The LuLac Edition #1016, Nov. 22nd, 2009

PHOTO INDEX: OUR HEALTH CARE REFORM LOGO, LUZERNE COUNTY COURTHOUSE.

"I’D FAINT DEAD AWAY"

A classmate of mine at LCCC and I were talking about the recent doings at the Courthouse. Everyday she is in stunned wonderment about who will be the latest person to fall. If you did a drinking game of speculation about this, well you’d never be sober. The latest tale of woe involves the Human Resources Chief who refused to answer questions from his boss Mary Anne Petrilla. The questions I assume involve a Long Island Security firm. I’m sure there will be others wanting to ask those questions from a certain federal agency. What struck my classmate more than anything was this passage from the Citizen’s Voice: Doug Richards, who was fired Wednesday from his job as Luzerne County's Human Resources Director, said in bankruptcy court documents he earned a monthly income of $6,232. Sandra Richards, a human resources administrator at Luzerne County Community College, earned an average of $3,846 per month, according to the court documents. Folks if you add that up the grand total of that is $10,078 a month, $2,519.50 a week, $503.90 a day, or $62.98 an hour. I asked my friend what she and her husband would do if they made that kind of money. Her response: “I’d faint dead away”. I have said and still believe with all of my heart that the taxes we pay are the dues we pay for being members of society. But when the people we put in charge put guys like Doug Richards in charge, then something needs to be done. Since I have started this political letter I have met many powerful and wealthy people. But I have met many more who are not in that economic strata. They are people in this community that make $500.00 a week, not $500.00 a day. And folks these jobs in Human Resources aren’t that hard. If anyone is interested in applying for Mr. Richards position, send a resume to:
The Luzerne County Courthouse
200 North River Street
Wilkes Barre, Pa. 18711
At the top of the resume be sure to put: “I’ll do this for half of the salary”. The disheartening thing about this situation at the Courthouse is that there seems to be no end in sight. When I was on WYOU TV I suggested a way to clean up Luzerne County. When I mentioned it, people thought it was a little too extreme. Now not so much. Here’s an oldie but a goodie folks:


NOW WE DEBATE

After hours of floor speeches in a rare weekend session, the Senate Democrats, with all 60 voting yes, moved forward the health care reform bill. In a procedural motion of cloture, House Majority Leader Sen. Harry Reid’s (D- NV) health reform bill will now move to the floor for the debate and amendment process.
There was little suspense, as a voice vote was taken on the Senate floor shortly before 8:00 PM this evening. The last Democratic holdouts, Senators Ben Nelson, Mary Landreu and Blanche Lincoln, announced earlier that they would vote yes to allow the health care bill to proceed to debate. This is a major step in the process and moves the prospect of affordable and quality health care for all Americans that much closer.
The final voting tally was 60-39, with all Republican Senators voting no. The GOP voted to not talk about the issue. They voted to not talk about your neighbor’s cancer, your niece’s pre-existing condition, your elderly parents prescription drug plan, your wife’s mammogram or your child’s neonatal care. This great body of Senators that sent 4,000 troops to Iraq to be assassinated by road side bombs chose not to talk about the health care needs of the survivors of those killed in action. They chose not to talk about the future health care of those wounded and maimed in Iraq. Support the troops my ass. As Archie Bunker used to say, they chose to “dummy up”. Remember folks, they said “no” to even discuss this issue. The debate process is scheduled to start when Senate lawmakers return from their Thanksgiving recess. And the debate on the public option will begin anew. The centrist Democratic Senator will be the most sought after and powerful people in the country. Look for our own Bob Casey to play a major role. Meanwhile our other Senator, Arlen Specter issued this statement on the health care debate. It would be my hope that my colleagues would not draw lines in the sand or stay in inflexible positions. We need to move ahead, and doing nothing is not an option. The problems of so many millions of Americans uninsured and the problems of the rising healthcare costs makes it imperative that action be taken.I think that the bill which has been proposed is a very, very good start. It is obviously subject to amendments and some modification. But the total cost has come in at about $850 billion over 10 years and is projected to save about $130 billion to reduce the deficit. In the second decade it is projected to save even more, up to as much as $650 billion. President Obama has committed not to sign a healthcare bill which adds to the deficit, and I’m committed not to vote for a healthcare bill that adds to the deficit. It is my hope that the bill will emerge with very strong provisions on preventative care. That includes annual examinations without additional costs and encouraging people to have the annual exams to catch many problems at their early stages, like heart disease or ailments, before they develop into debilitating and expensive chronic diseases. I disagree with the recent recommendations to cut back on mammogram screenings or pap smears. I think that early detection is vital and well worth the cost. I can tell you from my personal experience: an MRI detected a brain tumor the size of a golf ball between my skull and my brain back in 1993. It could have been a very, very serious matter had that early detection not occurred.Healthcare reform is vital and we’re determined to get a good bill.

FREE MARKET BULLCRAP

Don’t you love how the GOP and the vested interests of health care talk about the freedom of the free market? Letting the free markets set the product, pricing and competition. During the Bus administration the government let the free market decide just how fast broadband internet service would grow. The free market took its time in getting to the realization that this is what the American people wanted. The result of that policy is this: other countries across the globe have beeter and faster internet service because their governments took a hand in formulating a policy. Coupling with the private market, governments set expectations. The U.S., once the leader in technology let the free market handle it. As a result we are behind in this area. During the health care debate, you’ll hear people say “let the free market decide”. Sometimes that’s not good when the companies are only interested in profits and not people.