Free Republic

Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta (R) is likely this week to announce his third bid against Rep. Paul Kanjorski (D-Pa.), according to a Republican source with knowledge of his impending campaign. Barletta’s entrance into the race likely makes this a top-tier contest for Republicans, who are hoping to pick up a couple of House seats in the Keystone State next year. Kanjorski defeated Barletta in 2008, 52 percent to 48 percent, even though public polls showed the popular small-town mayor in the lead for several months leading up to Election Day. National Republicans see Barletta as their best candidate to defeat...

WASHINGTON - During consideration of H.R. 3126, legislation to establish a Consumer Financial Protection Agency (CFPA), Democrats on the House Financial Services Committee voted to pass an amendment offered by Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) that will make ACORN eligible to play a role in setting regulations for financial institutions. The Waters amendment adds to the CFPA Oversight Board 5 representatives from the fields of "consumer protection, fair lending and civil rights, representatives of depository institutions that primarily serve underserved communities, or representatives of communities that have been significantly impacted by higher-priced mortgages" to join Federal banking regulators in advising the...

U.S. Rep. Paul E. Kanjorski, D-11, Nanticoke, wants to reform the regulatory structure of the U.S. financial services industry. So he has introduced four pieces of legislation that would reform credit-rating agencies, protect investors, address private funds - such as hedge funds and private equity, which were unregulated in the past - and create a federal insurance office. Mr. Kanjorski, chairman of the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Insurance, and Government Sponsored Enterprises, is also the second-ranking member of the House Financial Services Committee. Credit-rating agency Mr. Kanjorski said he introduced the credit-rating agency legislation because of the...

A powerful subcommittee chairman working on financial regulations didn't appreciate Rahm Emanuel's role in trying to change his bill — and he pointedly reminded members of his panel that President Barack Obama's chief of staff isn't in the House anymore. Rep. Paul Kanjorski sounded annoyed when freshman New Jersey Democrat John Adler invoked Emanuel's name while pushing a controversial amendment to Kanjorski's investor protection bill. “What seat does he occupy here?” Kanjorski demanded about freshman Rep. John Adler (D-N.J.), pointing around the half-empty Financial Services Committee room. Kanjorski is chairman of the capital markets subcommittee, and he didn't like the...

U.S. Rep. Paul Kanjorski, D-Nanticoke, is making his mark on financial regulatory reform. The 11th Congressional District representative has four bills he introduced that will be "marked up" or reviewed in committee this week. They include: * Investor Protection Act (H.R. 3817). * Accountability and Transparency in Rating Agencies Act (H.R. 3890). * Private Fund Investment Advisers Registration Act (H.R. 3818). * Federal Insurance Office Act (H.R. 2609). Kanjorski has appeared on numerous cable news shows in the past several weeks. He has met with U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner, and had a private meeting with President Barack Obama...

HAZLETON – Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta, whose campaign committee is still $153,670 in debt from his 2008 losing effort to unseat U.S. Rep. Paul E. Kanjorski, said he may challenge Kanjorski again next year. “I’m considering it,” said the Republican. “But I haven’t made any decisions.” Barletta said losses to Kanjorski in 2002 and 2008 are not enough to sway him from sitting out this next election cycle. He said he’s been urged by members of his party to challenge Kanjorski, D-Nanticoke, yet again. Tory Mazzola, the Northeastern U.S. spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), said, “We’re hopeful...

If Republican Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta decides to seek his party's nomination to Congress again, he'll have competition. Chris Paige, 38, of Barrett Twp. in Monroe County, said Tuesday he will seek the Republican nomination for the seat currently occupied by U.S. Rep. Paul E. Kanjorski, D-11, Nanticoke. "I was outraged by the (Wall Street and automobile) bailouts, which I think are unconstitutional, and terrible economic policy," said Mr. Paige, a lawyer and the co-owner of a hedge fund, Paige Capital Management LLC. "I'm worried about the state of our economy and our unemployment situation." Mr. Paige claimed the bailouts...

DUNMORE - With a promise to level the playing field for Middle America, Lackawanna County Commissioner Corey O'Brien on Saturday kicked off his bid to unseat longtime incumbent Democratic U.S. Rep. Paul E. Kanjorski. Joined by his wife, Michelle, their two children and about 100 supporters, the 36-year-old Democratic commissioner stood in front of his boyhood home at 1906 Delaware St. and criticized the "unchecked greed of corporate America that threatens Middle America." Mr. O'Brien, who lives in Moosic's Glenmaura neighborhood, promised to work for "affordable, quality health care," well-funded early childhood education and an education system that prepares students...

"Today, I was listening to the Glenn Beck program and heard about Rep. Paul Kanjorski’s comments on the financial crisis that took place on September 15th, 2008. According to Mr. Kanjorski: “On Thursday [September 15] , at roughly 11 AM The Federal Reserve noticed a tremendous draw down of money market accounts in the USA to the tune of $550 Billion dollars in a matter of an hour or two. Money was being removed electronically. The treasury tried to help with $150 Billion, but could not stem the tide. It was an electronic run on the banks The treasury intervened...

President Obama references an economic crisis that occurred "last year" in a recent speech. Did he mean the very same money draw-down referenced by Rep Kanjorski in September of 2008? I love conspiracy theories, but has there been any congressional investigations into what really happened? On Thursday Sept 15, 2008 at roughly 11 AM The Federal Reserve noticed a tremendous draw down of money market accounts in the USA to the tune of $550 Billion dollars in a matter of an hour or two. Money was being removed electronically. Kanjorski tried to follow up here in a hearing. What did...

US Representative Paul Kanjorski (D-PA), recently graced us with his presence on the airwaves of Northeast PA by doing a “Radio Town Hall” on WILK. Over the August recess, he has done 1 “Telephone Town Hall” in which his staff chose who asked questions, and this “Radio Town Hall”, and refuses to meet face-to-face with his constituents, as he just doesn’t have the time to do so. In discussing the recent upward revision of the projected 10 year US budget deficit from $7 Trillion to $9 Trillion, he remarked that the $2 Trillion difference “really isn’t a lot of money…”.

WILKES-BARRE – Sen. Ted Kennedy was well known in Northeastern Pennsylvania – from his involvement in the tragic July 1969 death of Edwardsville native Mary Jo Kopechne to his overwhelming margin of victory in Luzerne and Lackawanna counties in the April 1980 Pennsylvania Democratic primary Kennedy’s win here carried him to victory in the state primary over eventual Democratic presidential nominee, incumbent Jimmy Carter. Kennedy, the last surviving brother in a political dynasty and one of the most influential senators in U.S. history, died late Tuesday night at his home on Cape Cod, Mass., after a yearlong struggle with brain...

To those who study the numbers, it is now obvious that America’s fiscal situation is hopeless. Given the country’s current debt and unfunded liabilities of $75,000,000,000,000, an amount growing by at least $5,000,000,000,000 per year, it will be statistically impossible for the United States to pay its obligations unless it repudiates them in large measure, or the dollar is sacrificed on the altar of searing, society-altering inflation. Congress and much of the nation are in utter denial about the country’s unfolding fiscal catastrophe, as evidenced by federal spending that is actually accelerating, producing all-time debt and deficit records that exceed...

11th District Congressman Paul Kanjorski talked with WILK's Nancy Kman and Sue Henry Tuesday morning about healthcare reform. He also took email questions from listeners on the issue. Kanjorski says it's 'the burden of the President to sell, provide the information, the analysis and facts to the Congress of the United States and the American people" on healthcare reform." Kanjorski also says "I think the President may have compromised too much on this bill, in making deals with the drug companies, with the medical profession, with the hospital profession, with the insurance carriers, that he's taken all of the areas...

TOBYHANNA — Wednesday was the second trip for U.S. Rep. Paul E. Kanjorski, D-10, to the Tobyhanna Army Depot in four months to announce new government funds. He's expecting to be back soon. "I wouldn't doubt we'd be up here in the near future announcing more funding," he said. Kanjorski on Wednesday announced $2.4 million in federal stimulus money going to infrastructure improvements around the depot. Specifically, the money will be used to improve the quality of life at the depot's barracks for military personnel stationed there for training. About 2,000 troops pass through Tobyhanna in a year in addition...

Congressman Kanjorski had a Telephone Conference Call this past week; the topic was Health Care. Reportedly, someone who called his office was told that he no longer holds Town Hall meetings due to lack of interest. Some notes I took of the call: -Kanjorski said in his opening remarks that health plans are regulated at the state level, and that this is an impossible task. He then said that the best Congress can do is to "try and look at the system, and how we can BREAK IT DOWN and what we can do with it" -He then went on...

U.S. Rep. Paul Kanjorski this week helped reintroduce the Secure America through Verification and Enforcement Act, an anti-illegal immigration bill he originally introduced in November 2007. The bill would enable a three-point strategy to combat illegal immigration by securing the borders through an increased number of border patrol agents, mandating employers verify work authorization before hiring new employees, and enforcing existing laws pertaining to illegal immigration. "Those who want to live and work in the United States need to abide by our laws," Kanjorski, D-Nanticoke, said. "By requiring employers to verify the legal status of new employees, we can stop...

WASHINGTON — Congressman Paul Kanjorski is among the largest beneficiaries of a lobbying effort by the financial industry aimed at changing an accounting rule that will save Wall Street billions of dollars in losses from mortgage securities. Kanjorski, D-11, whose district includes Monroe County, received $18,500 early this year from a coalition of lobbyists representing 31 financial firms and trade groups who succeeded in having the accounting rule changed in April. Kanjorski heads the House Financial Services subcommittee on capital markets, insurance and government-sponsored enterprises, which pressed for the accounting change. The Wall Street lobby's contribution to Kanjorski was the...

U.S. Rep. Paul E. Kanjorski thinks the nation’s financial crisis could use victory gardens. After sitting through three major hearings on the crisis the last two weeks, Kanjorski sees progress in dealing with it, but less in unifying the public behind an ultimate solution. Enter the victory gardens — Kanjorski’s metaphor for convincing a skeptical public to support further drastic action proposed to solve the crisis. During World War II, Americans grew gardens of fruits and vegetables to lessen the need for store-bought food. Known as victory gardens, they made people feel connected to war effort. At this stage of...

As the economy tanks and Wall Street and the financial services industry have been placed under a microscope, U.S. Rep. Paul E. Kanjorski has been transformed from a member of Congress most often on the sidelines to one of cable television’s go-to talking heads. It's not a position the Nanticoke native has often found himself in during 24 years in Washington. But he knows it comes with the job. The congressman, now serving his 13th term, said he has never been drawn to the spotlight, but in the past few months it’s found him. In his position as chairman of...

HARRISBURG –Republican Party of Pennsylvania Chairman Rob Gleason questioned why Congressman Paul Kanjorski refuses to return campaign contributions he received last year from executives from the struggling insurance giant AIG, American International Group Inc. AIG is the same group that received a large bailout from the federal government late last year. “Congressman Kanjorski continues to show his arrogance by holding on to $12,000 in campaign contributions he received from AIG during the 2008 election cycle,” Gleason said. “How do we know that the campaign contributions Congressman Kanjorski received weren’t taxpayer dollars that the company received in a federal bailout late...

Here is video of Democrat Rep. Paul Kanjorski this morning saying the Obama Administration and the Congress must stop looking like the "Keystone Cops" if they are going to have credibility with the American people and be able to turn the U.S. Economy around. He was talking in reference to the AIG bonus scandal, and really came down hard on the need to "slow down" and get things in order and under control in terms of oversight on the massive bailouts that have already been passed. This kind of sentiment among some Democrats may become a roadblock to President Obama...

PLAINS TWP. – U.S. Rep. Paul Kanjorski said he voted for the $787 billion federal stimulus package even though e-mails from constituents were running “1,000 to 1” against it. “We’re not out of the woods yet,” Kanjorski, D-Nanticoke, told about 175 people at a program offered Monday morning by the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce. “The next bailout package could exceed $1 trillion.” Both Kanjorski and U.S. Rep. Chris Carney, D-Dimock Township, said another bailout of the banks may be needed, but there is no mood in Congress for it. Kanjorski and Carney were joined by U.S. Sens. Arlen Specter,...

The head of financially troubled American International Group, the insurance firm that most benefited from the federal bailout while still paying hefty bonuses to executives, will testify before U.S. Rep. Paul E. Kanjorski’s congressional panel Wednesday. Chief Executive Officer Edward M. Liddy is sure to field questions from members of the Capital Markets, Insurance and Government-Sponsored Enterprises Subcommittee about millions of dollars in bonuses. Mr. Kanjorski, D-11, of Nanticoke, chairman of the subcommittee, said Monday he warned Mr. Liddy against paying the bonuses in a conversation in January. Mr. Kanjorski said bonuses could anger members of Congress who might eventually...

Revamping of student loan program could reduce need for private lenders. Hundreds of Luzerne County jobs could be in jeopardy if Congress approves President Barack Obama’s plan for changing the federal student loan program. In his budget proposal, Obama recommended that the U.S. Department of Education administer all of the federal loans for students by 2010, saving a claimed $4 billion a year. The change would drastically reduce the need for private lenders including Sallie Mae, which employs more than 700 people in its Hanover Township offices. Sallie Mae is one of the nation’s largest providers of federal and private...

Rep. Paul Kanjorski, Chairman of the Financial Services Subcommittee, stated on CSPAN that the $550 billion electronic run on money market funds occurred on a Thursday “about September 15.” However, Thursday that week in 2008 was September 11. Was this just another coincidence? Is Kanjorski delusional? Then why hasn’t the Democratic leadership removed him as chairman of this important subcommittee? Or is he telling the truth? Can half a trillion dollars be withdrawn in two hours without collusion? Then why aren’t we demanding an investigation? Do we care? Or have we become sheep, waiting to be fleeced?

A proposal that would allow mortgage servicers to modify loans without fear of lawsuits from disgruntled investors has been approved by the U.S. House. The provision, originally introduced by Rep. Paul Kanjorski, D-11, as a separate bill, was approved this week, 234-191, as part of a broader bill to help financially strapped home buyers hold onto their homes. Millions of mortgages were bundled together and sold to investors as securities. Some lenders are reluctant to reduce the principal or interest rate on troubled loans — even if those loans are in danger of foreclosure — because they fear legal action...

The Post hit the nail right on the head when it reported exclusively last September that the US narrowly averted a crash of the financial markets, it was recently revealed. In the days after the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy, there was a run on the country's money market funds as investors feared the bonds held by the funds would collapse - which The Post reported in a Sept. 21 story entitled "Almost Armageddon." Rep. Paul Kanjorski, of the House Finance Committee, confirmed the bank run recently. .....

<p>The U.S. government rescued giant insurer American International Group in part because its collapse would dramatically hurt European banks, a senior Democratic lawmaker said on Thursday.</p> <p>The U.S. government has bailed out AIG three times since Sept. 16 and committed about $180 billion to keep the insurer alive and doing business.</p>

The recent bombshell that Rep. Kanjorski dropped gets bigger and bigger. Atlas reader Suzanne picked up on a mindblowing "detail" in my blog post: "RIGHT BEFORE THE ELECTION OF PRESIDENT HUSSEIN: "A $550 Billion Electronic Run on the Banks". Paul Kanjorski describes the closed door session of Congress where it was revealed that there was a $550 billion electronic run on the banks and that was what caused the economic crisis. In the video, Kanjorski says this occurred on Thursday, September 15, 2008. September 15th was a MONDAY. THURSDAY was .......SEPTEMBER 11, 2008 This was a Financial Terrorist Attack on...

Rep. Kanjorski: $550 Billion Disappeared in "Electronic Run On the Banks" ( Sept 15,2008) LiveLeak ^ | Feb 7 2009 ( I believe) | Rep Paul Kanjorski Capital Markets Sub committee Chair Posted on Monday, February 16, 2009 8:42:56 PM by Ernest_at_the_Beach At 2 minutes, 20 seconds into this C-Span video clip, Rep. Paul Kanjorski of Pennsylvania explains how the Federal Reserve told Congress members about a "tremendous draw-down of money market accounts in the United States, to the tune of $550 billion dollars." According to Kanjorski, this electronic transfer occured over the period of an hour or two. Here...

U.S. Reps. Paul E. Kanjorski and Chris Carney plan to wait before deciding whether to return thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from a firm that lobbies for defense contractors and is under investigation by the FBI. Both congressmen said they won’t return the contributions now because no wrongdoing has been found in the case of the PMA Group. The FBI is investigating the group for funneling bogus campaign contributions to Rep. John Murtha and other lawmakers, according to The New York Times. Mr. Kanjorski also said he won’t return a $2,500 contribution from an official of the Stanford Financial...

At 2 minutes, 20 seconds into this C-Span video clip, Rep. Paul Kanjorski of Pennsylvania explains how the Federal Reserve told Congress members about a "tremendous draw-down of money market accounts in the United States, to the tune of $550 billion dollars." According to Kanjorski, this electronic transfer occured over the period of an hour or two. Here is a transcript of what Kanjorski says in the video: "On Thursday Sept 15, 2008 at roughly 11 AM The Federal Reserve noticed a tremendous draw down of money market accounts in the USA to the tune of $550 Billion dollars in...

U.S. Rep. Paul E. Kanjorski reversed himself and voted for the final version of the $787 billion economic stimulus package approved Friday by Congress. As expected, Rep. Chris Carney and Sens. Arlen Specter and Bob Casey also voted for the package. Mr. Kanjorski, D-11, opposed the first version, which passed the House late last month. He cited Democratic leadersÂ’ failure to allow bipartisan input into the bill, CongressÂ’ failure to spend enough time preparing the bill, its lack of enough money for road, bridge and infrastructure repairs and construction, that it didnÂ’t provide enough help for retired or unemployed Americans...

I want you to read something. It's a snatch of transcript from a Jan. 27 C-SPAN interview with Rep. Paul Kanjorski, D-Pa., that has received zero coverage in what we think of as the mainstream media. To set the C-SPAN scene, Kanjorski is harkening back to the middle of last September, when, as it happens, John McCain was enjoying his brief lead in the presidential polls and the economy as we knew it was imploding. Here's what Kanjorski said: "I was there when the Secretary (of the Treasury Hank Paulson) and the Chairman of the Federal Reserve (Ben Bernanke) came...

Democrats Call for “Truth and Reconciliation” The Obama administration has moved forward with lighting speed to impose its agenda upon us before anyone can mount an effective opposition. This has obviously been planned for a long time. That we have been so poorly served by our duly elected politicians, especially three Senate Republicans and virtually the entire Democrat Party, is discouraging beyond words. Unless some of these people get a serious dose of moral integrity overnight, Obama's massive spending bill will become law, and the beginning of the end of our great nation will hove into sight. It is now...

RUSH: I want you to listen to this, Paul Kanjorski. He's a Democrat member of Congress from Pennsylvania. He was on C-SPAN's Washington Journal on January 27th. KANJORSKI: On Thursday at about 11 o'clock in the morning -- RUSH: Stop the tape a second. Go back and recue this. He's talking about September the 18th here. Let me tease you even further. September the 18th is the day last year that the world economy almost came to an end. Don't smirk. It's true, Snerdley. That's what Kanjorski is saying. So he's talking here about Thursday, September the 18th. KANJORSKI: On...

Liberal blog Daily Kos and Reaserch 2000 issued a new poll showing Lou Barletta leading incumbent Paul Kanjorski by a 43 to 39 margin. Recent internal polls from both camps show them leading.

As a member of a key House banking subcommittee, Democratic U.S. Rep. Paul E. Kanjorski had a ringside seat as the nation’s banking system cascaded into a crisis that’s threatening the American economy. Lou Barletta, the Republican Hazleton mayor challenging Mr. Kanjorski for his 10th District seat, charges the congressman sat idly by while it all unraveled because of $2.7 million in campaign contributions from banking, real estate and insurance industry political action committees and executives. “This is the classic case of the fox watching the henhouse, Paul Kanjorski watching over the henhouse,” Mr. Barletta said.

http://www.boingboing.net/2009/02/09/rep-kanjorski-550-bi.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NMu1mFao3w

Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta holds a 9-point lead over 12-term incumbent Democrat Paul Kanjorski in the 11th Congressional District, according to a poll released today. The Franklin & Marshall College survey, the first independent poll conducted in the district, confirms what Democrats have feared and what Republicans have touted for months: Kanjorski is seriously at risk of losing his seat. Buoyed by his support among independents and even many Democrats, Barletta leads 44 percent to 35 percent. The poll also surveyed the presidential race in the northeast Pennsylvania district. Democrat Barack Obama leads Republican John McCain 43 percent to 40...

Rep. Kanjorski: $550 Billion Disappeared in "Electronic Run On the Banks" At 2 minutes, 20 seconds into this C-Span video clip, Rep. Paul Kanjorski of Pennsylvania explains how the Federal Reserve told Congress members about a "tremendous draw-down of money market accounts in the United States, to the tune of $550 billion dollars." According to Kanjorski, this electronic transfer occured over the period of an hour or two.

A failure by House Democratic leaders to allow bipartisan input into an $819 billion economic stimulus proposal was a key reason U.S. Rep. Paul E. Kanjorski said he voted against it this week. Efforts to reach Mr. Kan-jorski, D-11, for comment were unsuccessful, but his office provided a copy of a statement he read on the House floor before the vote. He said Republicans “raise a reasonable objection that they were not fully included” as the bill was drafted. Republicans echoed the complaint. The stimulus bill passed 244-188. The Senate is taking up its version of the bill, and a...

WASHINGTON -- When the Washington Nationals played their first-ever baseball game in the nation's capital in April 2005, two congressmen who oversaw mortgage giant Freddie Mac had choice seats -- courtesy of the very company they were supposed to be keeping an eye on. Efforts to tighten government regulation were gaining support on Capitol Hill, and Freddie Mac was fighting back. The baseball tickets for home opener were means of influence. According to confidential company documents obtained by The Associated Press, Reps. Paul Kanjorski, D-11, and Bob Ney, R-Ohio, spent the evening in hard-to-obtain seats near the Nationals dugout with...

After two days of congressional hearings into a proposed $25 billion automotive industry bailout, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey and U.S. Rep. Paul E. Kanjorski disagreed on the urgency for it. “I am not yet convinced that Congress must act so rashly,” Mr. Kanjorski said during a House Financial Services Committee hearing Wednesday in Washington, D.C., where the chief executives of the Big Three automakers and the United Auto Workers Union testified. Mr. Kanjorski is a committee member. The hearing was streamed over the Internet through the committee’s Web site. Mr. Casey, a Banking Committee member who heard from the executives...

U.S. Rep. Paul E. Kanjorski spent more than $2 million to win his 13th term, including $10,000 in payments to a videographer who followed political opponent Lou Barletta throughout the campaign. Kanjorski, a Democrat, defeated Barletta in the Nov. 4 election by nearly 10,000 votes to retain his 11th Congressional District seat. The videographer, identified as Joe Van Wie of Agapic Films of Scranton, was observed taping Barletta at campaign rallies and fundraisers. He also caught the mayor at Hazleton City Hall before and after council meetings, said Shawn Kelly, who served as Barletta’s campaign spokesman. Van Wie may have...

PHILADELPHIA — Paul Kanjorski has fought off a nationally known crusader against illegal immigration to keep his northeastern Pennsylvania congressional seat. Kanjorski, a Democrat, beat Republican Lou Barletta in the 11th District.

PITTSTON TWP. -- Paul Kanjorski and Lou Barletta met for their only debate Wednesday night in a race where millions of dollars have been spent and exchanges have been heated. Kanjorski, the 12-term Democratic incumbent, and Barletta, the Republican mayor of Hazleton, are running for the seat in the 11th Congressional District. The debate was held in at WVIA-TV in its new high definition studios. Barletta repeatedly attacked Kanjorski on his 24 years in Congress, saying the Nanticoke congressman has not done enough for his district and has become part of the problem in Washington where elected officials have earned...

Democratic U.S. Rep. Paul E. Kanjorski believes the best way to jump-start the economy is to restore confidence in its financial institutions. Republican Lou Barletta favors instituting a flat tax of less than 20 percent on individuals and corporations to replace the current tax system. The two candidates for the 11th Congressional District seat Mr. Kanjorski has held for almost 24 years have divergent views when it comes to economic and tax policy. The nation is facing its greatest financial crisis since the Great Depression as major lending institutions have collapsed and loans have became harder to come by, freezing...