The LuLac Edition #4, 999, September 28th, 2023

 

TRUMP GOES AFTER SHAPIRO FOR AUTOMATIC VOTER REGISTRATION 

Former President Donald Trump ranted Monday on Truth Social, his social media platform, that Pennsylvania’s recent adoption of automatic voter registration, or AVR, was “unconstitutional” and “a disaster for the Election of Republicans, including your favorite President, ME!” In the same post, Trump complained that the Republican National Committee should focus on suing the state over the policy instead of hosting “meaningless” presidential debates that he refuses to attend. That diatribe came a couple days after an all-caps-lock post about how “Obama and his radical left thugs” were behind the policy and how it was a “scam” designed to “steal Pennsylvania again.”

 As usual, Trump’s messaging is brimming with lies.

 As usual, Trump’s messaging is brimming with lies: The many desperate lawsuits after the 2020 elections produced no evidence of impropriety in vote-counting in Pennsylvania. Former President Barack Obama has nothing to do with Pennsylvania’s new policy. AVR, which exists in some form in 23 states and Washington, D.C., isn’t unconstitutional. And voter registration is not only not a scam but probably one of the most scam-proof ways imaginable to establish registration.

 

 

TRUMP BUSINESS IN NEW YORK: KAPUT!!!!!

TRUMP AND COMPANY LIABLE FOR FRAUD IN NEW YORK LAWSUIT, JUDGE RULES

A judge ruled that former President Donald Trump and his company are liable for fraud in a lawsuit by New York Attorney General Letitia James.

Judge Arthur Engoron as part of that decision canceled the New York business certificates of Trump and the other defendants in the suit in Manhattan Supreme Court.

Engoron in his ruling found that Trump had made false and misleading valuations for multiple real estate assets in statements to insurers and banks over the course of years.

Because of those misstatements, Trump had inflated his true net worth by billions of dollars, the judge found.

A judge on Tuesday ruled that Donald Trump and his company are liable for fraud by misstating the true values of multiple real estate properties for years and thus grossly overstating the former president’s net worth by billions of dollars.

Judge Arthur Engoron in his bombshell decision also canceled the New York business certificates of Trump, the Trump Organization, and the other defendants, including two of his sons, in a lawsuit by the state Attorney General’s Office.

The judge said he would appoint an independent receiver to manage the dissolution of the corporate entities whose business certificates he canceled.

It is not clear whether Engoron’s decision means the Trump Organization and related entities will have to completely cease doing business in New York, or whether the companies can be legally reconstituted later.

A spokeswoman for Attorney General Letitia James declined to comment on that question.

But Trump’s lawyer Chris Kise, who called the decision “outrageous,” said it “seeks to nationalize one of the most successful corporate empires in the United States and seize control of private property all while acknowledging there is zero evidence of any default, breach, late payment or any complaint of harm.”

“While the full impact of the decision remains unclear, what is clear is that President Trump and his family will seek all available appellate remedies to rectify this miscarriage of justice,” Kise said.

For those who voted for Trump because he was a successful businessman, well NO.

For those who voted for Trump because he was more honest and trustworthy than Hillary Clinton, well NO.

For those who voted for Trump because he could translate his business acumen into more manufacturing jobs, well NO.

For those who voted for Trump because he was richer than they were and needed to be admired, well NO.

Right from the get-go I said Trump was cash poor. With the businesses now halted, he’ll be dirt poor.

Trump asked for a bench trial. Got it. Now he’s lying, crying, and screaming that he never had a jury trial. Same old shit. This more than the criminal trials to me is much more satisfying as a comeuppance to an evil man.

 

REP. CARTWRIGHT ANNOUNCES $750,000 FOR WOMEN’S RESOURCE CENTER IN SCRANTON

Congressman Matt Cartwright (Photo: LuLac archives)

U.S. Representative Matt Cartwright (PA-08) announced that $750,000 in federal funds have been awarded to the Women’s Resource Center in Scranton from the Department of Justice (DOJ), Office on Violence Against Women.

The Legal Assistance for Victims Grant Program is intended to increase the availability of civil and criminal legal assistance needed to effectively aid adult and youth victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking.

“I am proud to support the Women’s Resource Center and the work they do connecting the adults and children of domestic violence to the support and legal assistance they need and by helping them heal and move forward with their lives,” 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, including the budget for the Department of Justice. “I am pleased such an important federal investment is being made and the Center will have access to the support they need to help keep adults, children and families safe.”

“Our Barbara J. Hart Justice Center utilizes the combined skills of dedicated attorneys and advocates to provide legal assistance to program participants. Having an attorney is often crucial in the process of leaving an abusive situation and gaining safety after a sexual assault. Six out of ten WRC program participants require legal assistance. Currently, the Justice Center serves over 100 clients per year and there is a six-month waiting list. This funding is critical for the protection of our survivors and their families,” said Margaret A. Ruddy, Executive Director for the Women’s Resource Center serving Lackawanna and Susquehanna Counties.

 

CASEY ON MENENDEZ

U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) released the following statement on the indictment of Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ):

“Public service is a sacred trust. The specific allegations set forth in the federal indictment indicate to me that Senator Menendez violated that trust repeatedly. While he is entitled to the presumption of innocence, serving in public office is a privilege that demands a higher standard of conduct. Senator Menendez should resign.”

 

CASEY, BROWN, BALDWIN INTRODUCE LEGISLATION TO REDUCE CHILD POVERTY

CHILD POVERTY RATE MORE THAN DOUBLED BETWEEN 2021 AND 2022 AFTER THE EXPIRATION OF FEDERAL INVESTMENT LIKE THE EXPANDED CHILD TAX CREDIT

Senator Bob Casey (Photo: LuLac archives)

U.S. Senators Bob Casey Chair of the Senate HELP Subcommittee on Children and Families, Sherrod Brown (D-OH), and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) introduced the Child Poverty Reduction Act to commit the Nation to cutting child poverty by half in five years and to implement an accountability framework to ensure we achieve this goal. U.S. Representative Danny Davis (D-IL-7) introduced companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives.

“As Americans, we have an obligation to help families access economic security and help children thrive,” said Senator Casey. “With more than 15 percent of children in Pennsylvania living in poverty, the Child Poverty Reduction Act is a critical tool to help improve economic stability and security for children and their families. Every child in Pennsylvania and across the country should have the freedom and support they need to reach their full potential.”

“Ohio parents’ hard work so often doesn’t pay off like it should, leaving too many children with the odds stacked against them,” said Senator Brown. “We know that when we reward work and support parents with policies like the Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit, we can allow millions of families to lift themselves out of poverty and join the middle class. This will help us demonstrate how well these pro-worker, pro-family policies work.”

“No child growing up in America should be going to sleep hungry and living in poverty. But, for too many Americans, that is not the case. Child poverty does not just impact our kids in their early years, it sets them up for worse health outcomes and greater risk of homelessness, food insecurity, and unemployment,” said Senator Baldwin. “This legislation will help ensure every child gets the strong start they deserve, with an equal opportunity to succeed and lead a healthy life.”

“Children are our country’s most valuable resource, yet we allowed child poverty to more than double in the U.S. in 2022.  This is unacceptable when we know progress is possible. The Child Poverty Reduction Act would set an official goal of cutting child poverty in the U.S. in half within 5 years, creating a mechanism to hold decisionmakers accountable to instituting lasting change,” said Bruce Lesley, President, First Focus Campaign for Children. “First Focus Campaign for Children thanks Rep. Danny Davis and Senator Bob Casey for their continuous leadership, and urges Congressional leaders to pass the Child Poverty Reduction Act without delay.”

“Poverty is a defining feature of a baby’s experience, especially for children of color,” said Miriam Calderón, Chief Policy Officer at ZERO TO THREE. “Two million infants and toddlers in America—nearly one in five—currently live in poverty, experiencing material hardship and stress during the time of most rapid brain development. Poverty literally gets under the skin of our babies, with implications for future health and success in school and in life. We applaud Members of Congress for making this bold commitment to cutting poverty in half—a goal that is well within our grasp. We look forward to working with them to ensure all children have the resources to thrive.”

Due to strong federal investment—especially the expanded Child Tax Credit—child poverty precipitously dropped by almost half between 2020 and 2021, reducing from 9.7 percent to 5.2 percent—the lowest rate on record. Alarmingly, Census data from September 2023 revealed that the child poverty rate more than doubled between 2021 and 2022 to 12.4 percent following the expiration of these targeted investments in workers and families.

 The Child Poverty Reduction Act commits the federal government to cutting child poverty in half within five years. The United Kingdom and Canada both successfully used poverty reduction targets to implement critical policies that halved child poverty. In addition, the bill charges the executive branch with monitoring our progress in meeting the target and directs the non-partisan National Academy of Sciences with analyzing how federal policies contributed to poverty reduction each year. Examining our success in real-time will inform our policies. If our policies fail to diminish child poverty, we need to do more. If our policies succeed in reducing poverty, then we stay the course.

Joining Rep. Davis to lead the House version of the bill are U.S. Reps. Barbara Lee (D-CA-12), Sara Jacobs (D-CA-51), and Gerry Connolly (D-VA-11).

 

PENNSYLVANIA EDITORIAL BOARDS CONTINUE TO PRAISE THE SHAPIRO ADMINISTRATION’S IMPLEMENTATION OF “PRAGMATIC” AND “INHERENTLY SECURE” AUTOMATIC VOTER REGISTRATION AT PENNDOT CENTERS

“THIS AUTOMATIC REGISTRATION ELIMINATES SOME OF THE MORE TIME-CONSUMING PROCESSES THAT CAN OVERWHELM COUNTY ELECTION OFFICES LATE IN THE PROCESS.”

“THE MEASURE IS ALSO INHERENTLY SECURE. EVERYONE GETTING AN ID AT A GOVERNMENT PENNDOT FACILITY ALREADY PROVIDES PROOF OF RESIDENCY, AGE AND CITIZENSHIP.”

Governor Josh Shapiro (Photo: LuLac archives)

After Governor Josh Shapiro announced last week that Pennsylvania will implement automatic voter registration (AVR) at Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) driver and photo license centers, editorial boards across the Commonwealth continue to praise the Shapiro Administration’s action to increase voter participation in Pennsylvania elections in a secure move that “increases democracy.”

Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt joined several local and national TV outlets to share more about the commonsense step that streamlines the voter registration process, saying: “As we’ve seen in nearly two dozen other states, this has been an effective way to encourage eligible voters who are not registered to vote. No applicant will see the voter registration screen if they are not old enough to register to vote, or if they are not a citizen of the United States. It’s rare to make a change this significant that improves voter access and election integrity at the same time,” added Schmidt.”

After implementing the change on National Voter Registration Day last week, The Scranton Times-Tribune, The Times Observer, The Observer-Reporter, and The Times Leader applauded the move, and several other editorial boards followed up with more praise over the weekend.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette [EDITORIAL]: Shapiro’s pragmatic voter registration measure deserves unanimous support.

Gov. Josh Shapiro recently implemented a new measure to ensure more Pennsylvanians have access to elections: Residents getting driver’s licenses and ID cards will now automatically be opted into registering to vote through Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) computers. State residents already had the option, but an automatic prompt remains a simple and effective way to nudge voters in the direction of civic duty.

The measure is also inherently secure. Everyone getting an ID at a government PennDOT facility already provides proof of residency, age and citizenship.

American voters’ low turnout numbers are already a blemish on our democracy. Voter participation in special elections and primaries sometimes dips into the single-digits. Using every tool available to make voting accessible, easy and simple strengthens the social and political fabric of the country.

The inherently bipartisan measure also brings Pennsylvania into a cohort of 23 other states with an opt-out rather than opt-in DMV voter registration. And there’s more good news: Tuesday’s changes add five more languages into the voter registration instructional database, bringing the total to 31.

The Sunbury Daily Item [EDITORIAL]: Adding voters to rolls increases democracy

Shapiro’s push to ease registration for eligible voters is also a wise move. Many eligible voters do not participate for numerous reasons, including that they are not registered. For 30 years, Pennsylvanians have been permitted to register at PennDOT centers. Those visiting PennDOT centers can opt-out.

The state is quick to remind people that there are significant eligibility requirements to register to vote, including: Being a U.S. citizen for at least 30 days before the next election; be a resident of Pennsylvania and their election district for at least 30 days before the next election; be at least 18 years old on the date of the next election.

This automatic registration eliminates some of the more time-consuming processes that can overwhelm county election offices late in the process.

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review [EDITORIAL]: Easier voter registration is better for everyone.

The more people vote, the more votes count.

It shouldn’t matter what party someone joins. It shouldn’t matter whether someone picks no party at all. Ideally, everyone would cast a ballot. Everyone would have their say.

That should be a point on which everyone agrees. But there are no points on which everyone agrees anymore.

[…] For anyone who has had to wait in line in a government office, it was a win to have the ability to kill two proverbial birds with one red-tape stone.

Shapiro’s action changes the question subtly. It goes from asking if you want to register to assuming you do — but still offering the ability to opt out if it isn’t something someone wants to do.

 

MEDIA MATTERS 

 

JIM O’BRIEN GONE 40 YEARS

It was 4 decades ago that former WFIL personality and WPVI weatherman Jim O’Brien died in  parachuting accident. He was saving the life of a fellow sky diver. Here’s a link to his story.

http://www.famous56.com/jim/

 

WALN TV 

 

BOLD GOLD COMMUNITY FORUM  

 

This week’s guest on Bold Gold Community Forum with Jim Riley is: ME. As First Vice President of the Wilkes-Barre NAACP I will be sharing information on the Freedom Fund banquet being held on October 7^th at 6pm at Genetti’s in Wilkes-Barre as well as the mission of the local branch. Community Forum can be heard Sunday at 6 on 94.3 The Talker; 6:30 on 1400 am The Mothership and 7:30 am on 105 The River.

 

BOBBY V’S DOO WOP SUNDAY NIGHT SOCK HOP  

 

1954

Our 1954 logo

Japanese ferry Tōya Maru sinks during a typhoon in the Tsugaru Strait. More than 1,100 people are killed, 7 other ships are wrecked, and at least nine others seriously damaged………The Tonight Show first airs on live television on NBC in the United States being the first late night talk show.  The Tonight Show is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954.

 The show has been hosted by six comedians: Steve Allen (1954–1957), Jack Paar (1957–1962), Johnny Carson (1962–1992), Jay Leno (1992–2009 and 2010–2014), Conan O'Brien (2009–2010), and Jimmy Fallon (2014–present). Besides the main hosts, a number of regular "guest hosts" have been used, notably Ernie Kovacs, who hosted two nights per week during 1956–1957, and a number of guests used by Carson, who curtailed his own hosting duties back to three nights per week by the 1980s. Among Carson's regular guest hosts were Joey Bishop, McLean Stevenson, David Letterman, David Brenner, Joan Rivers and Jay Leno, although the practice has been mostly abandoned since hosts currently prefer reruns to showcasing potential rivals. Fallon has used guest hosts rarely, co-hosting the May 24, 2021 broadcast with Dave Grohl, Jimmy Kimmel hosting the April 1, 2022 broadcast (with Fallon swapping duties to guest host Jimmy Kimmel Live!), Shawn Mendes co-hosting the April 29, 2022 broadcast, Megan Thee Stallion co-hosting the August 11, 2022 broadcast, Demi Lovato co-hosting the August 17, 2022 broadcast and Jack Harlow co-hosting the October 6, 2022 broadcast.

The Tonight Show is the world's longest-running talk show and the longest-running regularly scheduled entertainment program in the United States. It is the third-longest-running show on NBC, after the news-and-talk shows Today and Meet the Press. The current incarnation is taped from Studio 6B at NBC Studios in Rockefeller Center in New York, the same studio used during the later Jack Paar era and the first 10 years of Carson. During its initial run under Steve Allen, it originated from the Hudson Theatre on Broadway. From 1973 to 2009, and from 2010 to 2014 the show was taped at one of three different studios at NBC's Burbank, California Studios. During Conan O'Brien's brief tenure, the show was taped at an opulently reworked studio on Stage 1 of Universal Studios Hollywood. Over the course of more than 60 years, The Tonight Show has undergone only minor title changes. It aired under the name Tonight for several of its early years, as well as Tonight Starring Jack Paar and The Jack Paar Show due to the runaway popularity of its host, eventually settling permanently on The Tonight Show after Carson began his tenure in 1962, albeit with the host's name always included in the title. Beginning with Carson's debut episode, network programmers, advertisers, and the show's announcers would refer to the show by including the name of the host: The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien, and, currently, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. In 1957, the show briefly tried a more news-style format. It has otherwise adhered to the talk show format introduced by Allen and honed further by Paar.

Carson is the longest-serving host to date, although he is not the host with the most episodes. The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson aired for 30 seasons between October 1962 and May 1992. Leno has the record of having hosted the greatest number of total televised episodes. Leno's record is due to the fact that, unlike Carson (who only produced new shows three days a week starting in the 1980s), Leno never used guest hosts on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (except Katie Couric, once) and produced new shows five days a week; Leno himself was also Carson's primary guest host for the last five years of Carson's tenure, adding even more episodes to his credit. Leaving out Leno's five years as permanent guest host, Leno hosted 119 more episodes as full-time host than Carson. During Carson's first four years, the show ran for 105 minutes and then was reduced to ninety minutes in early 1967 when Carson stopped appearing for the first 15 minutes because most affiliates were carrying their local news during that time slot as they expanded to half an hour. During Carson's 1980 contract negotiations, the show was shortened to sixty minutes beginning that September, where it has remained since. NBC also broadcast The Best of Carson which were repeats of some of Carson's popular older albeit usually recent shows. Prior to the debut of Saturday Night Live in October 1975, NBC aired The Best of Carson on Saturday nights at 11:30 pm.

Apart from the show's brief run as a news show in 1957, its shortest-serving host was Conan O'Brien. O'Brien hosted 146 episodes over the course of fewer than eight months before Leno was brought back as host, where he served for almost four additional years. Current host Fallon debuted on February 17, 2014. Fallon had previously hosted Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, and before Late Night he was a popular member of the cast of Saturday Night Live, co-hosting the "Weekend Update" segment with Tina Fey as well as performing sketches……..The USS Nautilus (SSN-571), the first nuclear-powered submarine in the world, is commissioned into the U.S. Navy and 69 years ago the number 1 song in LuLac land and America was Frankie Laine’s “Rain, Rain, Rain”.

The LuLac Edition #4, 998, September 21st, 2023

 

NOT SANCTIONED BY THE LUZERNE COUNTY REPUBLICAN COMMITTEE 

BUT FROM A MAGA FRINGE GROUP THAT IS NOT REPRESENTATIVE  OF A 

PARTY BUT A CULT OF PERSONALITY.THEY ARE USING THE NAMESAKE OF THE PARTY OF LINCOLN TO MAKE YOU THINK IT A PARTY POLICY! 

THEY ARE USING GOD AND CHILDREN AS AN OLD STANDBY TO DISPLAY UNPATRIOTIC AND ANTI DIVERSITY BELIEFS. 

 

DON'T SUPPORT HATE  

WE'RE POSTING THIS NOT TO PROMOTE  THEIR IGNORANCE BUT TO LET YOU KNOW THEY LIVE AMONG US!

THE UGLY SIDE OF SOCIAL MEDIA AND POLITICS

OR A WOLF DISGUISED AS AN ELEPHANT

Social media has been a double-edged sword since its inception in the first decade of this century. On the one hand the immediacy of it is a big help when organizing events or reuniting with people from the past. On the other hand it has been a breeding ground for hate and misinformation. I’m all so diverse opinions backed up by fact or belief in a particular philosophy. But unlike even the most banal letter to the editor, posters on Facebook, Twitter now inexplicably subbed “X” don’t even think or write logically. They just repost crap. That’s easier enough to sort out but when an entity or person posts stuff under the name of an established concern it should be called out.

Now as you call know I am not a big fan of the way the Republican party in Luzerne county governs. As a matter that last sentence is an oxymoron but I stand by its truth. As we al know the Democratic party is made up of many segments and the tent is wide. The GOP has now diminished itself into 3 camps. They are:

1.       The Trumpers.

2.       The traditional GOP.

3.       The crazies.

While not palatable, I have no issue  with the first two. Trump has essentially taken over the GOP while the traditional wing is fighting a losing battle. As abhorrent as I find these two differences, I don’t challenge their right to free speech and facts as they see them.

However it’s the crazies I worry about. These are the people who pit up senseless memes. They take the germ of an offensive and add their own twist to it.  Such is the case with Luzerne County right wingers who have taken to social media and engaged in what I’d term borderline hate speech. But the kicker here is that it is being listed as if it were sanctioned by the Luzerne County GOP. Here’s a sampling:

 

(This is where the sel the F Biden banners you see on some morons homes which are close t schools! They love the kids in the womb but all bets are OFF when they come out of that birth canal.

 

Calling out Luzerne County Community College for Diversity? Promoting a racist meme regarding a football name?  Sharing a meme from Alabama and saying “immigrants” or people of color should go back where they came from? Look, I get it. Scared old white men (some of whom have felony records) see diversity and notice their pathetic little lives going to shit. They must take out their abject failures on those they regard as inferiors when I fact tey are the sketchy ones. Have at it as far as I’m concerned.

BUT DON’T LABEL YOURSELF AS PART OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY when your ideas are not theirs. Do the decent thing and label yourself differently like DWMs (dumb white guys) or NFIA (Nazi Fans In America) USOUSAA (Unpatriotic slobs of the USA) or AOPOC  (Afraid of people of color) but leave the Republican party of Luzerne County out of it. They have enough trouble with a baseball bat wielding candidate who essentially is offended by basketball. 

 

 LACKAWANNA COUNTY MULTI-AGENCY RESOURCE CENTER OPENS TO ASSIST RESIDENTS AND BUSINESSES IMPACTED BY THE SEPTEMBER 9TH STORM

THE MARC WILL BE OPEN ON SEPT. 22 & 23 TO PROVIDE INFORMATION, GUIDANCE AND ASSIST IN REPORTING DAMAGES

Congressman Matt Cartwright (Photo: LuLac archives)

A Multi-Agency Resource Center (MARC) will open on September 22 & 23 to provide much-needed resource information, guidance and assistance in reporting damage for residents and businesses that experienced significant damage from the September 9th storm in Lackawanna and Luzerne Counties.  Staff from the Lackawanna and Luzerne County Emergency Management Agencies are scheduled to attend.

The Resource Center will be located in the rear garage of the Chinchilla Fire Company, 113 Shady Lane Rd., S. Abington Twp.  Signage will direct people where to park and enter the building.

The hours of operation are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday.

The goal of the MARC is to offer residents information, answer questions and assist in reporting damages through the PEMA damage assessment portal for those in Lackawanna County, or through scheduling an Emergency Management Coordinator to conduct a damage assessment for those in Luzerne County.

The Public Damage Assessment link is https://damage-assessment-3-pema.hub.arcgis.com

After clicking on the link, residents must then look for the incident name/title from the drop-down box 09/09/2023 Northeast PA Flooding Public Report.

This is the only location where the information can be submitted and accepted.  It is vitally important to fill out the assessment to help State and local officials gauge the damage and then plan the recovery effort.  The portal is not an application for assistance, rather a collection of data to submit to PEMA and FEMA so our region can qualify for disaster relief.

The County is partnering with COLTS/Coordinated Transportation to designate a Scranton pick-up location for those residents who want to get to the MARC but have no transportation.

Additional agencies scheduled to be at the MARC are PA Emergency Management, PA Department of Human Services, PA Insurance Department, Attorney General’s Office, Lackawanna County Department of Health, Red Cross, Department of Environmental Protection, and more.

As a reminder, it is very important that all residents and business owners document all of the damage to their property via photos and the PEMA damage assessment portal.  Everyone should also keep track of the expenses and hold onto all receipts involved in the cleanup and recovery of their properties.

 

CASEY INTRODUCES LEGISLATION TO SUPPORT FOSTER YOUTH, EXPAND EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES AND HEALTH CARE COVERAGE

AS MANY AS 80 PERCENT OF CHILDREN IN FOSTER CARE HAVE SIGNIFICANT MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS

A REPORT FOUND THAT ONLY 3-11 PERCENT OF FORMER FOSTER CARE YOUTH ATTAIN A BACHELOR'S DEGREE

FORMER FOSTER YOUTH BEING RAISED BY GRANDPARENTS, RELATIVES, AND CLOSE FAMILY FRIENDS ARE EXCLUDED FROM MEDICAID TO 26 COVERAGE

Senator Bob Casey (Photo: LuLac archives)

U.S. Senator Bob Casey introduced three bills to support foster and former foster youth by preventing family separation and promoting mental health services in foster care and adoption families; expanding eligibility for Medicaid to 26 health care coverage for foster youth raised in grandfamilies; and improving college access, retention, and completion rates for foster and homeless youth.

“Foster youth face tremendous barriers compared to their peers, and we have an obligation to ensure these young adults have the resources, services, and opportunities they need to succeed in life,” said Senator Bob Casey. “Health care and education are the building blocks for a strong start in life, and these bills make it easier for foster youth to reach their full potential.”

The Foster Youth Mental Health Act would help young people currently or formerly in foster care, as well as parents and guardians, navigate and access resources such as mental health support, housing, child care, and other critical services and expand health planning to ensure states have in place key components of a comprehensive children’s mental health system, including prevention, early intervention, and treatment.

The Fostering Success in Higher Education Act would invest $150 million a year in states, tribes, and territories to establish or expand statewide initiatives to assist foster and homeless youth in enrolling in and graduating from college. Additionally, it would establish formula grants to states based on their share of foster and homeless youth. A majority of the funds would go toward developing Institutions of Excellence that serve students with robust support services and covering the cost of attendance beyond federal and state grant aid. In addition to Senator Casey, this legislation is led by U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH). U.S. Congressman Danny Davis (D-IL-7) is leading companion legislation in the House of Representatives.

The Expanded Coverage for Former Foster Youth Act would strengthen Medicaid coverage to age 26 by extending it to categories of former foster youth who are not currently eligible. For example, it would remove a requirement that former foster youth must have been enrolled in Medicaid while they were in the system in order to qualify for coverage to 26 years old. It would also expand eligibility for Medicaid coverage to 26 to former foster youth who were in the system but left for a legal guardianship with a kinship caregiver, and those who emancipated from foster care prior to turning 18.

 

GOVERNOR SHAPIRO IMPLEMENTS AUTOMATIC VOTER REGISTRATION IN PENNSYLVANIA, JOINING BIPARTISAN GROUP OF STATES THAT HAVE TAKEN COMMONSENSE STEP TO MAKE VOTER REGISTRATION MORE STREAMLINED AND SECURE

BY AUTOMATICALLY COMBINING THE VERIFICATION PROCESSES OF DMV REGISTRATION AND VOTER REGISTRATION, SHAPIRO ADMINISTRATION WILL ENHANCE THE ACCURACY AND SECURITY OF PENNSYLVANIA VOTER ROLLS WHILE SAVING TAXPAYERS TIME AND MONEY

Governor Josh Shapiro (Photo: LuLac archives)

As part of the Shapiro Administration’s commitment to ensuring free, fair, and secure elections, Governor Josh Shapiro announced that Pennsylvania has implemented automatic voter registration (AVR) for eligible Commonwealth residents obtaining driver licenses and ID cards at Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) driver and photo license centers. By implementing AVR, Pennsylvania joins a group of 23 states with leaders from both parties – including Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Georgia, Virginia, and West Virginia – who have taken this step to promote election security and save taxpayers time and money.

Starting today, Commonwealth residents who are obtaining new or renewed driver licenses and ID cards and are eligible to vote will be automatically taken through the voter registration application process unless they opt out of doing so. Previously, eligible voters were required to take additional steps to opt into the voter registration process. Today’s changes also increase access to voter registration by adding instructions in five more languages, for a total of 31 languages.

“Pennsylvania is the birthplace of our democracy, and as Governor, I’m committed to ensuring free and fair elections that allow every eligible voter to make their voice heard,” said Governor Josh Shapiro. “Automatic voter registration is a commonsense step to ensure election security and save Pennsylvanians time and tax dollars. Residents of our Commonwealth already provide proof of identity, residency, age, and citizenship at the DMV – all the information required to register to vote — so it makes good sense to streamline that process with voter registration. My Administration will keep taking innovative actions like this one to make government work better and more efficiently for all Pennsylvanians.”

Pennsylvanians have been able to apply to register to vote during these visits at PennDOT centers since the 1993 passage of the National Voter Registration Act, which includes what is known as the motor voter law.

“Registering eligible Commonwealth residents to vote during their visits to driver and photo license centers is a commonsense action,” Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt said. “The voter is already in a state government facility with their identification documentation in hand, and they will have their picture taken and sign their name electronically. Having all of that happen at the same time means the verification process is extremely secure and makes the registration process more efficient.”

“At PennDOT, we’re proud of our role in the voter registration process,” said PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll. “These latest enhancements are a great example of how, through constant collaboration with the Department of State, we work to make this process as efficient as possible for eligible Pennsylvania residents.”

In other states, automatic voter registration has been shown to streamline the registration process for military families, who tend to move more often than other Americans. Automatically updating their voter registration information during their PennDOT visits will ensure that these families can continue to participate in the democracy they work so hard to defend.

AVR also reduces paper application processing burdens on county elections professionals. Electronic registrations recorded during driver’s license center interactions are more secure and take a fraction of the time to process.

For local election officials, receiving automatic updates when residents obtain new identification – which residents often do when they change their name or address – will enhance efforts continuously underway to maintain the accuracy of Pennsylvania’s voter rolls.

County election offices are often inundated with voter registrations and status updates during presidential and midterm election years and receive very few changes during municipal election years. With this new automated process, election officials’ important work maintaining our voter rolls should be greatly streamlined and improved over the four-year election cycle.

Multiple studies – including a 2019 Brennan Center for Justice study and a 2021 study by the Public Policy Institute of California – have also found that automatic voter registration in other states has produced marked increases in the number of eligible voters added to the voter rolls and has produced appreciable increases in voter turnout.

As of December 2022, approximately 8.7 million Pennsylvanians were registered to vote; according to U.S. Census estimates, more than 10.3 million Commonwealth residents are eligible to register.

To be eligible to register to vote, applicants must:

 Be a U.S. citizen for at least 30 days before the next election,

Be a resident of Pennsylvania and their election district for at least 30 days before the next election, and

Be at least 18 years old on the date of the next election.

 

MEDIA MATTERS 

 

KRISTEN WELKER: THE NEW CONNIE CHUNG

Kristen Welker’s interview with Donald Trump was okay. Just okay is good for a broadcast college intern but for a major reporter and the host of the longest running TV program wasn’t good at all. Welker barely challenged Trump on total lies he was telling. There were a few good things she did. After each segment she gave a laundry list of his fabrications but that was not as effective as challenging him the way an incredulous TV watcher would Mrs. LuLac and I paused the DVR a few times to yell out questions like, “what people said what Trump”, “how would you end the war in 24 hours?” “do you realize you made NATO almost impotent?” There was too much deference to a liar. I mean when people lie to your face you either shut them down or push back. Sadly NBC did neither. Regarding Connie Chung on June 1, 1993, she became the second woman (after Barbara Walters with ABC in 1976) to co-anchor a major network's national weekday news broadcast. While hosting the CBS Evening News, Chung also hosted a side project on CBS, Eye to Eye with Connie Chung. After her co-anchoring duties with Dan Rather ended in 1995, Chung left CBS. Her shelf life was two years. Another wunderkind comes to mind, Jim Hartz. Hartz was named the host of The Today Show after Frank McGee died in 1973 and lasted until 1`976 when he was demoted and replaced by Tom Brokaw. Like Welker they were shiny new faces that checked certain boxes the network thought they needed to succeed but flamed out. This may happen to Welker.

 

WALN TV

BOLD GOLD COMMUNITY FORUM 

 

You'll hear the program Sunday at 6 on 94.3 The Talker; 6:30 on 1400 am The Mothership and 7:30 am on 105 The River. 

 

BOBBY V’S DOO WOP SUNDAY NIGHT SOCK HOP

 

1954

Our 1954 logo

Finnish president J. K. Paasikivi is the first Western head of state to be awarded the highest honor of the Soviet Union, the Order of Lenin. The Order of Lenin was an award named after Vladimir Lenin, the leader of the October Revolution. It was established by the Central Executive Committee on April 6, 1930. The order was the highest civilian decoration bestowed by the Soviet Union. The order was awarded to: Civilians for outstanding services rendered to the State, Members of the armed forces for exemplary service, those who promoted friendship and cooperation between people and in strengthening peace those with meritorious services to the Soviet state and society.  From 1944 to 1957, before the institution of a specific length of service medals, the Order of Lenin was also used to reward 25 years of conspicuous military service. Those who were awarded the titles "Hero of the Soviet Union" and "Hero of Socialist Labour" were also given the order as part of the award. It was also bestowed on cities, companies, factories, regions, military units, and ships. Various educational institutions and military units who received the said Order applied the full name of the order into their official titles. There was a total of 31,418 orders were awarded with the last on the 21^st of December 1991. Recently In a satirical political advertisement by The Lincoln Project, Fox News host Tucker Carlson was awarded the Order of Lenin for supporting Russia in its 2022 invasion of Ukraine………The first Moomins comic strip is published in the London newspaper The Evening News… the first Footscray Football Club wins their first Australian Football League Grand Final and this week in 1954 the number one song in LuLac land and America was            Nat King Cole’s  “Hajji Baba” better known as the  (Persian Lament).