Sarah Gets New Lung

Sarah Murnaghan has a lung.

A six-hour operation was performed this afternoon (June 12) at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the 10-year-old did extremely well, her family said.

Sarah who has  cystic fibrosis
desperately needed a lung transplant but was denied due to antiquated rules prohibiting those under 12 from being eligible for an adult lung. The adult lungs are much more common than children’s lungs.

Kathleen Sebelius and the Obama administration refused to waive the rule causing a national outcry and leading her family to seek relief in federal court due to age discrimination.

The relief was granted by Judge Michael Baylson allowing her to be put on the list for an adult lung.

Sarah Gets New Lung

Sarah Gets New Lung

Dems Picked Criminal For Civil Service Commission

Dems Picked Criminal For Civil Service Commission — Delaware County Democrats are under fire for appointing Anthony Serody — who murdered his former girlfriend last week — to Folcroft Borough’s Civil Service Commission the duties of which include overseeing testing of new police officers  despite Serody’s long criminal rap sheet.

The Democrats will have to replace Serody as he shot himself after killing the woman.

Court records show that Serody had been charged with numerous crimes including robbery, theft, aggravated assault, witness retaliation, reckless endangerment, ethnic intimidation, burglary, receiving stolen property, and obstruction of justice  over two decades in Philadelphia and Venango County albeit he was only convicted of escape in 1993,  and of trespassing last year.

So how did he get the post? It appears it was related to his membership in Laborers Local 332.

It is necessary for national unity that Democrats learn to stop accepting violent, women-hating bullies into their ranks and to recognize that there is no point to win-at-all-cost thinking.

Dems Picked Criminal For Civil Service Commission

Dems Picked Criminal For Civil Service Commission

Homeschool Boom

Homeschool Boom — Four percent of American children are now home-schooled.  The number of children whose parents choose to educate them at home  is growing seven times faster than the number of children enrolling in a traditional school

Hattip Breitbart.com

Homeschool Boom

Homeschool Boom

Alieta Eck Will Be On Ballot

Alieta Eck Will Be On Ballot — Political newcomer, Dr. Alieta Eck, submitted nearly 2400 signatures to qualify as a Republican candidate for the US Senate in the New Jersey race to replace the late Frank Lautenberg, reports Don Adams of the Independence Hall Tea Party PAC.

The Independence Hall Tea Party PAC, along with the Bayshore Tea Party, assisted other conservatives in this effort, Adams said.

While Alieta Eck has not received the media attention that her primary opponent, Steve Lonegan, has generated, she will be a force with which to reckon, Adams said.

“The inherent problem with the almost perennial candidate, Mr. Lonegon, isn’t just his inability to win a statewide primary battle . . . , it’s his baggage and negative tone–which almost guarantees he will lose the general election,” Adams said.

He noted that polls already show Mr. Lonegon badly trailing the likely Democrat Senate candidate.

Alieta Eck, on the other hand, is the real conservative deal, he said.  She practices her conservatism by living it–founding the amazing all-volunteer Zarephath Health Center which provides free healthcare services for the less fortunate.

“Dr. Eck has also fought valiantly against ObamaCare–organizing and leading the medical community in opposition efforts.  And in so doing, she, unlike Mr. Lonegon, has not been handsomely paid by Americans for Prosperity.  Again, she has volunteered her time and expertise,” Adams said.

Adams said that Dr. Eck if nominated, will put a positive, optimistic face on conservatism.  Under the right circumstances, she could, conceivably, pull off a political upset.

He said, however, that Mr. Lonegon is a probable general election loser whose unappealing, negative messaging will drive away independents and set back the conservative cause for years to come.

Alieta Eck Will Be On Ballot

Alieta Eck Will Be On Ballot

 

Pa. To Use UC Money To Save State Jobs

The State House has approved a bill to take money from unemployment compensation taxes and use it keep workers at unemployment centers from losing their jobs and pay for “infrastructure” improvements to the service centers, reports State Rep. Jim Cox (R-129).

That would be a definition of irony if it were written by Ambrose Bierce.

Cox says House Bill 26 would divert a portion of employee unemployment compensation taxes to be deposited into a newly established fund known as the Service and Infrastructure Fund.

Money deposited into this fund would allow the Department of Labor and Industry to improve the “quality, efficiency and timeliness of services” provided by unemployment compensation centers, Cox said.

The bill aims to save the department from unemployment compensation service center closures and personnel cuts that would further degrade services to claimants, Cox said.

So were employers paying too much in unemployment comp taxes allowing
for a surplus to be used to save these state workers and improve the
infrastructure as per the bill? Was there a surplus in the unemployment
fund with our great booming economy?

Maybe if the employers paid lower taxes they would not have to lay so many people off and we would not need so many state workers in the unemployment office. Was that considered?

Ninety-nine weeks of “funemployement”. Wheeeee.

Hey, what’s money but magic green paper anyway?

The measure now goes before the Senate for consideration.

Cox Testifies About Property Tax Reform Proposal

State Rep. Jim Cox (R-129) testified last week about The Property Tax Independence Act (HB 76) which would replace revenues collected through school district property taxes with alternative statewide funding sources.

You can find information about the bill here.

You can watch Cox’s testimony here.

 

Cox Testifies About Property Tax Reform Proposal

Boys Latin Hears Rand Paul At Commencement

Boys Latin Hears Rand Paul At Commencement — Yesterday’s (June 10) commencement speech at Boys’ Latin of Philadelphia Charter School was given by Sen. Rand Paul, the outspoken, anti-corruption advocate from Kentucky and Tea Party favorite.

He used the opportunity to promote education and the empowerment of parents.

“I’m lucky to speak to a group of students who are not only an exception
to the rule, but come from a school that produces exceptional students
as a rule,” he said. “Boys Latin is a great example of the kind of
education I think we need to move toward, where parents can choose what
kind of education their children receive, where parents can choose an
education their children may not have otherwise had.”

The school has 368 students — all boys, 99 percent of whom are black and 86 percent of whom are eligible for a free lunch.

Hat tip Breitbart.com.

Boys Latin Hears Rand Paul At Commencement

Boys Latin Hears Rand Paul At Commencement

Will Obama Push Putin On Adoption Restrictions?

Will Obama Push Putin On Adoption Restrictions? — Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) has  joined a bipartisan group of senators and congressmen to ask President Obama to raise the issue of Russia’s ban on U.S. adoptions with President Vladimir Putin at  G8 Summit, which will take place June 17-18 at a luxury golf resort in Lough Erne, Northern Ireland, which is about 80 miles west of Belfast.

“I am urging a humanitarian solution for those Russian orphans who have already met and bonded with their American families, yet were not able to have their adoptions completed due to the ban,” he said. “They have become known as “pipeline” families.”

Toomey noted that Americans have been able to adopt Russian orphans for  20 years, during which time over 60,000 Russian children were welcomed to the United States.

“An overwhelming majority has found loving, nurturing homes, including many in Pennsylvania,” Toomey said. “President Putin’s ban eliminates the possibility of a new life with a caring American family. It is shocking that the Russian government would punish the most vulnerable members within its society – orphan children. I hope President Obama can convince President Putin that the welfare of children should not be used as a bargaining chip for diplomatic retribution.”

Frank and Lisa Barhight of Kingsley,  were among the couples seeking help from Toomey.

“The Russian Ministry of Education referred to us two beautiful Russian orphan boys; ages one and three. The moment we held these children in our arms, a bond was formed and we became a family,” Barhight siad. “We were in Vladivostok, Russia when President Putin signed the ban. As soon as we returned from Russia, we contacted Senator Pat Toomey for assistance. Senator Toomey and his staff have shown tremendous concern and empathy for our family. Now is the time for President Obama to engage with President Putin and find a solution to allow us to finish our adoptions and bring these children home.”

Toomey’s letter can be found here

Will Obama Push Putin On Adoption Restrictions?

Local Pubs Help Stop Pro-Environmental Law

Local Pubs Help Stop Pro-Environmental Law — An attempt to de-fang the anti-environmental Davis-Bacon Act was defeated, June 5, after 36 Republicans joined all Democrats to vote down an amendment to the Military Construction/Veterans Affairs appropriators bill to bar the use of its funds to enforce the Davis-Bacon  prevailing wage requirements.

The Davis Bacon Act is a 1931  federal law that mandates  paying the local prevailing wages on public works projects over $2,000.

The law inflates the costs of such products by an estimated 15 percent, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

This means there is less money to repair bridges, fix roadways and resolve polluting traffic snarls that waste gas and clog our atmosphere.

Just consider that the historic Rose Tree Tavern in Upper Providence was moved back from the intersection of Route 252 and Rose Tree Road in 2004. When is PennDOT going to put in the desperately needed turn lanes? Wouldn’t it be nice if we didn’t have to wait until 2017 for an interchange between I-95 and the Pennsylvania Turnpike?

In fact, with less money needed for construction projects maybe we could get rid of the turnpike tolls ending the smog producing toll lanes.

Davis-Bacon is a significant part of the reason for our declining infrastructure.

Here are, courtesy of Bob Guzzardi, the Pennsylvania Republicans that voted against the amendment: Jim Gerlach (PA-6), Pat Meehan (PA-7), Mike Fitzpatrick (PA-8), Bill Shuster (PA-9), Lou Barletta (PA-11) and Tim Murphy, (PA-18).

Guzzardi also notes the last year’s vice presidential GOP nominee Paul Ryan of Wisconsin also opposed the amendment.

And this is why things don’t get better.

Local Pubs Help Stop Pro-Environmental Law