Sen. BobCasey, while Auditor General, Revealed Walker's Lucrative Land Deal.

[Divernan]

Walker should be in prison, not nominated for a state Cabinet position.

Hooray for Senator Bob Casey. This guy stands by his principles and ethics. Wish HE was our president. While Auditor General of Pennsylvania, he put together a great team of state employees to conduct performance audits. This means not just counting the dollars and balancing the books, but determining if state agencies are fulfilling their respective mandates to serve the commonwealth and its residents, as opposed to promoting profits for special interest groups. This link will take you to all the corrupt details of land deals put together by ex-gov. Tom Ridge (now privately employed as main spokesman/pimp for Marcellus Shale oil developers) and Corbett's cabinet appointee Walker.

http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Pennsylvania+Auditor+General+Casey+Audit+Reveals+Details+Of+Lucrative...-a080560550

HARRISBURG, Pa. -- The Commonwealth negotiated a lucrative land deal for one of former Governor Ridge's top political contributors that disregarded the competitive procurement The fancy word for "purchasing." The procurement department within an organization manages all the major purchases. process, flouted the best interests of taxpayers, and allowed the donor and his family to pocket over $326,000 -- even though they breached the contract and the Commonwealth walked away from the deal.

According to campaign finance records, C. Alan Walker and his father, Ray S. Walker, have contributed over $100,000 to Governor Ridge's political campaigns since 1993. In fact, they contributed $10,000 to the Friends of Governor Tom Ridge Thomas Joseph Ridge (born August 27 1945 near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives (1983–1995), Governor of Pennsylvania (1995–2001), Assistant to the President for Homeland Security Committee in April 1998 -- three months before the Commonwealth chose their property over another site that had been considered suitable for the National Guard training area. The two men gave another $10,000 to The Ridge Leadership Fund in May 1999 -- six months before the Commonwealth finalized See finalization. the Walkers' lucrative sales agreement.

By the time the Commonwealth backed out of the deal six months later, it had cost taxpayers nearly half a million dollars, including $437,190 in earnest money that was paid to the six sellers and $29,100 that was spent on title searches and environmental studies. Casey's audit also revealed that:

-- The sellers under the Walker agreement received more favorable
treatment than the sellers in the other five sales agreements with
respect to certain express rights, including the Commonwealth's right
to recoup the $326,259 in earnest money paid to them.
-- There were 14 unresolved title impairments on the Walker property that
constituted a breach of contract by the sellers that should have led
the Commonwealth to recover this earnest money.
-- There was significant, long-term acid-mine drainage on the Walker
property dating back to 1979 that constituted a further breach of
contract by the sellers.
-- There were serious weaknesses in the Commonwealth's procurement and
selection procedures that failed to ensure that the most suitable land
was being purchased at the lowest price possible.
-- The Department of General Services (DGS) has no standardized policies
or procedures in place governing real estate purchases in general, or
the payment of earnest money in particular, to ensure that purchases
are made consistently and in the best interests of the Commonwealth.
-- The Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA) failed to
request or examine the extensive documentation available about
environmental damage to the Walker property before committing public
funds to the purchase.

[JPZenger]

1. Corbettt Wants to Give This One Coal Baron Veto Power Over Environmental Permits

Corbett plans to give this one former coal industry executive would be given veto power over environmental permits and approvals in Pennsylvania. The only standard is that the project must claim to create "jobs".

If you don't like that hazardous waste incinerator proposed next to your house, too bad, the new Environmental Regulatory Baron has decided it will create jobs, and has ordered state employees in other departments to immediately approve it.

[blue neen]

2. Senator Casey is a good man.

I wish there were more lawmakers like him.