The LuLac Edition #842, June 9th, 2009

PHOTO INDEX: STATE CAPITOL BUILDING.

A TWITTERING TWIT!!!!

Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley says that President Barack Obama has “got nerve” to go sightseeing in Paris while telling lawmakers it’s time to deliver on a health care overhaul. Grassley, the top Republican on the Finance Committee, is key to any bipartisan health care deal. Using Twitter — the Internet-based social connection service allows users to send mass text messages called “tweets” — the Iowa Republican issued two angry “tweets” Sunday morning as the president wrapped up an overseas tour. For weeks now, Obama had left the details of health care legislation to Congress, then inserted himself firmly into the debate in recent days, including using his weekly radio address Saturday to declare “it’s time to deliver” on health reform. Grassley’s first tweet: “Pres Obama you got nerve while u sightseeing in Paris to tell us ‘time to deliver’ on health care. We still on skedul/even workinWKEND.” A short time later: “Pres Obama while u sightseeing in Paris u said ‘time to delivr on healthcare’ When you are a ‘hammer’ u think everything is NAIL I’m no NAIL.” Thank you Senator Grassley. I’m all for networking but my heavens do you we have to know every thought every person has at every minute of the day??? And God save us from old guys with new technology. OMG, LOL, whatever!!!!

HOUSE DEMS TO THE RESCUE

A spending plan that Republicans had muscled out of the Pennsylvania Senate was voted down by a Democratic-controlled House panel Monday, the latest maneuver for political advantage with the state's budget year winding down. The House Appropriations Committee rejected the $27.3 billion proposal, which would impose deep cuts but avoid any tax increases.
The votes Monday and in the Senate last month were both along party lines. Republicans on the committee mostly kept their comments to criticism of how the 2009-2010 budget debate was being handled in the lower chamber, while Democrats warned about the impact of proposed cuts on seniors, students, parks patrons and others. Several said excessive state cuts would force counties, schools and local municipalities to pick up the slack. Lawmakers and Gov. Ed Rendell, a Democrat, are trying to hash out how to deal with a projected shortfall of more than $3 billion in state revenues for the current year. A similar figure is projected for the fiscal year that starts July 1. The federal stimulus money helps fill some holes, but Republican leaders say they do not want to commit to long-term spending based on its short-term availability. The Governor is using the stimulus money to fill gaps in the budget and is hell bent on increasing aid to favored programs that have been funded under his administration. Many fear that in a few years when the stimulus money dries up, there will be a bigger debt than ever in the Keystone State. In the meantime organizations such as a libraries that have suffered cuts in past Rendell-Legislature budget battles are concerned they will be slashed as part of a compromise. To cut libraries in a time of high unemployment in the state is pound foolish mainly because many unemployed use library services to access job hunting websites. Lawmakers said they were anxious to see Rendell's final revenue projections for the coming year, a figure that will drive much of the final debate. Democrats focused their attention on the Senate bill, including a criticism that it should have drawn at least some revenue out of Pennsylvania's "rainy day" contingency fund.