The words of that Italian proverb are about as true as it gets.

I would be remiss if I let the day end without taking a moment to remember my grandmother, Grayce Cassidy, who passed away five years ago today. Aside from being a wonderful grandmother, she was undoubtedly my most unabashed supporter.

When I first ran for office back in 2004, she was recovering from a major back injury, but she insisted on going door-to-door in February to get signatures for my nominating petition. She was a force of nature not to be denied.

On the day of the 2004 Primary Election, she was still recovering from back surgery and was unable to be out in the field with us, so her and my grandfather spent the entire day at their kitchen table in their campaign shirts. When they received word of some trouble at a local polling place involving some pathetic hack would-be politico, she got down there so fast she nearly hit him with her car.

Watching her body break down as cancer ate away at her was one of the most difficult things I have ever endured, but she was a trooper until the end. For what turned out to be her last meal, she had us smuggle a Big Mac and a milkshake into the hospital.

My grandmother taught me more things than I could ever list here, and I miss her dearly. I only wish that she had lived long enough to see get elected and sworn in as a member of the House of Representatives, because it was thanks to her as much as anyone that I have been able to achieve what I have in life.

I am very bummed out. I just learned that John Barbaro, longtime Penguins public address announcer, principal at Waynesburg High School and Washington County resident has lost his battle with a brain tumor that had forced him out of action since the end of the 2008-09 season.

As someone who was lucky enough to see hundreds of games at Mellon Arena, I never could get used to anyone else calling the games. His absence was palpable at the final game in Mellon Arena earlier this season. To this day, when I think of my favorite goals of all time, I am invariably reminded of John’s booming announcement that would somehow manage to drive the energy level at the Igloo just a little bit higher.

Do yourself a favor and take a few minutes to check out these videos. The first one is particularly sad; it was a brief profile of John Barbaro from back in 2007, and there are moments that will make any true Pens fan’s heart tug, especially knowing the amazing run to two consecutive Stanley Cup Finals that was right around the corner at the time this was filmed.

Now, to lift you up a little bit, here are two of the most signature goal calls in Pens history. It’s almost as though the goals weren’t real until John announced them. First, here’s Mario’s late game-winner against Chicago in Game 1 of the 1992 Stanley Cup Finals, which is one game I would give anything to have seen live. The atmosphere is just insane:

Second, here is the first goal Mario scored in his 2000 comeback. Another electric night.

My condolences go out to John’s family. Thank you for so many memorable moments, and so many great nights of Penguins hockey.

I will be the first to admit it. I have been slacking on this blog. But in my own defense, it’s not like I’ve been sitting around playing Nintendo for the past two weeks.

Seriously though, did anyone ever beat this game? It's haunted me since 1985.

Between my legislative duties and getting out on the campaign trail, I haven’t had much time to breathe, let along blog. Don’t believe me? Check out the contents of a package I had delivered to my house yesterday:

Yes, I buy it in bulk.

By my calculations, this should keep me until about the second week of September. Sleep is for wimps.

Admittedly, my operation cannot begin to compare to Prestige Worldwide...

...but we do have a pretty cool logo of our own.

As I write this, we are 119 days from November 2, which also happens to be Election Day, and I am up for re-election as the State Representative in the 46th District. I am working hard to get ready for the political onslaught I have been warned awaits me over the next few months, and I am now reaching out to you for some help. If you’re reading this site with any regularity, I’m guessing you are either a supporter of mine or you work for the opposition and you hate my guts. I’m just going to direct this message to the supporters, if that’s okay with everyone.

I am looking for people who would be interested in volunteering in any capacity from now until November 2 on my re-election campaign. I need help canvassing neighborhoods, knocking on doors, making phone calls, putting up signs, volunteering on election day and the million and one other tasks that require serious manpower. If you or anyone you know might be interested, please contact me by calling 724-743-4444 or emailing jesse@supportjesse.com. Don’t worry if you’ve never worked on a campaign and have no idea what to do; you can help from your kitchen table if you want!

No amount of help is too trivial, and we can never have too much, so if you have any interest at all, please contact me as soon as possible.

Had everything gone according to plan, I would be walking in the Canonsburg Fourth of July parade right now, sweating off about 15 pounds in the process. But instead, this is the sight that greeted me when I walked out my front door this morning:

Yep, I’m sitting at my desk in the Capitol right now. We’re about to hit the floor to finish up some companion bills for the state budget and then head home at some point today. I’m not complaining, but it would have been nice to be there with my family and friends. Admittedly, it would be pretty tough to top last year’s parade, where this happened:

Also, my float was the cause of some political controversy (shocker!) because of what I had put on the back. We did the float at the same time Gov. Rendell was pushing for an increase in your personal income taxes, which I opposed. So the float said “I’m saying ‘no’ to Rendell’s tax increase”. My ever-genuine colleagues from the other side of the aisle freaked out for some reason; pictures of the float recently showed up in a promotional video for the Republican Campaign Committee at the Republican State Committee meeting. So don’t be shocked if that float doesn’t show up in some misleading campaign ad in a few months.

The facts are simple. I publicly opposed the increase in the personal income tax, and the tax wasn’t raised because there was not enough legislative support for it. End of story.

Through the magic of digital photography, here’s what’s going on back at home right now. Thanks to everyone for picking up the slack for me!

I actually have a pair of those pants.

But enough inside baseball. Let’s take a few minutes and celebrate our independence.

God Bless America.

Do you believe in miracles???

Just a few minutes ago, the House passed a balanced state Budget on time and sent it to the Governor for his signature which is expected shortly.

Just like in last year’s budget, we heard loud and clear the cries for no broad-based tax increases and have again answered that call. Not only is this budget on-time, it reins-in spending and forces government to live within its means like so many families do in the 46th district. While this is not a perfect budget, I believe it is the most responsible proposal we could put forth.

The $28 billion budget–roughly the same spending level as last year–was passed in the face of a $1.5 billion deficit and required us to make significant cuts to programs and investments that I think are important. But, I also think it’s important—indeed, ciritical—that government live within its means and not pass on any additional burden to the taxpayers in these difficulty economic times. This budget does not raise taxes, it reduces the cost of government operations and still manages to make ciritical investments that will help grow our economy and improve education.

A budget is the sum of many, many parts. To be sure there are parts I like and parts I don’t. But on the whole, it does more good than harm. For example, it makes a $250 million increase in K-12 public education which will result in more state money going to our local school districts. This investment will benefit our children and grandchildren while at the same time it protects our homeowners and seniors against school-property tax hikes. Additionally, notwithstanding the devastating deficits, we managed to make critical investments in economic development to create jobs and grow our economy.

But there is pain too. In key public health programs, libraries, environmental protection we sustained cuts. Make no mistake, I am not happy about those cuts and fought hard to bolster those programs during budget negotiations. In the end, we compromised, we lived within our means and we did not raise taxes.

"Hey, you guys wanna borrow my banner? I'm not using it anymore."

So as the kids say, it’s apparently on like Donkey Kong.

"Keep me out of this. I got my own issues."

If there was any doubt that campaign season was in full swing, check out this ridiculous letter to the editor in a recent issue of the Weirton Daily Times:

To the Editor,

This editorial is in response to actions by the Washington County Hanover Township Supervisors and Jesse White, the PA State Representative for the 46th district, who oppose completion of the planned township sewage project. Their recent actions negatively impact every resident, business, and church dwelling in this township, especially those in Paris, that are already hooked into sewage.

In an attempt to covertly delay construction of the sewage project, a special meeting was arranged and held by the township supervisors on May 7, at 4 p.m. to vote on appealing the DEP Order to complete Phase II of the project. The supervisors voted 3 to 2 in favor of appealing, effectively delaying the project. Don Winkler, Al Contumelio and Nancy Voelker voted in favor of the appeal, while Dave Deurr and Herb Grubbs voted against it. Thus, no motion was made to cosign the documents necessary to approve the 30-year 1 percent loan funding, which also jeopardizes $900,000 in grant money, both from Pennvest, awarded for the sewage project.

State Representative Jesse White publicly applauded their actions and supports the supervisors’ intended legal battle with the DEP. Mr. White is doing irreparable harm to this township by putting his own personal agenda of pandering for votes ahead of what is in the best interests of our township. He represents himself more like a Hanover Township elected official than a State Representative. Jesse White previously stated that tap-in fees in Cecil, where he resides, were in excess of $6,000. What he failed to mention was that the same E-One system operating in Paris is also employed in the Cecil Township sewage plan with far fewer pumps, so perhaps, the Hanover Township sewage plan isn’t quite as bad as he states. Which raises the question: Is Jesse White attempting to undermine our Hanover Township sewage project and capture grant money we may lose in order to channel it to Cecil Township?

To start all over, as the supervisors propose to do, is utter nonsense, ill-fated, and guaranteed to cost even more, regardless of the outcome of their appeal. Derailing the current plan now would do a great disservice to this community. The fiscal well-being of both the sewer authority and that of Hanover Township are at stake.

In order to dispel rumors and misinformation about Phase II construction, a meeting of concerned citizens is planned for 6:30 p.m. June 14, in the Old School House Building at Hanover Park to discuss the facts of the approved sewage plan and the dire consequences of the supervisors’ non-approved plan. In the interest of being informed, all residents are urged to attend, especially the township supervisors.

Also, please plan to attend the upcoming Hanover Township meeting on June 17 at 7:30 p.m. and demand fiscal responsibility from our elected officials. Convince them to “Do the right thing” for all the citizens of this township, by rescinding their vote to appeal the DEP Order, and keep this sewage project’s costs at a minimum.

Dennis D. Carulli

Paris, Pa.

Hey, I’m all for free speech, but if you’re going to tell such amazing lies, you should really work on your delivery. But the really interesting part is this meeting that took place on June 14; it was put together by members of the municipal authority apparently acting independently of the authority itself. I’m not sure because no one invited me, which is funny because according to the gentleman who wrote the letter I need to be set straight more than anyone.

But guess who they did invite to this supposedly official, non-political meeting? That’s right, my opponent in November’s election was scheduled to be a “special guest speaker”, even though he has nothing whatsoever to do with this project in any capacity whatsoever. Apparently he wasn’t able to make it (maybe he got lost making the drive from his home in Beaver County all the way down to Washington County?), but I would have loved to have heard his thoughts on the issue because from everything I’ve heard he is 100% behind the municipal authority’s plans to move forward at any cost.

There is something very troubling about bringing politics so blatantly into an issue that has nothing whatsoever to do with my election in November, and using scare tactics and lies to upset and scare my constituents. It’s cheap gutter politics, and he should be ashamed of himself.

I did have an opportunity to attend the Hanover Township Supervisors Meeting last Thursday and make some comments on the issue. I’ll let my words speak for themselves.

The meeting spawned a great article in the Weirton Daily Times:

White complains of ‘games’ involving project

By SUMMER WALLACE-MINGER, Community editor

FLORENCE, Pa. – 46th District Rep. Jesse White, D-Cecil Township, spoke at Thursday’s Hanover Township Supervisors’ meeting to address what he called “games” and “childish behavior” involving the Hanover sewage project.

The belaugered project ground to a halt as the supervisors and the Hanover Township Sewer Authority Board continue to disagree over how best to implement it. The sewer authority board wishes to construct a sewage treatment plant in Bavington to treat the sewage from the second phase of the project, which includes businesses and residences in Florence and Bavington, and the board of supervisors wants to see a connector line to the Burgettstown-Smith Township Joint Sewer Authority’s treatment plant. Both sides maintain their preferred plan is the most economical and in the best interest of the township.

The supervisors have, in the past year, adopted a resolution of no confidence in the sewer board and asked Board Chair Steve Kladakis to resign, which he didn’t do. The supervisors can appoint members to the board, but cannot revoke an appointment. The supervisors also have declined to guarantee millions of dollars in a Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment grant, which the sewer authority members say will endanger millions in grant funding. The project cannot move forward until the funding is guaranteed.

In May, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection ordered the supervisors to begin construction of the project as designed, including the Bavington plant, within 90 days. A vote to appeal the decision failed, 2-2, for a lack of a majority. Following that, a special meeting was called, and, at that meeting, the supervisors voted 3-2 to appeal the order.

White said the appeal would be heard before the Environmental Hearing Board, with Township Solicitor Lane Turturice noting it has not yet been scheduled.

“We’re talking months, not weeks,” said White.

White then spoke about what he said was the politicizing of the issue, accusing “certain (sewer) board members working with and posing as ordinary citizens” of employing “scare tactics” to confuse the issue.

White said noting several meetings had been held to examine the issue, the supervisors and sewer authority board had met with the DEP, both separately and together, and, although the issue had been polarizing, it had not been political.

“I have done my level best to make it non-political,” he said.

He acknowledged he was running for re-election, and pointed out that he runs for re-election every two years.

“I wish I didn’t have to, but that’s the nature of it,” he said. “If all this talk about the sewer turns everyone off so badly that I don’t get a single vote out of Hanover come November, but we do the right thing, then I am okay with that.”

White also implied the issue was being used as a veil for political attacks by his Republican opponent for the House of Representatives seat.

“Mr. (Gregory) Deluca knows where to find me,” he said. “If he wants to talk, then we will make that a political event. The reason I have the backs of this board is because what is going on is a bad sewer project.”

White said there was no proof taxes would increase if the project wasn’t implemented as designed, and added that, should there be additional overruns necessitating further borrowing by the township, that would be financially shaky ground for the township.

“They want them to underwrite millions in debt when this project has fundamental problems,” he said. “What happens when we break ground, and First Niagara (Pavilion) leaves town and leaves us 100 taps short? We go back to the bank – we can’t have a half-finished project. They had to make a heartwrenching, very difficult decision, and I’m going to support their decision because I said I would.”

White said he wanted sewage made available to the township, because it would bring additional development and jobs, but the plan, as designed, was not good for the township. He noted that the grants and low-interest loans associated with the project were extended, with the PENNVEST loan scheduled to be closed in November and no others expiring in 2010. He added that it was better to lose some funding than to design a bad project that would cost the township more in the long run.

He also said that none of the grant funding could be transferred to the Cecil Township sewer project, as had been alleged. He said there was no legal way the money could be moved from one project to the other.

“It may be the single biggest lie I’ve ever heard in public office and whoever put it out there should be ashamed of themselves,” he said, adding he had worked to see both projects get $5 million in H2O grant funding. “They got it on the same exact day.”

White then spoke about his involvement in refunding $3,100 of the $6,200 sewage tap-in fee to Cecil Township residents.

“Cecil Township screwed it up royally,” he said. “The funding mechanism was not done right. When I tell you that I know what I am talking about, I am not kidding. I lived through the hell that was Cecil Township. I don’t want that to happen here.”

This whole incident spoke volumes about the kind of garbage we can expect over the next few months. I can tolerate all of the political venom you want to throw my way, but when you start involving my constituents and scaring senior citizens to score some cheap points, that’s where I draw the line. These kinds of shenanigans will only help motivate me as I knock on doors and talk to voters.

Like I said, it’s on like Donkey Kong.

I am happy to announce a new project I have been working on for several weeks now. This morning I am unveiling www.yourpabudget.com, which is a website for Pennsylvanians to give direct input to their elected officials on how they would cut spending or raise revenue to balance the state budget. You can also vote for or against proposals created by other people.

Granted, not every idea will be realistic to implement, and many may not be able to be fully developed in time for this year’s budget. But by creating a marketplace for new ideas, maybe we can help shape the debate on state policy in the future.

I would also like to acknowledge the amazing job done by Nate and the guys at 400 Lb. Communications for all of their work to get the site up and running, along with my colleagues Matt Smith, Josh Shapiro, Eugene DePasquale and Steve Santasiero for all of their efforts. Finally, I would probably get slapped if I didn’t acknowledge my Legislative Assistant in Harrisburg, Eileen Kornotto, who actually came up with the name of the site.

To be clear, this is NOT a project of the House Democratic Caucus- it was developed by a small group of representatives, using no taxpayer money or resources whatsoever. There is no advertising or any revenue of any kind generated from the site. The premise is honest and simple: we believe the 12 million people living and working across Pennsylvania may have ideas and insights that may be useful in helping state government save money, and we should not be too proud or arrogant to seek their input.

Earlier this week, I had the pleasure of hosting a community event in Cecil Township, where we handed out $1.8 million in refund checks to residents impacted by the Millers Run Sewage project. Each of the 800 individuals and small businesses that paid the tap-in fee of $6,200.00 received approximately $3,000.00 back, with no strings attached.

Without getting into details, there were major funding problems at the beginning of the project several years ago that were never addressed, causing the high tap-in fee. I was able to get a $5 million H2O PA grant which allowed us to go back and refund some of the costs after the project was over, which I don’t think has ever happened on a sewage project in Pennsylvania before. It was a rough political battle, but we persevered in the end and the people in the sewage project are better off as a result.

So at the same time I am able to help give one sewage story a happy ending, another is rapidly spiraling out of control in Hanover Township, and it looks like things are going to get crazier before they get any better. Somehow I have become the target of political and personal attacks by members of the Hanover Township Municipal Authority and their supporters, so I thought I would set a few things straight as their propaganda and misinformation game seems to be swinging into high gear.

First, I have no individual authority to make Phase II of the Hanover sewage project go or not go forward. As your elected representative, I have lent my support to the elected board of supervisors in their efforts to avoid borrowing millions of dollars for a project they have serious questions about being put together by a board they have no confidence in.

As elected public servants, we have a responsibility, both legal and moral, to serve as guardians to protect taxpayers from wasteful spending of public money. Many of us have fundamental questions about Phase II of the Hanover project, questions that have been magnified upon further independent investigation and the lack of cooperation and responsiveness by the Municipal Authority.

I have been accused of “political pandering”, an accusation that is as absurd as it is insulting. If I were trying to pander, I would have simply said it was a local issue and washed my hands of the whole thing, or I would have tried to appease both sides without taking a definitive stand. I did neither. After careful examination of the facts and issues involved, I took a stand because I truly believe it is the right thing to do.

Let there be no question that I am totally in favor bringing sewage to the Hanover Township area, because I absolutely am. But I believe the project as designed has major problems that need to be addressed before we go sinking millions of dollars in taxpayer money into the ground, and I can’t just look the other way and allow the people of Hanover Township to pay the price.

Proponents of the project as designed are making all sorts of outrageous claims designed to scare and confuse people, like that your taxes will go up and that all of the grant funding will disappear. I believe people are smart enough to see past the political scare tactics and look at the facts.

I have a proven record for working to bring infrastructure projects like sewage to my constituents at the lowest cost possible. My staff and I have gone far beyond the call of duty to hold public forums, coordinate efforts between local and state stakeholders, create funding workshops for individual customers, and countless other actions to prove to you we’re serious about getting this done.

If you aren’t sure who to believe, I can direct you to constituents in Cecil, South Franklin, Chartiers, Canton, Mt. Pleasant, Midway, McDonald, Cross Creek, and Independence Townships, among others, where I can point to success stories of our efforts. I don’t claim to have all the answers, but when it comes to these projects, I’m not an idiot. I have some real experience in this area, and I know when something doesn’t pass the smell test. What possible motivation would I have to deliberately try to hurt the people of Hanover Township? It makes no sense whatsoever.

By definition, the Hanover Township Municipal Authority is not a political entity. They have no direct accountability to the people they are tasked to serve. Their stated purpose is simple and direct- to design and implement sewage projects that are technically sound and economically feasible. If an authority does its job properly, the results should speak for themselves and be able to withstand honest and legitimate public scrutiny.

Perhaps the Hanover Authority should be worried a little bit more about doing the job they are supposed to do instead of running around promoting scare tactics and dialing up disingenuous political propaganda. Then the people of Hanover Township can be spared this shameful display of childish pandering and we can actually get something accomplished by working together.

One of the most challenging aspects of serving the people I represent is providing government services in an environment where it is considered cool to hate government. The conventional wisdom is that everyone running for office is either a crook or a wanna-be crook, and that the system is so hopelessly broken, the best we can hope for from our government is minimal damage. Even basic competence is nothing more than a pipe dream.

But there is another component of the conventional wisdom which assumes everyone who uses government services are either hell-bent on cheating the system or people who are too lazy to go out and get a job. And sure, I’m not naive enough to pretend those people don’t exist, but we have to be careful of labeling everyone who says they need help into as con artists with a government-cheese fetish.

A couple of weeks ago, a gentleman came into my district office and asked to see me. He introduced himself with a smile and a firm handshake. We had never met in person, but he seemed to know plenty about me. Once we stumbled through some small talk, I asked what I could do for him.

His story was heartbreaking but hardly extraordinary. He is seventy-four years old, worked his whole life but never earned a pension, so all he has to live on is about nine hundred dollars per month in Social Security. He is a diabetic and has glaucoma, and until just recently he was paying about a third of his monthly income towards medication and related medical supplies. Now that he qualifies for the Pennsylvania PACE program, he pays considerably less for his essential medications.

But his financial problems go beyond health concerns. He owns a small home in a neighborhood that can hardly be considered affluent by any means. He is behind on his 2008 property taxes, and owes for all of 2009. The house has serious deficiencies that make heating costs extremely high in the winter months. He makes a little extra money on the side by mowing lawns, but there is only so much a seventy-four year old diabetic can do, and more importantly, only so much anyone is willing to pay him to do.

So he sat in my office and told me his story in the hopes that I could help point him in any direction that may help him out. He was apologetic for reaching out and I believe somewhat embarrassed to even be discussing his problems, let alone asking for any sort of assistance.

After he left, I talked with my staff about programs he may be eligible for and ways we could help get him on the right track, but I was unable to shake the disturbing broader theme I had witnessed firsthand.

There are people like this gentleman in all of our towns. He could be your friend, your neighbor, or even your grandfather. These are people who grew up in an era of work and responsibility who are fundamentally ashamed to step forward and ask for assistance when they really do need a helping hand. These are people who need low-cost prescriptions, home heating assistance or any of the other programs available to the truly needed across Pennsylvania. They aren’t looking to pull a scam or cheat the taxpayers- they are people who have fought in wars, toiled in coal mines and built the standard of living so many of us take for granted today.

My point is this. The overwhelming majority of people, especially senior citizens, who seek help from many government programs are ashamed or embarrassed to be doing so to begin with, and instead of demonizing them, maybe some of the critics of “government spending” and “people taking advantage of the system” should take off their partisan blinders and worry more about helping the truly less fortunate instead of scoring points by stepping on them while they’re down.