The LuLac Edition #1885, January 2nd, 2012

SELLOUTS AMONG DEMOCRATS IN REDISTRICTING, SID, KEN & MIKE!!!!


TCMC Medical College logo.

SELL OUT SID, SMITH, AND CARROLL

It really cracks me up when people run for office when they first announce. “I’m going to be different, I’m going to be close to the people, I’m going to think about the future, you can count on me”. That’s the regular Election Day crap you hear. Then once they’re in, they blanket the media with puff pieces and outrage toward obvious targets. But actions speak louder than words and here in LuLac land we have four State Representatives that enabled the gerrymandering of Congressional Districts. My friend Tom Borthwick from NEPA Partisan wrote about this issue:
Lackawanna County State Reps Ken Smith, Sid Michaels Kavulich and Ed Staback voted for the new Congressional Districts, aka, the craziest, most undemocratic gerrymander the GOP could’ve mustered. State Rep. Kevin Murphy is the only one with guts and conviction, choosing to vote against it. Here’s the roll call.
Why does this matter? Well, normally it wouldn’t. Except that there was a cadre of Republicans who were against the map and if Democrats had stayed unified and actually voted against the plan, the vote would’ve come down 95-97. As in, Democrats could’ve stopped this. If the Legislature couldn’t come up with a compromise, then it would’ve gone to courts and PA would’ve gotten something fair.
Keystone Politics is calling for Smith and Kavulich, and Reps like them, to be primaried. I don’t blame them. My favorite quote, “Unfortunately, 36 members of the state House Democratic caucus think that the Republican Party should win more elections in Pennsylvania.” Remember, Democrats have a nearly 2 million voter registration advantage over Republicans in this state. The only reason that Republicans are in control of our Congressional Delegation and entire state legislature is because of gerrymandering. Democrats are grossly underrepresented proportional to registration, and that’s a matter of fact, not ideology. And Smith, Kavulich and Staback voted to maintain this imbalance. There is, of course, only one reason for this: political gain. Their lack of principles is appalling.
In terms of principle, forget Smith. The guy had trouble paying his bills and then hid behind his wife when he was caught by the Scranton Times. “I don’t know nuthin’ about any stinking tax bills, my wife takes care of that stuff!” or words to that effect. Never forget, Smith never paid his Social Security withholding taxes. That screwed his workers. Another “sainted small business man” we hear about everyday. Yeah right! Staback gets a pass because he’s retiring and most likely doesn’t give a shit anymore. But the two I’m totally disappointed in are Sid Michaels Kavulich and Mike Carroll. The Democratic party has been very good to these guys through the years. Kavulich worked in a high paid media job in Harrisburg before becoming a State Representative. He was paid by the Democratic caucus. Carroll worked as an aide in State Representatives offices for years. Those jobs just don’t go to just anyone. In a way, I understand what Carroll did, because every town in the Pittston area is in his district but that doesn’t hide the fact that he voted with the Republicans on this one. Kevin Haggerty is running against Smith in the 2012 primary. Let’s hope the Democrats grow a set and get some primary opposition against Kavulich and Carroll. A GOP challenge isn’t going to do it but an intra party face off might purge us of smiling faces that turn around and stab their own party in the back. If these “good Democrats” line up with the State GOP on an issue like re-districting, can we really trust them with votes on care for our children and elderly?

TCMC ASKS FOR MONEY

Check this out, after paying out huge bonuses to Human Resources and Finance people, the Medical College is soliciting money from the general public. Here’s an e mail that LuLac obtained from the current administrator trying to salvage this ship. No word if your contribution could be allocated for a bonus.
Dear Friends of TCMC,
Since arriving in the spring of 2011, I have been thrilled by the continued community support of The Commonwealth Medical College (TCMC). Thank you for helping us achieve our goal of educating future physicians in our region.
It has been an amazing year of milestones at TCMC. We welcomed our third class of medical students and masters of biomedical sciences students. Our inaugural MD class, graduating in 2013, started their third-year clinical rotations training with our clinical faculty in communities throughout our 16-county region. This fall, we celebrated the opening of the Medical Sciences Building, a state-of-the-art home for our research and academic programs, with a community dedication and open house.
As 2011 comes to an end, please consider a gift to your medical college. Any gift, large or small, will have a lasting impact on the College, our students and our community for years to come.
Thank you for your support. I wish you and your family a joyous holiday season and a happy New Year.
Sincerely,
Lois Margaret Nora, MD, JD, MBA
Interim President and Dean
The Commonwealth Medical College
Give until it hurts folks. Gottta keep those bonuses coming!!!!!!

A NEW MAJORITY

The Luzerne County Council was sworn in this morning. 9 under the Courthouse dome, 2 (The Urbans) by a Notary in a private home. These dual swearing in ceremonies send a powerful message to Luzerne County residents. The Urbans are sending the signal that they will be an island unto themselves. It appears that they do not want to be known as coalition builders with the other 9. So, the new way of doing business on the Council will be among the nine. The votes might be 5-4, 6-3, 7-2, kind of like a school board. So the Urbans, either by design or unwittingly have changed the political dynamics of how decisions are made.

THE FIRST BAMBINO

The first New Year’s Baby in the area came in about 4AM on Sunday morning. Mom has two previous babies, she’s 21, dad is just 17 (“He was just 17, you know what I mean, and the way he looked was way beyond compare") and of course are going to live happily ever after. Dad and the baby’s last name is Otto, Mom’s last name is Gifford.