The LuLac Edition #4, 994, August 31st,, 2023

 DEMOCRATS HIRING!!!!! 

Want to be on the right side of history? Want to be part of something bigger than yourself? Want to save democracy? Want to be on the right side of history?

Check out a position is for Field Organizers with the PA Dems, here is the link: Careers At Pennsylvania Democratic Committee (hrmdirect.com)

 

TRUMP, THE TRIALS AND SUPER TUESDAY

Now the Trump saga has joined two interest groups in following him. The political junkies as well as the Legal Beagles. The latter were fans of Court TV and stayed glued to the O.J. trial. Political junkies are just that. They live for primary dates, elections and all that good stuff. With a trial date set for March 4^th, the day before Super Tuesday the juxtaposition of these two groups is just too big to ignore.

While Trump has been a lasting stain on the America psyche he has nonetheless been entertaining. The Hill has expressed ideas as to why these two world, political and court collide.

Why is it important?

While Super Tuesday falls behind some of the critical early primary and caucus states, there is still a lot up for grabs on the contest day.

One-third of all delegates can be won on Super Tuesday, more than any other day on the primary calendar. Candidates and voters could have a good idea of who the party’s eventual nominee is after Super Tuesday due to the large number of delegates at stake.

Though Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada are currently top priorities for the GOP contenders, the candidates have also made visits to Super Tuesday states, underscoring their importance. Many of the candidates have traveled to Texas to visit the southern border, while Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has made trips to Oklahoma, Alabama and Tennessee.

Many of the the GOP contenders have also spoken at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif., which is also the site of the next Republican president debate.

What does Trump’s trial date mean for Super Tuesday?

By the time Super Tuesday rolls around in 2024, primary voters will have already chosen their candidates in several key states. However, there might not be a clear indication of who the Republican nominee is until potentially after Super Tuesday. This means that Trump’s trial date could have an impact on the multi-state contest after it kicks off March 4.

Trump’s allies claim that the four indictments against him have only boosted his presidential campaign, pointing to the fundraising boosts the campaign has seen in recent months. Trump’s campaign brought in a whopping $35 million in the second quarter, which came after Trump pleaded not guilty in two different criminal cases. And this week, Trump’s campaign reported raising $7.1 million off of his mug shot in the Georgia case into his efforts to overturn the presidential election in that state.

The enthusiastic support for Trump amid his legal troubles coupled with his double-digit lead in most state and national-level polling suggests that the trial start has the potential to galvanize the GOP base in a number of early primary states.

However, some Republicans say Trump’s legal troubles could still come back to bite him in the primary. The super PAC backing former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie used Trump’s mug shot in an ad this week, asking voters if they are “Tired of the drama, the distractions, the lies?”

Additionally, an ABC News/Ipsos poll released earlier this month found no bump for Trump among Republicans; 20 percent of Republican voters said Trump should suspend his campaign, while 14 percent said he should have been charged in the federal Jan. 6 case.

 

 CARTWRIGHT ANNOUNCES $6 MILLION RELEASED TO SCRANTON POLICE AND LUZERNE EMERGENCY FIRST RESPONDERS

Congressman Matt Cartwright (Photo: LuLac archives)

, Rep. Matt Cartwright (PA-08) announced the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs (OJP) has authorized the release of $6 million in Community Project Funding dollars to support police and first responders in Scranton and Luzerne County.

The projects, funded at the Congressman’s request, include:

Law enforcement training program and technology upgrades, $3.5 million, awarded to the City of Scranton and Scranton Police Department

This project will help improve the Scranton Police Department’s community policing efforts by purchasing new body cameras, mobile video recorders and tasers. The new equipment and technology will allow the Scranton Police Department to manage the use of force reporting, direct supervisor audits of specific incident types and add virtual reality and other training modules for officers.

Creation of a county-wide emergency first responder unit, $2.5 million, awarded to the Luzerne County District Attorney’s Office

This project for the Luzerne County District Attorney’s Office supports a collaborative effort to create a county-wide unit of first responders from multiple jurisdictions to respond to emergency situations, handle complex investigations, and assist smaller departments with major cases. The Emergency Services Unit (ESU) will include major case investigators, cell phone analyzers and a crisis intervention team to respond to incidents involving individuals with mental health issues and emergency responders trained in responding to high-risk incidents including those involving barricaded gunmen and active shooters. The ESU will be designed to protect the public from violent incidents and to investigate and prosecute criminal offenders.

"Our law enforcement officers and emergency first responders take tremendous risks in the line of duty day in and day out, and it’s vital we provide the resources they need to keep our communities safe," said Rep. Cartwright, a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee and Ranking Member of the Commerce, Justice and Science Subcommittee, where he oversees more than $70 billion in annual federal spending.  “As a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee, I will continue to support police and all first responders by providing them what they need when it comes to protecting our community.”

Rep. Cartwright also secured additional FY2022 and FY2023 Community Project Funding for law enforcement across the 8th District including:

-      The Lackawanna County District Attorney’s Office County Gun and Gang Reduction and Intelligence Project, $2 million

-      City of Wilkes-Barre, Community Policing Technology and Equipment Initiative, $2.1 million

-      New Moosic Fire & Police Facility, $4 million

-      Archbald Borough for a multi-jurisdictional, Fire and Police Emergency Operations Center, $3 million

-      Monroe County shared West End Emergency Services facility, $1 millio

“Bringing our fair share of federal tax dollars back to our region is the main reason I ran for Congress,” Rep. Cartwright added. “This funding directly responds to some of the most pressing needs in Northeastern Pennsylvania by creating good-paying jobs, making us safer, and strengthening our communities.”

 

 

MEDICARE DRUG PRICING NEGOTIATIONS SET TO BEGIN, WITH FIRST SET OF DRUGS ANNOUNCED

CASEY-BACKED INFLATION REDUCTION ACT GAVE MEDICARE POWER TO NEGOTIATE DRUG PRICES FOR THE FIRST TIME

BIDEN ADMINISTRATION ANNOUNCING FIRST ROUND OF 10 PRESCRIPTIONS DRUGS TODAY

CASEY: DEMOCRATS AND THE INFLATION REDUCTION ACT PAVED THE WAY TO LOWER DRUG COSTS FOR THE 63 MILLION AMERICANS ON MEDICARE

Senator Bob Casey (Photo: LuLac archives)

U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Aging, applauded the Biden Administration’s announcement of the first 10 prescription drugs selected for Medicare price negotiations. In August 2022, Democrats in Congress passed the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which allowed Medicare to directly negotiate the price of prescription drugs for the first time. The announcement of the first set of drugs to be selected for negotiations is the beginning of a process which will lower prescription drug costs for the 63 million Americans on Medicare.

“In the Inflation Reduction Act, Democrats fought hard to finally allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices. Because of this law, pharmaceutical companies will no longer be able to charge Medicare recipients unfair prices for the medications they need, and millions of Americans will see lower drug costs as a result. This is a huge step to lower drug costs for Americans, but it’s also just the beginning. More drugs will be added to the list in the years to come, and Democrats are going to keep fighting to lower everyday costs for Americans and ensure that families don’t have to choose between their health and their bank account,”said Chairman Casey.

Below is a list of the drugs included and the conditions they’re commonly used for. Negotiated prices will go into effect beginning in 2026.

Eliquis (Prevention and treatment of blood clots)

Jardiance (Diabetes; Heart failure)

Xarelto (Prevention and treatment of blood clots; Reduction of risk for patients with coronary or peripheral artery disease)

Januvia (Diabetes)

Farxiga (Diabetes; Heart failure; Chronic kidney disease)

Entresto (Heart failure)

Enbrel (Rheumatoid arthritis; Psoriasis; Psoriatic arthritis)

Imbruvica (Blood cancers)

Stelara (Psoriasis; Psoriatic arthritis; Crohn’s disease; Ulcerative colitis)

Fiasp, Fiasp FlexTouch, Fiasp PenFill, NovoLog, NovoLog FlexPen, NovoLog PenFill (Diabetes)

In addition to allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices for the first time, the IRA also capped the cost of insulin for Medicare Part D patients at $35 a month for certain covered insulin products starting last January. It also will limit their out-of-pocket costs at $2,000 per year beginning in 2025 and instituted a new provision to impose penalties on drug companies that hike up prices in Medicare above the rate of inflation. It also makes eligible vaccines, including the shingles vaccine, free for seniors with Medicare Part D and expands cost-sharing assistance for low-income people with Medicare, a provision Senator Casey championed through his Lowering Medicare Premiums and Prescription Drug Costs Act. Families are already seeing lower prescription drug prices because of some of these provisions.

 

GOVERNOR SHAPIRO, SECRETARY OF AGING JASON KAVULICH LEAD AARP TELE-TOWNHALL TO TAKE QUESTIONS ON HISTORIC EXPANSION OF PROPERTY TAX/RENT REBATE PROGRAM

GOVERNOR SHAPIRO’S PLAN DELIVERS THE LARGEST TARGETED TAX CUT FOR PENNSYLVANIA SENIORS IN NEARLY TWO DECADES.

Governor Josh Shapiro (LuLac archives)

Governor Josh Shapiro and Secretary of Aging Jason Kavulich today joined AARP Pennsylvania for a tele-townhall to answer questions from older Pennsylvanians in real-time about the expansion of the Property Tax/Rent Rebate (PTRR) program. Governor Shapiro recently signed the historic expansion of the program into law, helping to put more money into the pockets of thousands of older Pennsylvanians starting next year.

Under the expansion proposed by the Governor – the first for the program since 2006 – nearly 175,000 additional Pennsylvanians will be eligible for the program, with rebates nearly doubling for many of the 400,000 people who already qualify. The maximum rebate for seniors also increases from $650 to $1,000, with the income cap for renters and homeowners both increasing to $45,000 and tied to the cost of living so seniors don’t lose out on PTRR benefits through no fault of their own.

“I made a commitment to older Pennsylvanians when I was campaigning to be Governor and then again once I became Governor in my budget address that we would address the challenges our seniors have with rising costs,” said Governor Josh Shapiro. “I made that commitment – and we delivered on it in a bipartisan manner. We passed the largest targeted tax cut for seniors in nearly two decades. We’re putting more money in seniors’ pockets so they can get the help they need to age with dignity.”

“Today is a historic moment for older Pennsylvanians and I’m proud to be part of a team of individuals that has taken the rhetoric and made it a reality and that in seven months’ time, we’ve seen historic investments in older adult services,” said Secretary of Aging Jason Kavulich. “The property tax and rent rebate is huge. This year – along with the other historically, historic investments in older adult services that the Governor spoke about – is just the beginning of making sure that every older Pennsylvanian has the ability to age in place safely with dignity and respect in the communities that they love.”

During today’s tele-townhall, Governor Shapiro and Secretary Kavulich joined AARP Pennsylvania’s state director Bill Johnston Walsh to answer questions from older Pennsylvanians, ranging from who qualifies for the PTRR program to why the Governor made this expansion a priority in his first seven months in office.

Governor Shapiro outlined his plans to expand the PTRR program during his campaign and in his inaugural budget address in March, and his signing of the bill delivers on the commitment he made to Pennsylvania seniors to ease the burden of rising costs.

The core mission of AARP is to empower people to choose how they live as they age, and a crucial aspect of this choice is deciding where to reside. The PTRR expansion will help many seniors pay utility bills, buy groceries, and live more comfortably in their chosen home.

“As property taxes across the state have increased, rents have increased as well. That’s why AARP Pennsylvania fought for expanding the state’s Property Tax/Rent Rebate program that benefits both homeowners and renters,” said AARP Pennsylvania State Director Bill Johnston-Walsh. “Before even taking office seven months ago, Pennsylvania’s 48th Governor Josh Shapiro recognized that older Pennsylvanians want to age in their homes and communities, and he has committed himself and his Administration to modernizing Pennsylvania’s Property Tax/Rent Rebate program. Throughout his campaign and in his first budget address, he called for a historic expansion of the state’s Property Tax/Rent Rebate program, and with bipartisan support, he kept his promise and just delivered the largest targeted tax cuts for older Pennsylvanians in nearly two decades.”

Under the program’s expansion, eligibility criteria will stay the same, meaning the program will continue to benefit eligible Pennsylvanians age 65 and older; widows and widowers age 50 and older; and people with disabilities age 18 and older.

The process, timeline, and filing systems that are already in place will continue to remain the same. The Pennsylvania Department of Revenue will release detailed information on the filing process prior to the next claim season opening in January 2024. Information will also be updated on revenue.pa.gov/ptrr early next year.

About the Property Tax/Rent Rebate program

Since its inception in 1971, the PTRR program has delivered more than $8 billion in property tax and rent relief to some of Pennsylvania’s most vulnerable residents. The PTRR program is supported by the Pennsylvania Lottery and receives funding from gaming.

It’s free to apply for a rebate, and applicants are reminded that free assistance is available at hundreds of locations across the state, including Department of Revenue district offices, local Area Agencies on Aging, senior centers, and state legislators’ offices.

As a reminder, applicants must reapply for rebates every year because rebates are based on annual income and property taxes or rent paid in each year. Any person who filed for a 2022 Property Tax/Rent Rebate by paper will automatically be mailed a paper instruction booklet/application form.

 

MEDIA MATTERS

FENTANYL A U.S. PLOT

I happened to be listening to the Sunday Mass on WILK this past Sunday and what followed next was the replay of the Nikki Stone show.  One of her callers was that Idiot Supreme John from Dupont. The graveling voiced moron talked about his own drug use as a young man and then said that fentanyl was a plot designed by the U.S. government. He started to yammer about how the government wants fentanyl sold for a buck and then Stone quickly dispatched this fool to the dustbin of talk radio. Why anyone on WILK takes this guy seriously is a mystery to me.

 

WALN TV 

 

BOLD GOLD COMMUNITY FORUM

This week's guests will be Debra Youngfelt and Valerie Williams from the NEPA Area Health Education Center.  You'll hear the program Sunday morning at 6 on 94.3 The Talker; 6:30 on 1400am The Mothership; and 7:30 on 105 The River

 

BOBBY V’S DOO WOP SATURDAY NIGHT SOCK HOP

 

1954

Our 1954 logo.

The last new episode of The Lone Ranger is aired on radio,  

after 2,956 episodes over a period of 21 years. The Lone Ranger is a fictional masked former Texas Ranger who fought outlaws in the American Old West with his Native American friend Tonto. The character has been called an enduring icon of American culture.  He first appeared in 1933 in a radio show on WXYZ (Detroit), conceived either by station owner George W. Trendle or by Fran Striker, the show's writer. Test episodes aired earlier on radio station WEBR in Buffalo. The radio series proved to be a hit, and spawned a series of books (largely written by Striker), an equally popular television show that ran from 1949 to 1957, comic books, and several films. The title character was played on the radio show by Earle Graser for some 1,300 episodes, but two others preceded him, according to The New York Times: "a man named Deeds, who lasted only a few weeks; a George Stenius [actually George Seaton according to the Los Angeles Times]. After Graser's death in 1941, Brace Beemer assumed the role after serving as the narrator of the program. Clayton Moore portrayed the Lone Ranger on television, although during a contract dispute Moore was replaced for a season by John Hart, who wore a different style of mask. On the radio, Tonto was played by among others John Todd and Roland Parker. In the television series, Jay Silverheels, who was a Mohawk from the Six Nations Indian Reserve in Ontario, Canada, was cast in the role……..The original Sunshine Skyway Bridge opens to traffic in Florida………..The Miss America Pageant is broadcast on television for the first time. Miss America 1954, the 27th Miss America pageant, was held at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey on September 12, 1953. Though four women from Pennsylvania had previously held the title (1924, 1935, 1936, 1940), Evelyn Margaret Ay was the first Miss Pennsylvania to be crowned Miss America, as the others represented cities……Actress and princess-to-be Grace Kelly was one of the year's judges…….A Top 10 finisher in the pageant, Miriam Stevenson, subsequently won the 1954 Miss USA pageant, representing South Carolina. She then proceeded to be crowned Miss Universe 1954.  

Miriam Jacqueline Stevenson (born July 4, 1933) is an American television host, actress, former model and beauty queen who was crowned Miss Universe 1954. She was the first American to win the title, and had previously been crowned Miss USA 1954. Prior to Miss USA, Stevenson was Miss South Carolina USA 1954.[citation needed] She also represented South Carolina in Miss America 1954 after winning Miss South Carolina 1953, where she placed in the top ten and this week in 1954 the number one song in LuLac land and America was Vico Torriani’s version of “Granada”.