The LuLac Edition #2364, February 23, 2013

Our “Maybe I’m Amazed” logo. 

MAYBE I’M AMAZED 

MAYBE I’M AMAZED……….at the recent dust up with the Luzerne County ethics code and the fact that outgoing engineer Jim Brozena is going to be paid a consultant’s fee. Being a municipal or county employee is like being in a type of separate class.  You never leave, you never get out. You’ll always be taken care of. Bill Barrett and Tony George “retire” as Police Chiefs in Wilkes Barre, they land Security jobs at local schools, one a college, one at Vo Tech. My old softball Commissioner, Bill Brace moved seamlessly from the city to the county and if not for that damn suit, might be doing spmething statewide now. It is what we do here and the County Ethics Board which is well intentioned should just let them pay Brozena for his expertise and move on. Like being born into money and good looks, certain employees will always have a soft landing when they retire and won’t have to worry about eyeing up the dog’s food for their next meal. Others won’t but as Sinatra sang, “That’s Life”. 
MAYBE I’M AMAZED……….that after all this fuss and muss, former Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel will be confirmed as Defense Secretary this week. Hagel’s nomination has been stopped by some GOP Senators worried about a primary challenge in 2014. The craziest thing was when Lindsay Graham admitted that he knew Banghazi was not on Hagel’s watch and had nothing to do with it but decided they would use that as a reason to block it. 
MAYBE I’M AMAZED………….everybody seems to be talking about the first ten years of the automatic sequestration cuts asked for by President Obama. No one seems to be talking about the second ten years where entitlement programs will be at serious risk for running out of money. To avoid this, the President needs to knock some heads, decide if he is the President or if it’s Harry Reid in the Senate, and form an alliance to steamroll the Tea Party Caucus in Congress. Stay home, hunker down and get this done. 
MAYBE I’M AMAZED………..that some bears build nests in trees for sunbathing and resting. And we call them dumb animals. 
MAYBE I’M AMAZED……….that Seth McFarland, the creator of “Family Guy” is going to be the host of The Oscars this year. McFarland who has really pished the edge with his shows on Fox as well as with the movie “Ted” will be an interesting fellow to watch. I predict it won’t be lukewarm, he’ll either bomb or triumph. No middle ground. 
MAYBE I’M AMAZED………that more Governors of  red States, including ultra conservative Florida’s Rick Scott and Arizona Governor Jan Brewer have opted to extend Medicaid, a key component of the Affordable Care Act. Except Governor Tom Corbett. This is money from the Federal Government and if a state does not take it, that state saying no will still have to pay for the other 49 states. 
MAYBE I’M AMAZED……..that there is a museum in Belgian dedicated to strawberries. 
MAYBE I’M AMAZED………that I hear of so many people who went into the “Lincoln” movie not realizing (a), Lincoln freed the slaves, (b) Lincoln was actually shot in a theatre (sans Surround Sound) and (c) Lincoln is the guy on the penny. These misconceptions span at least two generations. So yeah, let’s keep pouring more money into that black hole called education. 
MAYBE I’M AMAZED……that one lump of sugar equals about three feet of sugar cane. 
MAYBE I’M AMAZED………that Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren asked some really basic questions about Wall Street’s responsibility during the fiscal crisis that the smart people were hard pressed to answer. Look at this: 
MAYBE I’M AMAZED…….that this inquisition into Srcanton Mayoral candidate Liz Randol’s gun is so over the top that I can reach only once conclusion. To me, it is an attempt by the Lackawanna County political establishment to kill the chances of still another woman candidate for top office. It is worthy to note that Lackawanna County has never elected a female Commissioner and Scranton has never had a female Mayor. Usually there are no good reasons so something, somewhere along the line has to be trumped up to plant seeds of doubt in the minds of the voters in the Lac.