Pennsylvania’s lawmakers, judges and Governor are set to accept an automatic 2.8% pay raise even as the Governor warns of severe state budget cuts because of a $1-$2 billion shortfall and cautions that he doesn’t “want to hear any whining.”

The pay raise comes as the result of a 1995 law that mandates cost-of-living adjustments.  Rank and file legislators base pay goes up to $78,315 (the fourth-highest in the nation), and the Governor’s pay is estimated to increase to $174,956.

Rendell has suspended executive branch pay raises in the past and may or may not do so this year, but the lawmakers’ attorneys say they “have no right to forgo the raise.”  Darned convenient.

In the meantime, as the salaries for those who create fiscal problems go up, those who have to execute their doomed plans are being warned to expect deep cuts and those who have to pay for them are starting to be warmed up for a “broad-based tax increase.”  Raising taxes in a recession.  Where have I heard that before?

“We are going to do everything we can to get through this with as little harm as possible, but I also want to remind people that the cuts are coming, and I don’t want to hear any whining,” Rendell said.

[...]

Rendell added that he hoped to avoid imposing a “general, broad-based tax increase” to balance the budget either this year or in the 2009-10 fiscal year, but could make no guarantees.

Yeah, “Gosh, I hope I don’t have to impose a tax increase.  Oops.  I guess I did have to.  Sorry.  I had to.”

The Intelligener is reporting that another incident involving a naked man in Bucks County may have occurred Monday.

A naked man twice approached a woman walking along a trail in Nockamixon State Park in Upper Bucks County, an official said.

[...]

The incident at Nockamixon State Park occurred Monday, the same day a naked man ran up to a female jogger on New Hope Road in Buckingham, put her in a bear hug for about a minute and committed a lewd act.

Continue Reading “Report Of A Third Bucks County ‘Naked Man’ Incident” »

A naked, bald man attacked a female jogger on New Hope Road in Buckingham early Monday afternoon.

Police said a woman jogging on the road between Route 413 and Holicong Road was attacked from behind by a naked man. Police are investigating the incident as a sexual assault.

The woman said her attacker got her in a bear hug and lifted her upright. He then released her and ran to Holicong Road where he got into a silver sport utility vehicle, believed to be a Jeep Liberty. Police said the vehicle had a Pennsylvania license plate, but the victim could not get the tag number.

The man is described as between 30 to 35 years old, 5 feet 10 inches tall, bald, medium build and clean shaven.

I checked, and Doylestown native Michael Smerconish is considerably older than that.  You know, due dilligence. It would be much easier to be on the lookout for the suspect if the Courier-Times decided to tell us what race bald man we should be looking out for.

Apparently, this is not the first “naked man in public” incident in Bucks County this month.

The incident sounds similar to one that occurred in Middletown last week.

Middletown police said that on Nov. 11 a man wearing only a pair of socks was seen on Red Berry Road. Police said the man was described as a white male with a medium build and balding. He was last seen in a small silver SUV.

Definitely a white guy there.

Are police really having a lot of trouble spotting naked guys in socks running around the suburbs when driving around on their patrols?  Unsolicited Tip: If you see a naked guy driving a Jeep Liberty in the middle of November, pull him over.

Residents of Lower Southampton Township can voice their opinions about the Township’s unpopular plan to build an unfunded and largely unwanted multi-million dollar Community Center on a residential side street Wednesday night, when the Township board meets at Assumption Church at 7PM.

The meeting has been moved from the Township building to the church to handle an expected large crowd in opposition to the center’s inappropriate location and outrageous cost.

A group of residents remain opposed to the location of the township’s folly as well as the situation regarding its funding and the wisdom of undertaking such an expensive project in a time of economic downturn.

Continue Reading “Lower Southampton Residents To Sound Off Against Community Center” »

The office of Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell, who was Chairman of the Democrat National Committee when they tried to steal the 2000 election on behalf of Al Gore, slapped back an overture at bipartisanship from New Lieutenant Governor Joe Scarnati by predicting “the senator will continue to be partisan.”

Scarnati steps into the role vacated by the death of Catherine Baker Knoll.  The hostility and hyperpartisanship from Rendell’s office comes across as very unseemly in what should be fairly somber times considering the circumstances surrounding Scarnati’s new role.

Continue Reading “Partisan Posterboy Rendell Slams New Lt. Governor As ‘Partisan’” »

Sebastian at Snowflakes notes that recently defeated Democrat State Representative Chris King (PA House District 142) has closed his district office.  His phone message instructs constituents to contact State Senator Tommy Tomlinson’s line.

According to PA law, the transition between old and new offices is supposed to take place on November 30.

Continue Reading “More Classlessness From Ousted State Representative Chris King” »

The Office of Governor Rendell has announced that Lieutenant Governor Catherine Baker Knoll has died.

Mrs. Knoll, 78, had battled a rare form of cancer.

Earlier today, Mr. Rendell had reported that Mrs. Knoll remained in a rehab center and was continuing her “rough and difficult fight” against the cancer.

Mrs. Knoll died at 6 p.m. at the National Rehabilitation Hospital in Washington, D.C., according to Mary Isenhour, executive director of the Democratic State Committee.

“This is a very emotional thing. We extend our sympathies to the Baker Knoll family in their time of loss,” Ms. Isenhour said.

Rendell has been discussed for a possible cabinet position in the upcoming Obama administration.

Joe Scarnati, the Pennsylvania Senate’s President Pro Tempore, will become the new Lieutenant Governor.

The Discovery Channel will air a documentary called “UFOs Over Earth: Bucks County, Pennsylvania,” based on UFO sightings in the area that drew national attention, on November 24th.

Producers from the Discovery Channel came to Bucks County this summer to investigate dozens of reported sightings in the area. The Mutual UFO Network also sent field investigators to Lower Bucks to review the claims.

The rise in UFO reports began in Jan. 27 when a Falls police officer was dispatched the Oxford Valley mall. Someone called 911 to report a craft “hovering like an octopus.”

Coming in 2009: “Ghosts That Ate From My Underwear Drawer: Bucks County, Pennsylvania” on Sci-Fi.

On the bright side, this will be twice within a month that green man seeking loon and Obama transition chief John Podesta will have reason to be impressed with Bucks County.

Philadelphia’s 6ABC, WPVI-TV, was knocked off the air by a fire at their transmitter location this afternoon.  The outage effects viewers using over-the-air antennas as well as those who watch Channel 6 via DirecTV.

Because the station provides a direct fiber optic connection to Comcast and Verizon FiOS, the channel is still available to users of those services.

The fire broke out about 11:30 p.m. [ed. I believe they mean AM] in the basement of the station’s transmitter building in Roxborough.