Nov. 7 ballot question 2a

QUESTION SHOULD BE, DO YOU SUPPORT ELIMINATION OF PROPERTY TAXES?

Question on the November 7 ballot asks,

Shall the Pennsylvania Constitution be amended to permit the General Assembly to enact legislation authorizing local taxing authorities to exclude from taxation up to 100 percent of the assessed value of each homestead property within a local taxing jurisdiction, rather than limit the exclusion to one-half of the median assessed value of homestead property, which is the existing law?

Passage of this question will not force any changes by the local taxing authorities, but will allow some flexibility by those that should choose to do so.

This question has been recommended for a YES by those advocating for property tax reform.

This will not effect your property taxes at this time.

While this question may allow for some positive results in the future for taxpayers, The passage of ACT 76, which eliminates property taxes and replaces funding with taxes on all residents should be ultimate goal.

Senator John Mc Cain connected to phony Trump Dossier

MCCAIN WAS INVOLVED WITH HANDING PHONY DOSSIER TO FBI

DOSSIER FIRST ORDERED BY REPUBLICAN NEVER TRUMPERS

Since the breaking of the story that the Democratic National committee and the Clinton campaign paid for the phony dossier on Donald Trump, no mention has been made of John McCain. It was reported last year by many news outlets that John McCain sent a Senate aide to Europe to retrieve the 35 page Smear Document and then turned it over to FBI director James Comey. 

Many questions need to be answered,

Did this person fly at government expense? 

Did Mc Cain pay for this from his own account or a government account?  

Who else was involved with the commissioning of this report?

Was Mc Cain acting on his own or on behalf of others?

While the democrats also paid for this report, it has been reported that it was first asked to be compiled by a group of Never-Trumpers.

Will we now see more Republicans resigning or backing out of running for re-election?

Hopefully congress will not abort ISIS defeat

CAPITAL OF ISIS CALIPHATE FALLS

ANNIHILATION IS THE GOAL

In the last week we saw the fall of Raqqa the capital of  ISIS"s self proclaimed Caliphate. While this is a major victory in the war against radical Islamic Terrorism, it is not the end of the war. This victory was accomplished by a coalition of Iraqis and Kurdish forces supported by U.S. advisers and air support. ISIS has one last stronghold in Syria that is near collapse from the efforts of Syrian and Iranian forces with Russian air support. 

This effort was started in the last days of the Obama administration, but was ramped up under the Trump administration. the biggest difference has been the removal of most rules of engagement from Washington and the deferring to the military to get the job done. The goal, that  has been publicly stated,  is the annihilation of Islamic terrorism from around the world. It is not the containment, not the rehabilitation, not gentile persuasion, it is utter annihilation.

It has been reported that there are huge mass graves in Iraq of former ISIS fighters containing nearly 80,000 dead. Also as many as 20,000 have been killed in Syria. I haven't heard of any report of prisoners or of detainees in Guantanamo. 

This has been accomplished by Arab and Kurdish forces without major use of U.S. forces. Maybe they will now be able to control the reestablishment of radicals in their territory.

The next step is the elimination of all such radical groups in Africa and Asia. We saw this week that the Philippine government has defeated a Isis supported group. We see that we have lost 4 U.S. advisers in Niger. The plan is to help local governments eliminate the spread of Islamic terrorists before they can gain a foothold anywhere.

So far, this strategy has been working, but we now see that congress is now concerned with the scope of the U.S. involvement around the world. We should be concerned about this issue. We have troops in over 100 counties around the world. Many have been opposed to the U.S. being the policemen of the world. It is time we re-examine this policy, but it is not time to put congressional limits on the war of terror that is now for the first time seeing positive results. Hopefully the time will come when we will be able to withdraw much of our military from around the world, but it is not the time to abort a winning strategy against Islamic Terrorism.

Lynn township zoning approves Mobile Home Park

 RESIDENTS VOICE CONCERNS

MANY QUESTIONS FEW ANSWERS

Lynn township zoning hearing board granted a special exception to allow a mobile home park on Madison Street just south of  and adjoining the Town houses. Many residents showed up to voice their concerns and ask questions concerning the proposed development. The meeting was held at the New Tripoli Fire co. It is to be called "Madison Village at Penn's View".

This is at this time called a "Concept Plan". There have been no studies concerning traffic, water runoff, community impact, etc. It is considered a work in progress. It is acknowledged that there are not sufficient water or sewage to support this project. It will be required that the Lehigh County authority will have to expand the water and sewage facilities. Who would pay for this is yet to be determined.

Richard Snyder stated that there is an insufficient plan for water runoff and that his property has to deal with excess runoff now.

project engineer

Some were concerned that there would be a tax burden placed on the rest of the community, through increased school taxes for a possible increase in enrollment of 130 students. The taxes collected on mobile homes is small compared to single family dwellings and these homes depreciate in value as they age.

Patrick Ruddell,  a local realtor, stated that there is nothing to stop the park owners from making these homes into rental units. As they age they will not generate very much tax income for the local authorities.

There is a large packet that states the rules and regulations between the park owners and the tenants, but there is as yet no stipulation on any rules for the Developers. The zoning board did ask that they study traffic, snow removal, fire hydrants, lighting and a few other minor requests.

They claim that they are going to be selling new homes with a cost of between $50 and $100 thousand. The lot rentals are going to be $500 to $600 plus all utilities and garbage collection. Home owners will need to maintain grass and snow removal from parking and walkways. This alone may discourage seniors from this park.

Owners cannot sublease or lease their homes without written permission from the park. The park must be given first right to purchase any homes that owners wish to sell. The rules state that all homes placed for sale need to have a HUD inspection seal affixed to the home.

All people who asked questions were respectful and reasonable. There was noted a certain impatient  behavior by the developer and his lawyer with questions they did not have an answer for or were unwilling to provide. The people who were there had concerns about their community and were asking reasonable questions.

There really is not a real plan being offered at this time. It seems that the plan will be negotiated as it proceeds. I am not sure that this is how things should be done.

It seems that once this project is approved and completed the township or the residents will have no authority on this 15 acre plot. This could be a nice facility with owner occupied housing or it could end up with 66 HUD subsidized rental properties. The Township planners will need to be careful that it does not end up the latter.

The Trump Strategy

KEEPING THE REVOLUTION ALIVE

LONGER TERM VIEW THAN MOST BELIEVE

Many are convinced that President Trump makes his decisions based on emotional responses of the moment. The longer he can keep his adversaries believing that the better off he will be in the long haul.

I watched as the Reagan revolution was slowly incorporated into the establishment view of the world. First they pushed out all his allies that he brought to the White House. Then Bush 1 dismantled most of his accomplishments in short order.  He raised taxes, sowed the seeds of middle-east unrest and even began to undermine the improved relations with Russia. He was not re-elected, and the move to a conservative awakening was aborted.

Clinton was elected and in the reaction to his Health care plans and gun control legislation, the Republicans won the House and the Senate for the first time in decades. A new Republican revolution, but by 1996 the establishment republicans hi-jacked the victory that was provided by the grass-roots.

In 2000, we were told that Bush 2 was a great conservative, much more than his father. He failed to veto 1 piece of legislation, expanded wars in the middle east, including the war in Iraq, which had nothing to do with 911, increased the debt every year, refused to control illegal immigration and gave us a Supreme Court Chief Justice that gave us an unconstitutional ruling to save Obamacare.

In 2008 and 2012, the establishment put up their darlings, McCain and then Romney, the grassroots did not believe in either of them. But in 2010, the grass roots and the Tea party movement gave the republicans control of the house and proved that the revolution was not dead. The establishment Democrats and Republicans kept on the same road and often claimed the tea party and activists were too demanding.

Obama was elected in 2008 and 2012, first because he was an outsider then because the Republicans would not vigorously take him on. 

2016, was the year that will go down in history, of a outspoken candidate that won by taking on the establishment, period, both Democrats and Republicans, the media and the deep state bureaucracy. The Bush, Kascich and other establishment candidates didn't have a chance. He didn't seem to care what others thought or said about him. After the inauguration, first they have pushed out many of the people he brought with him, attempting to subvert the agenda from within. This was very predictable. The media criticism and opposition from his own party has been unprecedented. It is an open secret that many establishment republicans believe that if they can make Trump look like a legislative failure, they will be able to replace him with Kascich or Romney in 2020. They are delusional.

One thing most objective observers will note. Trump has not backed down from the establishment. He has continued to use them as foils to enhance his standing with everyday workers . He started his campaign for 2020 within days of his inauguration by visiting  Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Ohio, and continues to do so. He has systematically rolled back the Obama Legacy without much legislative action. Other than illegal aliens, most Americans have not been adversely effected by his policies.

So Trump is keeping the enthusiasm of the revolution alive, by using an endless list of opponents as foils, from republicans, the media and even the NFL. The more they criticize and demean, the more he appears as the underdog. Americans just cant help themselves but eventually always love the underdog.

Fakers will need to vote and vote some more

TRUMP WILL HAVE CONGRESS MAKING DECISIONS

MOST WOULD RATHER LET THE PRESIDENT DO IT

The House of Representatives and the Senate are going to be forced to take some action in the near future. The executive orders by Trump to eliminate the unconstitutional actions of Barack Obama is going to place the Washington elite into a situation were they will now have to stop back-benching and vote on many items they would rather ignore.

All this action, that they may not be able to avoid, will place them in line of fire of the opposing forces in the country. There is a good chance that they will replace Trump as the number 1 object of scrutiny.

First there is DACA, Trump has given them 6 months to come up with some real legislation to legalize the Dreamers or they may be subject to deportation. It will be very interesting to see what they come up with.

Then there are the unconstitutional subsidies for Insurance companies that Trump has eliminated. They have tried to call these subsidies ," Insurance Stabilization" or "Health Care Stabilization", but not anymore, they will now be called subsidies and they will have to vote them into law if they want them.

Then there is the Iran Deal, they will have to debate and make some decisions, and take some public votes on this. They would rather the President would just do it, then they could complain if things went wrong.

Finally we are returning to real legislation rather than rule by executive order. Congress is supposed to make laws, but often they would rather not, they will now have to make decisions and vote. This is how it should be.

Trump has issued many executive orders, but most have been to eliminate the Barack Obama's unconstitutional executive orders. This is really not legislating.

The clock is ticking, they will have to vote on DACA, Insurance Subsidies, Iran, maybe North Korea, the debt ceiling, the budget, Disaster relief and more. Forget Thanksgiving and maybe even Christmas. They better start voting or they miss those holidays, the gym, and all those fundraising dinners.

Is Harvey Weinstein the tip of the IceBerg?

HOLLYWOOD IS THE ORIGINATOR OF TRANSACTIONAL SEX

MEDIA HAS BEEN BOTH COMPLICIT AND ENABLING

Everyone is aghast that Harvey Weinstein may have used his position to elicit sexual favors from young actresses in search of a Hollywood career. Give me a break, Hollywood has been guilty of this practice for a 100 years. Ever since the very beginning. It then spread to the major media when Television was introduced in the 1940's. This has been an open secret in Hollywood, New York and with anyone paying attention. It is so commonplace that executives and people of power have openly bragged about all the stars that they had encounters with.

Now we are to believe that, O my Gosh how could this be? They all knew, the executives, the stars, the media, the politicians. They all knew and stayed quite because they were part of the same club. A big gang of the worst kind of hypocrites.

Young Actors and Actresses are all vulnerable to such practices. You have young  people hoping to become a star, wanting to be loved, envied, and  become a person of importance. You have those that have the power to make all that happen, and many used that position to take whatever advantage they could. Most people after reaching success would rather forget the past. Why detract from the image that they have created. Some women who were sexually exploited have talked about it, but as yet no one has been willing to talk about the young men exploited by the large Homosexual  presence in the Media industry. The media has covered this up for years.

In May 2012, John Travolta, testifying concerning a growing story that he had sexually assaulted a masseuse in a New York hotel related how he had learned as a young actor in his " Welcome back Kotter" days to accept giving transactional same sex favors in return for career relationships. It is very interesting that this growing story, suddenly was dropped and never heard about again. The story was being written about, by the Huffington Post, Vanity Fair, the New York Post and dozens of other outlets. Strangely it ended immediately after Travolta's testimony became public. It would appear that the news outlets were told or paid to end the story.

Make no mistake, these practices most likely are a two way street, with many of the ambitious, both men and women making the advances with those in power to advance their career. 

It is no secret that Hollywood moguls and actors have had connections to Political power in this country. The linking of stars like Marilyn Monroe and the Kennedy's is just one example. They have endorsed and financed the political campaigns of those that are willing to engage in transnational lawmaking that will enhance and endorse their wealth and lifestyles. This is all part of the enormous media empires that are not just in film, but TV, news reporting and the recording industry. The news and entertainment business has now become one. They have become the dominate factor in the guiding of the culture of America. They have  continued to dress up and be glamorous in public yet have continued to push horrendous scenes of gun violence, sex of all kinds, glamorized the use of drugs and made them a mainstream bad habit.

So get off it Hollywood, your hypocrisy with Harvey Weinstein is outrageous. We only wonder what Harvey did to who that has let the media and the entertainment industry throw Harvey under the bus. Do they believe they can use him as a sacrificial lamb to quiet the outrage? We will have to see if anything will really change.

Healthcare new speak

HEALTHCARE OR INSURANCE STABILIZATION

INSURANCE SUBSIDIES BY ANOTHER NAME

We now hear that the focus must be on preserving Obamacare. Obamacare has many mandates for coverage that people do not need. This and many other rules and regulations has led to rising premiums, and also many insurance companies withdrawing from the healthcare market. If no action is taken, Obamacare will collapse and leave whole states without coverage and many with premiums that are not affordable.

So, the new language we hear is that there is a need for insurance stabilization or healthcare stabilization. This is nothing more than the federal government subsidizing insurance companies to offer coverage and to subsidize premiums for now unaffordable insurance plans. This is nothing more than a federal bailout of a failed national healthcare scam.

A much better idea is to allow people to purchase plans that cover what they need and  to allow insurance companies to provide plans that people want and can afford. People do not need coverage for birth control unless they need it, or maternity benefits if they are not going to need it. I also would assume that they will be required to offer gender assignment surgery, now that the military is no longer going to provide this benefit. The drug rehab benefit should also be optional, this will be the new job creation of the administrative state. Mandate drug rehab for criminal offenders, then require insurance companies to pay for extended rehab. These are the things that raise the premiums for everyone. Forcing the responsible to pay for the irresponsible.

All these attempts to rescue Obamacare are destined to fail. It is unlikely that the healthcare system that we have will survive the onslaught of social engineering. Only a real market based system will have any hope of being successful.

Guns,legal definitions, the NRA and anti 2nd amendment zealots

LOTS OF ACCUSATIONS OF BLAME BUT NO SOLUTIONS

LAWS DO NOT PREVENT CRIME, JUST PUNISH OFFENDERS

In the aftermath of the slaughter of innocent concert goers in Las Vegas many have tried to blame everyone from the NRA,Trump to the ATF and Obama. It seems many cannot accept the fact that the blame belongs on one person who made a decision to commit mass murder. Whether to support a political cause or just to hope to live in infamy, we may never know. 

To blame the NRA, an organization founded in 1871 that has been the forerunner in safety programs,  who has developed programs for police training, way before there was such a thing. There was a time when sheriffs and police officers took an oath, were handed a badge and a gun and sent out to do the job. The NRA has been instrumental in making law enforcement a professional occupation. Who maintained the Civilian marksmanship program in cooperation with the department of defense and  has served our county and its armed forces well.

They did not become involved in political debates until after 1969, when in the hysteria of the 1960's they were awakened to the threats from those that didn't believe civilians should be armed. This threat has only increased as the threat to progressively strip the citizens of the U.S. of the right to self protection has been made clear by those zealots who believe only they have a right to security for their families.

As to blaming the ATF and the Obama administration. The ATF is charged with enforcing gun laws. There are lots of them, and they are loaded with legal definitions of what is a firearm, a destructive device, a machine gun etc. The after market stocks that are an issue in this event did not legally fall into the definition of a machine gun. Remember only the receiver of firearms is regulated, the part with the serial number. Full auto firearms are highly regulated. Altering  the actual firearm is a felony, having the internal parts to convert an auto loading firearm in your possession  is a felony. The ATF and the Obama administration were bound by these definitions. If they do not strictly adhere to the definitions  they risk loosing court cases and setting negative legal precedents. There have been many devices, not part of the firearm, cranks, spring loaded devices that make shooting a auto loader faster. The definition of a semi-auto is that it fires one shot with each pull of the trigger. Whether this assisted by a device external to the firearm does not make it a full auto firearm.

The number of guns that people own has now also become an issue. Many are shocked that this perpetrator owned over 40 guns. As a Licensed firearms dealer for over 30 years, I can assure you that many of your neighbors have many more than 40 weapons, 100's and many times more than that. Many have been collecting guns like their wives collect shoes. The difference is the guns never get discarded or sent to good-will. No human that I know of can shoot more than 2 guns at a time and only 1 accurately.

Finally, since 1994, the number of guns sold and ammunition stockpiled has been rising,  much of it in response to threats of civilian disarmament around the world and here at home. We also see riots that started with Los Angeles riots in 1992. The whole country watched, as people were assaulted and killed for no reason. We also saw Korean shop owners who were able to protect their stores and themselves, by manning the roofs of their properties, being armed with semi-auto rifles. We also watched Baltimore, Ferguson, Dallas and other places and realized that your only reliable defense is self-defense. We have seen politicians encourage rioting and looting as a political tool, it has had very negative results. At the same time they are trying to strip access from honest Americans, they are advocating against the ability through the castle doctrine of self defense and the right to protect property by armed resistance. This and an increase in political terrorism has increased the perception that self defense is needed. Remember a Tractor Trailer could have easily caused as much mayhem as a gun.

The greatest threat to gun ownership, and it is now clear, is gun registration, when they talk about background checks on all sales even among family members, this is the goal. They want a record of every gun and every owner. Historically this has always led to confiscation. This will be fought by the NRA and all second amendment advocates without restraint.

Finally all the laws in the world, do not prevent crime or murder, this was a thought that was made clear by the apostle Paul thousands of years ago. The law can only punish the lawbreaker. Only individuals, who adhere to higher law of Love they neighbor as themselves can prevent lawbreaking.

Time for an independent Kurdistan?

KURDS ARE A PEOPLE IN SEARCH OF INDEPENDENCE

A PEOPLE WILLING TO BUILD A NATION

The Kurdish people are an ancient ethic group that has desired their own nation for centuries. Located at the corners of Iraq, Iran, Syria and Turkey, they have been persecuted for many years. They were a subject of a gas attack by Saddam Hussein in the 1980's, The Turkish and Iranian governments vehemently oppose any independence for the region. All the while they have been fiercely persistent in fighting for an independent state.

With the loss of northern Iraq and Syria to ISIS and the void created in control from Baghdad and Damascus the Kurd's have taken the opportunity to strengthen their position. The Kurdish Regional Government, KRG, which is a regional government under Iraq's control has fought to increase their influence in the area. They were the most organized and fierce fighters against ISIS in that area, and were successful in limiting ISIS influence in their area.

On September 25th, they held an independence referendum. While non-binding, over 70% of the population voted with  93% in favor of independence. Iraq, Turkey and Iran condemned the vote and threatened embargoes and sanctions. The United States and the UN declared the vote illegitimate. Russia voiced its opposition and called for a long term peaceful transition. While the KRG and the population celebrated.

With the present instability in the region all concerned fear any independence move from the Kurds will exasperate and already complicated situation. Which no one can deny. 

While the United States has given limited support to the Kurds in their fight against ISIS, Turkey and Iran have been opposed to any substantial military aid. The Kurds have demonstrated their organized and effective ability to fight for their land. This is a group that does not need to be a subject of nation building. They are willing and able to do it on their own, if only they would have the support of their neighbors and the international community.. 

The future of a Kurdistan in the immediate future is unlikely, but they seem to be on the right track for future independence. Hopefully as the instability in the neighborhood is diminished, they will have earned the respect and stature for an independent country of their own. They seem to be on track for a peaceful and determined fight for that goal.

Puerto Rico will never be the same.

FULL RECOVERY OF ISLAND MAY TAKE DECADES

LIMITS OF FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AID

The disaster that has befallen Puerto Rico is far beyond any recovery undertaken in the past. The island was in poor financial condition before being hit by 2 major hurricanes within a few weeks. While the Federal government can bring aid by way of food, water and emergency supplies. The work of rebuilding the island will need to be performed by the residents of the island. The devastation is so complete that many of the residents have departed the island for the comfort of the mainland United States. While no one can blame them for accepting offers from family or friends to help them escape the disaster. The reality is that many may never return to the island.

We can expect to see pictures months from now of destroyed homes, and infrastructure that is still not restored. While outside help can clear the roads and get basic power restored, the real rebuilding will take owners of property to rebuild. We can assume many had insurance, but will they have the will to reinvest the money received  into a weak and vulnerable environment. It is likely that many may have had enough and will resettle on the mainland. 

We can expect that the character of the island will change dramatically. The glut of unrestored properties and destroyed infrastructure will also provide an opportunity for re-estate investment and resort building. It is likely the island will see a decrease in the permanent population, yet see an increase in Tourist and vacation properties in the future. I am sure that while Trump was visiting the island he could not help seeing the possible opportunities for the future. While it would be inappropriate for his companies to be directly involved, smart politicians would do their island well to ask for his advice as to alternatives to bring financial health back to the island.