This lesson in irony is courtesy of Rick Palinko
The Food Stamp Program, administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is proud to be distributing this year the greatest amount of free Meals and Food Stamps ever, to 46 million people.
Meanwhile, the National Park Service, administered by the U.S. Department of the Interior, asks us “Please Do Not Feed the Animals.” Their stated reason for the policy is because “The animals will grow dependent on handouts and will not learn to take care of themselves.”
National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis announced, June 10, more than $3.1 million in grants to help preserve Civil War battlefields. The Land and Water Conservation Fund grants will preserve more than 270 acres of battlefields that are threatened with damage or destruction by development, he said.
They include $78,531.50 to the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission for 8.85 acres at Gettysburg.
In a passionate, heartfelt speech beneath dreary skies before a crowd of 40 at the steps of the Delaware County Courthouse, Lisa Esler explained, this morning, June 15, why she entered the race for the 161st District Pennsylvania House seat.
The seat is open because just-elected Republican incumbent Joe Hackett stepped down April 30 saying he wanted to return to law enforcement.
The Delaware County GOP to the puzzlement of many picked county AFL-CIO boss Paul Mullen as their candidate to replace him. Mullen had been a strident supporter of Democrats over the last several election cycles, even to the point of serving as a muscleman enforcer.
Mullen’s only foray into public service was a stint on the Penn Delco School Board in the mid-oughts, which, like Hackett, he quit soon after his appointment.
Mrs. Esler, an Aston resident, described herself as a wife, mother, grandmother, certified optician, and a member of the Penn Delco School Board.
And a Republican.
She said she is running to give the district’s voters a choice.
“I am challenging the Delco GOP’s candidate because in my role as a school board director, I have seen how Harrisburg is tainted by special interest lobbyists. As head of the AFL-CIO in Delaware County and the business manager for the IBEW, Mr. Mullen is the poster child for special interests,” she said. “Further, Mr. Mullen has supported liberal Democrats in the last two major election cycles — under his leadership, his union supported Barack Obama and Bob Casey; and Mr. Mullen personally supported Joe Sestak and John Kane. That the Delco GOP machine would favor a man who is, for all intents and purposes a Democrat, is a slap in the face to every Republican in Delaware County.”
She noted that Mullen was picked before the ostensible committee-person vetting process. While taking questions after her prepared statement, she said that a GOP Facebook post announced that Mullen was the candidate an hour before the official selection meeting started May 28.
Mrs. Esler will be running a write-in campaign which, with the new voting machines, is no longer tilting at windmills. The Democrat candidates for Delaware County Council got on the ballot this year via a write-in campaign and Scott Wagner won a write in campaign in a special election last year to take the 28th District State Senate seat.
The official Democrat in the race is Leanne Krueger-Braneky of Swarthmore who lost to Hackett last fall by 2,696 votes.
Mrs. Esler said the district needs someone who will fight for the taxpayers and that there are many cost saving measures that could be implemented without loss of services but are kept from doing so by the political class.
“I am not and do not intend to become a career politician,” she said, and specifically pledged not to take a pension.
She said people were needed to stand up to the lobbyists and the party machines and to work for the taxpayer.
“I will work for you and not be beholden to any special interest group, lobbyist or political party. I am in this race to win and hope the people of the 161st will give me the opportunity to go to Harrisburg and work for them,” she said.
The 161st District is the townships of Aston, Nether Providence, Ridley (PART, Wards 01 [PART, Division 03], 02 [PART, Divisions 01 and 03], 03, 05, 07 and 08) and Springfield (PART, Ward 03 [PART, Division 02 (HD161)]) and the boroughs of Brookhaven, Rose Valley, Rutledge and Swarthmore. Total population: 63,539
The Philadelphia Press Association’s 70th Banquet was yesterday evening, June 14 at Anthony’s restaurant in Haddon Heights, N.J.
The food and company were superb.
The winners in the prestigious public service categories were Kristina Scala of the Daily Local News who now writes for the Delaware County Daily Times for her expose on the Coastesville Area School District and Donald Serfass of the Times News of Lehighton for an interesting piece of a Tamaqua connection to the assassination of Abraham Lincoln; the staff of the weekly Delco News Network; and Larry Kane of KYW Newsradio for his Breakfast with Candidates.
Anjalee Khemiani, who lives in the Washington D.C. area but won the Enterprise Reporting Category for her story for the Press of Atlantic City about the effect the casino closings had on immigrants, may have traveled the farthest to attend the event. Ms. Khemiani also won an honorable mention for Newspaper Writing Daily.
A note of sadness was that several awards were won by staffers at the Jewish Exponent including first places for Amishai Gottlieb for Jewish Basketball League in Sports Coverage Weekly and Lisa Hostein for Viewing Fathers Day in Column Writing Weekly. The staff was laid off soon after the awards were announced. We understand that the Press Association has their plaques and certificates. Contact pdsradio@aol.com for information.
Kudos to William Lawrence Sr, formerly of the Philadelphia Daily News, and Philadelphia Evening Bulletin and who was among the founders of the Press Newspapers of Delaware County, for his small speech regarding newspaper reporting in the 1950s. He described how the Press Association was salvaged from oblivion at that time.
A flyer has been mailed to homes in Pennsylvania’s 165th Legislative District accusing its representative, Bill Adolph, of all sorts of vile things like keeping $183,650 i.e. chump change from the Marple Newtown School District and keeping $268,807 from the Springfield School District.
Gov. Wolf is trying to pressure Rep. Adolph to help him in his plan to put a crushing tax burden on the gas drillers responsible for whatever economic sunshine that has come Pennsylvania’s way over the last seven years.
All, of course, without recognizing that the state has a major spending problem, not a revenue one. Pennsylvania already taxes the drillers 2.7 percent — on top of salaries, sales and the other usual economic activity that occurs during production. Increasing the taxes will either mean more cost passed onto the consumer — how much was your electric bill last month? — or curtailing production.
Addendum: The $268,807 Adolph allegedly kept from the Springfield School District would not be a blip on the radar concerning lessening the impact of the recently approved $140 million new Springfield High School. On the other hand, repealing the state’s prevailing wage law could see a 20-percent cost drop i.e. $28 million i.e. not chump change in the price. If you are inclined to contact Adolph about something contact him about that. You would actually see your standard of living improve — or at least not drop so much — if that law was gone.
In the 19th century, lobster was considered a low-class snack. It was sold in tins, fed to prisoners and used as cat food. Kids in Maine were embarrassed to take-lobster meat sandwiches to school because it meant they were poor.
Leanne Krueger-Braneky will be the official Democrat in the 161st District special election to fill the Pennsylvania State House seat vacated April 30 by Republican Joe Hackett.
Hackett quit the legislature saying he wanted to return to law enforcement.
The election is Aug. 4.
She will face Lisa Esler, a popular Penn Delco School Board member who is running a write-in campaign, and Delaware County AFL-CIO President Paul Mullen who the county Republican leaders placed on the R side of the ballot.
Mullen has been a strong campaigner for Democrats in recent state and national elections.
Ms. Krueger-Braneky, a Swarthmore resident, lost to Hackett last fall by 2,696 votes.
There will be opposition to the Joe Sestak-supporting union president picked by the Delaware County Republican Party to fill the 161st District State House seat being vacated by Joe Hackett.
Lisa Esler, a Penn Delco school board member and Republican, will hold a press conference 10 a.m., Monday, June 15, at the Delaware County Court House, 201 W. Front St. , Media, Pa., 19063, to announce a write-in campaign.
“I am challenging the Delco GOP’s candidate because in my role as school board director, I have seen how Harrisburg is tainted by special interest lobbyists,” Mrs. Esler said. “As the head of the AFL-CIO in Delaware County and the business manager for the IBEW, (Paul) Mullen is the poster child for special interests. Further, Mr. Mullen has supported liberal Democrats in the last two major election cycles—his union supported Barack Obama and Bob Casey and Mr. Mullen personally supported Joe Sestak and John Kane. That the Delco GOP machine would favor a man who is, for all intents and purposes a Democrat, is a slap in the face to every Republican in Delaware County.”
Hackett quit his legislative post, April 30, after easily winning re-election last fall saying he wanted to return to law enforcement. Mullen, ironically, was a Penn Delco School Director in 2007 before also quitting, suddenly and mysteriously, well before the end of his term.
“Harrisburg needs legislators who will fight for the taxpayers—not the special interests,” Mrs. Esler said. ” There are many cost saving measures that could be implemented. We need people who are willing to stand up to the lobbyists and the party machines and work for the taxpayer. That is my pledge to the residents of the 161st district—I will work for you. I am in this race to win and hope the people of the 161st will give me the opportunity to go to Harrisburg and work for them.”
A non-GOP-endorsed Democrat candidate is expected to be announced by the end of the week.