Bird’s-Eye View

From the Slate.com’s political reporter, Christopher Beam, we have an explanation for why 177 Republicans voted against President Obama’s stimulus plan:
In notes jotted down during a Tuesday meeting with Obama, one GOPer noted: “We expect the vast majority of House Republicans to oppose the package tomorrow, but we are optimistic that after the bill passes […]

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State Sen. Mike Brubaker is taking another crack at reforming the mortgage industry.
Brubaker, a Warwick Township Republican, intends to reintroduced a pair of bills that would collectively protect whistleblowers and prevent mortgage brokers from withholding key information for their customers.
The senator had introduced the bills at the end of the last legislative session, but the […]

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State Republican chairman Bob Gleason released the following statement tonight:
“I would like to commend Pennsylvania’s Republican Congressmen for standing up against the bloated government and uncontrolled spending policies contained within the Economic Stimulus Act. Republicans serve as the voice of taxpayer, and our unified opposition to the bill signifies that our Party is ready to […]

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We’re watching the Democratic strategy for the Congressional elections two years from now and Obama’ re-election bid in 2012, and Obama’s been president for just over one week.
 All 177 House Republicans voted against the $819 billion stimulus package yesterday, saying it included too much in government spending. Now, by most estimates, this recession is going […]

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U.S. Rep. Joe Pitts released the following statement after voting against the proposed stimulus package backed by President Barack Obama:
“I opposed this bill because it was a big government spending bill filled with special interest projects and its ability to stimulate the economy in a timely manner is highly questionable. Most of the money won’t […]

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No no no no no no no no no no!
Starbucks Corp. said Wednesday that it would cut as many as 6,700 jobs as it closes hundreds more stores and eliminates more positions at its corporate headquarters.
Faced with slowing demand for lattes and cappuccinos because of the recession, Starbucks plans to close 300 stores, including 200 […]

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State Rep. Dwight Evans, the Democratic House Appropriations chairman, said there are five tools by which the state can solve its mountainous $2.3 billion deficit problem:

Raising taxes. On the table are hikes in either the personal income tax (3.07 percent) or the state sales tax (6 percent statewide; 7 percent in Allegheny and Philadelphia counties).
Dipping into […]

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Uh oh:
The Rendell administration told employee unions that state workers could be furloughed in a month and demanded they relinquish pay raises as the government scrambles to close a multibillion-dollar gap in state finances.
Negotiators for Gov. Ed Rendell also told representatives of the three major state workers’ unions during a meeting Tuesday in Harrisburg that […]

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I interviewed every lawmaker from Lancaster County or one of their aides about the 2009 legislative pay raise, worth about 2.8 percent of their previous salary, and let’s say a few were a little miffed about the attention being paid to their pay.
“Have you talked to the judges about their COLAs (cost of living adjustments)?” […]

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Setting the stage for tomorrow’s article: 
Without much fanfare or outrage, Dec. 1 brought state lawmakers a pay raise. The bump was modest - only 2.8 percent compared to the minimum 16 percent they voted themselves in 2005 - and there were a few jabs by editorial writers and government reformers about it. Their outrage certainly didn’t […]

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