Another major blow to Obamacare. A federal judge in Florida rules the Obama Administration cannot force U.S. citizens to buy health insurance, thus, "The entire act must be declared void."

2nd federal judge rules Obamacare unconstitutional | The Daily Caller

National School Choice Week Captivates Nation; Advocates Say Push for Educational Options Will Accelerate in Coming Weeks, Months

Republicans had a great election in November 2010, picking up a solid majority in the House, 6 more Senate seats and the majority of governorships and state legislatures. Michael Barone says 2012 could be even better as voters reject Obama and the far left.

Politics by the Numbers: Good Omens for the GOP in 2012

Nearly 7 in 10 Americans say they want a smaller federal government and reduced taxes. They sent that message to Obama and the Democrats in November 2010, but it hasn't sunk in yet. Just wait until 2012.

America's Best Days

Lawrence Kudlow: Christie Showing Washington How to Get It Done

You want privacy? Stay off Facebook!

Facebook adds controversial new feature - pottsmerc.com

Outrage After Mother Sentenced to Prison for Sending Her Children to Better Public School

If you're wondering whatever happened to Abe Vigoda, he might be serving in the Pennsylvania Legislature.

Take a look at this humorous slide show of celebrity look-alikes and Pennsylvania politicians.

PoliticsPA's Celebrity Look-Alikes

What I know about Larry Medaglia Jr., the Republican candidate in the special election for the 11th state Senate seat in Berks County: The Berks County Register of Wills office is more efficient thanks to reforms Medaglia has instituted, saving taxpayers money.

What I know about Judy Schwank, the Democratic candidate: When she was chairwoman of the Berks County Commissioners four years ago, she was the deciding vote for a 34% property tax hike for Berks County homeowners and businesses.

The race is basically a fiscal conservative vs. a tax-and-spend liberal.

The election to fill the unexpired term of the late Sen. Mike O'Pake will be held Tuesday, March 15.

Schwank Vs. Medaglia in special election - Boyertown Area Times - Berks-Mont News

50% Now Oppose President's New Spending Proposals

Sarah Palin Headlines Reagan 100 Celebration - HUMAN EVENTS

Does this come as a surprise to anyone?

Ground Zero Mosque's New Imam has Radical Ties - HUMAN EVENTS

From a new report by Pew Research Center:

The world's Muslim population is expected to increase by about 35% in the next 20 years, rising from 1.6 billion in 2010 to 2.2 billion by 2030, according to new population projections by the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life. Globally, the Muslim population is forecast to grow at about twice the rate of the non-Muslim population over the next two decades.

Read the full report here.

CongressVotes - Bringing Capitol Hill to Your iPhone & iPod touch

Obama's State of the Union Talks New Jobs While Policies Destroy Them, says FACES of Coal

NATIONAL REPORT HIGHLIGHTS FORGOTTEN VICTIMS OF TEEN DRIVER CRASHES: "NATIONAL REPORT HIGHLIGHTS FORGOTTEN VICTIMS OF TEEN DRIVER CRASHES Nearly 30 percent who die in these crashes were not in teen's car"

Auditor General Jack Wagner Says Pa. Needs Sentencing Reform, Construction Freeze to Shrink Corrections Costs

Toomey Committee Assignments Play to His Strength: Crunching Numbers

Two-Thousand Persons Now Helped Through PA Gaming Control Board's Casino Self-Exclusion List

StinkyJournalism.org's 2011 Top Ten 'Dubious Polling' Awards

API Response to State of the Union Address: 'The President Can Do More to Create Jobs'

Revere America Files Brief Attacking Health Law's Requirement to Buy Unwanted Insurance

Richard Viguerie Criticizes Both President Obama and Congressional Republicans for Failure to Propose Serious Cuts in Spending

FRC: President Obama's State of the Union Address Leaves the Family Behind

U.S. Chamber Pledges to Help Pass Medical Malpractice Reform this Year

Queen Nancy took taxpayers for a ride during her reign as Speaker.

Judicial Watch Uncovers New Documents Detailing Pelosi's Use of Air Force Aircraft in 2010

This Way Down: CED Releases Budget Debt Crisis Report

President Peddles Amnesty Yet Again in Second State of the Union, says FAIR

From an editorial in The Mercury:

Safe driving standards and more restrictive teen driving laws have been adopted in neighboring states of New Jersey, New York, Delaware and Maryland.

Pennsylvania has gotten failing grades on many fronts recently, and new Gov. Tom Corbett says he intends to change some of that.

This fix is simple. It doesn't cost anything except leadership to enact safe driving laws.

Pennsylvanians deserve better than laws that fail.

Read the full editorial at the link below:

Failing grade is embarrassment to Pa. lawmakers - pottsmerc.com

Obama Fails to Address Inflation in State of the Union

My State Of The Union Address - HUMAN EVENTS

GOP Senators Find Little to Like in Obama's Speech - HUMAN EVENTS

Columnist: The Gasoline Dog That Isn't Barking - HUMAN EVENTS

WhatsWhat.me (Beta) Launches Safe, Secure, 'Kids-only' Social Network for 'Tweens'

2010: Treasurer McCord Announces Record-Breaking Year for College Savings in Pennsylvania

Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety has released its annual report card grading states for safe driving laws. Pennsylvania is one of 7 states to receive a failing grade.

Pa. gets 'F' grade for driving laws - pottsmerc.com

Pennsylvania's new Republican governor today released a detailed blueprint for reforming Pennsylvania government, or in other words, it's a road map on how to undo the damage Ed Rendell did over the past eight years.

Governor Corbett Announces His Reform Plan for a More Efficient and Responsible Pennsylvania Government

Judicial Watch Details Ambitious Investigative Agenda for 112th Congress

United States Mint, National Park Service to Launch Gettysburg National Military Park Quarter January 25

Liberal Group's Name-Calling Thwarts Real Immigration Reform

American Red Cross Issues National Appeal For Blood

Game Commission Offers 'Seedlings for Schools' Program

Another look inside Obama's America ... and it's not a pretty picture.

One in Six Seniors Lives in Poverty, New Analysis Finds

Where does your state rank on The Moocher Index?

The Moocher Index

Corbett Administration Takes Steps to Expand PA Fair Care

Berks County Register of Wills Larry J. Medaglia Jr. is the Republican choice to run for the unexpired state Senate term of the late Sen. Mike O'Pake.

The special election is scheduled for March 15 and should be the best chance Republicans have of taking the seat held by O'Pake for nearly 40 years.

Medaglia, of West Reading, faces former county commissioner Judith A. Schwank, who is the Democratic Party's pick.

While well-known, Schwank does have one big drawback. She voted to raise county property taxes by 30 percent when she served as a commissioner, something Berks County residents won't soon forget.

Berks Republicans tab Medaglia for O'Pake seat - pottsmerc.com

Vanity, thy name is Barack Obama.

Would it surprise anyone that the most vain man to ever occupy the White House would dye his hair?

Breaking News: Obama Might Dye His Hair - The Feed - National Review Online

Was it the low ratings or his incredibly embarrassing comments after the Arizona shootings that finally did in the smug liberal loudmouth?

Video: Keith Olbermann Signs Off - By Greg Pollowitz - Media Blog - National Review Online

Don't be surprised if Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan is on the 2012 Republican presidential ticket.

Rep. Paul Ryan to deliver Republican response to Obama's State of the Union address | The Daily Caller

From The Christian Science Monitor:

Gas prices are 14 percent higher than a year ago, though US demand has risen only 0.7 percent. So what – or who – is driving up prices? The Heritage Foundation points a finger at Obama's environmental policies.

Gas prices rise: Is Obama to blame?

Charles Krauthammer: Why Everything Starts With Repeal - HUMAN EVENTS

Congested Roads Hitting Americans In the Pocketbook

Repeat Offender First to Receive Jail Sentence Under New Poaching Penalties

The horror stories coming out of Philadelphia are just the tip of the iceberg, as the abortion-on-demand industry continues to thrive with taxpayer funding, argues columnist Michelle Malkin.

The Philadelphia Horror - Michelle Malkin - National Review Online

Just the thought of Ed Rendell leaving the governor's mansion after eight disastrous years was enough to prompt Pennsylvania employers to start hiring.

The unemployment rate for Pennsylvania dropped to 8.5 percent in December, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry.

Pennsylvania's Employment Situation: December 2010

The far left continues to suffer from Palin Derangement Syndrome.

Why Sarah Palin Drives Them Wild - HUMAN EVENTS

Turkey has desecrated hundreds of Christian churches and monastaries since it invaded Cyprus in 1974.

Cyprus Church thanks Boy George for icon's return | The Daily Caller - Breaking News, Opinion, Research, and Entertainment

What's worse than a shellacking? Democrats just might find out in 2012 when they lose the Senate and the White House.

Bad news Democrats _ 2012 could be worse than 2010 | The Daily Caller - Breaking News, Opinion, Research, and Entertainment

An honest mistake or is The Associated Press pushing a liberal agenda?

AP Erroneously Reports that 'Opposition' to Obamacare is Easing | The Weekly Standard

CNN, Quinnipiac, Gallup, and Rasmussen Agree: Americans Want Repeal | The Weekly Standard

George F. Will recaps the disastrous tenure of Larry Summers as Obama's chief economic advisor. Summers is finally gone, but Obama continues to destroy U.S. jobs through his economic policies.

The blinders of hubris - pottsmerc.com

Valued Opinions Online Survey Shows Concern Over Internet Security

Amazing how liberals, led by Barack Obama and Hilary Clinton, remain silent today on China's horrible human rights record.

Mum's The Word On Human Rights Talk While Hu's In Town - HUMAN EVENTS

Revere America Urges Congress to Repeal Health Care Law

ACLJ: More Than 70,000 Americans Urge Congress to Appeal ObamaCare

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett Delivers Inaugural Address

After eight disastrous years under Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell, Pennsylvania is is serious trouble.

But there is hope. Rendell is gone. Republican Tom Corbett will be sworn in today as the state's new governor.

With so many problems facing Gov. Corbett, where to begin?

The Commonwealth Foundation, an independent, non-partisan, free-market public policy think tank, has come up with a road map to help rebuild Pennsylvania's economic vitality, offering 80 concrete recommendations to make needed reforms to various state programs and agencies.

From the introduction to the report:

Pennsylvania's newly-elected governor and the 2011-12 General Assembly will face a host of challenges created by the previous governor bent on a tax-borrow-spend-and-control mentality that has driven the commonwealth into a potential $5 billion budget deficit. These fiscal challenges also include an education system with a wide achievement gap for students and parents demanding more options for their children, a recession that has led to the highest unemployment rate in 30 years, a public that has lost faith in its leaders and economic growth that has trailed the rest of the nation for decades.

Pennsylvania must undergo a rapid transformation to reverse the poor policy decisions that have eroded economic freedoms and brought the state to its present condition. To provide a road map for success in this critical endeavor, the Commonwealth Foundation has compiled a list of 80 policy recommendations for Gov. Corbett and state legislators to help lead a Pennsylvania comeback.

You can download the full 12-page "80 Ideas for a Prosperous Pennsylvania" report here.

Ahead: Speech Codes, Gun Bans And Obstructionism - HUMAN EVENTS

House GOP Gives Obama An Ultimatum On Debt Ceiling - HUMAN EVENTS

As we count down the hours to the end of the Rendell Administration, columnist Brad Bumsted offers up a collection of some of the dumbest things Fast Eddie said during his tenure as Pennsylvania governor.

Check out his latest column, "Eddie's greatest hits," at The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review website.

Sen. Barack Obama on the Senate floor in 2006:

"The fact that we are here today to debate raising America's debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. It is a sign that the U.S. government can't pay its own bills. It is a sign that we now depend on ongoing financial assistance from foreign countries to finance the government's reckless fiscal policies."

President Barack Obama, after running up the national debt by more than $3 trillion in just two years to a record $14 trillion, now wants Congress to raise the debt ceiling limit ... so he can keep spending money we don't have.

And has anyone in the mainstream media pointed out Obama's hypocrisy? Nope. They're too busy trying to blame Sarah Palin for something ... anything.

With the end of one-party rule, look for the return of accountability and transparency to Washington, D.C., as House Republicans shine some light on Obama's policies.

Top 10 Obama Administration Investigation Targets - HUMAN EVENTS

Laura Vecsey of The Harrisburg Patriot-News, notes that Tom Corbett, the Anti-Rendell, is about to be sworn in as Pennsylvania's next governor. Not a moment too soon.

Check out her column, "Tom Corbett to usher in striking changes as Pennsylvania's governor," here.

Columnist Chris Freind argues Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. has the makings of a Republican.

Martin Luther King: A True Republican

Barack Obama has already broken dozens of campaign promises. Will one more make a difference?

Liberals warn of Democratic schism if Obama backs Social Security cut - TheHill.com

How Priebus Won RNC Chairmanship

Pennsylvanians Choose Delaware as 2011 River of the Year

Constitutional scholar Nat Hentoff is worried about Barack Obama's latest breach of the U.S. Constitution, but the state-run media has ignored the story once again, so don't worry about it - until the day comes when Obama kicks in your front door and hauls you away to prison without due process. Then you should worry about it.

Welcome to Obama's private prison? - pottsmerc.com

EPA's Assault on U.S. Economy Continues

Revenue Department Updates Online List of State Tax Liens

With just four days left as governor, Ed Rendell has asked the Pennsylvania Legislature to take a look at the state's ineffective death penalty law.

Rendell has signed 119 death warrants since 2002, but not a single person has been executed in Pennsylvania during his tenure as governor.

If the Legislature can't fix the law, Rendell suggests eliminating it entirely.

Governor Rendell Urges General Assembly to Review Effectiveness of Pennsylvania's Death Penalty

Number of execution warrants signed by Gov. Ed Rendell during his two terms of office - 119. Number of death row inmates executed during Rendell's two terms in office - 0.

Governor Rendell Signs Six Execution Warrants

An overwhelming number of Americans want to see an overhaul of Obamacare, according to a new poll.

75% Want Health Care Law Changed

Top 5 Absurd Responses To The Palin Video - HUMAN EVENTS

House to hold delayed vote on healthcare repeal next week - The Hill's Healthwatch

This may be the first time the ACLU has gotten something right.

ACLU: Lawmakers can’t outlaw incendiary political speech - The Hill's Floor Action

Once again, more people moved out of Pennsylvania than moved in, according to the 2010 United Van Lines Migration Study.

The company has been tracking state-by-state migration patterns for the past 34 years.

Pennsylvania, with high property taxes and a poor business climate, is one of nine states designated with the "High Outbound" label.

Neighboring New Jersey, home of the highest property taxes in the nation, topped the annual survey.

The District of Columbia was the top destination in the United States for the third consecutive year, the survey says. (Must be all those government workers Obama has hired.) Among states, Oregon and North Carolina were listed as "High Inbound" on the survey.

From the United Van Lines survey:

New Jersey (62.5%) claimed the top spot on the high-outbound traffic list. Also in the North East, New Hampshire (55.6%) had the seventh highest out-bound traffic.

The Great Lake region continued to have the highest out-bound traffic levels in the nation, with four of the region’s states experiencing high outbound traffic. Michigan (62%), which was the top outbound state from 2006-2009, fell to No. 2 in 2010. Illinois (57.3%), Ohio (55.6%) and Pennsylvania (55.4%) also experienced high out-bound traffic.

Missouri (60.1%) ranks No. 3 among states with high outbound traffic. 2010 is the first year since 2002 Missouri has not appeared in the balanced category. North Dakota (60.8%) and Kansas (56.6%) also experienced high-outbound traffic in 2010.

Check out the full survey at United Van Lines' website. Also check out what Stateline.org had to say about the survey here.

Pennsylvania Gov.-elect Tom Corbett announced Wednesday his general counsel will be Stephen S. Aichele, chairman and past managing partner of the Philadelphia law firm Saul Ewing.

The nomination of Stephen Aichele means Pennsylvania will soon be employing two members of the Aichele family, prominent Republicans from Chester County.

On Monday, Corbett selected Aichele's wife, Carol, a Chester County commissioner, as his choice for Pennsylvania's Secretary of the Commonwealth.

Pennsylvania cabinet members earn $142,310 a year.

The state's Office of General Counsel, which Stephen Aichele will oversee, is the largest of the state's legal enterprises, employing approximately 500 attorneys who represent the governor and 32 executive and independent agencies, according to reporter Michael P. Rellahan.

Secretary of the Commonwealth, which Carol Aichele will supervise, is responsible for overseeing the state's election system and monitoring 800,000 licensed business and health professionals.

Read more about the Aicheles going to Harrisburg in The Mercury.

Liberals have a long history of inciting and participating in political violence.

The Left's History Of Violence - HUMAN EVENTS

News Item: Snow is on the ground in 49 of the 50 states today.

George F. Will exposes the political opportunists on the far left who attempted to use the Arizona shooting tragedy to promote their own agendas.

From his latest column:

Three days before Tucson, Howard Dean explained that the tea party movement is "the last gasp of the generation that has trouble with diversity." Rising to the challenge of lowering his reputation and the tone of public discourse, Dean smeared tea partiers as racists: They oppose Obama's agenda, Obama is African-American, ergo ...

Let us hope that Dean is the last gasp of the generation of liberals whose default position in any argument is to indict opponents as racists. This McCarthyism of the left — devoid of intellectual content, unsupported by data — is a mental tic, not an idea but a tactic for avoiding engagement with ideas. It expresses limitless contempt for the American people, who have reciprocated by reducing liberalism to its current characteristics of electoral weakness and bad sociology.

Read the full column at the link below:

The charlatan's response to the Arizona tragedy - pottsmerc.com

Pennsylvania Auditor General Jack Wagner Says State Contracting Reform Could Save Millions of Dollars

Sarah Palin: "America's Enduring Strength" from Sarah Palin on Vimeo.

The list could include 200 people, but columnist John Hawkins has come up with the 20 most annoying liberals of 2010.

Making the list are such left-wing luminaries as Joe Biden, Michael Bloomberg, Joy Behar, Chris Matthews, Meghan McCain, Keith Olbermann, Helen Thomas, Barney Frank and Nancy Pelosi.

And it isn't hard to guess who made it to the No. 1 spot as the most annoying liberal.

Check out the full list at townhall.com

Majority of States Receive Below Average Grades on Education Reform Laws

Rendell blames '60 Minutes' for tirade | The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, PA

The lesson of how Obamacare was passed, according to columnist Byron York, is: "Given a brief window of opportunity, a determined group of lawmakers can do damage that might take years to undo."

Byron York: Obamacare mess is legacy of Democrats' brief moment of power - pottsmerc.com

Limbaugh Blasts Media Response to Giffords Shooting, Warns of Regulations on Political Speech

The Arizona Tragedy and Mental Health Care

FRC: Increase in Abortion Rate Underscores Need to Get U.S. Taxpayers Out of Abortion Business, Enact Pro-Life Protections

It appears the American people are not as dumb as the far left would have you believe.

CBS Poll: American Public Not Buying Democrat, Media Spin on Arizona Shooting

Auditor General Jack Wagner Offers Property Tax Relief Assistance for Pennsylvania Homeowners

Left Has A Fingerpointing Field Day After Arizona Shootings - HUMAN EVENTS

From a terrific editorial in The Wall Street Journal about the liberal media's reprehensible attempts to link a crazed gunman with the conservative movement.

From the editorial:

On all available evidence, Jared Lee Loughner is a mentally disturbed man who targeted Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and anyone near her in Tucson on Saturday because she was prominent and they were tragically accessible. He joins Sirhan Sirhan, John Hinckley Jr. and many others whose derangement led them to horrible acts of violence. Whatever confused political motives he expressed seem merely to be part of the maelstrom of his mental sickness.

In a better world, no one would attempt to exploit his madness for political gain. We would instead focus on the contributions of Ms. Giffords, by all accounts a laudable public servant. We would celebrate the lives of the other victims, and we would praise the survivors who intervened to tackle Mr. Loughner and disarm him before he could kill others—like 74-year-old retiree Bill Badger, who was grazed in the head by a bullet before helping to restrain the shooter.

But the shooting news had barely hit the wires on Saturday before the media's instant psychoanalysis put the American body politic on the couch instead of Mr. Loughner. "Bloodshed Puts New Focus on Vitriol in Politics," declared a story in the New York Times, which focused primarily on the tea party and Sarah Palin in the context of mass murder. The story even hauled in opposition to health-care reform.

Read the full editorial at the newspaper's website.

CCRKBA Deplores Arizona Shooting, Subsequent Exploitation

Governor Rendell Orders Flags Statewide to Fly at Half-Staff in Honor of Arizona Shooting Victims

Glenn Reynolds, writing in The Wall Street Journal, points out the outrageous behavior of the mainstream media following Saturday's tragic shootings in Arizona.

"Those who purport to care about the tenor of political discourse don't help civil debate when they seize on any pretext to call their political opponents accomplices to murder," Reynolds writes.

Read the full column at newspaper's website.

Good editorial in The Delaware County Daily Times about what happens with the mainstream media starts speculating before it has any facts.

Editorial: Quick judgments made in wake of shooting - delcotimes.com

State Rep. Kate Harper of Lower Gwynedd announced over the weekend she will seek the Republican endorsement for Montgomery County Commissioner.

Harper, a lifelong Montgomery County resident, is a member of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, representing the 61st House District.

It comes down to a numbers game for Harper. She is currently one of 203 House members in Harrisburg and although Republicans will hold the majority in the House over the next two years, Harper is not part of the GOP leadership.

Montgomery County has just three elected commissioners running one of the largest government operations in the state.

From a press release announcing her candidacy:

"These are challenging times and we need to search for creative solutions as we meet the challenges Montgomery County is facing in the coming years," Harper said. "I believe that as state representative I have demonstrated that I can build a consensus for even the thorniest issues and move forward - and I will bring that experience with me to the courthouse and work as team with whomever the taxpayers pick to manage Montgomery County.

Harper has an impressive resume.

Her political and professional experience includes 13 years as a Lower Gwynedd Township supervisor and six years on the Montgomery County Planning Commission.

She is a partner in the Fort Washington-based law firm Timoney Knox, LLP with a practice focusing on municipal law, real estate and civil litigation. She has also served as solicitor or special counsel to numerous municipal bodies throughout Montgomery County.

And then there's her 10 years of service in the Pennsylvania Legislature.

"Serving in the House of Representatives has been one of the best experiences of my life and I believe I can accomplish even more for the taxpayers in the role of county commissioner," said Harper. "But Montgomery County, like the rest of the Commonwealth, is facing unprecedented tough times and we need a common sense approach to getting back on track. And that means new leadership."

Three other Republicans - former Lower Merion School Board member Jill Govberg, Lower Merion Township Supervisor Jenny Brown and Montgomery County Jury Commissioner Marie N. Cavanaugh - have already announced their candidacy for Montgomery County commissioner.

And incumbent Republican Commissioner Bruce L. Castor Jr. is expected to announced plans for re-election soon.

Investor's Business Daily questions the Obama Administration's assessment of the nation's job picture. The reason the unemployment rate went down slightly in December is that more people have given up looking for work, the newspaper says.

Spinning The Data - Investors.com

While 19 courageous Democrats rejected Nancy Pelosi's bid for another term as Speaker of the House, 173 other Democrats backed Pelosi despite the damage she has done to her party and to the nation. Investor's Business Daily has some thoughts about the lemming Democrats left in the House in a new editorial.

173 Extremists - Investors.com

From an editorial in Investor's Business Daily:

Oil prices are surging to levels that will soon crimp economic growth. And what's our government doing about it? Just making it worse.

Obama' Oil War - Investors.com

PennDOT Announces $24.7 Million for Smart Transportation Projects in 41 Communities

It took five years to sink into his thick skull, but lame-duck Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell has finally admitted he screwed up in supporting the infamous middle-of-the-night pay raise for lawmakers and other politicians in 2005.

From a story by Brad Bumsted in The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:

Gov. Ed Rendell said today his one regret during his eight-year tenure was that he agreed to sign the 2005 legislative pay raise, which hiked lawmakers' pay by 16 to 34 percent.

He said he agreed to sign it after opposing it a year before because he was told by legislative leaders he'd get nothing on his agenda approved during his remaining years in office.

"The pay raise and the way it was structured was untenable," Rendell said at a news conference to talk about his tenure as governor. He leaves office Jan. 18 when Republican Gov.-elect Tom Corbett is sworn in. Rendell was elected in 2002 and re-elected in 2006.

Most of the legislative leaders who hatched the pay raise scheme have been ousted or forced into early retirement in the past five years. The list includes John Perzel, Chip Brightbill, Robert Jubelirer, Mike Veon and Vince Fumo.

Also gone is former Pennsylvania Supreme Court Chief Justice Ralph Cappy, who also pushed for the pay raise. Cappy retired in 2007 instead of facing the voters in a retention election. The only person who escaped the wrath of voters was "Teflon" Ed Rendell.

Read the full story, "Rendell: Pay raise for lawmakers was bad idea," at the newspaper's website.

An independent report commissioned by National Public Radio (NPR) found all sorts of problems with how the radio network - funded by taxpayers - is run. The firing of commentator Juan Williams for expressing his views blew the lid on NPR. It's time to stop government funding altogether.

Exec Who Fired Juan Williams Resigns Under Pressure

From Terence Jeffrey, writing at CNSNews.com on the disastrous four-year tenure of Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House:

In the 1,461 days that Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D.-Calif.) served as speaker of the House, the national debt increased by a total of $5.343 trillion ($5,343,452,800,321.37) or $3.66 billion per day ($3.657,394,113.84), according to official debt numbers published by the U.S. Treasury.

Pelosi was the 52nd speaker of the House. During her tenure, she amassed more debt than the first 49 speakers combined.

The total national debt did not climb above $5.343 trillion (the amount amassed during Pelosi’s four years as speaker) until Feb. 26, 1997, when Rep. Newt Gingrich (R.-Ga.) was serving as the nation’s 50th House speaker.

Final Tab for Pelosi's Speakership: $5.34 Trillion in New Debt — Or $3.66 Billion Per Day | CNSnews.com

Did you notice that most Democrats boycotted the House floor today as Republicans read the U.S. Constitution aloud?

American Legion Applauds House's Constitutional Reading

'Commonwealth Commons' to Help PA Farm Show Visitors Connect with Programs, Services

U.S. Census Bureau Reports State Government Revenues Decline Nearly 31 Percent

Pennsylvania Gaming Board Defies Court, Wastes Taxpayer Money to Keep McCord Out of its Closed-Door Meetings

Governor Rendell Announces Appointments

Christianity Under Siege in the Muslim World

FRC Calls Mt. Soledad Cross Ruling an Affront to Religious Liberty, American Tradition

ElectionDayTeaParty.com Congratulates Congressional Freshman

With 253 elected members and a staff of nearly 3,000, the Pennsylvania Legislature is one of the most expensive in the country, costing taxpayers more than $300 million a year?

Will the new Republican majority deliver on its promise to cut costs for reducing the size of the Legislature?

$4 billion question: Will new members reduce Legislature? - pottsmerc.com

Did you notice the sun was shining brighter today? The air seems to be fresher. There's a renewed sense of optimism in the country. It's morning in America again as the Pelosi-era in Congress has ended.

Boehner Takes Control With ObamaCare Repeal - HUMAN EVENTS

John Hayward listened to Nancy Pelosi's farewell press conference as Speaker and is beginning to wonder if the woman is playing with a full deck.

Nancy Pelosi Might Just Be Insane - HUMAN EVENTS

Auditor General Jack Wagner Officially Notifies LCB of Intent to Audit Performance of Malfunctioning Wine Kiosks

The Obama Ministry of Propaganda is working overtime to control information the American public receives on its socialist agenda.

HHS is Paying Google with Taxpayer Money to Alter 'Obamacare' Search Results (Updated) | The Weekly Standard

Today is Nancy Pelosi's last day as Speaker of the House. January 4 should be declared a national holiday. Queen Nancy's reign has been marked by corruption, mismanagement and incompetence and parallels the start of the worst recession in U.S. history.

Good riddance.

Heading into the minority, Pelosi abandons '@Speaker' Twitter handle - The Hill's Twitter Room

Rising gas prices are the direct result of Barack Obama's failed energy polices of the past two years.

The Top 5 Things Obama Has Done to Raise Gas Prices

From Gary Bauer:

Christian persecution has been on the rise for years, but it seemed to reach a new level of intensity in 2010. In fact, it's not an exaggeration to suggest that Christians in countries such as Iraq, Lebanon and Egypt now confront the prospect of extinction at the hands of radical Islam.

The Greatest Story Never Told - HUMAN EVENTS

Ads Issue Warning to Freshmen Lawmakers

I welcome a government shutdown. It might be the only way to force Barack Obama and Congressional Democrats to stop spending money they don't have. The national debt has topped $14 trillion under Obama.

Sen. Jim DeMint On A Government Shutdown: Bring It - HUMAN EVENTS

NIA's Top 10 Economic Predictions for 2011

You may not have noticed it during the busy holiday rush, but the U.S. national debt has topped $14 trillion under Barack Obama.

It now stands at $14,003,283,000 - and rising by the second. Broken down by population, every man, woman and child in the United States owes $45,000.

The interest alone on the national debt has now topped $3.5 trillion.

Barack Obama and Congressional Democrats have increased the national debt by more than $3 trillion in just two years.

The debt was $10.6 trillion when Obama took office in January 2009.

And for the Kool-Aid drinkers out there who can't accept the fact that Obama has plunged the nation into uncharted debt territory, consider that it took George W. Bush eight full years to increase the debt by $4.9 trillion.

Left unchecked, Obama is on pace to push the debt to $16.5 trillion in 2012 (his last year in office) or $6 trillion more than the day he was sworn in.

If you can stomach it, follow the real-time debt at http://www.usdebtclock.org/

House Republicans schedule vote on healthcare repeal for next week - The Hill's Healthwatch

Senator Jim DeMint: Conservative Of The Year - HUMAN EVENTS

11 Killed, 220 Injured in New Year's Holiday Crashes Investigated by Pennsylvania State Police

Pennsylvania Unveils New Website to Help People with Gambling Problems

The gift that keeps on giving.

Annual Pennsylvania Turnpike toll increases are the result of Act 44 of 2007, signed into law by none other than Gov. Ed Rendell.

From The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission reminds travelers that tolls will go up on the state's toll roads at 12:01 a.m. Sunday; officials encourage motorists to take advantage of E-ZPass incentives that, for the first time, will represent a sizeable difference compared to cash rates.

Read the full story at the newspaper's website.

Kenneth Hanner recaps the many successes of the conservative movement in 2010.

Top 10 Conservative Successes In 2010 - HUMAN EVENTS

Happy New Year to all!

The best part of 2011 so far? Most of us survived the first two years of the Obama Regime.

Only two more years to go until we can rid ourselves of the Obama nightmare.