Mike Fitzpatrick Closes Leadership PAC

Roughly a year ago, on July 12, 2010, I wrote a blog entry on Mike Fitzpatrick’s leadership pac, the Keystone Leadership PAC. He had set it up in 2005 but it had been running a deficit since April, 2008, and carried a debt of $6,326.94 or more from March 2009 until May 2010, the latest report available at that time.

Perhaps it is time to check in and see how Congressman Fitzpatrick’s pac is doing. The pac had $28.27 cash on hand in May, 2010, with the aforementioned debt of $6,326.94, to two firms, Campaign Financial Services, a Bethesda, MD based firm for bookkeeping consulting, and Complete Campaigns, in San Diego, for software. Each month the debt was carried, and $5.00 was spent, until September, 2010, when only $8.27 remained. In September, donors contributed $3313.67, and the debt increased by $1,000. The donations came from two sources – from the Saul Ewing law firm, with a note that none of the partners reached the threshold that would require their individual names to be listed, and $2313.67 from the Philadelphia-based Leadership for Tomorrow PAC. The additional $1000 in debt was, again to Campaign Financial Services. The October 2010 report shows no receipts or disbursements. In November, however, the PAC received another $4000 in donations, another $3,000 from Saul Ewing, and $1,000 from Walter J. Kernaghan, and paid $2,576.94 to Campaign Financial Services toward the amount owed them. Kernaghan had already donated $4,800 to Fitzpatrick’s congressional campaign in February, 2010. After the November, 2010 election the pac filed a termination report, listing payments for the remaining debt. The termination report was accepted in February, 2011.

Congressman Fitzpatrick was affiliated with Saul Ewing from 1995 to 2004, while he was a Bucks County Commissioner which might explain their donations. Mr. Kernaghan is clearly a supporter. That leaves the Leadership for Tomorrow PAC. Let’s take a look at that, because it’s interesting. For instance, it’s a relatively new PAC, having been registered with the FEC in July, 2010. The original filing papers had to be amended because the original application misspelled the organization’s name (tommorrow not tomorrow). Only four reports have been filed, October quarterly, pre-general, post-general, and year end. So there have been no reports in 2011, as the pac files less often in off-years. It is listed as a multi-candidate pac. The treasurer is Aaron Cohen, president of Arena Strategies, a Pennsylvania consulting firm. The chairman and custodian of records for Leadership for Tomorrow is William Waldman. From July through the end of Sept., 2010, the fund raised $11,000 from two sources, $6,000 from our friends at Saul Ewing, and $5000 from William Waldman (same name and address as the pac chairman). Saul Ewing received a $1,000 refund as they can only legally donate $5,000. The only disbursement was the $2313.67 to Fitzpatrick’s Keystone Leadership PAC. In the post-general report the organization received two $1,000 donations, from the Bucks Co GOP and the Friends of Chuck McIlhenny. There were no disbursements. At present there is no way to tell what activity the pac has had in 2011.

Arena Strategies lists two other political funds or pacs as its clients. One is the Keystone Alliance PAC, registered at the federal level, and the other is the PA Future Fund, registered at the state level. Both are associated with PA GOP powerbroker Bob Asher.

Circling back where we began, Congressman Fitzpatrick has shut down his leadership pac, and his debts there have been paid. It will be interesting to check back with the Leadership for Tomorrow PAC and see if they are a force in the 2012 congressional races.

To double check my numbers and facts please review the reports at www.fec.gov/. The information on Fitzpatrick's employment history is from "Cancer-free, Mike Fitzpatrick works on a political comeback," by Larry King, philly.com, October 19, 2010

Trivedi and Gerlach in Congressional Rematch

Dr. Manan Trivedi who ran against incumbent Jim Gerlach for the 6th congressional district in 2010 announced today that he will run again in 2012. I posted a number of blog entries on Trivedi during the 2010 campaign (see the full list here).

Some of the more significant are:

10/19/2010 debate
10/12/2010 debate
mentions of Trivedi in a book on the war
interview with Trivedi

Schwartz Holds Teletownhall

Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz held a teletownhall this evening. Her opening comments were very brief and the bulk of the call was devoted to answering constituents' questions. All concerned the debt ceiling and budgetary matters.

My thanks to the person who send me info on the call.

Wharton Prof Releases Oil & Gas Report

Last week Joseph R. Mason of LSU and Penn's Wharton School released a report called "Budget Impasse Hinges on Confusion among Deficit Reduction, Tax Increase, and Tax Reform: An Economic Analysis of Dual Capacity and Section 199 Proposals for the U.S. Oil and Gas Industry." It is available online as a 19 page pdf. The research was supported by the American Energy Alliance, which is supported by contributions from individuals, foundations and corporations (read into that what you will). Mason also includes the disclaimer that his results are his own and not those of AEA, LSU or Wharton.

Last week I sat in on a press call with Mason and Tom Pyle of the AEA. If you missed the call, Mason has a video up on You Tube that goes over in more detail many of the points he covered in the call. As I understand it, which is not much as I have never taken an econ course or read an econ-related book, Mason doesn't think raising taxes would help the economy because when you raise taxes you get a higher level of "tax avoidance." (I think this means cheating.) He thinks we should do more drilling on the outer continental shelf, as that would create jobs and bring in revenue. (I think there's a reason why we aren't doing that right now.)

Mason also thinks we should not mix energy policy and deficit reduction. He said if we want to change energy policy we should do that separately. The in-depth discussion on the specifics of tax and regulation are way over my head. Readers are encouraged to review it themselves.

Mason did say he thought deficit reduction should come from institutional reform, as suggested by scholar and Nobel Prize winning economist Douglass North. I found a power point presentation by North. The last slide addresses institutional reform and his points were to make the market fairly accessible to everyone, invest in education, and engage opponents through the political process.

During the call I asked why companies that can afford to pay such high executive compensation should get tax breaks. (Full disclosure: The investment club I belong to owns stock on Occidental Petroleum). Mason replied by saying that CEOs has short careers and are compensated highly for a short time. (Make of that what you will.)

Prez O Today on Budget

1:32 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Hello, everybody. I wanted to give folks a quick update on the progress that we're making on the debt ceiling discussions.

I was in contact with all the leadership over the course of the weekend and continued to urge both Democrats and Republicans to come together around an approach that not only lifts the debt ceiling but also solves the underlying challenges that we face when it comes to debt and deficits.

Some progress was made in some of the discussions, some narrowing of the issues. Speaker Boehner and the Republican House caucus felt it necessary to put forward the plan that they're going to be voting on today. I think everyone's estimation is, is that that is not an approach that could pass both chambers, it's not an approach that I would sign and it's not balanced. But I understand the need for them to test that proposition.

The problem we have now is we're in the 11th hour and we don't have a lot more time left. The good news is that today a group of senators, the Gang of Six, Democrats and Republicans -- I guess now Gang of Seven, because one additional Republican senator added on -- put forward a proposal that is broadly consistent with the approach that I've urged. What it says is we've got to be serious about reducing discretionary spending both in domestic spending and defense; we've got to be serious about tackling health care spending and entitlements in a serious way; and we've got to have some additional revenue so that we have an approach in which there is shared sacrifice and everybody is giving up something.

And so, for us to see Democratic senators acknowledge that we've got to deal with our long-term debt problems that arise out of our various entitlement programs, and for Republican senators to acknowledge that revenues will have to be part of a balanced package that makes sure that nobody is disproportionately hurt from us making progress on the debt and deficits I think is a very significant step. And as I said, the framework that they put forward is broadly consistent with what we've been working on here in the White House and with the presentations that I've made to the leadership when they've come over here.

So here's where we stand. We have a Democratic President and administration that is prepared to sign a tough package that includes both spending cuts, modifications to Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare that would strengthen those systems and allow them to move forward, and would include a revenue component. We now have a bipartisan group of senators who agree with that balanced approach. And we’ve got the American people who agree with that balanced approach.

My hope, and what I will be urging Speaker Boehner, Nancy Pelosi, as well as Leader Reid and Mitch McConnell, is that they, tomorrow, are prepared to start talking turkey and actually getting down to the hard business of crafting a plan that can move this forward in time for the August 2nd deadline that we’ve set forward.

Just a couple of other points I will make. Some of you may ask, what does it mean for the plan that Senator McConnell and Senator Reid had been working on? Our attitude is, is that that continues to be a necessary approach to put forward. In the event that we don’t get an agreement, at minimum, we’ve got to raise the debt ceiling. So that’s the bare minimum that has to be achieved, but we continue to believe that we can achieve more.

And so I want to congratulate the Gang of Six for coming up with a plan that I think is balanced. We just received it, so we haven’t reviewed all the details of it. It would not match perfectly with some of the approaches that we’ve taken, but I think that we’re in the same playing field. And my hope is, is that we can start gathering everybody over the next couple of days to choose a clear direction and to get this issue resolved.

So far, at least, the markets have shown confidence that leadership here in Washington are not going to send the economy over a cliff. But if we continue to go through a lot of political posturing, if both sides continue to be dug in, if we don’t have a basic spirit of cooperation that allows us to rise above immediate election-year politics and actually solve problems, then I think markets here, the American people, and the international community are going to start reacting adversely fairly quickly.

So I think it’s very important for in these next couple of days to understand we don’t have any more time to engage in symbolic gestures; we don’t have any more time to posture. It’s time to get down to the business of actually solving this problem. And I think we now are seeing the potential for a bipartisan consensus around what that would take.

It will be hard. It will be tough. There are still going to be a lot of difficult negotiations that have to take place in order for us to actually get something done. And as I said, we have to have that failsafe that Senator McConnell and Senator Reid are working on. But the hope is, is that everybody seizes this opportunity.

All right? Okay, guys, I’m going to let Jay answer questions today. I think I’ve been pretty good to you guys. (Laughter.) But after the votes today in the House, I’ll call up Speaker Boehner and the other leadership and we’ll arrange for times where we bring folks back here, and hopefully we’ll be able to report on some additional progress over the next few days.

All right? Thank you very much, guys.

Q When will you announce whether you will be supporting the Gang of Six plan? Would that be in the next day?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, as I said, I think what you’re going to be seeing is an evaluation of that plan versus the things that we’ve been looking at. I think what you’re going to see is some significant overlap. But obviously just because we might agree in principle with a range of issues with six senators or seven senators, that doesn’t get us out of the House of Representatives; that doesn’t get us out of the Senate. There’s going to have to be a broader agreement on the part of all the leadership that we’re going to get this done in a serious way, and we’ve got a tight deadline to do it.

All right? Thanks, guys.

Schwartz on Cut, Cap, and Balance

from the inbox:

July 19, 2011

SCHWARTZ: CUT, CAP AND BALANCE IS BAD FOR FAMILIES, BUSINESSES AND THE NATION

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Allyson Schwartz, senior member of the House Budget Committee, delivered the following speech today on floor of the U.S. House of Representatives during debate on the Cut, Cap, and Balance Act, H.R. 2560.

“I rise in opposition to the Republican Cut, Cap, and Balance Act. Republicans continue to play politics rather than do what is best for our country.

“They are once again holding American families and businesses hostage by threatening to allow the United States to default on its debt unless their extreme ideological demands are met.

“This plan is not the balanced approach that is best for our country. It ends the Medicare guarantee for seniors and slashes education and opportunity for the next generation of Americans.

“It inhibits our ability to foster an environment for private sector economic growth by cutting any chance of investment in scientific research and technology, roads, bridges and highways.

“The Republican plan is disastrous to our fragile economy and will devastate America’s future economic competitiveness.

“The Republican Majority has yet to produce legislation that puts the American economy back on track and Americans back to work.

“This legislation guarantees that we won’t meet our obligations as a nation to our seniors or to our children and it will dramatically reduce our ability to compete in a global economy.

“Make no mistake, the Republican plan is and has always been to Cut Social Security and Medicare, Cap economic opportunity, and Balance the budget on the backs of middle class families.

“Cut, cap and balance is bad for American families, bad for our businesses, and bad for the nation's economic future.”

Click here to see the video of her statement: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxZjMnTXW88

Out Out Damned Spot!

Nothing to do with Pennsylvania or politics, but does fit with what seems to be a weekend of product blogging, I mention this:

Fabri-Mark is not kidding when it says it's fabric markers are permanent odorless inks. Permanent being the operative word.

Bissell is not kidding when it says OxyPro carpet spot and stain removed will get rid of stains, say blue Fabri-Mark spots on pale carpet.

Not saying it will work for you, but it seems to be working for me.

And what were you doing at 6:30 on a Saturday morning?

Shoutout to Bolton's in the Gallery

While downtown for Comic Con I stopped in the Gallery for lunch and found a great new store: Boltons. It has nice women's clothing for a good price. For those too old for Abercrombie & Finch but not ready for velour track suits, this is a great place to shop. I came home with a couple of tailored skirts for work an a sweater that would go well in the office or casual. It is hard to find clothes that have some style and fit well for the over 21 set. I'll definitely be back there again.

Shoutout to Eastern Mountain Sports

A big shoutout to Eastern Mountain Sports for two reasons:

1) Earlier this year I was setting up an outing for a kids organization. We wanted a general orientation to outdoor activities. Two stores turned me down but Eastern Mountain Sports said yes and the guy there gave a great introduction to the products they sell and the sort of things he used when camping, etc. It was a great presentation, the kids enjoyed it, and I really appreciated it.

2) A week or so ago I was trying to find a particular kind of product, without knowing what it might be called or how it might be packaged. I went to the Eastern Mountain Sports website and a chat box came up where a customer service rep asked if she could help me find something. I typed in a description of what I needed and after a minute or two she came back with something that would fit exactly. It was less expensive that I was expecting. I called around and found a store in the area that carried the item. It left me with a really positive feeling towards the company.

Obama Day of Action in Philly

from the inbox:

Organizing for America-PA (OFA-PA) volunteers will hold the biggest organizing opportunity of the summer tomorrow. All across the country, volunteers will be knocking on doors, tabling at public events, and registering new voters.

In Philadelphia, Organizing for America volunteers will take part in a Day of Action by registering voters this Saturday, July 16 at the Global Fusion Festival in Philadelphia at 1:00 pm.

Obama for America is focusing on growing its grassroots organization to build the strongest campaign possible to re-elect President Obama in 2012. OFA already has 1,500 volunteer Summer Organizers, both young and old, working on behalf of the President’s campaign and Democrats up and down the ballot in states across the country.

Schwartz on IPAB

from the inbox:http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

SCHWARTZ TESTIMONY ON IPAB AT ENERGY AND COMMERCE SUBCOMMITTEE HEARING

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Allyson Schwartz (PA-13) gave the following testimony at an Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee hearing, IPAB: The Controversial Consequences for Medicare and Seniors. Schwartz has been outspoken on the need to repeal the Independent Payment Advisory Board that was created in the health care reform law, saying ‘it is the wrong approach to achieving the right goal.’

The Congresswoman believes that ‘we cannot conceal fundamental flaws in our health care system by simply cutting reimbursements to hospitals and physicians or, even worse, ending Medicare as we know it, as Republicans have proposed…IPAB has the potential to stifle implementation of promising innovations that would address those cost drivers just as they are beginning to take shape.’

“Chairman Pitts, Ranking Member Pallone, thank you for the opportunity to testify today.

“I have been and continue to be a strong supporter of the Affordable Care Act because it will extend access to affordable, meaningful health coverage to all Americans, strengthen Medicare and contain costs for American families, businesses and government.

“The potential for savings is significant.

“The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Office of the Actuary estimates that – over the course of 10 years – the Affordable Care Act will save Medicare more than $400 billion by:

· attacking fraud and abuse,

· reducing overpayments to insurance companies,

· reducing medical errors and unnecessary duplication of services,

· increasing access to cost-effective primary care services,

· improving care coordination across health care settings, and

· transitioning to payment systems that reward value.

“The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that the law will reduce the deficit by more than $1 trillion over the next 20 years. And that's just the beginning.

“Health care reform has the potential to fundamentally transform the health care delivery and payment systems by creating a variety of models for improved delivery of care by incentivizing high quality, greater efficiency, and better outcomes.

“Successful implementation will ensure that seniors get the right care at the right time at a lower cost to taxpayers.

“My decision to support repeal of the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB) reflects my confidence in the many cost-containment measures in the law. Despite Republican claims, IPAB is not a ‘death panel’ or a ‘rationing board.’ These are merely scare tactics. IPAB is simply the wrong approach to achieving the right goal.

“We all agree that the rate of growth in Medicare spending must be contained and that current Medicare payment systems are flawed and need to be reformed. But, we cannot conceal fundamental flaws in our health care system by simply cutting reimbursements to hospitals and physicians or, even worse, ending Medicare as we know it, as Republicans have proposed.

“The Republican plan to convert Medicare into a voucher program means that seniors will no longer have access to a guaranteed set of health benefits and, according to CBO, the resulting premiums and co-insurance would increase out-of-pockets costs more than $6,000 per senior per year and increase as health care costs rise.

“This is neither better quality care nor genuine cost savings – it is merely shifting the burden of increased costs to seniors.

“Congress must accept its responsibility for legislating sound health policy for Medicare beneficiaries, including reforms to payment systems.

“Turning over this responsibility, whether to insurance companies as proposed in the Republican plan, or to an unaccountable board, undermines our ability to represent the needs of seniors and the disabled and ensure their access to care.

“Repealing IPAB – while preserving essential health reforms in the Affordable Care Act – enables providers to focus on innovations that will achieve cost savings by incentivizing efficient, high-quality health care.

“If we do not, IPAB is structured in such a way that the Board may be forced to impose cuts on a narrow sector of the health care system, ignoring the need for broader changes.

“Arbitrary caps on spending, absent fundamental reforms to underlying cost drivers, simply shift the cost burden.

“Thus, IPAB has the potential to stifle implementation of promising innovations that would address those cost drivers just as they are beginning to take shape.

“The Obama administration is already implementing health care reforms to reduce the rate of growth in health care spending by holding providers accountable for reducing costs through:

· more coordinated care,

· the adoption of health information technology,

· improved quality, and

· better outcomes.

“Accountable Care Organizations, which create incentives for health care providers to work together to lower costs while meeting quality standards and putting patients first, could save up to $750 billion over the next 10 years.

“The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, established under health care reform, is advancing initiatives such as the Patient-Centered Medical Home, Healthcare Innovation Zones and other innovative delivery models with the potential to achieve significant additional savings.

“The Center’s recently launched Partnership for Patients initiative will save costs by bringing together hospitals, physicians and patients to dramatically reduce hospital-acquired conditions and hospitals readmissions.

“This program alone is expected to generate savings of up to $35 billion.

“These are reforms that we should build upon to achieve greater cost efficiencies without risking access or quality.

“It is our job to identify the most effective cost saving innovations and ensure that they are implemented broadly and successfully across the nation.

“There are tough choices ahead as we work to contain the rate of growth in health care costs.

“We should eliminate IPAB, reject Republicans’ efforts to dismantle Medicare and focus on reshaping payment and delivery systems to reward coordination, efficiency and value to achieve cost savings.

“In so doing, we can meet our obligations to both seniors and taxpayers.”

Schwartz Comments on Seniors

from the inbox, some remarks by Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz:

Dear Friend,

As Congress continues to debate key issues, I wanted to update you on some initiatives I have been working on for seniors.


Home Health Care

I recently introduced the Home Health Care Planning Improvement Act, which will allow physician assistants, nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists and certified nurse midwives to order home health services for Medicare beneficiaries.

Those seniors and disabled citizens who see these medical professionals as their primary care providers often need an extra office visit with an unknown physician in order to get the care they need. This bipartisan legislation will relieve that burden for you or your loved one.

We have a responsibility to provide America’s seniors with high quality health care, and a key part of that is ensuring they have timely access to home health care services. Seniors will no longer have to jump through hoops to get the health care they need.


Prevention and Wellness Services for Medicare Beneficiaries

As some of you may know, health care reform strengthened benefits for seniors.

During this time of economic uncertainty, many seniors are still struggling to make ends meet. That is why I fought for free prevention and wellness services including:

• blood pressure, diabetes and cholesterol tests;
• cancer screenings, like mammograms and colonoscopies
• flu and pneumonia shots

Seniors no longer have to worry about getting the preventive care they need even if they are unable to pay for the doctor visit. I also worked hard to ensure we closed the donut hole, which ensures you and your loved ones can afford lifesaving medications.

I am committed to ensuring our seniors have access to the health care they need and urge you to take advantage of these prevention and wellness services.

Preserving Medicare for You and Your Family

While the budget debate continues, it’s important that we find responsible and sensible solutions to reduce our deficit and grow our economy.

But forcing our seniors to shoulder America’s economic burden through drastic cuts to Medicare benefits is the absolute wrong approach.

The Republican budget does not reduce health care costs; it just shifts the burden to our seniors and will actually increase their out-of-pocket costs.

Millions of seniors in my district and across the country depend on Medicare every day for their lifesaving medications, doctor appointments, and hospital visits.

I stand firm in my commitment to preserve this guaranteed health benefit for all seniors.

Constituent Services for Seniors

In addition to the constituent services my office provides to all residents of Pennsylvania’s 13th congressional district, we also provide assistance to seniors including:


• Applying for Social Security and Medicare
• Disability applications
• Medicare benefits and billing
• Veterans services and benefits
• IRS Issues

As we continue to implement the new health care reform law, my office can provide important information about new benefits for you and your loved ones including:


• Wellness and prevention services
• Prescription and generic drug benefits
• Prevention and protection against Medicare fraud

Chester Part of Strong Cities Strong Communities

from the inbox:

Today, the Obama Administration launched Strong Cities, Strong Communities (SC2), a new and customized pilot initiative to strengthen local capacity and spark economic growth in local communities while ensuring taxpayer dollars are used wisely and efficiently. To accomplish this, federal agencies will provide experienced staff to work directly with six cities: Chester, PA; Cleveland, OH; Detroit, MI; Fresno, CA; Memphis, TN; and New Orleans, LA. These teams will work with local governments, the private sector, and other institutions to leverage federal dollars and support the work being done at the local level to encourage economic growth and community development.

Additionally, communities nationwide will be eligible to compete for comprehensive economic planning assistance through a grant competition designed to spark local innovation. By integrating government investments and partnering with local communities, SC2 channels the resources of the federal government to help empower cities as they develop and implement their vision for economic growth.

“Over the past two and a half years, the Obama Administration received feedback from leaders all across the country who described the kind of partnership that would be most useful to them for economic growth,” said Domestic Policy Director Melody Barnes. “The result is Strong Cities, Strong Communities, an innovative new pilot that will help strengthen local communities while also delivering federal resources and assistance more effectively.”

Added Senior Advisor to the President Valerie Jarrett, “This is exactly the kind of federal initiative that President Obama pledged to create – one that respects the wisdom of local leadership and helps mayors and other local officials utilize federal resources more effectively. President Obama has consistently demonstrated his commitment to a robust partnership with America’s cities and counties– Strong Cities, Strong Communities is yet another example of this important partnership.”

DCNR: There's an App for That

Our friends at the Dept. of Conservation and Natural Resources have released a smartphone app that will help you locate Pennsylvania Parks and Forests. Here are a few details:

The free features are: search by activity of interest on-the-go; search by park, forest or region; stay current on park and forest events; receive news, alerts, and location-based weather updates; access park information such as hours of operation; view maps of facilities, trails and campgrounds; learn about state park or forest history; get directions; get contact information; access online reservations; network through Facebook and Twitter; and share photos on Flickr.
Paid features include: ability to work with content, maps and features offline; GPS mapping options include road, satellite, hybrid and terrain; pre-programmed state park GIS and points of interest will help guide you; a friend-finder feature lets you keep track of companions while on a trail; a built-in compass can help point to your direction; record, save and recall tracks or waypoints; and let your family and friends know your whereabouts with the alert communication feature.

More information at PA Environment Daily.

There Oughta Be a Law Contests in PA

For many years individual state legislators and state senators in Pennsylvania have participated in what appears to be a national program called "There Oughta Be a Law," wherein constituents suggest laws to their elected representatives.

You can find national examples by googling "there oughta be a law." To find specific Pennsylvania examples add the name of the commonwealth to your search. The earliest reliable mention of it I can find is a April 7, 1998 Morning Call ("Students cited in law contest") article which mentions State Rep. Julie Harhart's annual "There oughta be a law" contest. I know other state reps held similar competitions, mostly aimed at school children.

State Senator Anthony Williams is encouraging citizens in his district and beyond to come up with good laws with his own "There Oughta Be a Law" contest.

Remember, folks, you don't have to wait for a contest, you can get in touch with your elected officials any time and let them know what you think.

Independence Hall Tea Party Wants to End Public Schools

from "Advocates of privatized education want to end public schools," by Bob Braun, Newark Star Ledger 7/11/2011:

"We think public schools should go away,’’ says Teri Adams, the head of the Independence Hall Tea Party and a leading advocate — both in New Jersey and Pennsylvania — of passage of school voucher bills. The tea party operates in those two states and Delaware.

They should "go away," she says, because "they are hurting our children.’’

later

"Our ultimate goal is to shut down public schools and have private schools only, eventually returning responsibility for payment to parents and private charities. It’s going to happen piecemeal and not overnight. It took us years to get into this mess and it’s going to take years to get out of it."

That's an extreme statement to make. Something to keep in mind if you like the idea of public schools.

Geese, Ganders, Teachers, and CEOs

Last June I wrote about the Pennsylvania Education Secretary's comments about teacher evaluations, specifically that too many of them were getting good evaluations. In that post I compared the percentage of teachers getting excellent evaluations (he said nearly 100%) with the percentage of political incumbents who are re-elected (between 95% and 98%, depending on the level of government).

Friday's Wall Street Journal ("A 'yes' in say on pay," by Jessica Holzer) note that corporate shareholders now have a "say on pay." They can accept or reject executive pay plans. Holzer notes that of the 2532 companies reporting, shareholders at only 39 companies rejected the suggested compensation plan. That means 98.5% thought the suggested pay plans were good ideas. Anybody out there think that only 1.5% of corporate executives aren't being paid properly?

If teachers are going to be evaluated on student test scores and if current evaluations are considered too high, let's apply that across the board -- should companies whose shareholders think executive compensation is too high be given tax cuts or government monies? How far do we go with this?

Philly Vendy Awards Announced

from the inbox:

The Philly Vendy Awards has a king! It’s Gigi and Big R Caribbean/American Soul Food, who won the highly coveted Vendy Cup saturday at the 1st annual Philadelphia Vendy Awards, sponsored by The Street Vendor Project at the Urban Justice Center.

Over 500 savvy street foodies came to Piazza at Schmidts for this year’s intense grill-to-grill cook-off to determine Philadelphia’s top street chef. Categories this year included the Vendy Cup, Best Dessert, and the Peoples Taste Award. Proceeds will benefit The Food Trust, a nonprofit that strives to make healthy food available to all. Last year, three Philadelphia vendors came to New York to participate in the 2010 Vendys where it was announced that the event would debut in Philly in 2011.

“The Vendy Awards get bigger and bigger every year, and this year was another huge success,” said Sean Basinski, Director of the Street Vendor Project at the Urban Justice Center. “Philadelphia has fantastic street food, and I can’t think of a better way than a day like today to honor these vendors who keep hundreds of Philly residents well fed and satisfied.”

VENDY CUP WINNER: Gigi and Big R Caribbean/American Soul Food

BEST DESSERT: Sweet Box

PEOPLE’S CHOICE: Cucina Zapata

White House on Budget Negotiations

from the inbox:

Statement from White House Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer on Budget Negotiations

“The President believes that solving our fiscal problems is an economic imperative. But in order to do that, we cannot ask the middle-class and seniors to bear all the burden of higher costs and budget cuts. We need a balanced approach that asks the very wealthiest and special interests to pay their fair share as well, and we believe the American people agree.

“Both parties have made real progress thus far, and to back off now will not only fail to solve our fiscal challenge, it will confirm the cynicism people have about politics in Washington. The President believes that now is the moment to rise above that cynicism and show the American people that we can still do big things. And so tomorrow, he will make the case to congressional leaders that we must reject the politics of least resistance and take on this critical challenge.”

A Rose by Any Other Name?

The Kitchen Table Patriots, a local tea party group, played a role in the 2010 elections in the greater Philadelphia area. Something in a recent New York Times article caught my eye. In “Tea party finds power leads to policy splits,” by Katie Zernike (6/28/2011) . It mentions Ana Puig and her fellow KTP activist Anastasia Przybylski a number of times. The two women held an event in 2009 to protest the federal stimulus bill which brought their group to the attention of FreedomWorks, a national organization led by a one-time House Republican leader Dick Armey. After the 2010 election the article states that FreedomWorks hired the two to lobby for a school choice bill in Pennsylvania. Przybylski said working with FreedomWorks allowed KTP to “professionalize ourselves.” The article is an interesting analysis of some of the national lobbying associated with the bill.

Even as someone who tends to follow local politics I was surprised to read that Puig and Przybylski were hired by the national organization. Having seen their names in the papers I wondered how widely known their employment by FreedomWorks was. So I did some checking.

Tom Barnes of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette mentions the support the national organization supplied local supporters:

The idea is getting a serious political push this year, with Mr. Piccola and other Republicans, joined by Democrat Mr. Williams plus conservatives such as Ana Puig of The Kitchen Table Patriots and a national group called FreedomWorks, headed by former congressman Dick Armey. ("HUNDREDS VOICE SUPPORT OF 'SCHOOL CHOICE' IN CAPITAL - VOUCHERS WOULD ALLOW STUDENTS TO CHOOSE THEIR SCHOOLS," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (PA)-January 26, 2011 Author: Tom Barnes, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

in another article:

Mr. Armey is chairman of a Washington, D.C.-based group called FreedomWorks, which is helping a suburban Philadelphia group called The Kitchen Table Patriots press the state Legislature to enact taxpayer-funded tuition vouchers. Low-income students could use them to escape their "failing" local public school, supporters say.

later

A leader of The Kitchen Table Patriots is Ana Puig of Doylestown, Bucks County, who also attended the recent state Capitol rally. She is also active in the tea party political movement. She said FreedomWorks has provided her volunteers with advice on contacting legislators and alternatives to public schools where many students don't meet state standards in reading and math. ("ADVOCATES LINE UP MONEY, ADS, SUPPORT FOR SCHOOL-CHOICE BILL," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (PA)-February 6, 2011 Author: Tom Barnes, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

However, the paper didn’t say anything about Ms. Puig personally being on FreedomWorks’ payroll.

A reporter at the main Bucks County paper stated it more specifically:

“That puts him in direct opposition to other tea party organizations, such as the Doylestown-based Kitchen Table Patriots, whose co-chairwomen Anastasia Przybylski and Ana Puig have also been working as field coordinators for FreedomWorks, a national conservative group pushing for school choice.

Puig also was a member of the education committee on Corbett's transition team.”
(“Tea party at odds on school choice legislation,” Intelligencer, The (Doylestown, PA)-March 16, 2011 Author: Gary Weckselblatt)

That same month, the same paper ran an op-ed by Przybylski that described her only as: “Anastasia Przybylski is co-chairwoman of the Kitchen Table Patriots and the mother of three children. She lives in Doylestown.” No mention of FreedomWorks. The same op-ed, or a slight variation of it also ran in at least two other papers, the Bucks County Courier Times and the Morning Call. Both used the same author description.

Puig wrote an op-ed for a Harrisburg paper that references education but only mentioned her KTP association, not FreedomWorks:

Editorial “"As I See It" (regular feature?)
Grassroots movement must sustain itself
Patriot-News, The (Harrisburg, PA)-April 15, 2011
Author: Ana Puig
It will take decades of hard work to undo the damage that has been done to our country by the infiltration of Marxist ideology into our education system; the rewriting of our history and the implementation of class warfare ideology; the wide use of voter fraud and intimidation; brainwashing and diversion through mass communication and, finally, the making of hollow promises to the lower economic classes that can never be implemented due to the real and hidden agenda of politicians.

Ana Puig is co-chair of the Southeastern PA Kitchen Table Patriots.

A number of other papers in the state reported on either or both women’s advocacy of the school voucher bill, all referenced the association with KTP but not FreedomWorks. Here is a list:

“Anastasia Przybylski, a member of the Kitchen Table Patriots, a Bucks County tea party group that favors the Senate bill.” (“Schroder introduces school choice legislation - Next two days will determine outcome of voucher battle in state,” by Eric Boehm, PA Independent, Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)-June 21, 2011
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“Anastasia Przybylski, a member of the Kitchen Table Patriots, a Bucks County Tea Party group that has been pressing hard for school-choice legislation.”
(“House leader expected to endorse school choice bill,” Mercury, The (Pottstown, PA)-June 19, 2011 Author: Eric Boehm, PA Independent

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Ana Puig, co-chair of the grassroots Tea Party organization Kitchen Table Patriots, said there was no reason to delay passage of a voucher bill and said waiting would only give unions "ample time to go after our legislators." ("Time may run out on push for voucher plan," Pittsburgh Tribune-Review June 25, 2011 Author: Sari Heidenreich)
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“Ana Puig, KTP's co-chairwoman, is a member of Corbett's transition committee on education. And Anastasiz Przybylski, KTP's co-founder, has spent several months researching the topic.”
("PSBA opposes latest voucher plan," Bucks County Courier Times January 21, 2011 Author: Gary Weckselblatt)

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"We have the Tea Party involved, but there's a lot of push-back from some Tea Party people," said Ana Puig, co-chair of The Kitchen Table Patriots in Bucks County. "They see it as a hand-out (to low-income families). I don't see it that way." ("State senators push state bill on school choice," Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (PA)-January 26, 2011 Author: Brad Bumsted
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Ana Puig, of Doylestown, a cochair of the Kitchen Table Patriots, a tea party group, was on hand for the rally and pledged support for the bill.

"We believe in competition in the marketplace," said Puig, who was a member of Corbett's education transition team. ("Hundreds rally for school choice - Senate Bill 1 would provide vouchers to get children out of failing schools," Philadelphia Inquirer, January 26, 2011 Author: Amy Worden)
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One group, the Kitchen Table Patriots in Doylestown, has about 20 members running in school board elections Tuesday, cofounder Ana Puig said. She said the entire system deserved new scrutiny. "I feel like schools are being run like a government agency, and they need to be run more like the private sector," said Puig,….. "Continuing to raise taxes is not going to be the solution."

("Schools brace for austere new era - Widespread cuts, layoffs are expected, along with tax hikes in many districts," Philadelphia Inquirer, May 15, 2011 Author: Dan Hardy and John P. Martin)
________________

Ana Puig gained prominence in the past two years through a Bucks County Tea Party group she helps lead. Corbett appointed Puig, a Brazilian-born naturalized citizen, as a member of his education committee

Later

Puig, a mother of four, was chosen for the committee because of her advocacy for home schooling, Harley said.

A co-chairwoman of the group Kitchen Table Patriots, she has spoken at several national and local Tea Party events. ("Transition team member irks Dems," Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (PA)-December 2, 2010 Author: Mike Wereschagin)

Does it matter if the papers mention if activists were volunteer or paid or paid by a local organization or a national organization? The KTP website doesn't say anything about national support, and there is a donation button. Of course, a lot of local groups get some support from larger groups. It is also hard to tell when or definitively if the women were hired by FreedomWorks.

For me, though, the fact that some papers said the women were employed by FreedomWorks and others published their opinions or wrote about them just as grassroots activists presents two different views of their work. I would want to know if it was a paid job or volunteer work. I also wonder why some papers reported it one way and others another. Other people may feel it is not an important distinction.