire Corporations

Forgotten Taxpayer Subsidizes Academic Royalty

Forgotten Taxpayer Subsidizes Academic Royalty  is being published with the kind permission of Tea Party activist Bob Guzzardi

Temple University President Ann Weaver Hart is paid   $707,947.00  annually.

Temple University’s 2011 budget is over a Billion Dollars –$1,073,697,000  not including Temple University Health System

The House Republicans have proposed giving Temple University $129,387,000 of The Forgotten Taxpayer’s earnings and savings overriding the Governor’s proposed $82,487,000. As a “nonprofit”, Temple University pays no local property taxes and no State or Federal taxes other than payroll deductions from all employees.

Is subsidizing Pennsylvania’s billionaires and millionaires the best use of Pennsylvanian’s earning and savings?

UPENN President Amy Gutmann is paid $1,367,000 in 2011; 15th highest in 2010

UPENN’s, a private nonprofit corporation has 2011 budget of $6.07 Billion with an endowment of $5.6 Billion (2010)

The House Republicans have proposed financing UPENN with $ 85,282,000 of The Forgotten Taxpayer’s earnings and savings reducing the Governor’s proposed $ 87,771,000. As a private “nonprofit” corporation, UPENN pays no local property taxes and no State or Federal taxes other than payroll deductions from all employees.

Is subsidizing Pennsylvania’s billionaires and millionaires the best use of Pennsylvanian’s earning and savings?

Misallocating resources lowers the standard of living for all of us.

Forcing the many taxpayers to fund the few who benefit is not good policy.

 

Forgotten Taxpayer Subsidizes Academic Royalty

A Tale of Two Colleagues: Meehan Vs. Stollsteimer In 2012?

This article by Chris Friend is being published with his kind permission.

It could be a battle royale between the two former prosecutors, but what about Joe Sestak?

Assistant District Attorney, Delaware County.


Assistant United States Attorney, Eastern District of Pennsylvania,
specializing in prosecuting illegal firearms cases and violent drug
offenders.


Governor-appointed Safe Schools Advocate for the School District of
Philadelphia — a position that was ultimately “eliminated” not for
budgetary reasons, but because he publicly chastised the Governor and
Department of Education for their willful failure to protect students.


Was often mentioned as a possible nominee for United States Attorney.


And now, this person is considering running for Congress as a strong get-tough-on crime candidate.


Such a resume would seem a great springboard for elected office, as
law-and-order candidates have met with great success lately: Governors
Tom Corbett and Chris Christie are former prosecutors, as are
Pennsylvania Congressmen Tom Marino and Pat Meehan, as well as State
Representative Todd Stephens.


But here’s where it gets interesting.  All the aforementioned
politicians are Republicans, but this resume belongs to Jack
Stollsteimer, a self-styled RFK Democrat who is strongly positioned to
win his Party’s nomination in next year’s Seventh Congressional District
race.  To claim the ultimate prize in November, he would have to beat
not just a Republican, but his former U.S. Attorney boss, Rep. Pat
Meehan.


But first things first. Will the path to the nomination be clear, or
will a well-known Democrat with a history of success — and
unpredictability — decide to throw his hat into the ring? And if so,
when?


*****


The district, which includes most of Delaware County, parts of
Chester County and a section of Montgomery, is traditionally perceived
as Republican, because voter registration favors the GOP, and the
Delaware County courthouse has long been controlled by the well-oiled
Republican Machine.


But while Republicans hold a majority of offices throughout the
county, their grip on power has been slipping.  No Republican
presidential candidate has won Delco since 1988, and numerous Democratic
state legislators now represent districts long-held by the GOP. But
perhaps most telling, in 2010 — the largest Republican wave since 1946
— both Governor Tom Cornett and U.S. Senator Pat Toomey lost the
county.


Yet Pat Meehan won by ten points.


Meehan’s impressive showing was bolstered by the Republican tidal
wave and the fact that it was an open seat, since former Congressman Joe
Sestak ran for U.S. Senate.  That substantial victory has provided him a
solid foundation to launch his re-election bid. 


But to stay in office, he will have to wage an aggressive campaign,
taking nothing for granted. Unlike last year, he now owns a voting
record. And when it comes to Congress, Seventh District voters have an
independent streak that defies conventional political wisdom. 


In the 70’s and 80’s, the Seventh was represented by Bob Edgar,
arguably to the Left of Mao and universally recognized as the most
liberal member of Congress.  After giving up the seat to
(unsuccessfully) run for U.S. Senate, Edgar was replaced by the
generally-conservative Republican Curt Weldon. But in the Democratic
wave of 2006, he lost to Sestak, a former Navy Admiral who, like Edgar,
was unabashedly liberal.


Understanding the volatile electorate, the District’s wild
fluctuations of the past, and sensing that the seat is not as safe as
last year’s election results would indicate, the national Republican
Campaign Congressional Committee has “enrolled” Meehan in its Patriot
Program.  An effort designed to assist mostly freshmen, the program
targets the top ten GOP legislators whose perceived vulnerabilities will
likely lead to tough reelection fights.


*****


Stollsteimer has been actively courted not just by local leaders but
the national Democratic Campaign Congressional Committee. To take on
Meehan, though, he must first secure the Democratic Party’s nomination. 
To that end, his plan is to aggressively work the committee to earn its
endorsement, hopefully avoiding an expensive, and potentially bruising,
primary fight. He has already made inroads, having secured the backing
of several highly influential Democrats within the Party hierarchy.


“Jack would be a great candidate if he decides to run, with a strong
profile and reputation for independence and integrity, that has
attracted the attention of the national Democratic Party,” a Party
leader in the district told “Freindly Fire.”


That official requested anonymity, though, as the path has not yet
been smoothly paved for Stollsteimer — or any other potential
candidate.  And that’s because there is an 800 pound gorilla hovering in
the wings who could change the dynamics of the race at a moment’s
notice — for both the primary and general elections.


And in typical fashion, that individual is playing it coy, not
announcing his intentions whether to seek the Congressional seat —
which he happened to hold just seven months ago.


Joe Sestak is the ultimate wild card, an independent Democrat who has
often clashed with Party powerbrokers and a person to whom the terms
“conventional wisdom” and “predictability” simply do not apply.


He gave up what virtually every political analyst stated was a
near-100 percent safe seat, to run as David against Goliath — 30-year
incumbent powerhouse Arlen Specter, whose war chest dwarfed that of
Sestak. The political insiders not only didn’t give Sestak much of a
chance — he was trailing by more than 20 points just a few months out
from the primary — but did everything in their power to stop him. 


They attempted to talk him out of running, not just to keep the
Congressional seat safe but to avoid a primary challenge to Specter. 
When that didn’t work, there was the “Job Gate” offer, in which Sestak
said the White House dangled a high-ranking position in exchange for his
dropping out of the senate race. But that didn’t work, either.


Then the D’s took the gloves off, with prominent leaders, including
then-Governor Rendell and the state Democratic Party chairman, openly
attacking Sestak on numerous fronts.  They said he could not win a
general election, and predicted a Sestak primary victory would be
“cataclysmic” in the fall election.


And yet, despite the GOP wave, Sestak lost to Toomey by a mere two points.


Would Sestak present a viable candidacy to Meehan?  Absolutely.  The
2012 elections will be more favorable to Democrats, not just because a
presidential year always brings out more voters, and political waves are
never sustainable when they crest at such a high level, but because the
“Republicans-are-destroying-our-Medicare” issue will undoubtedly gain
traction.  Democrats are already pointing to their win in the recent New
York special election as evidence, given that the seat was widely
expected to remain in GOP hands.


But for the Democrats to be successful in the Seventh next year, they
need to unify soon or risk losing good candidates.  Very few will be
willing to put blood, sweat and tears into a campaign — and they would
have to open a committee very soon — while the specter of a Sestak
candidacy still looms.  And if Sestak declines to run, but announces
that decision late in the game, precious time will have been wasted.


Sestak would most likely be able to establish a grassroots operation
and generate significant fundraising relatively quickly, due to the
national network gained from his senate run, but the same is not the
case for other candidates. They would have to lay the groundwork, and
that takes time and resources.  And many potential donors and campaign
workers will stay on the sidelines, reluctant to commit to someone like
Stollsteimer — no matter how attractive a candidate he may be —
until Sestak makes up his mind. 


In an age where campaigns routinely begin over a year out from the
election, any significant delay could prove a boon for the Meehan camp.
Translation: the longer Joe Sestak remains noncommittal, the less likely
the Democrats’ chances for success next November.


Will Sestak get back into the political fray?  If so, would it be for
Congress, a position some think is not prominent enough for someone
used to commanding a carrier-battle group — especially when he would
likely return to Washington in the minority? And why would Sestak still
be touring Pennsylvania, meeting new Democrats statewide, if he intends
to run in the relatively small Seventh District? 


It is never easy when it comes to predicting anything regarding Joe
Sestak, and experience has shown that most “experts” are wrong anyway.


So the biggest question is the simplest one: at this point, does even
Joe Sestak himself have any idea what he is going to do?  Whatever the
answer, it’s in the best interest of his Party to make up his mind
quickly.


Let the games begin.

David Mamet Conservative Conversion

David Mamet Conservative Conversion — David Mamet, revered playwright and screenwriter whose works include American Buffalo, The Verdict, Wag The Dog, and Glengarry Glen Ross, and whose work Speed -the-Plow was called a “tone poem” in the old media in the days when it ruled, has declared himself a conservative.

Mamet promotes his just released book, “The Secret Knowledge: On the Dismantling of American Culture,”  by saying “My interest in politics began when I noticed that I acted differently than I spoke, that I had seen ‘the government’ commit sixty years of fairly unrelieved and catastrophic error nationally and internationally, that I not only hated every wasted hard-earned cent I spent in taxes, but the trauma and misery they produced…”

He has shown himself to be a disciple of the brilliant Milton Friedman and Thomas Sowell, and a defender of Sarah Palin.

The hearts of the passionate and courageous 20-somethings do sometimes  evolve to be guided by the wise brains of the 50-somethings and this appears to be what has happened in Mamet’s case.

But is Mamet now a “conservative”? Words are roundly abused for political machinations. Liberals once  advocated a society with minimal government, not speech codes, racial set asides and taxpayer funded abortions. Liberals were once the ones who defended the “little guy” and not pharmaceutical companies or salmon.

And conservatives? Once they were the ones who demanded a king and a state church. Is that what they want now? Because they want to allow Bible readings in schools? It is cruelly ironic to note that it is the “conservatives” who are the ones fighting a book banning.

Further it should be noted that teaching that our rights are God-given i.e. “endowed by our Creator” gives not only permission but obligation to oppose those in authority when they violate those rights.

It is the exact opposite of seeking a king and state church.

Unlike those who want to give government agencies ever more arbitrary and increasing power.

It’s time to scrap the labels “conservative” and “liberal”. The new ones should be “Freedom and Prosperity” and “Regulation and Rationing”.

The Kennedy Democrat is the same as the Reagan Republican who is the same as the Tea Partyer.

One suspects that Mamet’s values haven’t changed merely that he willed
himself to pull back the curtain and look at the man behind it.

Anyway, welcome aboard David Mamet.

David Mamet Conservative Conversion

 

David Mamet Conservative Conversion

Type Little Weiner In Yahoo And What Do You Get?

Type Little Weiner In Yahoo And What Do You Get? As of about 11:15 p.m., June 1.
Type Little Weiner In Yahoo And What Do You Get?

Ban Sushi, The Time Has Come

Ban Sushi, The Time Has Come


This article by Chris Freind is being republished with his kind permission.

Sorry to disappoint, but the 2012 presidential election may prove to be anti-climatic, since it appears the federal government has solved all its problems, from illegal aliens to drug smuggling, from energy independence to protecting the environment. They must have even found a way to eliminate the $14 trillion debt.
Why? Well, based on all the resources the feds are putting into the eradication of a mammoth problem, one that strikes fear in the heart of all citizens, it would seem that all its other troubles have been solved. It’s an issue of such importance that pollsters surely find it at the top of every survey:
The production, sale and voluntary consumption of raw milk.
The threat is so great that armed federal officials find it necessary to routinely raid farms that produce that product. And rightly so, since the incidence of bovine malfeasance has obviously surpassed that of drug dealers, rapists, child predators, and murderers.
*****
The latest saga involved armed federal agents who, after months of “investigation,” raided an Amish farm in Pennsylvania, whose owner was allegedly selling raw milk across state lines. After assessing civil penalties, the government is now trying to shut down the farmer’s operation in federal court.
It’s another example of a government out of control, with gun-toting storm troopers swooping down on a farmer’s property. And there’s little doubt it came about because the extremely powerful dairy lobby once again flexed its political muscle, demanding that this increasingly popular practice be squashed. Given that there are over 10 million raw milk drinkers in the U.S., why else would so much attention be given to such an innocuous business?
At issue is whether raw milk is dangerous for human consumption because of the potential presence of E. coli, salmonella and other bacteria, as opposed to the pasteurized milk that kills such germs and is common on store shelves. Raw milk advocates, both producers and consumers, claim that milk in its raw, natural form, free of chemical treatment, helps the human body maintain an overall level of healthiness. They state that during the pasteurization process, key proteins are destroyed that help promote digestion and improve the immune system.
Even though federal officials counter that the bacteria in raw milk can be deadly, people across the country go out of their way to obtain such milk, sometimes paying in excess of three times the price of regular milk. Not only have they lived to tell their story, but most claim they and their children are significantly healthier. In the past decade, only two deaths have been officially linked to raw milk, and even they were suspect, as the contaminated substance in question was Mexican cheese.
Given that raw milk is legal to sell in 29 states, and in the other 21 there are many legal loopholes to do so (such as labeling the milk for animal consumption, and selling “cow-shares” so that owners are entitled to a percentage of the cow’s yield as opposed to buying milk outright), such heavy handed conduct on the part of federal officials is troublesome.
*****
Here’s the rub. If government is going to interfere in people’s lives and threaten their livelihoods, then they should be consistent. It certainly wouldn’t make their decision right, but at least they would avoid the appearance of favoritism. If the major issue in the consumption of raw food is the possibility of it containing “harmful” bacteria, then many more businesses should be concerned about being shut down by government agents.
Fair is fair.
So why aren’t the feds closing all restaurants that serve sushi, or at least banning it from the menu? Sushi, a delicacy loved by millions, is simply raw fish. And the best sushi is categorized as being from the “highest grade” fish.
Sounds like class warfare in the pelagic community.
The reality is that the “highest grade” fish is still served raw and can contain both bacteria and parasites. As an added bonus, the concentration of mercury in many of these fish is quite high because of their status as apex predators, meaning that, since they are at the top of the food chain, they often have the highest concentration of mercury.
Isn’t mercury bad for us, too?
And what about the significant risk of contracting hepatitis from eating raw seafood? It is a very real possibility, even when eating in a five-star restaurant.
While we’re at it, let’s ban steak tartare (made with raw beef) from all restaurants, as well as Caesar dressing concocted with raw eggs.
Come to think of it, the citrus and vegetable industries have problems too, given the occasional presence of E. coli on those products, due in part to manure laden irrigation water and fertilizer.
So let’s ban tomatoes, too. Oh wait, the FDA did exactly that several years ago after announcing a salmonella outbreak, throwing countless Americans out of work. Only one problem. There was absolutely no evidence that tomatoes were the offending food, and, after completely decimating an entire industry, the FDA (Federal Destruction Administration) cavalierly announced that it didn’t actually know what caused the outbreak.
If only the FDA was red-faced and apologetic after its misstep, willing to make amends, some of the animosity towards government would have been mitigated. But it was as arrogant as ever.
The specter of bureaucrats who are 52 cards short of a deck yet hold the power to destroy Americans’ lives — with no repercussion when they are wrong — is simply un-American. And the fact that Congress and presidential administrations allow such intrusion to go unchecked simply makes the sin mortal.
*****
Government clearly has more important priorities than trying to put raw milk producers out of business, especially when it operates in such a frightening manner. If people want to drink raw milk for its perceived health benefits, they should be able to do so without fear, and without being forced to act like rumrunners during Prohibition. And if government is so concerned about the safety of these individuals, it could make them sign a waiver of liability.
Of course, then we would be sifting through pages of litigious material every time we entered a restaurant, which would just thrill the bureaucrats.
Or maybe our taxpayer-funded government could actually try to hold up its part of the bargain by enforcing the laws that are designed to keep us safe and secure, but are routinely ignored. Spending no more than it takes in and sealing the border are just two that come to mind.
A wise man once wrote that government should be “…of the people, by the people, for the people”.
Well-funded lobbies controlling an ever-intrusive government is not what Mr. Lincoln had in mind.

 

Ban Sushi, The Time Has Come

House Vs Senate On Teacher Furloughs

The Pennsylvania House and the Pennsylvania Senate have competing bills to allow school districts to furlough teachers for economic reasons, an action the traditionally union-dominated state has long prohibited.

House Bill 855, introduced March 1  by Scott Boyd (R- 43) would  allow the furlough decision to be guided by several factors including the teacher’s specialization and performance evaluations.

The good ol’ boys in the Senate Appropriations Committee, however, did not think of the children or the taxpayer but listened to the lobbyists and cut out all factors but seniority — with one minor caveat  — from Senate Bill 612, which was introduced Feb. 18 by Mike Folmer (R-48).

The caveat is that tenured teachers who have been placed on an improvement plan due to poor evaluations would not be protected by seniority. This would only apply to very few teachers who are the worst of the worst and one wonders why such teachers are protected from anything now.

Think of the children.

SB 612 was referred to the House Education Committee, May 11, where HB 855 has remained stuck since it was introduced.