Bird’s-Eye View

Bought a bigger coffee cup over the weekend to have here in the newsroom. I found my E-town Alumni mug just wasn’t big enough, which meant the caffeine punch from the smaller mug lacked the force I need to work the evening shift. So go big mug or don’t go coffee at all.

As some of you saw in today’s print edition, I’m gettin’ hitched Saturday, and then us newly weds are off to Costa Rica. The digital Nest will be shut down until mid-April, but I’ll be back with plenty of Costa Rican coffee stirred up with local and state politics.

I’ve had this song in my head all week. Alison and I saw Josh Ritter on Friday night at Messiah College, and this song (”Snow Is Gone (Hello Starling)”) seems somehow appropriate.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5wHtyE9Sok

Welcome to the new week, where despite it being Monday we’re doing better than Lance Armstrong’s collar bone … and A-Rod’s squeaky clean reputation.

Around the state:

*If you are eagerly awaiting property tax relief from casino gambling, you may be interested in this story from the Patriot-News:

Next month, the state must certify whether the fund has enough money to provide property tax cuts. Gov. Ed Rendell’s administration said that there will be money for tax cuts.

But with a month to go, the fund hasn’t reached the threshold to ensure that homeowners receive tax cuts, according to the administration.

*The Vince Fumo conviction has far reaching consequences, including at the Pennsylvania Turnpike where Gov. Ed Rendell has removed its chairman for evidence of no-show jobs. The Associated Press has the story.

*Tom Fitzgerald of the Philadelphia Inquirer has a story about Pat Toomey and his message should the Club for Growth founder challenge U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter in next year’s primary.

The Mobile Nest is inside the Lehr Room where Bill Ayers is scheduled to speak tonight. Got a Tall cup of Starbucks house blend, a medium roast and medium body coffee, by my side. Wasn’t real delightful until I poured caramel-flavored Splenda into it. Much much better.

Okay, let’s be honest, you don’t care about what coffee I’m drinking. You wanna know what’s going on here at Millersville University. Is it chaos? What are the protesters like? Has Vietnam erupted all over again?

The answers: No, it’s quite orderly. I couldn’t tell you because there appears to be NO PROTESTERS. And I doubt the NVA or the 101st Airborne Division is stalking the Quad.

Ayers did visit the Nest for a one-on-one interview, and your favorite blogger asked him point blank - “Are you sorry about the Weather Underground?” His answer is “Absolutely.” But he’s just not sorry the way everyone expects him to be. Complicated? Sure. Wanna know more. His answer will be in tomorrow’s Intell.

So enjoy your evening! And barring an unforeseen circumstances, this whole Ayers controversy will pass and our lives go on tomorrow.

Update: About a dozen protesters ended up gathering outside the Student Memorial Center on South George Street, but they were mostly benign. Honestly, the curiosity seekers, the students who neither had tickets nor cared a whole lot, outnumbered the protesters.

Ayers has been speaking now for an hour. He’s answering pre-screened questions. No one stood and walked out, nobody’s sitting here with protest signs, no OUTRAGE! (writing “outrage” in all caps must be credited to Gil Smart).

If you can name your favorite William Butler Yeats poem, then share a mug of Irish coffee with me. Bonus shot of Bailey’s if it’s something other than the “Lake Isle of Innisfree.”

And lemme ask: a.) Jameson or Bushmills? b.) Stout or cider? c.) Galway or Cork or Dublin? d.) What’s your favorite spot in Ireland?

My answers: a.) Bushmills 12-year whiskey, only available at the distillery in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. b.) Cider, which you can find on tap at Quips here in Lancaster. I have a sweet tooth, which Bulmers can sweetened even more. c.) Galway, hands down, because not only can you take day trips to, the Burren, the Aran Islands and the Cliffs of Moher from that harbor town, but nights in the Quay pubs reaffirms the best of life. And finally, d.) Dun Duchathair on the Aran Islands. An ancient Celtic fort on the very edge of the European continent, massive granite cliffs running jagged along the shoreline, aquamarine ocean water reaching up as if to claim the island back to the sea and no one around you to disturb the peace.

Oh yeah, there’s stuff going on around our political island.

State Sen. Mike Brubaker has introduced legislation that would create a bipartisan commission to oversee how federal stimulus money will be spent in Pennsylvania. Now, before you drone off to sleep or click to YouTube to watch John Stewart smack down Jim Cramer, again, hear me out. According to Brubaker, the Guv is none too happy about this and told the Senator so. I’m waiting now for the Guv’s spokesman, Chuck Ardo, to call and tell me what the rumpus is all about.

“Even with the best intentions, these efforts will potentially result in some of these dollars to be misplaced,” Brubaker said of the estimated $10 billion in federal stimulus funds coming into the state. “I was uncomfortable with an unprecedented amount of money coming into the Commonwealth, and the members of the General Assembly … we have nothing to do with the stimulus package. I’m very uncomfortable with that.”

The nine-member commission would be made up of appointees from the Legislature, members of the governor’s cabinet and an appointee of the governor.

Elsewhere:

*State Attorney General Tom Corbett, let me officially welcome you to the race for the Republican gubernatorial nomination.

Corbett, in my judgment, starts off as the frontrunner in this race - name recognition, the only GOP candidate to win statewide in 2008, at the forefront of the Bonusgate investigation, which brought charges against two former Democratic state lawmakers and about a dozen staffers for a salary-bonus-for-campaign scheme they allegedly ran. Of course, Corbett’s going to need convictions to keep Bonusgate as a reason for anyone to vote for him.

*The e-mail trail between those Democratic House staffers who received substantial salary bonuses and former Majority Leader Bill DeWeese grows. The story is related to the Bonusgate scandal.

Update: This is a fine day for Brubaker, who aides say is wearing a green tie today. The Warwick Township Republican saw his two proposed laws to provide consumer protection for mortgage buyers and whistleblowers passed by the Senate.

From the news release:

Senate Bill 170 would prohibit a mortgage broker or originator from being the exclusive recipient of communications to a consumer. The legislation would prevent brokers from withholding information about interest rates, fees or monthly payments, and it would ensure that consumers are informed of the terms of their mortgage.

Senate Bill 171 would also help to prevent fraud by protecting mortgage company employees that report illegal activities or take part in an investigation, hearing or inquiry. The legislation would prevent an employer from taking actions such as reducing an employee’s salary or benefits, changing the terms of employment, or firing an employee.

Brubaker introduced the bills in response to the OPFM mortgage scandal that defrauded more than $26 million from Pennsylvania homeowners. Brubaker said that hundreds of Lancaster County homeowners lost millions of dollars due to the mortgage and investment fraud scheme.

“It is unconscionable for con artists to take advantage of homeowners through this sort of fraud, and the General Assembly must take action to prevent this from happening again,” Brubaker said. “I am very pleased that my colleagues have joined me in supporting legislation to protect homeowners, and I am hopeful that the House will take prompt action to send this bill to the governor’s desk in the near future.”

Brubaker said that both bills were drafted with input from the Department of Banking to ensure they offered consumers adequate protection from fraud.

Newsroom brew’s gettin’ me through the Monday.

Working on a story tonight about where in Lancaster County the federal stimulus money is going to flow, specifically about highways, roadways and bridges.

As a heads up, how about PennDOT-monitored cameras along Route 30 or Route 283 to watch traffic conditions?

The construction part of this story is where the Obama administration’s foot is pushing on the accelerator. If the Obama administration and the Democratic Congress’ strategy to pull America out of this deep recession is going to work, highway construction is one of the frontlines. The formula is government spending to create market demand for construction supplies, which will then create jobs and income that those job holders will spend.

Obama during the 2008 campaign promised investment in improving American infrastructure, which sounded ideal because you have construction companies waiting for a frozen building market to thaw and a country in need of improving its roads and bridges.

About $1 billion is coming to Pennsylvania for road and bridge improvement. Do you think it will work to help turn around the state’s stumbling economy?

What bridges and roads in Lancaster will experience improvement as a result of these federal dollars, stay tuned to the Nest and tomorrow’s Intell.

Elsewhere:

*Guilty!

You could write that 100 times and still not equal the number of charges on which former state Sen. Vince Fumo was found guilty today in federal court. The four-month trial provided a window into the seedier side of state government. Sentencing is to be scheduled later, and prosecutors are expected to ask for a 10-year jail term for Fumo.

*And speaking of Democrats in state government under a black cloud, state Rep. Bill DeWeese has a new problem with which to wrestle. The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and Brad Bumstead has a story out about how a Democratic House staffer sent DeWeese, who used to head the Democratic House caucus, an e-mail to thank him for giving a salary bonus … for campaigning.

In December 2004, an e-mail written by legislative research analyst Karen Steiner thanked DeWeese, D-Greene County, and then-House Democratic Whip Mike Veon of Beaver Falls for a “bonus for campaigning.” DeWeese responded with “U R welcome,” copies of the exchange obtained by the Tribune-Review show.

A DeWeese spokesman said the Greene County Democrat, a formidable presence in state government and a divisive figure, has no recollection of the e-mail.

As you may know, Veon has been charged with using taxpayer resources to operate a campaign machine out of his office. DeWeese has always denied involvement with the program.

And this Bonusgate scandal just keeps going on and on and on … 

*House Republicans are trying to blow a whistle on Gov. Ed Rendell’s emergency measures from last week to address the sick state economy. Rendell proposed about $31 million in news measures like pumping mortgage relief or home-heating aid into the economy, and the House GOP are questioning his authority to do so under the state Constitution.

From the news release:

Without judging the merits of the governor’s emergency relief proposals, House Republicans are questioning Gov. Ed Rendell’s authority to move state funding to programs other than those for which it was originally appropriated. Rep. Sam Smith (R-Jefferson County), the Republican Leader, and Rep. Mario Civera (R-Delaware County), the Republican Appropriations Committee Chairman, are also asking the governor to submit a new budget proposal that reflects the federal stimulus dollars coming to the state.

The two House Republican leaders sent the governor a letter today detailing their questions about the governor’s expansion of state programs while citing the case of Shapp v. Sloane, 395 A.2d 595 (Pa. 1978) which reinforced the “doctrine of separation of powers functions.” The leaders also cited Article III, Section 24, of the Pennsylvania Constitution (Attachment 1), as well as Act 117 of 1976 (Attachment 2), which reinforce their contention that the General Assembly is responsible for enacting programmatic legislation and appropriating the necessary funds to implement the programs.

In on a Friday, again. So it’s a special Friday edition of “Evening Coffee,” and we’re pointing the mug toward Millersville University.

Members of the public, you won’t get to meet Bill Ayers in person when he comes to MU’s campus on March 19. It’s unlikely you will even see Ayers in person, period. Find out why in tomorrow’s Intell.

Trust me, Ayers is still coming to MU, so if you were hoping the event was cancelled, sorry to disappoint you.

Around the political world now in just a few paragraphs:

*Can abortion laws prevent stem cell research? Find out in this story by Steve Snyder of my former employer, the Lebanon Daily News.

*State agencies just aren’t cutting enough spending, Gov. Ed Rendell says in a statement I’m sure a few Republicans around here will say: “Well, duh!” The Philadelphia Inquirer has the story.

*Well, there’s a certain holiday coming Tuesday that’s near to my heart, and this weekend will likely mean a lot of people of actual Irish decent - and a few amateurs, too - will be out to celebrate. My thoughts are turned toward my lineage, tradesmen from County Galway who came here and worked the railroads, according to Mary Catherine, my grandmother.

I’m also reminiscing about a year and a half ago when I hiked up the holy mountain in Ireland, Croagh Patrick, where a certain Welsh man fasted at the top of the summit cone for 40 days and then supposedly drove out the snakes from Ireland. If you ever make it to Ireland and have stout legs, give Croagh Patrick a good try. From its summit, where a white church stands, you have a 360 degree view of the Connemara mountains, County Mayo countryside and Clew Bay, shimmering in aquamarine beneath the Atlantic sky.

We’ll depart this week with a performance by the Young Dubliners, a band whose material has been getting heavy rotation on my iPod this last week. See you Monday:

I am going, I am going

Any which way the winds may be blowing

I am going, I am going

Where streams of whiskey are flowing

Anyone who’s been watching Michael Steele, the new chairman of the Republican National Committee, knows he’s had a rough go of it since being elected. Since being named the head of the RNC, he’s had some media stumbles, most recently when he said to GQ abortion was an “individual choice” and legalized abortions should be a decision left to the states. In GOP circles, that was as No No. He also has insulted Rush Limbaugh, and then after realizing he committed a No-No, offered up an apology to the talk radio personality.

There’s been others.

His missteps couldn’t come at a worse time for the Republican Party, which is looking to rebound after getting pounded at the ballot box in 2006 and 2008. So …

Since March Madness is upon us and everyone’s getting their basketball tournament pools going, how about we start one for Steele. How long until Steele steps down as chairman of the RNC? The New York Times, citing GOP sources, said there’s no movement to remove Steele, but how much longer will the RNC put up with someone who says one thing then issues a press release to either apologize or roll back the original comment? The GOP likes organization, a united front and leaders who don’t have to keep explaining themselves.

The clearest sign about Steele’s future, though, will come when there’s evidence of his ability to raise money. If his public slip ups don’t affect fundraising and the ability of Republicans to run competitive races, then he’ll be easily forgiven. If it’s the opposite, though, he may find himself on the outs.

No more pencils, no more books, no more teachers’ dirty looks as they walk the picket line …

Well, if a trio of Republican lawmakers including state Rep. Bryan Cutler of Peach Bottom have their way, teacher unions would no longer be permitted to strike during tough contract negotiations with school boards.

From a news release:

House Bill 1369 contains several clearly defined and enforceable financial penalties, including $5,000 individual fine, per incident for inciting a strike; striking teachers losing two days of pay, per day of an illegal strike; and the striking teachers union forfeiting its dues check-off privilege for one year.

“It is time for Pennsylvania to adopt a ban on teacher strikes because they hurt our students by interrupting the education process,” said Cutler. “They hurt our parents by forcing them to take time off work or pay for someone to watch their children during these unexpected disruptions in the school year. Finally, they hurt our taxpayers by driving up the cost of education.”

As you can imagine, teacher unions are like “Nuh uh!” From Eleanor Chute’s article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

Wythe Keever, spokesman for the Pennsylvania State Education Association, said, “Teachers don’t like strikes any more than the rest of the public. They feel they’re sometimes necessary, however.”

Since 1992, he said, no student has lost a single day of instruction due to a teacher strike, noting the days are made up as required by state law. He also said that a PSEA study showed that strikes did not have an effect on scores of state tests within a district from one year to the next and between districts.

The chances of this passing are somewhere between one and negative one. Anyone out there think the Democrats, which control the state House, would be willing to pass this?

Me either.

But writing about this allows me to feature state Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, again. Cue hyperbole … copy and paste from the news release … now go:

“Militant teacher unions have no legitimate right to shut down a public school solely for bargaining purposes,” said Metcalfe, whose legislative district has been negatively impacted by two public school-closing teacher strikes (Seneca Valley and South Butler school districts) during the past two school years. “Ultimately, teacher strikes are really the hammer that forces property taxes through the roof because taxpayers are left footing the bill for union-driven salary increases and lengthy arbitrations. Eliminating teacher strikes is a fundamental quality of life issue that I’ve been working on for several years and will continue to do so for the benefit of our students, parents and taxpayers.”

I particularly laughed at the “militant teachers” reference. Makes our frontline educators sound like roving bands of well-organized but shadowy militias operating in the remote ravines of state forests, sportin’ camo and Rambo-like headbands. I’ve come to know a lot of teachers personally. Some were cool, some were nerds, but none of them were militant … except for a gym teacher or two, but that had nothing to do with the teachers’ union and more to do with the ego boost one gets wearing a whistle.

Frankly, if it wasn’t for a few of those public school teachers, I would have missed out on a lot of life-guiding principles. Say what you will about the right to strike, but let’s please not demean the other side. What good purpose does that serve?

Sittin’ at Prince Street Cafe right now sippin’ a cup of the Prince Street Blend, an excellent full-bodied dark roast that combines beans from “all Arabica” regions. Arabica beans are considered the best kind of coffee bean because it grows in humid areas which get cold at night (like Central American mountains) and has a clearly defined rainy season, which tend to develop the bean’s excellent flavor. Frankly, Prince St. Cafe’s blend is the best dark roast I’ve tasted in a long time. Smokey but not overwhelming.

So what’s out there in the political world? This unfortunately has to be an abbreviated version of “Evening Coffee” because I have to run to the next thing on the schedule.

Looks like Democratic state Rep. Dan Frankel’s bill to add sexual orientation to Pennsylvania’s anti-discriminatory laws passed a major committee test and could be headed to a House vote shortly.

Gov. Ed Rendell has set his sights on the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board’s new $170,000 program to train their workers to be nice, asking for an investigation into any improprieties. Story by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is here.

More later tonight. Enjoy your coffee.

The Nest is closing down for today, so there won’t be any Evening Coffee. I’m heading to Washington, D.C., to interview Ken Salazar, the new secretary of the Department of the Interior for two magazines for which I freelance.

Back Thursday! And if you can, hug a national park.