Wednesday, March 9, 2011

ESSENTIAL SERVICES? NO! BLOATED LEGISLATURE? YES, PLEASE!


In late May of last year, the New York Times non-fiction best sellers were Laura Bush's memoir, Spoken From the Heart and Michael Lewis' account of the 2008 stock market crash, The Big Short.

But here in Pennsylvania, the political and legal world was engrossed in a literary work known as
28th Statewide Investigating Grand Jury Report Number One.


You remember it. It was chock-full of staggering examples of the wasteful, spendthrift ways of the bloated state legislature. You were mesmerized by the revelation that nearly 1,300 employees work for the legislature, more than 9 for each representative and 17 staff for each senator.
Nobody was able to justify such a large number of employees for this body. On the contrary, there was a virtual consensus among those who have worked inside the legislature for many years that the number of employees could be significantly cut with no measureable decrease in the ability of each Member to perform his legislative duties and to serve his constituents. In some instances, the reason for requesting additional staff members has been to compensate for the incompetence of existing staffers. Instead of firing those incompentnt woworkers, you would just add more people. The grand jury finds that the vast overstaffing problem is linked to the patronage system within the legislature. Many staff members are hired at the request of a specific elected member, regardless of the prospective staff member's qualifications (or utter lack of qualifications)

Grand Jury Report Number One didn't stop with a simple recommendation to drastically reduce the number of legislative employees. It noted that while all legislative districts contain the same number of people, some representatives have more than one district office - purely for the purpose of providing more patronage jobs. Rank-and-file member H. William D. Weese, for example, has four district offices.

And per diems? The Grand Jury had plenty to say about per diems: Not having to submit receipts for expenses is bad enough, but the Grand Jury also found that the House Republican Caucus "schemed" for members to acquire additional per diem payments "by periodicaly adding extra 'token' days to the schedule. Any member who appears in the caucus room and does nothing more than sign the sheet will receive full per diem payment for that day."

Appalling! Remember how outraged you all were? Remember how outraged Gubernatorial Candidate Tom Corbett was?

Duplicative print shops, information technology departments and human resource departments, extraneous "PennDOT specialists," hoarding of surplus monies, secret "slush funds" known as Special Leadership Accounts ... the list of wasteful spending went on and on.

Since there's so much excess, unnecessary spending going on in the legislature, and the state is in such financial trouble, and Corbett you'd be pretty sure our budget-cutting governor would propose a sizeable reduction in the legislature's allocation.

Right?

As exactly no one seemed to notice, Corbett proposed cutting legislative spending by approximately ZERO PERCENT.

Funding for education? Slashed. Economic development? Decimated. Biomedical research? Snip, snip, snip. He'd eliminate another 1,500 jobs from a state workforce already trimmed to the bone by Governor Rendell's recession budgets.

But the bloated, wasteful legislature, according to Corbett, should not sacrifice one thin American dime.

(By the way, we're sure there's a completely innocent explanation, but that mesmerizing report was signed by the jury foreperson on February 24th, but not released to the public until May 24th. Don't look for the signature page on the version posted on the Attorney General's website; it's not there. It's just a remarkable coincidence.)

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

Corbett has every State Representative and State Senator on strings holding Senate Investigations still over their heads.

The question is who is pulling Corbett strings, that will ID thye real culprits.

Anonymous said...

No tax on Natural Gas withdraws, cut university funding in half, no new taxes on anything, cut 700 jobs in mental health, new money for new prisons, cut school districts so they raise local taxes, increase state police budget, cut another 800 jobs, cut EPA......We Have A Winner In Governor Corbett....onto Investigations on www.corbettgate.com


If one would investigate Corbettgate you would cause Impeachment.

Maybe now the Media and Newspapers will investigate????

Or will Big Oil buy up the Media???

Anonymous said...

Tom Corbett proposes to dismantle public education (so religious and conservative schools can indoctrinate eight-year-old minds with whatever corrosive agent induces a desire to watch Fox News?), first by cutting nearly $1 billion from state education funding, next by redirecting more of the remaining public funds to nonpublic schools.

Anonymous said...

At least cut all Immunity Witnesses that admitted under oath and in plea deals that they intentionally, purposely, and in disregard to all laws and ethics, they broke work rules.

Breaking work rules deserves firings without a pension and will lose any court attempt to prove otherwise.

At least the dump the dead weight that admitted they did nothing but campaigning, that will cut jobs in the legislature.

Anonymous said...

"Breaking work rules deserves firings without a pension..."

Man, that is cold. Also no grounds to do that. But the legislature should immediately terminate each person identified as admitting they campaigned on state time, took reimbursements for political trips, got bonuses for nonstate work, kept records on state time and computers for purposes of rewarding campaign work, etc. According to their own testimony - grand jury and trial - that would include dozens of current employees like Karen Steiner Blaner, David Bliss, Robert Caton, H. William DeWeese,Daryl Hazlewood, Melissa Lewis, Richard Pronesti, Stephen Webb and many more. If you included those implicated in e mails or testimony not their own, it'd be hundreds, all of whom should be asked to pay back bonuses and be terminated, but certainly keep their pensions. By the way, was keeping these people on payroll, in some cases with steep increases, and never attemting to recover bonuses even after he publicly admitted the bonuses were wrong and campaigning was going on, the right thing for DeWeese to do? I don't think so.

Anonymous said...

According to the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, Pennsylvania's support for higher education was below the national average even before Corbett's proposal.

A national group said it would be the biggest cut to higher education in the country this year.

The organization's 2010 report, released this week, pegged average state support for full-time students at $6,454 a year, compared with $5,159 a year in Pennsylvania. The average net tuition cost after grants was $8,577 in Pennsylvania, compared with a national average of $4,321

I do not recall Tom Corbett running on the campaign slogan, "Hey, elect me, I'll keep your children stupid!"

Anonymous said...

It is in every employment law in all 50 States that if you admit to breaking work rules terminations are upheld in every court if challenged.

The Immunity Witnesses all admitted under Oath they broke such rules and not under the directions of the Lawmakers but the Chief of Staff’s and others.

Clearly, cause to terminate under any circumstances and no employment laws can defend them.

In a strange way, Corbett in fact as Attorney General has burden the Commonwealth by insisting they kept their jobs and not pay back the Bonuses, only the Plea Bargainers are paying back the Commonwealth Bonuses after sentencing, until the Trials are through.

If real change is coming to Harrisburg, it starts in the legislature where many employees broke work rules and are still being paid.

If not Corbett's Budget is hypocrisy but what else is new?

Anonymous said...

"Blind man keeps his old guide dog after it loses its sight... and then gets a new one who now leads them both around."

Sound like Corbett and his Big Oil Advisers on not taxing Marcellus Shale while cutting education.

No wonder Corbett gave more money to Prison, with the young not being able to earn educations, they will end up in Michigan or Virginia Prisons where we send PA Tax Dollars now, a dirty little secret Corbett has kept from the Voters when he ran.

Robert Asher can tutor them when they get out and maybe they will tutor Corbett after he goes in for www.corbettgate.com.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said......If you included those implicated in e mails or testimony not their own, it'd be hundreds, all of whom should be asked to pay back bonuses and be terminated, but certainly keep their pensions...March 10, 2011 11:42 AM

Wages in Dispute
In case of a dispute over wages between an employer and employee, the employer must
give written notice to the employee of the amount of wages conceded to be due and must
timely pay such amount without condition. Acceptance by the employee of any payment
does not constitute a release as to the balance of his or her claim. Pennsylvania P.L. 637,
No. 329, Sec. 6

Anonymous said...

There once was a union maid,
she never was afraid
Of the goons and the ginks
and the company finks
and the deputy sheriffs who made the raid.

She went to the union hall when a meeting it was called,

And when the Legion boys come 'round

She always stood her ground.

Oh, you can't scare me,
I'm sticking to the union,
I'm sticking to the union,
I'm sticking to the union.

Oh, you can't scare me,
I'm sticking to the union,
I'm sticking to the union 'til the day I die.

This union maid was wise to the tricks of company spies,
She couldn't be fooled
by a companys tool,
she'd always organize the guys.

She always got her way when she struck for better pay.
She'd show her card to the National Guard
And this is what she'd say

You gals who want to be free,
just take a tip from me;
Get you a man who's a union man and join the ladies' auxiliary.
Married life ain't hard when you got a union card,

A union man has a happy life when he's got a union wife.

Lyrics: Union Maid, Woody Guthrie [end]

Anonymous said...

As much as "It Is Taxpayers Money" romanticizes Republican Political Camaraderie, it also serves as a cautionary tale about how the best-laid budget plans are not likely to work.

When the fog of accounting is literally full of lethal intentions, even the most experienced politico can lose focus and shut down from fear in the face of such overwhelming unemployment and lack of new jobs, and local school districts will raise taxes far beyond resident’s expectations.

The result is home values will drop even more as many seek to dump their homes in favor of rental with no tax burdens.

With the clock ticking until final budget passing is in July, the stakes keep rising for the taxpayers, small businesses, and students at universities as they attempt to improve themselves to contribute to a more enlighten workforce that will be more taxed, lower salaries and wage cuts in the form of paying for more pensions and medical benefits.

These burdens are the same kindle that will make elderly Pennsylvanians escape the area before it becomes a sea of fire of youthful and labor protest similar to what is happening in Egypt, Wisconsin, and Saudi Arabia before a civil war that is happening in Libya.

Governor Corbett keeps the action fluid, despite the choppiness of his anti-education budget that mimics the sensation of being in the middle of book burning as once seen in Nazi Germany.

Even the grittiest of Republicans will find it difficult to resist the temptation to indulge in sentimental impulses, and "Corbett's Budget" is no exception.

There are several exceptions that enrich the rich such as Oil Companies, Prison related businesses, collection agencies, and law enforcement at the expense of the everyday citizens that will be holding the bag in increased new local taxes.

Yet, Tom Corbett natural terseness gives way to the kind of patriotic eloquence that would fall more naturally from the mouth of a leader on the cusp of rebellion of class warfare.

Still, when the Republican Senators and Representatives are not saying lame things, it is impossible not to feel the tension or imagine the terror their situation would engender to real life citizens, students, and children even beyond their arrogance compassion can withstand.

At one time last year, Tom Corbett said somebody big is after me politically, well that was an admission of guilt going after phantom politicians using state time like his own campaign did but no one could investigate him. This means his time is already up and he may not out last Khadafy.

Prezel is still not happy what happen to him as the sole Republican Scapegoat soon to be joined by Jane Orie.

They know Republican secrets no one wants out, and if that means pouring it on Corbett like Republicans did to Nixon, well, that debt due is coming and it will be the collecrion agencies contributions that will cough up the goods as they are given immunity.

Although this Budget plays at times like the Casino Jack Movie, I suspect the Democrats will be using this budget as a recruiting tool for many years to come, but not just with people, but powerful organizatuions that will in the end topple Corbett.

Do not be surprised if your kid enlists just to kick some Corbett ass.

Anonymous said...

Corbett deflected criticism that he didn't call for members of the Legislature to cut their salaries or pay for their own health care as part of his budget cuts. He said he couldn't tell lawmakers what to do.

"This is their decision," he said, noting that he is open to any cuts legislators are willing to apply to themselves. "I think they know what they need to do. I don't think they need me preaching at them. They need (the media) preaching at them."

Anonymous said...

Hearings On Attorney General's Budget tomorrow, hope they investigate the Bonusgate costs versus recovery.

Any questions for the OAG at the Hearings?

Anonymous said...

Questions For Tom Corbett On How He Ran The Office Of Attorney General Budgets From 2002 To 2010?

PART I
THIS IS WHERE THE MEDIA SHOULD BEGIN AND INVESTIGATION ON CORBETT’S SELECTION OF PENNSYLVANIA COLLECTION AGENCIES ENRICHMENT FOR DOING NOTHING AND WITH NO-BID CONTRACTS SELECTED BY CORBETT HIMSELF:


1. How and why did Corbett choose only a few of Pennsylvania Collection Agencies during the Pennsylvania Amnesty Period and why were these few Pennsylvania Collection Agencies able to collect such high fees for a program that involved no work or efforts by them.


2. Can the Office of Attorney General tell the Committee how many millions are paid by Pennsylvania each year to the no-bid Pennsylvania Collection Agencies solely chosen selected by Tom Corbett from 2002 to 2010?


3. Why did this selection of these Corbett’s specially selected Pennsylvania Collection Agencies make Pennsylvania Taxpayers pay higher rates than most other states for the same services?


4. Why did Tom Corbett as Attorney General avoid soliciting bids to all qualified Pennsylvania Collection Agencies contractors, so competition would lower the higher rates and save Taxpayers money needed in today’s budget?


5. Why did Pennsylvania Taxpayers pay so much more than other states when all other states pay lower collection rates by bidding out Collection Agencies services, do those states really obtain collection results inferior to those of Tom Corbett’s handpicked contractors?


6. If those other states are also hand-picking their Collection Agencies, why do those states' proved to have a history of significantly lower commission rates than the contracts that Tom Corbett personally hand-selected costing Commonwealth Taxpayers in millions during Tom Corbett’s Attorney General oversight?


7. What role did Former Attorney General Leroy Zimmerman, as well as former Office of Attorney General employee or official, represent, lobby, or otherwise advocate on behalf of Tom Corbett personally hand-selected Pennsylvania Collection Agencies No-Bid Contracts?


8. What relationship did this have with the extravagant percentages paid to Tom Corbett personally hand-selected Pennsylvania Collection Agencies No-Bid Contracts?

Anonymous said...

PART II
THIS IS WHERE THE MEDIA SHOULD BEGIN AND INVESTIGATION ON CORBETT’S SELECTION OF PENNSYLVANIA COLLECTION AGENCIES ENRICHMENT FOR DOING NOTHING AND WITH NO-BID CONTRACTS SELECTED BY CORBETT HIMSELF:

9. What was the connection between the Linebarger Firm and Leroy Zimmerman unilaterally increasing that firm's back up to 25% in 2007 in spite of the lower rate stated in that particular contract?


10. Why was there no investigation ever undertaken by The Office Of Attorney General Internal Affairs Unit under law or by anyone else at The Department Of Revenue into under oath sworn testimony of waste, fraud, and wrongdoing amounting to millions of dollars lost to the Commonwealth, Taxpayers, and People Money.


11. Why did Tom Corbett as the Attorney General not have the Office of Attorney General Internal Affairs Unit use dedicating resources to this investigation, but preferred to spend Taxpayer’s Dollars in defending a Whistle Blowing Lawsuit of Tom Corbett’s complicity in his mismanagement of these millions of dollars by him and his hand selected Pennsylvania Collection Agencies with No-Bid Contracts?


12. How much has the Office Of Attorney General spend on outside Attorneys and Commonwealth resource time fighting that suit, and why was Office Of Attorney General’s Three Attorneys, with Taxpayer’s support staff of 20+ depositions misused in fighting the lawsuit against Tom Corbett and zero resources of the Office Of Attorney General investigating the why Tom Corbett’s personally selected Pennsylvania Collection Agencies with No-Bid Contracts totally ignored?


13. Why was Tom Corbett using Commonwealth Resources on State Time to defend his personal mismanagement bias that costs Pennsylvanian Taxpayers millions to favor Corbett’s selected Pennsylvania Collection Agencies with No-Bid Contracts, while he was fully aware of that misusing state resource was illegal since he was prosecuting Bonus Gate Defendants at the same time for violating Habay rules?


14. Did Tom Corbett as Attorney General Misuse State Resources and Employees and refused an internal investigation into the wrongdoing because it would have targeted his own abuses of Commonwealth Resources as well as embarrassing and politically damaging to his own Campaign for Governor and higher-ranking Office of Attorney General’s officials?


15. What was Lieutenant Crawly role in accepting Campaign Funds from Republican Senators and House members from Tom Corbett’s personally selected Pennsylvania Collection Agencies and their surrogate’s allegations?

Anonymous said...

Questions For Tom Corbett On How He Ran The Office Of Attorney General Budgets From 2002 To 2010? THIS IS WHERE THE MEDIA SHOULD BEGIN AND INVESTIGATION ON CORBETT’S SELECTION OF PENNSYLVANIA COLLECTION AGENCIES ENRICHMENT FOR DOING NOTHING AND WITH NO-BID CONTRACTS SELECTED BY CORBETT HIMSELF:

1. How and why did Corbett choose only a few of Pennsylvania Collection Agencies during the Pennsylvania Amnesty Period and why were these few Pennsylvania Collection Agencies able to collect such high fees for a program that involved no work or efforts by them.

2. Can the Office of Attorney General tell the Committee how many millions are paid by Pennsylvania each year to the no-bid Pennsylvania Collection Agencies solely chosen selected by Tom Corbett from 2002 to 2010?


3. Why did this selection of these Corbett’s specially selected Pennsylvania Collection Agencies make Pennsylvania Taxpayers pay higher rates than most other states for the same services?

4. Why did Tom Corbett as Attorney General avoid soliciting bids to all qualified Pennsylvania Collection Agencies contractors, so competition would lower the higher rates and save Taxpayers money needed in today’s budget?



5. Why did Pennsylvania Taxpayers pay so much more than other states when all other states pay lower collection rates by bidding out Collection Agencies services, do those states really obtain collection results inferior to those of Tom Corbett’s handpicked contractors?


6. If those other states are also hand-picking their Collection Agencies, why do those states' proved to have a history of significantly lower commission rates than the contracts that Tom Corbett personally hand-selected costing Commonwealth Taxpayers in millions during Tom Corbett’s Attorney General oversight?

7. What role did Former Attorney General Leroy Zimmerman, as well as former Office of Attorney General employee or official, represent, lobby, or otherwise advocate on behalf of Tom Corbett personally hand-selected Pennsylvania Collection Agencies No-Bid Contracts?


8. What relationship did this have with the extravagant percentages paid to Tom Corbett personally hand-selected Pennsylvania Collection Agencies No-Bid Contracts?

Anonymous said...

9. What about Keefer who was the ONLY one found innocent and lost everything... pension, pay, retirement, job, house, time... etc...????

Anonymous said...

The Shaler Republican's job approval rating is in line with those of Sen. Bob Casey Jr. (29 percent), Sen. Pat Toomey (28 percent) and President Obama (35 percent). Fifty-three percent of people think the state is on the wrong track, compared with 37 percent who think it's headed in the right direction, and 10 percent who don't know.



Corbett vowed to veto new taxes on Marcellus shale gas extraction, as well as on smokeless tobacco and cigars -- exemptions unique to Pennsylvania. That puts him at odds with 62 percent of people who want to tax natural gas extraction.

"They're making a bucket of money on it right now, and those who make a bucket of money don't seem to be getting taxed -- just those of us who are trying to plug the hole in the bucket," said Engle, who gave her age as "over 65 -- tired, but not retired."

Seventy-two percent of people want to tax smokeless tobacco and cigars, and taxes on Marcellus Shale, according to the poll.


First the unpopularity, then the investigations start, no one in power got there without something to hide, time is moving on, Valdez Is Coming.

Anonymous said...

The Democratic Party coming from humble origins now has to be driven to prove itself better than the Republican Aristocratic Party.

It is time for the upper-class whose notions of attaining, containing, and retaining wealth must go the way of chivalry conflict when the masses are hungry, losing jobs, and being abused for an economy created by big Bankers that ruined this nation and continue to live without one investigation or indictemnet.

The time has come for ruthless determination and it should begin at those blaming teachers, laborers, and average worker making about $50,000 the lowest salary for a new analysts on Wall Street?

The time is near when some will become desperate to avoid a scandal.

Anonymous said...

It's been said, "If you want to live like a Republican, then vote like a Democrat." When will the democrats wake up and see what the republicans are doing to destroy the middle class and working class people - both union and nonunion alike, including the middle class republicans born to good old democrat families that have been fooled by the smoke and mirrors of the republican aristrocrats suggesting that they are the only moral, pro-life, gun supporting politicians.

Anonymous said...

If you actually looked at the budget you would see he did cut the legislative budget by 1.4% (his own office got a 2.7% cut and the executive offices by 5.9%. But I suppose it is easier just to bash without facts.

Anonymous said...

By the numbers
HARRISBURG (AP) - Pennsylvania's 3,000-strong state legislative work force, by the numbers:

HOUSE EMPLOYEES

Republicans: 858, average pay $36,000

Democrats: 876, average pay $42,000

Nonpartisan: 201, average pay $43,000

Payroll: $76.3 million

How many earn at least $100,000: 37

How many earn less than $10,000: 152

Largest salary: $188,807

SENATE EMPLOYEES

Republicans: 367, average pay $53,000

Democrats: 311, average pay $52,000

Nonpartisan: 177, average pay $41,000

Payroll: $42.8 million

How many earn at least $100,000: 35

How many earn less than $10,000: 15

Largest salary: $173,526

Rank-and-file lawmakers make $79,600; leaders get more.

Note: House figures represent the amount paid in calendar 2010 to those still on the payroll at the end of December. Senate figures represent actual salary as of late January. Figures do not include legislative service agencies, which together employ more than 170 people.

Sources: AP analysis of data from House and Senate clerk's offices