The LuLac Edition #1160, Apr. 23rd, 2010

PHOTO INDEX: ME AND GOVERNOR ED, OUR 1966 LOGO, CANDIDATE IN THE 119TH LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT RACE BOB MORGAN AND CANDIDATE FOR GOVERNOR JACK WAGNER WITH MAN'S BEST FRIEND.

ED ON THE DEMS

Ed Rendell is expressing some sentiments that will make his fellow Democrats think he is being too critical. But Rendell is right on when he says the Democratic party has not articulated the contributions it has given to the American public. Rendell made his comments first on “Hardball” last Friday night and then repeated them earlier this week. I’m currently reading the book “Game Change”. It is a blow by blow account of how the Obama campaign won the Presidency through a tight media message and putting out information that gave the American people a reason to choose him first over Hillary Clinton and then John McCain. But when the new administration came into being, it seemed like that media message wizardry was thrown out the window. The Health Care Reform Bill was high jacked by the GOP last summer in town hall meetings where fear was the commodity and an ignorant public bought it. Rendell could at times barely contain his agitation with the statements coming from co-panelist at his presentation . House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va). Rendell accused Republicans of getting "religion" on the deficit at a convenient time (when there was a Democratic president in the White House). He also scoffed at the characterization the GOP had applied to the president economic recovery plan. "Eric is the best [at spin]," Rendell declared. But the event was not without self-reflection. While the panel discussion was officially about the fight for the Republican Party's soul, Rendell seemed most concerned with the core and character of his fellow Democrats. "I don't think we have a battle for our soul -- I think we have lost our soul," he said. "We have been cowed into [sic] stop talking about the things that made us Democrats in the first place; that we believe the government can and should make a difference in people's lives; that we can protect the most vulnerable in our society; that we can, in fact, give opportunities to people who haven't had it. And that government can be an important catalyst -- they can't do it by itself -- but they can be a catalyst for growth." The Huffington Post approached Rendell after the affair and asked him to elaborate on what, exactly, he meant by saying the Democratic Party is soulless.
"We have been out-spun and we are scared," he said. "And when you are scared, you can do one of two things: you can circle the wagons and hide inside or under the wagon, or you can get out and fight for what you believe in. I think we are starting -- President Obama started when he went to the Republican caucus -- to fight back and for what we believe in. If we do that, I think our losses will be much less [in 2010] than what anybody suspects." Editor's Note: Quotes from the Huffington post, Sam Stein author.
Rendell is 100% spot on. The good things that have happened for the middle class and poor have happened because of the Democratic party. Student loans, the GI Bill, Civil Right, Social Security, all of those things happened because of Democratic party beliefs. What really frosts my ass are people who are true beneficiaries of these policies and become staunch Republicans worried about their taxes. People my age who went to school on government grants making more money than their parents even could imagine all of a sudden are worried about their taxes. Their share. Union members who retire with huge pensions because of Democratic activism thumbing their noses at up and coming workers saying “I got mine, find yours elsewhere”. All you need to know about the difference between the Democratic party and the Republican party is this: During one of the debates in the 2008 election both Barack Obama and John McCain were asked about the mortgage crisis affecting Americans and their homes. Obama talked about the guy who was worried about losing his home. McCain talked about the couple who had 5 investment properties and what a devastating effect the housing crisis would have on them. Rendell has given the Democratic party a kick in the butt. The Dems are very good at proposing and enacting life changing and life saving programs that make people’s lives better. They fail miserably in reminding them where they came from. It took a guy like Rendell to point it out. Rendell also took on the national media on Rachal Maddow’s show pointing out that the Tea Party people seem to be getting a free media ride. Rendell pointed out facts that pointed to a media bias in favor of the Tea Party activists.


MORGAN MAKING THE CASE

Bob Morgan, Democratic candidate for the 119th District State House Seat, left the House Candidate's Debate the only Democrat in the race. Let us explain that one. At the debate held Tuesday April 20 held at King's College, one opponent said he was “often accused of bring a Republican” and yet another declared himself “quasi-Republican.” Morgan, Fairview Twp, was the only candidate who stood up for Democratic principles and repeatedly pledged to put the people of the 119th District ahead of partisan politics. In the debate, hosted by the League of Women Voters, Morgan was the only candidate committed to dramatically altering the state’s tax system. Morgan said that he would work toward eliminating the use of property taxes as the major funding source for schools and local communities in Pennsylvania. He also expressed support for a Constitutional Convention to deal with fixing the Pennsylvania personal income tax to create a graduated income tax similar to the Federal system. Morgan said “For too long we have created a tax structure that penalizes part-time employees, students and working seniors while preserving a tax structure that benefits corporations. One of my opponents has proposed cutting the corporate tax, while I have advocated restructuring the income tax and property tax systems to benefit the great majority of our citizens.” Morgan also addressed the upcoming pension funding crisis and placed the blame squarely on the State Legislature for the 2001 pay hike and 50% pension increase. “We must remember that the Legislature voted to increase their own pay and benefits at 2 a.m. in the hopes we wouldn’t notice. We now have to solve that crisis. “It is time to remember we serve the people when we are in Harrisburg, not the powerful. For too long our citizens have felt their elected representatives do not work for them, to that end I have pledged to be a full-time representative, I will not have any outside business interests. ” said Morgan. The remaining candidates chose not to make this commitment. In addition Morgan expressed strong support for increased education funding for our schools and libraries.

PCN PROGRAMS

As part of PCN’s extensive coverage of Election 2010, viewers around the state will get more opportunities next week to hear from the candidates running in the state’s upcoming primary. PCN has currently covered 35 candidate forums with others tentatively scheduled leading up to Primary Election Day on May 18.
The tentative schedule of events is as follows:
EVENT 1:
Democratic gubernatorial candidates forum: PA School Boards Association Legislative Advocacy Conference.
Airs LIVE from Harrisburg on PCN Sunday, April 25 at 2:45 p.m.
Re-airs Monday, April 26 at 6:00 a.m. during special Election 2010 morning programming block.
EVENT 2:
Republican gubernatorial candidates forum: PA School Boards Association Legislative Advocacy Conference .
Airs LIVE from Harrisburg on PCN Monday, April 26 at 10:30 a.m.
Re-airs Tuesday, April 27 at 6:00 a.m. during special Election 2010 morning programming block.
EVENT 3:
Candidates forum: African-American Chamber of Commerce of Western PA
Will be streamed LIVE on pcntv.com - Thursday, April 29 at 5:00 p.m.
PCN will host special LIVE Call-Ins about Election 2010 immediately following these forums. Viewers can share their thoughts during the program by dialing toll-free at 1-877-PA6-5001. PCN is a nonprofit, noncommercial news organization created and supported by cable television companies. PCN receives no state or federal funding. Network programming is distributed on more than 150 cable systems in Pennsylvania serving more than 10 million Pennsylvanians in 3.3 million homes. A complete listing of PCN affiliates and network channel designations is available by visiting http://www.pcntv.com/.

DOGGONE WAGNER

Auditor General Jack Wagner, Democratic candidate for Governor, held a press conference on Saturday in collaboration with Laurie Fuller, Statewide Director of the Pennsylvania League of Humane Voters to promote their work and accept their endorsement. The press conference, held at Musser Park in Lancaster, was attended by animal lovers and their pets from across Pennsylvania. In their press release, LOHV said: "The Pennsylvania chapter’s endorsement is based on Jack Wagner’s love for animals and his respect for our work. We also appreciate his support for several of our key issues, including continued enforcement and strengthening of Pennsylvania’s laws to end the abuse of dogs in puppy mills, banning the use of the gas chamber to kill animals, ending caged animal shoots, and passing dog tethering legislation. We look forward to working with Jack Wagner as Governor to see that the progress Pennsylvania has made in its legal protection for animals continues." "We couldn't ask for much more in a candidate, but we got it," Fuller said. "Jack was eager to meet with us and open to discussing our goals. He asked questions, did research, asked more questions, and then put his support of our goals in writing. We are proud, therefore, to endorse and pledge our support across the state."

NEWS FROM BOB MELLOW

Outgoing State Senator Bob Mellow touted some achievements from the gambling revenue recently. Recently the governor announced that $772.5 million in revenue from the gambling industry would be used this year to continue giving tax cuts. That will translate into an average break of $200 in property taxes, up slightly higher than the average of $190 this year. It's important to point out that $100 million of this year's relief came from one-time licensing fees, so in terms of ongoing gambling revenue for tax relief, the amount for 2010-11 was actually $104 million larger than a year ago. More than $1.3 Million in Gaming Funds to Benefit Lackawanna County The following three projects in Lackawanna County will receive a share of gaming fund revenues:
The City of Scranton was awarded a $472,317 grant on behalf of 317 Linden, LLC, for the Penn Avenue Corridor Project. The project aims to revitalize the neighborhood along Penn Avenue and entails the renovation of two buildings in Scranton to house a jazz club, day spa, restaurant, office space, coffee shop, wine bar, and green grocer.
Dickson City Borough was awarded a $550,000 grant to purchase land for a new municipal building. The present facility is no longer adequate due to the growth of the borough and local government.
Taylor Borough was awarded a $350,000 grant on behalf of the Lackawanna Heritage Valley Authority (LHVA) for the Central New Jersey Rail-Trail Extension Project. The project includes the construction of a two-mile extension, completing the contiguous eight-mile, multi-purpose trail on an abandoned railway connecting Taylor with the City of Scranton. It helps to revitalize both communities by turning an abandoned, overgrown Brownfield property into a well-maintained, clean, attractive and safe trail for pedestrians, cyclists and families.

A BIG COMPLAINT

Babes in bras seem to be all over the boob tube -- unless those babes happen to be a little big. Lane Bryant is accusing Fox and ABC of a "double standard" over restrictions for their new lingerie commercial starring a curvy cutie in her bras and panties.The plus-size retailer has charged that the networks had refused to air the sexy ad without substantial edits. "ABC and Fox have made the decision to define beauty for you by denying our new, groundbreaking Cacique commercial from airing freely on their networks," Lane Bryant says. According to the company, ABC "restricted our airtime" by denying it a slot during "Dancing with the Stars," while Fox "demanded excessive re-edits and rebuffed it three times before relenting to air it during the final 10 minutes of 'American Idol,' but only after we threatened to pull the ad buy." But ABC says Lane Bryant is full of hot air, and their claims are no more than a publicity stunt. The broadcasting company issued a statement today saying they did not treat Lane Bryant any differently than other advertisers.

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT


1966

Haile Selassie visits Jamaica for the first time, meeting with Rastafarian leaders……Pope Paul VI and Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko meet in the (the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic Church and the Soviet Union..
U.S. troops in Vietnam total 250,000……The Church of Satan is formed by Anton Szandor LaVey in San Francisco…….in Pennsylvania Governor Scranton takes issue with observers who say the Pennsylvania economic boom is part of the national trend. Scranton in an appearance in Plains at the opening of the Craft Associates building on Scott Street in Parsons said that Pennsylvania's’s growth rate was stronger than the United States…….and more than 800 people attend a testimonial dinner at the Irem Temple for retiring Judge Thomas Lewis in Luzerne County and 44 years ago today the number 1 song in America and LuLac land was "Monday Monday" by the Mamas and the Papas.