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FakeNoose

FakeNoose's Journal
FakeNoose's Journal
March 3, 2022

Editorial: Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission needs a light to be shined on it



(link) https://www.post-gazette.com/opinion/editorials/2022/03/03/Shine-a-light-on-Turnpike-Commission/stories/202202260033

THE EDITORIAL BOARD
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
March 3, 2022

It’s time for the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission to stop operating in the dark.

In June 2020, the commission voted to lay off nearly 500 toll collectors with no public debate, angering the state legislature. Last year, also without public discussion, commissioners approved more than $430 million in credit and spending agreements in a meeting that lasted less than 15 minutes and increased tolls for the 14th year straight. Pennsylvania’s Turnpike Commission operates in virtual secrecy while leading the nation in costs for drivers.

State Rep. Anthony M. DeLuca has announced plans to introduce much-needed legislation requiring it to submit annual reports to the General Assembly, detailing money collected, as well as the amount of uncollected tolls. The plan follows news of a staggering $104 million in uncollected funds from June 2020 to May 2021.

DeLuca’s bill would take an overdue step toward better oversight; legislators should pass it quickly, ideally with bipartisan support.

In response, the Turnpike Commission argues, weakly, that the lost revenue represents only 7% of the revenue it should have collected — $1.2 billion — which falls well within industry standards. The commission also notes it already is seeking remedies and ways to crack down on drivers who refuse to pay tolls, mostly Toll-By-Plate drivers who ignore the bills they receive in the mail.


- more at link -

PA drivers get taken to the cleaners, while many out-of-state drivers pay nothing on our toll roads.



February 16, 2022

Doug Mastriano, senator seeking Pa. GOP governor nomination, issued 1/6 subpoena



(link) https://www.post-gazette.com/news/nation/2022/02/15/Doug-Mastriano-senator-seeking-Pa-GOP-governor-nomination-issued-1-6-subpoena/stories/202202150116

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Feb. 15, 2002 5:46 p.m.

HARRISBURG — A Pennsylvania state senator who was in regular communication with Donald Trump as the then-president sought to reverse his 2020 election loss, and was outside the U.S. Capitol the afternoon of the Jan. 6 rioting, was subpoenaed Tuesday by the congressional committee looking into the insurrection.

Sen. Doug Mastriano, a former Army officer currently seeking the Republican nomination for governor, was asked by the Jan. 6 select committee to hand over documents and information about efforts to name a slate of alternate Electoral College electors for Trump.

The committee cited a Nov. 28, 2020, tweet by Mr. Mastriano that said he was pushing to have the Pennsylvania Legislature appoint electors.

Days after President Joe Biden’s victory was certified in Pennsylvania, Mr. Mastriano sponsored a resolution in the Legislature to undo the certification, declare the election in dispute and effectively overturn state law by empowering the Republican-controlled Legislature to pick electors. The resolution did not gather any cosponsors and died in committee without action on Nov. 30.


- more at link -

Also this:
Mr. Mastriano organized bus trips to the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 and advertised himself ahead of time as a scheduled speaker on the Capitol steps during the afternoon. He has described getting prime seats to Mr. Trump’s speech before the riot. He subsequently claimed he left the U.S. Capitol area after the eruption of violence, which in the aftermath he called “unacceptable.”


Mastriano is a Repuke's Repuke, and he has an even chance to win his party's nomination for Governor this spring.

February 13, 2022

You guys got me hooked on Wordle, now I'm going to show you something

Here's how to play Wordles from previous dates that you haven't played yet:



The game "Wordle" is at this link: https://wordle.berknation.com/

I've bookmarked it and I play it every day..... actually I play it several times a day!

February 4, 2022

Bookmark this: A complete guide and amendment tracker for proposed changes to PA's Constitution

(link) https://www.spotlightpa.org/news/2022/01/pennsylvania-constitution-amendments-tracker-complete-guide/

HARRISBURG — The slow, multiyear process of amending the Pennsylvania Constitution has become the tool of choice for Republican lawmakers seeking to enact policy and avoid the governor’s veto.

Last year, the proposals the legislature sent voters all received approval. Two limited the governor’s power to declare and sustain a state of emergency, and the other enshrined protection against discrimination based on race in Pennsylvania. Lawmakers are now considering a number of proposed changes that could radically reshape how parts of the state government work.

But despite the potential significance of these changes, it’s difficult to track them as they move through the process.

- snip -

Spotlight PA scoured this session’s bills to identify all the changes legislators want to make to the state constitution. We’ll update the below database when new proposals are introduced and as existing ones move through the process.


MORE at link, including a complete chart of all proposed Amendments.

Spotlight will update this info as we get closer to the Primary election. Be sure to check back....

Here's an easy tip: ANY amendment that has been proposed by ANY Repuke needs to be defeated. They usually introduce tricky wording on their proposals, so that liberals might think to answer "no" instead of "yes" or vice versa. They've done it before so don't be surprised when they do it again.



Profile Information

Name: Kathy Hinsman
Gender: Female
Hometown: Pittsburgh PA
Home country: USA
Current location: Pittsburgh
Member since: Sat Feb 18, 2017, 02:16 PM
Number of posts: 32,639

About FakeNoose

Hey DU friends! Baby boomer here. I became a voter in 1972 when I turned 21, and I've been voting regularly ever since. For a long time I remained independent - always voting for Dem candidates. However that changed in 2008 when I wanted to vote for Hillary Clinton for President. But I live in Pennsylvania where we have closed elections, and my only chance to vote for Hillary was in the Dem primary. So I joined the Democratic Party in 2008, voted for Hillary, and I've never looked back. Barack Obama won the primary in Pennsylvania, as ell as most other states, and I supported him in the general election. It was a different story in 2016 .... You'll never convince me that Chump didn't CHEAT his way into the White House. The worst 4 years in the history of our country ensued, 2017 to 2020, and the first few days of 2021. We all lived through it and i don't need to explain it now. My goal is to make sure that Chump NEVER gets elected to ANYTHING again. Not even Dogcatcher of West Palm Beach FL. Whether he goes to prison is not up to me - but he must be CONVICTED of his crimes and PREVENTED from running for office again. Better yet - he should be in prison or six-feet-under. You get me? I love the cooperation, optimism and can-do spirit of Democratic Underground. We're a community of liberal-minded Americans and we know how to share our stories constructively and pro-actively. Let's all pitch in and get this job done. There has never been a more important election that right now, this year. Democrats everywhere MUST WIN. Joe Biden must win FOUR MORE YEARS!
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