The LuLac Edition #1694, July 29th, 2011

PHOTO INDEX: LACKAWANNA COUNTY COMMISSIONERS MIKE WASHO AND COREY O'BRIEN AND JOHN BOEHNER AND LOU BARLETTA EARLIER IN THE YEAR BEFORE THE BIG DECISIONS NEEDED TO BE MADE.

LOU FALLS IN LINE

If House Speaker John Boehner was expecting trouble from all of his Freshmen members, at least our local Representative Lou Barletta took to the House floor on C-SPAN to support Boehner’s plan to cut $917 billion in spending in exchange for raising the $14.3 trillion debt ceiling by $900 billion. However House GOP leaders suddenly postponed the vote early Thursday evening, possibly lacking confidence that enough conservative Republicans, especially the sometimes rebellious and recalcitrant frosh class, would vote for the measure. Barletta said that the country could not be allowed to default on its obligations. He did say that he would have preferred bigger cuts. Barletta indicated that calls to his office from his Northeast Pennsylvania constituents indicate that Americans want the “bickering” to stop in Washington. Barletta’s website was almost impossible to access the other evening after the President’s and Boehner’s addresses to the nation.

LCCC SUIT

A state anti-discrimination agency is investigating whether two women were denied admission to a nursing program at Luzerne County Community College because they were born in Russia.
Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission spokeswoman Shannon Powers confirmed Marina Gnilopyat and Anna Torbenko filed complaints with the agency in July 2010, and said the complaints are under investigation.
Gnilopyat and Torbenko alleged community college officials failed to admit them to the nursing program because of their national origins, which Powers said is against state law. The investigation includes finding out whether the women were treated differently from others in the same situation.
The college conducted an internal investigation and is cooperating with the Human Relations Commission in its investigation. When I was attending LCCC a few years back as part of my layoff package from Blue Cross of Northeastern Pennsylvania, I happened to be in classes with both women and they seemed to be perfect candidates for the Nursing program. But what the hell do I know?

JOLTIN’ JOE & BATTLING BOB

Joe Holden attended the Coal Street Realignment meeting Wednesday night as part of his job with WBRE TV. Bob Reilly attended the meeting as part of a concern he has with the project and how it will affect the neighborhood. Holden asked what Reilly’s motivations were regarding his attendance at the meeting. Holden asked about Reilly political future. Reilly said the question was out of line and his wife started saying that WBRE going up on people’s porches was out of line. Debates have ensued on this little piece of Luzerne County political drama. Here’s the whole thing in a nutshell. Holden has the right, even the duty to ask the questions directed toward Reilly. On the other hand, Reilly has the perfect right not answer. So it appears that this is going to be a stand off. And it appears that everybody’s right even though people are saying that everybody’s wrong.

GRASPING FOR STRAWS

Bill Jones the Republican nominee for Lackawanna County Commissioner tried to take issue with Commissioner Corey O’Brien taking a 90 minute access pass to the Toyota Pavilion. O’Brien said he was there for a performance but couldn’t remember the act. Outgoing Commissioner Mike Washo blasted Jones with both barrels. According to the Scranton Times he told Jones, “The commissioners do not attend any events for free, whether it's a prayer breakfast in Carbondale where we are invited to be the speakers or it's a concert."
"I don't mean to lecture you, but you have come to my workplace, the people's workplace, and you have thrown something out there like a talk-show host," Mr. Washo said. "Let me tell you, I resent it because I have never had a ticket up there and I don't think I deserve one. If you are so fortunate as to sit here, I don't think you'll deserve one."
When O’Brien and Washo took over they stopped the practice of accepting any types of gifts. When O’Brien ran for Congress he even miffed senior citizen groups by refusing their home made offerings from the senior centers as tokens of appreciation. The fact that he doesn’t remember what act he was around is more of a testament to O’Brien’s single minded focus on his career than his integrity. Jones does deserve an A for effort though but this will have no traction in the fall campaign as Jones and Pat O’Malley face off against O’Brien and former State Representative John Wansacz.