The LuLac Edition #405, Jan. 27th, 2008

PHOTO INDEX: AN AERIAL SHOT OF OUR LANDSCAPING AND FENCE INSTALLED WITH THE LAST GEORGE BUSH TAX CUT, AND DAN MUESER FOR CONGRESS BANNER.

TAX CUTS

Well Congress and the President have been rushing to get an economic stimulus program going to prevent a recession. It is estimated that many Americans will get a tax cut or rebate between $300 or $1200.00. This is insane. I am a card carrying liberal to center Democrat who doesn’t mind paying taxes as long as good services are provided and feel that certain social programs need to be mandated. But a tax cut during a time of war when we are spending billions in Iraq? The U.S. right now is headed for a 13 trillion dollar debt. When you break that down to every U.S. resident, it comes to $30,000 a person. Most people interviewed have said they will use the money to pay off debt or and a very few said they’d put it away for a rainy day. The idea the Government wants to convey is this: they want us to spend the tax money to stimulate the economy. JFK had “Ask Not”, FDR had “The only thing we have to fear…” and Ronald Reagan had “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall”. President George W. Bush’s quote seems to be “Shop till you drop”. The tax cuts, combined with the spending on this war in Iraq will keep this country on a downward slide to debt that will strip us of any effectiveness in the world. It is a mistake but no politician, Democrat or Republican has the guts to say so. If we do get a rebate, Mrs. LuLac and I will most likely do a meager home improvement. What the heck, we’ll be dead and safely ensconced in our crypts at St. Mary’s Cemetery when the crap hits the fan on this one. But if we had a voice in this matter, we’d tell the government to keep the money and wind down the debt. But they won’t. There are no profiles in courage in this century.

SOUTH CAROLINA RESULTS

Barack Obama routed Hillary Rodham Clinton in the racially charged South Carolina primary Saturday night, regaining campaign momentum in the prelude to a Feb. 5 coast-to-coast competition for more than 1,600 Democratic National Convention delegates.
"The choice in this election is not about regions or religions or genders," Obama said in remarks prepared for a victory rally. "It's not about rich versus poor, young versus old and it's not about black versus white. It's about the past versus the future."
The audience chanted "Race doesn't matter" as it awaited Obama to make his appearance.
But it did.
About half the voters were black, according to polling place interviews, and four out of five of them supported Obama. Black women turned out in particularly large numbers. Obama, the first-term Illinois senator, got a quarter of the white vote while Clinton and Edwards split the rest.
Former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina was running third, a sharp setback in the state where he was born and scored a primary victory in his first presidential campaign four years ago. Even so, aides said he would remain in the race.

DANNY BOY ON THE RUN

130 supporters and well-wishers gathered at the Ramada Clarks Summit for a rally for potential Republican party candidate Dan Meuser on Saturday. Meuser, who resides in the Back Mountain region of Luzerne County, is seeking the Republican nomination to challenge incumbent Democrat Christopher P. Carney (D-Dimock) for the House of Representatives seat in the 10th Congressional District.
Meuser said that his biggest motivations for entering the race were to help advance the Northeastern and Central Pennsylvania areas.
He called his campaign a growing grass roots effort. Nearly 400 supporters attended a similar rally in Luzerne Borough on Friday. From YOU TUBE: his campaign ad: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmdarNhnfwM.

P.J. BEST, THE BEST?

In 2006 Pittston Area School Director Terry Best ran for the 118th District seat vacated by Tom Tigue. It was a three way primary between Best, James “Red” O’Brien, the newly elected Luzerne County Recorder of Deeds and John Yudichak staffer Mike Carroll. Carroll won the primary and later the General. Now there’s talk Terry Best’s son, P.J. wants to take aim at Carroll in the primary. Carroll has been visible in the district but there are a few who say he hasn’t done enough as the other new reps in Harrisburg. Now that’s what people running against a newly minted incumbent always say. It will be interesting though to see if Best can prevail over Carroll. The key is of course making it a two man race where the two could go head to head. Watch out for this one. Here’s Best’s website: http://www.pjbest.org/.
*FULL DISCLOSE: I graduated high school, St. John’s Class of 1972 with P.J.'s father, Terry Best, his business “Terry’s Bagel Station” was one of my radio clients for both WARM and ROCK 107 and I also contributed to his 2006 campaign for State Representative.

ED PICKS HILL

Ed Rendell endorsed Senator Hillary Clinton for President this week when the candidate made two stops in the Keystone State. Governor Ed is in a hurry to get his health care plan moved through the Legislature before the Democrats meet in Denver. Could the Guv be jockeying for a Cabinet position or role of Health Care Czar in a Clinton administration? At least Katherine Baker Knoll hopes so.