The LuLac Edition #4,349, July 13th, 2020

13 QUESTIONS

Our “13 Questions” logo.

1. What has Joe Biden ever done for the city of Scranton?

Throughout his career Biden has been on the side of the lower middle class and that certainly qualifies most of the population of the city. His support of a fair minimum wage, unions and care of senior citizens has been the hallmark of his career. Biden was an instrumental supporter of cities like Scranton especially when the late James McNulty was the Executive Director of that Mayor’s association. Scranton residents would do well to remember that when they vote for President this fall.

2. Do you think Obama was a good President?

Without a doubt the best President of this new century. Bush 43 while more honorable than "Diaper Don" really got us into wars we should have stayed out of. Then there is of course the disaster and sadistic reign of the slob pig we call a President.Here's a few things he did better than Trump:
a. Rescued the country from the Great Recession, cutting the unemployment rate from 10% to 4.7% over six years.
b. Signed the Affordable Care Act which provided health insurance to over 20 million uninsured Americans.
c. Ended the war in Iraq.
d. Ordered for the capture and killing of Osama Bin Laden.
e. Passed the $787 billion America Recovery and Reinvestment Act to spur economic growth during the Great Recession.
f. Supported the LGBT community's fight for marriage equality.
g. Commuted the sentences of nearly 1200 drug offenders to reverse “unjust and outdated prison sentences".
h. Saved the U.S. auto industry.

3. Have you read Mary Trump’s book on her uncle and do you have thoughts on it?

I feel vindicated in one way. Since he ran for office and bragged about his big brain and getting into Wharton, I must have said a thousand times that he paid someone to take his entrance tests. Her book and its contents regarding his education bear that out.

4. Who do you blame for the more than 3 million cases of Covid in this country?

Well it’s easy to put the blame on China but here’s where the blame lies. A. An unfocused and scattered response (almost criminal) when the disease hit. B. Mixed messages from an administration that refused to believe the science. C. Disassociation from world entities like the World Health Organization. D. The citizens who perhaps fueled by the administration’s response have fought against instructions to stay safe. Governors like Cuomo and Wolf have been vilified for urging citizens of their state to do the hard work. But in reality, it paid off. Just look at Florida and Texas. Those are the 4 areas I blame for the high number.

5. Are you down with the name change for the Indians?

They got rid of the logo which some found offensive. Indians is a generic term at least to me. There is no disparaging title at the start or end of the word. But whatever people choose, I’ll still be a Cleveland fan.

6. How are you liking the mobile Rockin’ the County Friday night music programs in Luzerne County?

The first one was cancelled due to the rain. But I think the moving concert might be fun. I'll be driving in most of them. Here's the schedule:
July 17, Hazleton: Indigo Moon Brass Band.
July 24, Pittston: The Mule Team.
July 31, Nanticoke: The Music of Woodstock with Bret Alexander & Friends.
Aug. 7, Kingston/ Forty Fort: Joe Nardone’s Rockology American.s
Aug. 14th: Dustin Douglas and the Electric Gentlemen.
Ted Wampole and staff made a decent decision to get this accomplished and anything to get people entertained, promote the local music scene is fine with me.

7. Best summertime past time now that there’s no baseball?

Hard to say. I’m busy anyway so I guess I can’t really answer that in a logical fashion.

8. What do you think of the Pittston Tomato Festival being cancelled?

They were the last holdouts. I think that discretion in this case is the better part of valor but it will be a loss. Maybe people can have a virtual tomato sandwich making event. Of course I’ll miss the parade which attracted thousands.

9. Best place to buy a nice men’s dress shirt online?

PaulFredrick.com I rebuilt my wardrobe with some real quality stuff.

10. If there is football this year, do you think the Kansas City Chiefs have a chance to repeat?

Absolutely. All they need to do is rebuild their team around Patrick Mehomes. It’s a good bet they will be competitive for years to come.

11. Thoughts on the virtual convention by the Democrats?

It is kind of an unusual experience for the newcomers who wanted to be engaged in the process. I feel bad for them. But with Covid, it is what it is.

12. What are your thoughts on President Trump’s push to reopen schools?

I think he is playing with fire. He desperately wants to kickstart the economy and needs people to feel as though they are returning to "normal," and getting kids back to school is, he believes, one of the best ways to do just that.
The problem is that Trump is so focused on his political imperatives that he is losing sight of the bigger picture here: Forcing -- or pressuring -- schools to fully reopen will jeopardize the health of teachers and could well boomerang back on him from both a public health and political perspective. What Trump has seized on is the fact that, based on all available data, young people tend not to get very sick from the coronavirus. But like much of how Trump has treated the virus, he's cherry-picking data points that work for him while ignoring others, which present a less-convenient reality.
And what Trump is ignoring here is the fact that schools weren't closed this spring primarily to protect kids. It was to protect teachers, many of whom, given their age, are at a significantly higher risk of death. Given what we knew (and know) about asymptomatic transmission of the virus, the concern was that kids would infect the adults tasked with teaching them -- and then those teachers would not only get sick themselves but also pass it along to others.

13. Yellow or red tomato?

Love the yellow a lot but love any fresh tomato straight from the garden.