Pennsylvania TownHall -- Where the Voice of Pennsylvania is Heard!

PA Family Institute

PA Family Update

June 12, 2008

by News Release

Volume 4, Issue 14
June 12, 2008
The Pennsylvania Family Institute's weekly update to concerned citizens.
Michael Geer, President
Attention: PA Family Institute has printable versions of the Family Update that can be downloaded and printed easily! Follow this link to get a 1-page version that you can hand out to your friends and family: http://www.pafamily.org/index.php?pID=78
!Please forward this email to family and friends!
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Quote of the Week
"Character is the single most important ingredient of leadership." ~ Gen. H. Norman Schwartzkopf
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Pennsylvania News
There is Still Time to Take Action for Marriage! Our state needs a Marriage Protection Amendment, something 27 other states have already. It's up to the people to decide the definition of marriage, not judges and not politicians. A state constitutional amendment is the only way to protect marriage in Pennsylvania.
Take Action!
Go to our Citizen Action Center. Contact your State Senator and State Representative, and ask them to support SB 1250, and to ask their leaders to "Bring the Marriage Amendment up for a Vote." For more marriage info, see www.pa4marriage.org.
State Legislature and Governor Fight Over Graduation Requirements. The Senate Education Committee voted 10-1 to approve a measure that would give the Legislature the sole authority to impose any new statewide graduation requirements. A separate House bill was introduced in April to require the state to consult with the General Assembly before implementing or spending state tax dollars on new graduation tests. It is awaiting a vote by the House Education Committee.
The Cost of Gambling in PA. According to Philly.com, Pennsylvanians wager $40 million each weekday and $72 million on weekends - which amounts to $21 billion dollars since the opening of slot parlors in PA. A current report from the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee adds that lottery sales have gone down in counties with slot parlors. Is this any surprise, as people stuff millions into machines?
Tots Playing Slots in Philadelphia. The state gambling control board fined the Philadelphia Park casino $18,000 during a hearing in Harrisburg and ordered the company to spend another $8,000 on gambling addiction programs in local schools. Several instances were cited of toddler age children in the casino area. One such incident involved a 5-year-old apparently taking turns playing a slot machine with his grandfather in the nonsmoking section. The kid cashed out with $47.25, but the casino confiscated the winnings.
News posted daily at www.PAFamily.org!
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Family News
DC School Choice Voucher Program to be Slashed. Nearly 2,000 low-income families will be denied the opportunity to send their children to the school that fits each child best. Congressional Democrats told the families they will not issue school choice vouchers this fall. With an average family income of just $22,736, the children will be forced back into a failing public school system.
UK Catholic Adoption Agency Forced to Close Over Homosexual Adoption Issue. The Catholic Children's Rescue Service has placed children in loving families since 1886. Britain's Equality Act mandates that adoption agencies place children regardless of the couple's sexual orientation. The Catholic organization could not morally continue to operate and place children in a home with two Daddies or two Mommies. As MP Jim Dobbin states, "It is a tragedy... when some of the better agencies feel they have to close because they can't conform to what the Government is demanding." It's even more of a tragedy that the government has placed this demand at the children's expense, giving preference to the personal agendas of adults.
Internet Providers Offer Help to Rid Web of Child Porn. Three of America 's largest Internet service providers--Sprint, Verizon, and Time Warner Cable have agreed to block access to child pornography and rid their servers of any illegal websites catalogued by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. To help expedite user complaints, Time, Sprint, and Verizon have all pledged to implement a "rapid response" system. In a final measure of goodwill, the corporations will also donate a collective $1.1 million to aid efforts to curb child porn.
Adult Stem Cells & the Smell of Success to Cure Parkinson's? Stem cells harvested from the noses of Parkinson's patients gave rise to dopamine-producing brain cells in rats at an Australian university. The rats partially re-gained neuromuscular control within 3 weeks of receiving the stem cells. In the future a patient's own nasal stem cells could be used for treatment, again showing the continued success of adult stem cells, eliminating a need for embryonic stem cells.
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Marriage News
4 Contacts 4 Marriage: We encourage everyone, whether you have contacted them already or have yet to do so, to contact your legislators. There are 4 key legislators you can contact. These legislators are your State Senator, State Representative and the leader in the Senate and House of Representatives. Each call you make takes a minute of your time and will make a significant difference in the fight to protect marriage. Visit www.pa4marriage.org for more information.
Have you heard the new One Minute for Marriage radio spots covering the latest marriage news from around the country? Download or stream them online at www.pa4marriage.org.
News posted daily at www.PA4Marriage.org!
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Don't Miss These Events!
July 18-19 – Truth Project training with Dr. Del Tackett of Focus on the Family at Covenant Fellowship Church in Glen Mills (Philly area). You can register through Focus at www.truthproject.org.
July 20-26 – 2008 City on the Hill Youth Leadership Conference July 20-26, 2008. City on the Hill is for high-school students, ages 15-18. Download an application and send it in by May 24 for the early discount price!
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PFI News
City on the Hill is for high-school students, ages 15-18. Download an application and send it in by June 25 to apply! Call (800) FAMILY-1 for promotional brochures for your church or school.
Don't Miss Michael Geer's The Common Good and Family Update Radio Shows on Christian Radio Stations throughout Pa. and online through our podcasts.
This Week's Guest: David Blankenhorn, President of Institute for American Values.
Topic: The cost of divorce and unwed parenthood to taxpayers & society.

The Pennsylvania Family Institute is a non-profit organization made possible through financial donations from our supporters. To donate to Pennsylvania Family Institute, click here: www.pafamily.org/donate
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