Dems want to give Obama power to shut down the Internet

There's a big difference between the words Democrat and Democracy.

Congressional Democrats are pushing a bill that would give Barack Obama authority to pull the "kill switch" on the Internet.

If that sounds anti-Democratic or anti-American, perhaps you should find out where your Congressional representative stands on the issue of shutting down the free flow of communication and information.

Read more about the latest move toward fascism by the far left here.

U.S. National Debt Tops $14 Trillion

You may not have noticed it during the busy holiday rush, but the U.S. national debt has topped $14 trillion under Barack Obama.

It now stands at $14,001,550,000 - and rising by the second. Broken down by population, every man, woman and child in the United States owes $45,000.

The interest alone on the national debt has now topped $3.5 trillion.

Barack Obama and Congressional Democrats have increased the national debt by more than $3 trillion in just two years.

The debt was $10.6 trillion when Obama took office in January 2009.

And for the Kool-Aid drinkers out there who can't accept the fact that Obama has plunged the nation into uncharted debt territory, consider that it took George W. Bush eight full years to increase the debt by $4.9 trillion.

Left unchecked, Obama is on pace to push the debt to $16.5 trillion in 2012 (his last year in office) or $6 trillion more than the day he was sworn in.

If you can stomach it, follow the real-time debt at http://www.usdebtclock.org/

Wrapping Up the Primary with a Bow (and moving towards November)

Written by Roberta Biros

First, I must apologize. I have been out of commission for TOOOOO long. It has taken me far too much time to sit down and write this post, but I do have a good excuse . . . I’ve been sick. As many of you know I caught a bad cold a few weeks ago and I lost my voice (my husband hasn’t complained). I then worked the polls in the rain on Election Day and I made things worse. I’ve been sick in bed and I’m only just now getting back on my feet. I’ve been struggling to catch up.

I’ve got a great deal of material to cover so I might as well get started. Without further adieu . . .

Primary Election: 3rd Congressional District Democrat Ticket

Congresswoman Dahlkemper is up for re-election, and it has been my guess that she will have a real job of it this year. Mrs. Dahlkemper was up against Mel Marin of Erie for the Democrat nomination in the Primary. Mr. Marin has a bit of a questionable background (read more HERE) and he was running with a war chest of less than $2000. Some would say that he didn’t have a chance. Surprisingly enough, however, Mr. Marin received roughly 27% of the Democrat vote in the 3rd Congressional District (30% in Erie).

Why is this information important? Well, it illustrates the number of Democrats that were unable to “hold their nose and vote for Kathy Dahlkemper”. 27% of her constituents went to the poll to vote and refused to vote for her. This could be bad news for Mrs. Dahlkemper in November, but time will tell.

Primary Election: 3rd Congressional District Republican Ticket

As many of you know, I’ve followed the 3rd Congressional Republican race in great detail over the past few months. I knew all of the candidates personally and I was anxious (and nervous) to see the final results. In the end, the grassroots candidates were unable to compete with the big money in the race. Paul Huber and Mike Kelly fought out the race with their bank accounts, and a winner was selected. The top vote getter in the race was Mike Kelly of Butler County.

It had been suggested by many that Mr. Kelly was in the pocket of Republican Party insiders, and that was illustrated on Tuesday night. Mr. Kelly was the top vote getter in the final tally of the District in the field of six great candidates. Mr. Kelly will now face a bigger challenge as he tries to find a way to compete with Congresswoman Dahlkemper in November. Once again, time will tell. We’ll be following this race closely.

Six great candidates, but only one winner.

I’ve never been quite so connected to one race with so many great candidates. I can honestly say that any one of the six Republican candidates that ran in the 3rd Congressional District would have been well deserving of the party nomination. Mr. Kelly was the final choice, but I’d like to congratulate Paul Huber, Steve Fisher, Ed Franz, Clayton Grabb, and (last but not least) Dr. Martha Moore for running amazing races. I was proud to have gotten an opportunity to get to know each and every one of them. I suspect that we will see many of these names again in the not so distant future.

Highlights?

It was a tough election, and I hated to see any of the six candidates “not win” (notice that I did not use the term ‘lose’ as there were no losers in this group). I have to admit that the personal highlight of the evening was one very important statistic. Dr. Martha Moore managed to win her home county of Mercer. Mercer Countians came out in a big way for their hometown Doc and gave her their votes by the bushel full. Dr. Moore took over 2600 votes in Mercer County with her next nearest competition over 1000 votes away. Mercer County came out to support their great Doctor and it was well deserved. After having the opportunity to get to know Dr. Moore, I became a real fan.

I have a great respect for ANYONE that is willing to run for public office, but I especially respect women that are willing to do so. Dr. Moore should serve as a role model to other conservative women out there that are saying “Enough is Enough”. She deserves a special applause all her own. Thank you Dr. Moore.

Moving on Toward the General Election

For those of you that follow Mercer County politics, you already realize that some extra excitement has been going on over the past week or so. I wrote about the extracurricular activity last week HERE and HERE. In a nutshell, here is a “blow by blow” and basic timeline of events.

1. I announced in April that I’d be running as an Independent for State Senate against Bob Robbins.
   
2. As a 20-year Republican incumbent, Bob Robbins decided that he may very well lose the General Election to an Independent (that’s me), so he began a VERY AGGRESSIVE campaign to get the Democratic nomination as a write in. This decision was made with County Democrats (read “Bob Lark and Associates”) and Mr. Robbins decided to spend TENS OF THOUSANDS of dollars on a full-color postcard / robo-call / yard sign campaign.
   
3. When ‘real’ Democrats realized what Bob Robbins was up to they came up with their own write-in campaign in an effort to beat Bob Robbins on Election Day. Art Allen, a Mercer County Democrat, started his own write-in campaign on the Democrat ticket.
   
4. When the word got out that a Dem had bravely stepped up to run, Kathy Frederick (a Greenville Democrat) decided to start her own write-in campaign in order to get onto the Democrat ballot against Republican Representative Michele Brooks.
   
5. In a panic (and in true Robbins fashion), Michele Brooks had to open up her wallet to start her own write-in campaign against Frederick (also including robo calls) for the DEMOCRAT nomination. Ms. Brooks was also forced to get out and work the polls on Election Day (which was a refreshing sight). Michele Brooks actively running as a Democrat . . . “who would have thunk it”.

In summary, Bob Robbins and Michele Brooks decided that they both wanted to be Republicans AND Democrats this year. Demonstrating ALL THAT IS WRONG IN POLITICS, the dynamic duo has illustrated to the 17th and 50th Districts that they ARE just as bad as everyone has been saying. They have demonstrated that they are, in fact, self-serving politicians that are ONLY concerned with getting re-elected.

The votes are not yet counted and the results of the write-in wars are not yet known, but the funniest part of the story is just now beginning to hit the papers. That portion of the story is the part that includes Mercer County Democrat Chairman Bob Lark.

Last year some thought that my public “dust up” with Bob Lark was a fantasy story. It seemed like “make believe” in a fantasy world of Democrats run amuck. They couldn’t believe that the things that I had been claiming could possibly be true. No one man could be so deranged as to do the things that he does. However, this year Bob Lark has illustrated to ALL of Mercer County exactly what I’ve been claiming. He is a representative of the “Mercer County Incumbent Party” I is more concerned with elevating members of the ‘inner circle’ than the promotion of good government.

Two Democrats (Art Allen and Kathy Frederick) stepped up in an attempt to organize a last-minute write-in campaign against career politicians (Robbins of 20 years and Brooks of the first 4 of 20 years). Rather than embrace the brave souls that were willing to step up to run for office, Bob Lark . . . get this . . . I’m not kidding . . . came out and CRITICIZED THEM BOTH.

Why? What reason could he have for criticizing two willing participants in a political challenge? He was angry that they didn’t go through the standard process of getting petitions signed and running in the Primary. What? Are you kidding me? He is joking, right? For those of you that don’t realize it, THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT I DID LAST YEAR and Bob Lark didn’t like that EITHER.

So why is Mr. Lark so upset? I suggest that Mr. Lark is angry for two reasons. He admits that he was aware of Bob Robbins plan to run as a Democrat, and I think that Mr. Lark WANTED Mr. Robbins to win the nomination. He simply didn’t like that I called him out for being a willing participant (and active recruiter). The second reason that Mr. Lark is angry is that Michele Brooks WAS NOT part of that plan of his. He had made a deal with Bob Robbins (and Company) but he had made no such deal with Michele Brooks. After the write-in battle is over Mr. Lark may find himself having to support a Robbins/Brooks ticket and that simply wasn’t part of his original agreement. Unfortunately, Mr. Lark got more than he bargained for and he isn’t happy about it.

If you sit back and you look at the statements that have been made by both Robbins and Lark you have to just scratch your head. You have to stop and wonder, “what is going on here?”. Common-sense thinkers like me are stopping and saying “something doesn’t smell right”. I would suggest that your nose is not playing tricks on you. There is something seriously wrong here and we should all be wondering ‘why’.

In Closing . . .

It is important that I clear the air regarding Mr. Lark. Last year my race for County Treasurer became a game for Mr. Lark and I refuse to be caught up in it again this year. The 2010 Election for State Senate in the 50th District needs to be a focused race between me (an energetic and dedicated independent candidate with a platform for good government) and Bob Robbins (a 20-year incumbent that is running as a Republican AND Democrat who would sell his soul to the Devil if he thought that it would win him re-election).

I look forward to moving towards November with a focus on the issues and policies . . . and NOT politics.

Let the games begin!

.

US Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid: "We only lost 36,000 Jobs Today"

U.S. Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid's comments on our nation's job market should alarm every American family struggling to keep their homes, pay their bills, and raise their kids in one of the most unstable job markets since the great depression.

All the polls indicate that Americans are losing faith that our economy is going to turn around any time soon. And it is no wonder when Democratic Congressional leaders like Harry Reid say things like it's a good day since we only lost 36,000 jobs. What kind of economic leadership is this?


What An Idiot!!!

Since the election of President Obama's this is how democrats in Congress continue to spin the economic downturn that our country is facing right now. Congressional leaders like Reid and Nancy Pelosi have this idealistic view that things could have been worse without them, their government takeover of industry, and their big bailouts to Wall Street financial tycoons.

They are simply out of touch with everyday Americans trying to find a job. You can dismiss Reid's comments as just Washington D.C. sarcasm, but is it really a laughing matter to the 36,000 thousand people who lost their jobs and the families that will be impacted by the job cuts.

All we have to know is that as the Democratic Party leadership in Congress continues to push health care reform down our throats more and more people are losing their jobs, their homes, and their dignity. Something I think lawmakers like Harry Reid lost a long time ago.

The slogan this election year isn't, "It's the economy stupid". It's save our economy from the STUPID people in Washington D.C.!!!!

Taxpayer Friends or Big Spenders?

By Tony Phyrillas

For the past 31 years, the National Taxpayers Union, an independent, nonpartisan advocate for overburdened taxpayers, has been issuing an annual report card for members of Congress.

The Washington, D.C.-based NTU rates each member of Congress based on his or her voting record to determine how "friendly" or "unfriendly" they are to taxpayers.

The group has just released its report card on the first session of the 111th Congress, led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

"Despite a few encouraging trends, the results from NTU's rating vividly demonstrate why 2009 was such a fiscal disaster," said NTU President Duane Parde. "For every member of Congress doing his or her best to relieve overburdened taxpayers, five other lawmakers were doing their worst."

A Taxpayer Score is determined for each member of Congress and a letter grade is awarded based on the score. If you want to review the process NTU uses or the actual votes taken on specific bills, visit the group's Web site at www.ntu.org

NTU rates House and Senate members on their actual votes — every vote that affects taxes, spending and debt. While many other watchdog groups release ratings based on selected votes, NTU considers every vote taken by every member of Congress during a particular session, making its rankings the fairest and most accurate guide available on Congressional spending.

A total of 333 House votes and 227 Senate votes taken last year were considered in determining the NTU rankings.

"NTU has no partisan ax to grind," according to its Web site. "All members of Congress are treated the same regardless of political affiliation. Our only constituency is the overburdened American taxpayer. Grades are given impartially, based on the Taxpayer Score."

The Taxpayer Score measures the "strength of support for reducing spending and opposing higher taxes," according to the NTU. A higher score is better because it means a member of Congress voted to spend less money, the group says.

The Taxpayer Score can range between zero and 100, but to date, not a single member of Congress has ever scored a perfect 100.

In 2009, 55 lawmakers attained scores sufficient for a grade of "A" (earning at least a 90 percent in the House and the Senate) and hence were eligible for the "Taxpayers' Friend Award" — an increase from the 48 who earned top grades in 2008, according to NTU.

Unfortunately, 267 Senators and Representatives captured the title of "Big Spender" for posting "F" grades (15 percent or less in the House and 16 percent or less in the Senate), according to the group. This number is unchanged from the record 267 Big Spenders recorded in 2008.

The top scorer from Pennsylvania is Rep. Joe Pitts, a Republican who represents parts of Berks, Chester and Lancaster counties. Pitts earned a B+ in the report card.

On the bottom of the scale, Rep. Chaka Fattah, a Democrat from Philadelphia, turned in the lowest House score, rounded to 1 percent. However, 21 other House Members had scores that were higher by fractions, but which still amounted to 1 percent when rounded, notes the NTU.

I spent time on the NTU Web site looking up Pennsylvania members of Congress to find out how many "taxpayers' friends" are on the 2009 list. Unfortunately for Pennsylvania taxpayers, far too many of the 21 lawmakers who represent the state earned "F" grades from the NTU, qualifying for the group's "Big Spender" category.

Here's a look at how Pennsylvania members of Congress did on the taxpayer report card:

SEN. BOB CASEY JR. — F

SEN. ARLEN SPECTER — D

REP. JASON ALTMIRE — D

REP. BOB BRADY — F

REP. CHRIS CARNEY — D

REP. KATHY DAHLKEMPER — F

REP. CHARLIE DENT — C+

REP. MIKE DOYLE — F

REP. CHAKA FATTAH — F

REP. JIM GERLACH — C+

REP. TIM HOLDEN — F

REP. PAUL KANJORKSI — F

REP. PAT MURPHY — F

REP. TIM MURPHY — C

REP. JOHN MURTHA — DECEASED

REP. JOE PITTS — B+

REP. TODD PLATTS — C+

REP. ALYSON SCHWARTZ — F

REP. JOE SESTAK — F

REP. BUD SHUSTER — B

REP. GLENN THOMPSON — B

In the Senate, Specter and Casey are both Democrats. In the House, all of the Democrats from Pennsylvania received "F" grades.

Something to keep in mind as you go to the polls this year. Every member of the House plus Sen. Specter is up for reelection.

Tony Phyrillas writes about politics for The Pottstown Mercury. E-mail him at tphyrillas@pottsmerc.com

Remember 'Culture Of Corruption'

"Culture Of Corruption" was a phrase commonly used by Democratic Party leaders like Howard Dean, Senator Chuck Schumer, and Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi when referring to the Republican controlled Congress during the events leading up to the 2006 midterm elections.

The phrase began to catch on with the Democratic Party's base after a series of political scandals involving Republican politicians rocked the political landscape in Washington D.C. culminating in the indictment of then House Majority Leader, Tom Delay, by a Texas court for violating Texas campaign finance laws. The phrase began to be repeated over and over again on Countdown by MSNBC's Keith Olbermann and during a statement on Delay's indictment the current Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi stated the following:

"The criminal indictment of Majority Leader Tom DeLay is the latest example that Republicans in Congress are plagued by a culture of corruption at the expense of the American people."

Democratic Party leaders were able to nationalize the election and define the Republican majority as a bunch of crooks that were out of touch with the American people. This eventually led to sweeping victories by democratic candidates across the country as the Democratic Party regained control of Congress for the first time since 1994.

The American People realized that the republican majority lost its way and entrusted democrats to take the country in a new direction. But now we look a head to the 2010 midterm elections and it looks like the same Democratic Party leadership that used the phrase to regain control of Congress is fostering a "Culture Of Corruption" themselves.

Many national news sources reported yesterday that Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY), the embattled Chairman of the powerful House Ways & Means Committee, has been admonished by the House Ethics committee. According to the committee's findings, Rangel violated House rules by allowing corporations to pay for a number of trips he and other members of the Congressional Black Caucus took to the Caribbean in 2007 and 2008.

According to the ethics panel's report, two of Rangel's staff knew the origins of the money but "submitted false or misleading information" to gain the committee's approval. The report also indicated that they were unable to determine exactly what Rangel himself knew of the false information given to the committee.

Fox News covered the press conference held by Rangel at the Capitol late Thursday night after he was informed of the Ethic Committee's findings. Rangel stated the following at the press conference:

"I don't want to be critical of the committee. But common sense dictates that members of Congress shouldn't be held responsible for what could be mistakes by staff unless there's reason to believe the member knew or should have known," Rangel said.

Rangel called the Ethics Committee's ruling "disturbing." He said he wouldn't comment further until he spoke with his attorney.

Click here To Read More

This is the first ruling in a series of House Ethics Committee's investigations that have plagued Rangel since he was appointed Chairman of the House Ways & Means committee by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Apparently Rangel has failed to report over a million dollars worth of assets including a Merrill Lynch account valued between $250,000 and $500,000 dollars. Rengal also is being investigated separately for failing to pay federal taxes on rental properties.

Despite knowledge of these investigations Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Democratic House leadership seem hell bent on allowing Rangel to keep his Chairmanship.

What Went Wrong With The 'Change We Can Believe In' Revolution

The sudden drop in popularity of President Obama and democrats in general has to baffle mainstream political pundits. I've lived through a few conservative revolutions in my lifetime. Both the Reagan Revolution and the Newt Gingrich led Republican Revolution of 1994 were both conservative movements that had real political legs changing the Country's political landscape for 8 to 12 years. However, the "Change We Can Believe In" revolution lasted barely two years.

The architects of this Obama led revolution David Plouffe, Rahm Emanuel and David Axelrod managed to tap into the mood of an American electorate who at the time was desperately seeking CHANGE from Bush Administration's policies. Obama candidacy rode this momentum through the Democratic Presidential Primary defeating Washington insider Hillary Clinton. The momentum continued to carry Obama into the fall where he won a very convincing victory over GOP nominee Senator John McCain.

The revolution peeked with the election of President Obama in November of 2008 and now has been on a downward slide ever since. I must admit that the Democratic Party's victory was so sweeping that I thought it would be decades before another republican majority controlled Congress.

This year the political landscape of the country has already changed and democratic incumbents up for re-election in Congress are feeling the heat from the many political missteps by Congressional leaders and the Obama Administration.

Here is a list of missteps that have tipped the scale favoring republicans this election year:

1. Over estimating their political mandate that depended heavily on the idea of CHANGE. The country, especially independents, didn't vote for a move to more left of center policies. They just wanted change for change sake. This miscalculation led to the Obama Administration pushing an agenda geared towards satisfying the liberal left wing of the Democratic Party. This fatal mistake is why independents left the movement and has given rise to the Tea Party movement.

2. Passing a stimulus bill packed full of pork rather than real economic policy. The Obama Administration called the bill "shovel ready", but the bill was less stimulating to the American people who are still suffering from near 10% unemployment.

3. Focusing on passing health care reform instead of economic recovery. The now year long debacle has revealed to the American people Washington's true colors. The political partisanship and backroom, deal making continues to demonstrate that nothing really has changed in Washington at all. Obama and Congressional Democrats still haven't caught on to the fact that the more this health care debacle drags on the lower their poll numbers go!

4. The liberal media's portrayal of President Obama as a larger than life, Hollywood mogul has not helped the President's real poll numbers. The Obama is here, Obama everywhere strategy of the White House staff hasn't made Obama look very presidential. It is almost like Obama is still campaigning.

5. The beer summit staring President Obama, Professor Gates of Harvard, and police officer Crowley whom arrested Gates for trying to brake into his house. Obama said that the police officer acted "stupidly" in a press conference. In hindsight now I have to say the entire event was stupid.

6. President Obama losing the Chicago Olympic bid. This was an embarrassment and a first in a string of losses.

7. President Obama winning the Nobel Peace Prize. Accepting the honor before accomplishing anything really set well with the American people.

8. Accepting Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter into the Democratic ranks with open arms. This was a very big mistake. Obama and the Democratic leadership aligned themselves with and campaigned for Specter putting them in direct conflict with the CHANGE mantra that Obama so elegantly spouted during his campaign.

9. The two deals worked out by Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid, with Nebraska Sen. Ben Nelson and Louisiana Sen. Landrieu in order to pass the Senate's Health Care Bill. This has left many Americans wondering if they can trust the current Congressional leadership.

10. Underestimating the political influence of the Tea Party movement. The Massachusetts special election proved that the continued disdain for the Tea Party movement by leaders in the Democratic Party is not paying off at the ballot box. They are the ones looking like fools for attacking a movement that is advocating for limited government. An idea that has been popular in America for over 200 years.

11. Underestimating just how much of a political issue sound fiscal policy and the growing federal deficit would be this election year.

Two Roads Diverged in Penn's Woods

Will PA-12 be NY-23 or Massachusetts?

By Lowman S. Henry

Will the special election to fill the seat left vacant by the death of Congressman John P. Murtha be a re-run of New York 23, or a Republican coup like the election of U.S. Senator Scott Brown in Massachusetts?

The direction of the race now lies in the hands of the nine county Republican committees who will select conferees to a convention that will choose the GOP nominee in the special election likely to be held in conjunction with the upcoming May Primary.

New York 23, you may recall, was won by the Democrat Bill Owens after a Republican civil war erupted when the party establishment selected a nominee who held views to the left of President Obama. This spawned the third party candidacy of Doug Hoffman who quickly became a cause célèbre for the conservative wing of the Republican Party. Ultimately GOP nominee Dede Scozzafava withdrew from the race; then plunged the knife in Hoffman by endorsing Owens.

In Massachusetts the scenario unfolded very differently. The establishment GOP early on wrote off Scott Brown. But, the Bay state's TEA party movement ignited a grassroots brushfire for Brown which lifted his candidacy putting it back on the national Republican radar screen. The GOP establishment engaged in the race; forged a common bond with the TEA partiers and Brown scored an upset victory that literally changed the political landscape in Washington, D.C.

The PA-12 special election could go either way.

Bill Russell was the party's 2008 nominee against Murtha and he gave the incumbent a run for his money. Murtha and the Democrats went into panic mode the last weeks of the campaign and then rode the national Democratic wave to victory.

Russell has never stopped running. He has been engaged fore square in the TEA party movement that burns bright throughout southwestern Pennsylvania. It is likely Russell will be the choice of a majority of the grassroots, TEA party types and certainly has emerged as a favorite of the GOP's conservative wing.

But the TEA party activists will have no voice in the party selection process. Under the rules of the Republican State Committee each of the nine counties which have territory in the 12th Congressional District will select conferees who will meet in convention to select the nominee. Typically conferees are tried and true party activists. Thus, the establishment GOP will pick the candidate.

What makes the picture both more complicated and more hopeful is the fact that southwestern Pennsylvania Republican party leaders tend to be more conservative than those in some other parts of the state. They also tend to be fiercely independent. Thus, the establishment party in Murtha's district is more in tune with the grassroots back-to-our-principles movement sweeping the region, the state and the nation.

Left to their own devices, Republican leaders in PA-12 likely will arrive at a party-uniting consensus. But, this is a special election and that means outside interests - including the National Republican Congressional Committee and the Republican National Committee will try and bring about the selection of a cookie cutter candidate who fits Washington's poll and focus group driven view of the world.

Also complicating matters is that Republican State Committee Chairman Robert A. Gleason, Jr. hails from Cambria County, which will send one of the biggest delegations of conferees to the convention. Under Gleason, the Republican State Committee has recruited candidates in congressional districts around the state to oppose grassroots conservatives, and even tried to gin up competition to Pat Toomey in the U.S. Senate race.

Gleason has also had an unholy alliance with Murtha over the years. Thus, he will want a candidate beholden to him. But he is also pragmatic, and with the eyes of the nation on PA-12 Gleason will want, above all, to win. This means the considerable influence of the Gleason organization will, for the first time in decades, be deployed on behalf of the Republican candidate. And that dramatically improves chances for a Republican victory.

The upcoming special election in PA-12 will be a gut check for the Republican Party in Pennsylvania. All the crosscurrents and rip tides that currently roil both the state and national Republican parties will be at play in this selection process.

In the end we are going to get either NY-23 or a Pennsylvania version of Scott Brown. It will be interesting to see what happens.

(Lowman S. Henry is Chairman & CEO of the Lincoln Institute and host of the weekly Lincoln Radio Journal. His e-mail address is lhenry@lincolninstitute.org.)

Forward to the Past

By John D McGinnis

George Will recently wrote that American government is largely a redistribution device from the young to the old. The size and growth of entitlements, most of which are for the benefit of the elderly, and the growing amount of health care expenses with the largest portion of them going to the elderly, make his point. Will concludes that by allocating more and more dollars to the old, American government is investing in its past.

There is another way our government sacrifices our future to invest in the past. Virtually all government economic development and economic policy is focused on the past. Witness the call for rail projects in the State of the Union address. Even high speed rail is an old idea and if it needs government subsidies to come into existence, how good an idea can it be? Still, legions of politicians on both sides of the political aisle, will get behind the idea, because they can grasped the concept of rail.

Economies, however, advance by concepts that aren't even known by politicians or most people in general. At the time, did any politician or pundit understand what Henry Ford and John Rockefeller were doing to change the world? Did they understand what Edison was doing? Who saw what Bill Gates and Steve Jobs were going to do 30 years ago? The point is, what politicians push is stuff that already exists, because that's all they see and all they know. They learn quickly how to exercise control and peddle influence in existing endeavors. They are merchants of the past and status quo. But economies advance, as Friedrich Hayek often pointed out, by discoveries and innovations that nobody can anticipate. When politicians redistribute wealth to the already known and established sectors of our economy, they not only reduce the opportunity available for advancing our standard of living, but they also provide incentives to stifle economic progress. This happens due to the fact that established businesses will play the political game, curry favor with political donations, and use government as a lifeline rather than engaging the fickle and responsive marketplace.

Oversight of our economy by government and quasi-governmental "economic development" organizations does not work. If it did, the 9th and 12th Congressional Districts in Pennsylvania would be leading the world in prosperity. Instead, those districts are plagued with a culture of dependency and economic stagnation. They are just two examples of so many across our Commonwealth and our county where elected officials, who have the hubris of thinking they know best and who disregard liberty and constitutional government, impose their out-of-date thinking on the rest of us.

President Obama Signs Law Increasing The Federal Debt Limit To 14.3 Trillion Dollars

In case you missed it, today is a historical day in the history of this great nation. Yes that is right folks. You are probably thinking to yourself that today has just been like any other day. But the historical significance of this day won't be published on the front page of every newspaper in America. Nor will you won't find it as the lead story on your local television news broadcast.

Why is today so significant?

Today is the day that President Obama signed legislation increasing the nation's debt limit by $1.9 trillion dollars. According to various sources there was no planned ceremony for the signing. In fact President Obama signed the legislation behind closed doors and with no cameras present. That's all. Just another day in Washington D.C.

Congressional Democrats rammed the legislation through Congress last week. Now signed by the President, the bill raises the total amount the federal government can borrow from $12.394 trillion to $14.3 trillion. The justification for raising the debt limit given by Democratic Party leaders in both the House and Senate was so the government could function the rest of the year.

What ever happened to cutting spending? Instead they chose to borrow more money. These are the choices that our elected leaders in Washington are making for us. Incredible!!!

O.K! Today's historical event is not Washington crossing the Delaware River. But to many Americans concerned about the fiscal health of our country, today is just as critical to our future. Today is the day that should ingrained into the minds of everyone concerned about out of control spending in by our federal government.

Seriously folks how long can we afford to put up with this madness?

John Murtha's wife Joyce Is Now A Possible Candidate For Her Husband's Seat

Salena Zito has a great story today in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Zito reports that there is growing support for John Murtha's wife Joyce to take her husband's seat in Congress. Apparently, many Democratic Party insiders both at the state level and in the 12th Congressional District itself feel that Joyce would win the seat and hold it for the Democrats.

"While people have been mindful that this is a difficult time for the family, many have called to suggest Joyce as the perfect person to hold her husband's seat," Murtha spokesman Matthew Mazonkey said. Murtha represented Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District. His term expires at the end of this year.

I don't think in this current political climate that choosing the wife of a dead Congressman is a wise choice. Although, Joyce Murtha's candidacy would definitely change the dynamics of the upcoming Special Election. But I would have to disagree that Joyce would be a strong candidate to hold the seat for the democrats. Her candidacy would give a republican candidate like Bill Russell the opportunity to run a grassroots, anti Washington type campaign similar to Scott Brown in Massachusetts.

More: Support builds for Murtha's wife taking seat (Tribune-Review)

Also: Murtha's death sparks inquiry (Tribune-Review)

Special Election For Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional Seat Favors GOP Candidate Bill Russell

Left vacant by the unexpected death of Rep. John Murtha, the race for Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District is sure to heat up real soon. Most of the election rating sites like CQ Politics and the Cooks Political Report have already moved the election status to a tossup. Primarily because an open seat election is quite unpredictable.

By law Governor Ed Rendell has until February 18th to make a decision on the timing of the special election. After that Rendell has 60 days to hold a special election. Pennsylvania's regular primary is already scheduled for May 18, and Gov. Ed Rendell is expected to set the twelfth district’s special election for that date as well. Rendell, however, withheld the right to change his mind pending what leaders in Washington, D.C. desire.

Because of the abbreviated schedule, there will be no primary for the special election; each state party will simply choose a candidate to run in the special election. However both parties have different methods to choose a candidate so it will be interesting how it plays out.

50 members of the state Democratic Party's central committee will pick the Democratic candidate to run in the special election. State Sen. John Wozniak is the most commonly mentioned Democratic name at the moment. However former Lt. Gov. Mark Singel (D) has also been mentioned as a potential candidate. Both candidates have some challenges to overcome if chosen. Wozniak is tied to a very unpopular pay raise vote and Singel has been a Harrisburg lobbyist for over a decade.

On the Republican side local county committees will choose their candidate. Right now the favorite would have to be Bill Russell. A former Iraq War veteran who was defeated by Murtha in 2008. Other names have been floated around such as state Rep. Dave Reed, state Sen. Kim Ward, state Rep. Jeff Pyle and the 2006 GOP nominee and former Washington County Commissioner Diana L. Irey. All of which would have to quickly make a power play to wrestle the nomination away from Russell.

There is no doubt that Russell is sitting in the drivers seat. He has already announced his candidacy and has been raising money for his campaign. In fact, Russell was out raising Murtha. Russell reported an impressive total of $2,865,593 raised through Dec. 31, according to filings with the Federal Election Commission.

That dollar amount alone makes Russell the front runner. GOP county committee members who are even thinking about choosing another candidate over Russell to run in the special election risk losing this race for the GOP.

Russell is the right kind of candidate to serve the constituents of the 12 District. Even going head to head with Murtha last time he held Murtha to 58 percent of the vote. The lowest total since Murtha first ran in 1974. Like Murtha, Russell is a military veteran. The 12th District has a high number of WW II and Vietnam veterans that will most likely vote for him.

The national mood right now favor's a candidate like Russell. Russel is an outsider. He is not viewed as a political party insider or government crony. If Russell aligns him with national and local Tea Party groups there is no doubt he will win this election. In fact, I don't understand when you seriously look at the direction of this race why this seat isn't rated leaning Republican.

John Murtha's Republican Opponent, Bill Russell, Issues Statement On Congressman's Death

Monday, February 8, 2010

On behalf of Kasia and our entire family, I want to express our deepest sympathy on the passing of Congressman John Murtha. Today’s news will be met with profound sadness by the hundreds of thousands of constituents he served in Johnstown and throughout the 12th Congressional District.

To Joyce, their children and grandchildren, we extend our heartfelt respect as you honor Mr. Murtha’s memory and reflect on his legacy in the upcoming days and months.

Sincerely,

Bill Russell
Lt. Colonel USAR (ret)

http://www.russellbrigade.com/

Congressman Murtha's Death Will Make It More Difficult For Democrats To Pass Health Care Reform

The American Specter has a great article on how Congressman Murtha's death will impact Speaker Nancy Pelosi's ability to pass the democrats health care reform through the House of Representatives. Back in November the House passed the health care bill 220 to 215 margin, with 39 Democrats voting against it.

To pass the bill at some point in the next few months, she'll need to flip a Democrat who is already on record voting against the bill. This doesn't even take into account the pro-life Democrats led by Bart Stupak who are prepared to vote "no." While there's been talk that Pelosi had some votes in reserve the first time around, the point is that any of those members felt the needed to vote against the bill -- and the political environment has deteriorated substantially for Democrats since then. Click Here To Read More

The results of the looming special election for Murtha's seat will also impact the mood in the House of Representatives. If a republican wins the special election in the way Scott Brown won the Massachusetts special election for Senator Ted Kennedy's seat, many conservative democrats in purple districts will no doubt be thinking twice about supporting the bill the second time around.

Congressman John Murtha Dies At Age 77

WJAC TV News is reporting that longtime U.S. Congressman John Murtha died today at 1:18 PM at Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington, Va. Murtha has served the constituents of the Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District since 1974. Murtha apparently died from complications that resulted from gallbladder surgery.

The 77-year-old Murtha underwent scheduled laparoscopic surgery to remove his gallbladder last week, said spokesman Matthew Mazonkey. "Complications did arise from the surgery, and he is currently at the Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington," he said. Click Here To Read More

Prior to serving his 19 terms in Congress Murtha also served in the state legislature. He also served 37 years in the Marines and Marine Corps Reserves. He retired from the Reserves in 1990 and received the Navy Distinguished Service Medal.

Despite my own political disagreements with Representative Murtha, I always thought he was just a great guy to get to know. Jack as he was so lovingly called by those who knew him well, was a straight shooter. He was also always willing to lend a hand no matter how small the issue was. This is why he was elected to so many terms in Congress by the people he served.

My heart goes out to Congressman Murtha's family. May God ease their suffering during this time of loss.

More Links:

Congressman John Murtha Dies At Age 77 (WJAC TV New)

John Murtha dies at 77 (The Politico)

Rep. Murtha Dead at 77 (Fox News)

Toomey way ahead of Specter in latest poll

It looks like no matter how Democratic Party pundits try to spin things, PA voters sure are in an anti establishment, anti incumbent mood these days.

This bodes well for the PA GOP candidates who seem destined to win the Governor's race, the U.S Senate race, and a pick up of two or even three Congressional seats in the November election.

However the mood doesn't bode well for everyone's favorite Senator, Arlen Specter. So just how bad are Specter's prospects of re-election right now? The Politico is reporting Specter trails GOP front runner Pat Toomey by 14 points in a latest Franklin and Marshall College poll.

A new poll from Franklin and Marshall College confirms Specter’s precarious situation. He trails Republican Pat Toomey by 14 points, 45 percent to 31 percent. Only 34 percent of Pennsylvanians gave Specter favorable job marks, with 58 percent saying he was doing a “fair” or “poor” job as senator. Click Here To Read More

These poll numbers shouldn't surprise anyone. To many voters around the state Specter has become a symbol for what is wrong in Washington and has become a poster boy for the need for term limits. Specter's move to switch parties to save his political life has not worked out as originally planned.

Specter now finds himself in the middle of a political buzz saw. First, Democratic Party voters are not energized by his campaign. Second, conservative voters and Tea Party activist are fired up to take him out. Then add to all of this independent voters who are disgruntled with the Obama Administration's policies. Double Ouch!!!

Probably, President Obama's State Of The Union address may have put the final nail in Specter's coffin. Obama's push to continue the Democratic Party's left wing agenda while snubbing the American people's pressure to move to the center will hurt Specter tremendously.

The bottom line in the PA Senate race is simple. Voting for Arlen Specter is not "Change that we can believe in".

The Franklin & Marshall Poll

Also: New poll shows Toomey leading Sestak, Specter (Delaware County Times)

More: Toomey Surges Over Specter in Poll as Fundraising Shows Strong Fourth Quarter Draw (Fox News)

Does Senator Arlen Specter Have A Clue What He Is Talking About?

Here is the clip of the talk radio interview where our US Senator Arlen Specter made a fool out of himself and the Democratic Party. He basically Scolds Republican Representative, Michele Bachmann. This guy has lost it folks.




It seems that Specter has flipped his positions so many times on the issues, not to mention political parties, that he doesn't even know what he is talking about anymore. He was an embarrassment to the Republican Party and now he is even more of embarrassment for the Democratic Party.

Just listen to the arrogance and the frustration in Specter's voice. He sounds like Mr. Potter the "warped, frustrated old man" in It's A Wonderful Life. It is time for the voters of Pennsylvania to put Specter out of his misery. This is not the kind of arrogant leadership we need in Washington D.C.

More: Flap over Specter's 'act like a lady' comment spreads (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Specter may be haunted by exchange with Bachmann (Los Angeles Times)

Scott Brown Wins!!! Scott Brown Wins!!! Massachusetts Voters Say No To Obama Agenda

Oh My God!!! The Associated Press just projected Scott Brown as the winner of the Massachusetts special Senatorial election for the seat held by Ted Kennedy for over 30 years.

Perhaps the worst political blunder in history, today's election results will send shock waves throughout country.

The Tea Baggers of Massachusetts managed to start yet another historic revolution by turning their backs on a big government, establishment liberal candidate like Martha Coakley.

It doesn't look pretty folks for the Democrats. The Brown potential victory has turned into the second Boston Massacre. I'm surprised Obama doesn't send warships into Boston harbor to squelch the revolt.

In the end the energy and excitement for Scott Brown the Republican candidate was just too much to overcome. Martha Coakley may have been a bad candidate but Brown nationalized the election. He made the race a referendum on health care. It was a winner for Brown and a loser for the Democratic Party.

It will be interesting to see how the Democratic Party elites and pundits spin this one.

Full AP Article: GOP's Brown wins Mass. Senate seat in epic upset
(Contra Costa Times)

Even Democrats Are Now Admitting That They Are Going To Lose In 2010

Republicans everywhere got to love this one. Representative, Dan Boren, (D Oklahoma) states in the Tulsa World that he thinks the Democrats are going to have a difficult time in November. He thinks that Democrats could lose both chambers of Congress.

Describing a Republican takeover of the House as a "tall order'' for the GOP, Boren said his party, even if it retains the majority in a new Congress that convenes in 2011, will be forced back toward the center politically.

He pointed to new figures on job losses and described his party's legislative agenda last year as one of missed opportunities on the economic front. "I think the House Democratic leadership along with the administration made a very large mistake by focusing on a lot of different pieces of legislation that would not do a lot to help the economy,'' Boren said. (Source: Tulsa World)

Democrats would be wise to start listening to their more conservative members and stop their liberal agenda. Maybe they can save the sinking ship if they stopped the Health Care Reform Bill. Boren sums up the Democratic Party's record for this Congress. "Full Of Missed Opportunities"!

Gerlach's Decision More About The GOP Party Establishment Than Money

I wasn't too surprised when I read the news that US Rep, Jim Gerlach, R 6th District announced that he was no longer running for Governor in 2010. Come to think of it, was Gerlach ever really running for Governor in the first place? For someone who announced their candidacy relatively early, we never seen much of Gerlach out campaigning or even trying to make an effort to increase those low name recognition numbers.

I don't think that Gerlach ever really had the support of the GOP party establishment. These are the same party insiders who have been drooling all over State Attorney General, Tom Corbett, for two years now. Plus the State Committee doesn't like open debate in a primary election. So they choose to decide the nomination behind closed doors in meetings like the one that occurred over the weekend.

Republican State Committee members from Central Pennsylvania met behind closed doors at a Harrisburg hotel Saturday and took a straw vote that was overwhelmingly in Corbett's favor. Party spokesman Mike Barley said Corbett won 88 votes and his only competitor, state Rep. Sam Rohrer of Berks County, won 16.

I think Gerlach waited it out until right before Central Pennsylvania members of the State Committee met this passed weekend. The party establishment probably told Gerlach that he wasn't even close and it was Corbett's nomination.

Party big wigs probably took Gerlach aside and told him to "focus on the fights he can win." Once Gerlach got his marching orders he decided to stop his candidacy for Governor and then announce his re-election bid for the 6th Congressional District.

Like I said, Gerlach's decision was more about party politics than it was the money issue which he cited as the reason he dropped out.

For me personally, I am not sold on Tom Corbett. But member of the State Committee have a lot of faith in him. Sounds like what happened two years ago when they supported Lynn Swann. What a colossal failure that was.

I for one am going to take a hard look at State Representative, Sam Rohrer's candidacy. He is a great guy. If you ever seen him on TV you know right away that he is very passionate about Pennsylvania. I like his values and his solutions regarding property taxes and getting the economy of this state out of the backroom deal era of Rendell.

Also: Gerlach's decisions renew GOP hopes for Pa. (Philadelphia Inquirer)