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.

‘Generational Theft’ Pension Bill Back From Dead

The ‘Generational Theft ‘ pension bill that is expected to allow the sextupling of the annual pension burden on the Pennsylvania taxpayer to  $5.8 billion  has crawled back from the dead like a zombie stalking a Pittsburgh shopping mall.

Lame duck Speaker Keith McCall announced, today, that he is calling the State House back in session on Nov. 15 when it is expected to approve the changes made by the state Senate to HB 2497, the official name for the theft bill. The House passed the bill 192-6 on June 16.

McCall had announced on Friday that the House would not be returning to the anger and fear of The Pennsylvania State Education Association and Gov. Ed Rendell both of which implored the Democrat-controlled House to change its mind.

Which the walking dead Democrats did to nobody’s surprise.

The House passes to GOP control in January.

Pennsylvanians don’t get your hopes too high.

Fed Street Sign Mandate To Affect Springfield

Springfield (Delaware County, Pa) Township Manager Michael LeFevre describes the new federal street sign mandate as “a doozy”

The Federal Highway Administration, last year, mandated that  street name signs throughout the nation be upper/lower case. The white letter on black background signs in Springfield are in all capital letters.

The township has until 2018 to replace them.

“The cost to buy a sign face is $50,” he said. “We install them with our own staff. If you look around town there are quite a few street signs.”

The feds feel that older people can read upper and lower case easier.

LeFevre says the township is still awaiting some final directions from the feds.

“We have no plans on beginning major changes at this time,” he said.

If the over-burdened Springfield taxpayer wants to try and find a bright sign to this bit of Washington whimsy he can consider that the mandate is expected to cost New York City $27 million.

Poll Shows Pa. Warming To School Choice

A poll released by Commonwealth Foundation , Nov. 9, shows that 50 percent of Pennsylvanians support using “education vouchers which help parents pay the cost of the school of their choice” with only 30 percent opposed.

If the wording is changed from “education vouchers” to “tax-credit scholarship funds”  the support drops to 46 percent with the opposing remaining the same and those saying “not sure” rising to 24 percent.

The poll of 500 likely voters was conducted Nov. 1 by Public Opinion Research.

Republicans supported the voucher question 63 to 21 percent while independents supported it 38 to 32 percent. Blacks, who overwhelmingly vote Democrat, supported it 69 to 7 percent.

Democrats, in total, supported it 45 to 31 percent.

Men supported vouchers 54 to 27 percent while woman supported it 46 to 32 percent.

Those with children at home supported it 48 to 31 percent percent while those without supported it 51 to 29 percent.

Significantly different results garnered by the “tax-credit” worried included independents expressing opposing to the idea 37 to 34 percent, with support from those with children at home growing to 56 with just 27 percent in opposition.

Hat tip to GrassrootsPa.com

It’s Always Groundhog Day In Pa.

Punxsutawney Samuel H. Smith of the 66th District  was elected Speaker of the Pennsylvania House by his fellow Republicans this morning. He assumes the role when the new legislative session starts Jan. 4 in which the Republicans will hold a 21-seat majority in the 203-member House.

Smith’s name is the first among the submitters of the infamous 2005 pay raise.

Smith had been  House Minority Leader.

Also as expected Mike Turzai of the 28th District was voted majority leader; Stan Saylor of the 94th District was voted majority whip.

 

Expected Pa Speaker Submitted The 2005 Pay Raise

The  leadership vote scheduled for tomorrow  to pick the Republican leaders of the Pennsylvania House has resulted in expressions of anger from the increasingly powerful Tea Party groups in the state.

Expected to be elected as Speaker of the House is  Samuel H. Smith of the 66th District and a resident of Punxsutawney, who is the now the House Minority Leader.

And that’s kind of ironic with regard to Smith’s hometown since what the Tea Partyers fear is a Groundhog Day with a daily wake-up to I Got You Babe for the next two years.

Smith’s name is the first among the submitters of the infamous 2005 pay raise .

Tea Party favorite Rep. Daryl Metcalfe of the 12 District has asked the vote to 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.

Last week’s election gives the GOP a 21-vote majority in the body when it convenes in January.

Metcalfe and the Tea Party groups are also asking that the vote be held in the open rather than in the closed meeting as is traditionally done by both parties for the House and Senate.

The Tea Party group Delaware County Patriots has called the early, closed vote “business as usual”.

Besides Smith, Mike Turzai of the 28th District is expected to be voted majority leader; Stan Saylor of the 94th District , party whip; and Rep. Dave Reed of the 62nd District as GOP policy chairman.

Hat tip to Bob Guzzardi of LibertyIndex.Com.

God’s Pharmacy

A sliced tomato resembles a heart. Is it good for the heart? Do kidney beans really help your kidneys? Is it true about the sweet potato?

Check out the latest Off The Internet feature: God’s Pharmacy .

Phone Book Ends

Phone Book Ends == Verizon Pennsylvania’ s white pages —  the traditional phone book — will now only be delivered upon request.

The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, Nov. 4, gave unanimous approval to a request by the company to change its tradition of including the listing with the distribution of its 12-million revenue producing yellow pages.

Verizon says they are doing it for the environment and that the move will save 200 tons of paper per year.

Verizon says the listings can be found on its website. It also says it is willing to provide them via a DVD.

The blue pages containing the numbers for government agencies and social services will remain.

Yellowbook, Verizon’s competitor, will continue to distribute white pages along with the paid advertising in its yellow pages.

Those still wanting a Verizon Pa. white pages should call its directory distribution center  at 800-888-8448.

The white page listing can  be found at http://www.verizon.com/whitepages.

 Phone Book Ends

Phone Book Ends

Quotes Of The Day From T.J.

Courtesy of Fran Coppock

When we  get piled upon one another in large cities, as in Europe, we shall become as corrupt as Europe.
–Thomas Jefferson

The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not.
–Thomas Jefferson

It is incumbent on every generation to pay its own debts as it goes. A principle which if acted on would save one-half the wars of the world.
–Thomas Jefferson

I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.
–Thomas Jefferson

My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government.
–Thomas Jefferson

No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms.
–Thomas Jefferson

The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.
–Thomas Jefferson

The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
–Thomas Jefferson

To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical.
–Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson said in 1802:’I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then  by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around the banks will deprive the people of all property – until  their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered.’

Lincoln Professor Kaukab Siddique And Antisemitism

Comments made at a Sept. 3 rally in Washington D.C. that were recorded then aired by the Christian Broadcasting Network are coming back to haunt Lincoln University professor Kaukab Siddique along with old emails dug by CBN investigative journalists.

At the rally, Siddique, who teaches English, literature and journalism, said “We must stand united to defeat, to destroy, to dismantle Israel, if possible by peaceful means. Perhaps, like Saladin, we will give them enough food and water to travel back to the lands from where they came to occupy other people.”

In the email exchanges Siddique was found to have said “The Holocaust is a hoax. Get over it.” and that there is “not one document to prove it happened.”

CBN says the record of Siddique’s hatred for Jews goes back at least a dozen years.

Lincoln in Oxford, Chester County, is the nation’s first degree-granting black college. Alumni include Thurgood Marshall, Langston Hughes and Cab Calloway. It is  part of Pennsylvania’s Commonwealth System of Higher Education along with Penn State, Temple and the University of Pittsburgh. These schools are independent of state management but still receive public money, which in Lincoln’s case is about $14 million per year.

Two state senators who represent parts of Delaware County, Daylin Leach of the 17th District and Anthony H. Williams of the 8th District , both Democrats, have written a letter to Lincoln University President Ivory V. Nelson expressing concern about the bizarre, hate-filled statements and noting that while “you are entitled to your own opinions, but you are not entitled to your own facts.”

They pointed out that the state has a no-tolerance policy regarding hate speech for state-supported institutions and  demanded to know the level of awareness held by Lincoln’s administration regarding Siddique’s comments and what steps the school was taking to keep Siddique from teaching false claims to his students.

Lincoln answered that Siddique has not made such claims to his students and that tenure keeps him from being fired.

The strange and sad thing is that one suspects that most Jews in Siddique’s home state of Maryland on Tuesday voted for the same candidates as Siddique did.

Lincoln Professor Kaukab Siddique And Antisemitism

Lincoln Professor Kaukab Siddique And Antisemitism