Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Trucker pays city for Bush expenses
Intelligencer Journal ^ | 7/20/04 | Paula Holtzman

Posted on 07/20/2004 5:12:04 PM PDT by oldtimer2

Trucker pays city for Bush expenses

LANCASTER COUNTY, PA - A Manor Township truck driver on Monday picked up the tab for President George W. Bush's recent swing through Lancaster city.

Ron Larson, 44, wrote the city a check for $2,300, which covers the 66 hours of overtime city workers racked up during the president's July 9 visit. The Bush motorcade drove through the city en route to York, but did not stop.

(Excerpt) Read more at Lancasteronline ...


TOPICS: Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Pennsylvania
KEYWORDS: demsprotests; donors; gwb2004
LANCASTER COUNTY, PA - A Manor Township truck driver on Monday picked up the tab for President George W. Bush's recent swing through Lancaster city.

Ron Larson, 44, wrote the city a check for $2,300, which covers the 66 hours of overtime city workers racked up during the president's July 9 visit. The Bush motorcade drove through the city en route to York, but did not stop. "I would take a bullet for this commander in chief, but since I am not in the position to do that, I think this is the least I can do for him," Larson said Monday. "He deserves this. And furthermore, if the president ever decides to visit Lancaster again and there is a security-cost issue, I would pay it again." Before Larson stepped forward, City Council members and the mayor had split over who should pay for the police officers, crossing guards and meter maids who cleared and guarded the motorcade's route through the city. Democratic councilmembers Julianne Dickinson and John Graupera joined Lancaster city Democratic Committee chairman Gregory Paulson last week in asking that the city send the bill to Bush's re-election campaign. The move would echo one made by Democratic York mayor John Brenner, who has said he will bill the Bush campaign for more than $21,000 in expenses incurred during a visit later the same day. Mayor Charlie Smithgall and councilman Luis Mendoza, both Republicans, disagreed. The city has never sent a bill to a campaign before, Smithgall said. He also said the city has a responsibility to protect candidates who choose to come to Lancaster. "It's part of the political process," he said. Larson learned of the controversy last week when he read a story about it in the Intelligencer Journal. After Larson finished the article, his decision to pay the bill out of his own pocket took "about 90 seconds," he said. When Larson made his offer over the telephone on Friday, he spoke to a surprised Smithgall. "I've never seen anything like this," said the mayor, who met Larson for the first time Monday afternoon. "It's tremendous." Larson called Dickinson, Graupera and Paulson "three very partisan people." "This is the president of the United States ... . We should be ashamed to ask him to pay for his security," Larson said. "We should be honored that he chose to visit us." While he is grateful to Larson for paying the bill, Graupera said he would have asked the city to send a bill to the campaign of any candidate who visited Lancaster. "It's the principal of the thing," he said. "The taxpayers shouldn't be saddled with campaign expenses, especially with the city in the situation that it's in." Paulson agreed, saying recent layoffs of city firefighters and cuts to social services show the city needs every cent it can get.

1 posted on 07/20/2004 5:12:04 PM PDT by oldtimer2
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: oldtimer2

Sweet!


2 posted on 07/20/2004 5:15:04 PM PDT by EggsAckley (You can't be pro small business and pro trial lawyer at the same time! ** George W. Bush*)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: oldtimer2

This is the trip to Pa during which President Bush met with local Amish.


3 posted on 07/20/2004 5:15:43 PM PDT by oldtimer2 (Republican from Pa)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: oldtimer2

There was talk like this among Dem city leaders in our little town, too, when Bush visited. It should be seen as an honor.


4 posted on 07/20/2004 5:15:55 PM PDT by jwalburg (Hatriots for Kerry)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: oldtimer2
"I would take a bullet for this commander in chief, but since I am not in the position to do that, I think this is the least I can do for him," Larson said Monday.

I hope someone informs the Prez of this so he can send this guy a handwritten thank you note.

5 posted on 07/20/2004 5:17:36 PM PDT by anniegetyourgun
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: oldtimer2

Talk about your petty,partisan BS. Why are we not demanding that the 2 Johns pay back their senate salaries? Neither of them has functioned as senators for a while. When will people take notice that the dims are a bunch of cry babies?


6 posted on 07/20/2004 5:18:58 PM PDT by conshack
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: conshack

Their hatred drives them to such petty behavior. Everyday I seem to read of a new low they have reached.


7 posted on 07/20/2004 5:20:43 PM PDT by anniegetyourgun
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: conshack

Good idea.

Both Johns are members in the US Senate.

Both Johns intend to attend the democrat party national convention.

Some Republican with balls needs to make a quorum call during the democrat convention and raise the visibility of the obstructionist democrat Senators.

and if need be, go nuclear during the convention and . . .

COUNT ALL THE VOTES for the judges!!


8 posted on 07/20/2004 5:27:52 PM PDT by PokeyJoe (John Kerry is more reliable than Rasmussen polling data!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: oldtimer2

Is there research ANYWHERE that clintoon's campaign was billed when he was up for re-election???


9 posted on 07/20/2004 5:37:09 PM PDT by Jewels1091
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: conshack
Talk about your petty,partisan BS. Why are we not demanding that the 2 Johns pay back their senate salaries? Neither of them has functioned as senators for a while. When will people take notice that the dims are a bunch of cry babies?

The Republicans have no coherent strategy, which is always a fundamental tenet of a successful campaign. It is even more important, given the BS we are always up against.

When Bush came to town, the lead story in the Cincinnati Enquirer was about the expense to the police force. Another story focused on traffic. When Kerry came to town, there was nary a mention of the costs for the police. The traffic reports on the radio, during the event itself, failed to suggest that the traffic downtown was related to the visit. The paper, of course, made no mention of the traffic.

So I called the Mayor's office to ask if it was going to demand Kerry pay for his security like they demanded of Bush. The aide's repsonse to that question was that "did you think of this yourself, or did Rush Limbaugh tell you to call me?"

Incidentally, this mayor once signed an e-mail "God." This is what we're up against.
10 posted on 07/20/2004 6:03:38 PM PDT by cincy29
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: oldtimer2

I see another rich Republican picked up the tab....(/sarcasm)


11 posted on 07/20/2004 6:46:15 PM PDT by ItisaReligionofPeace (I'm from the government and I'm here to help.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: cincy29

Just remember all of this after GW wins reelection. It'll be fun to send and call these morons the next day and every week after for the following four years!


12 posted on 07/20/2004 6:48:48 PM PDT by ItisaReligionofPeace (I'm from the government and I'm here to help.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: oldtimer2

This man rocks, the rats are disgusting and shameful--- as usual.


13 posted on 07/20/2004 7:02:17 PM PDT by Libertina
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: cincy29

So I called the Mayor's office to ask if it was going to demand Kerry pay for his security like they demanded of Bush. The aide's repsonse to that question was that "did you think of this yourself, or did Rush Limbaugh tell you to call me?"

Incidentally, this mayor once signed an e-mail "God." This is what we're up against.

That's the dems MO. Rush made you do it. They have no logical answer to most questions. The dems fear Rush, as they did Newt, so it's their primary mission to bash and attempt to destroy their credibility. Unfortunately, Newt rolled over for them. Rush hasn't and they continue to fear him every day.


14 posted on 07/20/2004 7:13:04 PM PDT by conshack
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: ItisaReligionofPeace
This is not a "rich republican."
He is a man of conviction. How many democrats would take this type of actions. The dems would propose a tax increase to pay for it.
15 posted on 07/20/2004 7:26:55 PM PDT by oldtimer2 (Republican from Pa)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: oldtimer2

This is not a "rich republican."


Oh, come on. He's a truck driver, and if he were to drive 12-14 hours a day, six days a week, he could earn in excess of 50K a year. That's rich by Dems standards and probably would get about 20K a year in taxes from this rich guy if the dems were able to pull it off. So, remember, he IS rich !!


16 posted on 07/20/2004 7:34:30 PM PDT by conshack
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson