My favorite conservative, Scott Armstrong, is at it again. Agree or disagree, he's an excellent writer. But I agree with this one, which takes aim at WAEB-790's Bobby Gunther Walsh, and his Unholy Alliance with the Gang of Four. "Valley conservatives have for years tuned into WAEB’s Bobby Gunther Walsh’s morning show for its entertaining mixture of news, sports, weather, and Bobby’s political commentary. Recently, however, the broadcast has taken an ugly turn by becoming an attack machine with a mission to destroy Republican County Commissioner Dean Browning. This effort was spawned by the slate of four candidates who remain outraged that Dean wouldn’t buckle to the pressure applied by the Chair of the Lehigh County Republican Committee to send back Democratic County Executive Don Cunningham’s 2011 budget calling for a 16% tax increase.
"Rather than lead to tax reduction, that effort was designed to embarrass the Democrat executive. After much consideration Commissioner Browning decided he wanted no part of it. In spite of his conservative record and credentials the slate of four and the leader of the Republican Committee have labeled Browning a heretic and have enlisted and lathered up the local conservative blowtorch to do their dirty work. What was once an enjoyable show, now resembles an inquisition with Gunther, Mazziotti, Ott, Najarian, Scheller and Ott acting as accusers, judges and jury, demanding the head of apostate Browning.
"Recently, the accusations have taken on a personal tone with questions such as “Where did he get all the money for the mailers?” “Why does he want the job so bad?” “What will he get out of it?” I think we all know that these questions are meant to imply that Dean Browning is corrupt. Nothing could be further from the truth. Republicans are used to this sort of slander coming from the left. Apparently, some from our side have chosen to adopt the same tactic. It is disgraceful."
28 comments:
Bernie -
Why doesn't Dean just go on Gunther's show and clear everything up? I know other candidates for commissioner have appeared there, including Brad Osborne (who might have been on twice).
When Dean appears, he can start by explaining his "courageous" vote for the 16% tax hike, which we now know was unnecessary. Or perhaps Dean is still trying to come up with an explanation for that one, since I haven't seen it mentioned in ANY of his numerous mailers either.
Dean Browning has discussed his vote in many forums and is open to doing the same if invited. No sane person would suggest he try to do this on Bobby’s show.
Scott Armstrong
BGW has the lowest ratings of any of the local morning drive radio shows. his influence is practically nil. Browning has too much integrity to lower himself to BGW's standards.
Agree with Scott. Stick to the issues. Dean was solely responsible for a huge tax increase that has now been proven unnecessary and/or excessive. Dean has delivered a body blow to struggling property owners in the worst recession since the Great Depression. He is proud of his vote and supported lustily by his traditional opposition. The Republican party is not leaving Dean. He left the Republican party in a moment of weakness. He's proud of his record. Many who've been hurt by it are livid. Stick to the facts. Dean raised taxes unnecessarily. Vote for him on the basis of whether or not you agree with his tax raising record.
6:53 to suggest that Dean Browning was "soley responsible" for the "huge" tax hike is a ridiculous statement. I didn't realize it took one, single vote to make that, or any change. Hell, if that was the case why do we need County Commissioners. The real fault lies on the non-action by the majority of the County Commissioners who had months to review and alter the county budget but didn't. Instead, they decided to take the easy way out and follow the wayward advice of Vic Mazzioti who cooked up the scheme to throw the budget back to the County Executives - what a bunch of cowards. they all knew a tax increase was necessary but didn't want to hurt themselves politically so they ran and hid. Now we have this gang (thugs, punks - isn't that what we call gang members these day) who is willing to sell their collective souls to embarrass a fellow republican. Mind you, they still haven't come up with an alternate budget which could have been presented, AND rember, Scott Ott/Wayne Woodman have now practically bankrupted the LCRC (how the hell are they supposed to run a county when they can run a small committee?). This gang of four is more like the gang that couldn't shoot straight - or in this case give a straight answer.
I listen to the WAEB morning show every Monday - Friday en route to work and I have to agree with Armstrong. Gunther's fixation with helping oust Browning is getting annoying to the listeners. In fact, I thought Gunther was brutal to Brad Osborne yesterday, nearly demanding that Osborne give his opinion on Browning's candidacy. I thought Brad Osborne sounded like Commissioner material while Gunther's came across as a zealot.
Anon 7:39 -
1) This is the Republican primary, and the fact is that the 16% tax hike could not have happened without one Republican vote. Dean was that ONE vote. He is "solely responsible" as far as Republican voters need be concerned.
2) The "scheme" that Mazziotti "cooked up" is part of the County's Home Rule Charter. It was actually added as the result of a referendum that was supported by 74% of the voters.
3) The Morning Call article earlier this week made it abundantly clear that the 16% tax hike
was NOT necessary.
4) How is the LCRC "bankrupt"? It has the same pathetically small cash balance that it had before, during and after Ott left? And that includes the time that Browning was chair.
In addition, all the claims made by Browning in his negative mailer against Ott, Scheller, Najarian and Mazziotti have been proven to be desperate lies or half-truths on the part of Browning.
That Browning's supporters continue to sling mud and ignore the facts is truly pathetic.
Anon 8:43 -
Walsh was "brutal" by asking Osborne his position on collective bargaining, how he would have voted on sending the budget back to the executive, his stance on the bi-county health bureau and if he supported Browning?
Give me a break!
If Osborne could have given a straight answer on the Browning (or any other) question, Walsh would have moved on to the next.
The fact is that it took Osborne about a minute and a half to say that he would have sent the budget back and two shows to decide that he was against the bi-county health bureau. It is also rumored that he is in the race at the urging of Browning, who desperately needs pawns to siphon votes from the "Four".
The question was fair, Osborne's response was less than forthcoming.
Olive Peeke said:
"Browning has too much integrity to lower himself to BGW's standards."
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Wow, the lies just don't stop.
If Olive's statement is true, then why has Browning appeared on BGW's show in the past?
Really, if you guys are going to make stuff up, please don't invent things that are so easily refuted. It's insulting.
I looked for the post here on the Lehigh county surplus, but didn't find it, must not be relevant here.
BGW can be a real jerk, but he is right about Browning. One thing I wish all public officials would put first, the taxpayers they represent. We all know prices go up, but these are tough times for many and a tax increase should be taken very seriously. These officials always forget that real people have to pay this money.
The LC surplus is certainly a story, and one I have not covered yet. But I will.
As I understand the arguments coming from the Gang of Four, that surplus is proof that a lower tax hike was in order, or none at all. But my own experience is that when a municipality finishes with a surplus, it's proof of sound fiscal management.
Let's look at Northampton County, where Gang of Four member Vic Mazziotti was Fiscal Director.
2007 surplus - $15 million.
2008 surplus - $13 million.
2009 surplus - $8.5 million.
John Stoffa had proposed a 9.26% tax hike in '09, but it turns out there was a $8.5 MM surplus. Should I rail at Mazziotti for not finishing each of those years at zero?
No. hose surpluses were the result of sound fiscal policy, and Vic knows that. Similarly, LC's budget surplus is a result of good work by Don Cunningham and Tom Muller. Vic knows that, too.
I don't think Scott is a very good writer. LVC is on my RSS and I've never seen anything better than replacement-level winger paranoia. I would guess Scott probably supplements the standard conservative info diet of Fox News and misspelled chain emails with a Weekly Standard subscription.
Jon Geeting, If you want to attack someone, you should at least have some of your facts right. Scott Armstrong is not the blogger at Lehigh Valley Conservative. If you knew how to read, you would know that.
Scott is an annoyingly effective writer. Many of his short essays here have resulted in between 50 to 100 comments.
Bernie -
Big difference between the surpluses in Northampton County and Lehigh County.
As you point out, there was no tax hike in Northampton, despite one apparently being proposed. They were apparently able to make cuts to the budget and save enough to AVOID the tax hike.
That is good fiscal policy, and is a far cry from the way taxpayers have been ripped-off in Lehigh County.
P.S. - Expect a surplus in Lehigh County in 2011, thanks to the unnecessary tax hike.
Dean Browning is most certainly solely responsible for the unnecessary tax grab. His was the deciding vote and everyone knows it. Ds acted as they're expected and knee-jerked at the the first tax grab they could get. Dean could have stopped it and didn't. He is SOLELY responsible because his sole vote could have prevented it. If his supporters wish to defend Dean by blaming others for his actions, that's just another strike against him. He should proudly boast of his tax increase vote and let the chips fall where they may.
Poor Patrick McHenry, what a limited understanding of management and budgets.
Actually, you probably really do understand but are just a shill for the Woodman gang. That's the thing with Gunther too. He doesn't really understand either. He just regurgitates what they tell him to say.
Lehigh County had a $412 million budget in 2010, and it under spent a few line items to end the year with a $5 million surplus. That is a 1% margin TO THE GOOD. On UNDER spending as a result of good management.
What's the alternative? Everybody who has money left in his line item at the end of the year goes out and buys paper clips, wood chippers and pixie dust with your tax dollars? Isn't that what the right rails against in Washington all the time?
It's a 1% margin. If you allocate $2 for a cup of coffee and only spend $1.98, the two cents left over in change is BIGGER, proportionally speaking.
Budgets are estimates. Most of them end up in the red, looking for money at the end of the year. Lehigh County has done a good solid job and is being criticized for it by people who actually know better.
And there is NO WAY you can know everything that will happen a year ahead of time. How much will you spend on medical expenses next year? You don't know. No one does. Lehigh County could have a million dollar health care issue with a prisoner, or an employee accident, or any number of things that you have to make reasonable projections on and be prepared for.
And even if the entire $5 million had been predicted and used to decrease the tax hike, it would have been 11% instead of 16%. That's like twenty bucks a year to the average homeowner.
If you are that focused on a ten dollar short term profit over future stability, then you're an idiot.......or you're just shilling. We all know it when we see it.
I find it shameful that Republicans who are supposed to be conservatives and understand these simple budget principles misrepresent them for simple political and personal advantage. That's what makes the Woodman gang of four unfit to lead anything.
This may well be the only time in history that a government has had to justify underspending its budget by a modest 1% margin.
Now Bernie, be nice to Jon, accurate research isn't one of his strong points.
Anon 12:42 -
I think you've shown who has a limited understanding of budgets, and who is the shill (Hint - Go look in the mirror).
Surely you know that the $5.4 million being discussed is $5.4 million MORE than Browning was telling us we would have when he raised our property taxes just TWO MONTHS before year end. Therefore, the whole premise of your "calculation" is wrong. Perhaps you are an unfortunate graduate of the Dean Browning School of Math and Logic.
If you remember back on October 27th, Browning and his crowd were telling us that there wasn't an extra nickel in the budget and that without the tax increase county prisoners would be walking the streets. Now we have even more confirmation of the truth.
And if you believe that the EXTRA $5.4 million was the result of something that happened between October 27th and December 31st, I've got a bridge I'd like to sell you.
I suspect that you, like Browning's other supporters, are just trying to twist the facts to defend Dean's 16% tax hike. How pathetic.
People aren't falling for those word games anymore. The truth is out there - and Browning can't hide from it.
Bernie, Your absolutly right.A budget is just that and done a year in advance.The surplus comes from everyday spending scrutiny which is a credit to all involved.AND MAZZIOTTI KNOWS THIS. SO why does he not say it as it is? Because hes a snake and the reason he should not be elected along with the other screwballs.I find it necessary to, for the first time, give credit to and agree with Scott Armstrong.Am sure we will not hear from Pam Varkony though on this issue.I hope this party turmoil will not affect the rep slate of candidates for city council.
I agree that Patrick McHenry knows nothing about
about municipal budgeting. Having been there I never knew if we were behind or ahead in budget balancing until everything was balanced in the following year. And I agree, Mazziotti knows this. It is too bad that the gang of 4 doesn't know anything about municipalities and, sadly, they want to run a county.
Anon 2:33 & 3:41 -
If you don't know that the county reports on actual results vs. budget on an ongoing basis throughout the year, you have no business commenting on budget matters.
You don't have to wait until the following year to find out how county government did (in actual terms or against the budget), and comments implying that are the most asinine that Browning's supporters have come up with yet.
By the way, the county accounting system uses a new invention known as a computer. Welcome to the 21st Century.
Patrick, You said it yourself everyday spending can be calculated actual against budgeted but THATS AFTER THE BUDGET IS ENACTED OR PASSED.I am an independent voter and like some in each party but i am also over ALL the bullshit on both sides.You will ruin any chance the reps have of getting elected with your rheteric.
Addendum
We see anonymous posters that attempt to appear informed on the Lehigh County Republican Committee. These should be viewed with great skepticism, how much credibility can we apply to those lacking the courage and convictions of their views to sign their name?
I write the following under my own name and from an inside perspective. Fact, the committee under Dean Browning had very active and successful fund raising efforts. The same is not true under Wayne Woodman. Wayne Woodman may be brilliant at what he does professionally but he doesn’t have a clue about running a political committee and he has completely dropped the ball on fund raising. He has allowed his vendetta against Dean Browning to override all other duties and all of the other county races. For instance, Vic Mazziotti was going to run for the controller position in Allentown, a position he was uniquely qualified to win. With Vic as controller the Pawlowski Administration could have been disassembled. This pressing need was put on the back burner because destroying Dean Browning is a greater priority. Last year Wayne Woodman promised committee activists that he understood the importance of school boards and school board races. These races were to be the priority of 2011. That was before Dean refused to back the send back vote. Allentown has five seats up for the school board this year, only three Republicans are running. Look at the Republican candidate for the controller of Lehigh County, Glenn is a great guy but for heaven’s sake he comes from a lawn care background.
In all of my years of activism I never saw any of the slate volunteer for any activity. That doesn’t mean they never did but I never saw them. Scott Ott was paid handsomely for his efforts for the committee and I defended him repeatedly to those who questioned what he was doing to earn his keep. Now sadly I wonder if he is the sincere person I thought he was.
Meanwhile Dean Browning was not just an elected official but was and remains the go to guy for anyone who needed help with a campaign(including Scott Ott’s campaign for county exec). Before, during, and after his term as Chair of the LCRC he held the committee together at a time when being a Republican was tough sledding. When others kept their heads down Dean stepped up to the plate and took the heat. None of the slate of four were there in the tough times.
Just for the record I was one of the insiders enlisted to pressure Dean to go along with the send back. I am the first to admit I am not a budget guy, my points to him focused on the political. To Dean’s credit he would not be persuaded to legislate for political advantage if it wasn’t the right thing to do from a legislative standpoint. The slate of four just can’t figure that out.
Scott Armstrong
Guber Walsh has been making a career out of being the Lehigh Valley crazy Glenn Beck. I find it funny that the conservatives in the community are now upset with him. For years he has used his station to spread manure about anyone who even came close to being a moderate or having common sense.
He has been a trainwreck for years. His station is just a place to get money for his failed racing hobby. The guy is just plain nutz but some of you encourage nutz when they are spewing at your enemies. That is the trouble with nutz, they are erratic and don't work with any logic. So be careful of the next birther, flat-earther, Guber Walsh you support, one day that lunatic may turn and see you!
I stopped listening to Walsh in the early days of the Iraq war. He and Brinson were fear-mongering abut the Muslim menace. I called in to complain, and Walsh stated he only wanted to hear from people who agree with him on this point. Since that time, I tuned in only once, to listen to either Glenn Eckhart. First, I was shocked by the number of commercials. Second, I was blown away that guests are on about 10 minutes, and at least 70% of the time is consumed by Walsh's rants. I do listen to excerpts of these interviews from time to time, when I see them on web pages.
Guy Williams said...
Patrick, You said it yourself everyday spending can be calculated actual against budgeted but THATS AFTER THE BUDGET IS ENACTED OR PASSED.I am an independent voter and like some in each party but i am also over ALL the bullshit on both sides.You will ruin any chance the reps have of getting elected with your rheteric.
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Guy -
The $5.4 million extra is from the 2010 Budget. That budget was passed in Fall 2009. The $5.4 million extra is $5.4 million more than we were being told in October - just 2 months before the close of the accounting year.
The significance is that whatever is predicted to be left from the prior year is rolled into the proposed budget.
The budget with the tax increase that Browning voted for was for 2011.
The whole point is that Browning should have known in October 2010 that the actual 2010 results would be $5.4 million better than predicted. The taxpayers were lied to and taken for a ride.
Then Vc Mazziotti lied to NC taxpayers for the last 3 years. Don't be silly.
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