Wilkinsburg voting dispute raises questions about ballot verification

Wednesday, December 24, 2008
By Deborah M. Todd, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Voting discrepancies at one Wilkinsburg polling place are being used by voters' rights organizations to argue that the state needs a better system of ballot verification.

Richard King, of VotePA, wrote a letter to the Allegheny County Elections Bureau last month requesting an investigation into Wilkinsburg's Ward 1, District 6 election returns after he learned the number of votes cast in that district exceeded the number of voters who signed in to access the machines by 10 votes.

Mr. King said he reviewed the total tapes from the district himself and found that 591 voters signed in and 601 votes were cast.

Mark Wolosik, elections bureau division manager, cited machine malfunctions and human error as the likely reasons for the discrepancy.

He said the local board of elections did not follow proper procedure in activating voting machines that were compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, and some board members admitted they may have erred in recording the names of voters.

Mr. King said the problem of "phantom ballots" is not uncommon with the new voter verified machines and voters should be able to verify their own votes with a paper copy of the ballot they cast.

"If you ask the division of elections how prevalent discrepancies are between ballots cast and voters voting on the machine, you won't be able to get an answer because they said they don't keep that record," he said.

Celeste Taylor, of the Black Political Empowerment Project and PA Voice, said the county should do a better job of training election workers to avoid errors, particularly in regard to ADA-compliant machines.

"They didn't train them properly," she said. "The Help America Vote Act was set in 2002 to do just that.

"In 2004, there were a lot of blind voters that were disenfranchised. Also, when they go to vote and are treated like second-class citizens, we know what that's like."

Mr. Wolosik said no voters were turned away due to machine malfunctions. He also said the total number of votes cast for the precinct does not exceed the number of people admitted to voting machines, so there was no error in the actual number of votes tabulated, even if there was an error in the number of voters recorded by poll workers.

Ms. Taylor, who is a lead plaintiff on a lawsuit challenging the state's use of ES&S IVotronic and M650 central count scanners to record votes, said the machine error wasn't so much the issue as was providing transparency to voters.

"It doesn't matter if it's not the machine," she said. "Our goal at the end of the day is to make sure voters aren't disenfranchised."

Deborah M. Todd can be reached at dtodd@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1652.
First published on December 24, 2008 at 5:59 am
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08359/937272-56.stm

Constitution Study Lessons

What: Constitution Study Lessons starting January 16, 2009. EVERY THIRD FRIDAY

When: January 16, 2009 7:00 PM

Where: Copy the link below to find out!

Meetup Description: Constitution Study Lessons starting January 16, 2009. EVERY THIRD FRIDAY OF THE MONTH at 7:00 p.m. at 305 Center Avenue, West View, PA 15229. Presented in a series of DVDs taught by Dr. Earl Taylor. Dr. Taylor’s study courses appeal to a wide range of participants, from high school students to state legislators. The materials used in the presentation are from the National Center for Constitutional Studies. It teaches the U.S. Constitution in the tradition of America’s Founding Fathers. NCCS has taught thousands of families throughout America the original principles and ideas drafted by our Founding Fathers. The lessons acknowledge that American and the Constitution were established by the hand of God, and thus advocate morality and religious principles as the essential foundation of human happiness and freedom. To get a copy of the flier for this Constitution Study Lesson go to FILES and click onto CONSTITUTION STUDY LESSONS. For more information call Jim Barr at 412-931-5286

Learn more here:
http://www.meetup.com/ronpaul-97/calendar/9375296/

Metcalfe speaks out against COLA

Metcalfe Demands Democrat Leadership End ‘We Feel Your Pain' Hypocrisy and Replace COLA Return Sham with Reality-Based Repeal Vote
12/03/08

State Representative Daryl Metcalfe (R-Butler) issued the following statement today challenging top House Democrat leaders to end their political salary reduction scam and call for a vote on January 6, 2009, the first session day of the 2009-2010 legislative term, to repeal the legislature’s annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA).

“Once again, in an attempt to fool the taxpayers, just like the 2005 pay raise vote and their vote to enact the current state budget that is pulling our Commonwealth into the economic wasteland of a billion dollar plus budget deficit and potential tax increase next July, House Democrat leadership is making yet another calculated attempt to mask nearly a decade of fiscally-irresponsible spending. In reality, even if the House Democrats were truly sincere about returning this 2.8 percent salary increase, they cannot legitimately do so without actual repeal legislation. The new salary is established under the COLA law, checks were already issued on Dec. 1, taxes deducted and the COLA increased salaries factored into the pension system.

“Again, Mr. McCall, Mr. Eachus, Mr. DeWeese and Mr. Evans all cast votes for each of the governor’s tax-spend-and-borrowing, welfare-expanding state budgets, the 2003 Personal Income Tax increase, and fought tooth and nail against repealing the 2005 pay increase. Therefore, they are all equally responsible co-conspirators for Pennsylvania’s rapidly-deteriorating, fiscal situation.

“True leadership requires sacrifice. Returning a few thousand dollars to the Commonwealth, which will still factor into their state pensions, would not be defined as a significant sacrifice by the majority of Pennsylvania taxpayers. It is especially important to note when you consider that Mr. McCall stands to receive a $43,939.52 salary increase above base pay for a total annual salary of $122,254.18 if he is elected Speaker, and that Mr. Eachus is already guaranteed to receive a $35,153.29 salary increase above base pay by ascending to Majority Leader for a total annual salary of $113,467.95. This year, these triple-figure-collecting Democrat leaders led the state into a budget deficit by increasing total state spending by roughly $4 billion while ignoring anticipated revenue shortfalls.”

“I stand ready to cast a YES vote for the repeal of the COLA. If Democrat leadership truly wants to return the COLA, the first order of legislative business during the 2009-2010 session must be to legitimately repeal all legislative COLAs retroactive to Nov. 30. If House Democrat Leadership is truly sincere about protecting Pennsylvania taxpayers during these difficult economic times, at minimum, they should also take individual action by refusing their leadership salary increases and work for the pre-Dec. 1 member base salary.”

“Until those actions are taken, Pennsylvania taxpayers should consider all ‘We Feel Your Pain’ gestures from House Democrat leadership as smoke-and-mirrors hypocrisy.”

Rep. Daryl Metcalfe
12th District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
(724) 772-3110
(717) 783-1707
www.RepMetcalfe.com
Contact: Ty McCauslin
House Republican Public Relations
(717) 772-9979

Paul, Clinton, Baldwin lead write-ins in three Pennsylvania counties

November 25th, 2008

Two Pennsylvania newspapers detail presidential write-in votes in their areas. The Bucks County Courier Times writes that Rep. Ron Paul led Sen. Hillary Clinton 135 to 119 in Bucks County, and 322 to 289 in Montgomery County. Receiving the “third highest amount is Constitution Party nominee Chuck Baldwin, who nabbed 60 votes in Bucks, which roughly matches the number of county residents registered as Constitution Party members.” Others drawing presidential votes in the two counties include Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Sen. Bob Casey Jr., Stephen Colbert, Lou Dobbs, Harrison Ford, Newt Gingrich, Al Gore, Paris Hilton, Mike Huckabee, Toby Keith, Alan Keyes, Gov. Sarah Palin, Colin Powell, Mitt Romney, Fred Thompson, and Jesse Ventura.

York County showed similar results, according to the York Dispatch. Paul, “who performed strongly in York County” in the Republican presidential primary, received 423 votes, Clinton 291, and Baldwin 120. In addition, “Homer Simpson got one write-in vote, Jesus got six, Bill Cosby got four and Joe the Plumber got two. Seven people voted for ‘none of the above.’”

http://www.independentpoliticalreport.com/2008/11/paul-clinton-baldwin-lead-write-ins-in-three-pennsylvania-counties/

End the Fed. Pittsburgh rally

Well, our End The Fed protest made the news.......... for 23 seconds!
http://www.keyc.com/node/13711

Despite how ridiculously short the clip is, and the fact that they refer to use as "a handful of small demonstrators" while only showing a fraction of the people there and none of the interviews that were filmed, they at least did a fairly reasonable (though not perfect) job of summarizing our message.

Here is a much more thorough YouTube video that I put together. Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rz-8eSNNP0U

This message was sent by Adam (adam_f@alumni.pitt.edu) from The Ron Paul Revolution: Pittsburgh.

Christmas Party

The Constitution Party of Allegheny County invites you to join us on Dec. 19th at 7pm for a party. Bring a side dish or a dessert if you can and come and enjoy some Christmas cheer with us. It will be held at 744 3rd st. Oakmont Pa 15139. For directions or questions email me at jmurphpitt@hotmail.com

Meeting Tuesday night

The Constitution Party of Allegheny County will be meeting Tuesday November 18. It will be held at Panera Bread 7217 McKnight rd from 7-9pm. Come discuss ways to grow our party and get involved in the local 2009 election races.

Pennsylvania State House Member Agrees to Introduce Ballot Access Reform Bill

November 15th, 2008

Pennsylvania State House member Eddie Pashinski (D-Wilkes-Barre) has agreed to introduce the Pennsylvania ballot access reform bill in next year’s legislative session. The bill already has a Senate sponsor, Mike Folmer, a Republican. The bill is modeled on Delaware’s law for minor parties.

http://www.ballot-access.org/

Dermody gets support from Allegheny County

By Wally Edge

The fight for Majority Leader has offially begun. Frank Dermody has been endorsed by the Allegheny caucus to be the next majority leader over current leader Bill DeWeese. Dermody was first elected to office in 1990 and served last year as the caucus secretary.

http://www.politickerpa.com/wallyedgepa/2612/dermody-gets-support-alleganey-county

Lt. Governor Catherine Baker Knoll Has Died

HARRISBURG (AP) ― Catherine Baker Knoll, who at age 72 became the first woman to be elected as Pennsylvania's lieutenant governor, died Wednesday. She was 78.

Knoll died at National Rehabilitation Hospital in Washington, D.C., where she was recovering from treatment for cancer, Gov. Ed Rendell said in a statement.

"Today we mourn the passing of one of the strongest, most dedicated public servants in Pennsylvania's history," Rendell said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with Catherine's family. She will be deeply missed."

Knoll was diagnosed with neuroendocrine cancer in July 2008 and began radiation and chemotherapy treatments. She returned for the start of the fall Senate schedule in September, but showed signs of fatigue and on Sept. 22 announced she would heed the advice of doctors, family members and colleagues and take time off.

"Even as she fought cancer in recent months, she remained upbeat and dedicated to serving the commonwealth," Rendell said. "Catherine was a very passionate and exuberant advocate for many worthy causes. Her passing is a tremendous loss for the many people whose lives she touched."

A former schoolteacher and Democratic veteran, Knoll served two terms as state treasurer beginning in 1988. When she won re-election in 1992, she received one of the largest vote totals ever for a statewide Democratic candidate.

"I happen to think that Pennsylvania is like a 10-speed bicycle," Knoll said on the day she was sworn in as the state's 45th lieutenant governor in 2003. "We have gears we haven't even tried yet."

As lieutenant governor, she presided over the state Senate and chaired the state Board of Pardons and a local government advisory committee.

Rendell also asked her to serve as chairwoman of the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Council.

Under state Constitution, Knoll will be replaced by the Senate President Pro Tempore, Joseph B. Scarnati III, R-Jefferson.

Knoll's tenure as treasurer had been damaged by allegations that a former campaign aide used his position to benefit from the sale of state bonds. Knoll was never implicated, but it came up repeatedly in the campaign.

Knoll was born in Sept. 3, 1930. Her father, Nicholas Baker, was the mayor of McKees Rocks, a Pittsburgh suburb. She originally tried nursing school, but disliked it, and went to Duquesne University to study history and education.

She met her husband, Charles Knoll, while she was a student and married him just before graduating.

She worked for local Democratic candidates, became a member of
the party's state committee and started working for PennDOT in the early 1970s.

In 1976, the party asked her to run for state treasurer. She lost to Robert E. Casey, a Cambria County official who was unrelated to future governor Robert P. Casey.

She ran for treasurer again in 1984, losing in the primary by fewer than 15,000 votes.

She pledged to never run for office again, but changed her mind when her husband, a postmaster, died in 1987. All four of their children encouraged her to do so.

Knoll, affectionately known as CBK, won handily and pledged to clean up a treasurer's office that she said was a mess. She said she was proud the agency provided $25 million in loans to small businesses through development centers at colleges and universities, as well as $100 million in low-rate first-home mortgages to single parents, first-time buyers and veterans. She also oversaw the startup of a college savings program for parents.

In 1996, her daughter Mina ran for treasurer and lost. Knoll raised eyebrows several times inside and outside the Capitol.

She once agreed to be the guest of honor at a fundraiser for a high-ranking Republican and was criticized by Democrats for agreeing to co-sponsor a fundraiser for another GOP state representative. Knoll ultimately canceled both plans.

In 2005, Knoll was forced to apologize to the family of a Marine killed in Iraq for showing up uninvited for his funeral and giving out a business card.

Family members said she made a remark about "our government" being against the war.

http://kdka.com/politics/Catherine.Baker.Knoll.2.862959.html

We owe veterans our appreciation

By National Commander David K. Rehbein

John C. Villepigue was a 22-year-old Army corporal from Camden, S.C. On a mid-October day, Villepigue and two comrades were on a scouting mission when they were ambushed and bombarded with enemy machine gun fire. One of Villepigue's fellow scouts was instantly killed and the other seriously wounded, but Villepigue charged on. Advancing another 500 yards, he killed four enemy soldiers, captured six more and secured the two enemy machine guns, while sustaining serious injuries of his own.

Villepigue was not a veteran of Iraq or Afghanistan, although similar brave acts have occurred there. He was a veteran of World War I and he succumbed to his wounds six months after the ambush. For his actions at Vaux-Adigny, France, he received the Medal of Honor. He passed away on April 18, 1919, one month after a group of his fellow World War I veterans in Paris founded a veterans organization called The American Legion.

The new Legionnaires vowed to "preserve the memories and incidents of our associations in the Great Wars." As the current head of that same organization, I can attest that it is a promise that The American Legion lives up to everyday. While Veterans Day is intended to honor all of the great men and women who have served in the U.S. military, Americans should remember that every moment that we spend in freedom is due to the sacrifices that generations of heroes have made on our behalf.

America is what it is because of our veterans. Historian Stephen Ambrose once wrote, "America's wars have been like rungs on a ladder by which it rose to greatness. No other country has triumphed so long, so consistently or on such a vast scale through force of arms."

Nobody hates wars more than those who have had to fight them, but let us never forget that wars have maintained our freedom, liberated slaves, stopped genocide and toppled terrorists. It is insufficient to simply say that we support the troops but not follow up on that commitment with deeds. The White House and Congress need to ensure that the VA health system is always fully funded and accessible to all veterans. The new GI Bill needs to be user-friendly and sufficiently cover the high cost of education. Americans should assist family members of those deployed overseas by offering friendship and neighborly assistance in their communities. Most of all, Americans should never blame the soldier for decisions made by politicians.

Not all veterans have seen war, but they have all taken oaths in which they expressed their willingness to die defending this nation. This loyalty and devotion should be rewarded by the would-be employer considering a qualified job applicant who has worn the uniform of our great nation. It should be remembered by the landlord frustrated that the family of one of his deployed tenants has fallen a little behind on the rent. It should be understood by the college professor whose student had to miss a few classes to receive medical treatment at the VA hospital.

Veterans are proud. Many are successful business leaders, police officers, teachers, and other pillars of the community. While some may have struggled through tough times, they ask for neither hand-outs nor pity. There are far easier ways to receive government assistance than to crawl around in the dirt and get shot at. Simply put, veterans just want what we all owe them - the thanks of a grateful nation.

George Washington had it right when he said, "The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive veterans of early wars were treated and appreciated by our nation."

The American Legion appreciates their service. We owe them no less.

David K. Rehbein of Ames, Iowa, is national commander of the 2.6 million-member American Legion, the nation's largest wartime veterans organization.

http://ourvoice.legion.org/story/805/we-owe-veterans-our-appreciation

New Forum for Constitution Party

I started a new forum as requested. Most of the domains I tried to buy were already bought up and someone is trying to sell them for a profit.

I already had http://www.believeinamerica.com so I have installed the forum there. I need some suggestions for forum categories and topics, right now it just says general discussion.

Give me your input and lets make it a central place for the CP to share ideas and coordinate our efforts.

http://www.believeinamerica.com

If your good at graphic work and would like to donate a header graphic that would be appreciated. Until then I will work one.

Please give me feedback.

Ray

http://www.chuckbaldwinforum.com/new-forum-for-constitution-party-t-942.html

Jim Barr gets 14.4%

Jim Barr our candidate for the 20th legislative district, at last count, received 14.4%. Jim ran a good campaign but could not overcome the strong democratic hold on his district. Thank you Jim for running.

NAACP Wins Pennsylvania Injunction for Emergency Paper Ballots

October 29th, 2008

On October 29, U.S. District Court Judge Harvey Bartle, a Bush Sr. appointee, issued an injunction, requiring Pennsylvania to furnish emergency paper ballots to any precinct at which at least half the electronic vote-counting machines have broken down. NAACP v Cortes, 08-cv-5048.

The state’s position had been that it would only provide such paper ballots to precincts in which all the machines had ceased to work. The decision says, “Some waiting in line, of course, is inevitable and must be expected. One must always choose between and among a number of candidates for different offices listed on the ballot and often, as in this election, there are questions to be read and considered. All of this takes time. Nonetheless, there can come a point when the burden of standing in a queue ceases to be an inconvenience or annoyance and becomes a constitutional violation because it, in effect, denies a person the right to exercise his or her franchise.” Thanks to Rick Hasen’s ElectionLawBlog for this news.

http://www.ballot-access.org/

Hart-Altmire debate canceled

Monday, October 27, 2008
By Dennis B. Roddy, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

U.S. Rep. Jason Altmire will not debate Republican challenger Melissa Hart as a range of polls show him with a double-digit lead in the contest.

Mr. Altmire, a first-term Democrat from McCandless, unseated Ms. Hart in 2006.

The initial debate was scheduled for last Tuesday at the Penn State Beaver campus but was pushed back a week because of a visit to the region by Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin.

At that time, both sides indicated they were aware of the new date.

"Unfortunately, Congressman Altmire could not attend (tomorrow night's) debate because they rescheduled it without conferring with us and we had a conflict," said Tess Mullen, the Altmire campaign spokeswoman.

The Hart campaign issued an angry press release over the weekend accusing Mr. Altmire of ducking debates.

"It seems as though there is a concerted effort to hide Altmire from the voters and keep him from openly discussing issues with voters," said Alicia Collins, the Hart campaign manager.

http://www.postgazette.com/pg/08301/923255-100.stm

Ralph Nader wants Scalia to address the corporate personhood issue

Following is a statement by Independent Presidential Candidate Ralph Nader:

The word "corporation" or "company," or the words "political party," do not appear anywhere in the U.S. Constitution. How then can these two excluded corporate institutions have such power over Americans who, as "real people," are the only "persons" protected and given rights under our Constitution?

Corporations are artificial legal entities. They are not human beings. They do not vote. They do not breathe. They do not have children. They do not die in Iraq. Why have they been given all the rights under our Constitution, except for the right against self-incrimination under the Fifth Amendment, and why did they obtain these rights from judges, not from the legislature?

I put these and other questions in writing to Justice Antonin Scalia -- deemed an extremely conservative judge who believes in "originalism," or strict interpretation of the Constitution.

Recently, Justice Scalia and I caught up together on the phone: I asked him how the application of the Bill of Rights and related constitutional protections to the artificial creations known as corporations can be squared with a constitutional interpretation theory of "originalism?"

Justice Scalia said he had not put much thought into unconstitutional corporate personhood, but if a case was brought before him on the topic, he would be happy to delve into it.

Unconstitutional corporate personhood is the central issue that prevents equal justice under the law and provides privileges and immunities to corporations completely outside of the framers' frame of reference in that large hot room in Philadelphia during the summer of 1787.

The $700 billion blank check bailout of Wall Street is the latest manifestation of private corporate domination of our national government, a situation that Franklin Delano Roosevelt foresaw as "fascism" in a message to Congress in 1938. The relentless decline in the livelihood of America's working families and growing unemployed reflects the radical concentration of power and wealth in a few hands.

To turn back this tide, the first step is for someone among the legal community -- the sooner the better -- to bring a case centering on unconstitutional corporate personhood to the fore on the floor of the Supreme Court.

And then, perhaps, Justice Scalia's originalism can be brought to bare on restoring justice and allowing the Constitution’s words "we the people," to once again ring true.

*Please see link to Mr. Nader's letter to Justice Scalia: http://www.nader.org/index.php?/archives/271-Letter-from-Ralph-Nader-and-Rob-Weissman-to-Justice-Scalia.html

Reported by Nader for President 2008
http://www.huliq.com/1/71474/ralph-nader-urges-courts-challenge-constitutionality-corporate-personhood

Pa. considers adding natural gas to the tax rolls

By MARC LEVY Associated Press Writer

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) _ The land agents, geologists and drilling crews rushing after the Marcellus Shale are raising something besides the natural gas they're seeking: Talk of a natural gas tax.

Thanks to a state Supreme Court decision six years ago, Pennsylvania is now one of the biggest natural-gas producing states — if not the biggest — that does not tax the methane sucked from beneath its ground.

But momentum is gathering to impose such a tax. The Marcellus Shale — a layer of black rock that holds a vast reservoir of gas — is luring some of the country's largest gas producers to Pennsylvania, and state government revenues are being waylaid by a worldwide economic malaise.

A spokesman for Gov. Ed Rendell says the administration is looking at the idea of a tax on natural gas, but a decision has not been made. Typically, Rendell does not reveal any tax or revenue proposals until his official budget plan is introduced each February.

Senate Republicans are planning a November hearing at Misericordia University in northeastern Pennsylvania to look at what effect can be expected on local governments if Marcellus Shale production lives up to its potential.

Local officials worry about damage to local roads ill-suited for heavy truck traffic and equipment. School districts could be strained by families of gas company employees moving into town. And some residents are concerned about gas wells disrupting or polluting the water tables from which they draw drinking water.

Legislators must find the fairest way for companies to share those costs, whether by levying a tax or through some other means, said Sen. Jake Corman, R-Centre, the GOP's policy chairman.

"I do think there is an understanding that some sort of compensation for municipalities is warranted," Corman said. "We just have to figure out the best way to do that."

So far, drilling activity is under way on the Marcellus Shale in at least 18 counties, primarily in the northern tier and southwest where the shale is thickest, according to the state Department of Environmental Protection.

Land agents are trooping in and out of county courthouses to research the below-ground mineral rights. At least several million acres above the Marcellus Shale have been leased by companies in West Virginia, New York and Pennsylvania.

Just this week, Range Resources Corp. and a Denver-based gas processor said they have started up Pennsylvania's first large-scale gas processing plant, about 20 miles south of Pittsburgh.

And CNX Gas Corp. announced that a $6 million horizontal well it drilled in southwest Pennsylvania is producing a respectable 1.2 million cubic feet a day — a rate it expects to improve in coming weeks.

In the opposite corner of Pennsylvania, drilling pads are now visible on Susquehanna County's farmland, and hotel rooms are booked with land agents and drilling crews.

"It is the talk at the coffee shops, at the local grocery store, the gas station — everybody," said state Sen. Lisa Baker, R-Luzerne.

Activity is still in the early stages, as exploration companies work to confirm their basic assumptions about the potential of the Marcellus Shale reservoir, and probe for the spots with the greatest promise, analysts say.

Industry representatives say they oppose a tax, and Stephen W. Rhoads, the president of the Pennsylvania Oil and Gas Association, questioned the wisdom of imposing a tax on gas production that is still speculative.

In some natural-gas states, a tax is collected based on a company's gas production by volume.

But in Pennsylvania, the Supreme Court ruled in 2002 that state law did not allow counties, schools and municipalities to impose a real estate tax based on the value of the subsurface oil and gas rights held by exploration companies.

An appraiser's study presented last year during a House Finance Committee hearing estimated that the court's decision had cost Greene, Fayette and Washington counties up to $30 million in county, school and municipal tax revenue.

The state's county commissioners and school boards support the resumption of some type of taxing authority — although that could mean landowners would get smaller royalty checks.

Regardless, Doug Hill, the executive director of the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania, said the matter is one of basic fairness since coal, gravel and limestone are assessed.

"The bottom line is it isn't a windfall issue," Hill said. "It's a tax equity issue."

Marc Levy covers state government for The Associated Press in Harrisburg. He can be reached at mlevy(at)ap.org.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.
http://www.timesleader.com/news/Pa_considers_adding_natural_gas_to_the_tax_rolls.html

Groups want paper ballots as backup in PA

Lawsuit claims machine breakdowns in spring make fallback essential in state.

By Maryclaire Dale | Of The Associated Press
October 24, 2008

Several voter rights groups filed suit Thursday seeking emergency paper ballots for Pennsylvania voters if electronic machines break down.

The groups want paper ballots to be available on Election Day if more than half of the voting machines at a given polling place malfunction. Otherwise, voters will be left to endure long lines, they said.

''People should be able to exercise their right to vote without waiting in line for hours or being told to go home and come back later,'' said John Bonifaz, legal director of Voter Action, a national advocacy group that is one of the plaintiffs.

The groups focused on Pennsylvania because of problems reported in the spring primary and a recent state directive that, according to the groups, says paper ballots should only be used if all machines in a polling place fail.

''We're quite concerned, in light of the confluence of high voter turnout and these voting machine breakdowns, that there will be even longer lines and more voter disenfranchisement,'' Bonifaz said Thursday.

The suit was filed in federal court in Philadelphia against Pennsylvania Secretary of State Pedro Cortes.

''The plaintiffs continue to seek solutions that are already in place,'' Cortes said. ''The Statewide Uniform Registry of Electors is already working properly, and county election officials remain committed to processing every valid application in a timely and efficient manner.''

Cortes said counties have been informed about identification requirements for first-time voters and have been advised to have sufficient provisional ballots on Election Day.

Other plaintiffs include the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia. The groups are seeking a preliminary injunction to address the situation before the election.

''Thousands of members have faced serious delays in voting when machines have broken down in the past, and this problem will be much more severe this year when unprecedented numbers of voters will be coming to the polls,'' said J. Whyatt Mondesire, the president of the

NAACP State Conference of Pennsylvania.

http://www.mcall.com/news/nationworld/state/all-a3_voting.6643554oct24,0,5867348.story

A thought on the Fed. from a former supporter

Woodrow Wilson signed the 1913 Federal Reserve Act. A few years later he wrote:
I am a most unhappy man. I have unwittingly ruined my country. A great industrial nation is controlled by its system of credit. Our system of credit is concentrated. The growth of the nation, therefore, and all our activities are in the hands of a few men. We have come to be one of the worst ruled, one of the most completely controlled and dominated Governments in the civilized world no longer a Government by free opinion, no longer a Government by conviction and the vote of the majority, but a Government by the opinion and duress of a small group of dominant men. -Woodrow Wilson

No suprise, the PG picks a Dem. over Jim Barr

In the 20th District Mr. Walko, 55, of Observatory Hill is seeking his eighth term. The district includes the city neighborhoods of Spring Hill, Brighton Heights, Observatory Hill, Troy Hill, Lawrenceville and the Strip District, plus the borough of West View and parts of Ross and Reserve.

The incumbent has worked on bills to reduce blight, support public transit and reform prison sentencing. In the last term he was particularly proud of having pushed for the governor's energy package and having served on the House speaker's reform commission. He believes more reforms should be considered in a well-defined constitutional convention. He was an advocate of a tough statewide smoking ban and was disappointed that the law was not as strong as the initial House proposal; he'd like Allegheny County to get approval to go further in restricting indoor smoking.

His challenger, Constitution Party candidate Jim Barr, 55, should be familiar to fellow residents in West View. He has run unsuccessfully for council every two years since 1993, and he challenged Mr. Walko for the House seat two years ago. Mr. Barr, who works in a group home for mentally retarded adults, said he is running because he believes every candidate should face a challenger. He favors a part-time legislature and prefers reliance on use taxes -- sales, gas and the county's drink tax -- rather than an income tax.

With his activity on multiple fronts, Don Walko is the prudent choice.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08289/919900-35.stm

House rivals for 33rd seat differ on reducing size of Legislature, tout fostering jobs

By Karen Zapf
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Thursday, October 16, 2008

Democratic state Rep. Frank Dermody says his experience and record makes him the best choice to continue in the General Assembly representing the 33rd Legislative District.

His Republican challenger, Jason Davidek, said he would bring a fresh perspective that is needed in Harrisburg.

The district in northeast Allegheny County includes all or part of East Deer, Fawn, Frazer, Harmar, Harrison, Indiana, Springdale and West Deer townships and the boroughs of Brackenridge, Cheswick, Oakmont, Plum, Springdale and Tarentum.

Dermody said he is seeking a 10th two-year term because "there's much more to be done."

The lawmaker points to accomplishments in areas such as energy, education and health care. In particular, Dermody said he has proposed legislation that would provide health care coverage to 200,000 additional Pennsylvanians, but the Senate has not voted on it.

Dermody also said he has worked to keep jobs in the Alle-Kiski Valley and create new ones.

Dermody touts the decision by Allegheny Technologies Inc. to build a $1 billion hot strip mill at Allegheny Ludlum's Brackenridge Works. Dermody said he worked on legislation that made the area attractive for the company to build a plant in the Alle-Kiski Valley.

The lawmaker wrote legislation that allows companies to negotiate electric power contracts that save on operating costs. Dermody also worked on legislation that extended the Keystone Opportunity Zones, which provide major tax incentives for developers.

Dermody also is pushing for the Allegheny Valley commuter rail project. The proposed rail line would go from New Kensington to Pittsburgh.

Davidek wants to be part of a reform movement in Harrisburg to "end corruption."

Davidek points to the failed 2005 legislative pay raise and the current scandal in Harrisburg over allegations that bonuses were given to legislative staffers for campaign work. Dermody is not named in the bonus scandal.

"To me, public service is not padding your pocketbook," Davidek said.

Davidek said that as a Fawn supervisor, he has provided "transparency in government" and worked to help his community recover from flooding by getting $200,000 for a road reconstruction project.

He wants to bring jobs back to the Allegheny Valley by helping businesses grow.

Davidek supports reducing the size of the Legislature and a 20 percent cost cut in both chambers.

Under a bill proposed by Rep. T. Mark Mustio, R-Moon, the House would be reduced from 201 to 161 members and the Senate from 50 to 40. The bill mandates a 20 percent cut in the $300 million-plus budget of the Legislature, the largest full-time legislature in the nation.

"It's time to put an end to wasteful spending and taxpayer-funded corruption," Davidek said.

Dermody supports the 20 percent cost cut. But he wants to be cautious when looking at cutting the Legislature and recommends a constitutional convention to study the issue.

Davidek has placed on himself a term limit of eight years, or four terms.

"I'm not in this to be a career politician," Davidek said.

Karen Zapf can be reached at kzapf@tribweb.com or 412-380-8522.
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/search/s_593413.html

Political Monopoly Power

Thursday, October 16, 2008
By Walter E. Williams


The Federalist Papers, written by James Madison, John Jay and Alexander Hamilton, is the document most frequently referred to when trying to get a feel for the original intent of the framers of the Constitution. One such intention is found in Federalist 56 where Madison says, “...it seems to give the fullest assurance, that a representative for every thirty thousand inhabitants will render the (House of Representatives) both a safe and competent guardian of the interests which will be confided to it.”

Excellent research, found at thirty-thousand.org, shows that in 1804 each representative represented about 40,000 people. Today, each representative represents close to 700,000. If we lived up to the vision of our founders, given today’s population, we would have about 7,500 congressmen in the House of Representatives. It turns out that in 1929 Congress passed a bill fixing the number of representatives at 435. Prior to that, the number of congressional districts was increased every 10 years, from 1790 to 1910, except one, after a population census was taken.

We might ask what’s so sacrosanct about 435 representatives? Why not 600, or 1,000, or 7,500? Here’s part of the answer and, by the way, I never cease to be amazed by the insight and wisdom of our founders: James Madison, the acknowledged father of the Constitution, argued that the smaller the House of Representatives relative to the nation’s population, the greater is the risk of unethical collusion. He said, “Numerous bodies ... are less subject to venality and corruption. “ In a word, he saw competition in the political arena as the best means for protecting our liberties. If Madison were around today to see today’s venal and corrupt Congress, he’d probably say, “See, I told you so!”

In addition to venality and corruption, restricting the number of representatives confers significant monopoly power that goes a long way toward explaining the stranglehold the two parties have and the high incumbent success rates. It might also explain the power of vested interest groups to influence congressional decisions. They only have to bribe, cajole or threaten a relatively small number of representatives. Imagine the challenge to a lobbyist, if there were 7,500 representatives, trying to get a majority of 3,813 to vote for this or that special privilege versus having to get only a 218 majority in today’s Congress.

Another problem of a small number of congressmen, with large districts, has to do with representing their constituents. How in the world is one congressman to represent the diverse interests and values of 700,000 people? The practical answer is they don’t and attempt to be all things to all people. Thus, a congressman who takes a principled stand against the federal government exceeding its constitutional authority—whether it be government involvement in education, business welfare and bailouts and $2 trillion dollars worth of other handouts—is not likely to win office.

Appealing for the votes in a district of 700,000 is a more difficult challenge than appealing for the votes in a district of 40,000 or 60,000 people. Larger sums must be raised requiring a congressman to be wealthy or raise money from vested interest groups. Who is going to give a congressman money and not expect something special in return?

One should not be optimistic about increasing the size of Congress to make it more representative of the American people. There are powerful forces that benefit from the status quo. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac lobbyists get Congress to look the other way. Hundreds of other lobbyists get Congress to rig the market, or confer special privileges, to benefit one class of Americans at the expense of another class. I guarantee you that the vested interest groups, who now have a strong grip on Washington, at the detriment of the nation’s well-being, wouldn’t as easily get their way if they had to scrounge for 3,813 votes as opposed to 218.

http://www.cnsnews.com/public/content/article.aspx?RsrcID=37632

Central Banks Suffer from Two Temptations

"The record shows that when the managers of a central bank in any particular country are looking around for ways and means to accumulate more wealth, they are often tempted by two things which are inherently evil and totally destructive to the foundation of civilized countries. One is to encourage an involvement in war so the nation will be forced to borrow heavily. Bonds (which are really government IOUs paying substantial interest to the lenders) are considered to be a most valuable form of collateral assets in a central bank.

"The other temptation is to promote a cycle of 'boom and bust' economics. This simply consists of starting a boom with generous loans at low interest and easy credit and after a few years suddenly raising the interest rates, calling in loans, and bankrupting homeowners, industries, farmers, and millions of people who had trusted the bank to continue its policies.

"Some economists, including Karl Marx, have tried to maintain that these boom-and-bust cycles are an inescapable characteristic of a free-market economy. The truth of the matter is that these so-called boom-and-bust cycles are primarily a phenomenon of manipulated economics, engineered by men who find themselves in an extremely powerful position to control money and credit but seem to lack the moral integrity to resist the opportunity of fleecing the common people who have genuinely trusted them."

www.nccs.net

Polls gives Altmire 12-point lead

By The Tribune-Review
Tuesday, October 7, 2008

U.S. Rep. Jason Altmire, D-McCandless, has a 12-point lead over former Rep. Melissa Hart, the Republican seeking to win back the 4th Congressional District post she lost to Altmire in 2006, according to an independent poll released today.

Altmire leads Hart of Bradford Woods by 54 percent to 42 percent, according to the Survey USA poll conducted for Roll Call, a newspaper that covers Capitol Hill. The automated poll of about 600 voters has an error factor of roughly plus or minus 4 percentage points, Roll Call said.

Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain leads Democrat Sen. Barack Obama in the district by 8 percentage points, 51 percent to 43 percent, according to the poll. President Bush won the district by 9 points in 2004, though his job approval rating there now is just 30 percent, Roll Call noted. Only 11 percent of respondents approved of the job that Congress is doing.

The 4th District includes most of Beaver and Lawrence counties, and parts of Butler, Allegheny, Westmoreland and Mercer counties.

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/cityregion/s_592091.html

Destroying Liberty

by Walter E. Williams

Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis warned, "The greatest dangers to liberty lurk in the insidious encroachment by men of zeal, well meaning but without understanding." The freedom of individuals from compulsion or coercion never was, and is not now, the normal state of human affairs. The normal state for the ordinary person is tyranny, arbitrary
control and abuse mainly by their own government. While imperfect in its execution, the founders of our nation sought to make an exception to this ugly part of mankind's history. Unfortunately, at the urging of the American people, we are unwittingly in the process of returning to mankind's normal state of affairs.

Americans demand that Congress spend trillions of dollars on farm subsidies, business bailouts, education subsidies, Social Security, Medicare and prescription drugs and other elements of a welfare state. The problem is that Congress produces nothing. Whatever Congress wishes to give, it has to first take other people's money. Thus, at the root of the welfare state is the immorality of intimidation, threats and coercion backed up with
the threat of violence by the agents of the U.S. Congress. In order for Congress to do what some Americans deem as good, it must first do evil. It must do that which if done privately would mean a jail sentence; namely, take the property of one American to give to another.

According to a Washington Post article (6/22/05), there were nearly 35,000 highly paid registered lobbyists in Washington in 2004 who spent $2.1 billion lobbying the White House, Congress and various agencies on behalf of various interest groups. Political action committees, private donors and companies give billions of dollars to political campaigns. My question to you: Do you think that these people are spending billions of dollars to assist presidents and congressmen to better perform their sworn oath of office to preserve, protect and defend the U.S. Constitution? If you do, you're a fine candidate for a straitjacket. For the most part, the money is being spent to get politicians and government officials to use their coercive power to create a favor or special privilege for one American at the expense of some other American.

If we Americans didn't give Washington such enormous control over our lives, I doubt whether there would be 10 percent of the money currently spent on lobbying and campaign contributions. This enormous control that Congress has over our lives also goes a long way toward explaining much of the government corruption that we see in Washington.

If the average American were asked whether he wishes to return to mankind's normal state of affairs featured by arbitrary abuse, control and government dictates, I am sure he would find such a suggestion repulsive. But if you were to ask, say, the average senior citizen whether Social Security, Medicare and prescription drug subsidies should be
continued, he would probably answer yes. The same would be true if you asked
a college professor whether higher education should continue to be subsidized, or a farmer or a dairyman whether their products should be subsidized, or a manufacturer whether there should be tariffs and quotas on foreign products that compete with his product. The problem with congressmen producing favors and privileges to all interest groups is that it creates what none of us wants: massive control, numerous dictates and micromanagement of our lives.

There is no question that if one were to ask whether we Americans are moving towards more liberty or more government control over our lives, the answer would unambiguously be the latter -- more government control over our lives. We might have reached a point where the trend is irreversible and that is a true tragedy for if liberty is lost in America,
it will be lost for all times and all places.

Dr. Williams is a nationally syndicated columnist, former chairman of the economics department at George Mason University, and author of More Liberty Means Less Government

Bailout Politics

by Thomas Sowell

Nothing could more painfully demonstrate what is wrong with Congress than the current financial crisis.

Among the Congressional "leaders" invited to the White House to devise a bailout "solution" are the very people who have for years created the risks that have now come home to roost.

Five years ago, Barney Frank vouched for the "soundness" of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and said "I do not see" any "possibility of serious financial losses to the treasury."

Moreover, he said that the federal government has "probably done too little rather than too much to push them to meet the goals of affordable housing."

Earlier this year, Senator Christopher Dodd praised Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac for "riding to the rescue" when other financial institutions were cutting back on mortgage loans. He too said that they "need to do more" to help subprime borrowers get better loans.

In other words, Congressman Frank and Senator Dodd wanted the government to push financial institutions to lend to people they would not lend to otherwise, because of the risk of default.

The idea that politicians can assess risks better than people who have spent their whole careers assessing risks should have been so obviously absurd that no one would take it seriously.

But the magic words "affordable housing" and the ugly word "redlining" led to politicians directing where loans and investments should go, with such things as the Community Reinvestment Act and various other coercions and threats.

The roots of this problem go back many years, but since the crisis to which all this led happened on George W. Bush’s watch, that is enough for those who think in terms of talking points, without wanting to be confused by the facts.

In reality, President Bush tried unsuccessfully, years ago, to get Congress to create some regulatory agency to oversee Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

N. Gregory Mankiw, his Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, warned in February 2004 that expecting a government bailout if things go wrong "creates an incentive for a company to take on risk and enjoy the associated increase in return."

Since risky investments usually pay more than safer investments, the incentive is for a government-supported enterprise to take bigger risks, since they get more profit if the risks pay off and the taxpayers get stuck with the losses if not.

The government does not guarantee Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, but the widespread assumption has been that the government would step in with a bailout to prevent chaos in financial markets.

Alan Greenspan, then head of the Federal Reserve System, made the same point in testifying before Congress in February 2004. He said: "The Federal Reserve is concerned" that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were using this implicit reliance on a government bailout in a crisis to take more risks, in order to "multiply the profitability of subsidized debt."

Chairman Greenspan added his voice to those urging Congress to create a "regulator with authority on a par with that of banking regulators" to reduce the riskiness of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, a riskiness ultimately borne by the taxpayers.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac do not deserve to be bailed out, but neither do workers, families and businesses deserve to be put through the economic wringer by a collapse of credit markets, such as occurred during the Great Depression of the 1930s.

Neither do the voters deserve to be deceived on the eve of an election by the notion that this is a failure of free markets that should be replaced by political micro-managing.

If Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were free market institutions they could not have gotten away with their risky financial practices because no one would have bought their securities without the implicit assumption that the politicians would bail them out.

It would be better if no such government-supported enterprises had been created in the first place and mortgages were in fact left to the free market. This bailout creates the expectation of future bailouts.

Phasing out Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac would make much more sense than letting politicians play politics with them again, with the risk and expense being again loaded onto the taxpayers.

Copyright © 2008 Salem Web Network. All Rights Reserved.

Kill the senate version of the bailout

The House of Representatives rejected the $700 billion Wall Street bailout on Monday.
But the Senate is expected to vote on another version of the bill Wednesday night.

The legislation would bail out Wall Street without making needed reforms.

It would do nothing to stop a recurrence of the present financial crisis.

It's time to put pressure on Congress to put the taxpayers ahead of special interests.

Contact your senators and representative.

Thank you,

The John Birch Society

Jason Davidek fire side chat

Sat, Sept. 27
6 to 8 p.m.

Home of Lucille Hoover

313 E. 9th Avenue, Tarentum, 15084

RSVP to Bob Baenig 412-418-5749

While I have already received great support from the community, our campaign will need time and contributions to continue our efforts to clean up corruption and wasteful spending.

If you are able to volunteer a few hours a week or if you would like to contribute to my campaign please visit my Web site at www.jasondavidek.com or make checks payable to Friends of Jason Davidek, PO Box 33, Brackenridge, PA 15014.

I know that if we make the most of the next few weeks, we will begin working together to better the Allegheny Valley starting on Election Day, November 4th.



Warmest Regards,


Jason Davidek


For more information visit www.jasondavidek.com.

Pennsylvania Federal Court Denies Injunctive Relief to Constitution Party

September 12th, 2008
On September 12, at 6:30 p.m., U.S. District Court Judge Yvette Kane denied injunctive relief to the Constitution Party of Pennsylvania. She said that it is possible the legislature had delegated authority to the State Elections Department to write a regulation setting a filing deadline. She also said that even if the Elections Department did not have authority from the legislature to do that, that setting aside the August 1 deadline would restore the old unconstitutional May deadline, and that would injure the other petitioning groups this year. The case is Baldwin v Cortes, 1:08cv-1626.

This lawsuit will have been beneficial, despite this disappointing outcome. Since the case only denied injunctive relief, not declaratory relief, it is still alive. It is very likely that regardless of what happens next in the lawsuit, the legislature will now understand how important it is to pass a bill setting a constitutional deadline. As noted in earlier posts on this matter, the old deadline was invalidated by two federal courts in 1984, and the legislature has ignored those 1984 decisions and has never replaced the old May deadline.

http://www.ballot-access.org/

Feds say no to I-80 tolls

By Brad Bumsted
STATE CAPITOL REPORTER
Thursday, September 11, 2008

HARRISBURG -- The federal government has rejected Pennsylvania's plan to toll Interstate 80 -- creating a $450 million void in the state's transportation funding plan and breathing new life into a proposed $12.8 billion turnpike lease.

Leasing the Pennsylvania Turnpike for 75 years is the only available option at the moment to replace that revenue, Gov. Ed Rendell said today at a news conference. Spanish toll road operator Abertis Infraestructuras SA and Citigroup made the offer in May but lawmakers have been cool to the plan.

"It would be playing Russian Roulette not to act on the Albertis bid," said Rendell, who has long sought a turnpike lease despite significant resistance from lawmakers.

The plan to toll I-80 was the linchpin of Act 44, a state transportation funding law enacted last year to provide about $1 billion a year for highways, bridges and mass transit. Replacing that revenue would require an 8-cent-per-gallon increase in the state gas tax, which Rendell said is not likely as gasoline prices remain near historical highs.

Pennsylvania's 32.3-cent-a-gallon gas tax is the nation's 12th-highest.

There's no immediate financial impact. The shortfall would occur in 2010. But Rendell argued that mass transit "can't plan for the future" without secure funding in place.

"It would be irresponsible for us to throw up our arms. We have a $12.8 billion solution," Rendell said. U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters called Rendell at 1:55 p.m. today to inform him that her department has rejected the state's plan to toll I-80. The decision was a blow to the state Turnpike Commission, which pushed hard for tolling the interstate and has fought attempts to privatize the turnpike. "After we've had an opportunity to see and understand the FHWA's rationale, we certainly will have more to say on this important issue," turnpike CEO Joe Brimmeier said in a statement.

The decision also was a major victory for Republican U.S. Reps. Phil English of Erie and John Peterson of Venango County, who argued that tolling I-80 would cripple the rural areas they represent along the interstate corridor.

"This is a huge victory for rural Pennsylvania and a blow to Harrisburg's attempt to turn I-80 into a cash cow for unrelated transportation programs, like mass transit," English said in a statement. "The U.S. Department of Transportation's decision slams the door on the attempt by PennDOT and the Turnpike Commission to treat rural communities as second class citizens and to stretch the federal law."

State lawmakers return to session Monday following a two-month recess. Rendell said the Legislature needs to act on the turnpike bid before adjourning. The House and Senate have only nine session days scheduled before the Nov. 4 election, and Senate leaders don't plan on holding a post-election session.

Albertis has extended the life of its offer, but Rendell said time his running out.

"I can guarantee you that Albertis bid will not be there in January," he said. "It's a problem we've got to solve now."

House Appropriations Chairman Dwight Evans, a Philadelphia Democrat who sponsored the turnpike privatization bill, believes the lease proposal should get a full airing in the Legislature, said his aide Johnna Pro. "Representative Evans believes the bill should come to the (House) floor where we can have a robust debate on the merits and have a vote," Pro said."To not even discuss it would be silly."

Some of Evans' fellow lawmakers, however, might not share Rendell's sense of urgency.

"The prospects for dealing with it now are zero," said Paul Parsells, chief of staff to Majority Whip Keith McCall, D-Carbon County. "There is no crisis."

Rendell said he is open to any other option that raises $1 billion a year. "Could they come up with a second proposal? Sure," Rendell said. The governor said the state's transportation funding dilemma might knock him off the campaign trail, where he is stumping for Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama.

"It might mean I have to curtail some of my campaign activity," Rendell said.

The state Turnpike Commission could submit a new bid for tolling I-80, but Rendell said the chances of approval are virtually nil.

Peters rejected the application, Rendell said, because federal law requires that money raised from tolling an interstate be used for repair and maintenance of that interstate or roads that link to it.

"It did not meet technical requirements of the act," Rendell said.

Brad Bumsted can be reached at bbumsted@tribweb.com or 717-787-1405.
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/valleyindependent/teenscene/s_587744.html

Pennsylvania Constitution Party Ballot Access Hearing

September 10th, 2008
On September 10, U.S. District Court Judge Yvette Kane held a hearing in Baldwin v Cortes, over the August 1 petition deadline for minor party and independent candidate petitions in Pennsylvania. The hearing lasted one hour and fifteen minutes. The Judge seemed sympathetic to the Constitution Party’s position, but also concerned that if she rules against the deadline, that would cause election administration problems for Pennsylvania. No witnesses testified for either side. A decision is expected in a few days.

http://www.ballot-access.org/page/2/

Exciting events lined up for Chuck and Darrell!‏

Election day is 74 days away, and the Baldwin campaign is pressing forward with new ideas and continuing to get the word out about a third party candidate who will represent the Constitution as it was intended. These are some of the events that are coming up that you can get involved in and help support as we further our shared message of restoration.

Coinciding with the first day of the DNC, August 25th, Darrell Castle will be joined by Bob Barr, amongst others, at a rally hosted by the Colorado Minutemen, to speak about the current policy decisions regarding immigration.

A few days after that, August 26th through the 29th, Chuck will be embarking on his South Carolina tour. This state has a strong history of defending the Constitution, and we believe that the Constitution Party message will resonate well to the voters of one of the original thirteen colonies. If you live in South Carolina, or if you have friends or family there, email us at contact@baldwin2008.com or call Patricia Wheat (803-312-3406) for more information.

Other exciting news is that the Constitution Party will be appearing on the West Virigina ballot this November due to the dedicated hard work over the past few months during the signature collection process. To celebrate this fact, our Vice Presidential nominee, Darrell Castle, will be at the West Virginia Constitution Party State convention today, August 23rd.


Speaking of Americans with a history of defending the Constitution, Chuck is going to be at Ron Paul's Rally for the Republic in Minneapolis, MN where thousands of freedom-loving patriots will be gathering on September 2nd. We would love to see you there, to meet new supporters, introduce you to Chuck himself, and energize the rally as only true Constitutionalists can.

Our main campaign phone number is now in place, 1-866-99-BALDWIN (easy to remember, and the extra numbers don't matter). Calling this number lets you order yard signs and bumper stickers, ask about particular issues, and schedule press or radio and other media interviews with Chuck and Darrell.

Finally, the biggest endorsement we've received lately came from Dr. Jerome Corsi, the author of best seller The Late Great USA and the recently-published NYTimes bestseller The Obama Nation. As the dissatisfaction with the two party system is building and our fellow citizens are learning about new options, the choice is clear: the Constitution Party and Chuck Baldwin. Dr. Jerome Corsi understands the dilemma, and he made his choice, as he said on Larry King Live: "I am not voting for McCain, I am voting for Chuck Baldwin."

These and other events are becoming reality before our eyes, and it is thrilling/encouraging to watch... and with your continued support, we're reaching even higher goals. Take a few minutes to donate $5, $25, or $50: whatever you feel led to. We're working on fliers, posters, and other material to help you reach to your community; but we need funds to bring these projects to fruition, so please donate today!

Sincerely,
Baldwin Campaign Team

Third-party candidates take ballot access fights to court

Once again, third parties are forced to go to court to gain access to the ballots in various states. An article by Melanie Bengtson, an intern with the First Amendment Center Online, reports that “presidential ballot-access lawsuits have been filed in at least eight states this year. Two candidates stand out among dozens of third-party candidates — Libertarian Party nominee Bob Barr and Ralph Nader, a presidential campaign veteran running as an independent.”

Barr and the Libertarian Party have ballot access lawsuits pending in Oklahoma, Tennessee, Massachusetts, and West Virginia. In the Massachusetts lawsuit, the Libertarian Party will be represented by the ACLU of Massachusetts. The lawsuit in Tennessee was filed jointly in January by the Libertarian Party, the Green Party, and the Constitution Party. Ralph Nader is expected to file suite in Idaho.

Adds Bengtson:


Former Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich, the American Independent Party’s Alan Keyes, and the Ohio Socialist Party and have also filed ballot-access lawsuits this presidential election year.

http://thirdpartywatch.com/2008/08/25/third-party-candidates-take-ballot-access-fights-to-court/

House debates religious schools’ labor union role

BY ROBERT SWIFT
HARRISBURG BUREAU CHIEF
Published: Tuesday, August 19, 2008

HARRISBURG — The showdown over a union for teachers in the Diocese of Scranton shifted Monday to a Capitol hearing room.

A bill giving lay teachers and employees of private religious schools the right to join collective bargaining units was debated for five hours at a House Labor Relations Committee hearing.

Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski, D-121, introduced the measure several months ago as members of the Scranton Diocese Association of Catholic Teachers picketed and staged work stoppages to protest a diocese decision not to recognize them as a collective bargaining unit.

The labor dispute came after the restructuring process in 2006-07 that reduced the number of schools in the Diocese of Scranton. The diocese announced last January it would not recognize the diocese association and announced instead the formation of employee relations councils.

Bill’s provisions

Mr. Pashinski’s bill would allow lay teachers and employees at religious schools to decide by a majority vote in a secret ballot if they want to be represented by a union. Unions in religious schools could bring grievances to the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board under the bill. The board would be prohibited from issuing decisions that define or interpret a religious school’s doctrine or change a religious school’s organizational structure.

Mr. Pashinski told panel members he hopes to strike a balance between employee rights and the protection of religious doctrines through the legislation.

Representatives of both sides in the Scranton education dispute — the teachers association and top diocesan officials — staked out opposing positions on the legislation.

Key themes in the testimony involve extending the constitutional right of assembly to religious school teachers, carrying out the mission of Catholic education and maintaining separation between church and state.

Milz testifies

In his testimony, Michael Milz, the diocese association president, said enactment of the legislation will give association members access to the right of association and freedom of speech.

“We ask for the same rights as all workers, nothing more and nothing less,” he added. “We ask for your relief.”

Diocesan officials cited the need to protect the identity of Catholic schools as one reason for their opposition to the bill.

The bill is unnecessary and dangerous, said Mary Tigue, assistant superintendent of schools.

“When you insert yourself into the life of a Catholic school as this legislation does, it is going to cause problems,” she added.

Several members of the evangelical community spoke against the legislation as well. They said it’s difficult to draw a distinction as the bill does between church officials and lay teachers at many private religious schools.

The bill will harm the wall of separation between church and state and undercut the authority of church schools, said Gregory Reed, who described himself as a lay person in an evangelical community in Snyder County.

The committee will hold additional hearings on the bill in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

Contact the writer: rswift@timesshamrock.com
http://www.thetimes-tribune.com/articles/2008/08/19/news/sc_times_trib.20080819.a.pg3.tt19union_s1.1886367_top6.txt

Constitution Party candidate enters Pennsylvania U.S. House race

August 5th, 2008

Pennsylvania’s Bucks County Courier Times reports farmer Jay Russell has entered the state’s Eighth U.S. House District race as the Constitution Party candidate. The newspaper says Russell “has run for a series of offices, including state representative, township supervisor and county commissioner” over the past 15 years, “but has never won an election.” Russell said he “knew he had little chance to win in November. ‘Miracles happen, but the odds are against me,’ Russell said. ‘I want to give people a real choice.’” Democratic incumbent Patrick Murphy is seeking re-election; Republican Tom Manion and independent Tom Lingenfelter, who briefly ran for lieutenant governor as Libertarian Russ Diamond’s running mate in 2006, are also in the race.

http://www.independentpoliticalreport.com/2008/08/constitution-party-candidate-enters-pennsylvania-us-house-race/

Dan Frank is running for U.S. Congress 16th District

For Immediate Release August 5, 2008
Contact: Dan Frank (danf@danfrankforcongress.com)
(717) 380-3727

Lancaster, PA - Constitution Party member Dan Frank is announcing his candidacy for U.S. Congress in the 16th Congressional District. Dan and his volunteers have collected signatures from residents of the Lancaster area in support of his nomination. Individuals and several local organizations have responded with support and substantial signatures more than sufficient to place him on the ballot for the November 4, 2008 general election. The Constitution Party is America's fastest-growing and largest third party based on voter registrations (Ballot Access News).

A former Republican, Dan, like many, realized that the difference between the two parties is getting harder to distinguish each year. "The GOP, the so-called conservative party, has racked up record spending deficits, refused to secure our borders, increased government intrusion, and sponsors policies that send jobs off-shore," Dan continues, "while the Democrats, the so-called party of the working man, have shown many of the same characteristics, which of course coincide with the party's mantra of more taxes and big government." The latest NBC/WSJ poll has Congress's job approval rating at 13 percent.

Dan Frank sees these underlining issues along with elitism in Washington D.C. as motivations to run for office. According to Dan, "Keeping jobs in America is my top priority." He adds, "I have spoken with many in this area that are concerned of losing their jobs, or have lost jobs, and now an economy in turmoil has rightfully elevated their concerns. It is obvious to me only multi-national corporations and special interest are represented in D.C., not all citizens." Dan has made a pledge, which he intends on keeping, that if elected, his votes will have to meet the Constitutionality threshold and benefit all citizens, not a selected few. In addition, he will only serve four terms.

Dan has also spoken out on property rights, gun ownership, and sovereignty, as well as advocating free-market in energy.

More information about Dan Frank and his campaign can be found on his website, http://www.danfrankforcongress.com. This site includes biographical information about Dan and a calendar of upcoming events, as well as his position on many of the important issues.

Constitution Party candidate files for congressional run

Posted by Media Release --- August 5th, 2008

John P. McDermott has filed petitions bearing the names of about 4,400 residents of the 13th Congressional District of Pennsylvania. He needed to obtain nearly 3,000 signatures to secure a spot on the November ballot.

McDermott is running as a Constitution Party candidate. The district covers most of northeast Philadelphia and large portions of Montgomery County.

“Without my presence in the campaign,” he says, “the race would be merely a war of money and name recognition and pure partisanship,” he said, “and at the end of the day the voters would end up with a typical run-of-the-mill, business-as-usual party hack. This has to change, and I can do it.”

www.thirdpartywatch.com

Pennsylvania Senator Introduces Ballot Access Reform Bill

July 25th, 2008

Pennsylvania Senator Mike Folmer (R-Lancaster and Lebanon Counties) has introduced a bill to greatly ease minor party and independent candidate ballot access. The bill doesn’t have a bill number yet. It is believed that it permits a minor party to be ballot-qualified (and to nominate by convention) if it has registration of either one-tenth of 1%, or one-twentieth of 1%. If that were current law, the Constitution, Green, and Libertarian Parties would be ballot-qualified with no need for any petitioning for their nominees.

Independent candidates would need the same number of signatures that Democrats and Republicans need when they try to get on primary ballots. The statewide independent petition would be 2,000 signatures.

www.ballot-access.org

Urgent Message

Pennsylvania Constitution
Party Members and Supporters!

The final and most crucial weekend of the 2008 Constitution Party ballot access petition drive in Pennsylvania is upon us! The turn-in deadline is one week from tomorrow, on Friday August 1, 2008.

It is imperative that we place the Baldwin/Castle ticket, our statewide slate of Constitution Party candidates and our Constitution Party Legislative and Congressional candidates on the ballot in Pennsylvania so that the voters this great Commonwealth will have real "Constitutional" choices in the November election.

Ron Paul, of course, will not be on the ballot for President in November of 2008, but his very good friend and Constitution Party nominee, Chuck Baldwin, can be and with your help, will be on the ballot.

We are within striking distance of success in putting the Constitution Party ticket on the ballot in Pennsylvania in 2008, but, frankly we are also in danger of failing. We need every person who cares about constitutional government to make a supreme effort to obtain signatures of registered Pennsylvania voters on Constitution Party ballot access petitions over the next several days, and particularly over this coming weekend.

If you already have Constitution Party petitions in your possession, please do whatever it takes to fill up those petitions with the signatures of registered voters (remember: each petition may only contain the signatures of voters from a single county, which should be indicated on the front of the petition).

If you are in need of petitions please call the Constitution Party National Office at (717) 390-1993 and we will do everything in our power to get petitions to you ASAP.

Yes, we do have professional petitioners out working everyday in support of this effort, but unfortunately, there are not quite as many of them as there have been in past years. And, yes, we also do have local legislative and congressional candidates who are working diligently to secure signatures, too. They (you) are doing a great job and we appreciate their (your) efforts. Without the efforts of these good folks we would not have any chance, now, of getting the Constitution Party on the ballot in Pennsylvania in 2008. Because of their efforts, however, we do still have a very good chance to make it! We know that we can count on them to continue to work hard over the next several days.

But now, it isn't about "them." It is about "us." All of us! What will "we" do to make sure that "our" ballot access effort in Pennsylvania is a success? We still have an opportunity to control our own destiny and secure the Constitution Party a place on the November ballot, but we are quickly running out of time. After August 1, it will be too late to wish that we had done more for this important effort.

Many in receipt of this email message have already made great sacrifices on behalf of this effort. Please know that your time and sacrifices are deeply appreciated. Others of us may not yet have had the time or opportunity to help out. Now, we need everybody... EVERYBODY, regardless of prior contribution of time and effort, to make the absolute maximum effort over the next several days! Everything depends on the effort that we are willing to make over the next few days!

What will you do?

Again, if you require information about how you can help, please do not hesitate to call our office at (717) 390-1993. Danielle Warren and/or I will be happy to assist you.

You will soon be contacted about petition turn-in procedures. In the meantime, however, please do everything in your power to secure as many signatures as you possibly can in order for our effort to succeed.

Please pass this message on to every friend of the Constitution Party you can think of who may be willing to help over the next few days.

God bless everyone for your efforts!

Gary Odom
National Field Director
Constitution Party
23 N. Lime St.
Lancaster, PA 17602
(717) 390-1993

Lawmaker wants bonus ban

Saturday, July 12, 2008
By Tom Barnes, Post-Gazette Harrisburg Bureau

HARRISBURG -- State Sen. John Eichelberger is demanding that a House committee stop stalling on legislation he has sponsored to ban all bonuses for legislative employees.

In a statement released yesterday, the freshman Republican from Blair County said the charges filed by Attorney General Tom Corbett against 12 present or former Democratic House members and staffers are a strong reason why Senate Bill 986 is needed.

He introduced the Commonwealth Agency Bonus Ban Act in early 2007, after news reports outlined several million dollars in bonuses paid to legislative staffers of both parties in the 2006 election year.

His bill was unanimously approved by the Republican-controlled Senate last October, but he said it has "languished" in the Democrat-controlled House State Government Committee since then.

The committee is led by Rep. Babette Josephs, D-Philadelphia. But Republicans said that top House Democrats, including Majority Leader Bill DeWeese of Waynesburg, are helping to keep the bill bottled up. Ms. Josephs didn't respond to a request for comment, but Tom Andrews, a DeWeese aide, said:

"In early 2007, Majority Leader Bill DeWeese eliminated bonuses for House Democratic Caucus employees. He is in favor of the Eichelberger proposal; however, caucus staff is reviewing the language relative to state labor contracts and pension fund portfolios."

The former No. 2 House Democrat, Rep. Mike Veon of Beaver, a close political ally of Mr. DeWeese, was the most prominent figure charged with misuse of taxpayer funds by Mr. Corbett.

Mr. DeWeese's former chief of staff, Mike Manzo, and his wife, Rachel Manzo, were also charged.

"The people of Pennsylvania expect to have this [bonus] issue addressed in law, not by the often-unkept promises of lawmakers who claim that it will never happen again," Mr. Eichelberger said.

He will ask House leaders "for immediate action on this bill. Their lack of action under the current circumstances is truly unbelievable."

Bureau Chief Tom Barnes can be reached at tbarnes@post-gazette.com or 717-787-4254.
First published on July 12, 2008 at 12:00 am

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08194/896590-178.stm

Pa. Senate OKs Great Lakes compact

HARRISBURG - The state Senate unanimously approved a bill yesterday that would allow Pennsylvania to join a multistate compact to protect and manage the water in the Great Lakes.
The bill goes to Gov. Rendell, who plans to sign it. When he does, Pennsylvania will become the last of eight Great Lakes states to adopt the compact, which still requires approval from Congress and the president to become law. In Canada, Ontario and Quebec also have adopted laws nearly identical to the compact.

The compact would prohibit piping or shipping Great Lakes water outside the system's vast drainage basin, with rare exceptions.

Also, the states would be required to adopt plans to improve water quality, protect ecosystems, and ensure that use of the water does not threaten its supply. The compact applies to water both in the Great Lakes and inland waterways.

The chain of lakes - Erie, Huron, Michigan, Ontario and Superior - constitutes one-fifth of the world's fresh-water supply.

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/local/20080704_Pa__Senate_OKs_Great_Lakes_compact.html

Why Veterans Are Voting BALDWIN

There is every reason for Veterans all over the country to rally around Chuck Baldwin for President. When military veterans signed on the dotted line promising to protect and defend the United States of America they were guaranteed certain benefits. As President of the United States; Chuck Baldwin will honor our nation’s commitment in every way.

Military veterans have served in difficult and dangerous places and spend a lot of time away from their family and loved ones. They serve during the most productive years of their lives, years that can never be given back.

The Chuck Baldwin Administration will work diligently to make certain that these veterans have their benefits restored and he will vigorously resist the attempt by any government agency to nullify or reduce earned benefits to veterans and their survivors, including but certainly not limited to, compensation, pensions, education, and health care.

George Washington once said that, “the willingness of with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportionate to how they perceive the veterans of earlier wars were treated and appreciated by their country.”

Chuck Baldwin offers the “Real Deal”; promises made will be honored. Please join us as we work to move America forward. We need your vote, your prayers and your financial help.

Make a Donation!
Even a Little Does a Lot!



Join the Campaign!
Volunteer in Your Area


www.baldwin2008.com

Important Pennsylvania Ballot Access Bill

July 2nd, 2008

Representative Kerry Benninghoff (R-Bellefonte) is circulating his ballot access bill among all members of the State House, asking for co-sponsors. It would abolish mandatory petitions for all candidates, and provide a choice of paying a filing fee. No fee would be higher than $2,000. The bill applies equally to candidates seeking a place on a primary ballot, and candidates seeking a place on the general election ballot. UPDATE: thanks to Ken Krawchuk for pointing out that I mis-read the bill. The bill provides higher filing fees for independent and minor party candidates than for Democrats and Republicans. That provision of the bill would be unconstitutional, under the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision Davis v FEC. The Court said that states cannot have different contribution limits for different candidates for the same office. It follows logically that states can’t have different filing fee amounts for different candidates for the same office either.

The bill already has several co-sponsors. After that process of seeking co-sponsors is complete, probably by July 18, the bill will receive a bill number.

www.ballot-access.org

Baldwin On Supreme Court Gun Ruling

June 26, 2008

Supreme Court Shoots Straight On 2nd Amendment

Presidential Candidate Challenges Americans To Continue Pro-Gun Momentum By Rejecting Anti- Gun Obama & McCain

Grand Rapids, MI (June 26, 2008) The Constitution Party, (www.constitutionparty.com) the largest third party based on voter registration (Ballot Access News),applauds the recent Supreme Court decision upholding the basic right of Americans to own guns.(http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25390404)

Constitution Party presidential candidate Chuck Baldwin (www.Baldwin2008.com) commented on Thursday’s ruling saying, “ The Supreme Court got this one right. While the ruling still contains elements gun owners should denounce,the justices acknowledged that the words “shall not be infringed” mean just what our Founders meant; and two centuries later the meaning of those words has not changed”.

Baldwin added, “Countless assaults against the right of the people to keep and bear arms by both Republicans and Democrats over the years have taken a toll through draconian gun laws and oppressive legislation which has slowly and steadily chipped away at Americans’ vital, God-given right to self-defense.”

Baldwin pointed to Republican Senator John McCain saying, “We would expect the Democrats and Obama to be against gun rights, but voters need to be reminded that The “conservative” Republican McCain was behind anti-gun legislation to restrict sales at gun shows at both federal and state levels”.
The pro- 2nd amendment group Gun Owners of America added:
‘This year it appears (McCain) is seeking to ’come home’ to the pro-gun community, but the wounds are deep.’
Chuck Baldwin noted: “ The Supreme Court decision is a sign of the political sea-change we’re seeing in our country. While government has no right to demand people pay for (gun)permits, jump through hoops and ask for permission to exercise their 2nd amendment rights,The Constitution and all it guarantees cannot be dismissed and won’t be when voters decide in November they’d like to see a return to the basics in their presidential candidate…and I am that candidate.”

JBS MEETING THURSDAY JUNE 26TH [ NEW ] VIDEO‏

Everyone invited
Threre will be a meeting of the Pitsburgh Chapter of the John Brich Society this thursday June 26th at 7:30 pm at the Starlite Lounge Reataurant on Freeport Road in Blawnox . We will be showing NEW video described below;
A ground breaking film that will change the way you think about economics and children.

This video draws upon voices from all around the world and experts from many different disciplines - demographers, economists, sociologists, psychologists, civic and religious leaders, parliamentarians and diplomats. Together, they reveal in chilling soberness the dangers facing society and the world's economies, dangers far more imminent than global warming and at least as severe. (2008, 54min.)

I hope to see you and bring your friend and forward this email to as many people that you can. Wes Thompson

Baldwin Campaign Off To A Great Start!

June 23, 2008

Largest Third Party Launches Presidential Campaign From Grand Rapids Headquarters

Grand Rapids, MI- June 21, 2008: The Constitution Party, the largest third party based on voter registration (Ballot Access News) announces the official launch of the presidential campaign of the party’s nominee Chuck Baldwin. (www.Baldwin2008.com)

Headquartered in Grand Rapids, at 5500 Division SE, the campaign officially begins on Tuesday, June 24th at 5:30 pm with a family-friendly catered dinner and activities for children. The event is free and open to the public.

Baldwin will address an earlier forum sponsored by the Family Rights Coalition of Michigan , June 23rd at 7:00 pm at Oakland County Commissioner’s Auditorium, 1200 N. Telegraph, Pontiac, in the Oakland County Complex . The topic will be: Health care Policy and Family Breakdown.

The Baldwin candidacy is garnering widespread support and is on course to offer voters a viable alternative in the November presidential contest.

“Voters all over the country have told me, they’re “afraid of Obama and don’t trust McCain””, noted Constitution Party presidential candidate Chuck Baldwin.

A recent Fox News poll (www.foxnews.com.elections) shows Americans are considering the third party option as never before - 47% said they’d vote for a third party candidate.

A Zogby poll (http://www.zogby.com/news/ReadNews.dbm?ID=1505) showed similar numbers as voters voiced discontent with the current Republican and Democratic candidates:

Fully 48% said they are dissatisfied and the survey finds 44% would never vote for Obama; 42% said McCain “will never get” their support!

Baldwin, 2004 Constitution Party Vice Presidential candidate, is an outspoken conservative political newspaper and internet columnist (NewsWithViews.com ), pastor and founder of Pensacola’s well-known Crossroad Baptist Church, a radio talk show host (www.chuckbaldwinlive.com) and author (http://www.chuckbaldwinlive.com/sketch.html).

Baldwin won his party’s nomination after 74% of the delegates at the Constitution Party convention voted for him over former UN Ambassador Allen Keyes. http://www.constitutionparty.com/news.php?aid=751

“American voters are likely to deliver a ‘November Surprise’ to the two “Big Box” parties now controlling our government,” Baldwin predicted, saying, “It’s shaping up to be a ‘pendulum swing’ year. American voters have a right to expect their president to secure their borders, support life from conception to its natural end, and never commit American soldiers to a war unless it has been legally declared by congress and is necessary to protect and defend this nation. I am that candidate, I will be that president”

Fast Eddie's flood tax: Soaked citizenry

Monday, June 23, 2008

Gov. Ed Rendell is capitalizing on the flood victims in Iowa to soak the citizens of Pennsylvania.
Mr. Rendell proposes a 20-cent tax for every $100 in property insurance premiums to help pay for the state's flood-control projects. Kathleen McGinty, his secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection, says it's "a matter of life and death."

No, it's a matter of tax and spend, in typical Rendellian style.

Fast Eddie's flood tax would apply to all business and residential property insurance -- regardless of whether the property is in a flood-prone area.


"We are one of the most flood-prone states in the nation," Ms. McGinty reminds.
Then why not use revenue from the existing Johnstown flood tax -- the 18 percent tax on alcohol enacted in 1936 supposedly to raise money for those flood victims? Today that revenue ends up in the state's general fund.

How many millions of dollars -- or is that billions of dollars -- have been generated by that tax? Has the state government spent every last dollar of it to prevent flooding?

If not, why?

And why should the state's responsible property owners, whose land is not prone to flooding, be forced to subsidize less-responsible land owners who choose to build on flood plains?

It's bad enough that Mr. Rendell's excessive taxation already has left Pennsylvanians high and dry.

Legislature passes smoking ban bill

By Marc Levy | The Associated Press
5:14 PM EDT, June 10, 2008
Article tools

HARRISBURG - The state Senate has approved a compromise bill to outlaw smoking in most workplaces and public spaces in Pennsylvania. The Senate voted 41-9 this afternoon, sending the bill to Gov. Ed Rendell to be signed into law.

The bill was stalled for a year before the House approved it last week.

Rendell has advocated a smoking ban as a way to reduce health care costs, and plans to sign the bill.

It would take effect 90 days after being signed into law, banning cigarette, cigar and pipe smoking in restaurants, office buildings, chools, sports arenas, theaters and bus and train stations.

A dozen exemptions would ensure that smoking can continue at some bars and taverns, portions of casino floors, private clubs and elsewhere.

More than 30 other states have approved some type of statewide smoking ban

http://www.mcall.com/news/local/ap-smoke-0611cn,0,3673354.story

Pennsylvania Legislator Still Expects to Introduce Ballot Access Reform Bill This Year

June 6th, 2008
Pennsylvania State Representative Kerry Benninghoff kindly telephoned today to say he will introduce his ballot access reform bill this year. He expects to be re-elected and he will also introduce it next year, since it seems unlikely to pass this year. The bill will eliminate mandatory ballot access petitions for all candidates, those seeking access in a primary as well as those petitioning for a spot on the November ballot.

www.ballot-access.org

Pittsburgh city council put limits on 1st admendment

Pittsburgh narrowly OKs campaign finance reforms
By Jeremy Boren
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Tuesday, June 3, 2008


Pittsburgh City Council today narrowly passed limits on political campaign contributions.
In a 5-4 vote, the council capped contributions from individual donors to $2,000 per election. Political action committees would be limited to donations of $5,000 per election. If Mayor Luke Ravenstahl signs the legislation, the restrictions would take effect Jan. 1, 2010 and affect only candidates for the city's 11 elected offices.

"I will not be supporting the bill, simply because I believe that if campaign finance reform is to be adopted, it needs to be adopted statewide," said Councilman Jim Motznik, who voted against the limits with council members Tonya Payne, Dan Deasy and Darlene Harris.

Councilman Patrick Dowd said statewide adoption is irrelevant because the restrictions mirror federal standards.

"We don't need the state to do that," Dowd said. "We're following the lead of the Federal Elections Commission. If those limitations are good enough for Barack Obama, for example, then they're good enough for the nine elected City Council members, the city controller and the mayor."
Also voting in favor of the legislation were council President Doug Shields and members Ricky Burgess, Bruce Kraus and Bill Peduto, the bill's sponsor.

In addition to the donation restrictions, the ordinance would prohibit donors who give the maximum amount to a candidate from receiving a city contract without going through a competitive bidding process. Candidates who spend $250,000 or more on their own campaigns would trigger a provision that would double their opponents' contribution limits.

Ravenstahl previously has voiced skepticism about campaign finance limits. It isn't immediately clear whether the mayor will sign or veto the legislation.


Jeremy Boren can be reached at jboren@tribweb.com or 412-765-2312.

A word from Thomas Jefferson

Honor, justice, and humanity, forbid us tamely to surrender that freedom which we received from our gallant ancestors, and which our innocent posterity have a right to receive from us. We cannot endure the infamy and guilt of resigning succeeding generations to that wretchedness which inevitably awaits them if we basely entail hereditary bondage on them.

Thomas Jefferson, Declaration of the Causes and Necessities of Taking up Arms, July 6, 1775

Chuck Baldwin on the 2nd Admendment

“The Second Amendment Protects Our LibertyTo help keep your family safe and your country free, go buy a gun.”
“The right to keep and bear arms is guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the Constitution; it may not properly be infringed upon or denied. Therefore, a Baldwin Administration will uphold the right of the citizens to keep and bear arms and will oppose attempts to prohibit ownership of guns by law-abiding citizens, and, further, will stand against all laws which would require the registration of guns or ammunition.’

“Judge Roy Moore, recently noted that ‘Our ancestors firmly believed in God-given ‘unalienable rights’ and had no reservation about using guns, when necessary, to defend those rights against tyrannical oppression. Before there was a Constitution, our guns guaranteed the rights God had already given us, including the right to bear arms. The Constitution was written and designed to protect, not preclude, those very rights.’

“Richard Henry Lee, a signer of the Declaration, once said, “To preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole body of the people always possess arms, and be taught alike, especially when young, how to use them.”

“Just as the right to bear arms is necessary in the defense against tyranny, so to is that same right vital for the purpose of self-defense. American citizens use a firearm to defend themselves more than 2.4 million times EVERY YEAR. That is more than 6,500 times EVERY DAY. This means that, each year, firearms are used 60 times more often to protect the lives of honest citizens than to take lives. Furthermore, of the 2.4 million self-defense cases, more than 192,000 are by women defending themselves against sexual assault. And in less than eight percent of those occasions is a shot actually fired. The vast majority of the time (92%), the mere presence of a firearm helps to avert a major crime from occurring. That is what Congressman Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD) concluded after extensive research. According to Rep. Bartlett, the number of defensive uses is four times the number of crimes reported committed with guns.’

“In conclusion I would again quote Judge Moore, who wrote, ‘Liberty and freedom are gifts of God, and not the government. The means by which we secure those gifts are ultimately in the hands and the “arms” of the people.’”

Rendell vs. Specter in 2010?

By Robert Novak
Sunday, May 25, 2008

WASHINGTON
Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell is reported by party sources to be considering a race for the Senate in 2010 even if his friend and fellow Philadelphian, Republican Sen. Arlen Specter, seeks re-election.

Specter has indicated that he wants a sixth term in the Senate, but that may depend on his health. He is suffering from a recurrence of cancer.

Republican insiders believe that Specter might decide to run as an independent if conservatives launch another serious Republican primary campaign against him, as they did in 2004. A three-way election would all but guarantee the election of a Democrat.

www.pittsburghlive.com