The LuLac Edition #3043, October 8th, 2015

McCARTHY EXITS

So Kevin McCarthy of California who was in line to become Speaker has dropped out. McCarthy made those comments about the Benghazi investigation being a way to depress Hillary Clinton’s poll numbers. Most members of the GOP decided last week that McCarthy could survive. But apparently McCarthy made the same decision John Boehner made for the members of the GOP. He didn’t want any GOP incumbent running in a District during a General Election when his comments about Mrs. Clinton could be part of the campaign.

COULD THERE BE A DEMOCRATIC SPEAKER?

Former Pennsylvania Speaker Dennis O'Brien. (Photo: LuLac archives)

Jim Cooper of Tennessee has been named the most Conservative Democrat on the hill. Can they get him through? (Photo: CNN)

Work with me on this folks. What is the Democrats picked a candidate to run for Speaker and tried to pick off moderate or Conservative Republicans that didn’t want to be tied to the Tea Party extremists? Think about it. If the GOP has a split between two right wingers, if the GOP can’t get a consensus name like a Paul Ryan to jump in and if the Democrats have a reasonable conservative alternative……it is not out of the realm of possibility.
It happened in Pennsylvania when the Democrats picked Dennis O'Brien as the only minority-party Speaker known in Pennsylvania a few years back. If it happens..you read it here first on LuLac.

THE STATE BUDGET AND WHAT IT MEANS

Pa. Capitol Building. (Photo: wikpiedia).

Well as we stated last week on Pa Live there was a vote yesterday on the Pa. Budget and Governor Wolf’s plan was rejected by a majority of Republicans and nine Democrats. House Republicans said no to Gov. Tom Wolf's proposed increase in the state income tax Wednesday on a 127-73 vote.
Could this be the final act of Wolf's tax plan if the GOP has their way? Maybe not. The Democratic caucus . has not forsaken the newly minted Governor and has been pretty strong with 73 votes. I’m still wondering about the two absentees and think someone should run against them in a primary next year. The main job of a vastly paid legislator is to show up. The GOP voted in unison with all 118 going against the plan.
The question is will Democrats break away from Wolf or stand firm? In the meantime the Governor is making the point that if this budget is passed without his changes, or ideas, it will be a crucial point in the history of Pennsylvania. Wolf feels as well as some Democrats that the time for kicking the can down the road has to stop.
Dr. Stephen Herzenberg, executive director of the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center, released the following statement in response to today’s vote in the state House of Representatives on Gov. Wolf’s revenue package:
"Pennsylvania needs a fiscally responsible 2015-16 state budget that reinvests in education and raises the revenue needed to balance the state books. That would be easier to do with a drilling tax, which voters support.
Today’s vote in the Pennsylvania House did not move us towards the state budget Pennsylvania needs. While all but a few Democrats stood by Gov. Wolf on this difficult vote, members of the legislative majority chose not to support modest revenue proposals that, objective analysis suggests, are at the low end of what is required for Pennsylvania to meet its financial obligations,
This time, without new revenues, we can expect the following unfortunate consequences:
• On July 1 , Pennsylvania will face a projected $2.3 billion deficit;
• The only way to produce a constitutionally required balanced budget will be to cut spending, most of it from public schools and programs that serve seniors, poor children, people with disabilities, victims of abuse and the addicted because that is where most state funding goes;
• Other vital programs – that support conservation, protect the environment or invest in communities and job creation, for example – would also experience deep cuts.
The weight of responsibility for guiding us to the budget Pennsylvania needs now rests more heavily than ever with the legislative majority, including with the members who, at various times, have expressed support for a severance tax, increased education funding and more investment in human services. Today they voted no. That was the easy part. The hard part will be getting to yes, to a vote for a responsible budget that invests in Pennsylvania’s schools, communities and future.”

CARTWRIGHT WEIGHS IN ON BUDGET

REP. CARTWRIGHT RELEASES STATEMENT IN SUPPORT OF GOVERNOR WOLF’S PLAN TO BRING RELIEF TO SKYROCKETING PROPERTY TAXES

Congressman Matt Cartwright. (Photo: LuLac archives).

U.S. Representative Matt Cartwright released the following statement in support of Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf’s most recent budget proposal. Governor Wolf’s plan takes more than $400 million in increased income tax revenue and puts it into existing property tax rebate programs for senior citizens. The current rebate scheme zeroes out taxes for approximately 84,000 households; increasing the rebates to $2,000 as the governor proposes would effectively eliminate property taxes for 216,344 new senior households. The Wolf tax plan would also ease the burden for an additional 30,915 disabled homeowners:
“Governor Wolf has put forward a commonsense tax plan that would provide relief for seniors by eliminating school district property taxes for hundreds of thousands of senior households, while investing in the Commonwealth’s future, our children.
“Helping seniors and low-income families make ends meet should be a priority for us at every level of government. The governor’s plan is geared to do just that. This is the right direction for Pennsylvania

MEDIA MATTERS

THE IRREUGULARS

Event: The Irregulars Think Tank Breakfast

Date: THIS Saturday, October 10th

Presenter: Dr. Mahmoud Fahmy, Professor Emeritus Wilkes University

Topic: Revisiting the current World and the Middle East : How and where we Americans should stand

Time: 9:00 A.M. (Doors open at 8:30)

Place: The Lakeside Skillet, Pole 279, Hwy 415, Harveys Lake

Cost: $13.00 per person.

ECTV

ECTV Live hosts David DeCosmo and Rusty Fender welcome Craig Lukatch from the Lacawac Sanctuary to the program during the week of October 12th. 

He'll outline plans for the annual "Lake to Lake 8K Run and Walk" as well as other upcoming programs at the Sanctuary. ECTV Live is carried on Comcast Cable channel 19 (61 in some outlying areas) and is seen three times daily throughout the week at Noon, 6pm, and Midnight. The program is Directed by Mark Migliore of Electric City Television

THE RIVER ON AM RADIO

I do not know how long it will last but The River 104.9 is on AM 1340. A reader informed us Fox Sports is on the 1400 frequency in Scranton.  It is good to have music back on the AM side.

BOLD GOLD COMMUNITY FORUM

SUNDAY MAGAZINE

This Week on Sunday Magazine
Brian Hughes speaks with Susan Randall and Dr. Andrea Singer about the growing problem of Osteoporosis, Oct. 20th is World Osteoporosis Day.
Magic 93's Frankie in the Morning speaks with Joan Gower from Catholic Social Services about their upcoming Grandparents Raising Grandchildren event.
And an encore of Brian's interview with Dr. Joe Leonardi about the need to label Genetically Modified Foods.
Sunday Magazine, Sunday morning at 5am on NASH-FM, 93.7, 5:30am on 97BHT, 6am on 97.9X & Sports Radio 590, WARM and 6:25am on Magic 93.

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 noon on WILK FM 103.1.

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!”

KAREL ON THE STREET

Tune in Wednesdays on WILK Radio for Karel on the Street. Hear some of the funniest and heartwarming comments on the issues of the day on Webster and Nancy with Karel Zubris.

CORBETT’S SOMEBODY’S WATCHING ME

Every Wednesday at 5PM, Steve Corbett shines the light on a Public official with his “Somebody’s Watching Me” segment. Corbett picks an alleged public servant to eye ball and observe. Batten down the lawn furniture in the driveway and that e mail machine. There is nowhere to hide when “Somebody’s Watching”. Wednesdays at 5 on WILK’s Corbett program.

BOBBY V’S DOO WOP SOCK HOP!!!!!

The Doo-Wop Sock Hop can be heard every Sunday night from 6P to 9P on “105 The River (104.9 FM) Host is the incomparable Bobby V. www.105theriver.net
www.doowopsockhop.net

1965

Our 1965 logo.

The International Olympic Committee admits East Germany as a member......The Post Office Tower opens in London……The Catholic Worker Movement stages an anti-war protest in Manhattan. One draft card burner is arrested, the first under the new law…. The Minnesota Twins beat the l.A. Dodgers in game one of the ’65 World Series. Game 1 was set to be a pitching duel between Dodgers' Don Drysdale and the Twins' Mudcat Grant (21–7, 3.30 ERA on the year). Drysdale was starting because the game fell on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year for people of the Jewish faith. Dodger ace Sandy Koufax, who was Jewish, stated he would not pitch that day….in Pennsylvania the State Legislature takes up debate over Governor Scranton’s strip mining proposals……in Luzerne County the Democrats make impressive gains in registration against a Republican majority and fifty years ago this week the number one song in America was “1-2-3” by the former lead singer of The Dovells, Len Barry.