Check Chet~ Part III

Click here for Part I and Part II.....





Our nation and our state have committed to irrational levels of spending and debt, which is a moral issue. Yes, it is generational theft, and it must stop! How dare they rob our children in order to fund these “progressive” excesses? There was a time, thanks to the greatest generation, when our parents and grandparents sacrificed in order to give their offspring the opportunity to enjoy a better life.


This has been turned on its head, and future generations will be forced to pay the price through higher inflation, higher taxes, and a lower standard of living. Progressive fiscal policies have contaminated the bloodstream of our once enviable economy with yearly deficits reaching 12% of GDP (Gross Domestic Product). The national debt, now approaching $14 trillion, will exceed our annual GDP this year. This is the stuff of which banana republics are made.



Policy makers cannot betray fundamental free market principles with impunity. Adam Smith’s “invisible hand”, that productive unleashing of human potential, which cannot possibly be orchestrated by a central command, must be untied to do its magic or our prospects for prosperity will continue to fade. Just ask the former Soviet Union.



Short-sighted progressive policies eventually result in a society where more people have a stake in welfare than in producing wealth; where high unemployment becomes a normal way of life. In this grey environment, the spirit of risktaking and enterprise is smothered by the unavoidably excessive taxes required to sustain increasingly liberal hand-outs.



Webs of regulation discourage innovation as the government grows at the expense of free markets. Thomas Jefferson’s famous quote about good government should be more carefully considered: “A wise and frugal government, which shall leave men free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth
of labor the bread it has earned – this is the sum of good government.”



Our 30th President, Calvin Coolidge, strongly resisted the progressive ideas of the early twentieth century. At one point he stated, “The wise and correct course to follow in taxation is not to destroy those who have already secured success, but to create conditions under which everyone will have a better chance to be successful.”



The reason I am running for PA Lt. Governor is to help foster an economic environment where all Pennsylvanians “have a better chance to be successful.” I firmly believe Pennsylvania can become an economic powerhouse. Our proximity to the greater markets of the New England States, the Midwest, and the Mid-Atlantic region, combined with bountiful natural resources, boundless energy assets, a relatively sound infrastructure, top-notch schools, and a terrific work force, provide every possibility for our Keystone State to become the seed of the nation’s economic recovery. A thriving private sector will generate the jobs we desperately need.



But this can happen only if Pennsylvania returns to pro-growth, free market, fiscally responsible solutions and turns away from big government, progressive policies. History proves that the American spirit, when uninhibited by government, is quite capable of producing many “Naomi’s Cleaning” stories. Small businesses like this will make Pennsylvania a job creating economic powerhouse.

Isn't he well-stated? I guess that's part of being a politician right?
Seriously, though he knows what he wants and he has a good head on his shoulders.
I can confidently say to you THAT HE HAS MY VOTE
ON MAY 18TH!!!!
CHECK CHET!!!

*mute music at bottom of page*

Check Chet ~ Part II

Click here for Part I.....


Thousands of small businesses with equally inspiring stories can be found all across our Keystone state of Pennsylvania. I’m relaying these details to, not only provide some background for my strongly held convictions regarding free markets, but also to offer some encouragement to those who are suffering through the current severe economic downturn.

In trying times like these, finding something you can do to add value to others will open doors for you. Meet a need. What you do, do it well and with a positive attitude. Hang in there. Perseverance is the key. Your efforts may take some time, but you can do it. At least for now.

But how much longer will free market dynamics generate success stories like Naomi’s Cleaning, Amish Country Gazebos, Auntie Anne’s, and Kreider Farms which grew out of difficult, yet promising circumstances, if we continue to encourage an entitlement mentality? Is it possible that our well intentioned safety net is actually stifling innovation, limiting creativity, and reducing productivity?

How much longer will the remarkably productive spirit of enterprise and creativity, which defines America, survive? With steadily encroaching progressive policies of higher taxes, bigger government, more debt, and increasingly burdensome regulations, there may not be much time. An ever-expanding entitlement mentality appears to be poisoning the American spirit. It is making us soft. Progressive policies which use the tax code to create benefits that cannot be sustained present a serious threat to free enterprise.

Sir Winston Churchill’s instructive words ring true: “The inherent advice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings. The inherent blessing of socialism is the equal sharing of misery.”

Big government policies, which find every possible justification to fund an assortment of “good” programs, diminish economic growth and kill jobs. Eventually, misery rises. If we do not reverse course soon, the result will be the antithesis of what our Founders envisioned; a welfare state where most people rely on government benefits. The alarms should be sounding as we close in on the tipping point where nearly half of all Americans pay no taxes while the other half pays for everything, except the outrageous debt. Our children will pay for that. (to be continued tomorrow....)

Check Chet ~ Part I

Hello All!! Over the next few days I'll be posting a series about my brother Chet. He's running for Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania!! I'm proud of him and wanted to show him my support by posting a bit about who he is, what he stands for and the things he hopes to bring change to. And don't worry Chet, I won't post any embarrassing pictures........or maybe I will!!!


Fire trucks surrounded our tall silo on Sunnyside Farm that late spring day in 1981 as I returned from a fun week at the shore with some friends. I had just graduated from high school. The smoldering fire that had engulfed the feed supply for our fifty cows was about to change my world. College would have to wait. Working hard to help our family survive and recover would take over the lives of my parents and their eight children.

As my hard-working parents tried to save our family farm in the wake of the Carter recession, this silo fire was the last straw. Forced to sell everything, our family of ten moved in with relatives and struggled to regain our footing and find a new place to live. Those were dark and frightful days. My parents, each with only an 8th grade education, had very limited options. Working the land was all they knew.

Unemployment was not available since they had been self-employed farmers. Welfare was not an option because they had an aversion to government handouts. Dad, dealing with a deep sense of failure, took a part time job painting houses for minimum wage. Mom found a few houses to clean for a meager amount each week. I worked the night shift at Donnelley Printing because this enabled me to be available during daytime hours to help my parents deal with the banks and creditors to establish a repayment plan for their staggering debts.

They were determined to avoid bankruptcy. My mother would often say, “If we each do our part, and if we work together, we will make it through. Let’s trust that God ‘will restore the years the locusts have eaten.’" After dedicating two years to work with my family, I was awarded a scholarship to Pepperdine University where I studied economics, business, and government.My room and board were not covered by the scholarship, so I worked two jobs to make it through. That kept me focused.

During my four years away at college, my mother often cleaned more than fifteen houses each week….by herself. Upon graduating from college I returned home, determined to help my parents build a business around my mother’s impressive cleaning system. We duplicated her skills by training others. Today Naomi’s Cleaning, named for my mother, serves hundreds of homes down the Main Line toward Philadelphia. Mom and Dad were eventually
able to repay their debts, and also build a house which is now nearly paid off.

Now they make it a priority to help individuals who encounter desperate circumstances similar to their own experience. After helping my parents build Naomi’s Cleaning, I founded another business, Amish Country Gazebos. When the gazebo business grew nationwide, my three brothers and I developed a trucking company to more efficiently deliver gazebo kits to homes all across America. Building these and other enterprises has been challenging but, even more, it has been rewarding. Not all of my business ventures were always successful. But, that’s how a free economy functions. Other family businesses such as Auntie Anne’s Soft Pretzels, owned by my cousin, and Kreider Farms, built by my wife Sharon’s family, were birthed out of difficult circumstances and have weathered many storms.....(to be continued).

a letter

Dear Mr. Clean Magic Eraser,

Truly, I have no words. You are just down right amazing. I find myself spending more & more time with you. Just keeping you tightly in my hand as I make my way through my home, on the prey for the crudest of crud. You ALWAYS come through for me, even in the toughest of situations. Sometimes I just have crazy thoughts about seeing how good you TRULY are,
"what if I wrote with permanent marker all over my yellow kitchen wall?" Would you come through for me then? Silly Man, I know you would. You've never failed me yet. So, in closing I just wanted you to know that you will always, always have a place in my home.

Yours forever,
Janelle