The LuLac Edition #2133, July 21st, 2012

Our “Good Enough” logo. 

THE CULTURE OF “GOOD ENOUGH” 

Do you remember that old saying “good enough for government work?"  If ever there was a national anthem for Luzerne County government that would be it. Even with the passage of Home Rule and the election of a County Council, things are far from perfect. And sadly some things remain the same. It seems like almost every agency in the county has some type of issue or a problem. The latest if of course the Luzerne County Transportation Authority. How the “ghost rider” and sexual harassment situation will shake out if anyone’s guess. But the remaining constant is that when an alleged impropriety is brought out, the person who challenged the establishment, in this case Edd Brominski and Joe Holden get attacked. And of course the media. The disturbing part about these on going probes that keep popping up is this: some of these incidents happened after the FBI came to town. I wonder if it is arrogance or stupidity on the part of the administrators and workers who man these operations. One of the labels on these scandals was entitled “The culture of corruption”. But it appears that in addition to that, there seems to be a “culture of good enough”. Maintain an appearance of normality at all costs. Even if the acts alleged would not be tolerated in the business world. With the new government just starting, (and they have made some mistakes believe me) and our financial situation so precarious, any county linked organization can’t afford to be just “good enough”. It has to be stellar and innovative. But being a realist, I’m willing to settle for “good enough” sometimes. Because right now, years after the federal government began investigating and more than thirty people have been jailed, we still have the lingering question regarding Luzerne County government operations. And that is “what now?"

GUNS AND FREEDOM 

When I first heard about the Colorado shootings on Friday morning, I thought of my friends who lived out there. I was hoping they were not at that movie theatre. Then when I heard the details about the killings, I was shocked but not surprised. Assault rifles with multiple shooting capability should not be sold. In a store, by the mail, at a gun show, anywhere. There is no good reason to possess them. Let me be clear, I am not a Gun Control nut. I think people should be able to own guns, carry them and use them to defend themselves. I also think that hunters should use whatever rifle they want to in the sport of hunting. But as long as there are assault rifles on the market, this stuff will happen. Congress could have extended the ban on these guns but of course said no. The GOP right blathered about how this ban would take away “our freedoms”. You know what, while you’re so worried about your freedoms, some nut is taking away lives of defenseless people. In the meantime, tonight people will gather with candles and do what they do to make themselves feel better. As long as unbalanced, psychotic people have access to these guns, the only people benefiting will be the candle makers.

Senator John McCain. 

McCAIN IN TROUBLE 

2008 GOP nominee John McCain is in trouble again with his own party. McCain appeared on MSNBC the other morning and really gave a tutorial on foreign affairs and the Middle East. He also defended Mitt Romney’s decision about not releasing his tax returns and opined that what he saw in Romney’s taxes in the 2008 vetting process for Vice President would not disqualify the 2012 presumptive nominee from being President. Yet the GOP is angry at McCain. Why? Because in explaining the gridlock in Washington, D.C. he recounted how the Republican party of the ‘90s worked closely with Bill Clinton in passing some meaningful legislation. The state of the Republican party right now (nationally) is so narrow, that even a respected party elder like John McCain, acknowledging factual history, gets him in trouble. The 21st century GOP: Garrulous, Offensive, Pathetic.