Pileggi ‘hiding behind his desk’ won’t debate opponent

To The Editor:

The voters in the 9th District have a choice in this election.  You have a choice to keep business as usual or make a change.

Dominic Pileggi is making the case he is fiscally responsible.  Is it fiscally responsible to raise bond debt to pay for operating expenses?  Is it fiscally responsible to ignore the underfunded pensions?

Is it fiscally responsible to vote in the middle of the night for his own pay raise? I will never take a tax payer funded pension nor vote for a pay raise for myself.

He keeps his campaign promises-to special interests.  Comcast invested over $30,000 into Senator Pileggi’s campaign.  He ensured they received over $30 million dollars in taxpayer funded corporate handouts through RCAP.  He says he is now working on reforming RCAP-after the checks have already been spent and the debt continues to pile up.

I would ask him why Pennsylvania has the second highest corporate tax rate in the nation, while handing out millions in special ‘development funds’ to crony capitalist campaign supporters.  My supporters are taxpayers and neighbors- not special interests and I will remember them when I go to Harrisburg.

I would welcome the opportunity to debate Senator Pileggi on his record of fiscal responsibility.  My first question would be, “Why does Pennsylvania remain on the top 10 list-the top ten WORST states to do business?”

Will he come out or will he continue to hide behind his desk in Harrisburg?

Roger Howard

East Marlborough

Candidate for State Senate 9th District

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16 Comments

  1. David Cleary says:

    This editorial is about having a public debate between candidates for elected office. Why is there no debate scheduled between Dominic Pileggi and Roger Howard? Public debate is a cornerstone of our great nation’s democratic process. We are putting the lives of our military service members at risk in other countries to protect the principle of free and fair elections, but our local candidates will not be debating the issues in public? Mr. Pileggi needs to step up and participate in our democratic process!!!

  2. steve says:

    Ray, your link doesn’t show why PA needs this law for voter ID’s. In fact, using your own argument that there are plenty of state workers sitting around doing nothing that could process these new ID’s, then why spend money for a new program when those workers could be culling the registration rolls of the deceased, if that’s what this fraud is all about? Simple to apply the existing law and methods to remedy having so many dead people vote, and save the taxpayers millions, wouldn’t you say? But let’s now see where you get your “proof” of voter fraud. Project Veritas. Ray, your hero doesn’t look so good when the light is shined on him. Obviously, you have your beliefs, but to those unfamiliar with Project Veritas, this might jog their memory on who O’Keefe is, and let’s keep that dirty liberal word, “activist” in the forefront of our minds shall we?
    James E. O’Keefe III (born June 28, 1984) is a conservative American activist who has produced audio and video recordings of staged encounters with public figures and workers in a variety of organizations, purportedly showing abusive or illegal behavior by representatives of those organizations. He gained national attention for his release of video recordings of workers at ACORN offices in 2009, his arrest in early 2010 at the office of Senator Mary Landrieu in a failed attempt to record staff conversations, and release of videos of NPR executives in 2011. Investigations by both legal authorities and journalists have found O’Keefe has “selectively”, “heavily” or “deceptively” edited secretly recorded videos to leave a false impression and present the subjects in the worst possible light.[3][4][5][6][7]
    After founding an independent conservative student paper in college, O’Keefe began to use available, inexpensive technology to make videos. His strategy has been to control distribution of his work to conservative media outlets for maximum impact. Some of O’Keefe’s projects have influenced Congressional votes. Due to his videos of ACORN workers supposedly aiding a couple in criminal planning, the US Congress voted to freeze funds for the non-profit, which had aided low- and moderate-income people for 40 years. The non-profit also lost most private funding, and in March 2010 had to close most of its offices. Shortly after, the California State Attorney General’s Office and the US Government Accountability Office released their related investigative reports. The Attorney General’s Office found that O’Keefe had misrepresented the actions of ACORN workers and that the workers had not committed illegal actions. The GAO found that ACORN had managed its federal funds appropriately.
    Because his work has become widely seen as deceptive, O’Keefe’s initial success in gaining extensive media attention caused controversy and discussions of journalistic standards. By the summer of 2011, his claims to have uncovered widespread Medicaid fraud, purportedly documented on videos released in Maine and other locations, were treated with more skepticism by the media and governmental officials.[8][9] For instance, the Maine governor Paul Lepage said that the video could help improve staff training, but it did not show evidence of a worker trying to defraud the welfare system.[10]
    O’Keefe has gained support from conservative media and interest groups. In 2009 Andrew Breitbart paid the activist, then 25, for the option to publish new videos exclusively on BigGovernment.com. In June 2010, O’Keefe formed a 501(c)(3) organization, Project Veritas, with the stated mission to “investigate and expose corruption, dishonesty, self-dealing, waste, fraud, and other misconduct.” [11]
    After graduating, O’Keefe worked for a year under Ben Wetmore, a media specialist, at the Leadership Institute (LI), a conservative-funded organization in Arlington, Virginia. The institute sent O’Keefe to colleges to train students to start independent newspapers. After a year, officials at the institute asked O’Keefe to leave. According to Morton Blackwell, the institute’s president and founder, they had concern that O’Keefe’s videos had threatened LI’s tax exemption as a nonprofit by trying to influence legislation (a legal characterization of lobbyists, which do not have tax exempt status).[2] Blackwell said O’Keefe “wanted to go out and catch leftists breaking the law.”[12] O’Keefe has described his politics as “progressive radical”,[27] though media coverage consistently describes him as a conservative.
    O’Keefe uses inexpensive, available technology to produce and distribute secretly recorded videos and audio files made during staged encounters, some of which have been distributed on YouTube. Such secret recordings are illegal in California and Maryland. He has embarrassed organizations such as Planned Parenthood and ACORN by presenting their low-level workers in the worst light.

  3. steve says:

    Ray, Ray, Ray…I’m not asking anyone in NH, I’m asking YOU…you’re skirting the question here…in PA…right here in the Commonwealth. Show me ONE instance of proven voter fraud where someone was fined, imprisoned, or even a slap on the wrist. The Senator from Chester couldn’t produce one either on the floor of the senate when asked to do so. show me where this fraud is so widespread. He wants to spend millions of tax dollars on some kind of phantom issue.

  4. Ray Farrell says:

    Ask the citizens of New Hampshire why they just passed a voter ID law?

    The answer: The Project Veritas

  5. steve says:

    so your hard proof is in your words…”Based on vast anecdotal evidence, most Americans believe voter fraud is widespead in urban areas” ROFLMAO
    Vast…worldwide…but still not ONE case you can give me of someone being fined, not even imprisoned, of voter fraud.

  6. Ray Farrell says:

    Based on vast anecdotal evidence, most Americans believe voter fraud is widespead in urban areas where there are no bi-partisan checks-and-balances.

    To ask a person to prove who they are before voting is well worth the small cost to restore confidence in our system.

    Anything less is un-patriotic and disrespectful to our form of government and ignors the sacrifices made by those before us who secured our right to vote.

    • Turk182 says:

      “Your papers, please.”

      Just for your information, the same rationale Ray is using was used by both the Nazis and the Soviets, although playing the “do what I insist is right or you hate America” is cute.

      And people wonder why some of us are supporting Ron Paul.

      Freedom & Whiskey!

  7. Observing says:

    The bill does not require a driver’s license, it requires a photo ID, which is required to do virtually anything with the government and lots of private companies, too.

    I think the opposition to this bill is like Lady Mcbeth “protesting too much.” It just makes common sense that you should prove who you are to vote.

  8. steve says:

    Ray, even the supporters of this bill put the tax-payers cost at $5 million..how can you say that is no cost??? Yes, the state will issue ID’s at no cost to the ID-ee (is that a word), but I’m paying for it!!! Also, anyone needing one of these ID’s will have to produce birth certificate, SS cards, and who knows what else, and if that person needs to get them or copies, it costs THEM money. This is BS, pure and simple, to keep the elderly poor, minoroties, and urban dwellers (who mostly do not need a drivers license) from voting…of course, these people do not usually support Pillegi and company.
    and you didn’t answere my questions…1) any documented instances of voter fraud from the world renown hotbeds of fraud, Philly and Pittsburg? you alude to a 50% figure in your adultry example….so where are the hard cases of voter fraud???

    and 2) do you support at least $5 million of your tax dollars being spent on this?

  9. Ray Farrell says:

    These cost figures are bogus. An ID law is of almost no cost to the taxpayer. Most people already have drivers license and other forms of Govt IDs. The excess capacity Of the DMV to issue new IDs will cost nothing…These state employees are already just sitting there, waiting to serve you.

    That’s like saying adultery doesn’t exist because no one ever gets convicted for it, yet 50% of men will cheat on their wives at least once during their marriage.

  10. Turk182 says:

    So…where’s the bill to prevent voter intimidation at the polls? That’s been in the GOP playbook for generations, especially in Delaware County. I love it when these guys are all against spending, except when it helps their side.

    Bottom line: this isn’t about honest elections, it’s about preserving the status quo of big government, big spending and recklessness our good pals in the GOP have been famous for, from the pension mess, to Plan D, to trillions of dollars of debt owed to the Chinese. Both parties are a joke — and the true believers on either side are just sad.

  11. steve says:

    Also Ray, do you support the millions of tax dollars for this expenditure?

  12. steve says:

    Ray, please give us any documented instances where ANY voter fraud has been prosecuted in PA (other than politicians manipulating signatures on petitions to run). Just plain people arrested or fined for committing fraud while voting or trying to vote. You say Philly and Pittsburg are WORLD FAMOUS for voter fraud, so you posting some examples shouldn’t be very hard.

  13. Ray Farrell says:

    Pennsylvania’s corrupt book-ends of Philadelphia & Pittsburg may have finally met their match…but I doubt it. These two world-famous voter fraud ground-zeros are dominated cradle-to-crave by the Democrat party and strong-arm labor unions. Not to worry. The liberal progressive judges and District Attorneys of these fine cities will be extra vigilant now with ACORN voter registration drives or bus loads of community organized mega-voters making the rounds on election day. Remember, vote early – vote often, and most importantly, don’t forget your I.D. Just like before, I’m sure there won’t be any “documented” voter fraud. wink wink, nod nod.

  14. steve says:

    Read today about the new voter ID bill..passed in the state senate and soon to be approved in the house also. Apparently, Pileggi cited a 2005 report for standardizing photo ID’s in the states, but reportedly, neither he, noe any other senator could cite a specific example of voter fraud. Estimated cost to the taxpayers for this (in his words) “simple, commonsense measure to protect the integrity of the voting process” ranges from the supporters $5 million to a Harrisburg-based liberal think tank’s $11 million for this year!!!! Where is Pileggi getting this money???

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