Radio Daze

A few weeks ago a friend told me about 92.1 FM in  Nantiocke. The station plays 80's stuff and today it sounded like it was playing my record collection.

I just lived thru the blue screen of death

Microsoft told me to do about 47 things to recover.

Off to the beach

See you in a week

Swift Yachting

Swift-Yaching (v) - To make accusations about the way a candidate acquired vast wealth. See also Bain-boating.

David Weigal  argues that this firestorm was caused by the Romney campaign's overreaction to the out sourcing allegations.

Did the Romney Campaign Create the Swift-Yachting Story?

So was Romney in charge of Bain Capital or not between 2009 and 2012? If he wasn't running the company why did he get a salary of "at least" $100,000 a year. According to the SEC filings he was but claims he was in Utah rescuing the Olympics except when he went back to Boston so he could qualify as a resident of the Commonwealth to run for Governor. He did a good job with the Olympics by getting Congress to pony up$600 million.  Senator John McCain cited the games as “an incredible pork-barrel project for Salt Lake City and its environs”. 

 So now everyone wants to see Mitt's tax returns including many Republicans.

 15 Prominent Republicans Who Want Romney To Release More Tax Returns Right Now

 His father released 10 years of tax returns when he ran for President.  

This ad is devastating

 

The DNC chair was in town yesterday.

Democratic National Committee chairwoman campaigns for Obama.

 Romney was in PA  and was met by this ad

 

  The thing that is really curious is how Romney has an IRA worth between $22-$100 million dollars. For a long time the limit on contributions was $2000 then it got indexed and is now $5000. So if you do the math you maybe able to stash about $100,000 over 20 years in principle. How that grows into millions is secret I want to know.

New Luzerne County GOP chairman

In a bit of a surprise Kingston attorney Bill Urbanski was elected as Luzerne County Republican chairman defeating incumbent Terry Casey 79-72 at the party convention Sunday at Genetti's.


Casey was elected in 2008 succeeding Lynette Vilano. and it's fair to say that his record has been more hits than misses. In 2007 the Luzerne County Republicans lost EVERY contested county election. Their only winner that year was Steve Urban because one Republican had to be on the board of commissioners. His first move was hiring Renita Fennick as executive director who was able to deal with the various factions and got people to work together. A year round headquarters was opened in downtown Wilkes-Barre with space donated by a real estate outfit and he got the back mountain money boys to kick in some bucks to pay for it all. It paid off in the 2009 county elections when the Republicans won 2 out 3 of the Row Offices up that year. In 2010 the focus was getting Lou Barletta elected to Congress that was helped by the national wave.

Elections for the county council under the new Home Rule form of government was on the ballot in 2011 and the Republicans snagged 4 of the 11 seats and Stefanie Salavatis knocked off DA JAckie Mo. Not bad for a party that has been on the outside for a long time with a significant deficit in registrations.

 But some Republicans said they should have done better after all the corruption that has seen a slew of Democrats go to jail. Some have complained that the county party didn't help out municipal candidates enough particularly in Wilkes-Barre but that is not the focus of the county party.

The county Republicans haven't been able to fill all of the committee spots and got a big black eye when a race hater wrote himself in for one of them.One of my Republican friends said it was not a priority to recruit county committee members but 6th District honcho James O'Meara said he tried his best to get people to sign up without much success.

Bill Urbanski sounds like a Republican populist if there is such a thing CV: "My vision is simple: do away with unnecessary expenditures and bureaucracies and build a more inclusive county Republican Party," Urbanski said. "Too often committee members and even average voters feel as though they are on the outside looking in, or what may be worse, on the bottom looking up. In my mind, the contributions made by the rank-and-file members of the GOP are just as important as the contributions made by those in positions of power."

It looks like Kingston Mayor Jim Haggerty is the next coming of Marty Murray on the Republican side. He wrote the Home Rule Charter and now this.  "Winning the Republican county election is proof of your grassroots ability," Haggerty said.

Bill's brother posted this picture  :

Update: James O'Meara corrects me in the comments..

Actually, Gort, this year we were successful in the 6th getting new committee members. We have filled 8 of 10 slots in Plains, for example, and I will find people for the other two slots. It was similar throughout the rest of the 6th District. Recruiting those slots is a primary duty of a District Chair, so the empty slots ...and the responsibility to fill them ...are my responsibility.

YouTube Weekend

We are off to Philadelphia to see Roger Waters perform The Wall at the ballpark. I saw the original Pink Floyd production 30 years ago in Los Angeles and few months later in London.

Somehow the entire movie is available.

PA voter ID law

The Pennsylvania legislature recently enacted a voter suppression ID law that supporters say is a common sense measure to ensure that people who vote are who they say they are. After all a photo ID is required to buy alcohol or  fly on an airplane. Critics contend that this is another way that Republicans are trying to rig the next election since in person voter fraud is non existent. This is on top of the Citizens United decision that threw out the campaign finance laws that lets billionaires who make their money in China spend unlimited amounts of money in an American election. Foreign money in an American election used to be illegal. Before that PA Republicans wanted to change the way we cast our Electoral College votes changing winner take all to allocating them by Congressional District.

Locally there have been shenanigans with absentee ballots but the only case I remember of in-person voter fraud was when W-B Area  school director Joe Moran's kid was up for a seat on the WVW School board but it came out that he had been voting at his old man's address in the Miner's Mills section of Wilkes-Barre. Even then he only voted once but at the wrong address.

Before Tom Corbett became Governor he was the Attorney General of the Commonwealth but he didn't prosecute one case of voter fraud. He was busy with the Bonusgate investigation that put Democrats in in jail and  ignored the allegations against Jerry Sandusky.

To help sell this new law the Corbett Administration gave a contract to a Romney fundraiser.

TNC:  Republican Gov. Tom Corbett's administration has signed a $249,660 contract with a company run by Mitt Romney fundraiser, former state GOP party executive director, pharmaceutical lobbyist, and school voucher advocate Chris Bravacos to direct a media campaign promoting the state's Voter ID law.

Yes, that very same law, requiring that voters present identification at the polls, which critics contend will suppress Democratic-leaning non-white, poor, elderly and youth voters and which House Majority Leader Mike Turzai recently boasted (video) is “gonna allow Governor Romney to win the state of Pennsylvania.”

 See a video produced by this outfit of overly happy people showing a card that is supposed to resemble an ID.  Also confuses the issue by saying “other kind of photo id” will be accepted, without explaining what that means.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBQhp7dUkGE&feature=youtu.be

!7th CD candidate Gene Stilp is calling Bullshit and filed a lawsuit.

GENE STILP FILES FEDERAL AND STATE COMPLAINTS AND REQUESTS FOR INVESTIGATION INTO THE $249,000 VOTER IDENTIFICATION CONTRACT AWARDED TO THE BRAVO GROUP THROUGH THE PENNSYLVANIA DEPARTMENT OF STATE.

Gene Stilp, today filed a complaint and a request for investigation with the United States Department of Justice at the Middle District federal offices. Stilp also filed similar complaints and requests for investigation with the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General and the Pennsylvania State Ethics Commission.

The complaints and requests for investigations concerns the use of federal taxpayer funds to pay certain Pennsylvania lobbyists who have a long history of Republican political involvement through a Pennsylvania State contract approved and administered by the administration of Republican Governor Tom Corbett.

Gene Stilp said, “There is a direct and substantial conflict of interest when Tom Corbett, the Republican governor of Pennsylvania, through his Department of State, awards a quarter of a million dollar contract utilizing federal funds to a Republican operative that as recently as April hosted a Mitt Romney event in Harrisburg. It is even more questionable when the contract involves the voter identification process which is under considerable criticism for a large number of Pennsylvania voters that are being disenfranchised in an admitted political effort to keep voters from voting in the upcoming elections only 118 days away.”

Stilp further called for the immediate return of all the federal HAVA funds involved in the contract.

The Pennsylvania Department of State contracted with the Bravo Group to develop and implement advertising related to the voter identification process.

 Pignelope is 7! 

  Don't miss the biggest, pinkest birthday party you've ever seen! Come celebrate the birth date of our beloved Pignelope!

In July 2005, the Pennsylvania Legislature voted themselves a illegal pay raise in the middle of the night.


Like many of us, Gene was outraged that our legislators could be so greedy. He wanted a symbol to show the waste and abuse of the system shown by these legislators.

From that, your favorite 25 foot pink pig was born and became famous!

American Legion Post 730

3813 Walnut St., Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17109

Cartwright says Act on Jobs, Not on Political Gamesmanship

From the inbox:

Two weeks ago, the Supreme Court upheld the Constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.  In response to the court’s ruling, Republicans in the House of Representatives decided to hold a vote to repeal the health care law completely.  The timing of this could not be worse; neither could the flagrant political posturing.

It is important to realize what a full repeal of this bill would mean.  The Medicare prescription “doughnut hole,” would remain open, once again placing the burden of full payment on our seniors.  People with pre-existing medical conditions, including cancer patients, could once again be denied the possibility obtaining affordable care.   According to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, the federal deficit would increase by $210 billion.  3.8 million Pennsylvanians have already used a free preventative service provided by the Affordable Care Act- this would cease.  These popular benefits and many other reforms the ACA brings must not be repealed.

Beyond being bad policy, this push to repeal the Affordable Care Act is a meaningless political game.  During their time in the minority, these Republicans remarked that health care was the wrong priority, and that Congress should be focusing on other job creation measures.  Yet during their time in the majority, Republicans have voted thirty-two times to repeal measures contained in this health care law, and they have already voted once for a full repeal.  We know that the Senate will not vote to overturn this law.  Now is not the time to engage in these types of useless political games- now is the time for bold action.
Last week, we saw the best of Congress.  Working across the aisle, Democrats and Republicans passed a Transportation Bill that promises to create or retain 2.9 million jobs in the construction industry, a sector that has been battered in this recession.  The American people are looking to Congress for more of this job-creating legislation.  Let’s hope that they will deliver.

Matt Cartwright, Democratic Candidate for Congress, PA-17

Mrs. G wants to go to the mall

Hey Computer Geeks

Help me out here. My computer is working fine when I use the Firefox browser but hiccups and crashes when I use Internet Explorer 8.Is there a fix?

Dahlander states his case

Jeff Dahlander is the Democratic candidate in the 111th State House District taking on longtime incumbent Sandra Major. Major has not had a serious challenge in the last few elections. She has comfortable fundraising advantage with $34,000 cash on hand to Dahlander's $1700 according to the last CFR. It's an uphill battle but that is why we have elections.

From Jeff:

“Vote for someone who shares your values”—this is the counsel that Representative Sandra Major offers to her constituents in her stump speech. And her advice must have worked in the past, because Major has been our representative for the past 18 years. Of course, many times, her name was also the only option on the ballot, so it would seem that the odds were ever in her favor.

However, in the upcoming election, Representative Major will face a formidable opponent—one who is heavily invested in his community and the lives of his constituents.  We know almost nothing about Major as a person; we only see the façade that she presents during photo ops and public events. She has morphed from a representative into an institution; and like many institutions, she has become disconnected from the actual people who she is supposed to serve. The truth is that she no longer embodies the values that the citizens have in the 111th district.

Our communities are essentially three-legged stools.  We have our family and neighbors, our places of worship or faith, and our public schools.  How often do we refer to ourselves by our relations, our church affiliation, or our alma maters?  Representative Major is lauded as a proud graduate of Mountain View, but with the continual cuts that she has made to education over her tenure, we have to wonder just how dedicated she is to her community.  A stool cannot stand without the support of its three legs.  Representative Major’s voting record indicates that she is not interested in the stability of our communities or our future.

The challenge for voters now is to evaluate our representative and her challenger.  Who will listen to and act upon our concerns?  Who will diverge from party lines and fund our public schools?  Who will fight for us and defy our Governor’s corporate interests?

Sandra Major either needs to reassess her representation of her community or yield to a challenger who is willing to work harder for his constituents.

Updating the Blogroll

What a beautiful Summer Day! Temp in the low 80's with low humidity. Enjoy the Global Warming.

Many people tell me that the top feature of this blog is the blogroll on the left sidebar. So an update is in order.

GrassrootsPA is now the Keystone Report. Chris Lilik reads too many newspapers so you don't have to. I miss the comments section.

Common Sense Political Thought got a bit out of control in the comments and has been reborn as The First Street Journal

 Frank is keeping an eye on the Mayor in Wake Up Wilkes-Barre 

 The Right to Gripe always has something to bitch about

Dr. Rick is back.

Right Wing Fringe

 

Michelle just went past the 7 year mark of tapping away and she celebrated by noting other milestones.

 

Happy Blogiversary!

 

 

Mrs. G smacks down a hater

I don't write letters to the editor because they are not published or chopped up when they are. That's why I have a blog. A recent LTE in the TL got Mrs. G's hackles up and she responded.  

Can’t do away with sex when debating marriage 

You cannot discuss marriage without mentioning one of its major components: sexual coupling. This aspect is conveniently ignored by those people who are in favor of “gay marriage” because, let’s face it, sex between men is revolting. The sexual union of two men produces, at best, internal disfigurement and, at worst, disease and even death. The sexual union of two women isn’t possible; therefore, the “marriage” of two women is a sterile joke. On the other hand, sex between a man and a woman often produces the miracle of life. So there you have it. One marriage produces nothing or causes bodily harm; the other, life. No starker contrast could be made, and yet we’re told that gay marriage should be on equal footing with traditional marriage. This is insanity and quite dangerous. A society that mocks its venerated rites must suffer the unintended and unforeseen consequences.

Fran McMullen

Mrs. G responded to this claptrap.

Reader respects all kinds of loving relationships

The TL edited her response, here is the full thing.

 This is in response to a letter in Saturday’s paper written by Fran McMullen about same sex marriage.  The word used in describing sex between two men was very offending to me, and I am sure to many others, in addition to the rest of the letter.

 

Gay men and women can make love to each other in a way which I see you can totally not understand.  Of course they cannot create life, but they can produce offspring in other ways.  Also, many gay couples have adopted or would like to adopt children that were produced by “sexual coupling” between a man and a woman but were not wanted by the man and woman who “sexually coupled”. 

 

Do you realize that gay people do not choose to be gay?  They are born that way.  It’s a fact of life.  If you did some research before condemning them you may have thought twice about writing this very prejudice and close-minded letter.  They are people, just like you and me.

 

When I was in grade school there was a boy who was very feminine.  We were children-5 and 6 years old.  He played with dolls and ran like a girl.  We made fun of him, not understanding that he was born this way.  To this day I regret teasing him.  He was, is and always will be gay because he was born that way.  I wish someone explained this to me as a child.  If we all understood, we would have graciously accepted him as he was.  I know better know and I accept people for who they are.  It’s called diversity.

 

Believe it or not there is someone in your family or a friend of yours that is gay.  When you find out who, will you stone them to death because they don’t believe in your ideals? 

 

Also, I’d like to know how your life is affected just because someone is gay and wants to be with the person they love.  Exactly how does it destroy your personal lifestyle?  Do you suffer in some way because people are gay?  You breathe the same air as them and you’re still here, and it hasn’t turned you into a gay person, has it?  It’s not contagious, nor is it a disease.  It’s life.  Learn to accept it.

 

We only have one life to live, and it’s short.  Don’t you think that each individual should be able to spend it with someone they love, regardless of sexual orientation or race?  Shouldn’t everyone be allowed to spend their life with someone they love without being looked down upon, condemned, beaten, ridiculed or having to hide their feelings?  People should be allowed to be proud to show their true affections without being condemned for them or for who they are.

 

Sex between two men or two women or a man and a woman is not revolting if they truly love each other. 

 

Just for the record, I am not gay.  I am happily married to the love of my life.  And I wish everyone could MARRY the love of their life, regardless of sexual orientation or race.

 

Look in the mirror, Fran, and tell me you like yourself. If you do, I’m glad I don’t know you.  I have no desire to want to know you, and it’s your loss.

 

 Learn to accept people for who they are.  Don’t judge someone just because of their sexual orientation or race and you just may learn something and make all kinds of friends.  Open your heart. Give it a try and you may be surprised.  It feels good.  Jesus loved everyone.

 

Idiot Watch

CV: Police say Stephani Smith, 24, arrived at the KRZ building on state Route 315 in Pittston Township and asked to use the rest room. After being allowed entry by an employee, Smith held the door open and allowed her two dogs inside the facility, police said.... Smith then tried to run away from police, but was promptly caught and arrested. Smith then became combative, according to arrest papers, and flung her legs in the direction of the officer, striking him in the chest.

While in custody, Smith told police "there were people in the radio telling (me) to go to the radio station," according to arrest papers. Police said Smith told the officer she had been drinking wine prior to the incident.

The Yonk suggested this song.

PA 17th CD: Cartwright vs. Cummings

Andrew Seder had 2 articles in yesterday's TL contrasting the views of Democrat Matt Cartwright and Republican Laureen Cummings.

 Cartwright gets ready for fight

 Cummings seeks funds, recognition

Some choice quotes.

 On the Affordable Care  Act

Cartwright

“It’s a great day in America.” He said while he has been in favor of the overall law and what it does, he did not feel it went far enough. He said if elected, he will “work to strengthen” the act.

Cummings

“Not only are taxes enormous, but unemployment is above 8 percent,” Cummings said.

“This decision will reawaken the electorate and those Americans who not only want government out of their lives, but also, who refuse to give the IRS even more power than it already has,” she added. “This decision is a rallying cry to elect those of us who will repeal this law and reform our Byzantine tax code."

The President's  executive order on immigration and deportation

Cartwright

He said he’s not for granting amnesty, but he’s also not for rounding up illegals and deporting them.

“This is America. We don’t put 12 million human beings in boxcars and ship them to the coast to be put on freighters. We don’t do that in this country,” Cartwright said.

Cartwright called the president’s order “a stop-gap measure. I’m not thrilled with it” but it moves the issue ahead until Congress can come together to do the same.

Cummings

“It’s unbelievable that he did it. It can’t stand … It’s appalling that he does the things that he does but it’s not surprising.”

Laureen has set a goal of raising $400, 000 by September and has about $5500 in the bank. Her last FEC report said she raised $300. Matt will not have a problem raising money. Matt said he is not ready to support marriage equality yet but we expect him to get there and suggested using a mobile office to offer constituent services.

I would like to hear what the candidates think of Food Stamps. Andrew may have asked but it didn't make the column inch cut by the editors. 

On June 27th Laureen Cummings posted this to her Facebook wall:

 I know people re-post all sorts of things on Facebook. I know I do it but when I do I agree with the idea. This thing is flying around all the right wing sites including our own Pittston Politics. So does Laureen think that a mother looking for a way to feed her kids in hard times is akin to a wild animal looking for a handout?

I know people who have to use food stamps to feed their families and they are not buying prime rib and lobsters. Most of them work in low paying jobs and are not proud of having to rely on a government a program just to eat, but you got to feed the kids. Sure there are some bad actors who will abuse the system but most of them don't.

When I was growing up my family had to use food stamps from time to time because my father went from one shit job to another and was always being laid off. I cringed when my mother pulled out the food stamp book at the Ack-a-me to pay for the groceries and hoped that none of my classmates spotted us. I skipped the free lunch at school because of the stigma attached and the razzing that would ensue. It really sucks to be poor in this country, then and now.


This guy has never been hungry.

Joe Biden in Scranton today

TL:

Vice President Joe Biden will be in Scranton today to meet with campaign supporters, visit friends and family, and give remarks at Scranton’s Courthouse Square fireworks celebration.

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Scranton, is expected to attend the event and appear with Biden. They are scheduled to make a public appearance together at 7:30 p.m. today.

The dean of NEPA political reporters BORYS KRAWCZENIUK had an interview with the Veep

Biden Visit Tuesday to include trip to childhood home, fireworks in Scranton

 I was a volunteer  in Biden's 1988 Presidential bid that got torpedoed by the Dukakis campaign over the Neil Kinnock plagiarism thing.  I still find it hard to believe that somebody as loquacious as Biden would lift someones words without attribution

Happy Second of July!!

My friend Tom Ford has been giving this history lesson for years:

This may be news to those of you not history majors (or my children, who had to listen to the story every year for the last quarter century) -- but, the Continental Congress did NOT declare independence on the Fourth of July.

That actually happened on July 2, 1776. (The vote was 12-0, with New York abstaining because its recently-dissolve assembly had not yet reorganized and had failed to provide instructions on the Independence question to the delegation.)

Months before, Richard Lee and John Adams had arrived at the Continental Congress prepared to argue for independence, fully aware that those sentiments may not be entirely embraced by the gathering.

In early June, Lee proposed a resolution severing colonial ties to the British:

"Resolved: That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved."

Adams seconded the Lee Resolution.

Initial debate on the Resolution revealed a majority in favor, but a significant number of the colonies yet unsure or lacking appropriate instructions on independence.  Congress was adjourned to allow time for the representatives to obtain instructions from their colonies, and also to give Lee, Adams, and the other independence supporters time to lobby their brethren.

In the meantime, in hopeful anticipation of the adoption of the Lee Resolution, a committee was conscripted to draft the argument for independence and the justification for what was, clearly, a treasonous and seditious act. In short, they were assigned to draft the new Union's first "Talking Points" memo.

Appointed were John Adams, Roger Sherman, Benjamin Franklin, Robert Livingston, and Thomas Jefferson. Franklin, concerned that Adams had a little too much of the aggressive litigator in him, suggested that Jefferson put together a draft. Adams, nothing if not self-aware, readily agreed and lobbied the reluctant Jefferson to accept the role.

Jefferson, borrowing heavily from George Mason's Virginia Declaration of Rights, produced a rough draft. He then presented it to Adams and Franklin, who made some changes to the document before it was sent to the committee, which approved it without further change.

On July 1, 1776, Congress reconvened as a "Committee of the Whole".   On the First, Pennsylvania's John Dickinson argued against independence and John Adams gave a rebuttal. The vote of the "Committee" was 9-2-1-1 -- with Pennsylvania and S Carolina voting in the negative, New York abstaining due to lack of authority, and Delaware not participating at all because its two-member delegation (one delegate was ill and late-arriving) was split. The result was to refer out the Lee Resolution to the Congress, which reconvened as the Congress on July 2.

Overnight, great lobbying and cajoling occurred -- South Carolina's delegation was convinced to join the Independence vote; John Dickinson and Robert Morris of the Pennsylvania delegations were persuaded to abstain in the Pennsylvania caucus, allowing the delegation to vote in favor of Independence.

And, in a thrilling, late-inning development that makes Kirk Gibson's pale in comparison, an ill Ceasar Rodney charged on horseback, eighty miles through a thunderstorm, through the night of July 1, 1776, dramatically arriving in Philadelphia "in his boots and spurs" on July 2, just as the voting was beginning.   He joined his Delaware delegation and cast its deciding vote to make the vote 12-0-1, with New York abstaining, and the Lee Resolution was adopted July 2, 1776.

It is thus on the Second of July, 1776 that the Colonies Declared themselves Free and Independent States -- the true birth day of our Union.

The next day, Adams famously wrote home how the date would be celebrated through history with picnics and fireworks:

The Second Day of July 1776 will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America. . . . It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires, and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more.

Immediately after declaring independence from England, the Congress took up Jefferson's Committee Report, which had been submitted in late June. They reviewed, debated, and revised it in sessions on July 2, 3 and 4. On the morning of the 4th, they adopted the Jefferson's Declaration of Independence as the official statement explaining the reasons for the action they had taken on July 2.

It was sent to the printer the following day and the first signatures were affixed in August, 1776, when most members of Congress were present to sign the document. But the final signature would not be set for over five years. (NO ONE signed it on July 4, BTW.)

So, you all go off and enjoy the Fourth. I'll start raising my glass(es) to Jefferson, Lee, Adams, Franklin and the rest of the gang today. (All this and more at the National Archives .)

(PS. On July 7, the NY Assembly voted to instruct the delegation to vote in favor of the Lee Resolution, making the vote for independence unanimous,)

Jeffrey Dahlander for State Represenative

Jeff Dahlander is the Democratic candidate in the 111th State House District taking on longtime incumbent Sandra Major. Major has not had a serious challenge in the last few elections winning with 75% of the vote in 2010. Jay Sweeney of the Green Party has run against her in the past but it doesn't look like he is in the race this year.

Check out his website http://www.jeffdahlander.com/home and Facebook page.

He sent along his reaction to the state budget:

Major/Corbett Budget to Slash Social Services

Late in the evening on Thursday, June 28th, the House passed a $27.7 billion state-wide budget for the fiscal year 2012-2013. State bill 1466 passed the House with a vote of 120-81, with the support of almost every Republican, including Representative Sandra Major. Not only will the new budget grant colossal tax breaks to a chemical refinery, but the bill also cuts funding for social services by an additional ten percent. Democrat candidate Jeffrey Dahlander, who is running for the 111th district, commented that, “Sandra Major and Tom Corbett’s budget clearly identifies that their priorities are not with the people of Pennsylvania. Although members of the House and Senate call this budget a compromise, the number of votes in favor of it clearly illustrates the dominant parties’ inability to work together in both houses for the benefit of Pennsylvanians.”

Governor Corbett negotiated the state budget along with other Republican House leaders. Although his original proposal suggested cutting back to a $27.1 billion budget, some legislators fought tooth and nail to make an additional $500 million available, to thwart the Governor’s proposed cut of 30 percent to university funding. Much to the dismay of many educators, public education funding will remain the same as last year, following the previous ten percent reduction. Dahlander indicates that the new budget will, in effect, “negatively impactchildren, education, and services to those in need and launch a terribly frightful attack on the middle class.”

Dahlander predicts that the new budget will be difficult for many of Pennsylvania’s struggling residents to swallow and willleave a bitter aftertaste. Dahlander cautions, “Like a mad scientist, Corbett has lined up his party as a twisted ‘human-centipede.’  The end result is a budget that is hard to digest and defines a party that would rather feast upon their own self-serving waste than serve the citizens of the Commonwealth.”