PSoTD

From the Beaver County Times Online:

Federal and state agents staged simultaneous raids Wednesday at Pete's Apothecary drugstores in New Brighton and Monaca, seizing scores of boxes filled with financial documents and other unidentifiable items.

Agents from the FBI and the Pennsylvania attorney general's office, some of them wearing flak vests, arrived at the New Brighton store along Third Avenue just after it opened at 9 a.m., according to employees of a State Farm Insurance agency next door. The agents asked customers to leave and closed the store.

Agents at the New Brighton store said they were executing a search warrant, but refused to elaborate further, referring all questions to the FBI district office in Pittsburgh.

FBI spokesman William Crowley said the agency was "conducting an investigation" in Beaver County, but would not offer specifics. He said more information would be released if the case proceeds.

Drugstore owner Pete Antinopoulos refused to comment, as did employees at both stores.

I just find this Pennsylvania story... curious.

Even with rain.

I wasn't at Rock the Capitol, but check out these blog posts.

I've been hearing some opinions on the general State Legislator attitude about the pay raise controversy from some friends that work in Harrisburg, both staff and government relations folks. General consensus: there's a lot of shock and more than a bit of fear among legislators and staff that the grassroots anger about the pay raise is still going strong.

This shouldn't help those poor legislators:

The "Rock the Capital" rally scheduled for Monday, September 26, 2005, from 1:30 to 3:00 pm is being sponsored by ten broad-based organizations (See Web Links). According to rally coordinator Eric Epstein, speakers, music and a visual feast of political props will be featured before citizens enter the Capitol to meet and greet their representatives.

Bob Durgin from WHP Radio in Harrisburg will broadcast live from the Capitol Steps from 3:00 to 6:00 pm. Durgin will display and deliver petitions with more than 117,000 signatures opposing the pay raise during his live broadcast.

Barry Kauffman, Executive Director of Common Cause/Pennsylvania said, "The Independence Day Weekend Payjacking was a wake-up call. This is not an antigovernment rally — actually it is just the opposite. For our representative democracy to survive and thrive it must be open, it must be accountable, and it must be responsive to the citizens. Today, it is none of these things."

William J. Parker, President of the Pennsylvania Club for Growth, a grassroots political action committee that supports conservative economic ideals added, "The definition integrity is doing the right thing when no one is looking. The definition of arrogance is doing the wrong thing when everyone is looking. The definition of insanity is acting as if your arrogance has some sort of integrity. I guess that makes our law makers insanely arrogant

Quite a political range in the groups sponsoring the rally:

Club For Growth
Common Cause
Democracy Rising PA
League of Women Voters
Lutheran Advocacy Ministry in PA
Stop the Pay Raise, Inc.
PA Council of Churches
PA Operation Clean Sweep
Citizens for Legislative Accountability
Young Conservatives of Pennsylvania

This thing just isn't going away.

Who else is posting about this? Ales Rarus, Ross Notes, Froth Slosh B'Gosh, PA Pundits...

It sure would be useful if a few Beaver County bloggers gave the voting systems a run thru during public inspection in early October. A Pennsylvania civic service, even.

SpinDentist points out that the Pennsylvania Republicans are really in a battle with themselves about the legislative payraise... and he's enjoying it.

It is amusing. But the Democrats that voted for it ought to be canned, too.

And a snippet from The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:

This is the state of the Republican Party in Pennsylvania today and it is wretched.

Jason High, a member of Young Conservatives of Pennsylvania, says it's time for a purge. "The Republican Party needs to be cleaned up. ... The Civil War is upon us," he said. Indeed it is. And the current Republican leadership has no one to blame but itself.

Is this really a reason for Representative Joe Pitts to endorse Lynn Swann for the Republican nomination for the Pennsylvania Governor's race?

"This state is in such serious condition. We need someone of Lynn Swann's star power and quality to lead us in this race for Pennsylvania," Pitts said today.

Star power? Perhaps the Democrats can run somebody else with "star power" against Joe Pitts... because he thinks that's what Pennsylvania needs!

How many Tony DeLucas should one state have to endure?

Kid, state politics shouldn't be considered a bloodline. Please, please, please, for the sake of everyone, set a good example and choose a career in something else, and let some other family's "fresh blood" have a shot.

You gotta wonder if maybe the folks that are trying to defeat the incumbents that voted for the legislative payraise in Pennsylvania are using the wrong methodology.

They're trying to turn public opinion against the legislators, which isn't necessarily a bad tactic, but in general, isn't public opinion already against these folks?

The problem is that the legislators are going to have a major financial advantage in campaigning against anyone else. So why not try to dry that up?

Why not picket the locations where campaign fundraisers are being held - during the fundraiser? Why not take pictures of the attendees as they enter the location and post them on a web site? Why not shine a spotlight on those who financially support the legislators who voted for the payraise?

That might be more effective - and cheaper.

I think once a week I'll highlight some blog posts about this issue. I'll be disappointed if it just disappears and the legislators keep their raise. To that end:

In Pennsylvania, Gov. Ed Rendell is considering a suspension of the state's 30-cent-per-gallon gasoline tax. Rendell said the average driver would save $66 over four months, but the state would lose $660 million earmarked for highway projects and maintenance.

Oh yeah, our roads are just fine. $66 per driver? It's worth retaining the tax.