Corruption's gripping the city and state

CALL IT A PANDEMIC of public corruption.

It's gripping Philadelphia and Pennsylvania.

Elected leaders are probed, charged, convicted, jailed, etc. in stupendously striking succession

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A stark irony? The city and state where American democracy was born is setting the national pace for illegality in office.

You get the damage this causes, right?

It undermines faith in government, faith in politics, faith in all elected officials.

It spurs cynicism. It fuels frustration with those who fail at creating progress but succeed spectacularly at creating scandal.

And we wonder why voter turnout is at its lowest point in 72 years.

And, yeah, I know U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah has legal rights and presumed innocence until proven otherwise and blah, blah, blah.

But charges against him, including money laundering, bank fraud and bribery in "a racketeering conspiracy," sound like he was at the center of a "Fattah & Friends" mob family in which everyone got a taste.

I've known Fattah since the '80s, when he was a member of the Legislature.

I covered him when he ran for mayor. I wrote about his efforts, especially in education, in Congress. He knows how to work levers of government for good - and allegedly for evil.

In 1990, I wrote that as a freshman state senator he was a "hot prospect" who worked hard, pushed Philly issues and was "likely a future power."

I was right. I just forgot what power can do to too many who achieve it.

Let's not do the whole list. There's not enough space.

Let's just note: recently, four Philly state House members and a former Philly Traffic Court judge snagged in a "sting case"; another former Traffic Court judge busted for fixing tickets for bribes; a Philly state senator caught misusing funds.

Oh, but the ooze of awful doesn't stop at City Line Avenue.

The former mayor of Harrisburg was just indicted for racketeering, theft, bribery.

The current mayors of Reading and Allentown are under FBI investigations.

The former state treasurer, Rob McCord, resigned, pleaded guilty to extortion.

Two former state Supreme Court justices, Joan Orie Melvin and Seamus McCaffery, disgraced and gone from the state's highest bench.

The current state attorney general, Kathleen Kane, facing possible charges, alleged to have used secret grand jury material to embarrass a political foe.

All this in a state where a few years back, dozens of lawmakers, leaders and aides were caught in separate scandals, Bonusgate and Computergate, using millions in tax dollars for political gain.

There was a point when eight legislative leaders were in prison at the same time.

A national study from Indiana University in Bloomington puts Pennsylvania fifth among states for corruption, behind Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee and Illinois.

But the study's flawed. It stopped in 2008 and only counted federal charges. Since then and counting state charges, we must be at or near the top.

Think it matters?

A study by the nonpartisan Center for American Progress says three of the four most financially disadvantaged school districts in the nation are in Pennsylvania: Philadelphia, Reading and Allentown.

U.S. Census data say Philadelphia is the poorest big city in America, with the highest rate of deep poverty.

A Pew study puts Pennsylvania among the lowest states in job-creation.

Bad politics leads to bad policy.

And we have lots of bad politics. And party leaders and others who work so hard to raise so much money for campaign after campaign, year after year.

I wish that half that

 energy and effort was aimed at purifying the process. Campaign-contribution limits and term limits would be a start.

Gov. Wolf says Pennsylvania suffers a democracy deficit. I say it suffers an integrity deficit. The two are connected. And somebody should convene a summit.

Via: philly.com

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Democrats replace Fattah Appropriations Committee with Mike Honda (under ethics probe)

You just can’t make this shit up if you tried. Corrupt Democrat Chaka Fattah who has been indicted on racketeering charged. The corrupt Philadelphia Democrat has been replaced by Democrats as their leader on the Appropriations Committee. So who did Democrats select to become their leader on the House Appropriations Committee? None other than California Democrat Mike Honda who is currently under ethics investigation. This your 21st century Democrat party. Replace one crook with another.

Democrats replace Fattah Appropriations Committee with Mike Honda (under ethics probe)

Investigators with the Office of Congressional Ethics are looking into allegations against Rep. Michael M. Honda, the Democrat who has represented California’s South Bay since 2000.

The probe follows a September 2014 report by San Jose Inside that exposed internal emails between Honda’s longtime chief of staff, Jennifer Van der Heide, and his then-campaign manager about the invite list for an upcoming State Department roundtable. The February 2013 emails, given to the newspaper by an ex-Honda staffer, appeared to violate House rules regarding campaign activity by discussing contributors and fundraising efforts related to an official event.

Two days later, supporters of Ro Khanna, the Democrat vying against Honda for his seat in 2014, filed a complaint. Although only one of the 20 people who attended the State Department roundtable had ever contributed to Honda, Khanna and his supporters accused the congressman of a “pay-to-play arrangement,” in addition to pressuring staffers to assist the re-election campaign.

Honda’s office did not comment on the allegations in the letter to OCE, but acknowledged the investigation.

“The congressman and his staff continue to cooperate fully with the OCE’s review of the matter,” Honda spokeswoman Lauren Smith said in an email to CQ Roll Call. “Out of respect for the process, we cannot confirm specifics or discuss any details at this time.”

Via: Fireandreamitchell.com

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House Dem loses committee post due to indictment, but get a load of his replacement

1. Lachlan Markay ‏@lachlan  4h4 hours ago

   LOL http://blogs.rollcall.com/hill-blotter/chaka-fattah-charged-in-29-count-indictment/?SD … pic.twitter.com/rVpcuwW0Lp

   28 retweets1 favorite
   

   
   

   

   
   

 

Emily Brown‏@scaredEcat111

@lachlan OMG, you just can't make this stuff up! We really do need term limits.

• RETWEET1
• FAVORITE1
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10:58 AM - 29 Jul 2015

Federal prosecutors have indicted Pennsylvania Democrat Rep. Chaka Fattah with a laundry list of charges, including bribery and racketeering conspiracy.

Fattah was the Democrat leader of the Appropriations Committee but will no longer hold that post. Check out his replacement:

 

Lachlan Markay‏@lachlan

LOL http://blogs.rollcall.com/hill-blotter/chaka-fattah-charged-in-29-count-indictment/?SD …

• RETWEETS28
• FAVORITE1
• 

10:52 AM - 29 Jul 2015

Via: Twitchy

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Pennsylvania Democrat indicted on federal racketeering charges

Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-Pa.) has been indicted on dozens of federal charges surrounding his unsuccessful run for Philadelphia mayor in 2007, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Wednesday.

The 11-term Democrat, along with four associates, was indicted on 29 federal counts, including bribery, money laundering, falsification of records and multiple counts of bank fraud, among other charges.

Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell said Fattah and the others "embarked on a wide-ranging conspiracy involving bribery, concealment of unlawful campaign contributions and theft of charitable and federal funds to advance their own personal interests.”

“When elected officials betray the trust and confidence placed in them by the public, the department will do everything we can to ensure that they are held accountable," Caldwell said in a statement. "Public corruption takes a particularly heavy toll on our democracy because it undermines people’s basic belief that our elected leaders are committed to serving the public interest, not to lining their own pockets.”

The DOJ identified the other four facing charges as Herbert Vederman, 69, a lobbyist based in Palm Beach, Fla.; Bonnie Bowser, 59, Fattah’s Philadelphia-based district director; Robert Brand, 69, of Philadelphia; and Karen Nicholas, 57, of Williamstown, N.J.

The DOJ alleges that Fattah borrowed $1 million from a wealthy donor during his 2007 mayoral bid, returning $400,000 in unused funds and devising a scheme to repay the remaining $600,000 using charitable and federal grants filtered through a non-profit — the Educational Advancement Alliance — created and headed by Fattah.

The DOJ also alleges that Fattah used funds from both his mayoral and congressional campaigns to pay down his son's student loan debts. The repayments, totaling roughly $23,000, were paid by a political consulting company that had received the money directly from the campaign, the DOJ alleged.

Fattah's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday morning.

The Pennsylvania Democrat, a senior appropriator who's ranking member of the committee's Commerce and Justice departments subpanel, stepped down from that position within hours of the announcement Wednesday.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) issued a brief statement praising Fattah's commitment to the middle class and characterizing the charges as "deeply saddening." "Congressman Fattah has been a tireless and effective advocate for America’s hard-working families across more than 20 years of distinguished service in the House," Pelosi said. 

“Congressman Fattah has rightly stepped down from his position as Ranking Member on the House CJS Appropriations Subcommittee pending the resolution of this matter.”

Via: The Hill

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[VIDEO] US Marshals Employee Caught Having Sex On Roof

A Pennsylvania town is scandalized after reports that a couple, including at least one federal employee, was having sex on the roof of the courthouse.

A concerned resident in a nearby building took pictures of a sexual escapade on the roof of the Harrisburg Ronald Reagan Federal Courthouse, and now the U.S. Marshals is saying one of the bold culprits works for them, WHTM-TV reports.

The U.S. Marshals have said there was no security violation and that they are investigating the incident.

A woman saw the couple copulating and took pictures that she sent in to WHTM-TV. She said she has seen the couple frequenting the rooftop several times over the last few weeks. The pictures are in the video below.

The U.S. Marshals have been embroiled in scandal of late, but this sexcapade is a twist. (RELATED: Scandals Continue To Pour In As US Marshals Director On Way Out)

Via: Daily Caller

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REBUILDING AMERICAN CIVIC TRADITIONS ON THE 4TH OF JULY

Americans celebrate the 4th of July with fireworks, barbecues, picnics and all other kinds of enjoyable festivities. It’s wonderful that we live in a free country and are able to enjoy the fruits of our prosperity and freedom. However, merely wearing red,white, and blue, shirts with bald eagles on them, and other patriotic symbols is only a superficial way to celebrate America’s hard-fought for independence.

On top of the enjoyable celebrations of America’s birth, some time should be dedicated each Independence Day to recognizing and coming to a better understanding of the noble traditions that we have inherited from the founders. The sacred torch of liberty is a precious gift that has been passed down by generations of Americans, it is our duty to keep it alive and pass it on to the next.

On July 5, 1926, the 150th anniversary of the birth of our country, President Calvin Coolidge delivered an address at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Coolidge spoke about the causes of the Revolution and the curtailment of rights that occurred at the hands of the British government. He explained how in separating from the British, America created a new government, with new principles; a far more profound act than than simply creating a new country out of the ashes of the old.

“It was not because it was proposed to establish a new nation, but because it was proposed to establish a nation on new principles, that July 4, 1776, has come to be regarded as one of the greatest days in history,” Coolidge said. He described the origins of American institutions as grounded in Western philosophy and in the American colonial experience. He spoke about how the timeless truths and rights “endowed by our creator,” articulated so eloquently in the Declaration, became cemented by the wise construction of the Constitution.

Coolidge said that the Constitution was created, “to establish a free government, which must not be permitted to degenerate into the unrestrained authority of a mere majority or the unbridled weight of a mere influential few,” he continued. “They undertook to balance these interests against each other and provide the three separate independent branches, the executive, the legislative, and the judicial departments of the Government, with checks against each other in order that neither one might encroach upon the other. These are our guarantees of liberty.”

Finally, Coolidge stressed how America must not fall into the trap of pure materialism, how the grand Declaration came from the “influence of a great spiritual development.”

Coolidge concluded:

No other theory is adequate to explain or comprehend the Declaration of Independence. It is the product of the spiritual insight of the people. We live in an age of science and of abounding accumulation of material things. These did not create our Declaration. Our Declaration created them. The things of the spirit come first. Unless we cling to that, all our material prosperity, overwhelming though it may appear, will turn to a barren scepter in our grasp.If we are to maintain the great heritage which has been bequeathed to us, we must be like-minded as the fathers who created it. We must not sink into a pagan materialism. We must cultivate the reverence which they had for the things that are holy. We must follow the spiritual and moral leadership which they showed. We must keep replenished, that they may glow with a more compelling flame, the altar fires before which they worshiped.

Many Americans may have lost sight of the timeless truths and great principles that Coolidge described, but those who still believe that the American heritage of liberty should endure and be passed on must create conventions to keep their country’s founding ideals alive in the modern era.

Radio host Dennis Prager has written about how “America Needs a July Fourth Seder.” Much like how Jews pass down their religion and history through annual reflection and discussion during Passover, Americans who believe in the country created by the founders should read foundational texts to their friends and family while discussing the ideas that made it exceptional. Even a brief, 10-minute exercise looking back on where we came from as a people prevents the pure trivialization of an extraordinarily important holiday.

But there are other ways of honoring America on the 4th as well. I personally make a pilgrimage to George Washington’s home at Mount Vernon to place flowers by the Father of Our Country’s grave. Every year, I reflect on Washington’s virtue and fundamental belief in the cause of the Revolution; I find that my annual tradition deepens my appreciation of the man and the founding generation’s greatness, and enhances the meaning of the holiday for me.

Historian Richard Brookhiser wrote in Founding Father: Rediscovering George Washington, “When Washington lived he had the ability to give strength to debaters and to dying men. His life still has the power to inspire anyone who studies it.” In dark times, such as the circumstances American find themselves in today, it is a comfort and inspiration to reflect on the life of a man who endured through some of the darkest in our country’s history and triumphed.

American civic institutions, cultural heritage, and principles are under attack. If they continue to muddle in perpetual decline, and if we fail to pass them on to the next generation, then a more secure border, temporary policy victories, and better elected representatives will amount to very little. The American republic was built on principles and ideas, not ethnicity, and it will not survive unless there are future generations ready to forcefully articulate what those ideas are and what the purpose is of our grand experiment in liberty. That is why on the anniversary of American independence, it is so important to spend some time reminding ourselves of the great task before us: to honor, preserve, and perpetuate the great American tradition.

Via: Breitbart

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Poll: Hillary Clinton's Numbers Take Another Hit in Swing States Over Trustworthiness

As Hillary Clinton continues her campaign with little interaction with the press, Americans are becoming more wary about whether the former Secretary of State is trustworthy and honest on important issues.

A new Quinnipiac University poll shows Clinton's numbers have taken a particular hit in swing and Republicans are gaining right behind her with voters. In Florida, Pennsylvania and Ohio a majority of voters view Clinton as untrustworthy, which is a major problem considering trustworthiness is at the top of the priority list for swing state voters. 

Clinton's favorability ratings are 47 - 45 percent in Florida, negative 44 - 48 percent in Ohio and 46 - 48 percent in Pennsylvania.

She is not honest and trustworthy, Florida voters say 51 - 43 percent, Ohio voters say 53 - 40 percent and Pennsylvania voters say 54 - 40 percent.

"It's a long way until Election Day, but in the critical swing states of Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida has a tiny edge over the GOP field, "said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac Poll.

"Most of the eight GOP hopefuls are within striking distance of Secretary Hillary Clinton in at least one of the three states. In Ohio, Gov. Kasich leads."

"But perhaps more troubling for her than the continuing slide is how she is perceived by voters who continue to say she is not honest and trustworthy."

"But potentially more disturbing for her are low marks for caring about voter needs and problems. This is where Democrats almost always fare better than Republicans. Yet in this survey many Republican candidates do as well or better than does she," Brown added.

Via: Red State

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#Obamacare watch: If you like your volunteer fire department… not @BarackObama’s problem, peasants!

Because the n-dimensional, urbane Democratic party geniuses that created this marvelous healthcare plan for us all have never actually grokked what ‘volunteer’ means in the first place.

The International Association of Fire Chiefs has asked the Internal Revenue Service, which has partial oversight of the law, to clarify if current IRS treatment of volunteer firefighters as employees means their hose companies or towns must offer health insurance coverage or pay a penalty if they don’t.

The organization representing the fire chiefs has been working on the issue with the IRS and White House for months.

“It could be a huge deal,” said U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, R-11, Hazleton, who is seeking clarification from the IRS. “In Pennsylvania, 97 percent of fire departments are fully or mostly volunteer firefighters. It’s the fourth highest amount in the country.”

So far, the IRS hasn’t decided what to do.

That the IRS can’t figure out a way to finesse not getting blamed for sucker-punching volunteer fire departments across the nation should tell you everything you need to know about just how messed up Obamacare actually is. And here’s the thing: this was both unexpected AND expected. Unexpected, because nobody sat down and said Hey, let’s wreck volunteer firefighter departments’ days. Expected, because (as Jim Geraghty notes):

Being on the Right, and having a skepticism about the ability of large, ambitious government programs, and a wariness about unforeseen consequences, isn’t optimistic, or cool, or exciting. It doesn’t stir people’s hearts, it doesn’t lift people’s souls, it doesn’t get their pulses racing or get them to roar cheers of joy.

No, all it has going for it is the long history of how humans have governed themselves and the advantage of avoiding big messes.

Via: Red State
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