The LuLac Edition #784, Apr. 16th, 2009

PHOTO INDEX: THE MAD COUNTY CONTROLLER AND A LADY WHO FINALLY GETS A DAY OFF!

CONTROLLER FORUM SET

The LuLac Political Letter will be hosting a Controller Candidates Forum on Tuesday, May 12th at the Luzerne County Community College Educational Conference Center, Room 131. The event will run from 7 pm to 9 pm. The invitation letters were mailed yesterday. Each candidate will be asked to present a five minute introduction and brief biography. After all summations are presented, the candidates will take questions from our moderators as well as audience members. Speaking order will be determined by a random drawing on the day of the event to ensure fairness. Representatives or the candidates may R.S.V.P. by May 4 by calling 570-822-2776, 570-709-9404 or by e mailing me at yonkstur@aol.com. In the meantime, if any candidate has a JPEG photo and any press releases, we will be more than happy to post them on our site prior to the May primary election. You may send them to my e mail address.

JUDGE’S FORUM

We had a meeting with the Genetti staff today. The Judicial Forum will be in the Princess Ballroom at Genetti’s in Wilkes Barre. Candidates may bring people along with them if they wish. Our Judicial candidate profiles will start on this site on May 1st. In the meantime, moderator L.A. Tarone from WLYN TV 35 is very excited about this event. Again, we thank him for helping us out.

TEA PARTY

I had a bottle of Snapple yesterday. Did that count? Here’s my thoughts on the Tea Party. First off, anything that gets the citizenry out there to let their feelings known is a good thing. Government needs more participation. Hazleton had Conservative commentator Alan Keyes, Scranton had activist Kurt Shotko and Wilkes Barre had reports via the Corbett Show (hosted by Cathy “Luv Ya Babe” Donnelly) from Sue Henry. All in all, the events were larger than anticipated with great crowd enthusiasm. All that said, here’s my problem with it. The protesters were picketing the Stimulus Plan, a plan that promises to get us out of this near depression. Where were these protesters when the last administration were spending like drunken sailors on a war in Iraq that rewarded the Haliburton execs but let the soldiers go into combat without adequate body amour? And how many of the protestors realize that by taking the Stimulus plan to task, they are in diametrical opposition to the money coming into Pennsylvania for new jobs, extended jobless benefits, children's health care and infrastructure improvement? Protesting is good, asking where the money is going to is also positive but damning the Obama administration after a few months for the excesses of the last era of leaders and Wall Street is just something that makes me scratch my head.

LAID OFF!!!

You’ve seen them on the streets since January. Statues of Liberty of all sizes, shapes and forms waving to you in front of the Liberty Tax offices in LuLac land. Yesterday, the party, if that’s what you can call it, ended for the workers who braved wind, sleet, snow and cold rain. As of midnight, they are no longer employed. Most made $8.00 an hour and worked about 20 hours a week, about 4 or 5 hours each day. No healthcare either because they were part time. The few I talked with said they’d try to look for other jobs. I salute these individuals who took these jobs to make a buck and get by in this awful economy. I’m sure their pride might have been wounded a few times because this is not upper level employment. But they showed up every day with a wave and a smile. Now if I had my druthers, these are the people I’d give a bonus to in a New York minute.