Analysis of the
"Repeal" The Setup
Of course, it all started long before July 7 whenever Chief Justice Ralph Cappy and others first hatched the scheme to line their own pockets. They secretly conferred with legislative leadership to craft Act 44 and pass it in the middle of the night. On July 7, they pulled it off. At first, there was confusion. Then it became
crystal clear: PA taxpayers had been pay-jacked! The media pounced. On
July 18, PACleanSweep was launched. Other groups joined the fray. An
extremely loose and unlikely coalition of organizations put their heads
together to wage a battle.
Pressure on the legislature mounted. True to form,
the General Assembly resorted to lame excuses, finger-pointing,
stubbornness and arrogance in response. A rally was planned and executed
while lawmakers hid in their caucus bunkers. A few ridiculous statements
and outright lies by prominent figures spiced everything up.
Throw in a bit of denial for good measure: The
House repeal bill? "That's the first I heard about it." The limo? "I came
in a car." And some indignation: "Do you have any other
questions?"
The Pressure Cooker
It all boiled over in the last few days, when they finally realized that voters actually would "Remember the Pay Raise." Perhaps it was the "internal poll" showing a
dismal 17% approval rating for the Senate Majority Leader. Or perhaps a
rumored fight over the Senate Pro Tempore position. Or the upcoming
Supreme Court retention vote. We'll probably never know for sure, but
it's likely a combination of
all of the above and more.
On Day 118 of the Great Pay Raise fight, the
Senate caved and approved a full repeal of the pay-jacking by a 50-0 vote.
A similar measure later passed the House 196-2. Bill DeWeese and Mike Veon
were the dissenters.
But as with anything else, it ain't over 'til it's
over. There are questions to be answered. The two measures are not the
same.
The house inserted another nonseverability clause.
If one part of the repeal goes, it all goes. The Supremes reportedly sent
over a friendly note stating that under Article V, Section 16 (a), their
pay raise cannot be rescinded. Gotcha. Did the Rules Committee insert this
clause as a "poison pill" to undermine the repeal? Time will
tell.
Where It Stands
Now
Here are some of the questions we're left with at this point: Will the House and Senate make the two measures
stick? If so, what about the unconstitutional money some lawmakers have
already taken? Will the governor veto a repeal? If the Supremes sue over
losing their raise, what Court could hear THAT case? Why did it take
lawmakers nearly four months to figure out they made the wrong decision in
July? Why are these people - all of a sudden - now citing the
Constitution?
Only time will tell,
folks.
Where PACleanSweep Stands Now
A full repeal is a good thing, but it's only the beginning. This is only one battle in a long war to retake our Commonwealth. Like a bank robber who returns the money later, the perpetrators must be punished. We're reminded of the September 26 rally mantra: Repeal, Repay, Reform or Resign. Step one accomplished - maybe. Keep the pressure on the legislature. Move to
defrock the Supremes by turning out Newman and Nigro on November 8. A
Clean Sweep remains the goal, because it ain't just the money, it's how
they got it. They could easily do it again, but next time it could be far
worse.
Do not relent. Do not rest. Do not forget. We're
awake, we're watching and we're both inclined and prepared to win. We now
have the upper hand. They're fighting among themselves already. This will
only worsen when they realize they'll have to fight over re-election funds
in the coming months.
Keep it up PACleanSweepers; you are empowered.
Let's put an exclamation point on the last few days by turning out the
Royal Justices on Tuesday, November 8. We're all in this together. Us
against them. We're going to win.
The Cookie Jar Analogy
When children are caught stealing from the cookie jar, the first thing they do is drop the cookie. That's where we're at right now (almost). As good parents, we must offer a stern lecture. Then we need to put the cookie jar on a higher shelf where the children can't reach it, followed by a bit of discipline. No cookie after dinner. Send them straight to
their room to read the Constitution. Twice for good measure.
While we're at it, maybe we
should ask for a book report or spring a pop quiz.
We don't care that they put the cookie back;
we're more concerned that
they thought they could get away with it in the first place. It's a matter
of trust. It can't go back to the way it was, because we don't have any
faith in them. They've lost our respect, a difficult thing to earn a
second time.
The Football Analogy
We're in the first quarter. After receiving the opening kickoff (the pay raise), the CleanSweepers put together a long and determined drive toward the goal line. The Incumbent defense was confused and thought the scoreboard (the media) wasn't working properly. Oddly, the refs (the Supremes) are now playing for the Incumbents. We introduced the forward pass (the internet).
They were left flat-footed. We muscled into the end zone with the aid of
their collapsing defense (the Day 118 repeal). The extra point (dismal
polling) was good. CleanSweepers lead 7-0.
Time for an onside kick (Newman & Nigro).
We'll get the ball right back and start another drive down the field. It's
still the first quarter and we've come out of the box like Super Bowl
champs. Let's keep it up.
Feel free to 'high five' each other, but this is
no time for a victory dance. This
game is far from over. PACleanSweep is a non-partisan effort
dedicated to defeating incumbent elected officials in Pennsylvania and replacing them with true
public servants. For more information, please visit www.PACleanSweep.com. |