William Lawrence Sr Omnibit 12-23-15
Why do children seem to have such big eyes and senior citizens small ones? It’s an optical illusion. Your eyes never grow but your ears and nose never stop.
Budget Deal Killed Again
Budget Deal Killed Again — The Pennsylvania House has adjourned without a final vote on the 2015 budget. Yesterday, Dec. 22, the House voted 100-99 to approve the $30.8 billion spending plan the state Senate passed earlier this month. The approval, however, did not include the extremely mild pension reform demanded by the Senate.
The Senate, to its credit, said that reform is a must.
So, the House adjourned without a vote.
House Majority Leader Dave Reed (R-62) said the House could be called back into session with six hours notice.
Please understand, it is entirely within Gov. Wolf’s power to end the crisis. The legislature passed a budget on deadline in June which did not increase taxes which Wolf vetoed. The legislature has also offered stopgap spending bills, one which Wolf vetoed and the others which he promised to.
Budget Deal Killed Again
Greased Palms Caused Vote Switch Says Senator
Greased Palms Caused Vote Switch Says Senator — Once again it appears that a victory for working families has been snatched away by the special interests. The Pennsylvania House, today, Dec.22, voted 100-99 to reconsider the state budget the Senate passed earlier this month and which appeared dead after the House rejected, Saturday, a pension reform plan that was part of the deal.
All Democrats voted for the budget along with 17 Republicans including Steve Barrar (160), Nick Miccarelli (162) and Jamie Santora (163) whose districts include Delaware County.
The budget will require a significant tax hike to balance.
It appears eerily similar to what happened in 2013 when the House appeared to have stopped the Corbett gas tax only to cave the next day.
Sen. Scott Wagner baldly says the GOP reps got their “palms greased”. It also should be noted that it appears several Democrat reps cast yea votes despite not being physically present. He also says the mild pension reform that was the subject of Saturday’s fuss is not now included in the deal.
Here is his email report:
The purpose of my email is to report that the PA House of Representatives cast several votes today to advance the stalled PA Budget.
The votes cast today set the stage for a budget vote tomorrow in the House for a budget of $30.788 Billion Dollars for 2015-16 year, an increase of $1.597 Billion Dollars over the 2014-15 budget of $29.191 Billion Dollars.
If the House votes the $30.788 Billion Dollar budget tomorrow for 2015-16 here is the best part – the House and Senate will have to consider a tax increase vote in early January.
You can’t make this stuff up – vote for a spending plan without knowing how you are going to pay for it !!
How else do I say this?
Corruption is alive and well in Harrisburg.
Today I sat in the House of Representatives gallery and watched the House in action.
What is puzzling to me is that PA House Democrat Member Leslie Acosta who represents Philadelphia County was absent from the House chamber and is allegedly in Nicaragua – but she voted “yes” on a motion to revert to a prior printer bill at 1:04 PM today.
Another House Member Democrat Peter Daley from Washington County was also absent from the floor but voted “yes” on the same motion to revert to a prior printer number – his vote was also at 1:04PM.
Republican House Member Daryl Metcalfe questioned accountability and procedure on whether a member had to be present to vote.
On a final vote cast at 4:03PM Representatives Acosta and Daley were listed as absent.
Something smells like rotten fish – the best part was that I was sitting in the House Gallery watching the action go down.
I estimate that tomorrow approximately seventeen Republicans will vote for the increased budget along with the Democrats – how is this happening?
Here is the answer – House Democrats and the Governor’s office are promising special project money for the districts of the Republicans voting “yes” for the budget.
It was pointed out to me that one Republican House member is receiving several million dollars in special project money for his “yes” vote – these type of deals are taking place in Harrisburg.
So it is safe to assume that other Republicans are getting their palms greased for their “yes” votes.
In my private sector business world if I paid a municipal official to influence their vote for a waste contract with my company would I be breaking any laws?
And by the way, the pension reform bill the PA State Senate sent over to the House was voted down this past Saturday – so here it is – No Pension Reform – and the best part – Holiday Tax increases for everyone.
In closing, tomorrow will be very interesting to watch how the House members vote on the budget – keep in mind some type of tax increases are coming down the road for Pennsylvanians.
I will do an email blast tomorrow with an update.
Sen Scott Wagner (R-28)
Greased Palms Caused Vote Switch Says Senator
William Lawrence Sr Omnibit 12-22-15
William Lawrence Sr Omnibit 12-22-15
Way back in 1986 the average American was on the phone six times a day. Now, it might be that he is off it six times a day.
Russ Diamond Christmas Truce
Russ Diamond Christmas Truce — Pennsylvania State Rep. Russ Diamond (R-102) has penned this open letter to Gov. Tom Wolf regarding the budget impasse. It is worth passing on to all, especially one’s legislators, political leaders and media sources.
Dear Governor Tom Wolf,
Pennsylvanians get it. We don’t see eye to eye. There’s a huge gap between our differing opinions on the Commonwealth’s future. We will likely continue this argument, in one form or another, for another three years.
That said, real people are depending on us. Folks who work hard to educate our children. Counties that provide critical services to the most vulnerable. Victims of domestic violence who have nowhere else to turn. The list goes on and on.
For their sake, let’s call a Christmas truce.
The House of Representatives is putting together a plan to allow them to keep functioning. It is NOT a budget. It is NOT a permanent solution. It is merely an offer to keep the lights on until such time as we can resolve our differences.
You don’t have to sign it, but you don’t have to veto it either. You can just let it sit on your desk for ten days and let it happen. It will not represent a political victory for either one of us.
It’s been nearly six months. We’ve been collecting taxes all along, and there’s federal money sitting around just waiting for us to act. It belongs to neither one of us. It should be used for its intended purposes.
The previously agreed to budget ‘framework’ has fallen apart. The votes to support the revenues required to pay for it simply don’t exist. Finger pointing and the blame game will not do anyone any good.
Look, we’re both new at this. As one freshman to another, I implore you to do the right thing. Not for you, not for me, but for the people of Pennsylvania who depend on us the most.
It’s the least we can do. We can come back next year to argue and fight. But right now, we can do something responsible to prevent a calamity of epic proportions.
It’s Christmas, sir. Please join me in declaring a temporary truce.
Sincerely,
Representative Russ Diamond
Russ Diamond Christmas Truce
Winter 2015 Starts Now
Winter 2015 Starts Now — Today, Dec. 21, is 2015’s winter solstice which is the day with the fewest hours of sunlight during the whole year.
If this website’s clock is properly synched it is 11:48 p.m.. EST. and that means winter has started.
The word solstice comes from the Latin words for “sun” and “to stand still.” As per the Old Farmer’s Almanac: In the Northern Hemisphere, as summer advances to winter, the points on the horizon where the Sun rises and sets advance southward each day; the high point in the Sun’s daily path across the sky, which occurs at local noon, also moves southward each day.
At the winter solstice, the Sun’s path has reached its southernmost position. The next day, the path will advance northward. However, a few days before and after the winter solstice, the change is so slight that the Sun’s path seems to stay the same, or stand still. The Sun is directly overhead at “high-noon” on Winter Solstice at the latitude called the Tropic of Capricorn.
Winter 2015 Starts Now
White Christmas Quinhagak
White Christmas Quinhagak — Here’s another one from James Barthelman and Quinhagak, Alaska that is certainly appropriate for this Christmas season in Philadelphia.
White Christmas Quinhagak
William Lawrence Sr Omnibit 12-21-15
William Lawrence Sr Omnibit 12-21-15
It costs $7 million per day to operate the Gerald R. Ford class aircraft carrier. Three words: Whip Inflation Now.
Top Donors 2014 As Per Sunlight
Top Donors 2014— Sunlight Foundation which does yeoman’s work showing how our political campaigns and crusades are funded recently distributed a best-of 2015 which included this dissection from April of where the money went in the 2014 election from the “one percent of the one percent”. They hold this category contains 31,976 persons who contributed $1.18 billion.
Sunlight noted that this money skewed slightly to the GOP and conservatives — $553 million verses $505 million to Democrats and liberals. The top donors, however, were overwhelmingly D.
Liberal hedge fund manger Tom Steyer spent $73,884, 467, which is more than the next 17 Republicans combined. A nice chunk of it went to the campaign for Tom Wolf.
The number 2 donor was former New York Mayor Michale Bloomberg who once upon a time was a Republican but has since moved solely into the camp of country-club progressives. He gave $11,042,800 of which $10,527,600 went to the left.
Sunlight is a critic of Citizens United, the 2010 Supreme Court decision that held that the First Amendment prohibited government interference with political spending by non-profit groups. Much of this money now goes to “super PACs” which are political action committees that don’t make direct contributions to candidates but stick to issues.
Criticism of Citizens United is extremely short-sighted. The Supreme Court got it right. The largest media organization in the world is Philadelphia-based Comcast. It’s “news” outlets are NBC and its spin-offs, which are basically Democrat propaganda machines. The New York Times, despite its fading reputation, is also a partisan mouthpiece. There is no inherent difference between a group of people chipping in to send out mailings and make posters to disseminate information than a New York Times front page story except that the mailings and posters are likely far more honest and accurate.
Top Donors 2014 As Per Sunlight
Pension Deal Fails Endangering Budget
Pension Deal Fails — Pennlive.com has reported that a pension reform plan that was integral part of a deal for Pennsylvania to finally pass a budget Gov. Wolf would be willing to sign has failed.
The vote in the Pennsylvania House was 149-52 against. The Senate was demanding the reform to agree to significant tax hikes sought by Wolf.
The state’s pension system is horribly underfunded and the reform sought — moving FUTURE state government and school employees into a pension system that combined a down-sized guaranteed benefit plan with a 401(k)-style plan — was extremely mild but still a necessary step in the right direction.
The legislature passed a budget in June which was vetoed by Wolf. Wolf also vetoed a stopgap budget in September. The man is an epitome of ego-driven irresponsibility.