The Pennsylvania Governor Race

The choice here is quite simple. You can either vote for Tom Corbett or for four more years of Ed Rendell. I think we can all agree that Rendell's governorship has been a disaster. Even Rendell is now on the air saying that whoever gets voted in will be saying how much debt he left them to deal with. Dan Onorato is in lock step with Rendell's core methodology of tax some and spend a lot.

I know many people are for the gas tax. I am too!! Just not the way Rendell was going to do it. By the by, you all know who will be paying that tax, don't you? If you guessed the gas companies please do the world a favor and don't reproduce. This tax will be a "soft" tax on everybody that uses natural gas. The cost of it will be passed right onto us. He was going to use nearly 70% of that tax to simply add more revenue to the general fund for you guessed it, more spending. This from a douchenozzle that increased the state budget by 40% in just 8 years. I don't know about you, but I certainly am not making or spending 40% more than I did 8 years ago. Is anybody??? The reality is, just like the supposed good use of all the casino tax revenue for us lowly taxpayers, this revenue stream would be of little or no use to the residents of the state. In all likelihood it would've gone to Philadelphia and Allegheny counties not to the areas that will need help with their infrastructure where the drilling is occurring.

There is a lot of money coming into the state from the gas already. There should be an extraction tax and that revenue should stay in the areas where they are drilling.

Luzerne County Home Rule Charter

Having read the proposed charter I can tell you that it is not perfect. Specifically, I'd have liked to see either districting or guaranteed minority representation. Do I like that the controller's position has been diminished? Certainly not. That we have to let it run for 5 years before we can change it? hell no.

The sad reality is that even if you think the charter is the completely goofy it simply cannot be any worse than what we have currently. Further, even if you haven't read the charter you could make a wise decision to vote for it just by taking a look at those that have come out rabidly against it. Just as we are all judged by the company we keep (and rightly so) so should this be judged by those both for and against it. On the con (no pun intended) side, we have Comm. Petrilla who was of course the controller while the Luzerne County taxpayers were being robbed and children used as a profit center. solicitor Vito Deluca, an entrenched democrat that also loses his job if the charter passes. Carolee Oleginski, our beloved prothonotary (which only about 4% of the residents even know what a prothonotary does) also stands to lose her job. The list is long of those against it and almost all of them stand to lose their employment and or power. The exception is Walter Griffith, Controller Extraordinaire. I have heard his concerns and they certainly are legitimate but again, it can't be worse than what we have now. Walter is the only elected official I trust at the courthouse but I disagree with him here.

Then we have those not in office blathering on any radio station that will have them. Some I think are just sycophants and others like being in the press. Like the woman from the lake that has become famous for her crusade against reassessment. If I ever meet her I just want to ask her if she complained as vociferously about her taxes for all those years when she knew she wasn't paying anywhere near what she should have been. But I digress..........

I think we should all vote for the charter and at least try to change the culture of corruption in this county because until that changes, we are a sunk ship. If all of the entrenched dome dwellers are against it, it has to be good for the taxpayers. Fact is, they have given us every reason in the world to vote for this charter and I hope you all do.

Obama's Honeymoon Jokes

I don't know, nor do I care, if these jokes are attributed correctly. I just like them.

You know Obama's honeymoon is over when the late night talk showcomedians start taking their turns with nasty but hilarious jokes .....have a laugh!!

The liberals are asking us to give Obama time. We agree .. andthink 25 to life would be appropriate. --Jay Leno

America needs Obama-care like Nancy Pelosi needs a Halloweenmask. --Jay Leno

Q: Have you heard about McDonald's' new Obama Value Meal? A: Order anything you like and the guy behind you has to pay forit. --Conan O'Brien

Q: What does Barack Obama call lunch with a convicted felon? A: A fund raiser. --Jay Leno
Q: What's the difference between Obama's cabinet and apenitentiary? A: One is filled with tax evaders, blackmailers, and threats tosociety. The other is for housing prisoners. --David Letterman

Q: If Nancy Pelosi and Obama were on a boat in the middle of the ocean and it started to sink, who would be saved? A: America! --Jimmy Fallon

Q: What's the difference between Obama and his dog, Bo? A: Bo has papers. --Jimmy Kimmel

Q: What was the most positive result of the "Cash for Clunkers"program? A: It took 95% of the Obama bumper stickers off the road. --David Letterman

Is $412 Million Enough?

As you probably have read in the paper today, Congressman Kanjorski's nephew Russell's company got a $400,000,000. tax dollar loan. This on top of a grant (a grant is just a free handout) of $9 million to nephew Russell's company, Cornerstone Technologies and also on top of $3 million grant to the same company that just got the 400 million.

To be fair, the $3 million grant was given to the company shortly before Russell was hired. I am absolutely certain (holy shit, the sarcasm, it burns) that the company getting a 3 million dollar handout from Russell's uncle had nothing to do with Russell being hired as a vice president of finance and marketing. I'm not saying anything funny went on but just picture that job interview. I imagine it went something like;

Interviewer: What qualifications do you possess that qualify you to be our vice president of finance and marketing?

Russell: well, let's see, I got a federal grant from my uncle, Congressman Paul Kanjorski, in the amount of $9 million dollars and started a company called Cornerstone Technologies.

Interviewer: I see, and what did your business do?

Russell: Nothing, we never made or marketed a product and I bankrupted the business in a few months.

Interviewer: Hmmm, sounds like you don't know jackshit about marketing or managing finances. Please tell me again what makes you think you are qualified for this position?

Russell: did you catch the part about my Uncle Paulie being a congressman? or the part about the $9 million?

Interviewer: No, er, mmm, no I didn't but you see Russ, the problem is the company is a little short of money to hire any new applicants right now. Should that change in the immediate future you seem to be the ideal candidate for this position.

While that interview is strictly a construct of my imagination, I'd be willing to bet a lot of money that those thoughts have crossed many minds. Flash forward to this spring and our hero Russell is in for his annual performance review (sorry, it's my over-active imagination again) and I can easily picture this conversation;

Russ's boss: Russ, times are bad, the economy is in the crapper, and frankly, you just don't seem to be working out.

Russ: did I mention that my uncle is friends with President Obama?

Russ's Boss: no, you didn't

Russ: well, just between us, in the beginning of summer, I heard that this company may be in line to get an almost zero interest loan from the federal government that as long as the comapny goes bankrupt, it won't have to be paid back.

Russ's boss: How much money will they loan us?

Russ:only a few hundred million

Russ's boss: that will buy a shitload of golden parachutes!! but how do we get to keep the money without paying it back?

Russ: assuming I am still employed, that would be my job and I am an expert at that. Did I ever tell you whatever happened to all those machines I bought with my first $9 million? well there's a bowling alley back home with a huge basement......................................

Is it enough already? Are we going to keep this monumental douchenozzle in office? Please lord, I hope the answer is no. Congressman Kanjorski, please consider your gift of $412 million of our tax money to your nephew your severance package.

Another Prominent Democrat Sentenced

Rich Emanski got sentenced to a few months in jail, a couple years probation, and a $10,000 fine. This would sound like a good punishment unless you factored in the bagillion dollars he made by paying to play in Luzerne County. Stop and think for a moment, would you be willing to spend a few months in jail if you could make enough money that any normal person would never have to work again?

Once again we see a slap on the wrist for a very well connected guy. What a joke!!

Senate Committee Unanimously Approves Internet Kill Switch for Obama

This link http://news.techworld.com/security/3228198/obama-internet-kill-switch-plan-approved-by-us-senate/?olo=rss goes to the article in from Techworld.

Much hay was made about the attorney general of Pa and a couple of bloggers. I am very curious to see what the blogosphere has to say about this. I would bet money if Dubya tried to have a way to shut down the interenet that there'd be rioting in the streets. Is it okay now because it's Pres. Obama??? I cannot fathom anything good coming from any president having that power.

A Local Attorney Arrested for DUI Without a Trace of Alcohol in His Bloodstream

A local attorney was recently arrested for DUI even though he didn't have a drop of alcohol in his system. He was quoted as saying "If it happened to me, you know it is happening to others".

Well Mr. Attorney, this is what happens when lobbyists write our country's laws. The DUI laws in America were radically changed due to lobbying pressure. Only one of the lobbies involved had noble intentions. The others were strictly about profit. M.A.D.D. wanted stricter DUI laws for the good of the community. It isn't too hard to figure out who stands to make money from having harsher penalties and changes made to the existing laws. If you guessed lawyers and insurance companies, give yourself a pat on the back.

I am not entirely sure how much an attorney charges for representing DUI clients but I would bet it is at least $1,000. Since only a fool would represent them self when going to trial, this is money that is going to change hands. Insurance companies on the other hand, are going to raise your rates and keep them there for 5 to 10 years.(or however long a DUI stays on a driving record). If anybody out there can comment how much your car insurance went up from a DUI, please do so. I have heard a handful of people tell me their rates tripled. You'd think their rates tripled because they had multiple convictions for it but that is not the case, at least with those that I spoke with.

I know a few people that have been convicted of DUI. They all tell similar stories about how much it cost them and one thing is for sure; when you see those signs that say DUI, you can't afford it, you better believe it. They all say that when it was said and done, their DUI cost them over $6,000.

That brings me to some interesting things about this subject:
If you have a CDL, your blood levels are half for DUI whether you are driving a commercial vehicle or not.
It is a common misconception that .08 blood level is needed for a conviction. Guess again, you can be found guilty of DUI with any measurable amount of alcohol. So unless you've never had a drink and drove, you've been at least potentially guilty of DUI.
The GAO did a study on the lower blood levels and found that they had absolutely no impact on alcohol related deaths or injuries since being made law.
Towns, counties, and states, lose money to run checkpoints. They do not make a profit on doing them. In fact, the only ones that make a profit from DUI convictions are insurance companies and lawyers.
The only form of profiling that is a generally accepted law enforcement practice is DUI checkpoints.
Studies have shown that many activities done while driving have the same, or in the case of texting far worse, impairment to your abilities to operate your vehicle safely. Only DUI is aggressively prosecuted.

You can feel free to add your own factoids. The simple fact is, what happened to the attorney that was arrested and forced to give a blood sample, is happening every day of the week to people that do not have his means to fight. Further, every single one of those in our local corruption scandal are facing less penalty (think Frank Pizella getting house arrest) than the average first time DUI convict and that bothers the hell out of me.

Invariably, some goofball is going to say that I am in favor of drunk driving so let me set a few things straight for you. I quit drinking some time ago. I do not use drugs. I think driving when drunk is a very serious problem. I think that at the very least, lower blood levels for DUI at least make some stop and control their drinking before driving a car. I know there is a very high likelihood of repeat offenses. I know there are problem drunks driving that have had numerous convictions for DUI and think that there should be some upper limit that after your (pick arbitrary number) conviction, you should not ever have a license again. I think that after your second DUI, you should be forced to have a device in your vehicle that won't let it start if there is alcohol(is this a law already?). I know the vast majority out there have in fact been guilty of DUI but just haven't been caught. My message here is an anti-lobbyist writing our laws message and inspired by Frank Pizzella getting house arrest. I hope no one that reads this will ever drive drunk again but I also know you will. I also know those that drive drunk aren't just risking their own lives but rather the lives of innocent people and in that, are as wrong as wrong gets.

As a side note, if you are a drinker, you should try quitting, you'd be amazed at how annoying drunk people can be when you're sober.