What would it take to have a convention in the Commonwealth? IssuesPA takes a look.

IssuesPA offers some background and history on state constitutional conventions.

The second episode of IssuesPA 2008 features a closer look at energy and infrastructure issues, including alternative energies and energy of the future, building green, and transportation.

A Look at the Governor's Proposal

IssuesPA takes a closer look at the ongoing debate over funding and accountability

IssuesPA Takes a Look at the Cost-Effectiveness of Consolidating Pennsylvania School Districts

This month, IssuesPA TV will air on public television stations throughout Pennsylvania. The first episode will look at education.

The state's education policies impact students and their families - but also the whole community

Award focuses on unique partnership between League and public television stations

Many Jurisdictions Plus a Complicated Process = $237 Million Lost Each Year

Fort Pitt Museum, dedicated to the role the historic Fort Pitt played during the French and Indian War, closed indefinitely yesterday because of Pennsylvania's ongoing budget crisis, state officials said.

Community College of Allegheny County yesterday said it would front money to students if grants for the fall semester from the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency are delayed by the state's budget impasse.

Bonnie Frederick tried to get food stamps last year, but her $9.50-an-hour pay from a packaging company put her monthly income $3 over the limit. But new guidelines, put in place July 27 by the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare, make Frederick, 61, of North Versailles and her husband Gary, 62, eligible for food stamps, they learned this week.

The waiting lists for Pennsylvania's human service programs all have a beginning, but, it seems, no end.

A year after murky water quality problems first surfaced in the Monongahela River, Pennsylvania is asking the federal Environmental Protection Agency to set new, tougher pollution limits for the interstate waterway and public drinking water source.

If You Were Hoping For A Breakthrough ... ... from Gov. Ed's press conference this afternoon highlighting the cuts that have been made to state-supported childcare programs, then you probably came away disappointed. That's got a lot to do with...

Hail, Hail ... ... the gang's all here. The "Politics As Usual" crew of John L. Micek, Scott Detrow and Alex Roarty returns for the first time in more than a month to discuss the ongoing state budget impasse, debate...

Good Morning, Fellow Seekers. We're back from a week's respite in the tropics, rested, tanned and ready to take on the seething battle that is the debate over Pennsylvania state budget. Oh ... what's that you say? Nothing's changed since...

Bill Cahir ... ... a former Washington reporter for Newhouse Newspapers who completed two tours of duty in Ramadi and Falluja in the Marine Corps reserves has been killed in action in Afghanistan, news sources indicated this morning. We never...

Federal Prosecutors In Philadelphia ... ... have asked the Justice Department to authorize an appeal of the 4-1/2 year prison sentence doled out in ex-state Sen. Vince Fumo's corruption case, the Associated Press reports this morning. The sentence, only a...

Governor Ed Rendell is on a diet. => The chief executive who is famous for his appetite has already lost 40 pounds and is working on shedding more excess fat. It is good to see he is getting ...

Pittsburgh, PA -- Conservative bloggers from across the nation are gathered here at the Station Square Sheraton in Pittsburgh for the annual Right On-Line National Conference. => This year's ...

U.S. Senator Arlen Specter has been getting an earful from his constituents this week at town hall meetings. Angry scenes have played out in Maryland, Missouri and other states across the country. ...

Governor Ed Rendell is on a whine tasting tour of Pennsylvania. => The latest tactic in his efforts to inflict higher taxes on We the People of Penn's woods is to trot out every day to some ...

It is called the House of Representatives. How can those who sit in the House of Representatives represent "We the People" if they won't meet with us? => As Congress begins its ...

We've gotten a few calls over the last few days asking where to get and read the 1,200 page health care bill being debated in Congress.  Here are some resources:

• American for Prosperity has some facts about the health care proposals in Congress, a breakdown of the House bill, and a call for volunteers to help read, examine, and comment on the bills.

• Kingdom Studies links to the full text and makes some comments on specific provisions in the House bill, citing the page numbers.

• Open Congress has the bill text and features to comment on the legislation.

Despite what Pete DeCoursey's latest Capitolwire column (subscription) may indicate, citizens are far better versed in the details of these proposals than are members of Congress.  For instance, Arlen Specter seems unaware that proposals include an individual mandate to buy insurance, when posed that question at one of his town hall.

The Patriot News has an AP story by Marc Levy, highlighting recipients of taxpayer funding that want more taxpayer funding.  It seems these groups are living in another world.  For instance take this quote about state social service funding:

"It seems like in good times there's never enough money and in bad times they're the first ones to get kicked out."

Yet under Gov. Rendell - mostly "good times" - Pennsylvania Public Welfare spending increased 62.6%, even using the numbers from the supposedly draconian PA Senate budget. I doubt many taxpayers have seen their incomes jump 63% (that would represent an increase from $50,000 to $81,500) since 2002.  And if they did get that kind of raise, I doubt they would complaining about that increase.

Furthermore, these advocates maintain the mentality that if government doesn't fund it, it won't occur.  They imply that the only way to show that we "care" is to take money from others through taxes and fund programs that do the best job of lobbying. 

One of the programs they talk about is preschool. Not only do they tout academic gains that will likely disappear in a few years, but they ignore the sizable private preschool market, which will be crowded out by government programs.

If you thought the Eagles bringing in Michael Vick was a bad idea, wait until you hear this - the Philadelphia Public Schools might bring in Tony Danza to teach/star in a reality show about teaching.

I can't believe Gov. Rendell hasn't issued a statement on this ridiculous idea.  I mean, if we are going to pimp out school children for a realty TV show starring an 80's actor, it should be a true Hollywood legend... someone like Steve Guttenberg.

Right Online held a panel on health care reform today, which I had the honor of speaking at, along with Amy Menefee of Americans for Prosperity and the Patients First campaign, and Eric Singer of Congressional Effect Management (AFP's Phil Kerpen moderated and also provided insights). Rather than describe the great info I and the other panelists presents (along with the intelligent questions and comments from the audience), here is what those in attendance had to say.

Attendees on Twitter:

maggie82: #righton: whoever pays #healthcare gets to determine coverage and service - government, insurance company or patient? that's question #tcot

markdkelly2: Eric Singer in a nutshell at #RightOn health care panel, the government's policies got us into the current health care situation.

bmorekarl:  I think if Obama was being honest, he’d say ‘read my lips, no new hips’ - Eric Singer #righton

markdkelly2 Eric Singer, likes kingdomstudies.blogspot.com 's review of House health care bill. #RightOn @Kerpen says Senate committee bill kept secret

maggie82: #righton: most insurance companies are at the table and supporting #obamacare. So #iamthemob are not pawns of that industry.

markdkelly2: #RightOn Amy Menefee, we've tried government run health care in HI and MA and it didn't work. #handsoff

markdkelly2: crowd fired up & already pretty educated about the health care bill. #RightOn #handsoff

az4vlad: @righton Doctor speaks to healthcare panel: "The AMA does not speak for the majority of doctors in America!"

DonIrvine: Docs against healthcare reform should join AAPS. #righton #tcot http://myloc.me/luK2

The blog North Shore Exponent summarizes the panel:

• Part 1
• Part 2

And here are video highlights of the panel via WVEx



My presentation concluded with a number of links for information and to get involved in patient-centered health care reform:

• http://healthcare.cato.org
• http://fixhealthcarepolicy.com/
• http://cprights.org/
  
• http://joinpatientsfirst.com/ 
• http://patientsunitednow.com/
  
• http://healthcarehorserace.com/
• http://www.cahi.org/
  
• http://www.galen.org/
  
• http://www.chcchoices.org/ 
• http://www.ncpa.org/

With a renewed interest in tolling Interstate 80, I find it necessary to reiterate several points of concern surrounding Act 44 and its implications on Pennsylvania’s economic future:

• Act 44, as it currently stands, is in violation of federal law requiring that tolls on federal highways be used exclusively on the highway itself. The tolls collected from I-80 would be used for other transportation projects, including funding mass transit in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

• In a November 2006 report, the Transportation Funding and Reform Commission recommended that “no additional funding should be provided for highways, bridges and transit unless a series of parallel actions are taken to reform funding structure and a number of transportation business practices.” Act 44 is designed to generate additional funds without putting the required reforms in place.

• The notion that transportation is underfunded is merely a myth. PA’s spending on transportation has increased 121% from 1995-2009, more than triple the rate of inflation. Even before Act 44, highway spending had increased 90% in 2007 alone, facilitating one of the highest gasoline tax rates in the country.

• Pennsylvania’s prevailing wage law requires all public projects to pay state mandated wage rates, increasing the cost to taxpayers by as much as 30%. In fact, by not allowing the market to determine wage rates, taxpayers pay an additional $9 billion dollars annually to pay these union wages. By continuing this policy, true transportation reform remains unattainable.

• Finally, Act 44 would place tolling I-80 in the hands of the notoriously corrupt and inefficient Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission. It is no coincidence that State Sen. Vince Fumo, who was convicted on 137 counts of conspiracy and fraud, frequently used the PTC to spend “other people’s money”. Giving the PTC another sweetheart deal is simply a recipe for disaster.

Letting private companies competitively bid on the rights to manage tolling is a safe and cost-efficient solution.

After two years of writing the Pennsyltucky Politics blog and 13 1/2 with The Patriot-News, this is my last post.

It's been a lot of fun. I've enjoyed interacting with many of you, including those who did not always appreciate what I was reporting.

In the future, I can be reached at

Thanks for a good ride.

- 30 -

Self-promotion warning: We'll be on XM Satellite Radio's POTUS '08 sometime during the 11 a.m. hour to discuss Pennsylvania politics and the presidential race. It's on channel 130.

All you ever hear these days is Barack Obama this and John McCain that, so we thought we'd pause for a moment and give Bob Barr a few seconds of love.

Barr, the former Georgia congressman and Libertarian Party presidential nominee, is irate over the $32 million that the federal government will give the Democratic and Republican parties to put on their national conventions in the coming weeks. That doesn't include another $50 million for security.

"My party has already held its convention without a single taxpayer dollar in its support," said Barr.

You don't say. Of course, how many people really thought he was serious about running for president.

Barr, who calls it "obnoxious" to force taxpayers to underwrite other people's political opinions, says he would end the practice of federal subsidies for the conventions.

We now return to the regularly scheduled campaign between Obama and McCain.

It's probably not a good sign of a campaign's strength when it announces an event like Thursday's first ever "McCain Nation" events and the entire population of that country can squeeze into the Kingston, Pa. home of Sandy Kase.

Well, not quite everybody. They've also got some room at the Colonial Country Club outside Harrisburg, where no doubt folks will empathize with struggling working class families, and in King of Prussia at Peppers Italian Restaurant, where the baked manicotti sounds good.

McCain supporters in all 50 states will meet Aug. 14 for these house parties to organize volunteers, register voters, distribute lists of voters to call and basically try to excite the GOP grassroots.

If that's not enough to excite you, Cindy McCain and a senior McCain adviser to be named in a trade later will participate via conference call.

There's a grand total of six such events planned in Pennsylvania. Keep reading for details.

MCCAIN NATION EVENTS IN PENNSYLVANIA

Philadelphia
Pepper's Italian Restaurant
239 Town Center Road
King of Prussia, PA, 19406

Harrisburg
Colonial Country Club
4901 Linglestown Road
Harrisburg, PA, 17112

Kingston
Home of Sandy Kase
416 N. Maple Avenue, Kingston, PA 18704

Strasburg
Fireside Tavern at Historic Strasburg
1 Historic Drive
Strasburg, PA, 17579

Bethel Park
Home of Victoria Goodman
211 Navajo Road
Bethel Park, PA, 15241

Coopersburg
Home of Rosemarie and Gregory Ebert
2192 Pine Tree Road, Coopersburg, PA, 18036

Don't worry about that shrieking noise you may hear this evening on Liberty Avenue in Pittsburgh or interrupting your Friday lunch hour on Market Street in Harrisburg. It's just Howard Dean.

The chairman of the Democratic National Committee, aka The Screamer, will be visiting the two 'burgs as part of a cross-country "Register for Change," bus tour to register voters.

The tour started in Crawford, TX, and will end in Denver for the Democratic National
Convention.

Keep reading for the details...

Thursday, Aug. 14:

GRASSROOTS FUNDRAISING EVENT
The Church Brew Works
3525 Liberty Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA

Event Time: 6:15 p.m.

Friday, Aug. 15:

REGISTER FOR CHANGE VOTER REGISTRATION CANVASS LAUNCH
Sci Tech High
215 Market Street
Harrisburg, PA