What are you scared of Mr. Turzai?

Mike Turzai challenges petitions


I just don't understand why politicians feel the need to attack the Democratic process. I don't have much more to say other than it just isn't very Democratic.

Pine-Richland School Board wants to build more?

I was shocked when I saw a few weeks ago an article about the Pine-Richland School District looking to raise taxes. I was mostly shocked because the make up of the Board is 100% Republican. As I read through the article I knew there has to be a catch as to why Republicans might have to raise taxes. It is the Democrats fault!!

"This is the cause of mismanagement by the state government," Rich Herko, board vice president, said. "And this is not a surprise to the legislatures, even when they reduced our contribution to the PSERS, they soft-pedaled it and kicked it down the lane.

"State legislatures and our governor (Ed Rendell) have done nothing about it and don't intend to do anything about it either. They don't view it as their problem -- they see it as the school districts' problem."

I love that it couldn't possibly by the fault of the school board. It is all the fault of a lame duck governor and a Democratic State House majority of the last 3 years. I'm sure the Republican controlled Senate has nothing to do with it when blaming the State Government.

I can understand that government and schools are expensive and costs will go up as time goes on, but I couldn't help but wonder why the state's amount of support became such a small percentage of the budget. So I wanted to look at how much the local school board has raised the budget in the last 5 years. In 2004-2005 the budget was $44.9 million. This year they are proposing a budget of $66.6 million. In times when government are doing everything to cut back this fiscally conservative school board has raised their budget by 48% in just a few years.

I have no problem with cost of government going up to some degree. It is bound to happen. I do have major issues when local elected officials rail against the federal government and state government for partisan issues while at same time they can't keep their own pocketbooks in order. At a time when governments are trying to cut back, Pine-Richland school district builds a fancy upper elementary building to make parents in Suburbia feel safer because their kids will just be around kids their own age. Did anyone look at what the transportation costs are to have 3 school buildings that service the entire geographic school district before they built an "upper elementary school"?

To top off these Republican comments about property tax raises, (that aren't their fault) the school board is looking to add a $30 million dollar addition to a school. So next time one of these school board members tells you something about how much Democrats are all about taxing and spending, ask them why they feel the need to tax and spend on a special interest that they care about so deeply.

Mary Beth Buchanan can't take the blogosphere's pressure

Earlier this week, I posted about Mary Beth Buchanan’s Amish problem. Thanks to some insightful information from a reader, I also found out about her stance as US Attorney against the religious rights of the Amish people.

Just as Candidate Buchanan couldn’t take the heat on Marty Griffin last month, she couldn’t take the heat from the blogs either. I checked her Facebook page today and she has removed the picture of her and an Amish man. While I’m glad that she has decided to respect the Amish people, I still feel it was wrong to take the picture and try to use for political gain.

As someone that believes strongly in the Constitution, I don’t want to see any religious rights stepped on. Our country is based on freedom of religion and separation of church and state. These freedoms are what our founders intended and I want politicians that will continue to fight for our Constitutional Rights.

Not shocking, just frustrating

North Hills official rapped for remarks

I am not shocked by a public official saying something like this:

"If they are working in our stores THEY SHOULD SPEAK ENGLISH AT ALL TIMES!!!" Mrs. Reid wrote on Facebook.

Comments like these cross party lines. While many are frustrated by the display of ignorance of someone like North Hills School Board Member Kathy Reid, there are Glenn Beck fans all over our country that would rally behind Ms. Reid.

I hope that the voters in North Hills remember her comments in 4 years if she runs again. I personally don't want to be represented by someone that judges anyone because of the color of their skin, language they are speaking, or clothing that they are wearing. However, I am not a voter in the North Hills School District and I will let the voters there decide what kind of person they want to be represented by.

Mary Beth Buchanan ignores religious beliefs

I was trolling the internet the other day for information about Mary Beth Buchanan after I heard the audio of her first media appearance as a candidate for Congress. The audio where she threatens to sue Marty Griffin and claims that the Wecht case could have only cost the amount of money in salaries that they paid to the 2 lawyers working on the case. I guess she doesn't have a true understanding of office overhead, or else she doesn't count the electric bills, computers, printers, copies, etc., and the other staffers that helped these 2 lawyers.

Anyway, I came across her Facebook page and found a picture of her with an Amish guy signing her petition. I say Amish because he has a buggy behind him. If he was a Mennonite he would be allowed to drive a car. So I can't say this with 100% positivity, but he appears to be Amish. I remember learning in high school that the Amish don't believe in having their pictures taken. According to About.com here is one of the 'dont's' when visiting Amish County:

•No photos or videos, please. Most Amish consider posing for photographs to be an unacceptable act of pride and do not allow pictures of themselves. The Amish will usually allow you to photograph their homes, farms, and buggies if you ask respectfully, but even this can be intrusive and is better avoided. If you must take pictures, consider a telephoto lens, and avoid taking any photos which include recognizable faces.