The LuLac Edition #999, Nov. 8th, 2009

PHOTO INDEX: THE ARENA AT CASEY PLAZA, FORMER STATE REPRESENTATIVE KEVIN BLAUM, THIS BLOG EDITOR WITH THE LATE GOVERNOR AND ARENA PATRON ROBERT CASEY SENIOR AND OUR HEALTH CARE REFORM LOGO.

ARENA 10 YEARS ON

This week the big Arena celebrates 10 years. The structure is now a fact of life in the greater Wilkes Barre area but in the 90s it was quite the controversial topic. It was an arena that almost never happened because of the scare tactics used by so called tax payer groups, a small minded radio host with a big mouth and a township that opposed it from day one. Taxpayers screamed that old people would lose their homes because of the high taxes. Hysterical individuals said the run off from the Arena land would flood Wilkes Barre, and that no one would ever want to see hockey, concerts or special events. We were told we were homebodies who were too cheap to support major concerts and acts. The community received an 18 million dollar grant from Governor Casey and we nearly squandered it because Commissioners Jim Phillips and Frank Crossin Junior decided a referendum was needed. A bitter campaign ensued. Radio host Ted Williams aka Fred Vopper ginned up opposition and the Arena No crowd prevailed. Todd Vonderheid who was working at the Chamber then became a prominent advocate of Arena Yes and launched a political career off of it. Despite the scare tactics, opposition and incredible attack on progress, State Representative Kevin Blaum persevered. Through incredible legislative, business savvy skill and Lyndon Johnson like coalition building, Blaum got the funding sans taxpayers and in 1997 the Arena became a reality. Wilkes Barre Township officials and residents who put up a ridiculous campaign in opposition to the building of it are now the chief beneficiaries of the tax revenue generated by the building. (Although God knows what they did with it because Wilkes Barre Twp. looks no better than it did 10 years ago).
When the Arena first opened, Kevin Lynn was taking phone calls on WARM asking people what the Arena should be named and who should get the credit. I called in that day to WARM and said, “They should call it the Governor Robert P. Casey Arena. Then they should construct a statue of Kevin Blaum with the Representatives’s figure facing the arena so that his back could be facing Wilkes Barre Township”. Lynn asked why and I replied, “So everyone in Wilkes Barre Twp. who opposed the arena could kiss his ass”. 10 years later, I still feel the same way. Thank God for people like Governor Casey and Representative Kevin Blaum. They saw the future, believed in the better nature of our angels and made the project a reality.
MY FAVORITE ARENA MOMENTS:

1. “Simon and Garfunkel” Reunion Tour: 2003.
2. Trans Siberian Orchestra.

3. Hockey games with my Blue Cross co-workers.
4. First WWF show featuring Kurt Angle.

A TAXING SITUATION

The ramifications of the Bishop Martino era still continue to impact this area. According to the Times Leader closed churches and religious schools will likely be taxed in Luzerne County next year, county Assessment Director Tony Alu said Friday. Although this applies to any religion, the impact would essentially be felt by the Diocese of Scranton, which has already started implementing a plan to close some schools and half of the 90 churches in Luzerne County. Alu said he recently learned that several other counties already started taxing closed churches and religious schools, maintaining that their closure no longer qualifies them for tax-exempt status.

HOUSE PASSES HEALTH CARE

The House of Representatives on Saturday night passed a sweeping health care bill by a vote of 220-215. Earlier, the House passed an amendment to pending health care legislation that prohibits federal funds for abortion services in the public option and in the insurance "exchange" the bill would create. The vote passed 240-194.
A second amendment considered by the House, introduced by Minority Leader John Boehner, which would have substituted several sections of the health care bill dealing with insurance, did not pass. Legislators voted against the amendment 258-176
Representative Kanjorski was involved in the process. Congressman Paul E. Kanjorski (PA-11) provided the following statement explaining his vote for H.R. 3962, The Affordable Health Care for America Act. The House passed the bill today by a vote of 220-215. Once the Senate has completed action on its own bill, it is expected that a conference committee of representatives from each body will negotiate compromise legislation which will need to be adopted by the House and the Senate before reaching the President’s desk for signature. “The House has taken an important first step today to improve the affordability and accessibility of health care. While today’s health care legislation is not perfect, action to address this important issue is absolutely necessary. If we do nothing to reform health care, health care costs are expected to double over the next ten years, just as they have over the last ten years. “Insured Americans pay on average $500 per year just to administer health insurance, more than double the administrative costs paid in any other country which has a government-run health care system. The McKinsey Global Institute estimates that $91 billion a year is wasted on excessive insurance administrative costs. “Because about 60% of all Americans under the age of 65 receive insurance through their employers, much of this waste is burdening American companies. American companies competing in the global economy cannot afford this economic disadvantage. The bill we voted on today attempts to reduce the costs of insurance to employers and employees by providing greater competition among insurers. According to a study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a family of four would save $1,260 in annual health insurance premiums once this bill is enacted. “It is estimated that 96% of all Americans will have access to affordable health insurance under this bill. While I believe that caring for our fellow citizens is a moral imperative, it also makes economic sense to have as many people covered by insurance as possible. Families USA estimates that every insured American family pays over $1000 per year in premiums just to cover the medical expenses of the uninsured, who obtain urgently needed health care through inefficient means such as visits to hospital emergency rooms. As we face the threat of pandemics such as the current swine flu, it is in the best interest of all of our health to make sure that sick people are treated quickly and affordably so that infectious diseases are not spread.
“While there are many detailed provisions in this complex legislation, it is important to note what the bill does not do. The only effect it will have on senior citizens who rely on Medicare is it will reduce their out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs, as noted by AARP in its recent endorsement of the bill. The bill does not use tax dollars to pay for abortions. It does not require our smallest businesses to pay for insurance coverage for their employees. It will not result in the federal government controlling the delivery of health care; in fact, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that only six million Americans will choose to enroll in the government-sponsored insurance plan, the so-called “public option.” It does not add to the federal deficit. CBO estimates that the bill will reduce the deficit by $109 billion over the first ten years. “Finally, I want to praise the House leadership for including in this bill a provision which will help to fund the education of the next generation of doctors, some of whom I hope will be educated by our region’s own medical college.