Top 10 Lowlights of 2011 - HUMAN EVENTS

I disagree with The Associated Press' selection of the killing of Osama bin Laden as the top news story of 2011.

It happened 10 years after 9/11 and bin Laden was no longer directing terrorist operations.

The bigger story was the devastating earthquake/tsunami/nuclear meltdown that hit Japan.

A natural disaster that left 20,000 people dead and caused $200 billion in damage - not to mention the long-term threat from the radiation release - is much more significant.

I think liberal media bias played a role in the selection of the bin Laden story. The Obama-loving media wants to prop up their man as some sort of super-warrior who finally got the 9/11 mastermind. I don't think it was the top story of the year.

If you want more evidence of liberal bias, check out what the AP says about the U.S. economy, which has been on life-support since Obama took over: "By some measures, the U.S. economy gained strength as the year progressed."

Not sure what planet these AP voters are living on.

The only people doing well are Barack Obama and the Wall Street types who are bankrolling him.

AP vote on Top Ten News Stories of 2011 - pottsmerc.com

NEWS ITEM: More than 250 members of Congress are millionaires.

This is no longer your grandma's definition of poverty.

Editorial: Feds have a poor way of defining poverty - delcotimes.com

HUMAN EVENTS Conservative of the Year: Rep. Paul Ryan - HUMAN EVENTS

Jobs Jobs Jobs

You'll get no argument here about the need for a part-time Congress. Look at all the damage a full-time Congress has done to the U.S.

2011 was a busy year for state Senate - pottsmerc.com

Rasmussen Poll: Romney 45, Obama 39 - HUMAN EVENTS

Put a Cork in the Real Cost of a DUI

Census Bureau Projects U.S. Population of 312.8 Million on New Year's Day

While serious crime has decreased in recent years, there is one disturbing area where it has increased. Across the nation, 173 officers died in the line of duty this year, up 13 percent from 153 the year before, according to numbers compiled by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.

2011 one of deadliest years for law enforcement officers - pottsmerc.com

After adding $4 trillion to the national debt in just 3 years, the Obama Administration is running out of money to spend.

From an editorial in The Christian Science Monitor:

The Obama Justice Department quietly issued a legal opinion – just before a long Christmas weekend – that allows states to set up nonsports Internet gambling. The opinion upends decades of contrary decisions, but its real effect will be on the poor (and young) who suffer the most from gambling.

Read the full editorial at the link below:

Editorial: Obama's new tax on the poor: Internet gambling by states

State Parks Marking New Year with 'First Day Hikes' Across Pennsylvania

Has this ever happened to you? I woke up one day last week and found myself in a new Congressional district. That's the result of Pennsylvania lawmakers redrawing the political boundaries in place for the past 10 years. I give up Rep. Jim Gerlach after a decade and now have to get used to Rep. Joe Pitts.

So long Jim Gerlach, hello Joe Pitts - pottsmerc.com

Americans Deserve the Best: Top Ten Republican Candidates for President in a Brokered Convention

Amazing how much we know about the Republican presidential candidaters, but we still know so little about Barack Obama's past.

Gingrich Divorce Papers Magically Appear In Media Hands - HUMAN EVENTS

Bias: Media Excoriates GOP Over Wealth, Silent On Obama's Tone Deafness

The (surprisingly upbeat) state of the world

After eight years of uncontrolled growth under Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell, Pennsylvania is finally getting control of welfare spending, which now exceeds spending on public education.

Pa. making needed welfare reforms - pottsmerc.com

2011 politics tested Pa. GOP leaders, court - Lebanon Daily News

U.S. District Court Rules Iran Behind 9/11 Attacks

More than 600 children in the Pottstown area enjoyed a brighter Christmas thanks to The Mercury's Operation Holiday appeal, which was funded by $50,000 in contributions from Mercury readers.

Operation Holiday delivers to 237 families (video) - pottsmerc.com

Columnist Gil Spencer takes a poetic look at Pennsylvania's government liquor monopoly.

Season's greetings to H-burg lobsters - pottsmerc.com

Joint weekly message has the Obama couple praising the troops and appealing for the poor ... from a multi-million beach vacation house in Hawaii - by Andrew Malcolm - Investors.com

Alicia Colon: What is So Darn Scary About Christmas?

No Room At The Inn; Christianity Dies in Iraq, Afghanistan - Investors.com

Christmas in Church - HUMAN EVENTS

Calvin Coolidge's Christmas Message 1927 - HUMAN EVENTS

Cultural Winners and Losers, 2011 - HUMAN EVENTS

Editorial: Pennsylvania open records office needs adequate funding - pottsmerc.com

Rep. Joe Walsh: What Are We Truly Celebrating at Christmas? - HUMAN EVENTS

More than 1.7 million voters have left the Democratic Party since Barack Obama was elected president.

Voters are leaving main parties in droves – USATODAY.com

Holiday Cards Reaching Service Members, Veterans, Loved Ones Through Holiday Mail for Heroes from American Red Cross

Cal Thomas: Obama's Counting On Americans' Amnesia About His Record of Failure | NewsBusters.org

Friday Before Christmas, Justice Department Rejects Voter ID

Department of Justice Examines Impact of Bullying in Schools

Capitol Christmas Tree Shows Love for Obama, Not Jesus | NewsBusters.org

New Law Gives Pennsylvania Insurance Department Expanded Rate Authority for Small Employer Health Policies

Pennsylvania Governor Corbett Announces $41.3 Million Federal Education Grant

John Stossel explains how Obamacare has been one of the leading factors in keeping unemployment high in the United States.

Obamacare abominations for business - dailylocal.com

Top 10 Christmas Gifts for Leading Liberals - HUMAN EVENTS

Governor Corbett Signs 10 Bills into Law

The Volt Re-Evaluated: $250,000 Per Car - HUMAN EVENTS

Paul Ryan's Old-Fashioned American Vision - HUMAN EVENTS

Pennsylvania Governor Corbett Signs 13 Bills into Law

Obama Administration's Final Hours-of-Service Rule Puts Safety in the Backseat

The party of the rich?

Barack Obama and the Democratic Party are being bankrolled by Wall Street.

Editorial: Guess which party is pocketing most of Wall Street's money? - pottsmerc.com

Liberals still think Pennsylvania residents don't pay enough taxes, but the state's fiscal woes can be traced to the massive growth in state spending under Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell, who left a $4.2 billion deficit for Republican Gov. Tom Corbett to deal with.

Déjà vu All Over Again: Mid-year Cuts and a Budget Shortfall on Tap for 2012

Global Survey: U.S. Now #1 in Charitable Giving, Rising from Fifth Place

Americans by 2:1 Margin Prefer 'Merry Christmas' to 'Happy Holidays'

New Report: While Banks Make Hundreds of Millions of Dollars Taxpayers Left Holding the Bill in Interest Rate Swaps

Post Offices Open Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve

Romney Versus Gingrich: A Comparison

A scathing editorial in Investor's Business Daily about Attorney General Eric Holder playing the race card:

The attorney general says he and the president get criticized because they're African-American. He once said we need an honest discussion about race. OK, let's talk about him hiding behind his.

Times have changed since the evening of April 7, 1775, when Samuel Johnson said that patriotism was the last refuge of a scoundrel.

In the supposed post-racial era ushered in with the election of President Obama and the appointment of Attorney General Eric Holder, racism has replaced it as the ultimate defense against charges of incompetence and misguided policies.

In an interview with the New York Times published over the weekend, Holder accused those who want to know who authorized the Fast and Furious gun-running operation of being racially motivated.

The 60 congressmen, two senators, two sitting governors, and all the major presidential candidates who have openly called for Holder's resignation are not concerned in his view about how two U.S. agents and hundreds of Mexicans got killed with U.S. guns.

No, according to Holder, they are motivated by the color of Holder's and President Obama's skin.

Read the full editorial at the link below:

Eric Holder Charges Critics Of 'Fast and Furious' Gun-Running With Racism - Investors.com

PennDOT: New Teen Driver Law to Take Effect Dec. 27, not Dec. 24

While most Americans are debating whether Barack Obama is the worst president in the past 100 years, The Chosen One recently told a '60 Minutes' interviewer that he's probably the fourth best president the United States ever had. What an egomaniac.

Read more here: Bloggers Slay Obama Over 4th Best President Boast

Politifact, the non-partisan fact-checking organization, has selected the Democratic Party's scare tactics over Medicare as the biggest political lie of 2011. You would think that people would wise up by now since Democrats have used the same lie in the past.

Politifact Lie of the Year: The Democrat MediScare Campaign - HUMAN EVENTS

NBC To Stream Super Bowl XLVI Live

PennDOT Earns Prestigious National Award for Litter Cleanup Efforts

$15,000 in Fines Levied Against Two Casinos by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board for Regulatory Violations

UNICEF Turns Santa Claus Into Poor-Hating Jerk In Christmas Ad Campaign | NewsBusters.org

Unreported: Full-Time Employment Barely Up Since Recession Ended | NewsBusters.org

Announcing MRC's Best Notable Quotables of 2011: The 24th Annual Awards for the Year's Worst Reporting | NewsBusters.org

Columnist John Hayward: Racial politics and rank incompetence form a nauseating brew.

Eric Holder Plays the Race Card - HUMAN EVENTS

It's clear Obama represents the 1% that liberal are always railing against.

Obama Letter to Wealthy Friends | RNC: Republican National Committee | GOP

A Christmas present to parents of teen drivers across Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania's Stronger Teen Driver Law to Take Effect Dec. 24

Pennsylvania Turnpike to Have Higher Tolls in New Year for Cash Paying Customers

Top 10 Most Memorable Debate Moments - HUMAN EVENTS

Pennsylvania Preservation Board Protects Additional 2,331 Acres of Prime Farmland

Here's are two of the most disturbing aspects of this story:

Former CEO Daniel Mudd collected more than $80 million in his time at Fannie Mae.

Former Freddie Mac CEO Richard Syron reportedly took home over $19 million in cash, stocks, and other executive compensation in 2007.

So many powerful people in Washington - both Democrats and Republicans - get rich at the expense of the U.S. taxpayer. And nothing will change until voters send a clear message by voting out most of the incumbents in Congress.

Ex-Fannie, Freddie execs charged with fraud – USATODAY.com

International Study Confirms Government Spending Crushes the Economy - HUMAN EVENTS

Two-Thirds of Americans in the Swing States Give President Obama Negative Ratings

U.S. Correctional Population Declined For Second Consecutive Year

How can you tell when Obama is lying? His lips are moving.

Obama Caught Lying in 60 Minutes Interview | Red Dog Report

FRC Requests Communications About Walter Reed Bible Ban Under Freedom of Information Act

George F. Will on how Obamacare is one of many job-killing initiatives imposed on U.S. employers by Barack Obama and Congressional Democrats:

According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, by 2008 the cost of federal regulations had reached $1.75 trillion. That was 14 percent of national income unavailable for job-creating investments. And that was more than 11,000 regulations ago.

Read the full column at the link below:

Choking on Obamacare - pottsmerc.com

Pennsylvania Game Commission Applauds Repeal of License Display Requirement

Pa. House Breaks Promise, Fails State's Children

PA State Police Urge Public to Join 'Project Blue Light' to Honor Fallen Officers

The unemployment rate for Pennsylvania was 7.9 percent in November, down from 8.1 percent in October.

Pennsylvania's Employment Situation for November 2011

Pennsylvana Governor Corbett Signs Four Bills into Law

David Legates, professor of climatology at the University of Delaware and associate Delaware state climatologist, told a gathering in Chester County that there is no consensus of human causes behind climate issues and some of the data has been manipulated by proponents of global warming.

"Is our climate changing? Are we to blame? It's changing because it always has changed and should be changing," Legates said.

Tea Party group discusses climate change - dailylocal.com

DEP Announces $1 Million Grant for Electric Car Charging Stations at PA Turnpike Service Plazas

Columnist Brad Bumsted of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review has some advice for Penn State officials:

For once, get ahead of the story and do something right. Even though the university has had special protection from the Legislature and is not subject to the Open Records Law, like the governor, the Department of Education, state-owned universities and the State System of Higher Education, it can release whatever information it wants.

Penn State receives $227.6 million in public subsidies. That's billions of dollars over the years, counting annual appropriations and capital projects money.

In the aftermath of the Jerry Sandusky sexual abuse allegations, numerous news organizations have requested records and contracts showing how much Penn State has spent on legal and public relations consultants.

Read his full column, "Let the sunshine in, PSU" at the newspaper's website.

Governor Corbett Announces $31.5 Million Investment in Recreation, Conservation, Community Revitalization Projects Statewide

Pamela Geller: Harvard Sells Out Free Speech to Islamic Supremacism - HUMAN EVENTS

Should money collected from bridge tolls be used to fund projects that have nothing to do with transportation?

Auditor General Jack Wagner Asks Gov. Corbett To Stop DRPA from Funding Private-Sector Projects

You can help bring a little Christmas cheer to a needy child in the Pottstown area by donating to The Mercury's Operation Holiday program.

Since there are no administrative costs, every penny donated to this charity goes to help the needy.

Operation Holiday needs donations to help 601 children - pottsmerc.com

Leftwing Rabbi: Tebow-mania Will Lead to Mosque Burnings or Something - HUMAN EVENTS

Pick the Worst Liberal Media Bias of 2011 | NewsBusters.org

Those Who Victimize Children Are Usually Not Strangers

Chances for Democrats to regain control of the House or maintain control of the Senate are growing slimmer.

Anger With Congress At '06, '10 Levels - Ronald Brownstein - NationalJournal.com

The Associated Press is trying hard to rewrite history to make Obama's failed presidency look better. It's not working.

In Report on November Deficit, AP's Crutsinger Miscasts Post-9/11 Economy of 'A Decade Ago' | NewsBusters.org

Ditzy Debbie Wasserman Schultz strikes again. I guess those 15 million collecting unemployment benefits are faking it?

DNC Chair Denies Unemployment Has Gone Up Under Obama

Commonwealth Foundation: PA Liquor Bill Won't Help Consumers, Taxpayers

Governor Corbett Announces Confirmations

Pennsylvania Department of State Offers Tips for Smart Charitable Giving at Holidays

Don't you think we could find some non-essential state workers in Pennsylvania to cut before we start talking about reducing the number of state troopers?

State police could lay off 10% of troopers - pottsmerc.com

Governor Corbett Comments on Mumia Abu-Jamal Matter

Governor Corbett Announces Recent Nominations, Appointments

Rep. Mike Coffman, a Republican who represents Colorado's 6th Congressional District, wants the permanent political class in Washington to feel some of the pain of their constituents, who are footing the bills.

Coffman has been serving on Congress since 2009 and obviously hasn't been brainwashed by the political lifers who run Washington.

Rep. Mike Coffman: Time to Kill Congressional Pensions and Cut Pay - HUMAN EVENTS

Top 10 Inconvenient Truths about Global Warming - HUMAN EVENTS

From an excellent op-ed published in the West Chester Daily Local News on the misleading unemployment numbers released by the Obama Administration:

The technical reason the number of unemployed declined is that more than 350,000 people stopped looking for work last week and are no longer being carried on the books. In fact, if the total number of people who have stopped looking for work over the past few years were being counted (either because they are being sustained by endless unemployment insurance benefits or are simply discouraged because the economy IS moribund), the more accurate unemployment figure is closer to 17 percent ... (Table U-6 — Total unemployed, plus all persons marginally attached to the labor force, plus total employed part time for economic reasons, as a percent of the civilian labor force plus all persons marginally attached to the labor force, from Bureau of Labor Statistics).

The jobless rate has now remained above 8 percent since February 2009, the longest stretch since monthly records began in 1948. Additionally, there are still 5.7 million long-term unemployed (jobless for 27 weeks and over), which represents 43 percent of the total unemployed and the average duration of unemployment rose to 40.9 weeks, the highest on record.

Don't be fooled by the latest numbers - dailylocal.com

CCRKBA Hails 11 Co-sponsors of Bill To Halt U.N. Funding

Commonwealth Foundation Calls for PLCB to Stop Wine and Spirits Advertising

Charles Krauthammer: Obama's Campaign for Class Resentment - HUMAN EVENTS

Drunk Driving Fatalities Cut in Half Since MADD's Founding

Dauphin County Poaching Case Involves Record-book Buck

A guest column by Gene Policinski of the First Amendment Center:

Give the First Amendment – and the nation – a unique gift this holiday season: On Dec. 15, "tweet" your support for this 220-year old guarantor of our basic freedoms.

And don't stop there … round out the holidays by making that 140-character pledge the first step in a New Year's commitment to better understand and defend year-round those precious 45 words that define our core freedoms: religion, speech, press, assembly and petition.

What's the reason to make the First Amendment part of the season?

For one thing, Dec. 15 is the 220th anniversary of the ratification of the Bill of Rights, the first 10 amendments to the Constitution, beginning with the First Amendment's protection of freedom of expression and freedom of religion. That's an event deserving in its own right of glitter and tinsel.

More urgently, it's a chance to challenge and maybe change a sad result of national surveys the First Amendment Center has conducted since 1997. In all that time, never more than six percent in any year could name all five freedoms unaided.

We live in times in which the First Amendment never has been more on display – or more contested.

There are the yearly Yule concerns over religious-themed songs and carols at public school holiday pageants, but also the miraculous example to the world of multiple faiths in one nation peaceably observing holy days and holidays alongside one another.

There are Occupy Wall Street demonstrators exercising their rights to speak freely, to assemble and to petition the government for change – in the manner of generations of Americans who have taken to the streets to make their voices heard.

The U.S. Supreme Court soon will decide a dispute over what we can see and hear on broadcast TV. Meanwhile, we’re all "a-Twitter" over how private are our personal facts and messages. And the fight goes on over how public are our public records.

The Internet, e-mail, Facebook and Twitter have brought new concerns about smut, identity theft and hate speech, all while also giving us an unparalleled opportunity to talk with our fellow citizens – provided that government does not get in the way.

Has there ever been a time when all five of our First Amendment freedoms were more in play?

The "Free to Tweet" initiative is an unprecedented, day-long online call to the American public to stand up on Dec. 15 for these fundamental freedoms. High school and college students nationwide, ages 14 to 22, get a bonus for participating: Expressing themselves freely with the hash tag #freetotweet on Twitter will mean an opportunity to win one of 22 scholarships each worth $5,000. (Find more details on the initiative and the competition at www.freetotweet.org).

For more than two centuries, the First Amendment has been protecting our right to speak out. Let's do just that on Dec. 15!

Gene Policinski is senior vice president and executive director of the First Amendment Center, 1207 18th Ave. S., Nashville, Tenn., 37212. Web: www.firstamendmentcenter.org. E-mail: gpolicinski@fac.org

Remember when the Democratic Party used to represent the working man? That was a long time ago, before the party was hijacked by special-interest groups and the radical left.

Michael Barone: Democrats' Strategy Of Class Warfare May Lose Votes Of The White Working Class - Investors.com

Another Day, Another Scandal: Justice Department Must Explain Money-Laundering Scheme - Investors.com

Five Big Lies in Obama's Economic Fairness Speech - Investors.com

What Recovery? Philadelphia-area CEOs and CFOs Say We Are Still in a Recession

A federal judge has ruled that bloggers are not afforded the same protections from defamation and libel lawsuits as professional journalists.

The ruling could have a chilling effect on so-called "citizen journalists" who have launched hundreds of millions of blogs.

The case involved Crystal L. Cox, a Montana blogger who made critical remarks about a local attorney. Hint to bloggers: Accusing a lawyer in public of criminal conduct may not be the smartest thing to do.

From The Associated Press:

U.S. District Judge Marco Hernandez found last week that as a blogger, Cox was not a journalist and cannot claim the protections afforded to mainstream reporters and news outlets.

Although media experts said Wednesday that the ruling would have little effect on the definition of journalism, it casts a shadow on those who work in nontraditional media since it highlights the lack of case law that could protect them and the fact that current state shield laws for journalists are not covering recent developments in online media.

"My advice to bloggers operating in the state of Oregon is lobby to get your shield law improved so bloggers are covered," said Lucy Dalglish, executive director of The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. "But do not expect the shield law to provide you a defense in a libel case where you want to rely on an anonymous source for that information."

Read the full story at the link below:

Federal judge: Montana blogger is not journalist

We now see what decades of secrecy has done to Penn State's reputation and bottom dollar. No institution receiving tax dollars should be exempted from open records - that includes Penn State, that includes the Pennsylvania Legislature.

Penn State's exemption in state law limits probe - Washington Times

Barack Obama has a nice streak going.

Feds run deficit for 38th straight month - Washington Times

New Report: 265 Major, Profitable U.S. Corporations' Tax Avoidance Costs States $42 Billion Over Three Years; Sixty Eight Companies Have at Least One Tax-Free Year

ProEnglish Grades 2012 Presidential Candidates on Official English

Are students safe inside Pennsylvania public schools?

Commonwealth Foundation: One Act of Violence Every 17 Minutes in PA Schools

Montgomery County Commissioner Bruce L. Castor Jr. has had to put up with a great deal of ignominy at the hands of fellow Commissioners Jim Matthews and Joe Hoeffel over the past four years.

Castor was the top vote-getter in the 2007 election and was expecting to play a major role in leading Montgomery County government. Instead, Matthews stabbed Castor (and county taxpayers) in the back by entering into a back-room, power-sharing deal with liberal Democrat Joe Hoeffel.

The Matthews-Hoeffel regime has nearly bankrupted what was once one of the most fiscally-sound counties in Pennsylvania.

The Montgomery County Republican Committee censured Matthews for his betrayal and told him not to bother running for another term because the party would not support him. The Democratic Party also had enough of Hoeffel and told the career politician he would not be endorsed for re-election in 2011.

On Tuesday came the bombshell news that Matthews is facing criminal charges for a variety of alleged improprieties during his tenure as a county commissioner.

From a story by reporter Jenny DeHuff of the Norristown Times Herald

Alleging that Matthews repeatedly lied to jurors "with impunity," District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman unsealed a 69-page grand jury report detailing charges of perjury and giving false statements during a press conference Tuesday morning.

The presentment was the culmination of an 18-month investigation into the inner workings of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners. The allegations are extensive, from no-bid contracts with a Matthews-affiliated title insurance company to allegations surrounding his violations of the state's open meetings laws during repeated breakfast meetings at an East Norriton diner.

Ferman identified five areas outlined in the grand jury report, including the alleged use of campaign funds for personal expenses, the county's competitive (or non-competitive) bidding process, allegations of Sunshine Law violations by two of the county commissioners, matters of expenditures through the county's open space program, and a potential conflict of interest involving Matthews and a company called Certified Abstract, which had been given the county’s contract for title insurance.

So what does Bruce Castor, a former two-term county district attorney, think of all this?

DeHuff contacted the only commissioner who will be returning in January and this is what Castor had to say about Matthews, whom he described as a "very arrogant man" -

"Jim Matthews lied to the voters, to his supporters, to his contributors, to the party – those things don't surprise me, but when he lies to a grand jury, that is a crime. My experience is that perjury cases before a grand jury are almost always successful for prosecutors. I cannot recall a perjury charge in any court that I've ever worked in or around that did not result in a guilty verdict, because it's such a rarely used charge. A prosecutor only uses it when they're sure they're going to win."

It appears Bruce Castor will get the last laugh.

Governor Corbett Announces Confirmations, Nomination

Pennsylvania Governor Corbett Issues Flag Order for Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day

$80,000 Fine Levied by The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board Against Casino for Permitting Underage Gambling

Pennsylvania Department of State Announces Disciplinary Actions Taken Against 155 Licensed, Commissioned Professionals, Organizations

Nothing has gone right for Republican Jim Matthews since he turned his back on voters and made a power-sharing deal with Democrat Joe Hoeffel four years ago.

Matthews' back-room deal led to deficit spending at the hands of Hoeffel, censure for Matthews from the county Republican Committee, which eventually forced Matthews from the GOP ticket.

The Matthews-Hoeffel deal also caused the defeat of the Republican majority on the commissioners' board for the first time in 140 years.

Now Matthews is facing criminal charges.

When you make a deal with the devil ...

Grand Jury: Montco commissioner lied while giving testimony - pottsmerc.com

George F. Will on why the U.S. Postal Service is doomed:

Labor costs are 80 percent of the USPS' costs (53 percent of UPS', 32 percent of FedEx's), in part because it has negotiated very friendly union contracts. The postal service did that because it is free from the tiresome need to make a profit and its competition is limited by law, which forbids anyone else to deliver a letter that is not "urgent."

Mail volume has declined 20 percent in five years and the decline probably will accelerate, in spite of the odd USPS ads seeking customers by saying letters "don't get lost in thin air," and "a refrigerator has never been hacked. An online virus has never attacked a corkboard." Surely privatization beats depending on the USPS for delivering the intellectual light that irradiates the republic.

Read the full column at the link below:

Privatize the postal service - pottsmerc.com

The Pennsylvania Senate on Monday unanimously passed a bill sponsored by state Sen. John Rafferty (R-Montgomery) that would increase penalties for those driving under the influence with a minor in the vehicle with them when the violation occurs.

Under Senate Bill 539, the maximum fine for a first DUI offense would increase to $1,000 and 100 hours of community service, according to Rafferty's office. A second offense would carry a maximum fine of $2,500 and imprisonment of up to six months. Drivers convicted of subsequent offenses could be jailed for up to two years.

"Penalties must be increased when drunk drivers put minor passengers in danger," Rafferty said in a statement. "Hopefully, this will serve as a deterrent, especially for adults who drink and drive with children in the vehicle. This legislation will help keep our roadways safe for our children, other drivers, passengers and pedestrians."

The bill passed the Senate by a 49-0 margin.

Even if Pennsylvania lawmakers "give back" their annual COLA, their base pay continues to grow each year and their golden pension plans will grow based on the higher salaries.

Lawmakers' automatic pay hikes take effect: Some argue that giving COLA back to the state or to charity isn't enough

Obama's Class Warfare May Backfire as Big Business and Workers Team Up - HUMAN EVENTS

Chesco, Reading facilities could be closed in latest postal service cuts - pottsmerc.com

RNC Chairman Priebus: Obama 'Has Been A Disaster For This Country

Columnist Salena Zito on Barack Obama's fading popularity in Pennsylvania:

Six weeks ago, Obama visited Pittsburgh. The union crowd was thin. Enthusiasm was nonexistent; so were local elected Democrats, who opted to shake his hand at the airport rather than stand on stage with him while he talked about jobs. Last week he went to Scranton, home to Vice President Joe Biden and U.S. Sen. Bob Casey. A no-show in Pittsburgh, Casey again declined to appear with the president.

Bitter Residue Remains in Pennsylvania

Investor's Business Daily says the drop in the U.S. unemployment rate from 9% to 8.6% is not much of an improvement.

"On closer inspection, the decline is highly questionable — and doesn't warrant a surge in optimism," the newspaper says.

Drop In Unemployment To 8.6% In November Is Good, But Not As Good As It Looks - Investors.com

Reince Priebus: Obama's Scranton visit reveals how far he’s fallen | The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, Scranton

Rep. Duane Milne of Chester County:

"It's a shared sacrifice and we (legislators) have to do our share, and that includes returning the cost of living raise. If every lawmaker in the state gave the raise back, we would save a half-million dollars. And that's not chump change."

Some lawmakers giving back their pay raises to Pa. - dailylocal.com

Top 10 Barney Frank Offenses - HUMAN EVENTS

After less than one-year in office, Chester County Treasurer Ann Duke has set her sight on a bigger political office: Pennsylvania Auditor General.

From the West Chester Daily Local News:

"In these tough economic times, it is crucial that every taxpayer dollar is spent wisely. I will bring the same commonsense, fiscally conservative reforms I have implemented in the Chester County Treasurer's office to the office of auditor general. We need a principled conservative reformer in the auditor general's office, and that is why I am running."

Read the full story at the link below:

County treasurer talks about her run for state auditor - dailylocal.com

For more information about Duke's campaign, visit her website, http://anndukeforag.com/

Obama's much-heralded stimulus package actually drained $5 trillion from the economy, killing millions of jobs.

How's that for hope and change?

Stimulus was a failure by the numbers - Lebanon Daily News

EDITORIAL: Automatic pay hikes carry the wrong message - Chambersburg Public Opinion

Sen. James Inhofe: Obama's Job-Killing Global-Warming Agenda Continues Under the Radar - HUMAN EVENTS

November 2011 PA Slot Machine Revenue 6.5% Higher Than in 2010

From an editorial in The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review on the latest pay raise for members of the Pennsylvania Legislature:

The arrival of yet another automatic cost-of-living pay raise is proof positive of state lawmakers' craven disregard for both taxpayers and economic reality.

Read the full editorial - The legislative COLA: Slap! - at the newspaper's website.

Longtime Democratic Congressman Paul Kanjorski, who lost his seat in 2010, says Barack Obama would lose Pennsylvania if the election were held today.

From NationalJournal.com:

If Obama can't win Pennsylvania, which last voted for a GOP presidential candidate in 1988, it's unlikely he'll reach the 270 electoral votes necessary for re-election. A Democratic presidential candidate hasn't won the White House while losing the Keystone State since 1948, according to CBS.

Former Pa. Congressman with Dire Warning for Obama - 2012 Decoded

Investor's Business Daily:

President Obama jammed traffic in Manhattan on Tuesday. State business? No, he was raising campaign funds. It's just the latest example of his questionable strategy of running for re-election by taking from the public.

And no, the public was not invited. Three stops the president made were strictly for fat-cat donors who paid as much as $36,000 a plate for the privilege, while reporters weren't even permitted to cover the protests outside the hotels.

Read the full editorial at the link below:

Obama's Campaign Is All About Making The Public Pay For It - Investors.com

Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey Jr. has voted for the Obama agenda 98% of the time. Both are responsible for the economic mess this country is in today.

Pennsylvania is only five months into the current fiscal year. If tax revenues do not increase dramatically or the state fails to contain spending, look for a $1 billion-plus budget deficit by next June.

From the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue:

Pennsylvania collected $1.7 billion in General Fund revenue in November, which was $63.3 million, or 3.5 percent, less than anticipated. Fiscal year-to-date General Fund collections total $9.4 billion, which is $345.3 million, or 3.6 percent, below estimate.

Pennsylvania Revenue Department Releases November Collections