The LuLac Edition #4, 789, August 18th, 2022

 BIDEN RESCHEDULES WILKES BARRE VISIT 

 The Times Leader reports that President Joe Biden will travel to Wilkes-Barre on Tuesday, Aug. 30, a rescheduling of a trip that was canceled in July when he tested positive for COVID-19.

The President will give remarks at Wilkes University on his Safer America Plan to further reduce gun crime and save lives, said Seth Schuster, Regional Communications Director at The White House.

No other details were announced.

  

LIAR JIM BOGNET BACK ON AIR

Jim Bognet, the GOP candidate for Congress was back on the airwaves and is once again telling voters in the 8^th district about how he will stand up to Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi.

Funny, Bognet and the GOP can’t have it both ways. They can’t say that President Biden is such a weakling when in fact Bognet needs to stand up to him.

Plus the Pelosi tuff is old news. Nancy has been out maneuvering the GOP clowns forever. But Bognet can tell you all he wants about what a toiugh guy he’ll be in Washington. Bottom line though is he won’t do tthis with a do nothing, impotent GOP Congress:

He won’t bring home 274,632,485 to this district.

 

INTRODUCING THE GOP PRETZEL PROJECT

(Photo: Amzon.com)

Joe Walsh, a former Republican congressman from Illinois, appeared Sunday on The Mehdi Hasan Show, where he addressed how some congressional Republicans are coming to the defense of former President Donald Trump. Following a search at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach, Fla., it has been reported that Trump had taken highly classified documents when he left the White House, which is illegal, even for a former president. Despite the fact that it was a legally executed search warrant, many members of the GOP have rushed to Trump's defense and denigrated the FBI.

“This may be an inappropriate thing to say, but, Mehdi, I find it so funny watching my former colleagues twist into pretzels trying to defend criminal behavior,” Walsh said. “And that’s what they’ve done for the last six years.”

As the FBI faces an unprecedented level of violent threats from Trump supporters since the raid, Walsh compared what’s happening now to that which led to the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol, which Walsh believes Trump wanted to happen.

You should see what local Trumpanzees are saying and doing to sell their souls. (MSNBC, LuLac) 

 

 REP. CARTWRIGHT VOWS TO PROTECT SOCIAL SECURITY AT SCRANTON EVENT

Congressman Matt Cartwright (Photo:Times Leader)

The Times Leader’s Bill O’Boyle reported that on Monday  U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright on Monday said for generations, Social Security has been a sacred promise to workers who have earned their retirement through decades of hard work.

"I know how much our seniors and their families rely on this program, which is why I am committed to protecting Social Security," said Cartwright, D-Moosic.

Cartwright commemorated the 87th Anniversary of Social Security at United Neighborhood Center's Oppenheim Healthy Aging Campus in West Scranton. Speaking to a crowd of 50 seniors, Cartwright vowed to protect social security in the face of threats from Republicans who he said plan to end Social Security in five years.

Cartwright also spoke about the Social Security 2100 Act (H.R. 5723) — legislation he co-sponsored in the U.S. House of Representatives with more than 200 of his fellow House Members joining him in the effort.

Cartwright said the Social Security 2100 Act provides a benefit bump to current and new beneficiaries to make up for inadequate, long-overdue Cost-of-Living-Adjustments that haven't been updated since 1972.

This new legislation will also protect low-income workers by setting the new minimum benefit at 25 percent above the poverty line and would tie it to increases in wage levels nationwide to ensure the minimum benefit does not fall behind.

ocial Security 2100 also adds a caregiver credit so that people — disproportionately women — who take time out of the workforce to care for children or other loved ones aren't penalized when the time comes to retire.

Other highlights of the Social Security 2100 Act include:

—Repealing the Windfall Elimination Provision and Government Pension Offset that currently reduces Social Security benefits for public servants, including teachers.

—Improving Social Security benefits for widows and widowers in two income households so they are not penalized for having two incomes.

—Ending the five-month waiting period for disability benefits to kick in so those diagnosed with severe disabilities, such as terminal cancer, no longer have to wait.

—Increasing access to Social Security dependent benefits for children who live with their grandparents or other relatives.

Cartwright said these Social Security enhancements, as well as several others, are fully paid for by the proposed act. High income Americans currently stop paying into Social Security after their first $147,000 of annual income. Social Security 2100 would require them to pay the same rates on their very high incomes.

"I have noted with dismay that protecting and expanding Social Security has become a partisan issue," Cartwright said. "Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla) has actually proposed a five-year 'sunset' for both Social Security and Medicare, which could kill both programs. That's a foolish and dangerous idea."

Cartwright said Social Security needs to be strengthened, which is why said he is leading a group of members of Congress who are calling for a House floor vote on the 2100 Act.

"I'd love to help deliver a victory for the American people, and my hope is that it can be bipartisan," Cartwright said. "It's time to vote for a plan to bolster Social Security."

Social Security was established on Aug. 14, 1935, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act into law. This provided for a new federally administered insurance program for the elderly.

It started off as old-age insurance for individuals, but has grown into a cornerstone of American life, providing comprehensive benefits for retirees and persons with disabilities and their families.

Cartwright is a member of the House Democratic Leadership team and serves as Chairman of the Commerce-Justice-Science Appropriations Subcommittee.

He represents Pennsylvania's 8th Congressional District, which includes Lackawanna, Wayne and Pike counties and portions of Luzerne and Monroe counties.

 

CONGRESSMAN MATT CARTWRIGHT ATTENDS WHITE HOUSE BILL SIGNING CEREMONY FOR PACT ACT

PART OF THE LARGER PACT ACT, CARTWRIGHT’S BIPARTISAN CAMP LEJEUNE JUSTICE ACT WILL NOW PROVIDE LONG-OVERDUE RELIEF TO VICTIM

Congressman Matt Cartwright (Photo: LuLac archives)

U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright (PA-08) was among a group of lawmakers on hand today at the White House Rose Garden for President Joe Biden’s bill signing ceremony for the PACT Act.

“I was proud to witness the signing of the PACT Act, which includes The Camp Lejeune Justice Act, bipartisan legislation I sponsored along with Republican Congressman Greg Murphy and Democratic Congressman David Price, both of North Carolina,” said Rep. Cartwright.  “The service members who signed up to defend their country and the people who supported them at Camp Lejeune were let down by their government in a big way. Having the Camp Lejeune Justice Act signed into law is an important step forward to ensure military families, civil servants and contractors can receive the benefits and health care they deserve. As the author of The Camp Lejeune Justice Act, I will continue to advocate on behalf of all military members and their families.”

Over a 30-year period spanning the 1950s through the 1980s, thousands of Marines, their families, civilian workers and personnel used government provided tap water that was contaminated with harmful chemicals, found at levels ranging from 240 to 3,400 times the levels permitted by safety standards. These exposures likely increased the risk of cancers, such as renal cancer, multiple myeloma, leukemia and more. It also likely raised their risk of adverse birth outcomes, along with other negative health effects. Although the exact number of Camp Lejeune water contamination victims will never be known, it is estimated that more than a million people were exposed, and more than 500,000 people may have devastating health effects.

“This much-needed legislation eliminates red tape and gives our veterans, their dependents, contractors, and civil servants who were exposed to toxic chemicals in drinking water at Camp Lejeune their day in court,” Rep. Cartwright said.

The Camp Lejeune Justice Act provisions included in the Honoring Our PACT Act will allow those who were injured because of the contaminated water at Camp Lejeune and their family members to file under the Federal Tort Claims Act for fair compensation. This type of claim would already be permitted anywhere else in the United States, but because of a unique provision in North Carolina law, this legislation is necessary for those harmed at Camp Lejeune to finally to seek justice.

 

 

CASEY LEADS BIPARTISAN LETTER TO GOVERNMENT WATCHDOG URGING EXAMINATION OF LACK OF WEB ACCESSIBILITY ACROSS FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

CASEY HELD AGING COMMITTEE HEARING ON FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WEB ACCESSIBILITY, LED BIPARTISAN OVERSIGHT LETTERS TO DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS AND DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE CALLING FOR MORE ACCESSIBLE WEBSITES AND TECHNOLOGY

 AS AMERICAN WITH DISABILITIES ACT PASSES ITS 32ND ANNIVERSARY, MANY ONLINE RESOURCES FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ARE STILL NOT ACCESSIBLE FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

 Senator Bob Casey (Photo: LuLac archives)

U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging Chairman Bob Casey (D-PA) led a bipartisan group of Senators in requesting the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to investigate the federal government’s compliance with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, which mandates that government make its electronic and information technology accessible to people with disabilities. Chairman Casey was joined by Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee; Senator Richard Burr (R-NC), Ranking Member of the Senate Health; and Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Mike Braun (R-IN), both members of the Senate Special Committee on Aging.

Chairman Casey’s letter to GAO is the latest in a series of bipartisan efforts he has led to ensure effective federal oversight and enforcement of the mandated Section 508 requirements. Chairman Casey recently led a letter to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), urging the agency to improve VA web accessibility for disabled veterans, and to the Department of Justice (DOJ), demanding long-overdue information on web accessibility across the federal government. He called on DOJ to restart the government-wide reports evaluating the accessibility of federal technology. These reports have not been issued since 2012, despite a requirement in Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act that they be completed every two years.

“Recent congressional oversight leaves us concerned about the federal government’s efforts to meet its legal obligations to ensure that its electronic and information technology, including websites, is accessible for people with disabilities. Accessibility challenges appear to exist across the government, raising important questions about the effectiveness of accountability mechanisms intended to monitor the accessibility of federal technology and whether they are being properly carried out,” the Senators wrote. “Given these concerns, we ask the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to examine how the federal government is complying with laws requiring the availability of accessible technology and how it evaluates whether legal requirements are being met.”

Below is a timeline of Chairman Casey’s work on the issue of federal government web accessibility: 

March 2020: Senator Casey introduced the bipartisan Department of Veterans Affairs Website Accessibility Act alongside Senator Moran and Representative Luria directing the VA to report to Congress regarding the accessibility of VA websites to people with disabilities. 

December 2020: Senator Casey’s Department of Veterans Affairs Website Accessibility Act became law (P.L. 116-213). 

January 2021: Senator Casey sent a letter to then-VA Secretary Robert Wilkie to confirm the VA was taking steps to implement the VA Website Accessibility Act and ensuring robust enforcement of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act after reports that the agency was not meeting standards of accessibility established by those laws. 

April 2021: Senator Casey sent a letter following up on concerns on VA website accessibility with VA Secretary McDonough. 

September 2021: VA transmitted a report to Congress regarding Section 508 compliance. 

March 2022: Senator Casey received responses from VA to questions from his April 2021 letter.

June 2022: Senator Casey led a bipartisan, bicameral group of committee leaders in sending a letter to U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Denis McDonough urging the agency to improve VA website accessibility for disabled veterans. He also released VA’s Section 508 report required by the VA Website Accessibility Act.

June 2022: Senator Casey led a bipartisan group of Senators in sending a letter to U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Attorney General Merrick Garland demanding information on web accessibility across the federal government. 

July 2022: Senator Casey held a hearing in the Special Committee on Aging examining the challenges facing seniors and people with disabilities when accessing crucial online resources from the federal government and pressing for answers as to why barriers to web access remain, and what federal government agencies are doing to meet accessibility standards. Testimony showed that a long list of federal agencies, even the White House, have entered settlements after being sued for failing to meet accessibility requirements outlined in Section 508.

 

 GOV. WOLF SIGNS EXECUTIVE ORDER TO PROTECT LGBTQIA+ PENNSYLVANIANS FROM CONVERSION THERAPY

Governor Tom Wolf (Photo: LuLac archives)

“Conversion therapy is a traumatic practice based on junk science that actively harms the people it supposedly seeks to treat,” said Gov. Wolf. “This discriminatory practice is widely rejected by medical and scientific professionals and has been proven to lead to worse mental health outcomes for LGBTQIA+ youth subjected to it. This is about keeping our children safe from bullying and extreme practices that harm them.”

The Executive Order directs commonwealth agencies to discourage conversion therapy in the commonwealth. It directs commonwealth agencies to take steps to actively promote evidence-based best practices for LGBTQIA+ individuals that is actually supported by the scientific and medical communities. It directs agencies to make updates to policies and procedures to better support LGBTQIA+ employees and the Pennsylvanians we serve. It also directs the Department of Human Services, the Insurance Department and Department of State and other appropriate agencies to explore and implement all options to ensure state funds, programs, contracts, and other resources are not used for the purposes of providing, authorizing, endorsing, reimbursing for, or referring for conversion therapy, to the extent permitted by law.

A survey on LGBTQIA+ Youth Mental Health by The Trevor Project shows that LGBTQIA+ youth are at increased risk for negative mental health outcomes. The survey results show that 45% of LGBTQIA+ youth seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year. 73% of LGBTQIA+ youth reported experiencing symptoms of anxiety. 58% reported symptoms of depression. Additionally, 36% of LGBTQIA+ youth reported they have been physically threatened or harmed due to their sexual orientation or gender identity.

According to a peer-reviewed study from The Trevor Project, 13% of LGBTQIA+ youth nationwide reported being subjected to conversion therapy, and 83% of those subjected to it were under age 18.

The study showed that LGBTQIA+ youth who underwent conversion therapy were more than twice as likely to report having attempted suicide in the past year. Researchers found that when they accounted for the harms caused by conversion therapy – including negative mental health outcomes and substance use – conversion therapy costs our nation $9.23 billion each year.

A 2019 study from the UCLA Williams Institute estimated that 73,000 LGBTQIA+ youth will be subjected to conversion therapy before they turn 18 – including 16,000 youth who will receive conversion therapy from a licensed health care professional.

“Conversion therapy is causing horrific consequences for the mental health and well-being of a generation of young LGBTQIA+ individuals,” said Gov. Wolf. “But there is something very simple that we can all do to help. We can stand up and tell LGBTQIA+ youth that we hear them and we accept them exactly as they are. ​

“The Trevor Project’s Youth Mental Health Survey showed that rates of negative mental health outcomes among LGBTQIA+ youth are much lower in communities, schools and families that are accepting and supportive of LGBTQIA+ people. That’s why I signed this executive order to protect Pennsylvanians from conversion therapy and the damage it does to our communities. Because all of our youth deserve to grow up in a commonwealth that accepts and respects them.

“I want LGBTQIA+ youth and individuals across Pennsylvania to know that I stand with you. I see you, I respect you and I support you. My administration will continue to support policies to keep children safe from bullying and harmful practices.”

“We have worked tirelessly over the last year to collaboratively get this executive order drafted, through discussions with advocates, parents, and many stakeholders. With this action, the practice of conversion therapy has its days numbered in Pennsylvania​,” said Rafael Alvarez Febo, executive director of the Pennsylvania Commission on LGBTQ Affairs. “Young people should never be punished for being who they are and that’s what so–called conversion therapy does, while causing sometimes irreparable trauma to individuals.”

“Taxpayers’ dollars must never again be spent on the dangerous and discredited practice of conversion ‘therapy’ — which has been consistently associated with increased suicide risk and an estimated $9.23 billion economic burden in the U.S.,” said Troy Stevenson (he/him), senior campaign manager for Advocacy and Government Affairs of The Trevor Project. “Thank you Governor Tom Wolf for your leadership and for taking bold action to affirm and protect young LGBTQ people across the commonwealth. We urge the state legislature to pass comprehensive state-wide protections and for governors across the nation to follow the Keystone State’s lead in ending this abusive practice.”

 

 

MEDIA MATTERS

THE WILK  LIE MACHINE RAMPS UP

Well President Biden got his bill that would help with climate change, give people a break on prescription medications as well as help the IRS with a retirement crisis with workers in that agency.

The WILK LIE machine starts spouting out bullshit that 87,000 new hires were going to come down on regular taxpayers auditing them.

Gee, I wonder why the $15.00 an hour hosts are getting so scared!  Then like the gullible trolls the listeners lap up the lies.

And the beat and sadly the ignorance goes on at the formerly great 98! 

 

WALN TV

 

 

BOLD GOLD COMMUNITY FORUM 

 This week's guest will be Nancy Harvey, Higher Education Access Partner for PHEAA.  You'll hear the program Sunday morning at 6 on 94.3 the Talker; 6:30 on The Mothership 1400am, and at 7:30 on 105 The River

 

BOBBY V’S DOO WOP SUNDAY NIGHT

 SOCK HOP

 

1975

Our 1975 logo.

President Sheikh Mujibur Rahman of Bangladesh was assassinated at his residence in Dhaka, along with his wife, three of his sons, two daughters-in-law, and his brother, and 12 other people during a coup d'etat led by Major Syed Faruque Rahman. Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad, Mujibur's Commerce Minister, became the new President. The original six conspirators, all military officers, had met on August 6 and were soon joined by others, and the decision was made to act before September 1, when the nation's district governors would be given control over the police and armed forces. At dawn, the group struck. Nearly 35 years later, on January 28, 2010, five of the coup leaders would be hanged after their convictions in 1998, including Syed Faruque, and the man who actually shot President Mujibur, Major Bazlul Hud…… Two auto racing legends were fatally injured on the same day, thousands of miles apart.[58] Tiny Lund, who had won the 1963 Daytona 500, was killed in a six car pileup while competing in NASCAR's Talladega 500 car race in Alabama. Earlier in the day, Mark Donohue, who had set a world record at the same track a week earlier, was fatally injured during a final morning practice, hours before the Austrian Grand Prix, when a punctured tire caused his car to hurtle through a fence. Donohue walked away from the crash, complaining of a severe headache, then went into convulsions. Two days after undergoing emergency brain surgery at Graz, he died of complications……. The "Bicentennial quarter" was put into circulation in the United States. For one year, the image of the American eagle was replaced by one of an American Revolutionary War drummer boy. The image of George Washington remained the same, but the inscription "1776-1976" was put where "1976" would have gone….. The New York Times became the first major American newspaper to call attention to sexual harassment of female employees, in an article syndicated nationwide by The New York Times News Service. The Wall Street Journal would follow with an article in January…. John Patler, a sniper who had assassinated American Nazi leader George Lincoln Rockwell on August 25, 1967, was paroled after serving nearly eight years of his 20-year prison sentence…… 

Hank Patterson, 86, passed away, he was an American TV actor (Fred Ziffel on Green Acres)…… 

Ed Halicki of the San Francisco Giants Major League Baseball team pitched a no-hitter against the New York Mets; the Giants wouldn't win another no-hitter until 2009.and Charles Revson, 68, cosmetics manufacturer who founded the Revlon company passed away and this week the number one song in LuLac land and America was "I'm Not In Love" by  10cc.