Primary Day in PA...

... and Claire's birthday, of course. Please give my niece a birthday kiss from her uncle and aunt!

As for going to the polls, as a registered Democrat, I have no say today in who is running on the actual "conservative" ticket... but I have at least four choices from the "blue side".

Hoeffel is the front-runner, and he's as liberal as anyone could be. 100% ratings from NARAL, LGBT Advocacy, NOW and the AFL-CIO, and an actual endorsement from the Brady Campaign tell me this guy is bad news. NOT voting for this fruit loop...

Onorato is the leader in our county polls, and is a lot more "center" than Hoeffel, but still very liberal and has all his experience working for Allegheny County (Pittsburg), which tells me he is anything but familiar with NEPA concerns and issues. He is Catholic, but makes no stand on abortion or gay rights on his web page, so I'm not voting here either.

That leaves Wagner and Williams.

Wagner is a combat veteran (awarded the Purple Heart in Vietnam) of the Marine Corps, with a stated goal of working to enforce existing law to curb violence and stem the flow of "illegal" handguns and drugs into the big cities and small towns of PA... rather than writing new ones that will only limit the ability of a law-abiding citizen like myself from owning guns. He stresses the need for improved and revitalized infrastructure in PA, and is a committed (according to himself, that is) supporter of PA's Tenth Amendment rights in light of increasing Federal regulations and control. He too is Catholic, and says only that he will work to eliminate any and all discrimination of homosexuals in the Commonwealth, but makes no claims to make gay marriage a platform of his terms. Seems to be (based on his web page and age) fairly traditional and "middle American" in his faith and morals issues... but he could be playing it safe and avoiding issues he doesn't want to make direct statements about (which is what I would do, of course.).

Then there is the Tony Williams. He is my surprise candidate. A State Senator from the Philadelphia metro area, son of Hardy Williams, a deceased but long-time State Senator from Philly and an iconic face in Philadelphia politics during the 70's and 80's, he is the ONLY Democratic candidate advocating a reduction in the Commonwelath's corporate tax rate to create new jobs in PA. He thinks that the PA tax code is 20 years out of date and wants it revamped within his first year in office. He is looking to reduce the 52% casino tax and expand the licensing limits for PA gaming, which means greater competition and more jobs for the state. He favors and strongly advocates parent's choice in schools (seems he likes vouchers as the best means to this end) and wants to radically redefine what No Child Left Behind means to PA. He is not Catholic, and seems to support abortion (at least he isn't saying otherwise on his web sites), but otherwise has a very traditional view of family and faith.

Wagner and Williams seem to be my only ratonal choices for the primary election, and I won't decide till I get to the box. Anyone else heading to the polls today?