The LuLac Edition #1241, July 19th, 2010

PHOTO INDEX: CONGRESSMAN KANJORSKI AND MAYOR LOU BARLETTA.

SICK AND TIRED

I am so sick and tired of the national GOP blow harding, penny pinching modern day Scrooges talking about the future of our children and grandchildren when talking about the debt. These were the same guys who gave huge tax breaks to the rich and couldn’t pay for them. These are the same people who spent 30 billion dollars a month on a war in Iraq. Now they are worried about the deficit when unemployment benefits have to be extended? Where did these people come from? Who do they represent? How, how do they sleep at night? David Gregory from “Meet the Press” tried to get an answer out of Senator Jess Sessions on “Meet the Press”. What will they cut? Social Security? Medicare? Milk for kids? Like the coward that he is, Sessions couldn’t even dance around the answers. Pathetic. Only cowards hide behind the phrase, “It’s for the kids”.

KANJO SAYS YES

Congressman Paul Kanjorski accepted an invitation from public
broadcast station, WVIA-TV to debate his Republican opponent, Lou Barletta, in an hour-long forum on Thursday, October 28 at 7 PM. "It's been a tradition for me to debate in every competitive campaign I have competed in," said Kanjorski. "Moreover, my congressional debates have traditionally been on Channel 44 whose coverage area includes my whole district. I'm sticking with that this year." He added that voters should have the chance to review the distinct choices between him and his Republican opponent on the issues of jobs, health care and financial reform. "A debate is one way the weigh those choices," Kanjorski said. Kanjorski did not rule out the possibility of other venues for additional debates this year, but said for now this is the only one he's decided upon.

DON’T CALL LOU

If you are managing Congressman Kanjorski’s Town Hall Phone Meetings, you don’t want to call Mayor Barletta. Earlier this month, 26-year incumbent Paul Kanjorski announced he would not hold any public town meetings. Instead, Kanjorski will use tax dollars to host tele-town meetings so he does not have to face his constituents. Despite several requests, Kanjorski refuses to disclose how much these calls are costing the taxpayers or what voters he is targeting with these calls. “Most self-respecting congressmen hold in-person town meetings to allow their constituents to come and hear firsthand from their elected representative and to express their satisfaction or dissatisfaction face to face. Whether or not people turn out is the individual’s choice. Kanjorski's phone calls force the taxpayer to pay for them whether they plan to listen or not,” said Shawn Kelly, spokesman for the congressional campaign of Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta. “A few weeks ago, Kanjorski said meeting with 25 or 50 of his constituents would ‘blow a half a day or a full day’ and was just not worth it. Kanjorski should come clean and let his constituents know how much they are paying for his telemarketing. First he ignores his constituents by refusing to meet with them at town halls, then he insults them by saying they are not worth his time, and now he is forcing them to pay for his telemarketing campaign so he can hide from his bad votes and failed policies,” Kelly continued. “The unemployed deserve to know why Kanjorski’s $800 billion stimulus plan didn’t work. Seniors deserve to know why Kanjorski cut $500 billion from Medicare. They won’t be able to ask Kanjorski those questions during these carefully screened, scripted, and taxpayer-funded telemarketing calls,” Kelly added.

One thing I need to take issue with on this release. The unemployed benefited from the Stimulus bill by getting reduced health care and extended job benefits (which are in peril now because of the national party of "no") and job training programs.