Monthly Archives: February 2014

Libertarian Krawchuk wages battle to get on the ballot in primary election

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Published: Sunday, Feb. 23, 2014, 10:10p.m. Updated 9 hours ago

HARRISBURG The tone in Ken Krawchuk's voice changes when he talks about the signatures he needs to get on the ballot as a Libertarian Party candidate in the governor's race.

Turning serious, Krawchuk acknowledges it's a sore spot.

Though Republican Gov. Tom Corbett and his Democratic challengers each need 2,000 signatures, Krawchuk by law, as a third-party candidate, must gather 16,639 valid signatures of Pennsylvania residents. The number of signatures that third-party candidates need fluctuates based on top vote-getters' totals in the last election.

They don't want the competition, he said, calling it an onerous requirement.

The party on Saturday nominated Krawchuk, 61, of Cheltenham in Montgomery County as its candidate for governor in the November general election. For anyone who wants less government, he's the guy for whom to vote, he said.

Pennsylvania government has grown at three times the rate of inflation over 50 years, he contends, and taxes are too high because spending is too high. Krawchuk supports ending what he calls the insane war on drugs and would legalize marijuana. He says government should be limited to protecting people's rights, lives and property.

We do believe in defense, police and public safety, Krawchuk said.

Unlike the major parties, there's no primary in May for third-party candidates, of which Libertarians are the largest with about 45,000 registered voters in Pennsylvania: We have more than all the other third parties put together.

The big test is getting those ballot signatures with every i dotted and t crossed to withstand court challenges that Republicans typically file, Krawchuk said.

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Libertarian Krawchuk wages battle to get on the ballot in primary election

The Andaman islands are under serious threat

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Are the islands of Andaman and Nicobar potential terror hubs?

Yes, feels the administration of the Union Territory, which has said the possibility of left out LTTE cadre trying to make them a safe haven cannot be ruled out.

The administration has also conveyed to the government that foreigners from Myanmar, Bangladesh, Thailand and Sri Lanka often intrude into the archipelago.

The Home Ministry has told the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs that according to the Union Territory Administration, Andaman and Nicobar Islands have settlers from Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Myanmar and possibility of these settlers being used "by elements from their erstwhile countries" cannot be ruled out.

"The UT government is of the view that left out LTTE cadre may look for safe havens in the near vicinity and may take advantage of our uninhabited islands for their temporary hideouts," the Home Ministry told the panel.

The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are situated in the Bay of Bengal at a distance of 1200 km from the mainland. These islands are spread over an area of 8249 sq km. This group comprises 572 islands of which only 38 are inhabited.

The island authority has conveyed that the local Tamil population in the islands, like other parts of the country, is also sympathetic to the cause of Sri Lankan Tamils.

Further, sympathy of Sri Lankan Tamil refugees who were brought and settled in these islands during 1960s and 1970s may be easily gained for abetting, aiding and assisting the LTTE outfit in providing temporary shelters under the thick forest covers in the islands.

"In fact the geographical locations and conditions make these islands an ideal place for providing safe havens for terrorist groups for jungle warfare training and even dumping grounds for arms and ammunition," the Standing Committee on Home Affairs has been informed.

Owing to its proximity to Myanmar (which is only 45 km from the northern most point of Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Indonesia is just 160 km from CampbellBay), Thailand and Indonesia, a large number of foreigners intrude into Indian territory for poaching of marine resources.

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The Andaman islands are under serious threat

Governors: Health care law is here to stay

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Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker uses a cell phone to illustrate a point about health care plans during a special session on jobs in America during the National Governor's Association Winter Meeting in Washington, Sunday, Feb. 23, 2014. ((AP Photo/Cliff Owen))

WASHINGTON The explosive politics of health care have divided the nation, but America's governors, Republicans and Democrats alike, suggest that President Barack Obama's health care overhaul is here to stay.

While governors from Connecticut to Louisiana sparred Sunday over how best to improve the nation's economy, governors of both parties shared a pragmatic outlook on the controversial program known as "Obamacare" as millions of their constituents begin to be covered.

"We're just trying to make the best of a bad situation," said Republican Gov. Terry Branstad of Iowa, who calls the health care law "unaffordable and unsustainable," yet something he has to implement by law. "We're trying to make it work as best we can for the people of Iowa."

As governors gathered in Washington this weekend, Democratic governors such as Maryland's Martin O'Malley and Connecticut's Dannel Malloy made pitches to raise the minimum wage, while Republican governors such as Louisiana's Bobby Jindal and Indiana's Mike Pence called for more freedom from federal regulations, particularly those related to the health insurance overhaul.

But governors from both parties report that a full repeal of the law would be complicated at best, if not impossible, as states move forward with implementation and begin covering millions of people both by expanding Medicaid rolls for lower-income resident or through state or federal exchanges that offer federal subsidies to those who qualify.

Republican opposition to the law is the centerpiece of the GOP's political strategy ahead of the midterm elections.

Despite a troubled rollout, nearly 3.3 million people have signed up through Feb. 1 for health care coverage under the law.

The White House reported that 1 million people signed up nationwide for private insurance under the law in January alone. It remains unclear that the administration will reach its unofficial goal of 7 million people by the end of March.

Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin, who leads the Democratic Governors Association, said governors spent about half of their private lunch session on Saturday discussing the health care law and the tone was much different than in past years.

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Governors: Health care law is here to stay