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Political Hay

Pennsylvania’s Capitalist Revolt

By on 7.26.12 @ 6:09AM

Citizens alliance of Pennsylvania turns Keystone State politics upside down.

(Page 4 of 6)

By now you can imagine. Scott Wagner is awash in government regulations — and he needs to retain 13 outside attorneys just to figure out how to satisfy bureaucrats he says make a profession not of helping entrepreneurs but of finding something they are doing wrong. Then fining them for it. And by the way, put Scott down as highly skeptical that bureaucrats are even capable of holding a job in the private sector.

In other words, Scott Wagner was one frustrated Pennsylvanian. Fed up.

CAP was his kind of deal.

And Scott wasn’t alone. He is one of several capitalists who banded together to form CAP.

They include among others Frederick Anton, the longtime president of the Pennsylvania Manufacturer’s Association. PMA has had a long and distinguished 103-year old history in Pennsylvania as an advocate for free market economics. In fact, the history of PMA itself is reflective of the once formidable role capitalism played inside a state filled to overflowing with capitalists in businesses like steel, banking, railroads, lumber, and oil. PMA was founded in 1909 by a Bucks County textile manufacturer named Joseph R. Grundy. Befitting a state with such a heavy manufacturing presence, the influence of PMA and the capitalists it represented was considerable. At one point — in 1929 — Grundy himself was appointed by the governor to fill a vacancy in the United States Senate.

As time wore on, however, PMA and capitalism in general began to see its influence wane as the power of public employee unions and trial lawyers — the very targets today of CAP — began to surge.

But as is true with other states — like Wisconsin and its recent battle royal with its public employees — the fruits of the union/trial lawyer alliance eventually began to sour. So many legislators from both parties were in hock to unions like PSEA (the Pennsylvania branch of the National Education Association) and the SEIU (Service Employees International Union) that, combined with the abandonment of a part-time legislature and the increasingly generous pensions legislators were giving themselves — rebellion began to brew.

Anton himself is directly responsible for the resurgence of PMA, restoring it to a free-market prominence that resonates with its storied history. He is a leading mover not only in CAP but the conservative Pennsylvania Leadership Conference, a CPAC-esque group that has become an annual magnet for conservative leaders and free-marketeers within the state at its annual meeting, drawing nationally renowned speakers including Newt Gingrich, Bill Bennett, the late Robert Novak, Laura Ingraham, Ann Coulter, Lynn Cheney and Frank Luntz.

Also involved in CAP are business leaders Anson Flake, the CEO of HydroWorx; and Rob Reeves, the CEO of E.A. Reeves and Associates.

Put another way than a list of names, Pennsylvania’s capitalists have had enough. In a state that once upon a time was identified with capitalists like H.J. Heinz, Andrew Carnegie, Thomas Mellon and his Coolidge-era Secretary of the Treasury son Andrew, the decision was made to start bringing back an old tradition of a state devoted to pro-employer and pro-taxpayer policies. To zero in on what had become words-that must-not-be-mentioned in a state that had slid into the clutches of the “Iron Triangle.” Words like “Right-to-work,” “tort reform,” “school choice,” and — gasp! — the elimination of property taxes. Last but certainly not least are those once cherished three words that are now making a huge comeback: the free market. 

With the group organized, CAP launched on its task: taking on the Iron Triangle.

In quick succession:

  • · CAP defeated the trial lawyers attempt to pass a bill requiring insurance companies involved in car accident cases to award unlimited bucks for “pain and suffering.” CAP made the case that the bill — sponsored by the Republican Senate Majority Leader — would hike car insurance premiums by some 20%. How did CAP make its case? By running $25,000 worth of radio ads in five districts represented by GOP Senators. Once getting the message, taxpayers were furious — and the bill went nowhere.
  • · Jumping into a 2010 House race against Republican incumbent Karen Beyer from Allentown, CAP found a young conservative named Justin Simmons to oppose the liberal Beyer. Once again, CAP took to the radio, going after Beyer for what was tagged as her liberal “pro-union” tax-and-spend record. In an upset, Simmons defeated Beyer and now sits in the House. And Beyer? She is working for… wait for it… the SEIU.
  • · In the fall of 2010 CAP endorsed and funded eight “conservative reform” candidates for the House. Every one of them won.

Now, here’s the latest eye catcher. One that reminds of various national races such as the one that up-ended Indiana’s longtime GOP U.S. Senator Richard Lugar with Tea Party favorite Richard Mourdock.

In this case the Lugar role was played by 34-year incumbent State Rep. Rick Geist from Altoona. (Full disclosure, I first met Rick Geist when he was young legislator and like him. But the point CAP was raising up there in the distant precincts of Altoona was not about Rick’s likeability — anymore than Indiana voters were judging the eminently likeable Lugar’s.) Geist, like Lugar, had a senior role in the House — in Geist’s case as Chairman of the House Transportation Committee. The post, once an asset, was now seen as a liability. Not to mention that Geist had voted both for the infamous pay raise and a bill increasing legislative pensions. And proudly nominated John Perzel for Speaker in January of 2007 — that being the Republican now ex-Speaker who has been sharing a cell with the Democrats’ ex-Speaker. To make matters worse, CAP was targeting Geist for his opposition to school vouchers, right-to-work, and unemployment compensation reform. The portrait CAP presented to voters was of Geist as the Harrisburg “old bull.” Mr. Anti-Free Market. Mr. Anti-Capitalist. Mr. Insider.

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About the Author

Jeffrey Lord is a former Reagan White House political director and author. He writes from Pennsylvania at jlpa1@aol.com.

Letter to the Editor View all comments (66) |

Bill Hussein O'Stalin| 7.26.12 @ 6:42AM

They thought they were smart but they used our roads and our government buildings to rob the public. Now they're sharing our cells which the public built. Perhaps Warren and Obama had somewhat of a point.

Bob K| 7.26.12 @ 11:12AM

I live in Pennsylvania. It has the largest full time legislature in the USA. Only NH is larger and it is part time.

http://www.ncsl.org/legislatur.....ature.aspx

Until something is done to fix this no useful changes will come about.

Pennsylvania also has a number of different teachers unions representing it's 500 different school districts.

http://teacherunionexposed.com/state.cfm?state=PA

Nothing useful will be accomplished here unless this is addressed too. All the school districts have individual contracts negotiated by each school board with different beginning and ending dates. The Unions all make contributions to the legislators who support them. These contributions are usually $2000.00 a legislator prior to every primary election.

Bob K| 7.26.12 @ 11:39AM

Pennsylvania also has 67 different counties with different forms of government. The county I live in has within it 68 separate municipal governments. All these raise money to run their local governments from municipal taxes. They all have Solicitors on retainer or on salary. (One of the largest School Districts pays it's solicitor $170,000.00 a year!) There are many independent "Authorities," like (Sanitary Authorities and Municipal Development Authorities) within these municipalities whose employees get substantial salaries. They also have Solicitors with big salaries.

I don't think Jeffrey Lord and all his buddies, whose names he has dropped here, have a clue of what they are up against! They sure haven't been doing anything to address this huge growth in government!

CJW| 7.26.12 @ 12:51PM

Bob

Allegheny County has 130 separate municipalities, some have only a few hundred persons.
Each one has a police force and police chief.

As you know several state senators were convicted of using office staff for their campaigns to mail campaign literature and make calls. So the use of the staff, not money, is illegal. It makes sense, but why then can Obama and every other president and members of Congress use their time to campaign? If you cannot use your staff's time then how is it different using your own time to campaign?

Now, one of our state supreme court justices was charged with a campaign violation.

Bob K| 7.26.12 @ 1:17PM

Yes, I've been following that somewhat. It's hard to keep track of all the cases. If you aren't a lawyer (or even if you are) you can get a free e-mail subscription to Philadelphia's on-line legal newspaper "The Legal Intelligencer" you should look into getting one. They stay up to date on this stuff and lots of it is accessible to free subscribers.

Luzerne County recently lost 5 of their 10 judges. Three were prosecuted by the feds. One was not retained and the Judicial Review Board got rid of another. A retired judge from another county who had come in to help out also was thrown out after he got drunk and pushed his wife around.

CJW| 7.26.12 @ 4:32PM

Is Luzerne where the judge sent juveniles to the private jail built by his friends who kicked cash back to him? Of course, if the friends would have just contributed by checks to his campaign, or waited till he retired and contributed to his library, or made a contribution to some hospital that employed the judge's wife resulting in a salary increase.......where has this happened?....Oh, yes, Bubba and Barak.

Bob K| 7.26.12 @ 7:54PM

Yes it is. Actually there were 2 judges involved. And that private jail is now owned by the owner of the Western PA Juvenile Detention Center out there in Butler County North of Pittsburgh by a guy named Gregory Zappala. (I think the DA of Allegheny County has that surname too and so did a former Chief Justice of the PA Supreme Court.) Zapalla was the co-owner with a former attorney Robert Powell who also was his partner in the Butler Co. Center.

To be fair, one of the judges was found not guilty of taking money to jail the kids but found guilty on other charges.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PA_Child_Care

PolishKnight| 7.26.12 @ 1:28PM

I have a friend in Wilkes-Barre who claimed that when he wanted to get a job as a teacher in the early 90's, he had to leave an envelope full of money on the desk of an official. Otherwise, forget it. A judge was nailed for getting kickbacks from a juvenile detention center where he sent teens found guilty of minor crimes (such as shoplifting) for long stints. That's the Marxist utopia that Democrats and FDR gave them! Glad I moved out!

Bob K| 7.26.12 @ 8:00PM

A bit inaccurate but close. It's complicated. The old juvenile detention center was closed so the new one could be used. It had more room and other counties nearby also sent their delinquents there on a fee basis.

TLP| 7.26.12 @ 7:03AM

Whatta ya know. The Fish really does ROT, from the Head, down.

I think it's safe to say that this Gun Running Muslim, with the Blacks Only Justice Department, has presided over The Most Corrupt Administration, this Country's ever known.

And, that's sayin something .

They know that the Stimulus, was really a Slush Fund. They know that Shovel Ready was a Crocka Sh*t, and they know that there's a reason these MFers spend Million$ of their own money, to get a job that pays $150,000 a Year.

Think: Dianne Feinstein, who served on the Senate Appropriations Committee for years, steering Military Contracts to the two Companies that her Husband was involved with. Then, as if by a Miracle, when her Husband left those Companies?

She left the Committee.

Throw in all of the LEGAL Insider Trading. The ability, through Legislation, to infuse Capital in to Companies that you have a Vestted Interest in, through Government Subsidies, while at the same time, you can Destroy their Competition with Regulations, Audits, and Investigations.

"You can't fool all of the (Non Black) people, all of the time." and, you can't beat the Family Dog, forever. Sooner or later, he bears his teeth.

We're sick and tired, and we're not gonna take it, anymore.

Let's hope that we're not too late.

chuck| 7.26.12 @ 7:51AM

It's never too late.

Remember Ronald Reagan's "Morning in America".

TLP| 7.26.12 @ 3:55PM

I remember.

I also know that we're living in OBAMA'S NIGHTMARE in AMERIKA.

And, too many "People" in this Country, couldn't Care Less.

Gary B| 7.26.12 @ 7:20AM

This is good news. I say again, change will come from the states. DC is a hopeless cesspool of sellouts.

This also highlights the collusion between the parties. It's not GOP vs. Democrats, folks. It's the ruling elite vs. those who go to work every day. It's the ruling elite's eternal quest for other people's money.

Butch| 7.26.12 @ 3:01PM

Amen, Gary. If we are to be saved, it's going to come from within the states. I am heartened by what is going on in several states. Glad to hear this. I did not realize PA was so far gone. Good luck to CAP for all of you there.

happytaxdude| 7.26.12 @ 8:47AM

Mr.Lord, you get better with age. An excellent exposé of the bi-partisan corruption of career politicians and special interest groups. You're on a roll. Keep it up.

A. C. Santore| 7.26.12 @ 10:35AM

Jeffrey Lord always manages to teach us something we absolutely need to know. Keep up the good work, Mr. Lord.

Oh, and when The American Spectator institutes awards for stellar journalism ("The Spectie"?), he gets my nomination and vote!

Mimi | 7.26.12 @ 9:12AM

The Republican's elected a Pat Toomey for the Senate. I hope the GOOD PEOPLE of Pa. elect a Romney this time. Every corner of the vast Pennsylvania country-side out side of Philly has to be gleaned for voters who will go to the Polls in huge numbers......20 BIG electoral votes! !

TLP| 7.26.12 @ 3:58PM

Let's hope that the good people of Pennsylvania remember that it was DRILLING that saved their State.

And, that, if President NO JOBS had his way?

It never woulda happened.

Bob K| 7.27.12 @ 11:02AM

Some bad news on the drilling front too. We hope it is temporary. Drilling has ceased in the Northeast region of the state and the gas companies are now concentrating on SW PA and Ohio.

The gas companies don't know when this will change and they are beginning to let their leases expire.

The gas in the NE is "dry"-99% methane and it is selling for $2.00 per 1000 cubic feet. The gas in the western part of the state is "wet" and contains components like propane, benzenes and ethane and it sells for $6.00 per 1000 cubic feet.

Reggie Love| 7.26.12 @ 9:15AM

Great article. Meanwhile,in places like my birth state of Illinois,nothing seems to be changing. Nor in CA where I live. Hopefully PA can keep it up.

fmm| 7.26.12 @ 9:44AM

Actually there is change afoot in Illinois, all for the worse. Reference the craziness over Chick-Fil-A.

John Navratil| 7.26.12 @ 9:46AM

Reggie Love,

Well Blago is in jail. That's a start. Anyone taking bets on whether Blago gets a full pardon from Obama or just a commutation?

Drunken Sailor| 7.26.12 @ 2:33PM

I seem to recall thinking the same thing about Governor Ryan. Yet, here we are again.

TLP| 7.26.12 @ 4:00PM

Ohio is a Coal State. It has Farming, Industry, and Small Bisinessess.

And everyone of these Industries, and their Employees, have been taking it up the @ss, with this guy, for the last 4 Years.

Keep the Faith.

jaytrain| 7.26.12 @ 9:19AM

Wishful thinking , friends . From reading to Erie , and with a stop in dear bankrupt H-burg , Pa is a rabbit warren of rotten boroughs run by your Iron Triangle , dba as the Democrat Party . But the real thumb on the scale is the fabled City of Brotherly Love . Pa will go through periodic fits of pseudo reform but at the end of the day the back rooms of Philadelphia is where the state , as a whole , is bought and sold . And Philly is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Democrat Party /Iron Triangle ( esp. the teacher union ) And I will graciously omit the racial component of that mix . So as Philly goes , so goes the State of Pa and you will see that to your great chagrin on the morning of Nov 7 2012 .

PolishKnight| 7.26.12 @ 10:34AM

We can't omit the racial component. As James Carville once joked, Pennsylvania is Pittsburgh and Philly and Arkansas in between. I suspect that statement reveals the left's indignation for the working class whites that had originally been a key component of their party (and marxist ideology) which they abandoned during the 1950's when they decided the best way to convert the USA to a marxist/fascist state was to change it's electorate.

This election will reveal if Pennsylvania whites have learned anything from the IQ test. I suspect they haven't, unfortunately.

Reggie Love| 7.26.12 @ 11:37AM

I think it depends. Remember watching a segment on Fox about John Murtha's old district. It went Republican for the first time since 1972 in 2008 and has become a big energy area.
However,I am concerned that the Philly suburban whites will continue to do what weak kneed suburban whites ahve done since BJ Clinton. Vote Democrat,even though it hurts their pocketbook. For too many suburban whites social liberalism trumps everything else.
I would also like to kn ow how people that would vote for a fine conservative like Pat Toomey would 2 years later go for Obama.

PolishKnight| 7.26.12 @ 1:21PM

Many of those suburban whites in Philly are good friends of mine. They apparently were upset about the Iraq war and I can see their point. I don't think that's social liberalism, necessarily. I think they are still recoverable and now that Bush has been out for a while, might come back.

It's not just that such voters hurt their pocketbook but rather the Democrat party treats white voters with contempt. Even government workers are subject to reverse discrimination. It's the party of reverse Jim Crow. Truly, such voters are stupid.

Reggie Love| 7.26.12 @ 3:07PM

Many suburban voters I know vote Democrat and have for years because of social liberalism. They hated Bush before Iraq. To them,the big issues are gun control,abortion on demand,gay rights. Some of them will vote Republican for state legislative offices,maybe even for congress. For potus or even senate though,they will not vote GOP.

PolishKnight| 7.26.12 @ 3:56PM

Interestingly, the suburban PA voters I know who vote Democrat are generally gun owners (or gun friendly) but they are pro-abortion and gay rights (although not necessarily radically so). Many of them buy into the FDR nonsense of "helping the middle class" (even as the left now clearly defines "middle class" as government unionized worker :-)

CJW| 7.26.12 @ 4:38PM

Pa is close to a perfect rectangle. It is called the "T" where Republicans carry the northern tier and the center, and Dems carry Alleghney (PGH) and Philly. They ususally carry Philly by 350,000.

Now Holder is challenging the Pa voter identity law. It seems paying $13 of a state ID, if you do not have a driver's license, is a poll tax and will discriminate against blacks and latinos.

The truth is it will discriminate against dead voters and live voters who will be able to vote only once. And then Philly cannot crank out its customary 350,000 margin.

Kwan| 7.26.12 @ 12:19PM

If Romney does win Pennsylvania it may well be due to ObamaCare and the war against Catholics that Obama and Sebelius are waging regarding the abortion and birth-control dictates within ObamaCare. Statistics show that 53% of the people in Pennsylvania that do have a religious faith practice Catholicism. If the Catholics will unite against this common enemy Obama we can defeat the forces of darkness.

PolishKnight| 7.26.12 @ 1:23PM

As a Catholic, the big deal for the church is abortion. Period. So if there are Catholics voting for Obama in the past, then it's often for reasons such as smugness (get to feel better and part of big government), union/FDR legacy voters, and Iraq war protesters.

What may drive them away from Obama would be a combination of Obamacare and the bad economy and expensive gasoline (I know that REALLY gets in the craw of Philadelphians.) Also, white guilt is over. They voted for a (half) black guy. Time to stop blaming white guys for all the problems in the world.

Bob K| 7.26.12 @ 11:35PM

You are right.

What is in between is a the Republican area of the state, It's shaped like a T. The entire area south of the NY border and north of Interstate 80 all the way across the state with a fat section down through the middle to the Maryland border.

fmm| 7.26.12 @ 9:49AM

Wonderful organization and I hope it succeeds beyond expectations. I don't live in PA but have gone to the web site and made a donation.

paintbrush| 7.26.12 @ 9:57AM

All of this continues to be a wake up call, as the inequity that abounds in Washington D.C and in the state houses has become a avalanche heading to the great abyss gaining speed along the way…. as we are faced with high unemployment ripe with spending on non productive government programs. Politician, that very word and this goes for both sides, has become a pejorative synonym for greed, power and arrogance…..On top of all of this, are the incessant attempts by these bastard politicians on both sides to buy their votes from nonproductive entitlement minded segments of society as well as the repeated efforts of the current administration to buy millions of votes with 'amnesty' programs is unconscionable. Sub-standard leadership, special interest handouts simply do not help Main Street.

Houdini| 7.26.12 @ 11:49AM

Great article! Real reform begins with the states. Take away the beast's cash flow (union dues) and it starves. What Scott Walker did in Wisconsin should be a blueprint for the rest of the country. It appears that given the choice, a very large percentage of union members will opt out of paying dues...thus starving the beast.

Petronius| 7.26.12 @ 12:03PM

Our Statehouse is riddled with RINO's. They tell the Conservatives what we want to hear and work hand in glove with the liberals behind our backs. out going Speaker Steve Tilley is one of the worst, and I'm not confident the next guy will be much better. The power bloc here is the corn farmers; (ethanol) that gift that keeps us spending, the concrete mafia; tearing up perfectly good highways to inconvenience suburban commuters, and the Federal revenue sharing spongers. Small wonder the only growth industry here is cooking meth.

Tom Kyba| 7.26.12 @ 12:05PM

I wish CAP all the luck in the world. Someone is starting to fight back and perhaps will embolden others to do the same. A long hard fight will ensue, of course, and the libs and RINO scum will fight and lie and cheat for all they're worth. The dollar amounts of all these slimy little hidden pay raises and bonuses etc. must be staggering but the cleanup has to start somewhere.
Hope springs eternal.

cicero| 7.26.12 @ 12:27PM

You ran too quickly over a good point. The teacher strike collapsed when the local paper published their rates of pay. At least once a year, government must be forced to publish the pay of each public employee. Further, all public pensions must be stopped. In the real world, the most people have is their IRAs and 401ks. In addition, the rate of taxpayer contribution must be limited. There should be no pensions at all for legislators, or other elected officials, on both the state and federal level. That will end the nonsense.

TSIndiana| 7.26.12 @ 3:15PM

Try having a savings with four years of red ink as an entrepreneur. No unemployment either.

Tom Kratman | 7.26.12 @ 12:59PM

Pennsylvania is half-stepping, as is the country. We could use a dose of this: http://spectator.org/users/ema.....84f244f0e6

:)

Tom Kratman | 7.26.12 @ 12:59PM

Correction, this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v.....re=related

Who Knows?| 7.26.12 @ 1:01PM

Excellent, Mr. Lord. You stand out, unfortunately, as a real reporter, these days with most word mongers actually editorial writers.

The Iron Triangle you delineate reminds me of Reagan’s---the politicians, the bureaucrats and the recipients of government largesse.

I think most states are like yours, and mine, Oregon, in that the primeval split is between groups and individuals. And, the divide twixt cities and rural areas manifests that.

Here, it’s Portland, which is outrageously controlled by liberals. Bad old Eugene, the 2nd city, and of course the state capital, Salem, are likewise lefty machines. Why, even in my southern Oregon area, there’s “tony” Ashland, that is filled with aging hippies!

In Pennsylvania, my guess is much the same is true. And, don’t forget the myriad dead people who vote in Philly!

If the voting system was 99.9% “pure”, with photo ID ubiquitous, maybe the “swing” vote that’s heretofore always been in the liberal’s pocket would vanish, and they’d be hard put to win.

Despite the good news your CAP story provides, though, as well as the 2010 GOP successes, I think it’s going to be impossible to turn back the clock. Leviathan is here to stay, IMHO.

Robert Ringer, in the 70’s, added it all up, and over 50% of America’s economy was already government.

banh| 7.26.12 @ 1:33PM

In order to do a house cleaning in the States or in DC, we need to ferret out the corruption of traditional political bodies such as Republican and Democrat parties.

It's great to see corrupt politicians in the can, but our lives are being legislated by a political duopoly run by an Oligarchy which, inside the Republican Party, is run by a religious power which requires that we maintain perpetual war on age-old Biblical enemies using a military industrial complex which feeds the Oligarchy.

Until the religion inside the Republican Party declares itself separate and practices separately from the non-religious business of politics both domestically and internationally, we will not clean up our corruption at any level.

Too many lawyers in politics. If you look at the level of legalese, slight-of-hand and hidden agenda which runs rampant through our nation's capitol, how can we expect truth, ethics, accountability and public-friendly government to trickle down to state and local government?

First, Oligarchy is more akin to Fascism and little resembles Free Market and private enterprise. The Democrat regime is more akin to Marxism than labor-friendly government. How can the public extract any useful governance from two "regimes" which actively steal and eat our lunch and freedom?

Mr. Lord wrote a great article, but he hasn't gone deep enough in assessing the parasitic cancer living within our governmental organism. It is systemic.

davec | 7.27.12 @ 12:24PM

"In order to do a house cleaning in the States or in DC, we need to ferret out the corruption of traditional political bodies such as Republican and Democrat parties."

IMpossible to do that, the parties are the problem and must be eliminated.

BackToBasics| 7.26.12 @ 1:33PM

Good article. - from the article - "And by the way, put Scott (Wagner) down as highly skeptical that bureaucrats are even capable of holding a job in the private sector.

And the bureaucrats know it. Where else coukld they get the slaraies and benefits they do? In addition to the bigger players in government to which the article refers, the lower-level government jobs have become a sort of escape valve to give as many underperforming people a decent paying job as possible; with the exception that few straight white males are hired.

CAP is a ray of light but it's such a tough hill to climb to shrink government. It's good to see but government will shrink only in crisis mode, when the money runs out because people can no longer afford to pay the taxes along with every other burden.

BackToBasics| 7.26.12 @ 1:34PM

miskeys - salaries, could

mahuna| 7.26.12 @ 1:36PM

Hi,

I gave up in the middle. The article is way too long. But the reason I'm writing is you need an editor.

A man who "works hard" is said to "bust his hump" or "bust his *ss". You cannot "bust" your own "chops", which is your mouth or jaw. One can "bust someone else's chops" by insulting them or otherwise "taking them down a notch" verbally (or in writing).

Also one can be "in hock", as in selling valuables to a "hock shop" or "pawnshop", but without the K "hoc" is the Latin word for "this" (post hoc ergo propter hoc).

So, if you're not familiar and comfortable with a term, it's best not to use it.

davec | 7.27.12 @ 12:23PM

No, its best that you dont criticise an Author who uses an entertaining writing style when you are unable to read the whole thing. So stick that in your chops and smoke it.

Laine| 7.26.12 @ 2:30PM

For too long, entrepreneurs have contented themselves with making their living but not defending it (while giving employment to people taught by their unions and educators/media to despise their employer). Business owners have adapted to step wise government incursions and regulations (by hiring 13 lawyers for example) instead of fighting them at the political level. They have let the nation's narrative be told by the anti-capitalist socialist Left. Entrepreneurs' energy and initiative should have included ongoing defense of the system that works but does not just "speak for itself" when the Left drowns it out with 24/7 propaganda. Good for CAP but the nation needs thousands of similar organizations to wake up citizens zombified by leftist dominated public education and the media-entertainment complex who have spun their myths for decades unopposed.

TSIndiana| 7.26.12 @ 3:12PM

You miss a point...it is happening with both R and D.

Reggie Love| 7.26.12 @ 3:09PM

We have recently seen some entrepeneurs enter politics. one example would be Sen.Ron Johnson(R-WI)who took out Russ Feingold.

TSIndiana| 7.26.12 @ 3:10PM

My legislator who is NOT a lawyer tells me he will be retaliated against by the lawyer legislators and courts if he does anything about the obvious, (open and not even hidden) court corruption in Indiana under Mitch Daniels. He assures me that open fraud in court is at epidemic proportions, but that if he worked to curtail it, he would be "thrown under the bus"...and he indicated that he means that very literally.

cicero| 7.26.12 @ 4:20PM

Corruption in the court system is a problem for the whole society, attorneys included. We who practice on a regular basis in the courts (both State and Federal) have had to deal with it for years. How can you advise your clients when you have to deal with cronyism, favoritism, and an appellate court system that regularly favors the big banks, insurance carriers, and the hospital industry? However, in that our state judiciaries are generally elected, the people have to pay attention, or nothing will chnage.

By and large, the Bar Associations are useless, as they tend to be tools of the large law firms, andd do nothing of any moment to police the ranks of the judiciary.

davec | 7.27.12 @ 12:22PM

Consider the ROOT PROBLEM. The problem is that this system is absolutely un-constiutional. Read the US Constitution and ill wager, any State Constitution, and youll not find permission to have Police and attorneys and courts and jails as we have now. There is no permission for the Government to prosecute anyone.

The Right to Petition for Redress of Grievance belongs to the PEOPLE, not the Gummit

second-amendment.tripod.com

Doug R| 7.26.12 @ 4:25PM

As usual, Mr. Lord, a good story. It gives me hope.

Americanpatriot| 7.26.12 @ 6:53PM

I have to agree all across the nation people are working hard to get rid of career politicians. It is a travesty for them to go into office poor and when they leave to be multi millionaires and that is what is happening across the land. They are no longer servants of the people but we are servants to them.They fear the very people who put them into office and that is why we see them passing all kinds of unlawful bills against the American people such as putting citizens into prison without trial. Obama is now sending out drones across our land against the very citizens of this country. Things have gotten way out of control with the politicians who want to rule over us. That is why many want to encourage the welfare state. If people are poor they are more easily led. It is a shame but I do think that citizens are taking things into their hands and voting out these people. That is a good start. The only thing is there are those that will not go away quietly they are so entrenched with their power.

Marvin E. Fox | 7.26.12 @ 8:13PM

Pennsylvania seems to have spawned another group of Citizens of the the Republic of The United States. Thank God! The discovery that our Republic's Constitution is comprised of laws our politicians are "By Law" required to obey is the discovery of the primary protection of our citizens. God Bless Pennsylvania. I hope Pennsylvania is on the leading edge of a political force that will return our Republic to Constitutional government.
Marvin E. Fox

Abu Nudnik| 7.26.12 @ 9:11PM

Fantastic news! I've always feared most this kind of collusion. Great to see the people are fighting back.

jmulcahy1| 7.26.12 @ 9:30PM

Reggie,

I know you are following the well-trod path of President Reagan, but those states aren't what they used to be. IL and CA! I think you're doing it wrong.

njcommuter| 7.27.12 @ 2:27AM

Much of the power of the public employee unions comes from their control of the pension fund money. Can it be broken? Maybe. Here's a plan: http://www.bayshoreteaparty.or.....cause.html

davec | 7.27.12 @ 12:19PM

It is being broken, and big time. Its happening through pension fund raiding or collapse. thats why they are on such a tear.

hahaha

davec | 7.27.12 @ 12:17PM

Well written, informative. Finally, something worth reading.

Now, to really SOLVE the problem, replace this new phoney term "Conservative" with "CONSTITUTIONALIST" and this would all go away.

"conservative" indicates someone who holds the old ways. The old ways, by now, are utterly corrupt. John Boehner as a prime example.

We need the OLD Constitutions restored.

What we need to do is dissolve any State that has breached its Constitution as they have reniged on the terms of their creatio.

second-amendment.tripod.com

davec | 7.27.12 @ 12:28PM

"Tort reform." Notice these agendas are always hidden behind clever catch phrases that are easy to grab onto and repeat.

What TR means is preventing People from Redress of Grievance, as if the Plaintiff is the fault.

Should the Courts cap greedy ATTORNEY FEES, we wouldnt need TR.

This became a problem years ago, as an attorney told me, when lawsuits went from 'product liability' to 'personal injury' - he said the awards went through the roof.

I get it that this might be, in part, due to high medical bills, loss of income etc, but when attorneys are stealing for a living by taking half or most of the settlement, "blame the vicitm" is not appropriate. they are a victim TWICE.

DrRSC| 7.29.12 @ 2:58PM

On page 5 you wrote, "After endorsing the Establishment's Congressman Mike Castle over Christine O'Donnell in Delaware, O'Donnell trounced Castle."

Oh my. You normally write better than that.

Nonetheless, an interesting and informative article.

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