Thank you Upper Providence!

I am honored and humbled by the faith that the voters of Upper Providence Township have placed in me. Over the course of the next six years, I promise I will work hard to be worthy of your trust. Thank you for your support.

In a tough campaign such as this one, there are many people deserving of recognition.

I’d like to thank George Faris for running a hard fought campaign.

My committee provided me with invaluable advice and support, both throughout the campaign and on Election Day. Thank you to each and every one of you for your unique contribution to the race. I could not have crossed the finish line without such a great team behind me.

There are experienced and trusted friends who gave me essential guidance, and, no matter how busy with their own obligations, always made time to talk through my concerns with me. Additionally, many friends and family members eagerly volunteered to work the polls on Election Day. I am deeply grateful to all of you for your enthusiastic support and friendship.

To my family: thank you for your patience, your love, and your support. I love you all.

To my husband Gene, the most indispensable person in my campaign: I simply could not have done it without you. Your unshakable belief in me is the bedrock of my life.

I ran for Township Supervisor because I have very deep roots in this community and I care about its future. I believe that the accountability arising from those deep roots results in good decisions for all of the residents. In spite of attempts to paint me otherwise, I come to this position with an open mind and an honest desire to serve Upper Providence Township. I hope that those members of the community who may have reservations about me will be good enough to give me the same benefit of the doubt that they gave my opponent.

I look forward to working with all of the residents of Upper Providence to improve our quality of life. Thank you again for your support.

The campaign kicks into high gear

One of the most rewarding things about campaigning for Upper Providence Township Supervisor is meeting so many of my neighbors face to face. I am both pleased and honored to report that the response to my candidacy has been overwhelmingly positive.

If you would like to help out, or place a sign in your yard, please send me an email at lisamossie@yahoo.com, or follow this link to the Upper Providence Township Republican Committee's website and follow the link on the left to "Support Lisa Mossie."

9/11 was not a tragedy; it was a deliberate act of war

The word "tragedy" implies that there was no intent behind the attacks. In the current parlance of our overeducated elites who seek to absolve blame from all perpetrators of the most heinous acts and spread it to society, or some nebulous segment thereof, it is no wonder our sense of unity on 9/11/01 has been lost in the decade hence.

Those who yearn for that lost sense of unity have forgotten the price by which that unity was bought. At least on that day ten years ago, there was no question in anyone's mind who our enemy was or what had happened. It was only a decade of propaganda from our mainstream media, a deluge of politically correct dogma, and the all-too-soon remembrance of the left's "stolen election" that has brought us back almost full circle to the state of mind our country was in up to the minute of the attacks: bitterness at the results of an election, distraction caused by yet another Washington scandal, and a preoccupation with entitlements.

Funny enough, in the ten years since 9/11, and in the seething white hot liberal rage against George W. Bush, his supposed "stealing of the election" and everything the Bush administration stood for then and in the decade hence, I have yet to hear anyone utter the words, "If only Al Gore had been President on 9/11."

I am sitting and watching the names being read at the memorial which has succeeded only in dressing up the holes in the ground rather than defiantly re-raising the towers, something many of us assumed would happen in the immediate aftermath. We are left with a memorial that only can "reflect on the absence," as if we are incapable of standing up again.

This speaks to the mindset of a certain segment of our society who is, and always has been, uncomfortable with the idea of American might. This is the same segment that now places entitlements above all; looks to the almighty Federal Government to keep us safe, provide for us, and above all, not to provoke certain elements into attacking us again, even if it is this very weakness that provokes those elements. This is the segment of our society that is comfortable with American decline and it is a vocal segment.

I cannot help but remember that on September 11, 2001, it was not FEMA nor the Federal Goverment that mobilzed immediately on that day, but the local first responders who did what they were trained to do. They rushed in when others rushed out. Yet there is no separate memorial for the Firefighters or Police at the holess at Ground Zero. After all of the debate and resulting controversy about the memorial, what it should be, what it should not be; you would think that at least that part of it---the part of it honoring the first responders---would be something that even we, as a deeply divided nation, could agree upon.

But apparently not.

Perhaps that is why "Reflecting Absense" is apt; for truly we have lost something as Americans if we cannot even find room to honor the true heroes of that day.

Some of the best columns I have read on the 9/11 anniversary:

Retired Firefighter's Values reinforced since 9/11 - An article about my cousin, Firefighter Michael Carlo

A Decade of Heroes by Rich Lowry

We'll Never Get Over it, Nor Should We by Peggy Noonan

Let's Roll Over by Mark Steyn

Myth and Reality After 9/11 by Victor Davis Hanson

NEVER FORGET.

U.S. 422: If a train is such a great idea....

...then somebody needs to explain this slide to me:

This is from the Draft of the 422Plus slide show that was presented to Governor Tom Corbett's Transportation Funding Advisory Commission ("TFAC") yesterday.  Full slide show can be viewed here.

I call your attention to total annual funds needed for Operations and Maintenance of $16.04M and the total annual fare revenue of $3.97M.  If I'm reading this correctly, and someone please tell me if I'm not, a full 85% of the funding for the annual operating and maintenance of the Choo Choo is coming from the state.  So much for a self-sustaining transportation alternative.

We can talk "alternate funding sources" all we like; at the end of the day it's academic.  There is only ONE funding source:  you and I, the tax payers.  Eventually, no matter what it is that is taxed, it's you and I that pay for it, either directly or indirectly. 

Some relevant quotes on taxation from the folks who support the additional tax burden to justify the ChooChoo train.  Pottstown Mercury:

Hoeffel said the plan would be funded initially by a $1-billion bond issue, which would be repaid by the tolls, and open in 2015. Hoeffel emphasized the project should be under local management and revenue should remain in Berks, Chester and Montgomery counties.

“What we raise here should stay here,” Hoeffel said.

The 422 tolling plan could be a model for other roads in the state.

Hoeffel said the plan has not been presented to local governments or the General Assembly, which would need to enact enabling legislation for the plan and bond issue.

The governing bodies “need leadership. I guess the negative way of saying it is, ‘They need cover,’” Hoeffel said.

"What we raise here should stay here," sounds great in theory but what it means in practice is the creation of a local taxation authority ala the Pennsylvania Turpike Commission and Delaware River Port Authority, institutions famous for their political patronage job creating abilities.

If perhaps you've forgotten that the 202 corridor has just benefitted from a half a billion dollars in funding for road improvements, without imposing a toll, I direct your attention to this post.

My favorite quote, though, comes from Carol Rein of Bank of America Merrill Lynch, who is apparently an expert on road tolling mechanisms and claims that Texas and Florida have the best tolling and transportation funding programs around the country. Her quote is especially jarring:

“You have to pick taxes that are hard to evade, so you can predict their collectibility,”

US 422: For Whom the Road Tolls

The proposal to toll US Route 422 has floated to the top of the news again. Sunday's Pottstown Mercury:

The executive commission examining transportation funding in Pennsylvania will hear a proposal June 6 that could hit the wallets of Route 422 commuters.

The 30-member commission, appointed by Gov. Tom Corbett, will see a presentation demonstrating how tolls on Route 422 in Montgomery, Chester and Berks counties could serve as a model for similar projects statewide. The commission is looking for a way to generate more than $2.5 billion in annual transportation funding in the post-stimulus environment of declining federal spending on infrastructure.

State Secretary of Transportation Barry Schoch, who also serves as chairman of the commission, said the Route 422 model would allow county or municipal authorities to form a “local taxation authority” and keep the revenue from tolls and local taxes dedicated for local highways.

That revenue would be “above and beyond” transportation spending at the state level, Schoch said.

Let's set aside the fact that state government exists primarily to fund the creation and maintenance of infrastructure and let's not ask where all of THAT money has gone (nor will we question the reliance on fiscal federalism that got us to the place where we need to fund a $2.5 billion shortfall at this time). However, the suggestion to form a "local taxation authority" in this article should send chills down the spine of any thinking Pennsylvanian who has the tiniest bit of working knowledge of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Authority and the Delaware River Port Authority, long havens of political patronage jobs and fund mismanagement. Rule number one is never ever give the government a new revenue stream. Rule number two is never create a new local taxation authority to manage that revenue stream.

But these are all issues that have been discussed before on this blog. Why I revisit the 422 tolling issue once more is because of a mailer I received today from Senator Andy Dinniman called "Moving Forward - A New Route 202." The mailer is not available online at the time of this post, however this press release from March 22, 2011 has the relevant passage that I was looking to excerpt:

"[T]he Route 29 slip ramp, the Turnpike Widening and the Route 202 Widening represent an investment of $523 million to our local economy, which is expected to spur at least an additional $1.5 billion in construction and the creation of up to 20,000 full-time jobs,” Dinniman said. “It will provide a significant boost to our region in challenging economic times.”

According to Senator Dinniman's press release, the Route 29 slip ramp and Turnpike widening is a $48 million project that is funded entirely by Turnpike tolls.

The US Route 202 widening project is described as such on the project's website:

Significant growth in the region has increased traffic on US Route 202 to levels well beyond those that the two-lane highway originally was designed to handle. In fact, 73,000 vehicles a day now travel on this section of Route 202, and the improvements we have planned will help the highway carry its present and future traffic more efficiently.

 Under the overall Section 300 project, PennDOT will utilize significant federal and state transportation funding, most of which is collected at the fuel pump and through licensing fees, to

• Reconstruct Route 202's four existing travel lanes
• Add a third travel lane in each direction, utilizing the existing grass median
• Rebuild seven overpasses to provide additional horizontal and vertical clearance
• Construct a two-lane collector-distributor (C-D) roadway along northbound Route 202 at the Route 29/Great Valley Interchange to eliminate conflicts between ramp traffic and through traffic
• Improve the Route 401/Frazer Interchange and install new traffic signals
• Install Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) components, including highway cams and electronic message signs
• Improve the expressway’s storm water management system, and
• Erect sound walls at eligible locations

So my question is this:

Route 202 corridor has benefitted from millions of dollars of investment in infrastructure improvment and widening in recent years, this latest "Section 300" of the project is only the most recent. And all the while this 202 improvement has been going on, US 422 has been almost completely neglected except for a cursory resurfacing here and there and a half-assed widening of the Betzwood Bridge that caused more problems than it solved.

And now, in order to improve 422 to give it's commuters the same state-of-the-art highway that Route 202 communters enjoy, Harrisburg is trying to tell Route 422 commuters that the only way to fund their necessary infrastructure improvements is through tolls. If tolls are so critical to the funding of our infrastructure as we've been led to believe, why not toll Route 202 as well? Why should 202 commuters not have to pay for their own improvements?

Oh, wait. We're forgetting that most critical of all central planning expenditures:

In the case of Route 422, the tolls also could pay for a commuter rail line to take some of the pressure off the highway between Reading and the Pennsylvania Turnpike and Interstates 76 and 476

Oh yes. The TRAIN. Because trains are NOTORIOUSLY self-sustaining without subsidies (see: SEPTA), and effective at alleviating traffic (see: Route 202 and the Schuykill Expressway).

No one will ever be able to convince me that the impetus behind 422 tolling is to fund infrastructure to alleviate traffic. It sounds far more plausible that 422 tolls will be primarily used to fund another government run, public union-staffed, tax dollar subsidized public transportation sytem that will have absolutely no positive impact on the traffic that 422 commuters sit in every. Single. Day.  Only 422 commuters will get the double insult and injury of having to pay for this indignity.

422 tolling is a bad idea that must never be implemented.

Thank you to the Voters of Upper Providence Township

Dear Neighbors,

I am humbled by your overwhelming support for me this past Tuesday. Thank you so much for coming out on May 17 and taking the time to vote.

I believe that the ideals of good government and fiscal responsibility are principles that cross party lines and partisan ideology. Upper Providence has grown tremendously in the last decade and we are no longer a sleepy agricultural township, but a thriving suburb with vibrant retail and commercial sectors that share a common zip code with family farms that have been here for more than a century. A Township with diverse interests such as ours requires a clear vision for the future. In today’s climate of economic uncertainty, my financial background will be critical in sustaining Upper Providence Township’s high level of services without incurring a tax burden on the community. My goal of increasing transparency will enrich communication between the taxpayers and the Township.

In speaking with so many of you these past weeks, I know that you have concerns and ideas for how we can improve the place we call home. I know that one person does not have all the answers; only together can we move Upper Providence Township into the future, to grow responsibly while preserving our precious heritage. I have heard you and, if elected, I promise to continue to listen and communicate with you. I will never forget that I work for you.

I’d like to thank Bob Fieo for running a hard fought campaign and for his twelve years of dedicated service to our community.

I’d like to thank each member of the Upper Providence Republican Committee, for their support and long hours spent at the polls on Election Day. Thank you also to my family and friends for their advice and hard work. Your support was critical to my success on Tuesday.

And finally, my deepest thanks and undying love for my die hard campaigners: my daughter Dana who drove the “campaign car” every day and my husband Gene, who is my rock, my biggest cheerleader and the guy who kept me going when I was dead on my feet. Your love is my bedrock and your faith in me is my source of strength.

One of the greatest pleasures of running for office was meeting so many terrific people. As I make my way through your neighborhoods in the weeks and months ahead, I am looking forward to hearing your thoughts and ideas about how to move our Township forward. In the meantime, please email me with any concerns, questions or thoughts you may have at lisamossie@yahoo.com.

Thank you again for your support. Together we can move Upper Providence forward.

Very Truly Yours,

Lisa Mossie

Upper Providence Township: Mossie 514, Fieo 265

Special thanks goes to my committee members, in particular Dianne Canney, Tom Krumenecker, Mary Saylor, Colin Smith, Chris Czop and municipal leader Don Madison, for their unwavering support and for standing out in the rain all day for me.

Special thanks to my critical support network, including my employer, my 1180 WFYL Live and Local co-host, Barry Papiernik, the great PaWatercooler contributors Bill Shaw (and Scraps!)and Janice Kearney, Jim Saring and Bo Donovan and the Oaks Neighboorhood Association.

Extra special thanks to my family: my girls Jodi Vermuth and Colleen Emmons, my son-in-law Brett Vermuth, our neighbor Alyssa Culver, my sister Chrissy Hindle, brother Tom Ferlick and friends Ned Dougherty, Gil Zimmerman, Anna Mie Czop, Anne Biddle, Chuck Lowry, Walt Fedak, Chuck Stoll and Ruth Wanamaker, who all stood in the rain yesterday.

And finally, my thanks and undying love for my die hard campaigners: my daughter Dana and especially my husband Gene, who is my rock, my biggest cheerleader and the guy who kept me going when I was dead on my feet.

With such a solid support network, I couldn't lose. Thank you one and all. On to November!

I'm a little busy right now....

....but I will be back soon!

Vote May 17 in your local primary!

Desegregating Liberals

Two brave letters from two different sources about the same controversial topic:  The challenges liberals face in integrating conservatives into their lives.  Overcoming the basic innate prejudices is just the first step. Taffy Brodesser-Akner submits this confession on Salon.com:

When you live, say, on a coast or in a very blue state, you grow accustomed to being surrounded by people who believe like you do. You get to thinking that the only people who would dare contradict you are ignoramuses. Meanwhile, I began directing all my anger toward the Republican Party at Janet. On the day that Congress voted to defund Planned Parenthood, I found myself furious at Janet, just Janet, as the face of all that was bad in the world. Feeling sad and deflated, I wandered over to her house, unable to look her in the eye, asking her why? How? To what end?

She told me she didn't believe government had any business funding it in the first place. That this isn't about abortion or hating women but ways the government doesn't need to be involved. She told me Planned Parenthood was well-funded and won't even miss the money. "Planned Parenthood will be better off without government funding and all the strings that are presumably attached," she said. "I sometimes wonder why liberals, who are so enamored of the freedom to do any damn thing they want, even take government money when it constricts their freedoms."

I closed my eyes and breathed through what she was saying. Janet isn't Glenn Beck or Sarah Palin. She believes what she's telling me, and she's studied the issues. That might be what is so difficult: She has the same education as I have, and yet she has made different decisions, decisions that are so counter to what I believe. Decisions I find abhorrent.

And yet, I think having a Republican friend is making me a better liberal. We need friends who differ from us. It's easy to watch Republican extremism and think, "Wow, they're crazy." But when someone is sitting face to face with us, when someone we admire and respect is telling us they believe differently, it is at this fine point that we find nuance, and we begin to understand exactly how we got to this point in history. We lose something critical when we surround ourselves with people who agree with us all the time. We lose out on the wisdom of seeing the other side.

Read all of Taffy's piece here.

There is an old adage that liberals think conservatives are evil; conservatives think liberals are stupid. Jay Nordlinger shares the following letter in his "Impromptus" column today from a liberal correspondent who begins by talking about Rush Limbaugh:

More recently, listening to bits of his radio show on road trips, I’ve been struck by his affection for his personal acquaintances, whatever their political leanings. He can be harsh about the Left as an abstraction, but seems disposed to like individual people, really.

In general terms, acknowledging that there are all sorts of exceptions, I’d call that a common strength of conservative people — when they find out you’re a liberal, they’ll look quizzically at you sometimes, but will not start withholding warmth or congeniality. That’s been my general experience as a liberal talking with conservatives, anyway.

I’m exasperated to admit that just the opposite behavior seems to be, in general, one of the great weaknesses of liberal people. I fell madly in love with a conservative man about two years ago, and we are now engaged. When some (not all, and not the best) of my liberal friends meet him and find out his political affiliation, you can almost feel the resulting “cooling off,” as if they suddenly fear they may be speaking to a Bad Person.

My fiancé confirms, matter-of-factly and without resentment, that he has noticed all this, and even goes so far as to say that he can sense which kinds of people would be most distressed by his politics. He withholds information about himself accordingly, to avoid social discomfort.

And he’s a fiscal conservative ONLY!! Doesn’t give a toss about the social/cultural concerns of the Right. In other words, he represents the sort of conservatism liberals claim to like.

It’s the kind of thing that makes me laugh to keep from crying, really. I feel like a genial (dare I say DEMOCRATIC?) interest in each person who crosses your path in life is completely consistent with what I call liberalism — and there was a time when I would have pegged conservatives as generally more judgmental, but in my dotage, I find that life is, as always, much more surprising than that. :-)

Jay Nordlinger does not share any of the mail he received in response to his column today, and to be fair, Mr. Nordlinger's column appears on National Review's website---not exactly a hotbed of liberal discourse.

However, the Salon piece by Taffy Brodesser-Akner had 185 comments posted as of this posting. And while there are a number of commenters who cautiously applaud or tepidly offer non-judgemental platitudes over crossing such rigidly ideological lines, many of the comments reflect not only an overwhelming prejudice against conservatives, but a general intolerance against any of their "own kind" mixing with conservatives.

I don't have any conclusions to draw from these letters (and the reactions to them) since they only serve to reinforce my own personal experiences. I think that this trend has been turned up in recent years, to the point where it has become common practice to dehumanize conservatives as evil which means that nothing---absolutely nothing--- is off limits when it comes to defeating them.

Letters like Taffy's and Nordlinger's reader's give me hope that someday, we can learn to engage in civilized debate and agree to disagree where necessary. That being said, I don't think that day is coming any time soon.

Four More Years!