Free Republic

Governor Ed Rendell, who approaches taxes the way he assaults cheesesteak sandwiches, will reportedly expand the tax on table games to include air hockey and pool tables. Jimmy "Extra Thumbs" Minnomano, the governor's table games liaison, said the tax is necessary to match the state government's wild spending spree. "Here's da ting," said Minnomano. "If you want to provide for the needed government services--like, bribing state workers to help out on campaigns or large per diem checks--then you need to seek alternative revenue sources. Know what I mean?" Air hockey and pool table owners would be forced to pay a...

“U.S. elected officials accused China on Tuesday of stealing American jobs.” I was trying to visualize how the Chinese snuck over and stole these jobs. They would certainly have used the largely unprotected southern border with Mexico to take the jobs, but how did they transport the jobs? The “U.S official” turns out to be Pennsylvania’s Gov. Ed Rendell who is an expert in jobs losses as he has lead Pennsylania from 5.5% unemployment when he was first elected in 2002 to a whopping 9.5% today (data available through September 2009). Playing on our fears about job losses and a...

LINK ONLY http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09338/1018440-100.stm

Attorney General Tom Corbett (R) is the most well known of the candidates looking to replace the term-limited Gov. Ed Rendell (D), and therefore leads his potential opponents by wide margins, a new Quinnipiac survey finds (Sept. 21-28, 1100 RV, MoE +/- 3%).

Despite a constitutional requirement that a budget be in place by June 30, the impasse remains, giving Pennsylvania the distinction of being the only state without a fiscal plan. After 67 days, why can't our elected officials figure out a solution? This rift between Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell and the Senate Republicans is as simple as is gets.One side truly cares about the welfare of Pennsylvania citizens, and the other cares about his legacy. The Senate, which happens to be the only Republican legislative body north of Virginia and east of Ohio, has done a stellar job of adhering to...

Join Honest Conservation Sunday, August 30, at 8 PM Eastern and share a NiteCap and a discussion with MAJ Stefan Cook, U.S. Army Reserves, about his lawsuit questioning President Obama's birth nation. Also joining HC are Bulletin journalist Chris Freind to discuss both his recent fast ride as the 'GIB' aboard a F-16D from 177th Fighter Wing of the New Jersey ANG and the latest fast one being pulled by PA Governor Ed Rendell. The call in number is 646 478 5613 and here is the link to the show on Freedom Radio.

MILTON — A Republican lawmaker and a school superintendent are still arguing over whether it was appropriate for the Milton district to host Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell’s Sunday morning press conference a month ago. The dispute between state Sen. John Gordner and Superintendent William A. Clark came to light Tuesday night during a work session of the Milton school board, when Clark said he and the politician had a 12-minute conversation that ended with neither giving ground. Contacted Wednesday, Gordner said Rendell’s visit to Milton was purely political in nature. The state senator said Rendell has been visiting schools in...

Note to Gov. Rendell: When trying to negotiate a final budget with legislative leaders, it’s perhaps not a good thing to utter publicly that you have daydreamed about killing a roomful of them. You might think it, governor. Just don’t say it out loud. But he did just that this morning. Rendell told reporters that he was frustrated with the way the conference committee of legislative leaders charged with finalizing a budget bill was progressing. The initial two committee meetings were held in public with Democrats and Republicans spending most of the time bickering about procedure and making little if...

Pennsylvania Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell said Tuesday that much of the outrage being demonstrated at town halls across the country comes from so-called birthers, whom he described as “absolutely nuts.” Responding to a question on the fury demonstrated at numerous town halls, the governor asserted that “many of these people are birthers.” “The birthers are a perfect slice of these people who have lost their rationality and they have become obsessed with certain things, and that obsession is hurting the democratic process,” Rendell said during an appearance on MSNBC’s “Hardball,” referring to the conspiracy theorists who believe President Barack Obama...

Dear Governor Rendell: I noted with interest that your current approval rating stands at just 39 percent — the lowest point in your career. Despite denying my repeated requests for a one-on-one interview, I nonetheless offer my thoughts as to why you have fallen out of favor with so many Pennsylvanians. Conflicts Of Interest First and foremost, the citizens of the Keystone State are fed up with what they see as huge conflicts of interest permeating every level of your Administration, with you being the focal point of many. The appearance of a governor showing favoritism and special treatment to...

WITH polls showing a drop in President Obama's job rating and sinking support for the Democrats' health-care plans, there is evidence of collateral damage where you might not expect to find it: in the standing of Democratic governors. Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell suddenly is getting negative job ratings in both the Quinnipiac University and the Franklin & Marshall College polls -- his lowest marks in seven years. Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, who has spent most of his first term working amicably with Republican legislators, scores less than 50 percent in the latest Quinnipiac poll and has only tenuous leads over...

Mark Sanford is trying to win his wife’s forgiveness, said George Rush and Joanna Malloy in the New York Daily News, but another married governor could be headed toward “fresh hell.” A “high-end escort” who's already said she had rough sex with then–New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer is claiming that she also had three sex “dates” with another of our “most prominent governors”—call him Gov. X—whose wife is “prominent in her own right.” This story has to be “prompting a variety of quiet phone calls” among some governors' staff, said Moe Lane in RedState. As for the rest of us,...

No wonder Ed is always smiling. Just another Dem who can't keep his pecker in his pants.. Man, Ed Rendell is so screwed -- literally. I don't normally listen to Opie & Anthony looking for breaking news, but astonishingly that's what I just got. A few minutes ago, the cast of the show on Sirius XM radio were interviewing Kristin Davis -- not the one from Sex and the City, the former Manhattan Madam who spent four months in Rikers in connection with the Eliot Spitzer hooker scandal from last year. There's been quite a bit of speculation that her...

Man, Ed Rendell is so screwed -- literally. I don't normally listen to Opie & Anthony looking for breaking news, but astonishingly that's what I just got. A few minutes ago, the cast of the show on Sirius XM radio were interviewing Kristin Davis -- not the one from Sex and the City, the former Manhattan Madam who spent four months in Rikers in connection with the Eliot Spitzer hooker scandal from last year. There's been quite a bit of speculation that her operation at one time serviced another high-profile governor, besides Spitzer, and up until now she's been largely...

Despite his call to drastically slash budgets to deal with a worsening recession, Gov. Rendell is paying $100,000 to a Philadelphia political strategist and media consultant to help him with publicity. The administration has hired Ken Snyder on a monthly retainer of $9,090 between now and Jan. 31 for part-time work, or a minimum of 30 hours a week. Snyder will assist Rendell's Communications Office in the Capitol with media strategy, with a focus on helping provide information about the billions of dollars in federal stimulus aid coming to Pennsylvania. Top administration officials yesterday defended the expenditure. They said it...

PennDOT has spent $60,000 to create large green road signs telling motorists that funding was secured by the federal stimulus package. Agency spokesman Eric Waters said the signs will be visible at 30 projects across the state. The signs will cost about $2,000 each. "We received $1 billion for roads and bridge projects; not all of the 242 projects will have signs," he said

HARRISBURG — As powerful politicians clash over Pennsylvania’s lengthening state budget impasse, members of a small band of largely backbench conservative Democrats are exercising a little muscle of their own. The so-called “Blue Dog” Democrats in the House have openly defied a call by Gov. Ed Rendell and leaders of the House Democratic majority to support an increase in the personal income tax. And they did so in a building in which rank-and-file legislators generally fear the punishment that might result from thumbing their noses at their caucus leaders. Many of the 25 or so Blue Dogs are from western...

Pennsylvanians: We've been slimed!A strange, mucous-like slime trail that originated in Harrisburg and continued into central Pennsylvania a few days ago was caused by Governor Edward "G. Tax Me" Rendell, according to members of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection cryptozoological clean-up team.Originally, team members feared that it was the trail of a giant snail, not a gelatinous slimeball--or several of Rendell's cronies, said team leader Nick Draffenstoots."There is absolutely nothing to fear, at least from a toxicity standpoint," said Draffenstoots. "On the other hand, if you're afraid of living the rest of your days mired in a sewer pit...

Elected officials and average citizens questioned the state's priorities in the budget impasse, which enters its seventh day today. Gov. Ed Rendell, pushing a 16 percent state income tax increase, and Senate Republicans, advocating severe spending cuts, remain miles apart on closing a $3.25 billion deficit. The majority of the state's 77,000 employees won't get paid starting in late July and early August, but inmates will continue to get paid for working at state prisons and for so-called "idle time" sitting in their cells. About 31,000 inmates participate in work programs that pay them 19 to 42 cents per hour,...

Here is video of Democratic Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell today hammering Gov. Sarah Palin for he calls "abandoning her state." Rendell makes the point that Alaska needs Palin to lead as Governor during these difficult days in the economy. He repeatedly said she was "abandoning" her state. Sarah Palin is really the only person who knows why she made this decision. I suspect it has a lot to do with her family, and the need she feels to protect them and do what is best for them at this time. It is unbecoming for Rendell and others to use words...