Lehigh County CleanSweep

Press On!

2006-03-19T01:10:00.000-05:00

Most readers who make it to this blog are aware that there are some issues that are causing some strife within PACleanSweep. These are issues that must be handled by the Board of Directors.

On the local level, nothing has changed.

Lehigh CleanSweep is dedicated to helping our approved candidates run successful campaigns.

To that end, we are starting to schedule more rallies and protests. In the coming days we will provide the information as to the locations and purposes of the first of these events.

It Ain't About the Pay Raise

2006-03-03T11:21:00.000-05:00

Well it is - sort of. But it really isn't.

The July 7 pay raise was a watershed event in Pennsylvania politics. Two o'clock in the morning. No floor debate. No public input. A bill completely stripped and appended with new language, changing its original subject. No consideration on the required three legislative days. The votes were evidently pre- arranged. And of course, the infamous "unvouchered expenses."

Five separate violations of our Constitution.

Absolutely outrageous, but certainly not out of the realm of possibility for the Pennsylvania General Assembly. In fact, they did almost the very same thing one year earlier in passing Act 71, the slots bill. And they just did it again with SB 595, with many "voting" members nowhere near the Capitol.

The PA Supreme Court upheld Act 71 as constitutional just weeks before July 7, but Act 71 did not benefit legislators in the direct and blatant way the pay raise did. While the unconstitutional procedures used to approve the pay raise were bad enough, the "we're getting ours through unvouchered expenses" attitude behind it made it the epicenter of a perfect storm of citizen outrage.

But it ain't about the pay raise. To paraphrase a campaign tag line from the past, "It's the process, stupid." The process is broken. It's broken because the institution of the General Assembly is broken.

Leaders strong-arm members into submission and punish those who don't submit. The rank and file bow to leadership's every whim. Otherwise, they'd lose the benefits of the Incumbent Protection Program. The "walking- around-money." The campaign fliers disguised as legislative updates. The public service announcements. The boiler-room "constituent service" phone calls to constituents. The $135 million slush fund leadership controls.

The results? Few Pennsylvanians actually being represented in Harrisburg. Thirty years of ignoring the property tax problem. Failure to even put a dent in the health care crisis. Failure to "maintain and support a thorough and efficient system of public education" as mandated by the Constitution. Failure to keep the students we successfully educate here to work and live. Failure to convince businesses to move to or stay in our Commonwealth without an outright bribe.

Failure. Utter failure. Except - of course - for self serving pay raises, pension increases and the occasional tidbit for anyone willing to drop a few dollars into a campaign war chest or two. Plenty of success in those areas.

We can't change the institution a little bit. We need to change it a lot. Pennsylvania is facing some very serious problems. We need actual solutions - not the pretend solutions their "experience" has given us so far.

We need to fix the process. We need to fix the institution. We won't accomplish it by replacing a few of them - they're all in it together. If they haven't been part of the solution, they're part of the problem. We need to clean the place out and start from scratch.

We need to get back to basics - the Pennsylvania Constitution. We need people who will support it, obey it and defend it once they arrive in Harrisburg - and We the People need to remain vigilant in enforcing it. Not just this year, but every year.

We'll keep bringing up the pay raise because it's the best way to illuminate what's wrong with the institution. It perfectly encapsulates the existing culture of arrogance, greed and corruption. While the pay raise was repealed, the indelible mark it left on the public wasn't.

The incumbents will ask you to consider not just July 7, but the rest of their record. Please do. We believe you'll find that record quite unsatisfactory for a group with such extensive "experience."

Pay raise, pay raise, pay raise.

It ain't about the pay raise. It's about institutional failure - and the failure of individuals within that institution to support, obey and defend our Constitution. It's the only thing they swear to do.

- PACleanSweep

Northampton County Events

2006-01-25T16:00:00.000-05:00

Thursday 1/26 - Northampton County: Press conference called by Bonnie Dodge, who is running against incumbent Lisa Boscola (Senate 18).

Location: Miller's Diner; 1205 Main Street, Northampton, PA. 1:30pm.

Contact carboncleansweep@gmail.com or cleansweeppalehighcounty@gmail.com to coordinate efforts with other PACleanSweepers.

Please note: This is Ms. Dodge's press conference, not PACleanSweep's, but it is our first opportunity to be an organized presence in that area. We are there to listen to what she has to say, to learn, and to provide support to her as an opponent of an incumbent!

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The Saturday event in Northampton County IS a specific PACleanSweep rally/protest of all incumbents, particularly the payjackers, in Northampton, Lehigh, Bucks, Carbon, and Monroe Counties. Please join us for that, too!

Saturday 1/28 - Northampton County: PACLEANSWEEP EVENT.

Location: Corner of Broad and Main (near the Brew Works) in Bethlehem. 1:00pm.

Contact: carboncleansweep@gmail.com or cleansweeppalehighcounty@gmail.com.
Phone: 215-499-1323 (Rob).

Weather Note:

2006-01-17T13:10:00.000-05:00

Sources in Whitehall say everything is fine, so we're going ahead with the meeting.

Hope to see you there.

Lehigh Valley and Pocono Area Events

2006-01-16T10:43:00.000-05:00

Lehigh, Carbon, Northampton, and Monroe Counties will be holding a joint meeting in Lehigh County on Tuesday, January 18 at 7pm at:

Lehigh Valley Diner
1162 MacArthur Road
Whitehall PA

Contacts:

Rob Lusch at carboncleansweep@gmail.com or (215) 499-1323
Josh Koch at cleansweeppalehighcounty@gmail.com

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Russ Diamond, Chair of PACleanSweep, will speak at a meeting hosted by the Pocono Libertarians

Tannersville Inn
Route 611 & Cherry Lane Road
Tannersville PA (Monroe County)

Open to public.

Contact: Ray Masters at (570) 476-1530

Going to the Montgomery County Rally?

2006-01-04T17:47:00.000-05:00

Note the Location Change:

Friday, January 6: CLEANSWEEP RALLY: COLLEGEVILLE/LOWER PROVIDENCE

Meet at Borough Hall
491 East Main Street (near 5th and E. Main)
Collegeville, PA 19426

The police are allowing us to use the borough lot for parking even though it is technically not allowed until 4:00. Thus, please feel free to park there. All the police are asking is that we do not crisscross the streets and make ourselves a danger, which is something that has never been a problem for us in the past. :)

Details:

Total time : 3:30-5:00pm

3:30-4:05 around 5th and E. Main Streets on the public areas in Collegeville

4:15-5:00 in front of Representative Jacqueline Crahalla's office at 3938 Ridge Pike in Lower Providence.

Contact: montgomerycleansweep@gmail.com

Any questions, please call Rob at (215) 499-1323

Check http://montgomerycleansweep.blogspot.com for inclement weather updates.

Eastern PA CleanSweep Events

2005-12-15T22:16:00.000-05:00

Anyone from any county is welcomed (and encouraged!) to join any event. We could use, in particular, some help at the Collegeville Rally on Jan. 6 and the Doylestown Rally on Jan. 13, and we would like to increase our numbers at all the other counties' meetings! Once our candidates are announced, we will need everyone who can help to jump in with ideas, information, and rally participation!

We will probably add at least another Bucks, Carbon/Lehigh, and Philly meeting in January, and some other counties may have events going on, too.

EASTERN PA EVENTS:

Wednesday, December 21: CARBON/LEHIGH CLEANSWEEP MEETING

Platz's Restaurant
101 Harrity Road
Lehighton PA 18235
7pm
Contact: carboncleansweep@gmail.com or cleansweeppalehighcounty@gmail.com
(215) 499-1323

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Thursday, December 22: PHILADELPHIA CLEANSWEEP MEETING

1930 South 25th Street (between McKean and Mifflin)
Philiadelphia PA 19145
7pm
Contact: philadelphiacleansweep@gmail.com
(215) 499-1323

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Thursday, January 5: SEPA REGIONAL PRE-RALLY MEETING

Philadelphia Inquirer Building
800 River Road
Conshohocken, PA 19428
7:30pm
Contact: montgomerycleansweep@gmail.com
(215) 499-1323

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Friday, January 6: CLEANSWEEP RALLY: COLLEGEVILLE/LOWER PROVIDENCE

Meet at Acme Market Parking Lot (location subject to change, please contact!)
222 West Main Street
Collegeville, PA 19426
3:30-5:00pm
Contact: montgomerycleansweep@gmail.com
(215) 499-1323

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Friday, January 13: CLEANSWEEP RALLY: DOYLESTOWN

Meet at Starbucks (location subject to change, please contact!)
10 N. Main Street
Doylestown, PA 18901
12:oo noon - 1:30 pm
Contact: buckscleansweep@gmail.com
(215) 499-1323

A certain state Senator has put himself in hot water...

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Saturday, January 21: MONTGOMERY MEETING

Philadelphia Inquirer Building
800 River Road
Conshohocken, PA 19428
4pm
Contact: montgomerycleansweep@gmail.com
(215) 499-1323

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Tuesday, January 31: MULTI-COUNTY MEETING (MONTGOMERY, CHESTER, DELAWARE )

Valley Forge Beef & Ale
827 S. Trooper Rd.
Audubon, Pa. 19403-2311
7pm
Contact: montgomerycleansweep@gmail.com
(215) 499-1323

Lehigh and Carbon Joint CleanSweep Meeting

2005-12-14T21:30:00.000-05:00

CARBON AND LEHIGH COUNTIES CLEANSWEEP MEETING:

Wednesday December 21, 2005
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Platz's Restaurant
101 Harrity Road
Lehighton, PA. 18235
Phone: 610-377-1819 (site); (215) 499-1323 (Rob)
Contact: carboncleansweep@gmail.com or cleansweeppalehighcounty@gmail.com

Thanks!

Rob Lusch and Josh Koch

Putting Legislators on Notice

2005-11-23T23:11:00.000-05:00

Letter Sumitted to the Editor of the Morning Call:

The repeal of the unlawful legislative pay raise reveals almost as much about the character of our elected officials as the unlawful raise itself did. The legislators recognized that their positions were in jeopardy when they saw Russell Nigro be denied his second term on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. It is certainly no coincidence that the pay raise repeal was held up until after Election Day, and then suddenly it was repealed (for the time being, anyway).

Now we have a variety of legislators in our region who are refusing to return money that they took unlawfully. This is absurd, and it shows again that we Pennsylvanians cannot afford to re-elect these incumbents. Your legislator thinks you're incapable of seeing this for what it is: they got caught in the cookie jar, but they don't want to put the cookies back, they just want to put the lid back on and "call it even." I doubt that even your children would be so presumptuous.

We deserve public servants, not self-serving politicians, and this is not the behavior we voted for when we picked our legislators last election.

Unfortunately, these are also symptoms of a deeper problem, the foul stench of corruption emanates from Harrisburg. This is not merely about the pay raise. It is a much larger and graver than an issue of just dollars and cents. This whole fight is about the circumstances that allowed the pay raise to come into being, the spirit of corruption and vice that permeates our government, endangering our very rights and our Commonwealth at every turn.

The unlawful pay raise was a clear violation of the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The legislators took an oath of office to uphold and defend that Constitution, and instead they actively sought to circumvent it, thus treading on our rights as citizens to a responsible and accountable government. Anyone who is willing to trample that core document once will do it repeatedly, as indeed they have.

And the saddest part is that they apparently think the citizens would not care enough to come to the defense of our Constitution. They seem to assume that since they have turned our government into the laughing stock of the taxpayers, we will nott rise up to restore a sense of duty and purpose to our government. Unfortunately for those who conspired against the taxpayers, that is where they miscalculated. We are not forgetting. We are coming to the defense of the Constitution.

All the legislators across the region (particularly those who voted for the pay raise, took the unvouchered expenses, and refused to pay them back) are on notice: We're taking our government back!

If you are an elected official who values your position, and you are willing to join forces with us to reform the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, you will need to give us your word in written form in addition to returning the unconstitutional "unvouchered expense" money. We will review your voting record and welcome you to the fight, if appropriate.

We are going to work hard to put all corrupt legislators (those who stole the money from their constituents) behind Mr. Nigro in the unemployment line. This is the time for Pennsylvanians to come together and restore dignity and honor to the government of our Commonwealth.

A note to politicians who continue to tread on the Constitution: Your (self) services are no longer needed, and your time at the public trough is limited. Your employers are giving your jobs to people of character, and you'll be getting your pink slips in May.

Robert Lusch
Coordinator for Carbon, Bucks, and Montgomery Counties

Josh Koch
Coordinator for Lehigh and Carbon Counties
PACleanSweep
www.pacleansweep.com

Lehigh County Votes NO on Nigro

2005-11-09T04:59:00.000-05:00

Lehigh County sent a resounding message to Harrisburg on November 8. Russell Nigro became the first sitting judge in Pennsylvania history to fail to win a retention vote. Our message was loud and clear. We are not taking the abuse of our Constitution by our legislators.

The PA Supreme Court has been far too lenient on the legislators - even to the point of sometimes assuming that legislative actions are constitutional, and thus not bothering to review them.

We need better government. Decade after decade of bad government has made life difficult for many Pennsylvania residents. People have trouble making ends meet. Meanwhile, the Justices and the legislators are living lavish lifestyles on our hard-earned dollars.

We deserve better leadership!

PACleanSweep is dedicated to restoring honor and integrity to the government of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. We must make the leadership accountable to the people.

Now with the Nigro campaign behind us, we can now turn our eyes to ousting the incumbents who were responsible for trampling on the Pennsylvania Constitution. The pay raise is but one example of the abuse of public trust.

We invite you to check out our statewide organization's website at www.pacleansweep.com.

Josh Koch
Lehigh County Coordinator
Carbon County Coordinator
PACleanSweep