The LuLac Edition #886, July 24th, 2009

PHOTO INDEX: SENATOR ALEN SPECTER, CONGRESSMAN PAUL KANJORSKI AND OUR 1964 LOGO.

SENATE STALL

The U.S. Senate, where John F. Kennedy found a few of his subjects for his book “Profiles In Courage” has wimped out and will delay health care reform. Let me quote Rush here, “Dingy Harry Reid”, how about wussie Harry Reid said that health care reform will return in the fall. Great! This gives the opponents of health care a month to distort the facts and scare the hell out of the American people. These Senate Democrats have no spine. Maybe someone should tell them they won the election. Maybe the President would be better off with a GOP Senate. Bill Clinton did well with a divided house of government. Maybe Obama will too.

DIFFERING OPINIONS

Governor Ed says that there might be movement on the budget this weekend and it may come up for a vote in conference by the start of next week. This is in stark contrast to State Senate leader Dominic Pileggi’s claim that nothing will get done because even the Democratic controlled House aren’t fans of the Rendell budget. So….no budget. And the beat goes on.

NECK AND NECK

Senator Arlen Specter and his one time GOP primary foe are tied. In a dead heat. Specter’s wide lead over Pat Toomey has evaporated, in the clearest sign yet that his party switch three months ago has damaged his credibility with voters, according to Quinnipiac poll. Specter is leading Toomey by an insignificant one point in a general election matchup, 45 percent to 44 percent. More troubling for Specter, a near-majority of voters say he doesn’t deserve reelection. It’s the first time an independent poll has showed Specter and Toomey to be effectively tied.

BLOG OF NOTE

Check out some very good political reporting on PA2010 written by Dan Hirschhorn. Here’s the link: http://www.pa2010.com/.

KANJORSKI AND IMMIGRATION

Congressman Paul Kanjorski helped reintroduce the Secure America through Verification and Enforcement (SAVE) Act, which aims to halt illegal immigration in the United States through stronger worker verification and increased enforcement of America’s borders. The bill uses a three-point strategy to combat illegal immigration by securing the borders through an increased number of border patrol agents, mandating that employers verify work authorization before hiring new employees, and enforcing existing laws pertaining to illegal immigration.
“Those who want to live and work in the United States need to abide by our laws,” said Congressman Kanjorski. “By requiring employers to verify the legal status of new employees, we can stop the job magnet that attracts illegal immigrants to the U.S. and depresses the wages of American citizens. Enactment of the SAVE Act would provide additional resources to ensure that our existing laws are enforced.”
Congressman Kanjorski added, “Had the SAVE Act been in place, we may very well have prevented the case recently uncovered by the Beaver Meadows police chief in which an illegal immigrant not only fraudulently obtained identification documents, but also may have received a federal tax refund. Clearly, safeguards that should have been in place are inadequate to prevent outrageous abuses of our system.”
The SAVE Act would result in the following actions, among others:
Mandate that within four years, that all employers check the status of potential employees through an online E-Verification system to confirm the potential employee’s eligibility to work in the United States:
Hire 6,000 additional U.S. Border Patrol Agents within 5 years,
Employ 1,750 additional U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agents to enhance enforcement efforts over five years,
Require that the Department of Homeland Security increase its use of aerial technology, such as unmanned aerial vehicles, cameras, and satellites, among others, to ensure that the borders are watched at all times,
Provide more facilities and resources for the detention, processing, and removal of illegal immigrants,
Require notification of individuals whose Social Security numbers may have been stolen and are being fraudulently used,

Demand information sharing between the Department of Homeland Security, Department of Health and Human Services, and the Social Security Administration to reduce fraud and identity theft.

1964

Six days of race riots begin in Harlem………..Speculation about President Johnson’s choice for Vice President heats up. LBJ ends all speculation about a possible Johnson-Kennedy ticket when he eliminates anyone serving in his Cabinet for the job saying “their service would be too valuable to lose”. This was a shot at then Attorney General Robert Kennedy who quipped to fellow Cabinet officers, “I’m sorry I took so many of you guys over the cliff with me”..........In the State, Pa. Driver’s licenses will be made on state computers. The new licenses issued by the state will be the size of a small letter envelope and streamline costs by $700,000…….The 1964 Fighting Phillies sweep a three game series against the Milwaukee Braves despite the hitting of future Hall of Famers Henry Aaron and Eddie Matthews. Art Mahaffey wins his ninth while Ray Culp and Jack Baldshun pitch well…..A group of area representatives from business, government and the press tour the Whirlpool Canyon, better known as “The Tubs”. Land owner Clement Perkins announced the area will be opened to the public as a recreational park. A small fee will be required for admission. Perkins said Whirlpool Canyon was formed more than 10,000 years ago during the Ice Age. He pointed out that the Labrador Ice Cap stretched over the Wyoming Valley all the way to Shickshinny with an estimated two miles of thickness. When the thaw came, “The Tubs” formed…….Kingston and Forty Fort abandoned their plans for a school merger citing differences in educational philosophy……At the Towne House Restaurant you could buy a Filet Mignon for $1.50 and at The Center Inn located in Nanticoke you could buy a T-Bone for $1.75, sides included……and 45 years ago today in America and Lulac land the number 1 song was from the Beatles. Yes the Fab Four return to the top of the charts with a song title from the movie of the same name, “A Hard Day’s Night”.