The LuLac Edition #799, Apr. 29th, 2009

PHOTO INDEX: PRESIDENT OBAMA AND STATE SENATOR ROBERT MELLOW.

MELLOW'S MOVES

In an obvious response to a ton of criticism for his change in stance regarding the Scranton School for the Deaf, Senator Bob Mellow and his staff have been hard at work on some sort of compromise to keep the local school viable. This new development is good news for parents and students involved in an effort to save the school. Mellow has taken a lot of heat from the radio talk station in the area as well as people close to the school. Scranton Mayoral candidate Gary DeBilio even weighed in on saving the school. It is satisfying to see Mellow use his considerable clout to work out some sort of compromise. It seems to me that someone, perhaps Governor Rendell put the State Senator between a rock and a hard place last week by saying the property the school stands on would be disposed. Add to that the bad math the Governor did regarding the cost of the Scranton school vs the Western Pennsylvania facility, and well you have a public relations mess no local politico would want. The Scranton Times' venerable Harrisburg reporter R.B. Swift filed this story:
Scranton State School for the Deaf would remain as a residential school for the 2009-10 academic year and transition to a day school under management by the Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf under a plan in the works, said Sen. Robert Mellow and several of his staffers today.Mr. Mellow, D-22, Peckville, and his staff provided key details about the plan intended to keep education services for deaf children in Scranton. Gov. Ed Rendell has proposed closing the Scranton school this June.Discussions continue about a role for neighboring Marywood University under the plan, Mellow aides said.

OBAMA’S 100 DAYS

The first 100 days of a Presidency is a benchmark that came into being when Franklin Roosevelt took office in 1933. The 100 day mark was meant to highlight how much FDR accomplished as the nation was in the throes of the Great Depression. Obama’s 100 days will be judged by his governing decisions. Prior to his assuming office, Obama’s only strength was that of political inspiration. He used that to win a big margin in his election. But now, the students who supported him almost blindly, the unemployed who looked to him for new jobs, the uninsured who looked to him for health coverage as well as the Hillary supporters who came over to his side will be the ultimate judges of how he’s doing. After the glow of the first black American ascending to the top job in the world faded, every American involved in the process went back to their lives. The students still face economic uncertainty when they graduate and of course their student loans. I wonder what a student with a huge loan responsibility thinks about the AIG bailout. Why them and not me? The unemployed found at least a President that wasn’t tone deaf to their needs. The stimulus package did provide relief in the form of extra money and a break on COBRA coverage. Health care on a national level will become a reality but there will be a ton of compromises and that won’t make everyone happy. The Hillary supporters? Like it or not, he’s their guy now. Obama’s 100 days won’t be judged by the minutia surrounding his outsized personality or whether he bowed or not before a Saudi prince. No, his 100 days are going to be judged by those Americans who put their hopes in him to listen and act. He has done both. So to me, the first 100 days have been ones of bold action and vision. It has been 100 days of not a promise but a gamble. An administration is not made in 100 days. The ultimate success of any Presidency is the perception people have of it. So far, polls say the nation is heading toward the right track. That’s good news for the President. But to achieve ultimate success, the people who put their hopes in him will need their own good news. Jobs, health care and an internal well being that gives them the perception they are gaining, not losing in the governmental experience. The first 100 days, in my estimation has been a good start. But the work must continue. Or the frantic action of the first 100 days will be meaningless.

MEET AND GREETS

Joe Sklarosky’s campaign committee set these events for this week:
On Thursday April 30th, Sklarosky will host a cocktail party from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday at The Woodlands Inn & Resort. Entertainment will be provided by the Mark Mack Orchestra. For tickets or more information, call 474-1310.

On Friday, May 1st, Sklarosky will host a meet-and-greet at the North End Slovak Club, North Main Street, Wilkes-Barre, from 7 to 9 p.m. Free refreshments will be provided and the public is invited. An incorrect location was previously announced.
On May 9, Sklarosky will be at Nanticoke American Legion Post 350, 23 W. Broad St., to meet residents from 7 to 9 p.m. Free refreshments will be provided and the public is invited. Sklarosky is running for one of the Judicial seats on the Luzerne County bench.

CONTROLLER FORUM HELD

A Forum for Luzerne County Controller was held at the Stark Learning Center on the campus of Wilkes College Tuesday night. Candidates exchanged views. The LuLac Controller’s Forum is set for Tuesday May 12th, at Luzerne County Community College’s Educational Conference Center in Room 131. Time is 7PM to 9PM. Admission is free.

UNCLE WILLIE…………..

arrives in 24 hours……on The LuLac Political Letter.