Monday, June 15, 2009

The LuLac Edition #848, June 15th, 2009








PHOTO INDEX: BIG BIRD AND GRANDMA.

BIG BIRD AND GRANDMA

Governor Ed’s budget has no money in it for Public TV. That worries people in that industry as well as citizens who support the entity through membership dollars. It should also worry people who are supporters of the arts, alternative music, educational programs for children as well as people who tune to 44 and FM 89.9 for news and information. With a 1.6 billion dollar shortfall in the budget, the administration which has been spending like a drunken sailor for 7 years with the acquiescence of our bloated, overpaid, underperforming state Legislature have decided to make up the money on the back of public TV. The stations are asking Rendell to restore at least some of the $7.995 million the stations were allocated. WVIA’s share is $860,000. Or about the cost it would be to clothe and feed and provide first rate travel amenities to about 7 lawmakers. It is interesting that nowhere in this budget crisis has there been a peep about the Legislators taking a pay cut. Of course they are listed as “essential” employees. The worst part about the state funding is that it undercuts federal funding. Public broadcasting’s monies from the federal government are based on the dollars they get from the state. Plus the Governor’s press flunky said that the cuts are not likely to be restored because it doesn’t fall in the category of health, safety and welfare of Pennsylvania residents. Gee maybe they should have thought about that long and hard when the Governor (who I like very much) was tooling around the state with those big cardboard checks and KOZ tax breaks as if the money tree was never going to face an autumn. And how about this from state Representative Phyllis Mundy. From the Times Leader: “How do I tell grandma in the nursing home that we’re going to cut her funding so we can fund public television?” Aren’t nursing homes private entities where seniors must pay their own freight? Don’t seniors have to sell their assets to get into assisted living? Just what programs was Mundy thinking of cutting for the seniors? Are there attempts to tax seniors who are living in assisted living centers? Is this a trial balloon statement to see if more money could come from still another disadvantaged, less powerful, more vulnerable group? Is there going to be a reduction in the subsidies to nursing homes that maybe we’re not hearing about? See, no one seems to think this Public TV thing is a big deal. But it is part of an incremental way to chip away at things funded by the state that improve the quality of life. Thinking about this brings to mind the poem by Martin Niemoller. “When they came”. Granted this is not as dire as the holocaust but we could paraphrase it, “Then they came for Public TV, I rarely watched Public TV anymore so I did not speak.” After they came and got Big Bird, could grandma be far behind? Or was the Representative just trying to be cute? All on the back of Public TV.

MONEY BACK

The state Department of Public Welfare wants some money back from the felon Judges. The agency has filed a $4.3 million claim against the pensions of former judges Mark Ciavarella and Michael Conahan. They are seeking to recover additional money it claims it was forced to pay to house juveniles due to the kickback scheme the judges were up to their eyes in. Now let’s bring on the IRS to see how much these guys didn’t declare. If they cheated the kids, you know they cheated their uncle, that guy named Sam. .

8 Comments:

At 8:50 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

We are going crazy over "rigged elections" in Iran. Does anyone remember our election in 2000? I dont think we should presume to tell any country how to run a fair election until we address the system here.

 
At 11:54 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

It seems to me you hit the nail on the head again. Cutting public TV funding is just like what they did to the school for the deaf. It's not important enough. Well screw this state and screw the legislators who are totally overpaid for what they do. WVIA TV and FM laid off staff, the execs took paycuts too. But do we hear the lawmakers saying they are going to cut anything of their own to help the state? Nope. We need a revoolt and when I sign up the first ones I'm coming after are "my representatives".

 
At 12:07 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

You know Dave I read the articles in the paper about the cuts in public TV. I give Bill Kelly much credit for asking people to talk to their legislators. But already Fast Eddie's press guy says, "ain't gonna happen". If Eddie had his way, all the books in the libraries and all the shows on TV would be sports. The hell with the arts, let's just get it over with and burn the books, get rid of the philharmonic, show nothing but test patterns on public tv and my baby boy can grow up self centered, stupoid, ignorant, one dimensional, greedy and oafish. Hey, that might not be so bad.......then he can get elected as a state rep.

 
At 12:47 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

"Praise Jesus!", the corrupt kids
for cash judges are beginning to get BUSTED! The bastards ought to already be in jail, but the fact that the noose is tightening each day is some consolation and jail is comin on soon enough, if not for long enough, I guess. The screws should be put to these guys exactly as they put them to the people of Luzerne County. Their crimes against young people and families are almost unspeakable
and nothing can ever repair the damage in many cases.

 
At 1:44 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Mr. Yonki: I am an avid reader of your blog and think it is more informative on some days than the newspapers. Your take on the public TV budget plea is interesting especially in light of an earlier piece you wrote about the Governor in your 13 questions segment. Notice that this is the Governor's idea, the Governor's staff saying there will be no room for Public TV and the Governor's administration doing the slicing. But your posters are blaming the Legislature. I think it is amazing that the Governor can get away with such stuff. True, his eulogy to the trooper was touching. But how stupid are the House and Senate collectively and indicidually to let this big bufoon from the big city place blame on them for some of his more destructive ideas? If I were in the Legislature, I'd fund Public TV three times over to show up Ed Rendell. It seems like no other Governor has been able to bulldoze and bull throw the public all the while blaming the lawmakers for all of his crap. Shame on the Governor but even more shame on the inept Legislature. Rendell is their puppetmaster.

 
At 2:40 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

The State of Pennsylvania does what the broadcast TV locals used to do until they started to do the blood and fire stories. When these programs go, the public will be much poorer for the lack of public discourse. We are becoming a nation of illiterates, so it is only natural that our state follow suit and continue with the dumbing down of the state. The real shame of it is this: IT IS NOT THAT MUCH MONEY!!!!!!!!! Pennsylvania wastes that much in a good week!

 
At 10:41 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

After closing the Scranton State School for the Deaf with no consideration for the institution or the people it served, I wouldnt put anything past Fast Eddie! I once liked the guy and voted for him. Now as far as I am concerned he cant be gone soon enough!

 
At 12:16 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I would be sure the IRS will get them good

 

Post a Comment

<< Home