May 21, 2006
Poor Things
My heart really breaks for the Pennsylvania legislators who had lost their jobs on Tuesday.
- They'll relinquish the right to taxpayer-paid vehicles, chauffeurs, meals and lodging.
They'll say hasta la vista to offers from trade groups for free movie tickets and ski passes valued at $6,000.
And they'll kiss goodbye lobbyists' constant courting — often accompanied by meals at the state's finest dining establishments, free trips and hard-to-get tickets to sports, theater and musical events.
In other words, they'll lose their place at the front of the line — all thanks to their loss in Tuesday's primary.
That's terrible. I mean, they're going to starve.
- Those who have served eight years or more will carry with them the same health care and long-term health care benefits they had while in office. They also can collect any expenses (including per-diem costs) that are two years old or less and for which they haven't been reimbursed.
And depending on how long they served, they could collect 100 percent of their salary as their pension.
In Jubelirer's case, the senator will be eligible to collect 93 percent of his average salary over the last three years; Brightbill could collect 66 percent of his average salary over the same time period.
And what do they earn?
This year, Jubelirer earned about $150,000 and Brightbill earned about $140,000.
Breaks my heart, these guys.
I'm pretty sure they're going to be hanging around Harrisburg though. There's always jobs for former politicians in lobbying.
A History of the Pennsylvania Earthquake
Just Read the Whole Thing, really too much to excerpt.
May 20, 2006
Damn!
- It is potentially devastating news for a small Pa. town famous for its green-bottled beer.
The departure of Rolling Rock beer from the tiny Pennsylvania town it has come to symbolize has left the future of local brewery workers - and the town's identity - in question.
The owner of the Rolling Rock brand, a U.S. subsidiary of the Belgium-based brewing giant InBev SA, announced Friday that it had sold the brand to Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc. for $82 million.
But the Latrobe Brewing Co., which has churned out the beer since 1939, is not part of the deal. It will be sold and Anheuser-Busch will begin making Rolling Rock and Rock Green Light elsewhere in August.
I've recently rediscovered Rolling Rock and it's enigmatic "33" on the green glass bottle. I like it.
Now it's going to suck.
Damn!
May 18, 2006
Pointing the Finger
Jeez. Another election, and another voting machine problem.
This time they can't blame Republicans.
- Angry and embarrassed over hundreds of malfunctioning voting machines in Tuesday's primary, the Philadelphia City Commissioners' Office yesterday vowed to launch a "thorough and complete" investigation of what went wrong in perhaps the city's biggest election-day mishap in years.
So far, nobody knows for sure.
All 3,526 machines were tested the same way they have always been tested since the city bought them five years ago, election officials said.
Even the election watchdog group Committee of Seventy reported nothing amiss when conducting its own routine testing last week of two random machines in each of the city's 67 wards.
"This does not shine brightly upon this office," an obviously disappointed Deputy Commissioner Edward Schulgen said at yesterday's meeting of the commissioners, who oversee city elections. "I've been here since 1984 and I'm proud of my employees and this office... [but] we will not tolerate this malfunctioning again."
No one in charge of Philadelphia is of the pachydermal persuasion. Only
But I still blame Diebold, Bush, Ohio's Secretary of State Blackwell and Republicans in general.
It's only a matter of time before the trail leads to them.
May 17, 2006
RINO Slaying
So, a pay hiking, pay jacking, tax hiking, budget inflating Republican Senate leader loses in a primary election, and he blames ...
- The most stunning defeats Tuesday were suffered by the Senate's top two Republicans, Senate President Pro Tempore Robert C. Jubelirer and Majority Leader David J. Brightbill. Both had raised hundreds of thousands of dollars since the beginning of the year to protect their jobs.
Jubelirer lost to a longtime political foe, Blair County Commissioner John Eichelberger, in a three-way primary. Brightbill was defeated by tire salesman Mike Folmer, a Lebanon city councilman in the 1980s.
Jubelirer, who was first elected to the Senate in 1974, said the pay raise was a catalyst in his loss. But he also blamed voter frustration over issues such as the Iraq war, gas prices and immigration.
"It's everything," he said. "They took it out on incumbents."
"I only hope that as we move forward that the change that people have clearly spoken out tonight is a positive change," Jubelirer said.
Heh.
Hugh Hewitt credits a group near and dear to AlexC's heart: "The Young Conservatives of PA deserve some credit for this. They launched a great billboard campaign after Pa. lawmakers gave themselves a huge pay raise in the dark of night."
Posted by: jk at May 17, 2006 07:26 PM"... and we would have gotten away with it, if it wasn't for those meddling kids!"
Thanks for remembering!
Posted by: AlexC at May 17, 2006 09:14 PMSue Cornell hit the bricks ... I'm doing a little dance ...
Posted by: mdmhvonpa at May 18, 2006 11:05 AMMarch 20, 2006
Scope Creep
How is possible that a legislature that has less than 300 people in it, has a payroll for over three thousand?
It's Pennsylvania.
- In the Senate, just three members — the two floor leaders and the top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee — are listed in a January staffing report as the supervisors of more than a quarter of nearly 1,000 people working in the Senate.
Majority Leader David J. Brightbill, R-Lebanon, was listed as the supervisor of 116 people, while his Democratic counterpart, Minority Leader Robert J. Mellow, supervised 69.
Sen. Vincent Fumo of Philadelphia, the ranking Democrat on the Appropriations Committee, was considered the supervisor of 73 people, including 32 based in his home city of Philadelphia.
Eight people under Fumo or Mellow carry the lucrative payroll classification "chief of staff," which for some means a six-figure salary.
On the other side of the building...
- The House of Representatives, with more than four times as many members as the Senate, has about 1,900 employees, including 900 controlled by the Republican majority and 800 assigned to Democrats, according to a January list of employees.
Majority Leader Sam Smith, R-Jefferson, has about 15 employees of his own — but also supervises a woman who runs the 46-person public relations department.
His counterpart, Minority Leader H. William DeWeese, D-Greene, is in charge of the people who run the Democrats' legal, communications and research departments. Together with his own district and Harrisburg staff, that comes to about 100 people.
And House Speaker John M. Perzel, R-Philadelphia, has more than 50 people directly under him or his chief of staff and also supervises the manager of the 70-person Republican research department.
Obviously you need some staff in your Harrisburg office, and you definately need a few people in your local office, and if it's a big district, in your offices. But really?
Maybe there's some room for pinching a few pennies.
Maybe.
Anyone interested in a tax revolt?
Posted by: mdmhvonpa at March 20, 2006 03:56 PMGovernment. Virus. http://www.threesources.com/archives/002527.html
Posted by: jk at March 21, 2006 09:52 AMFebruary 20, 2006
Voter Integrity
The Pennsylvania legislature passed a voter identification bill recently which the governor, "Fast Eddie" Rendell (D-Comcast) is promising to veto.
VoterIntegrity.com is a clearinghouse for information.
February 12, 2006
The Great Snow Fall
Well, when a big snowstorm comes through on the east coast everyone knows about it. Probably because all of our media is based out of there.
In suburban Philadelphia, about 35 miles northwest, we look to have recieved about 18 inches.... drifts maybe to 24 inches.
If you're a kid, that's great fun.
(that's mine in the pink on the right)
If you're a miniature wiener dog. It's work to take a leak.
Our Colorado friends are probably yawning out of boredom. Oh well...
As has been my luck, I'm out of town for it, so my wife was home alone to clean up the mess. Luckily we have some kick-ass neighbors who take pitty on her. ;) Thanks guys!
Other local Philly types "suffering"...
Blonde Sagacity
TrekMedic
Nope, no yawning here -- it has been many moons since we have seen 18". Sugarchuck in Minnesota, on the other hand...
Stay warm -- thanks for the pics!
Posted by: jk at February 12, 2006 07:23 PMNovember 30, 2005
The Hand In The Cookie Jar
Before pstupidonymous closed, I blogged quite a bit about Pennsylvania's legislature's shenanigans.
You might recall that they gave themselves a 16 to 34% pay raise, attempted to take the raise before re-election (unconstitutionally), stuck with it for months of voter rage, and then bravely repealed it. Oh, and a Supreme Court Justice lost a retention election as part of the angst.
Anyway, because that pay raise was just too big, a lot of people are looking into other legislative activities.
- A Team 4 investigation by Jim Parsons finds that Pennsylvania taxpayers have spent more than $2 million since 2002 on the use of two state passenger planes.
You knew state lawmakers gave themselves a pay raise. But Team 4 has learned some of them are flying around in the official state plane -- sometimes to go to resorts, and sometimes to fly home for the weekend.
Parsons: "Why do you fly on the state planes?"
House Minority Leader Bill DeWeese: "I think, notwithstanding the fact that you're a perfect gentleman, the question borders on vacuity."
We have two planes? Our state is not that big (Harrisburg is kind of centrally located)... and can't we contract the air services of say US Air, who's hub is in Philly (also was Pittsburgh)? They fly to nearly every airport in the state.
It's not like trains from Pittsburgh or Philadelphia aren't available either.
What a waste of money. Nevermind the abuse vacations and commuting, for which they also get $600/monthly for a car lease and a per diem travel expense.
But Alex, it's only two million dollars. Yes. But it's another symptom of the problem.
Rs and Ds in Harrisburg just don't care anymore. They're in. That's all that matters to them... and the power that position gives them.
Incumbents! The real threat to democracy.
I'm not a term-limit fan, but we need to be careful of all the electoral perks given to incumbents: franking privileges and the like. McCain-Feingold si the greatest gift.
Posted by: jk at November 30, 2005 06:12 PMTerm-limits are the answer. While politics may be a career, representing your neighbors or your state should not be.
Do your best, vote on some laws, go home and live under those laws. No golden parachute on the way out either.
Eight or ten years, that's all you should get.
Posted by: AlexC at November 30, 2005 06:20 PM