GettysBLOG: Why the Delco Times Should Print This Letter

Take a look at this first:

A youthful challenger takes on 13-term incumbent

A friend of ours recently sent a letter to the editors of the Delaware County Daily Times (or Delco Times). It was a letter the Times will never publish.

In a series of recent editorial pieces the Time editorial board issued their endorsements for local candidates in the coming election. The endorsements for state offices were covered in multiple articles, with at least one paragraph devoted to each race. My friend was anxious to see how Casey Roncaglione came out. Here is what the Delco Times had to say in making an endorsement for the 164th Legislative District (Pennsylvania House seat from eastern Delaware County – Upper Darby, East Lansdowne, Millbourne and Drexel Hill):

Pa. House, 164th District. This race at once offers one of the most clear-cut calls, and interesting candidates in the race.

Republican incumbent Mario Civera is another lawmaker whose service stretches for decades. He’s served in Harrisburg for 26 years.

He’s opposed by Democrat Casey Roncaglione, a Temple student and 2004 Upper Darby High graduate. Roncaglione brings the view of a new generation to the race. It’s one that should be encouraged.

Civera voted for the pay hike, and now admits it was a mistake. And he’s heard plenty about it from his constituents, as well as from Roncaglione. But Civera is a valuable member of the Legislature, who has a keen eye on education funding issues, as well as an independent streak, as evidenced by his willingness to back gun-control measures such as one-gun-a-month proposals to combat urban violence. The clear choice in the 164th is Mario Civera.

Now, 26 years is a long time, and for someone with so many years in office, Mr. Civera certainly has not done much to distinguish himself, nor to elevate himself. In fact, one would look at Civera as being ‘comfortable’, and in a ‘cushy’ position. He wields some power, but not much more than a Representative who has been reelected once. Civera is what we would describe as one of the RINOs (Republican In Name Only) that have ruined not only the state Republican Party, but also the state legislature, especially over the last four years under Governor “Fast Eddie” Rendell. The General Assembly has played too close, too cozy and far to cooperative with Rendell, and in return, he signed their pay raise, unconstitutional as it was. The merits of its constitutionality were recently destroyed in a State Supreme Court decision – with Chief Justice Ralph Cappy recusing himself – but most people who know how to read knew on the day after its passage in July of 2005 that it was unconstitutional on several levels.

Civera is a good friend of Speaker of the House John Perzel, who should be indicted for impersonating a Republican.

The raise became a cause celebre for a number of political and civic activist groups, and created a very effective one in Russ Diamond’s Operation Clean Sweep. As a result, coming into the next election, over 50 incumbents will not be running for reelection either by retirement or through being defeated. Many more incumbents are up against candidates backed by Operation Clean Sweep. The Reform movement has its roots in Tim Potts’ Democracy Rising site, and its Roadmap to Reform.

[Note: we strongly urge anyone reading this to visit those sites and become familiar with the material on them. If you already have, it would be a good idea to revisit them and refresh your memory of why Pennsylvania is in the absolute political mess it is, and how to get out of that mess.]

That said, here is the letter written by my friend to the Delco Times regarding their endorsement of Civera:

Editors,

I believe you have made a serious mistake in not backing Casey Roncaglione. By using the logic that Civera is valuable to Delaware County because of his leadership position, you have stepped into the snare that causes the problems we have seen in the legislature over the past few years: greed, avarice, and a total disconnect with the electorate -- and the state Constitution.

The problem IS legislative leadership!

Casey Roncaglione offers a clear alternative to the same old, business-as-usual legislature that has brought us such dillies as the infamous Midnight Pay Raise (which Civera voted for), a tax increase, no legitimate property tax relief (a race track alone will never allow Chester to recover its tax base, but real property tax relief will help!), and no ethics reform or lobbyist disclosure. And they promise to raise the sales tax next term!

So much for the effectiveness of Mario Civera as a part of leadership!

The Pennsylvania House MUST have fresh ideas, members with ethical standards higher than the incumbents, and a new energy to move it out of the path of moneyed interests. Casey Roncaglione offers that choice.

Please reconsider your endorsement. Your readers will respect you for it, the voters will love you for it – and they’ll love having Casey Roncaglione working for them in Harrisburg!

Here is an important point: my friend the letter writer, and myself, are both good conservatives. And here we are advocating for a Democrat and against a Republican. We do so because Reform is more important than partisan politics. We do so because it is not just important, but vital, that the voters of Pennsylvania send a crystal clear message next Tuesday that there must be no more of the business as usual graft and corruption in our General Assembly (indeed, both parties are guilty of such).

In spite of calling it a clear choice, the editorial board of the Delco Times knows full well that to return Civera to office is to vote for continued graft and unconstitutionality in Harrisburg.

It really is that simple, folks. A governor and General Assembly that together have raised your taxes, failed to deliver meaningful legislation on ethics, lobbyist control, property tax reform, and enacted a bill to authorize the expansion of gambling in Pennsylvania that was passed as unconstitutionally as the infamous Midnight Pay Raise!

It does not matter which party you belong to, you must vote for Casey Roncaglione. If you are a Democrat, he is your candidate, and offers the clear choice for State Representative. If you are a Republican, you need to look at Casey Roncaglione’s website and his Blog, and see that his values, and ideas are far more in tune with yours than Civera’s desire to remain ‘comfortable’ in his ‘cushy’ position as part of leadership in a graft-ridden General Assembly.

The clear choice is Roncaglione. Vote Casey Roncaglione in the 164th District on November 7!

GettysBLOG

We support the Roadmap to Reform!

“Kick the hubris out of Harrisburg!” -- THE CENTRIST

“Be steadfast in your anger, be sure in your convictions, be moved by the right and certainty that abuse of power must be defeated at every turn; uphold Liberty as the just reward of a watchful people, and let not those who have infringed upon that Liberty steal it away from you. Never loosen your grip on Liberty!" --GettysBLOG

“Legislation without representation is tyranny.” --GettysBLOG

Remember in November! Before you vote, GettysBLOG!

Copyright © 2006: GettysBLOG; All Rights Reserved.

GettysBLOG is a south-central Pennsylvania conservative blog.

Mr. Civera's Latest TV Commercial

Mr. Civera claims he lowered property taxes.

Look at your tax bill, that's reality.

Mr. Civera's ad is mostly fiction.

MY PLEDGE

I ASK YOUR CONSIDERATION TO BE OUR

NEW STATE REPRESENTATIVE

MY PLEDGE TO THE PEOPLE OF

DREXEL HILL UPPER DARBY EAST LANSDOWNE MILLBOURNE

* RESTORE FAITH AND HOPE *
* FORTIFY THE FAMILY *
* IMPROVE TOMORROW *
* DO THE RIGHT THING *

Restore Faith to our arrogant and out of touch government. Restore hope that newly elected representatives will work for us, and not themselves or the special interests, and defeat the career politicians who have forgotten that.

Fortify the family by improving schools and finding new ways to make property taxes less of a burden. Live, grow, and work without government taxes taking the joy out of family life. Make health care more affordable.

Improve Tomorrow with better roads and more public transportation. A better business climate will create better jobs. Make our schools the technological envy of the world, prepare our children for a new future.

Do the Right Thing by always acting in the best interests of our neighbors. Don't ever vote for a legislator pay raise. Institute twelve year term limits for representatives. Cut representative's perks like free cars, free health care, bloated pensions, free haircuts and gifts from lobbyists. Make government transparent, post all votes and legislation within 24 hours.

My message to you is simple. Stop partisan politics and start working together to make our Township a better place to live, work an grow.
I ask for your vote on November 7th.
Thank You,
Casey R. Roncaglione

Mario's TV Campaign Commercials

No negative ad, that's good, I think we've both tried to be as positive as possible in a political campaign. I can't afford TV ads so I'll respond to his commercial here.
Most of the commercial I saw talks about the money Mr. Civera got for the Township from the State. The thing about that is, every single Representative gets State money for his district. The money is good for the Township, but it's far from a great accomplishment. If I'm elected I'll be able to get the same funds, every Representative does. Overall I would have liked to hear something great, or inspiring, but he does have nice lawn signs.

Spencer: Conversations with the candidates -Daily Times

...By far, the most delightful candidate to walk into the Daily Times last week was Temple student Casey Roncaglione. He is trying to unseat longtime incumbent Mario Civera, R-164.Casey’s political and governing experience is limited to being president of his high school’s National Honor Society and vice president of his class.Asked if he really thought he had the experience to take a seat in the state legislature, he replied, "I’m happy to be inexperienced. Look what experience has brought us."He turned 21 on Tuesday, cheerfully, and wise beyond his years.Gil Spencer’s column appears Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays. E-mail him at gspencer@delcotimes.com.
©DelcoTimes 2006

CIVERA QUOTE ON PAY RAISE

Civera summed it up better. "Everybody enjoyed the greed of it," he said, "and then we got smacked."

Spencer: Delco legislators: Pay raise was a mistake
Gil Spencer, Times Columnist
10/15/2006

Download Lawn Signs from Website

The Casey Roncaglione campaign reported today that their lawn signs are still mysteriously disappearing. To counter this thuggery the campaign has created downloadable lawn signs on their website,www.caseyroncaglione.com. The link for the lawn signs is on the right side of the page and the campaign hopes that the 164th district residents in Upper Darby, Drexel Hill, East Lansdowne and Millbourne will reject the unfair treatment of Casey's campaign, download thousands of copies and pass them on to their neighbors as well as those whose signs were stolen.
www.caseyroncaglione.com

A New Commonwealth - Chamber Speech

My name is Casey Roncaglione and I'm running for State Representative from Upper Darby, Drexel Hill, Millbourne and East Lansdowne. Thank you to the chamber of commerce for holding this event tonight. It's unfortunate that this is the only chance for me to discuss the issues with my career political opponent, 26 year incumbent Mario Civera, since he refuses to debate me, a 21 year old newcomer to politics with new ideas.
Tonight, I would like to talk about four main positions

Number One. Restore faith and hope.
Restore faith in our arrogant and out of touch State legislature. Restore Hope that a new group of representatives will defeat the carrer politicians who have forgotten that they work for us, not for themselves and the special interests who fund their campaigns in return for favortism.

Number Two. Fortify the family.
We must find new ways to eliminate the property tax or at least make it less of a burden to those who are in danger of losing their homes to sheriff sales. State funding of schools should exceed %50.
Our schools must become the technology leaders of the world. No student who must compete on a global level can expect to succeed unless our educational system is the top priority of the state.

Number three. Improve tomorrow.
Pennsylvania's infrastructure will be the major issue in our commonwealth over the next ten years. Public transportation, the stepchild of big oil, has been left to deteriorate. Just think of the positive impact on jobs if Delaware County had an improved and renewed system. Pennsylvania ranks at the bottom of nearly every economic standing in America. Business taxes are too high , investment is too low. Without strong businesses there are no good jobs. How better to improve tomorrow than by making Pennsylvania a Mecca for jobs and business.

Number four. Do the right thing.
Judge every decision by that mantra. If legislation is good for the people of Upper Darby and Pennsylvania, then vote for it, regardless of any special interest complaints. Open the legislature, make transparency for citizens and the press a priority. Post votes and legislation on the internet within 24 hours. Reform the way the legislature does business and cut it's administrative costs. Eliminate the 148 million dollar legislative slush fund and use it for pre K education. Don't ever vote for another pay raise. Eliminate legislator car leases. Institute term limits of 12 years for legislators. The list is too long so I'll leave it there.
Most important of all is to remember legislators work for us, some have forgotten that.

My message to the voters is simple, end the partisan bickering and start working together to make our commonwealth a better place to live, grow and work. Together let's throw the political hacks, money changing lobbyists and political hacks from the steps of the State Capitol.
Let's make it the people's Capitol again.

Casey R. Roncaglione

Stolen Campaign Lawnsigns

10-11-06
Upper Darby Township
Casey R. Roncaglione
Democratic Candidate 164th District

After a high speed chase through the streets of Upper Darby, going down one way streets and almost hitting pedestrians, a city License and Inspection official was stopped by over 10 Upper Darby Police. The Township official was attempting to avoid being caught by one of my campaign workers who spotted the official stealing my campaign lawn signs. In his trunk were found my political lawn signs, illegally taken from legal Township locations. The signs were taken from private property, whose owners had given permission to me to post the signs. Lawnsigns were also stolen from Roncaglione's home as well as his neighbors and supporters.
The candidate, Casey R. Roncaglione, Democratic candidate in Upper Darby Township, called the actions typical dirty tricks. "I doubt my opponent Mario Civera (R-164) had anything to do with it, but I don't know that for sure," said Roncaglione.
"It's not the end of the world but it is pretty cheap politics, Mr. Civera has over $190,000 in campaign funds, I have a little over $4,000. He could buy 50,000 signs and not even feel it, I have to watch every penny, so a sign is an important expense to me."
Upper Darby Police are filing a report and superintendent Chitwood promised there would be an investigation possibly leading to charges and assigned Lt. Rhoades to lead the investigation. Upper Darby Township, a Republican stronghold has never been too acceptable of competition. Mr. Roncaglione is different though, actually friendly and respective of Mr. Civera.
"Roncaglione spoke to Mr. Civera earlier on the day of the incident to complain that his signs were being taken down. Mr. Civera told Mr. Roncaglione that he doesn't do that and the two parted amicably. Soon after the episode occurred.
Mr. Roncaglione who has pledged a clean campaign hopes this puts an end to the dirty tricks and that the voters get an honest and fair chance to learn the issues to vote for whom they feel can best represent them.

BRING MY FRIENDS HOME

Mister President bring my friends home. Now.

We miss them, their families miss them, our county misses them. They're the best we've got, just think what good they could do right here at home.

The Iraq war is my generation's Vietnam. Unpopular and deadly.

It is time for our sons and daughters and friends to come home. Some won't be coming home, to their families I offer my sincere sorrow. At least we honor and care for our brothers in arms this time. I know many of my fellow Upper Darby High School classmates serving with honor, doing the best they can in what is now a civil war.
I hope they all come home so no more families suffer that ultimate loss. An Iraqi veteran friend of mine, I won't mention his name, is in bad shape. Physical and mental scars are his daily burden. I visit him every one in a while and we talk about the old days, try to have some fun, but in his eyes is a look that only a few who have been in combat will know. I know I'm only a smalltime State Representative candidate with no say in Washington, but I am a citizen of this great country. As an American citizen I ask, Mr. President bring my friends home. Have the biggest parade the country's ever seen for them. Care for their every need. If they want to go to college, pay for it. Treat their wounds, both physical and mental with the best physicians we have, no matter the cost. Make it a priority that every one of them has work when they return.
Treat them like the heroes they are, like no other veteran has been cared for, you owe it to them Mr Bush.

Casey Roncaglione
www.caseyroncaglione.blogspot.com

Show me the Money

Show us the cancelled check Mario