The biggest waste of $249,660 in Pa. history, which is saying a lot
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The biggest waste of $249,660 in Pa. history, which is saying a lot
Daniel Denvir of the City Paper -- one of the best journalists in Philadelphia who doesn't have the words "Daily News" under his byline -- has what I think is something of a scoop today. Remember that ridiculous voter ID law we were talking about earlier today? Comes now Denvir, with a story that goes something like this:
Republican Gov. Tom Corbett's administration has signed a $249,660 contract with a company run by Mitt Romney fundraiser, former state GOP party executive director, pharmaceutical lobbyist, and school voucher advocate Chris Bravacos to direct a media campaign promoting the state's Voter ID law. Yes, that very same law, requiring that voters present identification at the polls, which critics contend will suppress Democratic-leaning non-white, poor, elderly and youth voters and which House Majority Leader Mike Turzai recently
One sample PSA on the Bravo Group's Vimeo page portrays voter ID as just the latest installment in a bright history of American voting rights, and features anodyne black and white photos―including one of suffragettes. Another spot portrays a lot of shiny-toothed middle class models holding ID cards. [note: Bravo removed the two videos this morning but Occupy Harrisburg has reposted them here and here.]
The tagline? "Your right to vote: it's one thing you never want to miss out on.”
Wow. So here's a little quiz: What's the most outrageous thing about this?
A) The ad invokes the civil rights struggle and the women's sufferage movement to promote a law that has the potential to disenfranchse tens of thousands of black and/or female voters, among others, from Coraopolis to Chester.
B) At a time when Pennsylvania is slashing millions of dollars in school aid, cash assistance to the needy and other programs for the poor, the Corbett administration is spending money to promote a law that was completely unnecessary, to tackle a crisis of "voter fraud" even after Gov. Corbett did not prosecute a single voter fraud case during his years as attorney general.
C) Not that a lobbyist for Comcast, Sunoco, Aetna, and some of your other favorite corporations needs the money, but the contract for a major Mitt Romney fundraiser (and a big supporter of school vouchers...aren't they all?) is a nice little thank-you tip, isn't it?.
D) All of the above.
OK, there's no wrong answer here, although I'd say it's more D) than anything. It's increasingly clear that the spending priorities of the Corbett administration are a total farce -- what the governor does find dollars for include things like corporate welfare, buildiing more prisons for graduates of the public schools that he is working to destroy, and now idiotic junk like this.
And by this, I'm talking about something that reminds me of a cheesy protection racket, where the state comes in and -- for no compelling reason -- makes it harder for citizens to vote, and then hires a friend to kindly tell you how you can get your constitutional rights back. It would be funny if Corbett's clown act wasn't starting to make me sick to my stomach.
Also nauseating: This video that Corbett paid for with our tax doillars:
CORRECTION: This video below was prepared internally by Bravo in advance of seeking the state contract -- but it won't be airing, so it's not part of what we paid for:
This comment has been deleted.— RufusG- The president of the United States, of either party, cannot take Air Force One soley for a political event. What that means is that if he is taking it to a campaign stop, he is most likely also doing some government business somewhere near by. — rogertharris
- Yeah Obama should follow Bush's lead from 2004 and run the whole campaign from the White House. That's what happened, right? — Jets
- I guess Bush drove an electric car to every campaign stop!— bk3131
- This comment has been deleted.— RufusG
- rufus, I'll say it again. The only person convicted of voter fraud in PA in over a generation or more was a DelCo REPUBLICAN last year. That's right, a REPUBLICAN, one of those paragons of voter purity. That is fact, not GOP myths about Chicago or ACORN, which legitimately signed up voters and informed registration offices of fake names, etc. (look it up) or even SEIU, which was never charged with or accused of fraud. So, again, if only REPUBLICANS are the crooks, then let them be the only ones who would need voter ID. Try living in the real world for a change.BTW, two committees, one formed by President Bush and the other, the Brennan Committee, both found that voter fraud was negligible, all but non-existent (except for that DelCo repub and the ewpub congressman who just resigned before facing charges of his own voter fraud). Repubs are liars. — mike l
- Bunch- I guess you think that we should we spending the money promoting food stamps as a health plan or to fund more solar bankruptcies or maybe another payout to Arlene Ackerman or for some more research on turtle culverts or for buyouts of Fannie and freddie execs or police overtime for Occupy rallies or for SEIU benefit plans or........— Tired of Journos
- Sounds like David Axelrod's firm getting paid millions of dollars to promote ObamaCare at the direction of the White House. It's a bummer when "the most transparent administration in history" is rotten to the core.— Mr. Smith
- I always wondered how many dead people voted for the Democrats in Phila each election. Now we know...190,000. Good riddance. PS: since Will is a ghost writer, does this mean he will disappear too?— cb54
- Ok cb, you're so snart, name all those dead voters who voted for Democrats. Better still, name just one or shut your lying repub mouth. — mike l
- Boooorrrrrring...
Why don't you get to the real, hard-core waste, you fraud???
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/20/obama-hawaii-vacation-cos_n_1158825.html— bp-philly 2.0 - "On Friday, advanced battery maker A123 Systems, the recipient of a $249 million federal stimulus grant, informed investors that it had just five months worth of cash left to fund itself. While it's a bit early to start administering last rites, the company's situation is looking pretty funereal. A123's share price is down to just about $1 from an all-time high of more than $25 in 2009. Management has plans to raise $39 million, in part by selling stock. But at least one analyst quoted by the Boston Globe believes they'll need an infusion of at least $400 million over the next 18-months. "
http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/07/another-solyndra-in-the-making/259573/— RG - Meanwhile $3 million is added to the national debt each minute.
— RG - this is about PA Taxpayer wasted $$$$. do you Really have that much trouble keeping to the topic here -- or do you just support as in OKAY for PA Republicans to waste PA taxpayer $$$$.
— pal - This comment has been deleted.— RufusG
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