The LuLac Edition #1402, Dec. 12th, 2010

PHOTO INDEX: THE LATE LABOR LEADER TONY KANE, (PHOTO FROM CITIZENS VOICE), BOBBY HILL AND CLINT ROBERTSON AND FRANK SINATRA.

MISSING LEGACY

When I worked for the United Way of Wyoming Valley in the 1980s in the Communications Department, my job was to organize those massive dinners and events at Genetti’s in Wilkes Barre. It would not be uncommon to have over 800 people attend these events. Every year we put up a big multi media screen and highlighted the names of the community volunteers. I was honored to work with people like the late Richard Laux, Dr. Wallace Stettler as well as individuals like Richard Pearsall, and Attorneys Gene Roth and Harold Rosenn. Three years into my job I kept on hearing the name Tony Kane mentioned over and over. The guys was revered in United Way circles and I never knew why. After I met Mr. Kane, who was charming and down to earth as anyone you’d ever want to meet, I was told that he was a tireless champion of the United Way through the school unions. But that he also put aside interest income and donated it to the organization. Kane later had some controversies with a local talk show host in the early 90s. But that fact notwithstanding, Kane was a generous man. Kane mentored Gloria Bartnicki who was the union rep for the Wyoming Area School District. A widower with no kids, Kane looked at Bartnicki as a daughter. He named her and her husband as executor of his will. The Citizen Voice reports that: In his will, the childless widower named the Riegels as his executors and appointed them to watch over the trust, which was to annually donate its investment income to the United Way.
The United Way received about $142,000 between 2002 and 2006, but the donations stopped after the nonprofit and the Attorney General's Charitable Trusts and Organizations Section initiated legal proceedings in Luzerne County Court seeking a detailed accounting of the trust's finances. They alleged the trust had made improper and under-documented loans to friends of the Riegels.
The bottom line is this, Kane’s estate was worth over 1.3 million dollars, much of it earmarked to the charitable good works of the United Way. Now he has about $2400 left. People would like to know where the money went.
Anthony Kane has a missing legacy. The thousands helped by United Way services have something missing too. All the corruption around here, all the slick deals around here aren’t always political. I met Gloria Barnicki a few times. I met Tony Kane a few times too. It was an honor to know him. As for her…….................

THE APPRENTICE

The Apprentice ended its final season on Thursday night and man it was a commentate on the shallowness OF American business. The two final contestants were Clint Robertson, a Texan who resembled Bobby Hill very closely and long, leggy blondie Brandy (can it get any better than that?) Kuentzel.
Now I was never a fan of Clint but every week day in and day out he busted his ass. His hard work and determination were really sincere. Brandy on the other hand moved through tasks like a deer in the headlights. In the final task Clint did everything correct. Brandy screwed up a few times but in the end, Trump thought below the belt and hired Miss Brandy. Typical American big business. Take the pretty and shiny and downgrade the hard working joe that might not have time to get his air poofed daily and his ass kissed every hours on the hour. "The Great Combover" has spoken and boy was he wrong.

PARDON ME?

If you ever wondered why the Democrats have a tough time selling voters on the fact that they aren’t as tough on crime as the GOP consider this latest bit of news from Harrisburg. The Times Leader reports that Gov. Ed Rendell will leave office next month having signed more than twice as many pardons as any other governor in modern times. Rendell, a Democrat with about a month left in his second term, has granted 1,059 pardons, according to the state Board of Pardons. His office said 29 more await action on his desk, and he expects to consider 34 others by the end of the year. That shattered the previous record set by the late Democratic Gov. Milton Shapp, who signed 475 pardons during his tenure in the 1970s. Among other recent governors, Republican Dick Thornburgh signed 61; the late Democrat Robert Casey, 311; Republican Tom Ridge, 270; and Republican Mark Schweiker, who finished the final 15 months of Ridge’s term, 338

SINATRA

Frank Sinatra would have been 95 today. The music will go on longer than that. He was an iconic figure that has crossed all age barriers. 12 years after his death, the records are still selling and as trite as it is, "The Legend lives on".

GORE/BUSH

Today marks the 10th anniversary of the Supreme Court Decision handing the Presidency to George Bush. The ramifications of that decision (which we are still dealing with) will last well into the middle of this new century. Next time Republicans start yammering about “judicial activism from the bench”, bring up Gore Vs. Bush and how that worked out for everyone. Especially those 4400 assassinated in the Iraq War.