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Fox News Via Ace:

Full Quote from Brett, Courtesy of Jes’ TiVo:

“The census director has now sent a letter to the national headquarters of ACORN notifying them that the Census Bureau is severing all ties with ACORN for all the work having to do with the 2010 Census, either in preparation for or the execution of the 2010 Census. … A copy of this letter has been sent to Congress and relevant committees. … Major Garrett is working this story.”

This will be yet another story where those reading the MSM only find out about the escalating controversy after a big action has been taken.

The Past-Tense Media.

And Allah has this at Hot Air:

From a practical standpoint, this is no great shakes; ACORN didn’t have a huge role in the census plans. But from a political standpoint, the feds dumping the president’s favorite community organizers for simply being too filthy to associate with is devastating.

It may be “no great shakes” to Allah, but let us not forget that the Obama Administration’s great bi-partisan reach across the aisle to Judd Gregg in heading up Commerce fell a little short when the White House decided that they, and not Commerce, should have control of the census.

It’s clear that any role ACORN had in the census would be subject to suspicion. As Mark Steyn observes just before Census dropped the hammer on ACORN:

[W]hat is odd to me, if you look for example at the way Republicans are always being called on to distance themselves from their so-called lunatic fringe, the pattern here is that on the other side of the aisle, there is a lunatic mainstream. ACORN should not be a respectable group, and should not be anywhere near the United States Census. But as we saw with the Van Jones story, no matter how radical you are, on the left, it’s very easy for the most extreme radical to get right up close to the levers of power in the United States. That is where, unfortunately, that is where Obama’s lived most of his adult life, and that is where most of his associations are.

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     “We are all Socialists Now” is the cheer coming from Newsweek on the cover of last weeks’ issue. I’m sure you can also hear them make this declaration with a joyous chant of “Yes We Can!” faintly screaming in the background. The poster boy for Socialism/Communism, President Obama, is only now missing a Hammer in one hand and a Sickle in the other.

     I’m waiting for the day when the revisionist teachers indoctrinated in the Marxist philosophy start telling my children that the Founding Fathers were actually not patriotic men trying to make a better country where all of their countrymen could seek their own futures as each person individually saw fit and we’re only limited by our own dreams, but were a bunch of rich white men just looking to protect their own personal monetary interests and the philosophy they followed of making the government derive its power from the people was a naïve concept from men that didn’t see past their own preconceptions of what good government can do for the people.

     Oh, wait. They already preach this nonsense to our kids. We do the deprogramming at home every day.

     I’m just a “nobody” here in America, just like the title says, but I’m not alone. This country was created by nobodies, nobodies from all corners of the world. These nobodies were looking for freedom, freedom to raise their children how they want, freedom to worship the God they want, freedom to seek happiness how they want, freedom to protect themselves when they needed, freedom to speak their minds honestly how they wanted about whom they wanted when they wanted and where they wanted without fear of retribution. They ran, swam, drove, sailed and flew toward a land where these freedoms were “Unalienable” and not provided by a benevolent government to the huddled masses, but declared to be born with them and afforded them by Almighty God, whatever that God may be that each of us believed in.

     Just like other “nobodies”, I’m tired. I’m tired of fighting the same fight over and over and over and over again, telling those that “Represent” us “No!” when they decide that really means “yes”.

     I was taught by my mother and father that as a man, when a woman says “no” she really means “no” and that’s the end of the conversation. To think she means anything else is wrong and is rape.

     So what does this mean everyone? We have said “no” and they did it anyway. Every last one of them that heard “yes” when we really said “no” with passion, with conviction, repeatedly through emails, letters, phone calls. I feel dirty, I feel used, and I feel betrayed. This can only mean one thing. It’s rape. We have all been raped. Yes I said it, Raped.

     What other word would you use when we have told them repeatedly to do as WE said, WE THE PEOPLE, and they decided that they were wiser, more intelligent, and more cosmopolitan to the ways of the real world and that we “Nobodies” didn’t understand the big picture?

This Stimulus Bill, the biggest Left-Wing special interest Pinko Commie power grab in American history has just finally done what no other piece of Garbage Drivel could have ever done except for the biggest lie to have dawned on the doorstep of human history, the Communist Manifesto, and that is this. They have just announced to the country and the world what their absolutely crystallized end game is in all of this, and that is to destroy the framework of this country, remove all vestiges of that which has made us the greatest power for truth and freedom in all of human civilization, and relegate us to their Penultimate Utopian Vision, the defunct and proven worthless Soviet Union.

     I have one word for them. NO! Not on my watch. My children will be raised in the sunshine of freedom, not doused in the darkness that is governmental tyranny. I served our nations’ military, not because I was hoping to oppress anyone, but because it was my chance to give something back to my country that so richly deserved everything I could give her. Whether this was “my life, my fortune or my sacred honor” as said in the Declaration of Independence, she deserves it and so much more, but if she continues down the path she’s being dragged, how can I teach my children to be willing to make this same sacrifice, especially being the father of a son who already says he wants to join the military and protect the country he loves. It almost breaks a man’s heart to see such love and devotion for our beloved country from my eldest son, and to have such a heavy weight on my heart for my country and her future.

     He is still young though. He still has time to enjoy the warm sunshine on his face and think a Childs’ thought, carefree and gentle. And it is still my charge to carry this burden, this weight and worry on my shoulders. It is not yet time to pass this on to our children and make this their Albatross. I will not falter, I will not fail, and will not pass the responsibility onto another until my job is done.

     Why?

     Because “I Am an American Nobody” surrounded by a land full of “American Nobodies”, my brothers and sisters all, and you and I will always protect our country from those who want to do her harm.

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From Drudge:

Sen. Gregg stated, “I want to thank the President for nominating me to serve in his Cabinet as Secretary of Commerce. This was a great honor, and I had felt that I could bring some views and ideas that would assist him in governing during this difficult time. I especially admire his willingness to reach across the aisle.

“However, it has become apparent during this process that this will not work for me as I have found that on issues such as the stimulus package and the Census there are irresolvable conflicts for me. Prior to accepting this post, we had discussed these and other potential differences, but unfortunately we did not adequately focus on these concerns. We are functioning from a different set of views on many critical items of policy.

It’s a small comfort that Gregg at least recognized the danger of giving the White House control over the census. Unfortunately, it looks like that wasn’t an area where the Obama Administration was willing to compromise, so whoever ends up at Commerce most likely will cede the census to the White House.

Take a step back and look at the big picture here. The “Stimulus” is supposed to fix the economy, but it’s really just a move towards centralized, socialist government. This business with the census is clearly disturbing, as John Fund explains in the WSJ:

President Obama said in his inaugural address that he planned to “restore science to its rightful place” in government. That’s a worthy goal. But statisticians at the Commerce Department didn’t think it would mean having the director of next year’s Census report directly to the White House rather than to the Commerce secretary, as is customary. “There’s only one reason to have that high level of White House involvement,” a career professional at the Census Bureau tells me. “And it’s called politics, not science.”

The decision was made last week after California Rep. Barbara Lee, chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, and Hispanic groups complained to the White House that Judd Gregg, the Republican senator from New Hampshire slated to head Commerce, couldn’t be trusted to conduct a complete Census. The National Association of Latino Officials said it had “serious questions about his willingness to ensure that the 2010 Census produces the most accurate possible count.”

Anything that threatens the integrity of the Census has profound implications. Not only is it the basis for congressional redistricting, it provides the raw data by which government spending is allocated on everything from roads to schools. The Bureau of Labor Statistics also uses the Census to prepare the economic data that so much of business relies upon. “If the original numbers aren’t as hard as possible, the uses they’re put to get fuzzier and fuzzier,” says Bruce Chapman, who was director of the Census in the 1980s.

Massive power grab. Very disturbing.

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Amid controversy that they owed substantial amounts of money to the IRS in back taxes, two more high-ranking Obama administration appointees, Tom Daschle and Nancy Killefer, withdrew their names for consideration for their respective posts earlier today.

Daschle, the former Majority Leader of the US Senate, had been nominated to be Secretary of Health and Human Services, the agency that will lead the charge for universal healthcare. It was reported that he owed over $140,000 in back taxes to the IRS for a car and driver he received as a lobbying perk from a wealthy New York investor. He paid the debt on January 2nd.

Killefer, the President’s pick for White House Chief Performance Officer, a new position slated to oversee transparency within the federal government, had a tax lien placed on her home as a result of not paying the unemployment taxes on one of her household’s nannies three years ago.

Ethical concerns have dogged the Obama administration from the outset, despite the President’s claim that his would be the cleanest and most transparent government in this nation’s history. Obama’s first nominee for Commerce Secretary, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, withdrew last month after he became the target of a federal pay-to-play investigation. Then, Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich was indicted for attempting to sell the President’s old Senate seat to the highest bidder. Among the many allegations, Blago said that he was in negotiations with White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel to name Obama confidant Valerie Jarret as the new Illinois senator in exchange for a cabinet appointment. Finally, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner  had a rocky confirmation for a while because of the fact that he owed $50,000 in back taxes to the IRS (Geithner was eventually confirmed).

For eight years conservatives had to bear the constant shreaking by liberals about cronyism and corruption on the part of the Bush administration. President Obama was supposed to be different. He was billed as the squeaky clean politician who would change the way politics was conducted in Washington. What have we gotten? Two federal pay-to-play investigations that resulted in the impeachment of the governor of the President’s home state and the withdrawal of the Commerce Secretary-designate, the sinking of three cabinet nominees for cheating on their taxes, violation of the President’s own ethics policy by appointing numerous lobbysists to sub-cabinet posts, and a pork-filled mega-appropriations bill masked as an economic stimulus package.

CHANGE WE CAN BELIEVE IN!

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As in “run away from the previous stand you have taken against Eric Holder for AG and totally reverse yourself”. Kind of like a Scottish Law version of cabinet approvals.  Philly.com:

Eric Holder’s confirmation as the first African-American attorney general was assured Tuesday when Sen. Arlen Specter, the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said he will support confirmation.

“He will have significant Republican backing,” the Pennsylvania senator told a news conference.

Specter’s said he would not support any Republican filibuster to block the nomination.

No Republican has come out against Holder. However, several criticized him sharply for his role in some pardons by former President Bill Clinton, and the failure to recommend an independent counsel’s investigation of Democratic fundraising during the Clinton administration.

Most of that “sharp criticism” has come from the spineless Senator himself in recent weeks (see here, here and here.)Yet now, Holder’s biggest and most vocal critic is basically making like Emily Litella and saying “Nevermind”:

Specter said he was satisfied with Holder’s response that a case-by-case review was needed before any decisions were made on prosecuting intelligence agents who participated in harsh interrogation techniques.

Several Republicans said they were concerned the Obama administration would prosecute the agents.

Specter said President Barack Obama has taken the right approach by saying it was preferable to look forward rather than backward on the issue.

The senator said Holder made some bad decisions when previously in the Justice Department, including telling the White House he was neutral , leaning toward favorable , on the pardon of Marc Rich, a fugitive financier whose ex-wife was a major Democratic contributor.

I know Specter is one of our least reliable conservative votes in the Senate, but this sudden complete reversal just doesn’t smell right to me.  Anyone else getting a very baaaad feeling about this new administration?

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It seems that Jill Biden may have just as big of a mouth as her husband Joe, bless both their hearts:

The wife of Vice President-elect Joe Biden let it slip that her husband had a pick of two jobs in the Obama administration.

Jill Biden said President-elect Barack Obama gave Biden the choice of being secretary of state or vice president.

Her comment came when the Bidens made a surprise appearance on Oprah Winfrey’s show, recorded at the Kennedy Center.

The vice president-elect tried to hush his wife as soon as the words came out of her mouth, with a loud “shhh!”

Jill Biden said the job of vice president was better for the family, because as secretary of state he would travel too often.

Leaving aised the juiciness of the Bucket-mouth Bidens for a moment, one wonders who was asked about their preference for placement in the new administration first? Did the Biden’s decide first that it would be better for their family if Joe, God love ‘im, stayed close to home? Or did the Clintons decide first that it would be better (for Bill, at least) if Hillary spent most of her time on the road?

After all, we know it’s not experience that dictated the SecState appointment, unless you count that harrowing close call in Bosnia.

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No, I’m not signing up to work on Arlen Specter’s re-election campaign (the very thought—ugh!). However, I’d be less than honest if I didn’t admit that I’m pleased to see he’s not backing off of his objections to Eric Holder at Justice. With Ed Meese, he’s authored a column in today’s WSJ:

The Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Eric Holder’s nomination for attorney general has failed to focus on the threat to constitutional rights posed by what is known as the “Holder Memorandum.” Near the end of the Clinton administration, this memo changed Justice Department policy regarding the formerly unquestioned right to counsel and to confidential communication with one’s counsel.

The Holder memo allowed federal prosecutors to demand waiver of these rights in exchange for characterizing a corporation as “cooperating in an investigation” so that it would not be charged with a crime itself. It thus handed prosecutors a powerful weapon in white-collar criminal investigations.

But the result has been a “culture of waiver” in which employees often must choose between their jobs or going to prison, and employers are increasingly reluctant to conduct internal investigations or seek candid legal advice from counsel, lest they be forced to turn over to the government a road map for prosecuting the company.

Much of the 1999 Holder Memorandum is an unobjectionable discussion of factors federal prosecutors should consider in making decisions whether to bring criminal charges. But several of the listed factors struck at the heart of the right to counsel and the attorney-client relationship, as well as the presumption of innocence.

The attorney-client privilege has been protected for centuries by courts and attorneys. Most corporate bylaws and state courts protect an employee’s access to adequate legal defense counsel when a criminal investigation relates to some action an individual took in his capacity as employee. But beginning with the Holder memo — and continuing in two subsequent memos issued in the next administration — employees not yet convicted (or even charged) were caught between prosecutors who used them as bargaining chips and the companies who employed them but wanted to be deemed “cooperative.”

This seems like firmer ground after the “yes man” argument floated last week, but I am wisely deferring to the ‘Cooler’s resident Constitutional scholar.

Any thoughts, Dale?

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Courtesy RedState:

Joe Who?

Obama’s National Security “Triumvirate” has Relegated Joe Biden to Nothing More than a Constitutionally Mandated Sycophant, a “Yes Man” whose Opinions will likely be Disregarded

Posted by: James Richardson
Sunday, November 30, 2008 at 01:28AM CST

Was Joe Biden’s nomination for Vice President – a pick elicited first by the criticisms of Hillary Clinton, then John McCain, for Barack Obama’s relative foreign policy inexperience – a shallow attempt to dispel the disparaging ‘naiveté’ narrative? Will Vice President Cheney, a man who has expanded the powers of the Office of the Vice President more than any VP in recent memory, be succeeded by a wall moth? Survey says: Yes.

In all but confirmed leaks, Obama is set to name his national security team – Gates, Clinton, Jones – on Monday. Obama’s highly anticipated announcement, notwithstanding any surprises, stands to seal the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman’s proverbial foreign policy coffin, and not a moment too soon, I might add (see: This whole ‘time table’ thing is boring me. Let’s partition Iraq!).

Read More

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A Re-Cap of Gov. Rendell’s Intimate Political Relationship With Ballard Spahr

By: Chris Freind, The Bulletin

* Upon assuming the Governor’s office in 2002, Ed Rendell appointed himself Chairman of the Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA). One of the major beneficiaries of Mr. Rendell being DRPA Chairman has been his former firm, Ballard Spahr. In the three years preceding Rendell’s election, Ballard received $25,000 in legal fees from the Port Authority, including only $480 in 2001. From 2002 until the present, Ballard has received over $2.7 million.
*Two of the Governor’s former top aides, John Estey (Chief of Staff) and Adrian King, (Deputy Chief of Staff) are currently partners at Ballard, and both hold influential positions related to DRPA. Mr. Estey chairs the board meetings and maintains full voting rights on behalf of the governor, and Mr. King serves as the Authority’s Outside Counsel. Estey and King are brothers-in-law, and together have contributed over $35,000 to Mr. Rendell’s political coffers.

* Pennsylvania Treasurer Robin Wiessmann, a Rendell appointee, sits on the DRPA Board. Her husband, Ken Jarin, also a partner at Ballard, serves as DRPA Outside Counsel and occasionally chairs board meetings. He contributed $90,000 to the Governor’s campaigns. When Ms. Wiessmann accepts and receives Ballard’s legal bills to DRPA, it amounts to money going into her husband’s, and ultimately her own, pocket.

* Ballard attorneys have contributed nearly a half-million dollars to Governor Rendell. Hundreds of thousands of dollars of “in-kind” contributions were also donated.

* The Philadelphia Future Political Action Committee, registered at the Ballard Spahr offices, contributed $471,000 to Mr. Rendell. The PAC’s Treasurer is David Cohen, former Chief of Staff under then-Mayor Rendell, former Chairman of Ballard Spahr, and currently Executive Vice President of Comcast Corporation. Mr. Cohen contributed $80,000 to the Governor.

* The address on Gov. Rendell’s campaign finance reports is the 51st Floor of 1735 Market Street in Philadelphia; Ballard Spahr occupies the entire floor.

* Mr. Estey also serves as Chairman of the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority, a state agency. On June 18, the PRPA Board voted to select Ballard Spahr as its outside counsel.

* Ballard received a $1.8 million no-bid contract for work on the Pennsylvania Turnpike privatization project. They also performed $773,000 worth of work on the Turnpike with no contract.

GTECH, a Rhode Island company specializing in casino-related operations, hired Ken Jarin for assistance in contract negotiations while it was attempting to win a contract with the state. GTECH received a five-year contract worth millions per year. Additionally, GTECH was awarded a five-year contract earlier this year related to the Pennsylvania Lottery, potentially worth $25 million/year. GTECH has a “checkered history,” according to a former state senate leader, based on serious corruption issues that have plagued the company in South America, Europe and the United States.

Chris Freind can be reached at CF@TheBulletin.us

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Ballard and Rendell: Perfect Together

One of six articles about Gov. Rendell, Ballard and state contracts in 11/14/08 Bulletin (thebulletin.us)

By: Chris Freind

The Bulletin

In 1999, after serving eight years as Mayor of Philadelphia, Ed Rendell joined the Ballard Spahr law firm, headquartered in Center City. Two years later, during his campaign for Governor, Rendell stated, “I have, for the last two years, done practically nothing for [Ballard],” according to numerous press reports.

Upon assuming office, he appointed himself Chairman of the Delaware River Port Authority, the entity overseeing the four major bridges in Philadelphia. One of the major beneficiaries of Mr. Rendell being DRPA Chairman has been his former firm. In the three years preceding Rendell’s election, Ballard received $25,000 in legal fees from the Port Authority, including only $480 in 2001. From 2002 until the present, Ballard has received over $2.7 million.

Two of the Governor’s former top aides, John Estey (Chief of Staff) and Adrian King, (Deputy Chief of Staff) are currently partners at Ballard, and both hold influential positions related to DRPA. Mr. Estey chairs the board meetings and maintains full voting rights on behalf of the governor, and Mr. King serves as the Authority’s Outside Counsel. Estey and King are brothers-in-law, and together have contributed over $35,000 to Mr. Rendell’s political coffers.

Additionally, a Rendell appointee, Pennsylvania Treasurer Robin Wiessmann, sits on the DRPA Board. Her husband, Ken Jarin, also a partner at Ballard, serves as DRPA Outside Counsel and occasionally chairs board meetings. He contributed $90,000 to the Governor’s campaigns. Ballard attorneys have contributed nearly a half-million dollars to Governor Rendell. Hundreds of thousands of dollars of “in-kind” contributions were also donated.

The Philadelphia Future Political Action Committee, registered at the Ballard Spahr offices, contributed $471,000 to Mr. Rendell. The PAC’s Treasurer is David Cohen, former Chief of Staff under then-Mayor Rendell, former Chairman of Ballard Spahr, and currently Executive Vice President of Comcast Corporation. Mr. Cohen contributed $80,000 to the Governor.

And on Pennsylvania Department of State campaign filings, the address of Gov. Rendell’s campaign treasurer is the 51st Floor of 1735 Market Street in Philadelphia; Ballard Spahr occupies the entire floor.

While many believe this arrangement is a blatant conflict of interest, it is far from out of the ordinary. In fact, such relationships are commonplace in how business is conducted in Pennsylvania. Despite the questionable nature of such practice, it is not officially considered “pay-to-play,” which generally relates to the illegal practice of giving political contributions in return for government contracts. In the absence of a quid pro quo arrangement, the rewarding of former firms with lucrative contracts is legal, and continues unimpeded.

What has raised the ire of both the public and the state legislature, however, is the frequency of these contracts, the huge contract amounts, and the secrecy surrounding no-bid contracts ­– especially when they are doled out to firms, such as Ballard Spahr, that maintain a close relationship with the governor. When pressed for answers about the decision-making in hiring Ballard Spahr, Governor Rendell’s spokespeople routinely deflect all responsibility away from him, issuing statements that the Governor had no role in the selection process.

Consequently, there has been a renewed push in the state House to enact reforms in how contracts are awarded, and to prohibit campaign contributions by companies and individuals who contract with the Commonwealth or its political subdivisions. Four bills addressing these issues have been introduced as a legislative package by Representatives Godshall, Reichley, Grell and Turzai, and all remain pending in committee (see sidebar).

There are numerous firms that have benefited from political connections, but none navigate the political landscape so adroitly as Ballard. Many of its partners are consummate political insiders, so much so that according to press reports, Gov. Rendell chose not to utilize his Philadelphia office in The Bellevue for an August meeting regarding city casinos, preferring the cozy confines of Ballard Spahr instead. Zack Stalberg, President of the nonpartisan watchdog organization Committee of Seventy, was quoted as saying, “It seemed like an odd place to have it. There’s got to be a lot of other neutral territory around town other than a highly influential, connected law firm.”

According to state records, over $1 billion in no-bid contracts have been doled out during Gov. Rendell’s tenure. While the vast majority of state contracts require a bidding process, the Governor has the discretion to award contracts on a no-bid basis when it is in the “best interest of the Commonwealth.” It is not known whether the Rendell Administration has exploited this loophole more than the previous Administrations, since comparative state records were “lost.” To date, the Department of General Services has been unable to locate the records.

Ballard Spahr ranks near the top of law firms receiving state work since Gov. Rendell became the state’s chief executive, totaling over $10 million, not including DRPA fees, in large part because no other firm comes close to having the intimate connections with the Governor himself. Enough eyebrows have been raised by watchdog groups and the legislature that Barbara Adams, General Counsel to the Commonwealth and an appointee of Gov. Rendell, made a special presentation during a recent state-sponsored Continuing Legal Education (CLE) course to stress that law firms are not chosen because of their political connections. According to a source, many attorneys “rolled their eyes and smirked” at that comment. CLE courses are mandated for all Pennsylvania attorneys in order to keep their law licenses current.

In addition to the millions in DRPA legal fees, Ballard Spahr’s connections have allowed it to be selected as counsel for the following entities:

Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission –For several years, the Rendell Administration has proposed privatizing the Turnpike in order to raise revenue. Despite the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation having a large in-house legal staff, numbering over 70 attorneys, Ballard was selected as counsel for this project, being awarded a $1.8 million no-bid contract. Ken Jarin billed the state $25,000, which was ultimately paid for by the state Treasurer – and Jarin’s wife – Robin Wiessmann. Ballard chairman Arthur Makadon billed the state at a rate of $637/hour. Additionally, Ballard performed $773,000 worth of legal work without a contract. In order for those legal fees to be paid, a special arrangement, known as a “Compromise, Settlement, and Release” agreement, was executed between the state and Ballard. These actions have infuriated state legislators, prompting the proposed reform legislation.

The Philadelphia Regional Port Authority – As an “independent agency of the Commonwealth,” the PRPA depends on and takes direction from the state. John Estey serves as Chairman of the PRPA. During a June 18, 2008 board meeting, Ballard Spahr was selected to be counsel to the Authority.

GTECH- This Rhode Island company, which specializes in casino-related operations, hired Ken Jarin for assistance in contract negotiations while it was attempting to win a contract for a computer system that monitors slots gaming in Pennsylvania. GTECH received a five-year contract worth millions per year. Additionally, the state Department of Revenue awarded a five year contract to GTECH earlier this year “to supply terminal-based game services to the Pennsylvania Lottery,” potentially worth $25 million/year. (see sidebar article)

Chris Freind can be reached at CF@TheBulletin.us

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This is the stupidest decision ever.

State officials have decided not to publicize their list of polling places in Pennsylvania, citing concerns that terrorists could disrupt elections in the commonwealth.

 

The Department of State made its decision as a result of terrorist bombings that occurred just days before Spain’s national elections in 2004, spokeswoman Leslie Amoros said. Election officials consulted with state police, the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency and the state Office of Homeland Security.

 

”The agencies agreed it was appropriate not to release the statewide list to protect the public and the integrity of the voting process,” Amoros said.

“Democracy, because it’s too important to leave to the people.”

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Regarding the CorridorOne Lancaster to Harrisburg transportation “project”, Secretary of Transportation Allen Biehler:

“It would be cheaper to lease each rider a car and pay for downtown parking, fuel and maintenance, and insurance”

For about 450 passengers a day, the project would lose $92 per trip!.. based on a yearly operating deficit of about $11.5 million.

Arlen Specter:

Specter on Friday countered that the 37.4 mile rail line was “a no-brainer,” said John Ward, president of the Modern Transit Partnership, the organization working to establish CorridorOne.

 

Specter said the rail line will promote economic development in the region, relieve highway congestion, improve air quality and reduce oil consumption of foreign oil, the Harrisburg Patriot-News reported.

 

The start-up funding [$11.2 million -ed], which Specter, chairman of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, has inserted in a funding bill, still needs the approval of the full Senate and House of Representatives and a signature from the president.

 

If the funding comes through, Ward said, “That’s the last dollars we need to finish the design and construct CorridorOne between Lancaster and Harrisburg.”

It’s not obvious what party Allen Biehler belongs to, but he works for a Democrat governor who has never seen spending he didn’t like.

Arlen Specter is (sometimes not obviously) a Republican.

Are the Feds going to spring for the 11 million dollar difference every year? Or just this once?

Which party is supposed to be the fiscally responsible one?

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Four of them.

Four of Pennsylvania’s 54 deck truss bridges that carry motorists on state highways have serious deterioration, according to new information released Tuesday in the wake of Minnesota’s deadly bridge collapse.

 

After refusing for months to release the bridge-safety ratings, the state Department of Transportation last week declared an about-face, despite what highway officials said were internal concerns about causing undue public alarm or revealing security weaknesses.

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One of the Montco Democrats’ criticisms of the candidacy of Jim Matthews is his “aspiration” to run for State Treasurer in 2008, shortly after his potential re-election to the office of county commissioner.

I guess we (and the Dems) can forget about that concern.

(more…)

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This is not a good thing for the governor.

Capitalwire (subscription)

If two top cabinet secretaries award grants again to organizations linked to their spouses, they will be violating conflict-of-interest laws in Pennsylvania, the State Ethics Commission stated today.

 

By separate 7-0 votes, the State Ethics Commission stunned insiders by ruling that Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Katie McGinty’s and Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary Michael DiBerardinis’ past actions, if repeated, would be conflicts of interest.

 

Now the Senate must ponder how to vote for their confirmations. Gov. Ed Rendell, who had predicted the Ethics Commission would not issue findings as tough as they did, must also decide whether to press for a vote.

 

Rendell has said he will keep both in office as acting secretaries, “as long as I am governor, and breathing.”

 

The Ethics Commission’s decision was requested on April 25. The surprisingly fast and unanimous response stunned participants in the cases of McGinty and DiBerardinis.

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It sounds like he can’t win either way.

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Heckuva job Biehler.

Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Secretary Allen D. Biehler offered to quit over his agency’s handling of the Valentine’s Day storm that stranded motorists on Interstates 78 and 81, but Gov. Ed Rendell refused it, the Cabinet official said Monday.

 

Biehler said he offered his resignation to Rendell within 48 hours of the storm, but Rendell told him, ”’Al, that’s not even in my thought process.”’ The secretary divulged the information in an address to the Pennsylvania Press Club and subsequent interview.

 

”’What we’ve got is a problem here that we are obviously not very proud of,” Biehler recalled Rendell telling him, ”and that we all have to work very hard to overcome and make sure it never, never happens again.”

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Over 3,000 people in State Government make over $100,000 annually.

[PHEAA CEO Dick] Willey has cited the extraordinary earnings of the agency’s student loan business, its operating efficiencies and business achievements as the rationale behind PHEAA’s pay for top executives. Five PHEAA executives are among the 10 highest-paid state employees. The agency’s employees are paid from its loan business earnings, which are public funds.

 

Willey said studies show his pay is in the bottom quarter among what he and his peers and competitors in the student loan industry are paid.

 

“I’m not way up there. I kind of way down there in terms of the people that are … my peers,” he said during an appearance on WITF-TV’s “Smart Talk.”

 

That justification doesn’t fly with state Sen. John Eichelberger, R-Blair, a former Blair County commissioner who recalls county employees using that argument for a raise.

 

“You reach a point where you say, ‘Sorry, this is government. This is what our situation is financially, and there are only so many dollars. We know you can do more in the private sector, so we wish you well,’” Eichelberger said.

Eich is right. No one is owed a job by anyone for any period of time; and no job is a permanent one. You’re free to move around within your competency level… and, as often times government ably demonstrates, above it.

There’s really too much to excerpt, so read it all.

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I understand that embattled Montgomery County Commissioner Chairman Tom Ellis is being considered for nomination to the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board. Lobbyist and powerful Montgomery County political figure Bob Asher is supposedly shopping him to the Governor.

This would be for the seat on the LCB that Montgomery County’s Jonathan Newman recently resigned in protest over the “promotion” of former State Senator Joe “I need a new Water Heater” Conti from Bucks County.

Sources tell me that the process is being held up by State Senator John Rafferty who represents parts of Chester, Berks and Montgomery Counties. Senator Rafferty currently serves as the Chairman of the Senate Law and Justice Committee. According to Wikipedia, confirmation to the board requires 2/3rd vote in the State Senate, presumably starting in this committee.

Naturally, an Ellis appointment to the Liquor Control Board would “obligate” him to resign from his current position in the Montgomery County courthouse, thereby saving some face for County Chairman Ken Davis, who has been standing behind his incumbent commissioner despite his “Pandora’s Box” of problems. (that’s a long run-on sentence).

If that happens, the establishment GOP leadership would fall behind a joint Matthews / Kate Harper ticket. Ellis would be off in Harrisburg.

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The Tribune-Review thinks it’s going to be Barbara Hafer.

All eyes are on Harrisburg where Gov. Ed Rendell must nominate an interim replacement for state Treasurer and U.S. Sen.-elect Bobby Casey Jr. And speculation is running rampant that Fast Eddie will deliver a political payoff to Republican-turned-Democrat Barbara Hafer, the former treasurer who stayed out of the race for the Democrats’ U.S. Senate nomination sweepstakes. Fresh off naming Joe Conti as CEO of the state Liquor Control Board, ’tis the season for such payoffs.

My pick of former Philadelphia controller and until recently Mayoral candidate Jonathan Saidel is looking less likely.

(tip to Chris)

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