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July 26, 2010
Campaign Staff
The federal government claims Berks has received $245.8 million in stimulus funds. But, using a variety of local, state and federal sources, the Reading Eagle was able to identify only $136.9 million in spending.
And while some of the projects funded by stimulus funds are very much in evidence, the jobs that were supposed to come along with the money are not. In fact, unemployment in Berks rose to 9.9 percent at the end of May, up 1.2 percentage points from May 2009, a few months after the stimulus money became available.
County officials said road and bridge improvements are nice for the community, but what Berks really needs is to get people working.
And while some of the projects funded by stimulus funds are very much in evidence, the jobs that were supposed to come along with the money are not. In fact, unemployment in Berks rose to 9.9 percent at the end of May, up 1.2 percentage points from May 2009, a few months after the stimulus money became available.
County officials said road and bridge improvements are nice for the community, but what Berks really needs is to get people working.
Not much mileage from stimulus funds in Berks
By Mary E. Young
Reading Eagle
A drive on just about any major road in Berks County shows that some of the $787 billion in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act money is flowing here.
The federal government claims Berks has received $245.8 million in stimulus funds.
But, using a variety of local, state and federal sources, the Reading Eagle was able to identify only $136.9 million in spending.
And while some of the projects funded by stimulus funds are very much in evidence, the jobs that were supposed to come along with the money are not.
In fact, unemployment in Berks rose to 9.9 percent at the end of May, up 1.2 percentage points from May 2009, a few months after the stimulus money became available.
County officials said road and bridge improvements are nice for the community, but what Berks really needs is to get people working.
"The commitment of the (Obama) administration was that this was going to lower unemployment," county Commissioner Christian Y. Leinbach said. "That hasn't happened."
Thomas C. McKeon, executive director of the Berks County Industrial Development Authority, said some businesses have added jobs here and there, but the jobs created for the road projects are likely to be temporary.
"It's not significant," he said. "It's doesn't make a dent in the unemployment rate or the number of jobs we have available for people."
Commissioner Mark C. Scott said he believes the stimulus isn't working because the motivation behind it was political, and the process by which government makes decisions is slow.
A business makes decisions in a few weeks, but government takes much longer because of rules and regulations intended to prevent public corruption, he explained.
"Government spending decisions, in many cases, are political and intuitive as opposed to quantitative and analytical," Scott said. "It's inherently inefficient and tends to be slower.
"It's a suboptimal way of spending scarce resources."
Cutting taxes would have been a better way to put money in the pockets of businesses, Scott said.
Those businesses would return the money to the economy and do it more quickly, he said.
"The turnover of money is slower with government, so the recovery is slower," Scott said.
Some benefits
Still, the stimulus money is doing good things for the community, county Community Development Director Kenneth L. Pick said.
The money is being used to prevent homelessness and for a community re-entry center designed to help prison inmates return to the community, he said.
It's also helping the county pay for improvements that in turn will save taxpayer dollars on energy costs in the long run, Pick said.
A $32.5 million grant to East Penn Manufacturing Co. Inc. in Lyons will have a positive impact on the battery industry and energy conservation, McKeon said.
Alan D. Piper, county transportation planner, said some of the $4.3 million BARTA received will buy four new buses and allow expansion of routes that help people get to their jobs.
Few of these good things - particularly the road and transit projects - would have happened without the stimulus money, Piper said.
"While the road projects may not have increased employment, they kept the people who already had jobs working," he said. "They wouldn't have had those jobs if the funding hadn't been made available.
"None of these projects would have gotten done without the stimulus dollars. The funding wasn't there for them. Every one is a needed project.""The commitment of the (Obama) administration was that this was going to lower unemployment," county Commissioner Christian Y. Leinbach said. "That hasn't happened."
http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=236963
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July 12, 2010
Campaign Staff
House Democratic leadership has given up on passing a budget. Instead of the standard budget that projects revenue and spending out five years, the House considered only a weak measure to restrict spending by the Appropriations Committee.
This marks the first time since passage of the 1974 Budget Act that the House has failed to consider a budget resolution. This isn't to say that Congress has always passed a budget. Sometimes the House and Senate have been unable to reach an agreement on a joint budget. This is the first time, however, that the House didn't even try.
This marks the first time since passage of the 1974 Budget Act that the House has failed to consider a budget resolution. This isn't to say that Congress has always passed a budget. Sometimes the House and Senate have been unable to reach an agreement on a joint budget. This is the first time, however, that the House didn't even try.
House Democratic leadership has given up on passing a budget. Instead of the standard budget that projects revenue and spending out five years, the House considered only a weak measure to restrict spending by the Appropriations Committee.
This marks the first time since passage of the 1974 Budget Act that the House has failed to consider a budget resolution. This isn't to say that Congress has always passed a budget. Sometimes the House and Senate have been unable to reach an agreement on a joint budget. This is the first time, however, that the House didn't even try.
The sad irony is that we need a real budget now more than ever before. The June unemployment report showed that an additional 125,000 Americans lost their jobs last month.
Many economists thought that we would be well on our way to recovery by now. The Obama administration even dubbed this as "Recovery Summer" and White House advisors are fanning out across the country to promote the government stimulus bill.
One of the most frequently cited reasons for the sluggish job market is uncertainty. Businesses, worried about a second recession and increased taxes, are holding back on hiring. Individuals, worried about losing their jobs, are holding back on consumer spending.
Congress itself breeds this uncertainty by failing to consider a long-term budget and by calling for increased taxes on job creators. President Obama, while on the campaign trail, frequently promised that he would not raise taxes for those making less than $250,000 "by one dime."
But tax policy starts on Capitol Hill, not the White House. President Obama's allies in the House and the Senate are saying they are not bound by this promise. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) hinted at increasing marginal rates for middle income taxpayers and introducing a new value-added tax in a recent policy address. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Ca.) speculated that increased taxes should begin at $200,000 annual income saying, "With the debt and deficit we have, you can't make promises to people."
For most people that amount of annual income still sounds like a lot of money. The reality is, however, that many small businesses pay taxes at the individual rate. They run their business and pay employees with this income and when the government takes more, they have less for payroll or new equipment.
The 2001 and 2003 tax cuts expire in just six months, the estate tax returns to Clinton-era levels at the same time, and so far we have no plan from Congressional leadership.
I don't believe our growing deficits are a result of taxes being too low. Our growing national debt is a result of unprecedented levels of government spending.
In 1990, the government spent an inflation adjusted $22,027 per household. Over ten years, this level remained steady and economic growth meant that we had four years of budget surpluses. As a member of the House Budget Committee during those years, I helped write these balanced budgets. We resisted the urge to increase spending and paid down the debt four years in a row.
Today, we are spending $30,543 per household and expect to be spending over $35,000 by the end of the decade. Tax revenue cannot keep up with all this increased spending.
I believe that we can return our government to a sensible level of spending that holds down our deficit and allows private sector businesses to flourish. The alternative is to give the government even more control over how our economy runs.
In the face of 125,000 Americans losing their job this month, all President Obama had to offer was a new government broadband Internet program projected to create 5,000 jobs. We need 13 million new jobs to return to full employment. A small number of expensive government jobs will never get us there. Only providing a stable climate for private sector businesses can truly revive our economy.
This is no time to give up on the budget. This is the time to provide a long-term plan that brings our spending back in line with historical averages and establishes tax policy that gives businesses the certainty to hire and invest.
CLICK HERE to view original post.
This marks the first time since passage of the 1974 Budget Act that the House has failed to consider a budget resolution. This isn't to say that Congress has always passed a budget. Sometimes the House and Senate have been unable to reach an agreement on a joint budget. This is the first time, however, that the House didn't even try.
The sad irony is that we need a real budget now more than ever before. The June unemployment report showed that an additional 125,000 Americans lost their jobs last month.
Many economists thought that we would be well on our way to recovery by now. The Obama administration even dubbed this as "Recovery Summer" and White House advisors are fanning out across the country to promote the government stimulus bill.
One of the most frequently cited reasons for the sluggish job market is uncertainty. Businesses, worried about a second recession and increased taxes, are holding back on hiring. Individuals, worried about losing their jobs, are holding back on consumer spending.
Congress itself breeds this uncertainty by failing to consider a long-term budget and by calling for increased taxes on job creators. President Obama, while on the campaign trail, frequently promised that he would not raise taxes for those making less than $250,000 "by one dime."
But tax policy starts on Capitol Hill, not the White House. President Obama's allies in the House and the Senate are saying they are not bound by this promise. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) hinted at increasing marginal rates for middle income taxpayers and introducing a new value-added tax in a recent policy address. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Ca.) speculated that increased taxes should begin at $200,000 annual income saying, "With the debt and deficit we have, you can't make promises to people."
For most people that amount of annual income still sounds like a lot of money. The reality is, however, that many small businesses pay taxes at the individual rate. They run their business and pay employees with this income and when the government takes more, they have less for payroll or new equipment.
The 2001 and 2003 tax cuts expire in just six months, the estate tax returns to Clinton-era levels at the same time, and so far we have no plan from Congressional leadership.
I don't believe our growing deficits are a result of taxes being too low. Our growing national debt is a result of unprecedented levels of government spending.
In 1990, the government spent an inflation adjusted $22,027 per household. Over ten years, this level remained steady and economic growth meant that we had four years of budget surpluses. As a member of the House Budget Committee during those years, I helped write these balanced budgets. We resisted the urge to increase spending and paid down the debt four years in a row.
Today, we are spending $30,543 per household and expect to be spending over $35,000 by the end of the decade. Tax revenue cannot keep up with all this increased spending.
I believe that we can return our government to a sensible level of spending that holds down our deficit and allows private sector businesses to flourish. The alternative is to give the government even more control over how our economy runs.
In the face of 125,000 Americans losing their job this month, all President Obama had to offer was a new government broadband Internet program projected to create 5,000 jobs. We need 13 million new jobs to return to full employment. A small number of expensive government jobs will never get us there. Only providing a stable climate for private sector businesses can truly revive our economy.
This is no time to give up on the budget. This is the time to provide a long-term plan that brings our spending back in line with historical averages and establishes tax policy that gives businesses the certainty to hire and invest.
CLICK HERE to view original post.
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July 06, 2010
Campaign Staff
For two months now, oil and natural gas have escaped from the destroyed Deepwater Horizon drilling rig. In that time, it is estimated that between 75 million and 125 million gallons of oil have flowed from the broken well.
Thousands of ships are in the Gulf of Mexico trying to keep oil from marshes and beaches. Volunteers and BP workers are on the beaches cleaning plants, sand and birds dirtied by the oil. Two relief wells meant to completely plug the leak will not be finished until August.
Thousands of ships are in the Gulf of Mexico trying to keep oil from marshes and beaches. Volunteers and BP workers are on the beaches cleaning plants, sand and birds dirtied by the oil. Two relief wells meant to completely plug the leak will not be finished until August.
For two months now, oil and natural gas have escaped from the destroyed Deepwater Horizon drilling rig. In that time, it is estimated that between 75 million and 125 million gallons of oil have flowed from the broken well.
Thousands of ships are in the Gulf of Mexico trying to keep oil from marshes and beaches. Volunteers and BP workers are on the beaches cleaning plants, sand and birds dirtied by the oil. Two relief wells meant to completely plug the leak will not be finished until August.
With so many working to stop the leak and clean up this tragic environmental disaster, what role should Congress play far off in Washington? Hearings, letters, and press releases are not going to stop the leak or clean the beaches.
First and foremost, the leak must be stopped and the environmental and economic damage must be repaired. I believe that Congress must follow the maxim “first do no harm.” Indeed, Congress should not become just another impediment to the clean up.
Instead, the House and the Senate need to encourage government agencies to stop the bureaucratic confusion that has prevented state and local officials form mobilizing an effective cleanup.
A prime example of recent government-caused confusion has been the EPA’s convoluted instructions regarding the use of dispersants. Additionally, the Administration has not taken steps to wave a law preventing foreign vessels from assisting close to U.S. shores. This same law was waved during the response to Hurricane Katrina.
Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal has had a host of problems dealing with federal agencies. He recently said, “We’ve been frustrated with the disjointed effort to date that has too often meant too little, too late for the oil hitting our coast.”
Early in the course of the spill, Louisiana requested permission to build sandbars to prevent oil from spilling into the fragile marshland. It took weeks for a variety of federal agencies from the Environmental Protection Agency to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to determine whether this would be an effective strategy. While the bureaucrats debated, oil began washing ashore. The sandbars were eventually approved, but only after a great deal of frustration and weeks of inactivity.
I serve on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, a panel with oversight of oil and gas exploration. I’ve personally participated in multiple hearings, including two this week. At these hearings, we focused extensively on the Administration’s response efforts, BP’s actions before and after the explosion, and potential health concerns.
At this week’s Health Subcommittee hearing with officials from the Department of Health and Human Services, I was struck by just how little we know about the long-term, and even short-term, effects of the oil spill on human health. While there have been oil spills before, none of them match the size and scope of this spill, or the particular conditions in which it occurred.
Our Committee has a responsibility to make sure that our health agencies get good information to those working in the spill areas. We do not need to add a health disaster to our already evident environmental and economic difficulties.
One thing needs to be made clear, BP bears responsibility for cleaning up the spill and compensating those whose livelihoods have been threatened. President BP has agreed to establishing a $20 billion escrow account to pay claims for damages and lost wages. It is wholly appropriate that BP should pay all costs, and Congress should ensure that any funding mechanism is well-managed and free of political interference.
We don’t need politics as usual right now. In times of tragedy, our nation has a strong record of putting aside differences to achieve a common goal. I believe this is a time when Congress needs to concentrate our federal government on fighting this spill while avoiding bureaucratic entanglements and in-fighting that do nothing to restore the Gulf.
CLICK HERE to view original post.
Thousands of ships are in the Gulf of Mexico trying to keep oil from marshes and beaches. Volunteers and BP workers are on the beaches cleaning plants, sand and birds dirtied by the oil. Two relief wells meant to completely plug the leak will not be finished until August.
With so many working to stop the leak and clean up this tragic environmental disaster, what role should Congress play far off in Washington? Hearings, letters, and press releases are not going to stop the leak or clean the beaches.
First and foremost, the leak must be stopped and the environmental and economic damage must be repaired. I believe that Congress must follow the maxim “first do no harm.” Indeed, Congress should not become just another impediment to the clean up.
Instead, the House and the Senate need to encourage government agencies to stop the bureaucratic confusion that has prevented state and local officials form mobilizing an effective cleanup.
A prime example of recent government-caused confusion has been the EPA’s convoluted instructions regarding the use of dispersants. Additionally, the Administration has not taken steps to wave a law preventing foreign vessels from assisting close to U.S. shores. This same law was waved during the response to Hurricane Katrina.
Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal has had a host of problems dealing with federal agencies. He recently said, “We’ve been frustrated with the disjointed effort to date that has too often meant too little, too late for the oil hitting our coast.”
Early in the course of the spill, Louisiana requested permission to build sandbars to prevent oil from spilling into the fragile marshland. It took weeks for a variety of federal agencies from the Environmental Protection Agency to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to determine whether this would be an effective strategy. While the bureaucrats debated, oil began washing ashore. The sandbars were eventually approved, but only after a great deal of frustration and weeks of inactivity.
I serve on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, a panel with oversight of oil and gas exploration. I’ve personally participated in multiple hearings, including two this week. At these hearings, we focused extensively on the Administration’s response efforts, BP’s actions before and after the explosion, and potential health concerns.
At this week’s Health Subcommittee hearing with officials from the Department of Health and Human Services, I was struck by just how little we know about the long-term, and even short-term, effects of the oil spill on human health. While there have been oil spills before, none of them match the size and scope of this spill, or the particular conditions in which it occurred.
Our Committee has a responsibility to make sure that our health agencies get good information to those working in the spill areas. We do not need to add a health disaster to our already evident environmental and economic difficulties.
One thing needs to be made clear, BP bears responsibility for cleaning up the spill and compensating those whose livelihoods have been threatened. President BP has agreed to establishing a $20 billion escrow account to pay claims for damages and lost wages. It is wholly appropriate that BP should pay all costs, and Congress should ensure that any funding mechanism is well-managed and free of political interference.
We don’t need politics as usual right now. In times of tragedy, our nation has a strong record of putting aside differences to achieve a common goal. I believe this is a time when Congress needs to concentrate our federal government on fighting this spill while avoiding bureaucratic entanglements and in-fighting that do nothing to restore the Gulf.
CLICK HERE to view original post.
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July 02, 2010
Campaign Staff
Rep. Joe Pitts (PA-16) presented the Congressional Award Gold Medal to four students from the 16th Congressional District. The award recognizes students who have completed at least 400 hours of community service, 200 hours of personal development and physical fitness activities, and a four-night expedition or exploration.
Rep. Joe Pitts (PA-16) presented the Congressional Award Gold Medal to four students from the 16th Congressional District. The award recognizes students who have completed at least 400 hours of community service, 200 hours of personal development and physical fitness activities, and a four-night expedition or exploration.
Roberto Ortiz and Rose Neli Zavela were among the winners. Ortiz lives in Avondale, Zavela in Kennett Square.
Ortiz completed his hours of community service with the Pennsylvania Migrant Education Service. For his personal development he volunteered in local law firms and developed a running and exercise regimen. For his expedition, Roberto participated in a primitive camping experience in the Pocono Mountains.
Zavela completed her public service with the Pennsylvania Migrant Education Program and raised money for childhood cancer at Penn State University. For her personal development, she worked to learn and improve English, her second language. She also developed a running and physical fitness program to improve her tennis skills. For her expedition, she participated in a primitive camping experience in the Pocono Mountains.
“I was proud to present awards to young men and women of such extraordinary accomplishment. Each one of them put incredible effort into winning their Congressional Gold Medal,” said Pitts. “They developed their bodies and minds while finding a way to care for their community. Young people like Roberto, Holly, Howard and Rosa are upcoming leaders demonstrating that our country has a bright future.”
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Roberto Ortiz and Rose Neli Zavela were among the winners. Ortiz lives in Avondale, Zavela in Kennett Square.
Ortiz completed his hours of community service with the Pennsylvania Migrant Education Service. For his personal development he volunteered in local law firms and developed a running and exercise regimen. For his expedition, Roberto participated in a primitive camping experience in the Pocono Mountains.
Zavela completed her public service with the Pennsylvania Migrant Education Program and raised money for childhood cancer at Penn State University. For her personal development, she worked to learn and improve English, her second language. She also developed a running and physical fitness program to improve her tennis skills. For her expedition, she participated in a primitive camping experience in the Pocono Mountains.
“I was proud to present awards to young men and women of such extraordinary accomplishment. Each one of them put incredible effort into winning their Congressional Gold Medal,” said Pitts. “They developed their bodies and minds while finding a way to care for their community. Young people like Roberto, Holly, Howard and Rosa are upcoming leaders demonstrating that our country has a bright future.”
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