Do Republican voters not have to show ID for the August 7th Special Election?

SPECIAL ELECTION - AUGUST 7, 2012 - PA STATE SENATE, DIST. 40

Here is another mailer that Rep. Randy Vulakovich sent out to Republican voters. Other than Mr. Vulakovich running with his lie that he doesn't take 'perks' from Harrisburg, there is a interesting little thing about the absentee ballot application that is included. This is what the official PA Department of State absentee ballot looks like. It includes a section asking for your PA Driver's Licence number or the last 4 digits of your Social Security number. However on the Randy Vulakovich absentee ballot application, there is no section asking for identification numbers.

The Democratic candidate, Dr. Sharon Brown, is using these absentee ballot applications that clearly ask for identification numbers.

So why don't the Republicans have to go by the same voter identification laws (that they created and Mr. Vulakovich voted for) and claim that the Voter ID legislation isn't about suppressing the vote?

Why does Randy keep getting away with his lie about not taking 'perks?' When will candidates stop lying in campaign materials? When will the press call them out for these lies?

Randy Vulakovich Mailer to Republicans

SPECIAL ELECTION - AUGUST 7, 2012 - PA STATE SENATE, DIST. 40

Here is a mailer from State Rep. Randy Vulakovich that a Republican voter sent to me. Pretty standard stuff, but I have some issues with Mr. Vulakovich claiming that they have passed balanced budgets when they have ignored the pension crisis that led to a downgrade of the state's credit rating. How does someone get away with saying they 'will protect taxpayers' when the majority of the school districts in the 40th PA State Senate District have raised taxes since Mr. Vulakovich voted for millions of dollars in education cuts since Governor Corbett was elected?

“No perks” Randy Vulakovich amasses more than $20,000 in state perks

FROM THE ALLEGHENY COUNTY DEMOCRATIC COMMITTEE:

“No perks” Randy Vulakovich amasses more than $20,000 in state perks

Per diems, state car, excess mileage, and other expenses found in state records show more of the same from Republican wanting to replace jailed GOP senator

(Pittsburgh – July 23, 2012) – As Republican Randy Vulakovich runs commercials in his race for the 40th State Senatorial seat claiming to be a “real reformer” who is “refusing the Harrisburg perks such as per diems and a state car,” the Allegheny County Democratic Committee has discovered that Vulakovich received $20,978.67 in perks from January 2007 to May of this year. The details of the Vulakovich secret perks were found in records of the Office of the Comptroller of the House of Representatives.

“’No perks’ Randy is a fraud,” said Nancy Patton Mills, Chair of the County Democrats. “As a state legislator, he gets more than his share of perks – and plenty of them. He has accepted per diems. He has had a state car. And when he hasn’t had a state car, he has received mileage and other car payments of more than $13,000 -- all of which went directly into his pocket.

“Meanwhile, the people of his district are paying through the nose for both his perks and his policies,” continued Mills. “While Randy has been feeding at the public trough, he has also been voting to cut funding to schools and local municipalities. The schools in his district have had to raise property taxes to make up the difference to keep their quality schools going. This is certainly not a record he should be proud of.

“This special election on August 7 is happening for one reason only – the previous Republican senator engaged in unethical, untruthful, and ultimately criminal behavior, and she was convicted and jailed for violating the public trust,” said Mills. “Now we have another Republican who claims to be a reformer, but apparently sees nothing wrong with lying to the public.

“The voters of this district deserve far better – and electing Dr. Sharon Brown will give them the ethical and honest representation they want and need,” continued Mills. “Dr. Brown has real world experience – as a nurse practitioner, an educator, and a small business owner. She has met a payroll. She knows how to care for people in a time of shrinking budgets. She knows that the schools of the district are a major reason why families move to and stay in the district, and that we must protect them – for now and in the future. And she knows that to continue the same kind of leadership that failed us before will only fail us again.”

State House Elections - 28th District

Could be big changes in the 28th State house District. Now that State Rep. Mike Turzai is planning on running for Congress in the newly designed (designed by Turzai himself) 12th District there could be a new State Representative from the 28th District. The district is extremely Republican so the battle will be in the Primary.

A question I have posed was if Turzai will run for both Congress and State House at the same time. I don't know how confident he is that he will win the Congressional Primary against Keith Rothfus.

I also think it will be more difficult than Turzai thinks to win the 12th District in the General if he is facing Altmire. I think Turzai could easily beat Critz mostly because Critz lives in Johnstown and 3/4 of the population of the 12th don't know much about Johnstown outside of the movie Slap Shot. Other than that, with Critz taking the hard line Democrat stance to win the Primary he is creating headlines for the Republicans in the General Election. The type of people that read this blog should know that the debt limit increase vote was a political stunt. However, that political stunt works for the Republicans because a majority of the voters don't understand how the government does business.

There was mention that one Republican was planning on running against Mike Turzai regardless of his intentions for the Congressional race. Karen Shaheen, who is the treasurer of the Republican Committee of Allegheny County, mentioned that she was going to circulate a petition against Mike Turzai. She said that Turzai has become a career politician that used to be a Democrat. She also said the attempt to pass liquor privatization and school vouchers were false marketing. Karen ran for school board in 2007 and 2009 and lost. She appears to be very conservative.

Can a good moderate Democrat make a run at this seat if she is the front runner?

Incumbent: Mike Turzai (Republican, Majority Leader of the State House, candidate for Congress)

Possible challengers: Karen Shaheen (Republican)
Sharon Brown (Democrat ran in 2010)

Here is the new map of the 28th State House Distinct. The green parts are the
old district and the aqua blue line is the outline of the new district.

State House Elections - 28th District

Here is the new map of the 28th State House Distinct. The green parts are the old district and the aqua blue line is the outline of the new district.

Very little changes to the district. This is one of the few districts in Allegheny County that gained population so they had to eliminate some population from the old district. Richland Township has been moved out of the 28th and all of Franklin Park has been added to the 28th. This keeps the political make up of the district extremely similar if not a little better for a Republican candidate.

Incumbent: Mike Turzai (Republican, Majority Leader of the State House, possible candidate for Congress)
Possible challengers: Sharon Brown (Democrat ran in 2010)

I don't believe there is anyone that could beat Mike Turzai this year, no matter how much money or time they spent on this race.

Mike Turzai Mailer

Let's be honest, I don't think it is possible for Mike Turzai to lose. I might be okay with him being my State Rep, if he didn't take the time to go after the only local elected Democrat in his legislative district just because of party politics during the 2009 elections. Mr. O'Malley was a young fresh voice on the entirely senior citizen Richland Township Board of Supervisors. Mr. O'Malley voted 99% with the Republicans on the Board of Supervisors.

So why did Mr. Turzai waste his important time to send out a mailer against someone who never raised taxes, consolidated the police force, saved taxpayers a million dollars in building costs, and eliminated a 1/3 of the Richland Township employees? Sounds to me like Mr. O'Malley was doing everything that Mr. Turzai says he is fighting for in Harrisburg. I guess policy will always be trumped by party politics in Mike Turzai's world.

FYI, Mr. Turzai's opponent is Dr. Sharon Brown. I don't know much about her other then some bad literature I saw during the Primary Election and that Mr. Turzai challenged her petitions in the spring. The Post Gazette has endorsed Mr. Turzai.

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.