Rendell To Bail Out Harrisburg City?

A press conference by Gov. Ed Rendell and Harrisburg Mayor Linda Thompson has been scheduled for tomorrow at which is expected to be announced a state-taxpayer backed plan to keep Pennsylvania’s capital from bankruptcy.

The beleaguered Democrat-controlled city has announced it will skip a $3.29 million bond payment scheduled for Sept. 15 to bond holders of Series 1997D and Series 1997F capital appreciation bonds.

This borrowing is not related to $288 million in renovations of the Harrisburg incinerator plant for which Harrisburg City is on the hook for $68.7 million.


The city, population  47,000, has been unwilling to take steps such as laying off city employees to deal with the fiscal crisis.

Ambac Assurance Corp., insurer of the 1997 general obligation bonds, has announced that it will meet payments to investors. Its parent company,however, Ambac Financial Group of Wisconsin, has warned that it may seek bankruptcy protection as early as next year.

Moody’s Investors Service no longer rates Harrisburg.

Have You Forgotten?


Darryl Worley’s perceptive song was released in 2003. Click here or on the pix for it. The lyrics are below. Yes, America misses you President Bush.

I hear people sayin’. We Don’t need this war.
I say there’s some things worth fightin’ for.
What about our freedom, and this piece of ground?
We didn’t get to keep ’em by backin’ down.
They say we don’t realize the mess we’re gettin’ in
Before you start preachin’ let me ask you this my friend.

Chorus
Have you forgotten, how it felt that day?
To see your homeland under fire
And her people blown away
Have you forgotten, when those towers fell
We had neighbors still inside goin through a livin hell
And you say we shouldn’t worry bout Bin Laden
Have you forgotten?

You took all the footage off my T.V.
Said it’s too disturbin for you and me
It’ll just breed anger is what the experts say
If it was up to me I’d show it everyday
Some say this country just out lookin’ for a fight
Well after 9/11 man I’d have to say right.

Chorus
Have you forgotten, how it felt that day?
To see your homeland under fire
And her people blown away
Have you forgotten when those towers fell
We had neighbors still inside goin’ through a livin’ hell
And we vow to get the ones behind Bin Laden
Have you forgotten?

I’ve been there with the soldiers
Who’ve gone away to war
you can bet they remember just what they’re fightin’ for

Have you forgotten
All the people killed
Yes some went down like heroes
In that Pennsylvania field
Have you forgotten
About our Pentagon
All the loved ones that we lost
And those left to carry on
Don’t you tell me not to worry ’bout Bin Laden

Have you forgotten?

Have you forgotten?

Wittgenstein, Hitler And Rush

Ludwig Wittgenstein is considered one of history’s great philosophers. He was born in Austria on April 26,1889, six days after another influential Austrian, who is right now ranked third on the list of history’s top murderers behind Mao and Stalin.

Well, Wittgenstein went to school at Realschule in Linz which had a student population of 300 pupils, and one of his classmates was Adolph Hitler.

It has now been reveled that talk-show giant Rush Limbaugh and Pastor Terry Jones of maybe-I-will-maybe-I-won’t burn the Koran fame were classmates at Cape Central High School in Cape Girardeau, Mo.

Some appear to want to make an issue of this. Rush says he barely remembers the guy and wonders why people can’t accept that. He noted these same people easily accepted claims by one prominent person that he  spent 20 years in a church without being able to recall what his own minister had been preaching.

An FDR Answer For Pension Pain

There is a simpler path to solving the problem of Pennsylvania’s citizen-crushing public pensions than instituting limited Marxism as suggested at this link. Granted invoking the use of U.S. law rather than communist ideals might lead to less cooperation from  public school teachers and other government workers who would be most affected by policy changes. One supposes, though, it can be solemnly intoned “to each according to his needs” to get them on board as the government spigot is shut.

Chapter 9, Title 11 of the United States Code is the bankruptcy provision for governmental bodies. It was instituted in 1937 during our last depression when the previous means of resolving municipal debt — actions of mandamus in which courts compelled tax increases — proved infeasible.

The law notably makes it easier to re-write collective bargaining agreements approved when times were flush and the Dow was seen to be reaching 30,000.

Granted there are obstacles in taking such a route. The legislators who now sit in Harrisburg and who would be needed to sign on would take a major hit if their pensions were limited. As would the governor. As would the state judges who would be asked to rule on cases by those objecting to the policy.

And of course, you would have to deal with smart-alec teen-aged sons and angst-ridden teen-aged daughters coming home from classes taught by those teachers  unwilling to help the needy asking you “WHY DO YOU HATE???!!!!”

But with enough will it can be done and our lives can become better.

New Rudeness and Meaness in Political/Social Discourse Not Your Imagination

By Dr. John Gilmore

Gerard Aquilina,
the head of Barclays Wealth Managements’s private
banking unit, at a conference in Zurich, as reported
by Bloomberg News Columnist Matthew Lynn in his
column Ultra Rich in Finance are Meaner than the rest of
Us, gave the following admonition:

“Beware
of the complexities of dealing with the ultra high net worths,”
Aquilina told his audience. “Demanding and often unreasonable
requests  from them may create “Impossible demands on
the organization.”  Such  as? Help with getting
children into the right school, securing credit to  buy
property, or obtaining last-minute concert tickets, for example.
Even  worse, the richest of the rich turn out to be pretty
stingy as well. They  don’t even want to pay the full fee for
all the services they demand.

According
to Lynn, this was insight into how the rich have changed in the last
decade. One study from the University of California, Berkeleyfound
that the rich are ruder than others. Another study found they were
less likely to give to charity andhelp poorer people. A third study
in Humboldt University in Berlin concluded that they were
“nastier” in the sense of being more apt to punish others. 

The
results of this research and may just explain the cry for no more
taxes, ending social security, spending more on war than health care,
and the many other policies pushed from the top down through the
conservative media that is always trying to pretend to be liberal, in
my humble opinion, that puts property and material gain before the
quality of life fort the human family and the overall environment.  

Toomey Gets Ridge Endorsement

Former Gov. Tom Ridge has endorsed Pat Toomey in the Pennsylvania U.S. Senate race.

There was speculation that Ridge would challenge Toomey for the nomination after incumbent Arlen Specter switched to the Democrat Party in 2009 when it appeared Toomey would beat him in the GOP primary election.

Ridge, who is socially liberal on many issues and hence more appealing to certain moneyed elements of the state GOP establishment, quickly quashed the speculation, however.

The Ridge endorsement, announced today, indicates a unity among state Republicans and is a significant boost for Toomey who appears to be surging past Democrat nominee Joe Sestak, the congressman from the 7th District.

Ridge in his statement said he was endorsing Toomey “because he is an honest, principled leader whois unafraid to stand up for what’s right.”

“As a member of Congress, Patconsistently fought for taxpayers, and in today’s economic climate, thattrait is more important than ever,” Ridge said.

Yesterday, Toomey was endorsed by the state chapter of the FraternalOrder of Police.

Pa FOP Gives Nod To Toomey

The Pennsylvania Fraternal Order of Police, today, endorsed  Republican and former Congressman Pat Toomey, who represented the 15th District,  for U.S. Senate over Democrat Congressman Joe Sestak who represents the 7th District.

The state FOP, representing 41,000 active and retired law enforcement officers, is the largest law enforcement advocacy organization in Pennsylvania. It endorsed Republican Rick Santorum in his unsuccessful Senate race in 2006.

The FOP Philadelphia’s chapter is not bound by the state organization’s action and is expected to make an independent endorsement.

Gen. David Petraeus says inflammatory rhetoric and Anti-Islamic Behavior May Ruin the war Effort

Pastor Terry Jones
announcement that he will burn Qurans at a service September 11th
has created a great deal of anger in Afghanistan and is increasing
lack of cooperation and attacks on U.S. soldiers. Many officials
agree that such a move will help provide propaganda for terrorist
organizations who see the United States as an Anti-Islamic Country
with a goal to destroy Islam.

 

Gen.
David Petraeus, who is Commander of Troops in Afghanistan initiative
said he is outraged by the pastor’s decision to burn the Quran,
which, he said from Afghanistan, could “endanger troops and it
could endanger the overall effort here.”

 

Jones is not deterred by the rise in anger and the
burning of American flags taking place in Afghanistan due to his
repeated rhetoric about Islam being a religion “of the devil.”
He intends to carry out his plan September 11 regardless of the
outcome. Jones responded in response to Petraeus, “Of
course we care. It’d be tragical if because of this one person died.
But at the same time, we do not feel responsible for that.” 
If Jones is not responsible, who is? Even as the 9/11 Burn the
Quran plan continues religious leaders all over the world, and
especially in the U.S., are discussing their concerns over the
“Islamophobia” that seems to be rising throughout the United
States.   

Harrisburg City To Skip Bond Payment

Pennsylvania’s capital is going to skip a $3.3 million payment due Sept. 15  to bondholders of Series 1997D and Series 1997F capital appreciation bonds.

This borrowing is not related to $288 million in renovations of the Harrisburg incinerator plant for which Harrisburg City is on the hook for $68.7 million.

Harrisburg, population  47,000, is controlled by Democrats and has been unwilling to take steps such as laying off city employees to deal with the fiscal crisis.

Harrisburg missed $3.5 million in debt obligations last year.

Ambac Assurance Corp., insurer of the 1997 general obligation bonds, has announced that it will meet payments to investors. Its parent company, however, Ambac Financial Group of Wisconsin, has warned that it may seek bankruptcy protection as early as next year.

Moody’s Investors Service no longer rates Harrisburg.

Open Road Tolling To Be Studied In Pa.

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission voted this morning to advertise for bids for a study of open road tolling which is collecting tolls without toll booths.

If it should be implemented — and a spokesman emphasized it was just a study — the 615-toll collectors employed by the Commission would become superfluous. The collectors make between $18 and $22 per hour or between $37,000 and $46,000 per year not counting benefits or overtime, which according to a Commission spokesman is not a major factor. The commission also uses seasonal workers the number of which, according to the spokesman, was fewer than 100.

New Jersey is replacing toll collectors on the Atlantic City Expressway with open road tolling. Collectors there expect to make $60,000 per year with toll plaza supervisors pulling in $85,000.

In the Pennsylvania fight between man and machine, I’m taking John Henry’s side. Pa.’s collectors — unlike New Jersey’s–are not overpaid and E-ZPass always struck me as being a tad elitist and big brotherish.

Still, my first choice is to forget trying to raise revenue via the roads and turn them into freeways. Toll roads might make sense in New Jersey and especially Delaware where a disproportionate amount of non-residents use the roads, but in Pennsylvania it’s a way to inefficiently snare revenue from its residents via self-imposed traffic jams.

Further, it’s bad for transportation. Consider this: on the 20-mile free section of I-476 i.e. the Blue Route there are 12 interchanges. In the next 24 miles after it becomes a toll road in Plymouth Meeting there are two.

Making the turnpikes into freeways would end the rationale of funneling captive customers into select cattle-shuts and allow for the construction of more interchanges. This would save a lot of gas and commuter time, unless of course the new freedom results in an economic boom which would then see snarls by all the workers going to the new jobs. But that strikes one as being a win, win.