July Breakfast Meeting with Obama Campaign Representative

The Bedford County Progressives will hold a breakfast meeting on July 7, 2012 at 8:30 AM at the Bedford County Art Center located on Pitt Street. The main purpose of the meeting is to hear a presentation by Matt Thompson who is a Field Organizer for the Obama Campaign. Matt will discuss the importance of Pennsylvania in the upcoming election, the campaign's Neighborhood Method of organizing in our area, and how to maximize our effectiveness.

All Democrats or like-minded progressives are invited to attend. A simple breakfast of coffee, tea, OJ and doughnuts will be provided.

Frank Miller

New PA Voter ID LAW FAQ

Here's how the new PA voter ID law will change voting in Pennsylvania. Check the link below.


"In the signing ceremony at his Capitol offices, Corbett called the new law a preventive measure, but he could not offer examples of voter fraud to back up his contention that the crime has occurred in certain precincts in the past."

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1074957

Unfortunately PA has no provisions in it's constitution to recall it's governor! What a shame!


Frank Miller

Economic data - good summary

Excellent set of charts showing recent economic progress.

-- Richard McIntyre

Hi,

We would like to invite you and your friends to our next Bedford County Progressives meeting.

It is scheduled for Thursday, March 8th, 2012, 7PM at the Bedford County Arts Center, 137 E. Pitt St. Bedford, PA 15522(Anderson House)
 Detailed directions may be found at:  http://www.artsinbedfordpa.org/bcac/directions.html

We are happy to announce that Mr. Tim McCown, Campaign Manager for Karen Ramsburg, is scheduled as our guest speaker Thursday Evening.  (Karen is running against Bill Shuster this year.)
Tim wrote us this:

I will be there to represent Karen at your meeting on Thursday at 7 PM. I will be happy to give a presentation for however long you would like. I am a special education teacher so I am used to talking. I write a Progressive Political blog Philaldelphia Progressive Examiner. I wrote an article that went viral last Friday that was calling for a Boycott of Rush Limbaugh's sponsors including local ones for each radio station. It went up just about the same time Democratic Strategist Krystal Ball put up a Boycott Rush website. I think we need to create a national movement to petition radio stations to take him off the air and to boycott all businesses national and local that support his show. I look forward to meeting all of you.
 Tim McCown.


Please come and be a part of the Progressives.  We need everyone to join in!

Tony Wagner IV
President

Sandra Fluke

I just listened to  what Sandra Fluke said on The View; she is quite articulate. She suggested  going  to Media Matters web site: http://mediamatters.org/blog/201203050003  to read what some of the Limbaugh-like commentators have said in agreement with him.  Also http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/?akid=8352.163337.hK1qBc&id=825142&rd=1&t=1 has several related articles today that are worth reading.

Another note I want to write is to the parents of Sandra Fluke. In this county they may be getting some unkind letters; the Tea party would not be above that, I’m thinking.

Elaine Sollenberger

ralaine@embarqmail.com

Letter to WBFD

March 5, 2012

Station Manager

WBFD Radio

134 East Pitt Street

Bedford,  PA  15522

Dear Sir:

I would like to take this way to strongly encourage you to cancel the Rush Limbaugh hours of the  programming of WBFD Radio.

Limbaugh has made the kind of news recently that really shows his “true colors”. His despicable comments have hit a new low—if that is possible.

The fact that the young woman he spoke about has roots in Bedford County makes this even worse.

Out of regard for her parents and extended family, the voice of Rush Limbaugh should be silenced in Bedford County. There are many more solid reasons why Limbaugh should be cancelled but this one should make it easy to decide to replace his rantings with something edifying. It would raise the level of the WBFD offerings for community listening, if his voice were silenced.

Limbaugh’s apology was nearly as disgusting as his original remarks. He called those an attempt at “humor” and had no idea they would become part of a national discussion! That rates as a new definition of humor.

As I write this, seven of his sponsors have left. Some have indicated the apology will not bring them back. We can hope that builds.

I sincerely hope that you will replace Rush Limbaugh with something that will  upgrade that part of the air time of WBFD. Listeners in Bedford County deserve better.

Sincerely,

Elaine Sollenberger

331 Sollenberger Road

Everett,  PA  15537

ralaine@embarqmail.com

Phone: 652-6577

Response to Shircliffe

Here's my response to Evan Shircliffe's letter which I have emailed to the Bedford Gazette this evening.

Bedford Gazette                                                                                                            March 5, 2012

Box 671, 424 W. Penn Street

Bedford, PA 15522

Attention: Letter to the Editor

Re: Sources for my facts

Editor:

Responding to all the “stuff hurled against the wall” by Evan Shircliffe in his letter of March 3rd would require an entire page of the Gazette so I’ll just provide the sources for the facts in my letter that he challenged. I’ll leave it to him to do the same for all of his numbers.  

First let me state that apparently much of the data we both proffered originated from the same source, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), which begs the question, why are the numbers so different? Could it be that one of us can’t read charts and graphs correctly or is it possible that there is some selective massaging of the data? Hummmm? So to justify my facts, rather than just site the BLS, I will provide the internet address for each of my claims and let it up to the reader to view the site and decide the validity. This approach, while definitive, is cumbersome since web addresses are sometimes long and prone to possible errors when transferring the link to newsprint.

January Job Creation - Shircliffe’s first challenge is to my claim that “240,000 jobs were created last month (Jan ’12)”. Here’s the BLS address for that data.     

  http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm

Quoting directly from that page, “Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 243,000 in January, and the unemployment rate decreased to 8.3 percent. Job growth was widespread in the private sector, with large employment gains in professional and business services, leisure and hospitality, and manufacturing”.

 And a few paragraphs below that statement BLS continued, “Private-sector employment grew by 257,000”.

Therefore my claim of 240,000 jobs created was actually under-stated.

Unemployment Rate – Shircliffe then claims my statements about unemployment are “outrageous” while also admitting that he is not good in math. He then sites the BLS and states that when Bush left office the unemployment rate was 7.2%. However when I look at the data it clearly shows that unemployment was at 8.3% on February 2009 (Bush left office 1/20/2009), but here’s the BLS page. You decide.   http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNS14000000

Both the chart and the graph depicted clearly indicate that beginning in December of 2007 unemployment was 5.0% and rising -- exploding might be a better word -- due to the Bush crash and long before Obama took office, let alone before any Obama policies had a chance to take effect.  Shircliffe is correct in stating that unemployment did rise to 10.0% in October 2009, but he failed to mention that it has been on a steady slow decline to the current level of 8.3% since then. Therefore, in Bush’s last 14 months in office unemployment increased by 3.3% (5.0 to 8.3). And in the first 9 months of Obama’s term it increased by 1.7% (8.3 to 10.0) and in the next 24 months unemployment has decreased back to 8.3% which is exactly where it was when Bush left office.  The overriding factor to remember is that the Bush economic policies of wars coupled with unprecedented tax cuts for the wealthy had created the worst recession since the Great Depression of the 1930’s. That was the Bush legacy left for Obama to deal with.

Auto Industry Jobs Saved – Next on his list was where did I get my facts on the bailout of the auto industry saving 1.5 million jobs. Well I think my source will certainly go unchallenged since it came from the November 17, 2010 edition of the Wall Street Journal which is a pillar Republican conservatism and owned by Evan’s hero Rupert Murdoch of Faux News fame. Here’s web address and a brief excerpt from the article.

http://blogs.wsj.com/deals/2010/11/17/gm-ipo-auto-bailout-saved-more-than-1-million-jobs-study-says/

“No matter what happens with Government Motors, the taxpayer intervention in the auto business appears to be a win for Americans, a new research report asserts. The Center for Automotive Research said today the government’s bailout of the U.S. auto industry spared more than 1.14 million jobs last year alone, and prevented additional personal income losses of nearly $97 billion combined for this year and last. Another 314,400 jobs were saved this year thanks to the $80 billion (note: $17 B by Bush and $63 by Obama) in taxpayer lifelines extended to GM, Chrysler, and Chrysler.”

So let me do the math for Evan since that apparently is not his strong suit – 1.14 million plus 0.314,400 equals 1.454 million which I rounded off to 1.5 million.

At the time of its passage, the Republicans were adamantly against the bailout and advocated letting the industry go bankrupt. Even to this day they continue to argue against all evidence that the bailout was a success, that they were right to oppose it and that the Americans involved didn’t deserve the help they got in keeping their jobs, their homes, their careers and their dreams. To Evan’s credit, I must admit that the total number of jobs that would have been lost is not verifiable, since it’s impossible to prove a negative. The alternative would have been to let bankruptcy occur, lose the industry and all the jobs and then count the casualties. Great logic! That’s the only way we could have generated the “verifiable metric” that Evan requires.

Faux News – Shircliffe took exception to my referring to his favorite source of information as “Faux” News and sites a poll done by the Policy for Public Polling (PPP) which determined Fox News as being the most trusted name in news. Well here is the web address to PPP’s January 18, 2012 poll results.

http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/main/2012/01/3rd-annual-tv-news-trust-poll.html

Quoting directly from the published results here is what we find –

“PPP's 3rd annual TV news trust poll finds that Fox News tops the list for both the source Americans trust the most and the one they trust the least”.

But wait a minute!  Evan didn’t mention that in his letter. Imagine that! Below are the results of the poll which also demonstrates why, as Evan claims, Fox has a higher viewership than CNN and MSNBC combined.

“Fox is the most trusted TV news source for 34% of voters, followed by PBS at 17%, CNN at 12%, ABC News at 11%, CBS News at 8%, MSNBC at 5%, and Comedy Central and NBC each at 4%.

Fox is also the least trusted TV news source for 34% of voters, followed by Comedy Central at 16%, MSNBC at 15%, CNN at 11%, ABC News at 7%, CBS News at 5%, PBS at 2%, and NBC News at 1%.

Republicans meanwhile don't trust anything except Fox New.

Democrats trust everything- except Fox News

Independents are with the Democrats. They trust everything except Fox News”.

So while the Republicans are viewing only ONE network the Democrats and Independents combined viewing is split over SEVEN networks.

I could go on and address the other issues that Evan raises, but at this point I suspect the Gazette will not print my letter in its entirety because of the length.

  

Frank Miller

A Contrast of Two People

Sandra Fluke is a courageous young woman.  An intelligent young woman with something worthwhile to say about an important issue.  Sandra Fluke is a law student at Georgetown University.  Sandra Fluke is a 1999 graduate of Tussey Mountain High School.  We can all be proud that one of our own is making a mark in the world, and in a positive way.

                

Rush Limbaugh, a deceitful sinister clown of a showman, hiding behind the garb of a “truthteller”, overwhelmingly satisfied with his own perceived power, has finally damaged himself beyond any remaining shred of decency with the despicable slanders and demeaning pronouncements he has leveled at our own Tussey Mountain Graduate.  When Rush Limbaugh was challenged about his insidious comments about this courageous young woman who had testified to congress that her friend was suffering from cancer because she couldn’t afford the contraceptive pills that would have kept her cancer in check, Rush Limbaugh, sure of his own dominance of the situation, bellowed forth that young women that need assistance to buy these contraceptive pills should have their intimacy shown on the internet for all to watch, apparently for his own perverse enjoyment.

I ask this question: Would any of us want our daughters or our friends to have to display  the personal agony of their struggle with cancer to give depraved delight to a monster like Rush Limbaugh?

I suggest that all of the good citizens of Bedford County step up to support our own young people, and from now on refuse to allow the hatred filled voice of Rush Limbaugh to permeate our airwaves.  In Bedford, WBFD 1310AM carries the Rush Limbaugh Program.  Please contact WBFD Radio Station AM 1310, Cessna Communications, 134 E Pitt Street, Bedford, PA  15522 phone number (814) 623 5131 to let them know what you think about this.

Sincerely,

Tony Wagner IV

Bedford, PA

It is easy to refute the points made by "Evan Shircliffe" in the March 2 Gazette. The primary point about unemployment is best addressed by the chart above.  It's obvious that unemployment was on the rise -- exploding might be a better word -- due to the Bush crash long before Obama took office, let alone before any Obama policies had a chance to take effect. As the chart shows unemployment started falling about a year into Obama's first term. (The year markers on the chart are a little misleading - they actually are placed at mid-year.)

As for Fox Noise, Shircliffe neglected to mention that according to the Fairleigh Dickenson University poll, Fox viewers know less about the news than people who watch no TV news at all.

He provides no source for his claim about health insurance premiums, but a) even if they did rise, how do we know that they wouldn't have risen even more had McCain won?  b) in any case, the vast portion of Obama's health plan doesn't take effect until 2014.

He makes a point about rises in food stamp expenditures. This is to be expected after the Bush recession had its chance to ripple through the economy.  The increase in federal expenditures during the Obama administration is primarily because of the increase in safety net spending due to the Bush recession, and not because of any new federal government program expenditures.

If Shircliffe wants to make a point about future federal debt, he should study the chart below.  Debt is surely increasing due to the lingering effects of the Bush recession, but the idea that the Republicans are the fiscally responsible party and can control the deficit is shown to be historically false.  Notice how debt as a % of GDP rises dramatically under Reagan and Bush I, falls under Clinton, and rises again under Bush II. The US does have a debt problem, but in the past 30 years nearly all of its growth has occurred under Republican presidencies. 

I hope the points above help to correct some of the misinformation in Shircliffe's letter. He throws up a lot of mud hoping something will stick, but it doesn't.  Perhaps others can find additional misleading data in his letter.

-- Richard McIntyre

 

Karen Ramsburg for Congress!

Hello! My name is Karen Ramsburg and I am running as a 2012 Independent candidate for PA's 9th Congressional district.

I am looking for petition carries to gather signatures so I can get on the Nov. ballot. My campaign website is http://ramsburg4congress.com. I am also on Karen Ramsburg For Congress on facebook.

I look forward to meeting all of you in the near future! If you have questions and would like to support my campaign please email me at info@ramsburg4congress.com.

All the best to you,
Karen

"I talked to Karen this afternoon, and I think she would fit right in with us with her independent, progressive thinking. I'm responsible for publishing the information she included as a comment to our Mission Statement Blog.
Sincerely,
Tony Wagner IV"

Bedford County Progressives - Mission Statement

Bedford County Progressives is a growing network of citizens distressed by growing economic disparities, poverty-level wages, and environmental degradation. We meet regularly in mutual support to address these issues, learn and investigate, and to see where we can have the most effective impact. We feel a sense of civic duty to inform and educate and to take action. We welcome cooperation with other groups and individuals who are interested in the right to livelihood, community empowerment, and points of views beyond those limited by traditional party loyalties.

Letter To The Editor, Bedford Gazette, 2.21.12

The following is a letter published on 2.21.12 in the Bedford Gazette.  I post it in hopes of a wider audience.  Others BCP's may want to do the same.

Letter to the Editor - Bedford Gazette -

I saw a couple of items in the New York Times for Feb. 12, 2012  that complement Elaine Sollenberger’s recent letter, and go to a similar observation -- that those who unthinkingly spout anti-government rhetoric ought to take a look before, out of spite for their faces, they make a bloody mess by slicing off their noses.  

First,  an interactive map on “The Geography of Government Benefits,” shows how much people in each county in the country receive from all government programs, including Social Security, Medicare, VA benefits, food stamps, earned income tax credits, disability, and the like. In Bedford County, the figure is $8827.00 per person per year, almost 29% of total personal income. In both Cambria and Somerset counties, the figures are higher --  $10,262 (31%)  and $9006 (29%). The national average is 17.6% of personal income.

The other item -- also based on the US Census -- was an article, “Even Critics of Safety Net Increasingly Depend on It,” which makes the point that while many people recognize too much is going out compared to what is coming in, pretty much everyone tries to get as much as he can.  In 2010, almost half the people lived in households receiving federal government benefits of some kind.  As recently as 1988, the figure was only 38%.  At the same time, the percentage going to the poorest 20% has declined greatly during the same period.

The point isn’t to deny that we have serious problems, including budget deficits and policies that have greatly increased inequalities over the last 40 years. But aren’t you weary of people reaching out for benefits with one hand, and holding up a sign denouncing the government as a flat-out tyranny with the other?   Candor is a virtue in dealing with our public issues.

Bill Fine

Gasoline Prices

Republicans are fabricating another wedge issue, blaming President Obama for rising gas prices. The link provides the truth about what's really going on!

Frank

2009 Stimulus Debate

I often hear this debate frequently between conservatives and liberals.  Conservatives claim that the 2009 stimulus package failed because it didn't keep unemployment below 8%.  Liberals riposte saying that the stimulus worked it just wasn't big enough.  The recent revisions to GDP numbers of 2008/2009 help support the "stimulus wasn't big enough" argument. 

Initially the first quarter 2009 GDP decline was 5.5%, now the revised numbers indicate a 6.4% decline- meaning the recession was much worse than initially thought.  This helps support the notion that economists didn't realize how bad the 2008 melt down really was.  Many economists would have advoated a bigger stimulus package for 2009 had they known the severity of the decline in economic activity. 

Here is a good report from the WSJ.  

Also check out The Economic Report of the President found here.

Arguments against Austerity

Troubling pieces of economic news have recently called into question government economic policy during this recession:  the International Monetary Fund’s prediction that the entire European economy will continue to shrink in 2012, and recent comparisons showing that the British economy--by growth standards--is doing worse four years into this recession than it did four years into the Great Depression of the 1930’s. Taken together, these stories indicate that government austerity (cutting spending) is not working.  Why doesn't the U.S. learn from Europe's failing attempt at austerity?

The argument against government stimulus is normally that it "crowds out" private spending.  But this process involves government debt levels to push up interest rates.  Since interest rates are already ridiculously low in the U.S., this argument falls apart. 

Another prominent argument against fiscal stimulus is that high debt levels force rates on government bonds to spike.  We are not witnessing that in the U.S. right now, in fact, America can borrow at some of the cheapest interest rates in history as the rate of our 10-year T-bill indicates. 

Here is an excellent peice discussing why our govenrment should be doing more to help the ailing economy.  The graph is very interesting, in that it shows the decline in state/local spending which is one reason why the economy isn't recovering as quickly.