Update on the Ballad of CBIZ...

There's a buzz going on around 1 Montgomery...not one of those good, "We're finally getting raises!", or, "Yay, they're not messing with our health care anymore!", type, but a really dark and sinister buzz.

"Indictments?", you may ask? No, the good citizens of Montgomery County couldn't be so lucky.

No, the buzz is that Jimbo became incensed that Republican Commissioner, Bruce L. Castor, Jr., Esq. was being charged for the CBIZ documents. The actual "buzz" went something like this: That King James threw a temper tantrum when he heard...a tantrum! Solicitor Barry Miller's name came up quite a bit during said tantrum.

Best yet? Rumor has it that the papers (all $265.00+ worth) "magically" appeared on Commissioner Castor's desk, with no restrictions of any kind attached to them.

Woo-hoo, Barry, (to quote the late, great Desi Arnez) "chu gots some 'splainin' to do?"

Actually, this is nothing new for solicitor Miller. He's mucked the works and cost the taxpayers tons of money in legal fees for stuff that a first year law student (or, better yet, an accomplished trial attorney like Republican Commissioner, Bruce L. Castor, Jr., Esq.) could and did advise the county on before said money was ever wasted...the fated "Ethics Policy" debacle of last year. Even when Castor insisted, on record at a public meeting, that the ethics policy was , in fact, illegal, Commissioner Joe Houffel reminded Castor "YOU'RE NOT the Solicitor!".

How'd that work out for you Joe? All those papers and sheepskins hanging on Republican Commissioner, Bruce L. Castor, Jr., Esq.'s wall and his countless years as a trial attorney must disqualify him from making a valid legal point that may just save taxpayer money from being wasted on an unwinnable lawsuit (or two)?

The really egregious part? Solicitor Miller, who penned this flawed piece of county pablum called the "Ethics Policy" has been quoted in the Intelligencer as saying that the County will enforce the policy for those employees directly under county control...including the office of solicitor, right, Barry?

Wrong.

Barry Miller, Solicitor of The County of Montgomery, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the richest county in the entire Commonwealth, the man who makes policy like the "Ethics Policy" and tries to enforce it is the treasurer of "Friends of Jim Matthews", the political fundraising committee that supplies Jimbo with the money he uses to run for office like, hmmmm...County Commissioner? Barry is in charge of collecting cash and checks so Jimbo can continue to run for public office...an office that awards contracts to vendors...an office that (apparently) makes decisions on who gets a cut of the county health care pie, that our county employees now have to pay for. Companies like CBIZ...

The proof is in the pudding, with Miller's signature on Jimbo's finance report (a document that is available, by request, from the Montgomery County office of Voter's Services by anybody who asks) dated 12/31/2009:



Barry Miller violates his own flawed ethics policy and hey, that's alright. Why? Because he wrote the policy, that's why, and probably buried a provision in there excluding himself, of course.

Rumor has it that Eleonor Schneider, HR Manager for the County of Montgomery (who, by the way, is also covered under the commissioners ethics policy) signed some of the "Friends of Jim Matthews" checks as well. If you're keeping score, that's a second violation of the ethics policy from a friend of Jim Matthews.

Reminder: Castor wasn't against Jim Matthews being Chairman of the County Commissioners, Republican Commissioner, Bruce L. Castor, Jr., Esq., was against one Barry Miller becoming Solicitor of The County of Montgomery, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the richest county in the entire Commonwealth...Looks like Jimbo's grudge is going to come back and bite him on the...

You saw it here first, folks...you'll read more about it in tomorrow's Times Herald, I'm sure.

B.



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The Continuing Saga of CBIZ...

Now, both CBIZ and county solicitor, Barry Miller, want to charge Republican Commissioner Bruce L. Castor, Jr. and the Times Herald between $245.00 and $265.00 to obtain the documents that Castor should have the right, as a county commissioner (who's responsibility it is to make decisions for the County) to review it at his leisure.

Miller offered that Castor could review the documents in his office, but could not copy any of them himself and had 24 hours in which to review the 375 page document. I can't wrap my head around this one, as the county is not union and it wouldn't take away from anybody's ability to earn a living if he (Castor) were to copy them himself.

Castor has refused to pay for the documents or sign for the "privilege" to review them. The entire story is here, from The Times Herald.

Lisa Mossie also has great perspective in CBIZ, on her blog, Bluftoonie.

In my humble opinion, the state attorney general should be looking into this one...

B.



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***Update*** The 147th Endorsement.

Apparently, Ken Fody's good friend, Jim Matthews, gave Fody more than a check...he also gave him a place on the Writemarsh Wall of Shame as the latest victim of the dreaded "Matthews Effect".

Marcy Toepel was endorsed and nominated at tonight's gathering and garnered 58.7% of the vote, winning 27 votes to 19.

Note to Ken Fody...How's that fat check from your buddy Jimbo working for you now?

Congratulations, Marcy. On to the State House!


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The Race to Represent the 147th Legislative District.

There is a race for the seat left vacant by Senator Bob Mensch...and it's heating up to be a three-way race. Ken Fody, Nicholas Fountain and now Marcy Toepel.

Far be it for me to disappoint...so let's talk about the Matthews Candidate...

Ken Fody hosted an event with former Senator Rick Santorum last week. Committee members were surprised to see censured Montco Commissioner Jim Matthews in attendance as the event was by invitation only and was not a fundraiser.

Fody has been heard boasting that not only did his "friend" Matthews attend but he made a contribution to Fody's campaign.

Fody's opponent, Marcy Toepel, was on the GOP ticket with Jimbo in 2007. Matthews diverted $300,000 from the 2007 team campaign to his own separatist campaign for Commissioner. The result of his treachery? Toepel and four other row office candidates narrowly lost their election as a result.

Toepel, at the time the Deputy Clerk of Courts, was then hired by another department in the county. Matthews tried to block that hire at the time. (click here for the Times Herald story)

Republicans were so incensed by Matthews move that one prominent GOP attorney publicly switched parties in protest. (Click here for Times Herald report)

Committee members will vote tomorrow night. It will be interesting to see if Matthews choice emerges as the candidate, or suffers the dreaded "Matthews Effect".

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Pay To Play in Montco...Part 2

C-BIZ, Jimbo and J-Huff have loads of 'splaining to do.

It seems that, according to the Times Herald, there is nothing at all (yet), in writing, that authorizes C-BIZ to act as an agent, on the County's behalf, to obtain competitive health care plans for County employees.

The Times Herald has yet to receive a resolution or contract showing the county authorized the consultant to act on the county’s behalf. However, more county documents related to CBIZ are anticipated by Jan. 29.

But, it only gets better...in 2007, while running for county commissioner, both Jimbo and J-Huff received healthy doses of C-BIZ dollars into their respective campaign funds. From today's Times Herald:

The Times Herald previously reported that since 2006, CBIZ officials have contributed a total of $24,463 to Matthew’s political campaign coffers. In 2007, contributions totaled $14,875, with five executives making monetary contributions adding up to $12,375 on Oct. 9, 2007, less than a month before the 2007 election, according to campaign finance reports.

and:

Just 12 days earlier, CBIZ gave the Damsker-Hoeffel campaign five equal contributions adding up to $12,500. However, Castor, who was favored to win a seat on the board, was apparently not on the consultant’s donors’ list.

On Feb. 12, 2008, CBIZ senior executive F. Bruce Walter gave Matthews, by then the commissioners’ chairman, a $1,000 campaign donation. Three months later, Walter gave $200 to Hoeffel’s campaign, according to 2008 campaign records.

So, J-Huff has been a willing recipient of C-BIZ campaign contributions, as has Jimbo, C-BIZ gets a sweet no-bid contract, a seemingly verbal (and therefore illegal) contract, without a paper trail, yet, this isn't "Pay to Play"?

The Times Herald and Republican Commissioner, Bruce L. Castor, Jr., have requested the RFP (request for proposal) and have been told both that one "doesn't exist" and that one does exist, but is "proprietary". (see below)

Calling the RFP’s information proprietary, Walter refused to provide Castor with a copy when he requested one in December. As a result, the commissioner also filed an open records request with the county in an effort to determine if one exists. The Times Herald has also submitted a written request for the RFP with the CBIZ executive.

In response to the newspaper’s first request in December for the RFP, the county said it did not issue the document and therefore couldn’t provide a copy.

The County did not issue the document...lets let that sink in, shall we? (cue Jeopardy music) Okay, our tax dollars are going into the pocket of a company who procures health insurance for the County employees on the County's behalf, and there's no competition for this contract. Why? Because there was no bidding and there is no contract, C-BIZ got the "job" because the gave tons of money to both Hoeffel's and Matthews' political campaign funds.

As for Castor? Well, Castor did not receive one penny in political contributions from anybody at C-BIZ, so one can only assume that one of two things happened...C-BIZ was assured that Castor would lose the election (unlikely, as he polled highest throughout the campaign) or, even more egregious, C-BIZ, knowing that they would have one of the two democrats on board already, "bought" Jimbo on the off chance he would win.

No wonder J-Huff didn't get all up in Jimbo's grill about this, like he did on the recent NMS Contract debacle (Jimbo's proposal that only union contractors be allowed to bid on the correctional facilities building expansion contracts)...he (allegedly) was already in on it and didn't want to bring attention to the fact that he was (again, allegedly) already in C-BIZ's pocket.

Either way, it's Pay to Play, it's not legal or ethical, and the players in this farce should all have to answer to the people of Montgomery County, one way or another.

Click here to read the entire article in today's Times Herald.

******UPDATE******

Click on the link above and scroll down to read the comments..they're priceless!

B.




And here is the rest of it. Read Full Text/Comments

Funny Video

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A Thought For The Day

"Martha Coakley was a bad candidate" seems to be the mantra for the democrats this morning...

If she was so bad, then why was she enjoying double digit poll numbers just a few weeks ago? If she was so bad, then why did they run her in the first place?

She's only a "bad candidate" because she lost. Oh, how quickly they turn on their own.

B.

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Opinion Column From Sunday's Times Herald

More on C-BIZ and the insurance debacle:

Opinion
County needs a major makeover to change image
Sunday, January 17, 2010

By The Times Herald

There are comparisons to be made with the county’s ham-handed attempt to communicate the need for employees to start contributing to their health care costs and the U.S. government’s ham-handed attempt to overhaul health care across America.

We firmly believe the county could have communicated more clearly with employees and made the transition for them much more palatable, just as our federal government could be doing now with a piece of legislation that could end up costing taxpayers billions of dollars, depending on who you listen to.

Unfortunately, the comparisons don’t end there.

There is something eerily similar to Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska getting $300 million in entitlements in exchange for voting for the health care bill and county commissioner Chairman Jim Matthews being on the receiving end of campaign contributions from the county’s health care consultant, CBIZ.

Of course, we could easily clear up the misconception on the county side if documents outlining the consultant’s contract with the county and the requests for proposals the consultant sent out to get the best price on a health care management firm were turned over to The Times Herald as we have requested in a Freedom Of Information Act request we filed with the county.

The misconception on the federal side, however, probably cannot be cleared up since it has become painfully obvious that several U.S. senators were convinced to vote on the bill based on what, or should we say, how much, federal funding would be sent to their home state.

Transparency in federal government is much harder to attain than on the local level, even though President Obama all but declared it would happen if he were elected.

Of course, he also promised he would end the practice of rewarding congressmen and congresswomen for their votes, otherwise known as pork, but we must remember both of those promises were made on the campaign trail.

Locally, we should demand transparency.

Perhaps then the comparisons would begin to fade.

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A Comment on Newsbusters.com:

I found this amusing and worthy of sharing:

A man was arrested today at JFK as he attempted to board a flight while in possession of a ruler, a protractor, a compass, a slide-rule and a calculator...

At a morning press conference, the Attorney General said he believes the man is a member of the notorious Al-Gebra movement. He did not identify the man, who has been charged by the FBI with carrying weapons of math instruction.

'"Al-Gebra is a problem for us," the Attorney General said. "They derive solutions by means and extremes, and sometimes go off on tangents in search of absolute values." They use secret code names like 'X' and 'Y' and refer to themselves as "unknowns", but we have determined that they belong to a common denominator of the axis of medieval with coordinates in every country.

Asked to comment on the arrest, President Obama said, "If God had wanted us to have better weapons of math instruction, he would have given us more fingers and toes." White House aides could not recall a more profound statement by the President. It is believed that the Nobel Prize for Physics could follow.

I don't know the author, so I can't attribute it to anyone, but I will say that it was not written by me (although I'd love to take credit for this gem!).

B.


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CBIZ-Pay to Play? Say It Isn't So, Jimbo!!!

From the Times Herald:

COURTHOUSE — Thus far, Montgomery County officials have been unable to provide proof that the commissioners authorized CBIZ to act on the county’s behalf to solicit health insurance plans; however, the county is still searching through its storage vaults for records, according to a letter that accompanied documents received from a December open records request by The Times Herald.

On Dec. 22, The Times Herald asked for all memoranda, e-mail or other correspondence between the county and CBIZ in 2009, as well as any contracts, agreements and government resolutions that would show how the consultant came to represent the county over the past decade or more.

Five days later, The Times Herald received 91 pages that included e-mail messages, letters, a 2010 employee benefits renewal proposal for Montgomery County, a service agreement for a health-savings account and a “historical overview” of the county’s health plans.

But nothing so far answers the lingering questions over the county’s relationship with CBIZ, contractual or otherwise.

read the entire article here.

Nobody knows who authorized CBIZ, yet they give Jimbo over 28k in campaign contributions? The answer is obvious, ManBearPig, of course!


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New White House Spin on "Jobs Saved"...

The Obama Administration has changed the way we speak of how stimulus money "saves" jobs...

In a little-noticed December 18, 2009 memo from Office of Management and Budget director Peter Orszag the Obama administration is changing the way stimulus jobs are counted.

The memo, first noted by ProPublica, says that those receiving stimulus funds no longer have to say whether a job has been saved or created.

“Instead, recipients will more easily and objectively report on jobs funded with Recovery Act dollars,” Orszag wrote.

Funny thing is, this is still misleading to the public...it's an outright falsehood to count a job which was in no danger of being lost as "created" or "saved", just because of an influx of taxpayer dollars to finance some of it.

Rep. Darrell Issa of California, the top Republican on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, wrote to the chair of the Recovery Act Transparency and Accountability Board Earl Devaney saying that “the new guidance counts every jobs that is funded using stimulus money – even if it existed before the Recovery Act, and was not in any danger of being eliminated – as ‘created or saved.’ This definition ignores the plain meanings of the words ‘created’ and ‘saved’ and makes Recovery.gov’s ‘ ‘JOBS CREATED/SAVED’ label a falsehood, further eroding the confidence of the American people in their government.”

Read the whole article here.

B.


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The Secret Revealed...Why the Donkey is the Symbol of the Democratic Party

From Joe Hoeffel's own mouth...because he needs to "commune with the animals...I didn't get a chance to see the horses".

"Commune with the animals", you say?

Well, yes. (play the video)



The man is for gay marriage. Thinks G-d is a woman. Rick Santorum says the next step will be "man and dog", so why not "commune with a horse"?

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A Reflection

14 years ago today, we celebrated the end of a 2 day blizzard which dropped over 30" of snow on our region.

As I dug out my trusty Ford F150 4x4, my wife sat inside, tremendously pregnant. As I neard the end of my task, she got up and made me soup and grilled cheese for lunch.

As I sat eating my hot, steamy comfort food, I called my folks in Philly to see how they were faring. As I spoke to my mother on the phone, Karen started making hand gestures at me...she was putting her hand in the air and opening and closing her 5 fingers.

Puzzled, I asked mom to hold on and Karen said to me "I'm 5 minutes apart". I looked at her funny, and she said "I'm in labor". And thus began my second adventure of that day, as I returned to the phone and said "mom, I gotta go, the baby's coming...call you when it get's here".

We called the doc, who told us to stay put until Karen's water broke, which it did early afternoon. There was a state of emergency in the region, with the roads closed to all but emergency vehicles. We climbed into the F150, locked in the hubs and went on our merry way.

After a brief detour, we arrived a Suburban General (Mercy Suburban, now) and welcomed the arrival of our son, Jesse Colin Shaw, at 11:14 pm.

It's snowing again today, not the epic snow of 14 years ago, but enough to remind me and enough to compel me to share this with you today.

Happy Birthday, Jesse "Scraps" Shaw. I hope your next 14 years brings you all fo the joy and happiness that the first 14 have. Love ya!

As an aside, today is also Elvis Presley's birthday. Jesse is a budding musician, so it's fitting that he was lucky enough to be born on this day.

Dad.

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Jim Gerlach Withdrawls

January 7, 2010

Dear Friends and Supporters,

I wanted you to be the first to know that after much thought and deliberation, I have decided to end my campaign for Governor. I am releasing the attached statement to the media, but wanted to reach out to you to thank you for your support and vote of confidence. Running for Governor has been a tremendous experience, one that has enabled me to meet so many wonderful people from all across our Commonwealth. I value those meetings and the new friendships I have made, and thank you from the bottom of my heart for your support and friendship. Please know that I will continue my public service with the same dedication and commitment as ever.

Yours in gratitude,

Jim Gerlach
Congressman

***

CONGRESSMAN JIM GERLACH WITHDRAWS FROM GUBERNATORIAL RACE

Vows to Continue Public Service and Working Hard to Improve Our Commonwealth and Country

(EXTON, PA) - Republican Congressman Jim Gerlach announced Thursday that he was ending his campaign for governor.

"I entered the race for Governor in order to continue my public service, put forth new ideas for creating jobs, protecting our taxpayers, families and seniors and reinvigorating the great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania that we all love so much. I am not giving up on achieving those goals. I am, however, ending my campaign for governor.

"This decision comes after great reflection with my wonderful wife, Karen, our children and numerous, candid discussions with all of our dedicated supporters and staff. This past year has been extremely gratifying, and I have few regrets. Ideas have been the bedrock of my campaign. I unveiled a "17-point Pledge to Pennsylvania" - the most specific and comprehensive vision for leading our Commonwealth offered thus far by any candidate for Governor. I am convinced that these are the best ideas for guiding our Commonwealth back to greatness. But the harsh reality is that the best ideas alone do not always propel candidates to victory on Election Day.

"While we have successfully raised over $1 million, traveled thousands of miles all across this Commonwealth and signed up more than 19,000 supporters eager to help us win, today's media-driven campaigns require four times that amount to wage a successful primary. That left me with two choices: either spend all of my time raising money with little time left for meeting with voters; or withdrawing my candidacy and working even harder to serve the public. I am choosing to serve the public -- many of whom have graciously rewarded me with their support for nearly two decades.

"I want to express my tremendous appreciation to and affection for our many contributors, supporters, volunteers, staff, and well-wishers. You have been nothing short of awesome and it is because of your support and encouragement that I will continue to travel the Commonwealth advocating commonsense ideas to create jobs, reduce taxes and cut runaway spending, and make government work for all of our families. I want to be clear about one thing: this campaign for governor has stoked my passion for honest, effective, and efficient government, and I intend to continue to raise my voice, and work hard in the months and years ahead."

For Immediate Release: January 7, 2010







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You Vill Sign Zee Contrrrract Or Eeet Von't Be Preeeeetty!

Jimbo brings a whole new attitude to the County for the New Year...do what I say or else.

County employees are rejecting the new Flex benefit plan that Matthews has been trying to spoon feed them for months now. Whatever their personal problem with the FLEX program is, in the end, it's the employees choice as to which program they want to pay for.

The problem is, although the FLEX premiums are lower, the copays and the costs of the plan, if you actually get sick are tremendously high. And forget it if you have some pre-existing condition...you're pretty much S.O.L. on the Matthews Flex plan.

But JimTurd is pressing on...he's actually ridiculing people if they do not sign up for his program.

"This is ridiculous, delirious," said Matthews. (of the county employees decision to exercise their personal CHOICE to keep their existing insurance)

Matthews is also threatening the department heads into forcing these same employees to sign up for his FLEX plan:

Department heads with the largest number of employees still enrolled in the HMO or Personal Choice plans "will have to personally answer to me and it won't be pretty," vowed Matthews

So now, Chairman JimTurd not only wants to give you no choice, he vows to threaten your boss for not making you comply?

To add insult to injury, Jimbo is now acting as chief financial advisor to the thousands of county employees who will be "choosing" their healthcare package between now and the newly extended date of February 15th...

“That makes no mathematical sense,” he said. “I’m not going to stand for it.”

King James is not going to stand for you making your own decision about how to spend your own money?

And he is calling the County employees delirious?



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Montco Bipartisanship?

Way back when, about 2 years ago, Jim Matthews would have the good people of Montgomery County think he was interested in running a bipartisan government, an agreement he made with commissioner-elect Hoeffel in a power grab designed to leave Republican Commissioner, Bruce L. Castor, Jr. out of the proverbial "loop", subsequently empowering he and J-Huf to pack the courthouse with his political buddies, in the worst case of patronage gone wild that anyone can recall.

Well, today, in the true spirit of bipartisanship, The county Commissioners, along with the row officers, all came to Norristown High School to witness history...the first time in the history of our county that there has been 7 judges sworn in, the first time that 5 female judges have been sworn in at one time, and the first time a democrat has been elected to the bench in the 38th district, court of common pleas.

Only, Joe Hoeffel was nowhere to be found. That is, until Lois Murphy, the lone democrat elected to the bench, was sworn in.

J-Huf waltzed in right before Murphy was to be sworn in, and left right afterward. Truer bipartisanship has never been demonstrated...

Even Jimbo stayed for all 7. Jo-Jo...you ought to be ashamed of yourself. Nice call on that bipartisan agreement, Jimbo...Your "boy" is really holding up his end!

On a side note, it was a very nice morning, as I got to see people I think an awful lot of sworn in to the bench...respect to each and every one of them.

B.



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This Stuff Just Writes Itself...The Continuing Saga of Ethics and The Commissioners

I couldn't write this any better than The Times Herald's Keith Phucus:

COURTHOUSE — Montgomery County Commissioner Joseph Hoeffel, who wants to appeal a recent court decision that invalidated the county’s authority to prohibit employees from political activities, may be surprised to win support from the ban’s chief opponent.

Hoeffel, the leading advocate for the ethics ordinance that he helped author in the 1990s, voted for its approval in April along with commissioner James R. Matthews. Commissioner Bruce L. Castor Jr., who voted against the measure, routinely disparaged the new rules as a political ploy.

The ethics policy prohibited about 120 county employees from politicking during working hours — or on their own time — as long as they held their government jobs; however, District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman and Sheriff John P. Durante filed lawsuits challenging the rules and won.

In October, county Judge William T. Nicholas ruled the measure “invalid” as it applied to any employee under supervision of the DA or sheriff.

At a press conference Tuesday in the county courthouse, Hoeffel said he would urge Matthews and Castor today to go along with an appeal of the decision that he “fundamentally” disagreed with.

“The decision would throw out 150 years of precedent that allow commissioners to set rules for county employees,” he said.

He also expressed fears the ruling could undercut enforcement of employment policy contained in the county’s Employee Handbook.

“I think it goes too far and threatens to imperil the (handbook’s rules),” he said.

Hoeffel, who is a gubernatorial candidate, planned to discuss a possible appeal with Matthews and Castor today. He believes rules needs to be in place to protect employees from a “rogue row officer” boss who might pressure them into campaigning or raising money for their election.

Castor, who has criticized the ethics policy as nothing more than Hoeffel’s attempt to exert undue authority over more county workers, said he would support filing an appeal, because he’s confident a higher court would uphold the decision.

“I’m going to agree to the appeal, because I don’t want any other pair of commissioners (in the state) pulling this kind of nonsense,” he said. “I want Hoeffel and Matthews forever to be known as the two commissioners who thought they could do anything they wanted until they got spanked by a state court.”

Following last week’s commissioners meeting, Matthews said he suggested including the DA’s Office in the political ban to get even with Castor for trying to include Matthews’ friends in county government in the ordinance.

When Hoeffel was asked if the policy had been used as retribution against Castor, he said no.

“That would be a bad motivation to get back at anybody,” he said. (ed. note: I guess Jimbo forgot to let his new BFF in on the secret.)

Ferman said she sued the commissioners over the ordinance because she saw the policy as a violation of the law.

“We’re fighting for the rule of law and the integrity and independence of the DA’s Office,” she said.

Matthews did not return a phone call soliciting comment for this article.

And the beat goes on...more taxpayer dollars spent to find out what they already know...that the commissioners have no say on setting policy within the offices of duly-elected row officers.

Seems to me to be a political stunt stemmed by Jo-Jo Huffin-stuf's desire to run for Governor.

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Sightings:XXVII, or "They'll Never Think to Look For Us Here".

Last evening, I dined with a couple of friends at Capone's restaurant, in East Norriton. As we left the establishment, who did I see enjoying a cozy, candlelight dinner for two?

Jimbo and his BFF, Barry Miller. My guess is they were scheming a new way to "get back at Castor", now that their ethics policy fell through the floor.

Looks like they've picked a new "hangout" now that the Blue Horse (in Blue Bell) has closed down...see ya there soon, Jimbo!



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Republican Commissioner, Bruce L. Castor, Jr. Responds to "The Intelligencer"

Commissioner Castor responds to the Intelligencer editorial, "No More Free Health Care"...

Click here to see the original article.

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Jim Matthews Gives Joe Hoeffel His Wish:

Attack the employees, drive them to a union.

(click image to enlarge)

Thanks, Jim.


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Q. How Can You Tell Jimbo is Lying?

A. His lips are moving.

On Thursday, the Intelligencer's own Margaret Gibbons reported on Judge Nicholas' ruling that the ethics policy doesn't apply to elected row officers or their staff, because they operate independently of the Board of Commissioners.

RINO Commissioner Chairman Jimbo Matthews gave the following quotes to Ms. Gibbons concerning the failed attempt of his bad policy:

Matthews said that one of the major reasons he worked to include the district attorney’s office in the ethics legislation was to get back at Castor, his former running mate, because of Castor’s attempt to use the same legislation to go after his friends in county government. This would include long time Matthews ally, county Solicitor Barry M. Miller who worked on various Matthews political campaigns.

“I wanted him (Castor) to hurt, to feel the pain,” said Matthews. “He (Castor) was directing all his efforts at my friends so they could not be in politics, so I figured we could throw in the DA’s office and see if he likes that.”

Matthews said he will seek the repeal of the ethics legislation now that Nicholas has ruled that it does not apply to the personnel in the row offices, claiming it is not fair to other employees to have restrictions while row office employees have none.

Read that last paragraph again, friends:

Matthews said he will seek the repeal of the ethics legislation now that Nicholas has ruled that it does not apply to the personnel in the row offices, claiming it is not fair to other employees to have restrictions while row office employees have none.

Matthews gave interviews to more than one paper that day...here's what was reported by Derrick Nunnaly of the Philadelphia Inquirer:

County Commissioners Chairman James R. Matthews said yesterday that he would request that other row offices file their own court petitions to clarify whether the policy can apply to them.

(click on the red link below to read the Inquirer article:)


Judge sets exemptions to Montco ethics rules
By Derrick Nunnally
Inquirer Staff Writer

An employee ethics policy that Montgomery County passed in April does not apply to workers in the sheriff's and District Attorney's Offices, a judge ruled yesterday.
Common Pleas Court Judge William T. Nicholas ruled that county commissioners "lack the authority to impose regulation on either the on-duty or off-duty conduct" of workers in the row offices.

The ethics policy barred county employees in influential jobs from running for office, managing campaigns, or conducting political fund-raising. The sheriff and district attorney sued the county separately, saying their employees' rights were unfairly imposed upon.

Of the 126 workers governed by the policy when it was implemented, one was a sheriff's employee and 45 were in the District Attorney's Office.
In an 11-page opinion, Nicholas wrote that writing employee rules was the responsibility of row officers. The ruling did not cover the seven county row offices that did not sue over the policy.

District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman said the policy interfered with her authority to supervise her employees.

"It stunk of politics from the beginning, and that is why I chose to fight it," Ferman said.

County Commissioners Chairman James R. Matthews said yesterday that he would request that other row offices file their own court petitions to clarify whether the policy can apply to them.

County solicitor Barry Miller said he wanted to review the ruling before recommending whether to appeal. Read Full Text/Comments

Jimbo, Huffin-Stuff Won't "Budge" on Budget...

The two Montgomery County Commissioners introduced a budget for 2010 that will leave us with an $11 million shortfall. They are placing the burden of closing that gap firmly on the backs of the row officers and department heads, telling them to cut spending by at least 5 %.

They are also re-paying the county employees, who keep this squeaky wheel greased, by freezing their wages and making them pay what amounts to "dues" to work for the county now, in the form of payroll contributions toward their health care.

Some people may say "it's about time that county workers had to shoulder the burden"...but did you know that Montgomery County employees are paid considerably less than their counterparts in Philly and the surrounding counties, that the benefits package was incentive enough to take a low paying job in order to provide health care, without cost, to their families?

Looks like Matthews and Hoeffel are, in fact "Huffin-Stuff".

Every employer who is worth their salt looks for other ways to cut a budget before taking it to their employees to shoulder the burden. This county was operating with a surplus when Jimbo and Jo-Jo formed their unholy alliance, and have run that well dry in the less than two years they have been working together to effectively ruin Montgomery County. Shades of 1991, here we go again!

Jo-Jo- and JimTurd are also proposing that the county self-insure, stating that Blue Cross refuses to underwrite the county employees because of a $6 million loss last year...$6 million in one year? That's the risk insurance companies take.

The lone dissenter, Republican Commissioner Bruce L. Castor, Jr., proposed that the county "exhaust other options before taking it to the employees", according to the Times Herald:

Also, he suggested changing the resolution’s language dealing with proposed benefits from “Whereas, this self insurance plan will include a modest and appropriate employee contribution for health care costs” to “may include” a worker contribution.

But citing a Jan. 1 deadline for workers to consider the Keystone HMO/Flex plan before enrolling, Matthews resisted putting off the vote.

“It seems to me you’re short-circuiting the process by not hearing the options,” Castor said.

Human Resources director Eleanor Schneider (who until this year was JimTurds secretary...no patronage here, huh?) told the commissioners employees will need December to consider the benefits plan before the end of the year.

“If we don’t have hard figures, then we can’t have open enrollment meetings,” she said.

No hard figures, but the employees have to shoulder the burden? Sounds a little short-sighted for Jimbo and Huffin-Stuff to be making the egregious suggestions without the "hard figures" in front of them, doesn't it?

Once again, it's bad governance, brought to you by a tax and spend democrat and a traitor...1991 all over again!

Read the entire Times Herald article here.


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Happy Thanksgiving!

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Times Herald article on the Ethics Policy

Click here for Keith Phucas' take on the court decision.


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Matthew's Hatred For Castor Has "Jumped The Shark"

For those of you who don't know the origin of that phrase, "jumped the shark" is a reference to the sitcom "Happy Days", where, in the last season, Fonzie water skis and jumps over a vicious maneater...the ratings were suffering and this was pretty much the proverbial icing on the cake.

The show had gone form a reasonably funny period (1950's-60's) show to "jumping the shark", which has become a pop culture phrase for something that has become so utterly ridiculous, so over the top, that it's totally unbelievable.

Which brings me to this...Jimbo, JimTurd, KJIII, El Rey Trejo de Mierda has finally "jumped the shark".

The Intelligencer has posted an article today reporting on the failed ethics policy that King James and Jo-Jo Huffin-Stuff recently, in their unholy alliance, passed and made county policy. This policy named 126 county jobs where the employee was forbidden from being involved in politics. The "offender" could be fired, according to the Turd-Huffin Stuff doctrine.

Fortunately, two of our county row officers, Sheriff John Durante and District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman filed suit against the commissioners (who voted 2-1 to pass, with Republican Commissioner Bruce L. Castor, Jr., the sole dissenter) to squash this egregious policy.

Judge William T. Nicholas found in favor of the DA and the Sheriff, citing that

"The county commissioners have no legal authority to hire, fire or supervise the employees of county row officers [...]".

District Attorney Ferman had this to add,

"From the beginning, this has been a fight for the independence of the district attorney’s office...It was very troubling to me when two of the county commissioners took an action that was clearly designed to control the district attorney’s office and regulate the employees of an independently elected row officer.

There is nothing more important to me than the ethics and integrity of the district attorney’s office but the regulation of our employees comes from us, not from other people with other agendas"

And what was said agenda you may ask? Well, your humble blogger knew this all along, but JimTurd's world is crumbling around him...from "The Intelligencer":

Matthews said that one of the major reasons he worked to include the district attorney’s office in the ethics legislation was to get back at Castor, his former running mate, because of Castor’s attempt to use the same legislation to go after his friends in county government. This would include long time Matthews ally, county Solicitor Barry M. Miller who worked on various Matthews political campaigns.

“I wanted him (Castor) to hurt, to feel the pain,” said Matthews. “He (Castor) was directing all his efforts at my friends so they could not be in politics, so I figured we could throw in the DA’s office and see if he likes that.”

Matthews said he will seek the repeal of the ethics legislation now that Nicholas has ruled that it does not apply to the personnel in the row offices, claiming it is not fair to other employees to have restrictions while row office employees have none.

Jimbo is certainly beginning a major melt down. To use his office and public funds to further a personal vendetta is both insipid and egregious. It's also downright mad to actually admit to doing so in the newspaper.

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We need to send Jim Matthews a message...that we, the voters and citizens of Montgomery County will not stand by and watch him or his crony Hoeffel waste our tax dollars on personal grudges. But how?

Don't support the bastard. Don't go to his fundraisers. Don't invite him to yours. He's been formally censured by the Montgomery County Republican Committee...if he seeks re-election or pursues further office, let him be Marcel Groen's problem.

Read the entire "Intelligencer" article, byMargaret Gibbons, here

Oh, and Happy Thanksgiving!





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Sheriff Sounds off on County's Proposed Health Care Changes

(re-printed from the Intelligencer...Margaret Gibbons reported this well enough that I need not comment)

Sheriff blasts moves to cut Montco benefits

Requiring Montgomery County government employees to pick up part of the tab for their health care benefits, freezing their salaries and instituting payless holidays could jeopardize public safety, according to county Sheriff John P. Durante.

"I will say for the record that these proposed changes in next year's budget will affect public safety in a big way," said Durante, an independently elected row officer, in a letter he fired off to the three county commissioners Tuesday.

"When an emergency occurs, we will no longer be able to reach personnel because they will be away working part-time jobs to pay for their benefits and to support their families," said Durante, adding that he is opposed to all three measures.

At least one commissioner, Republican Bruce L. Castor Jr., is inclined to agree with Durante.

"I think John is probably right," said Castor. "All employees on the lower pay scales likely will have to take second jobs and they might not be available if an emergency comes up and they are needed by the sheriff's office or the district attorney's office."

"I, personally, am reluctant to fiddle at all with health insurance," said Castor.

The commissioners are struggling to close a projected $53.5 million funding gap in 2010 without having to increase taxes.

They have already agreed to slow down the pace of spending for the county's popular municipal open space preservation grant program and terminated four middle managers in the parks and historical sites department.

Other belt-tightening measures under discussion are freezing salaries, not paying employees for seven of the 13 holidays they have and passing on the higher costs of health insurance to employees who previously did not have to pay for health insurance for themselves or their immediate family members.

No final decisions have been made on any of these proposals that impact county employees, the commissioners have repeatedly emphasized.

However, the commissioners have been deluged with e-mails from irate county employees after sending out a memo last week with projected health care insurance costs.

For example, employees earning under $30,000 would have to pay $15 from their biweekly paychecks next year for insurance for themselves. The cost would go up to $50 a paycheck for employees wanting health insurance for themselves and two or more family members.

This is also based on a new health insurance plan that provides less coverage and also requires higher co-payments.

"We shouldn't be paying for our uncontrolled spending with employee's blood," said Castor.

Instead, Castor said, the commissioners should terminate Democratic Commissioner Joseph M. Hoeffel's "high-paid cronies who were brought on board two years ago."

Also, the county should put the county's new economic development program, spearheaded by Hoeffel, on hold until the economy turns around, said Castor.

"Let's look at everything before we look to our employees," said Castor, who is the odd man out in the bipartisan government controlled by Republican Commissioner Chairman James R. Matthews and Hoeffel.

The newspaper could not reach Hoeffel for this story.

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Nothing Is Forever...

...nothing is forever. I was thinking of that this morning and truer words have never been spoken.

This weekend, two of my very close friends each lost a parent. One lost his mom and one lost his dad, both after long illnesses. For each, this was their sole remaining parent.

I couldn't begin to fathom the grief either one are suffering right now. Both of my parents are still alive and in relatively good health. I know I feel a tremendous amount of empathy for both, and because of my relationship and friendship with each of them, their pain is also shared by me.

My friends, may you find comfort in knowing that each of your parents is not suffering anymore, and that they are now dwelling in a place that G-d has put aside for them in His house.

To my friends, know that you don't have to bear this alone...If you need anything, just call.

B.



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Fundraiser for Casey Taylor

Now that the election is over, I'd like to re-post this and ask if you'll contact me for tickets and try to attend this event...it's a worthy cause for a little baby girl who needed a liver transplant:

A while back, I posted a link and a story about a baby girl who was in desperate need of a liver transplant.

This special little girl, Casey, is the daughter of my childhood friend, "Mat" Taylor, and has a twin sister, Megan, who has thus far been healthy.

"Casey Bear" was born with a disease called "biliary atresia", which is a blockage in the tubes that carry bile from the liver to the gallbladder. Casey needed an operation to clear these ducts before she was 6 months old.

Casey had the surgery, but it was unsuccessful, and she was put on a list for transplant.

After several months, Casey's outlook was getting more and more bleak. No matches were found and they started testing family members. Casey's dad was a perfect match.

Mat gave Casey part of his liver on May 21st 2009 and immediately improvements were seen. She had a few rough spots during recovery, but today, Casey is healthy and thriving and trying to catch up with her sister, Megan.

The family has racked up some serious debt between traveling to the Pittsburgh Children's Hospital for her surgery, the family traveling back and forth to stay with Casey during her recovery, the lost wages, etc. It's been a huge financial burden on them and here's why I am reporting this to you: A committee consisting of her Uncle, myself and several family friends from the Philly area have decided to plan and throw a fundraiser to raise money to offset these huge bills.

Paired with COTA (Children's Organ Transplant Association), we've hammered out all of the details and are pleased to announce that a fundraiser has been scheduled and booked for Saturday, November 14th, 2009 at McFadden's Restaurant at Citizen's Bank Park. I've attached a flyer with all of the details to this post (at the bottom). There will be a DJ for dancing, door prizes and an opportunity to win some wonderful gift baskets at the event.

Email me for tickets and more information about the event.

tickets4caseyt@gmail.com


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Montco Voters Elect 6 of 7 Republican Judges...

...and Jimbo had absolutely nothing to do with their victory.

Congratulations to MCRC Chairman Bob Kerns for his stalwart leadership in bringing 6 of his "Magnificent 7" judge candidates across the finish line.



Winning on the Republican ticket were (in no particular order): Kelly Wall, Carolyn Carluccio, Gary Silow, Pat Coonahan, Garrett Page, and Wendy Demchick-Alloy. Congratulations, Your Honors!

Congratulations to Joanna Cruz for fighting the "good fight" and working hard with the team. Hold your head high, Joanna, there is no shame in defeat. You worked just as hard as the rest of the magnificent candidates and should be very proud of yourself.

The lone democrat winner was that woman who ran several failed races trying to pick off Jim Gerlach's congressional seat...Lois something or other...

All in all, a great night for Montco Republicans, with Abington retaining it's 6 incumbent commissioners, picking up a few seats county wide, at least three District Justices, and personally, we won our first contested constable race right here in Whitemarsh (at least since I've been involved in local politics...Congrats Constable-elect Nancy Walter!

It's 2:52 am, and time for me to finally get to bed (I've been up for the past 21 hours and a little bit tired). Good Morning, to all and have a pleasant day!



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And it Came to Pass...

A cartoon from the 1/4/2009 Sunday funnies:


(click image to enlarge)


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I Guess Jimbo "Had Some 'Splainin' To Do?

Not that anyone in Montco cares (now that he's "officially out"), but Jimbo has decided to tell Margaret Gibbons (of the Intelligencer) his tale of woe.

It seems that JimTurd is too old to run for Lt. Governor.

By his own reasoning, he's not willing to play second fiddle to the governor at his age, citing

"When you are in your 50s or 40s, any intelligent person who looks at the lieutenant governorship looks at it as a path, a bridge to another destination"..."When you are in your 60s, you have to look at it as a destination and I have to tell you that, as a lieutenant governor, there is not a whole lot to do."

He goes on to say that he's not willing to sit back and just nod to the governor (in more or less words) at his age...

"would drive me nuts being gagged as a lieutenant governor because you have to always defer to the governor."

As for getting the support of 10 county chairmen? Maybe so...but to not have the support in your home county speaks volumes state-wide. King James' censure last year still resonates around the state because of Jimbo's willingness to defer to the Democrat, Joe Hoeffel, in all decisions that benefit democrats in Montgomery County.

Because of this unholy alliance, Jo-Ho is now poised to become the dems candidate for the governor's mansion.

But, this self-imposed "age-ism" is not such a bad thing. The lesser of two evils is that he stay right here in Montco where we can keep an eye on his antics a bit more closely. At the end of the day, if this is the excuse he needs to stay out of the fray, I'll take it.

Whatever it takes to convince yourself, El Rey...whatever it takes. I'm just taking comfort in the fact that come 2011, you'll be out of sight, out of mind.

[Conspiratorially speaking, this may just be a ruse to keep the press off his back prior to a "late season" announcement that he has reconsidered and is, in fact, running, although I'm convinced that neither Corbett nor Gerlach would have him (and to that, we'll just have to wait and see).]

B.


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"Just When I Thought I was Out..."

"...they sucked me back in."

Or so we thought when King James declared earlier this month that he was, indeed, running for Lt. Governor.

Now, on the heels of a post by myself and on PAWatercooler.com, JimTurd turns 180º and is now out again. Kind of gives me the feeling of "I was for it before I was against it", ala John Kerry.

Don't play with us, Jimbo, we just can't take too much more of your douchebaggery.

On second thought, keep showing the good people of Montgomery County that you both can't commit to anything and that you are constantly second-guessing your decisions. It'll make for a better 2012 for all of us.

Rumors that neither Gerlach nor Corbett would run with him (which are turning up on message boards around the state) probably prompted his pull-out from the Lt. Gubernatorial race. I wonder why he wouldn't take the hint when he decided to run for re-election as county commissioner?

I guess we'll never know the answer to that one, but I' still wonder if Jo-Ho has photos of Jimbo in a compromising position.


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For The Record...

...Yes, I do.


(h/t to Al Bowman)


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Jimbo Lied...Again

Jim Matthews officially threw his hat into the ring–again– and is now a candidate for Lt. Governor. This was after Jim had said he would not be seeking the position again...that, in fact, he was going to concentrate on being Montgomery County Commissioner. Obviously, Jim lied...again.

Well, Jimbo, I'll be expecting your resignation from the election board in the morning. Oh, and don't expect a Montco Republican endorsement for this one...even though this blogger'd be glad to be rid of you, I can't say that I'd be at all for some power sharing agreement on the statewide level.

So, why not flip and run as Jo-Ho's running mate? Then there will not be any awkward moments on the campaign trail, when you're playing footsie under the table with Mr. Potato Head while hanging on your running mate's every word.

JimTurd for Lt. Governor? Jo-Ho for Governor? As much as I'd not like to admit it, I'd feel so much better if both of them were still county commissioners this time next year, But that's just this humble blogger's position.

B.

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Mensch Wins Special Election

With less than 13% of the electorate bothering to show up, Mensch handily beats both of his opponents convincingly, winning with 68% of the vote, a 2(+) to 1 margin over the democrat, Scheuring.

Seever wasn't even in the race.

Oh, and today is the anniversary of James Dean's untimely death. He went from 55 mph to zero when he abruptly stopped after hitting a 1950 Ford Custom Tudor Coupe.



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***REMINDER***

There is a special election today, September 29th in the 24th senatorial district of PA.

Republican Bob Mensch is squaring off against a democratic third-stringer in Anne Scheuring (a member of Lansdale Borough Council), and Barbara Steever, a Libertarian from Upper Hanover.

Scheuring has refused to debate Mensch and Steever. Both Mensch and Scheuring have received extensive support from their respective parties in the form of contributions and volunteers.

If you read this and live in the district, please be sure to vote.

I predict a lackluster turnout with a Mensch victory delivered by Republican 4/4 voters and (former) Wonderling supporters determining the outcome.


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Jo-Ho Steps Down from Election Board Post

Although Hoeffel states in the article that Kern's press release didn't influence his decision, it does seem kind of ironic that he stepped down before the end of the same day the press release came out.

I guess Jo-Ho is just one of those "ethical" guys that get into politics to serve the people, not to get all of his friends and cronies jobs...oh,wait, check that. He and Matthews made an agreement to share the power so they could give jobs to their friends and cronies.

Hopefully, president judge, Judge Richard J. Hodgson, will appoint the right person for the job, and the election board will no longer be under Marcel Groen's control, vis a vis Hoeffel.

Read Margaret Gibbons report from "The Intelligencer"



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GOP Chairman Kerns Demands Jo-Ho's Resignation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

MONTGOMERY COUNTY GOP CHAIRMAN
CALLS ON JOE HOEFFEL TO STEP DOWN
FROM ELECTION BOARD

“Elections should be free and fair. Hoeffel needs to step aside immediately to ensure he’s not setting the table for himself”


Bob Kerns, Chairman of the Montgomery County Republican Committee, called on Democrat County Commissioner Joe Hoeffel to step down from the Montgomery County Board of Elections.

“Joe Hoeffel chairs the Montgomery County Board of Elections and can act in that capacity to advantage his candidacy for Governor. He needs to step down immediately and allow for an alternate to be appointed in his place,” Kerns said.

“This has been the tradition in the past when County Commissioners have run for office and I think Hoeffel needs to step down now,” Kerns said.

““Elections should be free and fair. Hoeffel needs to step aside immediately to ensure he’s not setting the table for himself,” Kerns said, noting that Hoeffel remained on the Board of Elections when he was a candidate in a contested election to be a Hillary Clinton delegate to the 2008 Democratic National Convention.

The President Judge of the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas has the legal authority to appoint a replacement to the Board of Elections once Hoeffel steps aside.

Hoeffel announced on Sunday that he would be a candidate for the Democratic nomination for Pennsylvania Governor in 2010.


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Hoeffel Announces

"Jo-Ho" announced today that he will, indeed, be running for governor.

It surprises me that he hasn't announced a running mate-I guess he's waiting for Jimbo to either flip or announce the first *bi-partisan* gubernatorial ticket in the history of Montgomery County.

Funny, but if not for Jim-Turd empowering Hoeffel a year and a half or so ago, this may very well not have catapulted Jo-Ho to the statewide (if not national) stardom he now has...Thanks, KJIII, you selfless bastard. Thanks.





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Is "Racist" the new "Communist"?

During the McCarthy era, we had a run of people trying to "out" communists, to the point that it's overuse caused it to become less of a stigma to be called one. Is the current administration doing the same to the word "Racist"?

We very well may be going down that road. The video below is a great example of how "racism" is no longer a broad stroke of bigotry, but simply a case of both non- whites and "guilty" whites stating "white people hate everyone who isn't like them". The video is about an hour, but is well worth the time spent watching.




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Joe Hoeffel a Strong Possibility For Governor's Race

It looks like Joe Hoeffel will be seeking yet another position that will keep him on the public's payroll, if successful.

In a recent poll, Jo-jo garnered 30% of the support, should he decide to run against likely candidates. Unfortunately, Jim Matthews was not named as a likely running mate for Joe...bummer, considering how well they have worked together over the past year and a half.

Hopefully, as close as he and Jimbo have been, he will be a likely recipient of a huge dose of the "Matthews Effect"...one can only hope.

Read more about it here.

B.




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Facebook, today

"Friend" Jim Matthews? Ummmm...I think I'll pass!



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Congratulations are in Order

Congratulations to William (Will) Morgan, Boy Scout from Troop 140, on being honored this evening at the Whitemarsh Township Board of Supervisors meeting. Will was my son Jesse's very first patrol leader when Jesse 'bridged over" from Cub Scouts.

Will has earned the rank of Eagle Scout and the township is publicly honoring him for this great achievement.

Nationwide, less than 2% of all Boy Scouts achieve the rank of Eagle.

Will and his parents should be very proud. As a member of the Troop 140 committee, I sure am.



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The Bogeyman's Gonna Getcha!

I'm getting tired of the whole "Bogeyman's gonna getcha" tactics that BHO is using to stir up the waters of this health care issue.

The problem with the whole "health care reform" debate is that, in fact, the health care system isn't broken. It's not a health care issue, it's an insurance issue.

Everybody has access to health care...just look at the hospital emergency rooms, full of people with the flu and ingrown toenails. Hospitals are not allowed, by law, to turn them away without being seen. It comes down to who is paying for health care.

I'm currently unemployed, and my wife works...she gets health insurance through her employer. For those who do not, unfortunately, they have to pay, just as I do for homeowners, life and car insurance.

Do I want the federal gov't. meddling in those insurances, just because Joe Citizen can't afford full coverage, like I can? No!

This whole debate isn't about access to health care, it's about access to insurance. If one goes to work, even at a fast food joint, they have access to health insurance. One has to be willing to give up that Blackberry, the extra premium channels on their cable tv, and maybe the $35.00+ a week cigarette habit they have.

I'm out of work and we've cut back. People can afford insurance, but, if the gov't. keeps telling them "we'll take care of you", where's the incentive?

This is all smoke and mirrors, anyway. BHO thinks he can "scare" the American public into believing that the healthcare crisis is a "bogeyman" so to speak, but remember...after 8 years of Clinton failure on this topic, and 8 years of Bush not doing anything (b/c nothing needed to be done) the fact is, 16+ years have gone by and nobody is lining up to die because there lacks a national health care system.





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The President Explains Why Healthcare will fail...

...all the while trying to convince us that it will not!

H/T to "Republican Study Committee" on Facebook.

President Obama's defense of government-run health care: "If you think about it, UPS and FedEx are doing just fine… It’s the post office that’s always having problems."

Thank you, Mr. President for explaining to us that National, single provider health care will not work!


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It's like riding a bike...

I got an email today concerning our Former Senator, Rick Santorum, and the content of it pissed me off.

The person who wrote it flamed the former senator at face value, but did so without any substance..."flinging poo" so to speak. He also flamed someone who used to work for the senator, again, without substance, only for the sake of being insulting.

While the Dems accept ALL sorts of Dems just because they are Dems, we continue to kill our party by not accepting all of our Republicans into the "Big Tent" we continuously tout that we embrace. We use terms like "I held my nose and pulled the lever" or “I didn't vote for that guy at all" to show our distaste. This is one of the reasons there is a President Obama (instead of maybe a President Clinton or President McCain)

I don't get it...while the Democrats are organizing and becoming a force to be reckoned with, we have continually splintered as a party because "he's not conservative enough" or "she's not anti-abortion" or "he's an extremist", etc. We implode, rather than embrace someone who is fiscally or socially moderate. (for the record, I am both fiscally and socially überconservative...)

It's a pity. I pull straight lever, every time, because I want Republicans to win, and, we can win...we just don't really want to bad enough. There is no “perfect world” and there are no perfect Republicans. We must accept and embrace this to win elections.

I'm freakin' back.

B.




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well, well, well

This is strange, as I'm blogging for the first time in over 2 months. Things haven't been going as well as I thought they'd be by now, and I'd kind of lost my motivation to write.

As a lot of you know, I was laid off from my job back in November. The financial hardship notwithstanding, I've been experiencing a bit of lethargy (?) maybe in a lot of my life.

Backing up a bit, the ability to find a job over the last 7 -8 months has been terrible. My former "career" now only pays what the owner of the company wants to pay, it's become an "employer's market" in my chosen field. I called to inquire about a job in my field a month ago, they're paying half of what I was making in November, and-get this-required a bachelor's degree or equivalent experience...for a job that most people learned "on the job", in an apprenticeship!

That, coupled with a bit of health related issues, has chased my "muse" (so to speak) giving me no inspiration or desire to write anything. I've also been tied up with a bathroom remodel (now that I've got the spare time on my hands) that eats up a tremendous amount of what little energy I have.

So there it is, my loyal readers. No excuses, just explanations. Hopefully, this lone post will inspire me to get "back on the horse" or, I'll find that my "muse" has left me and I've written all I was supposed to.

Either way, it's been a great ride and I appreciate those of you who have been supportive of me (as well as those of you who choose to anonymously "jeer" me via the "comments" button).

Will I be back? Time will tell. Do I want to be back? More than ever.

Until then, bear with me...like all of G-d's creatures, I'm a work in progress, and I'm certain he's not through with me yet.

Have a peaceful day,

B.



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