The LuLac Edition #2210, September 28th, 2012

Our “Maybe I’m Amazed” logo. 

MAYBE I’M AMAZED 

MAYBE I’M AMAZED……….that the Romney camp seems to be putting all of its collective eggs in one basket. What is at stake is the Presidency. And the basket is the first debate this coming Wednesday. It has been reported that Romney has been preparing and sparring with Obama stand in Senator Rob Portman. In previous editions I’ve said that the people watching the debates have their minds pretty much made up. The President and Governor Romney will be fighting to sway the opinions or capture the opinions of less than 5% of the electorate. To both I say, good luck with that! 
MAYBE I’M AMAZED………that Tom Pisano left the Luzerne County in the lurch by “retiring” effective Monday October 1st. Talk about blind siding people!!! L.A. Tarone and I got into a heated debate this afternoon on Topic A. I felt that it was totally irresponsible for Pisano to book out when there is no Deputy Election Director and there is less than forty days before a national election. It was Pisano who had concerns about the batteries in the voting machines but I guess he decided to say “not my job!” If Pisano is annoyed because he is doing two jobs for one salary and is not getting considered for the New Elections Director position, then that is even more of a disgrace. Pisano took jobs in 2006 when he returned to county government knowing the salary and responsibilities. But maybe under the new charter, the responsibilities became more than he anticipated. Pisano has been a County employee for nearly twenty years. His salary was paid with tax dollars. He owed the County another month. Even in the private sector, if a big project is looming, a person who is retiring stays on. But unfortunately not in county government. When you take, take, take for years, it is hard to fathom that maybe you owe something to the entity, the people that have paid you for years. The Citizen’s Voice reported today that Pisano is putting on the bib overalls and going back to tend to the family farm. Cincinnatus this guy ain’t! 
 
MAYBE I'M AMAZED…………that no one has thought about asking deposed Elections Director Lenny Piazza to come back and serve in the position. Sure Piazza wanted to make his on hours, sure Piazza became an arrogant putz to his superiors. Sure some of those e mails were deranged and disrespectful. Sure he’s suing the County. But c’mon, this is Luzerne County, we can overlook a few things right? Like the fact that the County had no deputy for years in part because of Piazza’s tight control over the bureau and the previous board of Commissioners reluctance to pull the trigger on anything that would help the new Home Rule people succeed. 
MAYBE I’M AMAZED……………….that it took a blown call in a Monday Night Football game between a storied Super Bowl Champion team and the outcry of almost everyone in the nation to get those replacement referees out of there. The calls were comical. But also dangerous. If you tend to annoy bookies, illegal or legal, you make enemies. I’m sure the new/old referees will make some bad calls but nothing like this sad sack brigade they had on the field. 
MAYBE I’M AMAZED……..that the next 4 days are going to be the most pivotal in baseball’s stretch run. The national League seems sewed up but that American League race is going to be something. With two Wild Cards, this season’s ending will be once more a great reason to root and watch. By the way, since the Pirates and Indians are out of it, I’m rooting for the Washington Nationals. The last time they were in the Series was when FDR was President. And I lived in D.C. for a year after I got out of high school. 
MAYBE I’M AMAZED………that the fastest growing nail can be found on the middle finger. 
MAYBE I’M AMAZED…………..that there are one million estimated pieces of furniture you can buy from London’s Olympic Village. The organizers of the London games are having a clearance sale. But wait, there’s more, they are also selling fixtures and fittings from the Olympic games. Plus there are four piece athletic bedroom suites available too. Check it out at remains of thegames.co.uk. 
MAYBE I’M AMAZED….that the Healthy Eating campaign for kids started by First Lady Michelle Obama might be backfiring. School lunch programs are offering more healthy choices but the kids say they aren’t getting filled and are wasting the food. Tales of uneaten fruit in trash cans have become commonplace. To me the waste of any food is a shame because there are other places in the world that have nothing. Maybe it’s time for government to not impose a menu on anyone, let alone a kid. Make the comparison, radishes or fries? C’mon. 
MAYBE I’M AMAZED…….recycled paper is made with 40% less energy than regular non recycled paper. 
MAYBE I’M AMAZED…………….that in the race for the U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania, Republican Tom Smith seems to be creeping up on incumbent Bob Casey. Smith, a multi millionaire has been running anti Casey commercials the entire summer. The Casey ads have been few and far between. Smith was considered a long shot but now is within 8 points. Once before, a Casey opponent ran ads against him early on in the contest. He defined Casey as a political heir instead of an individual who had his own record. That guy was 20 points behind Casey. That guy beat Casey in the Gubernatorial primary in 2002. That guy was Ed Rendell. My point here is, it’s been done before. 
MAYBE I’M AMAZED…….that on average, a laptop uses half as much energy as a desk top computer.