The LuLac Edition #2560, November 15th, 2013

REPEAL OBAMA CARE

Yep. If I were the President, I’d throw it out and give this challenge to the GOP and some members of his own party. I’d throw it out if it could be amended to be the Public Option. That would solve everything.
1. Everyone would get health care. Like Medicare the one payer system would cover everyone.
2. Each person would be responsible to pay a portion of their health care by paying a percentage in a supplemental policy.
3. Those supplemental policies would be sold by Insurance companies. Those not willing to buy a supplemental policy will not be taxed by the government but have to pay the difference. Plain and simple, you're covered at 80% but if you have a hospital bill of $100,000 and don’t have a supplement, you pay $20,000. It’s that simple.
4. Insurance companies would vie for business in the Supplemental Market and make tons of money. Look at Geisinger Gold and Blue Cross/High Mark Supplemental plans. No one would go out of business, they'd thrive.
5. Claims would be streamlined. There would be no such thing as a Pre existing condition or worrying about who is 26 years old or not.
6. Businesses would not have to bear the burden of providing health care for its employees. They can reinvest that money into hiring more people, giving their employees a raise or if they are in this century’s business mindset, keep it for themselves because they are after all the sainted job creators.
7. You pay for this by putting a consumption tax on non perishable items.
8. That money would be reinvested in paying for health care, solving our infrastructure problems and giving free educations to anyone who qualifies to be a health care professional.
Imagine, no more families of cancer patients holding hoagie sales to pay for the medical costs incurred by families. No more dances raising money to help for someone’s bills when a family needs to be at a bedside instead of at a table selling 50/50 tickets.
Yeah repeal it and do this. But I bet you it will never happen because too many politicians, Democrats and Republicans are in bed with the Insurance companies and the Pharmaceutical people.

SEPARATING THE CONCERNED AND THE KOOKS

There has to be a change in the way public meetings are conducted here in LuLac land. Public bodies put time limit of three minutes, some five. It is a restriction of speech and I understand why it’s done. But there has to be a judgement call made. It is tough to say a few things in three minutes and it would be nice if people who were in office listened. I got an e mail the other day from a guy the other day that attempted to speak at length at the Council meeting the other night. He has offered his knowledge to Bob Lawton and other Council members only to be shuffled off. Here’s what he wrote:
I knew my time was limited to 3 minutes and I wanted to address another idea and I just got into it when I was told by Atty. Pedra that my time was expired. I just don't get it. I stand there with comments that would allow for the county to save money and I get shut down after 3 minutes and then people with nothing beneficial to say get the same 3 minutes and all they do is bitch, use sarcasm and point fingers. I feel like I’m wasting my time speaking.
I know there is supposed to be equality, I know there is a limited time, I know that public officials have to put up with a lot but if someone is maybe giving you the cure for cancer, (and I’m not saying that’s what this e mailer was trying to do here) are you going to shut them down after three minutes? Just saying.

GEORGE WINSLOW’S RULE

George Winslow was my next door neighbor when I was a kid growing up on Dewitt Street in Pittston. Every time it rained, George would head out the door and drive his car in the rain. Apparently at one time lightning struck his home and he decided he’d be safer in his car. George also had a little prized garden in his back yard. Separated by hedges and a fence, sometimes I’d hit my baseball or softball landing in his garden. One day as I was retrieving it, he asked me to do him a favor. "Ask permission before I walked in his garden  and if I'm not home, read a comic."  Every time after that, until the month he died, January of 1967,  I did. Maybe the Valley West School Board member Thomas Pieczynski Sr.,who was helping himself to vegetables from a neighbor’s garden should have done that. Steve Mocarskey of the Times Leader reported it and Steve Corbett brought it up on his radio show. Not the biggest story but it speaks to the mentality of some in this region. They’d rather take than ask. Pieczynski Sr.’s next door neighbor put a camera up for the very same reason Al Boscov stopped serving shrimp at his restaurant in a lunch buffet when he first opened. Some people will take. Stomping on the generosity of others.

Arena Authority Board member Alex Milanes. (Photo: Facebook). 

ARENA YUM!!!!!

The big deal this week is that the newest Arena Board member Alex Milanes appointed by the Luzerne County Council last month refused to partake in lunch at his first Board Meeting. Milanes was picked over some pretty prominent people and was picked unanimously 9 to 0 by the Council. Milanes and I had been passing like ships in the night and shortly before the election we got together for a sit down that had been postponed due to my illness earlier this year. Alex told me that he got his tour of the Arena and was given a list of what the Arena Authority expected of him in terms of rules and regulations as a board member.It was implied that Milanes should take his responsibilities very seriously.  Milanes said that food at meetings should not be on the house and that authority members should pay if they want lunch. Milanes was not playing Gandhi here, he was making sense. If Arena Board members don't get free tickets, why should they get a free lunch? Authority Chairwoman Donna Cupinski made matters worse when she told Times Leader reporter Jennifer Learnes Andes that the meal of a sandwich and pasta salad cost a buck. Maybe in an old Untouchables rerun but not in 2013.
When I worked at various non profits, we bought our own lunches. Period. When I worked at United Way, the campaign chairs like Eugene Roth, the late Richard Pearsall and Wallace Stettler bought a lunch for the volunteers but it came out of their own pockets. The late Sally Jervis who was a Board member would say, "You order, you pay, you don't order, you don't eat". Some people say this is being blown out of proportion but this is a new era here in Luzerne County and Milanes takes this stuff seriously. Milanes has gone through some fire politically and has come out ahead of those who tried to assail him. He’s an interesting guy that will ask the questions come what may. I bet when he was getting his tour and set of expectations of a board member, Cupinski wishes she asked Alex what he thought about the lunch menu.

BEDNAR ON THE AIR

We didn’t get a chance to show you this last week but here’s the brief interview WYLN did last week with newly elected Controller Michelle Bednar. Bednar who had been criticized fir her interview with WBRE’s Andy Mehalshick did a pretty good job earlier in the night. Starting at 5am and moving into Election Night is a tough grind. We should give her a break on this. Here’s the interview.

MEDIA MATTERS

  

ECTV 

Scranton's annual Santa Parade will be the subject of discussion on ECTV Live during the week of November 18th. Hosts Tom Munley and David DeCosmo will welcome Parade Public Relations Officer Tom Fritz to the program to discuss the annual march and what's in store for spectators this year. ECTV Live can be seen on Comcast Ch19 each day at Noon and Midnight with selected additional screenings at 6pm several days each week.

PCN

150TH GETTYSBURG ADDRESS COMMEMORATION TO AIR LIVE ON PCN

PCN will commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Gettysburg Address with special LIVE coverage on Tuesday, November 19 beginning at 9:30 a.m.
Civil War historians J.D. Petruzzi and Tom Vossler will join PCN host Brian Lockman in the PCN studio to set the stage for the 10:00 a.m. ceremony at Soldiers’ National Cemetery in Gettysburg.
Following the ceremony, viewers will have the chance to join in the discussion as Petruzzi and Vossler discuss the impact of the Civil War and President Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. Viewers can dial toll-free at 1-877-PA6-5001 to share their comments or questions during the special program.

SUE HENRY’S SPECIAL EDITION

Tune in to Sue Henry's "Special Edition" this week as Sue recaps the week's news. Special Edition is heard Saturdays and Sunday on these Entercom stations, WILK FM Saturday at 2pm Sunday at 6 am on Froggy 101 Sunday at 7 am on The Sports Hub 102.3 Sunday at 7 am on K R Z 98.5 Sunday at 7 pm on WILK FM 103.1.

SUNDAY MAGAZINE

This Week on Sunday Magazine
Magic 93's Frankie in the Morning speaks with Tom Fritz, PR Director of the Scranton Santa Parade, coming up next Saturday in downtown Scranton.
Brian Hughes speaks with Seth Ginsberg & Tess DeMarco about the "Raise Your Voice" campaign to raise awareness about Rheumatoid Arthritis.
And Frankie speaks with Miami Steve Van Zandt from the E Street Band about his role in "The Rascals, Once Upon A Dream" show, coming to the Kirby Center in Wilkes Barre on Tuesday November 19th. Van Zandt also discusses his life with Bruce Springsteen and his role on "The Sopranos".
Sunday Magazine, Sunday morning at 5am on NASH-FM, 93.7, 5:30am on 97BHT, 6am on 97.9X, 6:25am on Magic 93, and 7am on True Oldies 590, WARM.

BUDDY RUMCHEK

Want to hear some great parodies on the news? Tune in to WILK Radio at 6:40 and 8:40 AM on Mondays. As Ralph Cramden used to say, “It’s a laugh riot!”

Our 1976 logo.

1976

In San Francisco, The Band holds its farewell concert, The Last Waltz........Microsoft is officially registered with the Office of the Secretary of the State of New Mexico……Governor Shapp says that he will most likely leave public life after his term ends in 1979. Shapp the first re-elected Governor of Pennsylvania concedes it is highly unlikely he’ll get a Cabinet position under the Carter administration….in Wilkes Barre Mayor Walter Lisman announces that there will be no new taxes in the coming year for city residents and thirty seven years ago the number on song in LuLac land and America was "Tonight's the Night" by Rod Stewart.