Flag & Fireworks Capitol Dome
PAtownhall.com
Pennsylvania's Marketplace of Ideas
PAtownhall.com
Pennsylvania's Marketplace of Ideas

Pulse Poll
YOUR Vote Counts!
Will the selection of Vice Presidential candidates have any impact on whom you vote for President?
YES
NO
PERHAPS


View results

PaTH Weather (Harrisburg)

Town Hall Calendar:

Mar 27, 2009
20th annual Pennsylvania Leadership Conference. Details at www.paleadershipconference.org


E-mail Abe

Get notified of updates
via e-mail!

E-mail:
 
Your privacy is assured.

Lincoln Blog
By Lowman S. Henry

Give us your feedback!

Lincoln Blog RSS Feed <= What is RSS?

July 24, 2008

A sub plot to the Bonusgate scandal is the ongoing drama of Democratic efforts to prevent Ralph Nader and his Green Party from gaining a spot on the ballot in the 2004 Presidential ... [more]

July 23, 2008

Please keep WHP 580 talk show host Bob Durgin in your thoughts and prayers on Thursday morning as he undergoes heart by-pass surgery.

Bob has been off the air for a few days undergoing tests ... [more]

July 22, 2008

The Bonusgate indictments have reignited the flames of reform in Pennsylvania. But will this latest brushfire of freedom result in any more change than the one that consumed the capitol after the ... [more]

July 21, 2008

It is always interesting the way the spending interests frame the debate.

For example, the current debate over paying to fix Pennsylvania's crumbling roads and bridges. Judging from ... [more]

July 18, 2008

Friday thoughts:

Can somebody put a cork into Al Gore's mouth?

The former Vice President's "challenge" to America to end its dependence on carbon-based products within a ... [more]

Right Wing Limericks
by Al Bienstock

PHILOSOPHICAL DIFFERENCE

I'd rather lose a campaign
  than a war,
Said McCain
  (a good man to the core),
While Barack
  would rather
Lose a war,
  I gather,
Than a campaign.
  That we can't ignore.

John McCain, during an interview with Katie Couric: "I would much rather lose a campaign than lose a war. Sen. Obama has indicated that by his failure to acknowledge the success of the surge, that he would rather lose a war than lose a campaign."

NY TIMES – HARD TIMES

Profits declined
  precipitously –
Eighty-two percent,
  I note with glee.
As part of the "free press"
They're a partisan mess
And deserve to end up
  as debris.

AP, 7/23/08: "New York Time Co. says its second-quarter earnings fell 82 percent from the year-ago quarter ... Meanwhile print advertising revenue continued to shrink."

WATERBOARDING TEAM

The Olympics, for some,
  are a dream
But they're not always
  what they may seem.
Jump higher ... run faster ...
But avoid disaster
With our US
  Waterboarding Team.

Thanks to R.J. Harris of WHP-580 AM for the idea about an Olympic waterboarding team.

TO WHICH COALITION DO YOU BELONG?

Some folks think
  the human condition
Requires asking
  a politician
To take care of their needs.
That's a mindset that leads
To joining
  The Takings Coalition.

Anyone who has
  some ambition
Should be, in effect,
  on a mission
To lend a helping hand
To promote and expand
The Leave Us Alone
  Coalition.

In his latest book "Leave Us Alone," Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform, coined "The Takings Coalition" and "The Leave Us Alone Coalition" to describe competing groups in this country and their approaches to government.

CAUGHT BY THE AG

PA Democrat
  election woes
Caused them to want to
  research their foes.
But they used
  the State's dough –
An illegal no-no –
They'll now suffer
  for the plan they chose.

RightWingLimericks.com

Last updated: Wed, July 23, 2008

Featured Article of the Day

[Click group name for full list of their articles.]

TownCrierWed, July 23, 2008

Law of the Sea Treaty: Faux Fixes and Expensive Liabilities

Doug Bandow

The Law of the Sea Treaty (LOST), an omnibus treaty originally blocked by President Ronald Reagan, is back, supported by internationalist activists and profit-minded businessmen. The convention, ...

[View Full Article]

TownCrierWed, July 23, 2008

Poor, Poor Michelle

Ralph R. Reiland

"We don't need a world full of corporate attorneys and hedge-fund managers,"
Michelle Obama told a crowd in a Baptist church in South Carolina in January. "But see, that's the only way you can ...

[View Full Article]

News Releases

[Click group name for full list of their articles.]

TownCrierWed, July 23, 2008

FIRE Update

Newsletter

July 23
Victory at Southwestern Community College in 'Adam and Eve' Case
The American Humanist Association's (AHA) legal center has reached a settlement ...

[View Full Article]

TownCrierTue, July 15, 2008

PA Pro-Life News

Newsletter

Pennsylvania Pro-Life Online News from the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation
July 15, 2008

A publication of the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation
4800 ...

[View Full Article]

Guest Articles

[Click group name for full list of their articles.]

TownCrierTue, July 22, 2008

A Special Session Can Rebuild Trust in Government

State Senator Jeffrey Piccola

(For years the Susquehanna Valley Center for Public Policy has advocated various government reform proposals. In this special guest opinion by State Senator Jeffrey Piccola, Senator Piccola outlines ...

[View Full Article]

TownCrierFri, July 18, 2008

'Offendedness' is The New National Past Time

Nathan Shrader

Forget about baseball, Americans have found their new favorite pastime: becoming offended at the drop of a hat and demanding futile, insincere apologies. Why have Americans forsaken the tradition of ...

[View Full Article]

Allegheny Institute

[Click group name for full list of their articles.]

TownCrierWed, July 23, 2008

County Executive's Comments Trigger Questions

Policy Brief

Is the attempt to put a referendum question to reduce the rate of the drink tax
illegal? That's the claim of the County Executive, who feels that losing the drink tax revenue would cause the ...

[View Full Article]

TownCrierTue, July 22, 2008

Plan to Toll I-80 Will Need Major Overhaul to Gain Approval

Policy Brief

It would appear that unless the Federal Highway Administration operates in a manner imilar to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board-that is to say with only nominal regard for the laws it carries ...

[View Full Article]

Center for Vision & Values at Grove City College

[Click group name for full list of their articles.]

TownCrierTue, July 22, 2008

Here We Go Again

Dr. Mark W. Hendrickson

Every year, Merriam-Webster, the dictionary company, holds a vote for "Word of the Year." Don't be surprised if 2008's word is "bailout." And if they start a "Phrase of the ...

[View Full Article]

TownCrierThu, July 17, 2008

Clinton Administration to Obama: Iraq Greater Terror Threat Than Afghanistan

Paul Kengor

On Tuesday, Barack Obama gave an address on the Iraq War. It was a bizarre speech, as if it had been written two years ago—when it would have made more sense. Liberals ought to hate the speech. It ...

[View Full Article]

Commonwealth Foundation

[Click group name for full list of their articles.]

TownCrierThu, July 17, 2008

A Call for Reform

Commonwealth Foundation supports special session on government integrity

Newsletter

NEWS RELEASE from the Commonwealth Foundation
07.17.08

A Call For Reform
Commonwealth Foundation supports special session on government integrity

[View Full Article]

TownCrierMon, July 14, 2008

Lease It, If You Must Toll It

Turnpike Commission's plans for I-80 will cost PA billions

News Release

NEWS RELEASE from the Commonwealth Foundation
07.14.08

HARRISBURG, PA — As the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission rolled out its plans for Interstate 80, the ...

[View Full Article]

Conservative Reform Network

[Click group name for full list of their articles.]

TownCrierMon, July 14, 2008

Conservative Reform Network NEws

Newsletter

Conservative Reform Network
The Newsletter for Independent, Conservative Political Activists

In This Issue
Conservative Reform Network

[View Full Article]

TownCrierThu, July 03, 2008

Conservative Reform Network Newsletter

Newsletter

Conservative Reform Network
The Newsletter for Independent, Conservative Political Activists

In This Issue
Conservative Reform Network

[View Full Article]

Foundation for Individual Rights in Education

[Click group name for full list of their articles.]

TownCrierTue, July 15, 2008

FIRE Update

Newsletter

Institutional Disharmony at IUPUI
Keith John Sampson has received a letter from Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) Chancellor Charles R. Bantz apologizing for the poor ...

[View Full Article]

TownCrierWed, July 09, 2008

IUPIU Student Controversey Continues

News Release

INDIANAPOLIS, July 8, 2008—Two months ago, in the face of withering public criticism, Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) revoked its original finding that student-employee ...

[View Full Article]

Freindly Fire

[Click group name for full list of their articles.]

TownCrierFri, July 18, 2008

Fixing Philadelphia's Population Loss: Try School Choice

Chris Freind

If there's one thing you have to give Philadelphia's leaders credit for achieving, it's consistency. Under the "leadership" of every mayor and city council going back decades, the city has ...

[View Full Article]

TownCrierFri, July 18, 2008

Give Racist Jesse Jackson the Boot

Chris Freind

There he goes again! Jesse Jackson has once more shown his true talent as a comedian. By providing us with priceless material, via an open microphone, his recent words about Barack Obama were above ...

[View Full Article]

From the Kitchen Table

[Click group name for full list of their articles.]

TownCrierTue, July 22, 2008

Ask Not . . .

Peg Luksik

When John F. Kennedy challenged Americans in his inaugural address, the idea that the government should somehow provide for the individual citizen was in its infancy. In his speech that day, Kennedy ...

[View Full Article]

TownCrierMon, July 14, 2008

Say What?

Peg Luksik

"My Fair Lady" opens with Henry Higgins and his friend Colonel Pickering coming out of the opera. They are met by a street vendor selling flowers. Her atrocious accent and Professor Higgins' ...

[View Full Article]

Lincoln Institute

[Click group name for full list of their articles.]

TownCrierMon, July 14, 2008

Corbett's Bind

Ryan Shafik

"This is by no means the last announcement."

Those chilling words were spoken by Republican Attorney General Tom Corbett during last Thursday's press ...

[View Full Article]

TownCrierMon, July 07, 2008

Debtsylvania

Governor Ed Rendell has mortgaged our future

Lowman S. Henry

There is no doubt that Governor Ed Rendell is an advocate of big government. He has presided over a massive expansion of state government intrusion into our lives. Were it not for the General ...

[View Full Article]

National Federation of Independent Business

[Click group name for full list of their articles.]

TownCrierMon, July 14, 2008

Legislation to Streamline Local Tax Collection Headed to Governor's Desk

News Release

A bill that reduces paperwork, confusion and headaches for small employers is on its way to the governor's desk. Gov. Ed Rendell is expected to sign SB 1063 that reduces the number of local earned ...

[View Full Article]

TownCrierFri, June 06, 2008

NFIB/PA Exclusive: Urge Lawmakers to Support Small Business Tax Cuts

News Release

The budget discussions are underway. Now is the time to take action.

Urge your state lawmakers to support small business tax cuts

[View Full Article]

PA Chamber of Business and Industry

[Click group name for full list of their articles.]

TownCrierTue, May 27, 2008

Pro-Growth Business Tax Reforms Affordable, Necessary

News Release

HARRISBURG, PA – With recognition that the Commonwealth's tax structure is uncompetitive and in light of the state ending the fiscal year with another revenue surplus, members of the CompetePA ...

[View Full Article]

TownCrierWed, May 14, 2008

PA Chamber Newsletter

Newsletter

May 14, 2008
Pennsylvania must pick up the pace on lawsuit abuse reform

While many competitor states have made great strides over the years to improve their ...

[View Full Article]

PA Family Institute

[Click group name for full list of their articles.]

TownCrierThu, July 17, 2008

PA Family Update

Newsletter

FAMILY UPDATE
Volume 4, Issue 19
July 17, 2008
The Pennsylvania Family Institute's weekly update to concerned citizens.

[View Full Article]

TownCrierMon, July 14, 2008

PA Family Update

Newsletter

FAMILY UPDATE
Volume 4, Issue 18
July 11, 2008
The Pennsylvania Family Institute's weekly update to concerned citizens.

[View Full Article]

PA Leadership Conference

[Click group name for full list of their articles.]

TownCrierWed, July 09, 2008

Michael Reagan to Keynote 2009 PA Leadership Conference

PLC celebrates 20th anniversary

News Release

An Evening with Michael Reagan
Pennsylvania Leadership Conference Celebrates 20th Anniversary

Michael Reagan, eldest son of President Ronald Reagan, bestselling ...

[View Full Article]

TownCrierFri, May 02, 2008

2009 PA Leadership Conference Schedule for March 27th and 28th

20th Anniversary Conference to be held in Harrisburg

News Release

Save the dates!

The 2009 Pennsylvania Leadership Conference will be held March 27th and 28th at the Four Points Sheraton near Harrisburg, PA.

[View Full Article]

PA Manufacturers' Assn.

[Click group name for full list of their articles.]

TownCrierMon, May 19, 2008

Pennsylvanians Support Bipartisan House/Senate Pro-Growth Tax Reform

Survey Conducted by CompetePA

David N. Taylor

Pennsylvanians strongly support the bipartisan, pro-growth business tax reforms introduced in the state House and Senate, a recent survey reveals.

Endorsed by the ...

[View Full Article]

TownCrierMon, May 19, 2008

Long Time PMA Board Member Jack May Dies at 79

News Release

PMA notes with sadness the passing of longtime board member Jack May of Berwyn, who died on March 23, 2008 of heart failure at his second home in Hobe Sound, Florida. Former chairman and longtime ...

[View Full Article]

PA Pro-Life Federation

[Click group name for full list of their articles.]

TownCrierTue, July 01, 2008

PA Pro-Life News

Newsletter

July 1, 2008

A publication of the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation
4800 Jonestown Rd., Suite 102
Harrisburg, PA 17109
717-541-0034

[View Full Article]

TownCrierFri, June 27, 2008

PA Pro-Life Group Endorses John McCain

News Article

by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor

Harrisburg, PA (LifeNews.com) -- The Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation is the third statewide pro-life group to issue an ...

[View Full Article]

PA Right to Work

[Click group name for full list of their articles.]

TownCrierMon, June 02, 2008

Right to Work Spurs Job Growth

Susan Staub

"We must take control and influence in this country." ...

[View Full Article]

TownCrierTue, April 22, 2008

'Card Check' Devastating for Employees

Susan Staub

As voters head to the polls to choose presidential nominees, they need to be aware that the incredibly misnamed "Employee Free Choice Act," wish-list item for the officials of organized ...

[View Full Article]

PA Taxpayers' Coalition

[Click group name for full list of their articles.]

TownCrierTue, May 20, 2008

Property Tax Elimination Rally!

Newsletter

20 May 2008

Property Tax Elimination Rally!

This is just a short note today to remind you about the school property tax elimination ...

[View Full Article]

TownCrierFri, May 02, 2008

Property Tax Rally Scheduled

News Release

02 May 2008

Property Tax Rally!

Dear Friends,

PLEASE forward this e-mail to as many folks as ...

[View Full Article]

Patients and Physicians Association

[Click group name for full list of their articles.]

TownCrierMon, July 14, 2008

PAPA Newsletter

Newsletter

Patients And Physicians Alliance (PAPA)
Pennsylvania's Voice for Tort Reform Education July 14, 2008

Tort Reform Obstructionist Arrested for Corruption
...

[View Full Article]

TownCrierWed, July 09, 2008

New State Budget Paves the Way for School Choice

News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Ken Kilpatrick (610) 547-3713 (cell)

Public school choice proponents celebrated a great victory over the Independence Day weekend ...

[View Full Article]

Reflections

[Click group name for full list of their articles.]

TownCrierWed, July 16, 2008

Post-Waffle Obama: Not So Hot

Ralph R. Reiland

The bloom is coming off the Obama rose.

It started with people fainting at his mega-rallies and peaked with the plate that he used to eat waffles in a Scranton ...

[View Full Article]

TownCrierMon, July 14, 2008

Rolling the Dice in Pittsburgh

Ralph R. Reiland


So now the fancy brick promenade outside the new Majestic Star Casino in Pittsburgh won't be so majestic, or so star-like. In fact, there won't be any bricks at all -- just some cheap concrete. ...

[View Full Article]

Salena Zito

[Click group name for full list of their articles.]

TownCrierMon, July 14, 2008

Shut Up & Surrogate

Salena Zito

The clashing worlds of razor-sharp discipline and campaign fatigue are an ever-present factor in the daily lives of presumptive presidential nominees Barack Obama and John McCain.

[View Full Article]

TownCrierMon, June 30, 2008

Character Judgement

Salena Zito

By all accounts, Barack Obama should win this election. He and his brand control the image, the message and, to a large extent, the media of this election cycle.

[View Full Article]

Stop Teacher Strikes, Inc

[Click group name for full list of their articles.]

TownCrierThu, April 17, 2008

Getting Unions Out of Education is Smart, Not Conservative

Simon Campbell

State Rep. Daylin Leach and I recently had a raging TV debate. The video on our Web site throws up the interesting concept of political labels. Long before he called me a "conservative," ...

[View Full Article]

TownCrierTue, January 29, 2008

Campbell Calls on Rep. Glen Grell to Support Anti-Strike Legislation

News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE.

YARDLEY, PA, Jan 25 --

Having posted the individual names and salaries of all Cumberland Valley teachers on ...

[View Full Article]

Susquehanna Valley Center

[Click group name for full list of their articles.]

TownCrierMon, July 07, 2008

Behind the Headlines Program Schedule

July 7, 14 & 21

News Release

Watch BEHIND THE HEADLINES, a television production of The Susquehanna Valley Center for Public Policy.

For the weeks of July 7, 14, 21 a discussion about the ...

[View Full Article]

TownCrierFri, July 04, 2008

An All-American Celebration

Dr. Charles Greenawalt, II

Today we celebrate the birthday of America-July 4th, a truly All-American holiday. It is America's 232nd birthday. On July 4, 1776, a courageous group of 54 men banded together to pledge their ...

[View Full Article]

The Foundation for Free Enterprise Education

[Click group name for full list of their articles.]

TownCrierThu, June 12, 2008

Free Enterprise Week Update

Newsletter

Plea for Scholarships

The difficult economy has taken a real toll on nonprofit organizations nationally and the Foundation for Free Enterprise Education, PFEW's ...

[View Full Article]

TownCrierFri, November 02, 2007

Victory at University of Delaware

University president ends mandatory ideological re-education program

News Release

NEWARK, Del., November 2, 2007—After an intense campaign led by the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), the University of Delaware has dropped an ideological reeducation program ...

[View Full Article]

Urban Family Council

[Click group name for full list of their articles.]

TownCrierWed, June 18, 2008

PA Family Council News

Newsletter

June 2008

In This Issue
Brand New Website

Father's Day Tribute


Quick Links

[View Full Article]

TownCrierWed, April 30, 2008

Urban Family Council Update

Newsletter

April 2008


In This Issue
Awards Presented
Nonprofit Congress
Anti-violence Youth Conference
Open House

Quick Links
New Life Thrift ...

[View Full Article]

US Freedom Foundation

[Click group name for full list of their articles.]

TownCrierThu, July 17, 2008

Are Children 'Creatures of the State'?

David W. Kirkpatrick

Most parents undoubtedly believe that their children are their responsibility. But a contrary view has a long history.

The point was made by Philadelphian Benjamin Rush, a signer of the ...

[View Full Article]

TownCrierThu, July 10, 2008

School Reform: Predicted and Praised, but Seldom Practiced

David W. Kirkpatrick

Perhaps no field of endeavor praises reform as much and practices it as little, as public education. Here are some rhetorical examples:

"Technology may eventually revolutionize formal ...

[View Full Article]