The LuLac Edition #1918, January 27th, 2012
Band Aid. 
GOP Presidential candidates Santorum, Romney, Gingrich and Paul Thursday night at debate.
NO GUTS, NO GLORY = NO TAXES
People in Luzerne County concerned about higher taxes from the Courthouse have nothing to worry about. The County Council said they will not be raising taxes in this year’s budget. However, employees at the Luzerne County Courthouse have plenty to fear. This new budget calls for lay offs of 106 people. Under Interim Manager Tom Pribula’s budget and modest tax increase, the lay offs might have been numbered in the 30s given retirements and attrition. This lack of guts by the County Council as one of its first financial decisions will have the following ramifications:
1. Increase the number of positions eliminated in the Courthouse. There will be an impact on services.
2. It is a repudiation of the Interim Manager’s business acumen and straight forward attitude that they all praised when they hired him in the first place. When you have a tumor, and the doctor tells you to remove it, you’d be a fool not to take his advice. The County Council has decided to keep the finances of the county gravely ill instead of on the road to recovery.
3. This move puts the new County Manager Robert Lawton in a box. Because he is not going to have much wiggle room if and when he has to make more cuts. No new revenue ties his hands in his first year as Manager.
4. Instead of reviving the sick budget and finances, the Council is putting a band aid on the bleeding.
5. Most intelligent County taxpayers know that the county taxes are the best bargain around. More so than the school taxes one pays on property. County taxes pay for a myriad of mandated services with expenses shared by the federal and state government. The County Council is simply pandering to the tax crazies who oppose everything.
6. Finally, the county Council broke the first rule of the Founding Fathers of America: NO GUTS NO GLORY. If this County Council was around in colonial times we’d be bowing to the Queen and eating fish and chips.
FLORIDA DEBATE # 2
A feisty Mitt Romney challenged Republican presidential foe Newt Gingrich in a fast-paced campaign debate last night on CNN, making sport of the former House speaker's call to colonize the moon. Romney said that Gingrich was going from state to state telling people exactly what they wanted to hear. He said the former speaker had called for construction of a new Interstate highway in South Carolina, a new VA hospital in northern New Hampshire and widening the port of Jacksonville to accommodate the larger ships that will soon be able to transit the Panama Canal.Gingrich responded that he was merely responding to local issues saying that when a candidate visits a community, he has to know the needs of it. Gingrich said that the Port of Jacksonville had to be expanded and that he wasn’t making a promise but identifying a need.
Romney hammered the former Speaker when the topic turned to Gingrich's proposal for an permanent American colony on the moon. That is an issue of interest to engineers and others who live on Florida's famed Space Coast. Gingrich has been lampooned for that but put in its context, Gingrich pointed to the technological war he said we are losing with China.
Gingrich struck back on immigration. Romney denied Gingrich's accusation that he anti-immigrant – more than any other candidate. Romney responded that his father was born in Mexico. While the clashes between Gingrich and Romney dominated the debate, Santorum drew applause from the audience when he called on the two front-runners to stop attacking one another and "focus on the issues." Ron Paul inexplicably invited the candidates to a bicycle race. The second debate this week highlights a Florida primary that has Romney and Gingrich in a dead heat with Rick Santorum and Ron Paul bringing up the rear. Gingrich's upset victory in the South Carolina primary turned the race upside down. Most political observers say they are seeing a “meanness” in the battle between Gingrich and Romney. Many say Gingrich is ruining the GOP brand by his pomposity and off the wall proposals. Others say Romney is wilting under the pressure and may have lost his electability and inevitability strengths. The Florida race is essentially a TV race. That is where people see the candidate and judge them. The winner of this race is going to be the guy who comes across the most Presidential on the tube. God knows Romney and Gingrich are spending millions on their message.
posted by David Yonki @ 12:37 AM
9 comments
9 Comments:
Can you list actual services that will be negatively effected.
Students,
I would like to take this opportunity to address a retort to my lecture of yesterday which pertained to the Apollo I astronauts and their heroism.
One of you stated your belief that they were NOT heroes, but had suffered the consequences of an industrial accident, doing their jobs. Again, class, this is another example of your generation FAILING to do your researce before you raise your hand.
Grissom, Chaffee and White were all MILITARY men---all fighter pilots who put service to their country ahead of their own personal safety.
As I am certain that the young man who retorted my lecture does not realize, space travel in the 60's was not the proficient operation that it is today. These men had volunteered to basically be placed atop a huge roman candle and be shot into space with NO guarantee they would be able to return.
SO, young man, yes they were heroes. I do not decry your statement that firefighters and of course soldiers are heroes as they are. But to show such lack of knowledge of the American space program and its goals and accompishments leading to great contributions in science is very disappointing.
Young man, for this silly waste of the class's time, you receive an F!
NOw, moving forward, I was very happy to see (as I had expected) Governor Romney's stellar performance in last night's debate. As so many of the talking heads last weekend were speaking of the meltdown of the GOP when Newt won Florida this Tuesday, I sat chuckling. It now looks as if the Governor will take Florida and thereby the nomination and then it is off to the Presidency.
Students, I do not wish to blow my own horn, but my predictions on political events (such as the Obamamania meltdown) are always "dead on", to use one of your generations phrases.
I wish you all a good weekend, and since there are no football games, perhaps you will no partake so much in the alcohol and drugs. May I suggest reading some biographies on Virgil Ira Grissom, Edward White and Roger Chaffee? Then, at least when you raise your hand, you will at least possess half a notion as to what you were talking about.
"Industrial accident?" Well, I certainly have a laugh to share with the boys at the club this weekend!
I thank you, and,
Class Dismissed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Nobody asked me, but I thought that it was both hilarious and sad at the same time seeing Romney and Ginger Bread Man arguing over who was more in hawk to Fannie and Freddie.
If either of these clowns becomes Prez next year, we are all in deep trouble.
Good Luck America!
P.S>
My great fear is that if Obama loses and the economy takes a more potent upswing---these GOP bastards will get credit for it.
"LIfe is unfair." JFK, Press conference, 1961
Dave: Was in the UK for 2 years with the USAF. The fish and chips
are great and I bet you would really like them!
Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "The LuLac Edition #1918, January 27th, 2012":
David, outstaanding insight into the county budget problems. Given proper wwxplanation, reasonable taxpayers who by the way are the majority would understand that the crazy spending of the past and the resulting huge debt is the problem, not over populated employees. People seem to forget that over the past several years, several hundred jobs have been cut and cutting deeper will only hurt. It will be interesting to see if Judge Burke and the court in bank have the guts to file the necessary suit to properly fund the courts. Burke has the operation of the courts as his first and primary obligation, not is personal popularity with the Tea Baggers. I don't think he should wait for the budget to be vtoed on, I think he should file suit without delay. Judge Burke must now show he has the guts people gave him credit for when they voted for him. File the suit and get on with the business of the people. Yonk, I love your comments.
A Band Aid is a good photo for the County Council's actions. I find it deeply disheartening that the sensible council members can't find 6 people to support a tax increase.
I think they are chopping off the nose to spite the face.
It is a shame that this subject column will be lost to the calendar. Time moves on but this is a subject that needs to remain in the forefront. I am really disappointed that Brominski again changed his mind and now will not support a tax increase. He really upset me with his grandstand comments that he won't be intimidated by the various reports of potential law suits. Tough guy hell ...... if he were truly a tough guy he would have the right thing and stayed with the tax increase. He folded like a wet noodle to the pressure of the Tea Bag crowd. I'm really disappointed in his waffle.
Oh, one other point. The professor is dead wrong ab out space flight creating heros. If there was even a shadow of a doubt, it would ever had happened. The original poster was correct, it was an industrial accident and nothing more.
If you run on a pledge of not increasing taxes, then you're bound by that if elected.
The Professor is probably to classy to get down to this level. I will.
So if the loss of the Apollo I astronauts is going to be demeaned as an "industrial accident" then I guess you're okay with calling the Jerry Sandusky locker room charges a "playground incident"?
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