The Lu Lac Political Letter

The LuLac Edition #1918, January 27th, 2012

2012-01-27T00:37:00.006-05:00

Band Aid.

GOP Presidential candidates Santorum, Romney, Gingrich and Paul Thursday night at debate.

NO GUTS, NO GLORY = NO TAXES

People in Luzerne County concerned about higher taxes from the Courthouse have nothing to worry about. The County Council said they will not be raising taxes in this year’s budget. However, employees at the Luzerne County Courthouse have plenty to fear. This new budget calls for lay offs of 106 people. Under Interim Manager Tom Pribula’s budget and modest tax increase, the lay offs might have been numbered in the 30s given retirements and attrition. This lack of guts by the County Council as one of its first financial decisions will have the following ramifications:
1. Increase the number of positions eliminated in the Courthouse. There will be an impact on services.
2. It is a repudiation of the Interim Manager’s business acumen and straight forward attitude that they all praised when they hired him in the first place. When you have a tumor, and the doctor tells you to remove it, you’d be a fool not to take his advice. The County Council has decided to keep the finances of the county gravely ill instead of on the road to recovery.
3. This move puts the new County Manager Robert Lawton in a box. Because he is not going to have much wiggle room if and when he has to make more cuts. No new revenue ties his hands in his first year as Manager.
4. Instead of reviving the sick budget and finances, the Council is putting a band aid on the bleeding.
5. Most intelligent County taxpayers know that the county taxes are the best bargain around. More so than the school taxes one pays on property. County taxes pay for a myriad of mandated services with expenses shared by the federal and state government. The County Council is simply pandering to the tax crazies who oppose everything.
6. Finally, the county Council broke the first rule of the Founding Fathers of America: NO GUTS NO GLORY. If this County Council was around in colonial times we’d be bowing to the Queen and eating fish and chips.

FLORIDA DEBATE # 2

A feisty Mitt Romney challenged Republican presidential foe Newt Gingrich in a fast-paced campaign debate last night on CNN, making sport of the former House speaker's call to colonize the moon. Romney said that Gingrich was going from state to state telling people exactly what they wanted to hear. He said the former speaker had called for construction of a new Interstate highway in South Carolina, a new VA hospital in northern New Hampshire and widening the port of Jacksonville to accommodate the larger ships that will soon be able to transit the Panama Canal.Gingrich responded that he was merely responding to local issues saying that when a candidate visits a community, he has to know the needs of it. Gingrich said that the Port of Jacksonville had to be expanded and that he wasn’t making a promise but identifying a need.
Romney hammered the former Speaker when the topic turned to Gingrich's proposal for an permanent American colony on the moon. That is an issue of interest to engineers and others who live on Florida's famed Space Coast. Gingrich has been lampooned for that but put in its context, Gingrich pointed to the technological war he said we are losing with China.
Gingrich struck back on immigration. Romney denied Gingrich's accusation that he anti-immigrant – more than any other candidate. Romney responded that his father was born in Mexico. While the clashes between Gingrich and Romney dominated the debate, Santorum drew applause from the audience when he called on the two front-runners to stop attacking one another and "focus on the issues." Ron Paul inexplicably invited the candidates to a bicycle race. The second debate this week highlights a Florida primary that has Romney and Gingrich in a dead heat with Rick Santorum and Ron Paul bringing up the rear. Gingrich's upset victory in the South Carolina primary turned the race upside down. Most political observers say they are seeing a “meanness” in the battle between Gingrich and Romney. Many say Gingrich is ruining the GOP brand by his pomposity and off the wall proposals. Others say Romney is wilting under the pressure and may have lost his electability and inevitability strengths. The Florida race is essentially a TV race. That is where people see the candidate and judge them. The winner of this race is going to be the guy who comes across the most Presidential on the tube. God knows Romney and Gingrich are spending millions on their message.

The LuLac Edition #1917, January 26th, 2012

2012-01-26T00:37:00.015-05:00

Attorney Matt Cartwright left making a point on the set of WYOU TV's Interactive News. Your blog editor is in the center, Eric Sheiner is on the right.

Prospective candidate for the State House, Ransom Young.

Hiram Fong for President button.

The Apollo 1 Astronauts, Ed White, Gus Grissom and Roger Chaffee.

Como Phobia logo.

Our 1967 logo.

Pa. State Supreme Court: Standing L-R: Justice McCaffery, Justice Baer, Justice Todd, Justice Orie Melvin . Seated L-R: Justice Saylor, Chief Justice Castille, Justice Eakin.

REDISTRICTING NO!!!

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court threw out the new redistricting plan that was put into motion earlier this year by the geniuses in the State Legislature. By a vote of 4 to 3 the Court essentially invalidated the redistricting plan and put everyone back on Square One. The two-page order says current district lines remain in force until the commission comes up with a new plan that passes legal tests. Justices Thomas Saylor justices J. Michael Eakin and Joan Orie Melvin, said they were not persuaded the plan was contrary to law "as reflected in the existing precedent." The majority votes came from Chief Justice Ronald D. Castille, Justices Max Baer, Debra McCloskey Todd, and Seamus P. McCaffery. This decision has many ramifications for LuLac land. In Lackawanna County Ken smith’s district reverts back to the way it was impacting on a possible challenge there. In Luzerne County, GOPers Rick Arnold and Maiiloux are effected too. Mailloux lives in the 121st in the new plan, does not in the old plan. Arnold’s campaign against incumbent Gerry Mullery gets a little more challenging with the old rules in play. And Tarah Toohill’s challenger, Ransom Young now sees a Toohill district that goes back to the Todd Eachus days. The Court sent the Legislators back to the drawing board. Since the line makers are controlled by the GOP it would be in their best interests to get this done quickly. If not, chaos will ensue.

FAVORITE SONS?

With the faltering of the Mitt Romney campaign, the insurgency of the Gingrich campaign, and the less than passionate embracing of Rick Santorum and Ron Paul as logical standard bearers, there is talk among GOP power forces of a brokered convention. If that appears to be happening, look for certain Republican governors to be approached to run as “Favorite Sons”. The definition of a favorite son is a state delegation sometimes nominates and votes for a candidate from the state, or less often from the state's region, who is not a viable candidate. The technique allows state leaders to negotiate with leading candidates in exchange for the delegation's support. The technique was widely used in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Since nationwide campaigns by candidates and binding primary elections have replaced brokered conventions, the technique has fallen out of use. But consider this, if Romney and Gingrich split the delegates and Santorum has a fair share too, the Convention may not nominate on the first ballot. Large states can take a portion of their uncommitted delegates and run a candidate say in Pennsylvania like Governor Tom Corbett. Corbett’s name is put in nomination on the first ballot. State GOP officials then pledge to vote on the second ballot for a candidate. In the 1960 Democratic Convention, Lyndon Johnson had many pledges of support for the second ballot if John Kennedy did not get the nomination on the first ballot. He did and made the point moot. The last time “favorite sons” came into play was the 1968 Republican Convention. Nixon came to Miami short of 50 votes for nomination. Favorite Sons that year were Senator Hiram Fong of Hawaii, Senator Clifford Case of New Jersey, Governor Raymond Shafer of Pennsylvania (who was a stand in for Nelson Rockefeller and held 22 votes in his name) Winthrop Rockefeller, Governor of Arkansas nominated receiving 18 votes, Louie Nunn Governor of Kentucky , Governor Dan Evans of Washington State and Governor Ronald Reagan of California. The conservatives rallied around Reagan giving him 182 in the final count on the first ballot. If Nixon’s totals began to falter, the role of “The Favorite Sons” listed would be to release their delegates either to the leader, Nixon or the runner up, Nelson Rockefeller. Nixon had the votes because Rocky was trailing him with a total of 250 votes. In the 1976 GOP convention, Ronald Reagan and Gerald Ford were fighting tooth and nail for delegates. Reagan named his Vice Presidential pick early. It was Senator Richard Schweiker of Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania delegation Chair Drew Lewis (later to become Reagan’s Transportation Secretary) reportedly said he could shake loose 90 delegates from the Pa. delegation by Reagan making the move. Reagan did get some votes from Pennsylvania but not enough to beat Ford. So when you hear the term “Favorite Son” and ‘”brokered convention”, it’s all about delegate numbers and where they can go in a tight residential race for the nomination.

CARTWRIGHT FOR CONGRESS

It’s official, Tim Holden has an opponent for the 117th District. A district that was tailor made for a Democrat like Holden (because the GOP wanted to bolster the districts of Lou Barletta and om Marino) is now going to feature a battle royale between the incumbent Congressman and the Scranton area attorney. Cartwright kicked off his campaign for the new 17th district portraying himself as an advocate of the middle class and working families. Cartwright introduced himself as a Democrat from the Democratic wing of the Democratic party. He said he would act like a real Democrat and invoked the name of Franklin Delano Roosevelt in his presentation. Cartwright interestingly enough never mentioned his foe by name. The April Primary is going to be the second straight contested Democratic party primary in Northeastern Pennsylvania,

IN THE LAC: REAPPLY

The Scranton Times reports that more than 50 Lackawanna County employees will have to reapply for their jobs if they want to be part of Democratic Commissioners Jim Wansacz and Corey O'Brien's new administration.
The majority commissioners said Tuesday they have sent or will send letters to all department directors and deputy directors, along with every solicitor, advising them to make an appointment to discuss their position if they wish to be considered for continued service in county government.
The administration will also accept new applications for all of the jobs as Mr. Wansacz and Mr. O'Brien continue what they described as a top-to-bottom review of county operations.
Mr. Wansacz said he and Mr. O'Brien have made it clear since winning the majority in the November election that they planned to evaluate every county employee. Both O’Brien and Wansacz essentially owe the county managers nothing. The practice of hiring on merit came about after the Cordaro/Munchak administration. Both Mike Washo and Corey O’Brien faced with tremendous debt were quick to streamline staff. This on going endeavor is only going to strengthen the perception that the new duo want transparency and merit. Both men were bitter primary rivals in the spring 2011 primary but ran as a team in the General Election. Patrick O’Malley former Democrat turned Republican is the minority Commissioner.

BOB AND A.J. IN COURT

Bob Cordaro and A.J. Munchak might have been home for Christmas but whether they are going to be in town for the Super Bowl is another matter. Both men were in Federeal Court in Wilkes Barre before Judge Richard Caputo arguing for leniency in their sentences. In news interviews, Cordaro looked chastened and sincere. Munchak looked worried but resigned. Both men face sentencing on January 30th in Scranton. It should be noted that the witnesses who said they bribed both Munchak and Cordaro were never brought up on charges themselves.

STATE OF THE UNION

He wants it to the last address of his first term. The GOP wants it to be the last State of the Union address ever. Tuesday night the President was in rare form showing some punch and fire. In his third State of the Union address, Obama issued a populist call for income equality that echoed the Occupy Wall Street movement. He challenged GOP lawmakers to work with him or move aside so he could use the power of the presidency to produce results for an electorate uncertain whether he deserves another term.
Facing a deeply divided Congress, Obama appealed for lawmakers to send him legislation on immigration, clean energy and housing, knowing full well the election-year prospects are bleak but aware that polls show that the independent voters who lifted him to the presidency crave bipartisanship. The reality of all of this is that nothing much of substance is going to get done this year. Obama is in campaign mode and did his post State of the Union address to battleground states. Obama did tout the killing of Bin Laden, the fact that his administration saved GM and that the troops are home from Iraq. Those are huge accomplishments. Those are just a few things the GOP can’t pick at him about. Meanwhile 4 GOP challengers, Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul all continue to slog on in hopes of being the candidate in November to take on Obama. One has to wonder why anyone would ever want to do it after seeing the wear and tear on reputations, personal lives and even the aging process.

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT

DEMOCRAT CHALLENGES TOOHILL

Ransom Young Announces Candidacy for State Representative in 116th District.
Ransom Young announces today that he is a candidate for the Democratic nomination for State Representative in the 116th district. Young, 57, a life-long resident of Butler Township with deep roots in Southern Luzerne County, owns and operates the family farm of four generations that has been enrolled under the Luzerne County Agricultural Preservation Program since 2001. He is married to Deborah Jones, formerly of West Hazleton.
Young, no stranger to civic involvement has been a member of Butler Township Board of Supervisors for 28 years and was former chairman. Young has been chairman, vice chairman and is currently treasurer of the Luzerne County Association of Elected Officials. He feels his involvement will benefit both his candidacy and the people o the 116th district. "I'm proud of the fact that Butler Township boasts one of the lowest property taxes in Luzerne County. I've worked hard over the years to make sure we've kept taxes low while still providing the services the citizens of the township deserve. Despite our low taxes we've managed to build and maintain a full time police force, provided recreational facilities and maintained good roads and invested 17.7 million dollars to update our sewage treatment plant." In describing his desire to run, Young states; "This district needs a representative that symbolizes the face of the community, and I am willing to fight for those people. I'm a blue-collar person who will use common sense when facing a problem. I think what is missing in Harrisburg is the common sense approach. As a candidate and State Representative, I promise you, no one will work harder for you than I will. I will surround myself with quality and caring people."
"The Marcellus Shale issue is something that concerns everyone. Once we lose our fresh water source, we lose it forever. We have to make sure that regulations are in place to keep our people and our water safe. We have an amazing opportunity to eliminate our dependency on foreign energy sources, if we manage it correctly. With nearly 8% unemployment in the state we must ensure that the jobs created in the gas industry are for Pennsylvania residents; we have the best skilled and most dedicated workers in America. If the gas industry paid their fair share in a severance tax, the money could go into the general fund so that the gambling revenues would go towards property tax relief as it was originally intended."
"I believe I am the best choice for this office, because I understand the issues and will represent the diverse people of the 116th district, from Huntington Mills to Hazleton. I am a farmer, worked blue-collar jobs and I have balanced budgets in local government. I'm ready to take on this responsibility and I'm asking for your support in April and November.
Ransom Young is running for the Democratic nomination for State Representative in the 116th District. A fourth generation resident of Butler Township, Luzerne County, he currently runs a family farm, and has served on his local Board of Township Commissioners for twenty-eight years, including time as Chairman. The district was comprised of the city of Hazleton; the townships of Black Creek, Butler, Conyngham, Dorrance, Hazle (part), Hollenback, Huntington, Nescopeck, Salem, Sugarloaf, and Union; and the boroughs of Conyngham, Nescopeck, New Columbus, and Shickshinny in Luzerne County.

HARRISBURG ON A DIET?

A bill to reduce the size of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives to 153 members, from the current 203 members, heads to the House floor, after the bill passed out of committee. The bill, House Bill 153, authored by Speaker Sam Smith, passed the House State Government Committee by a vote of 18-6.
“There is nothing magical about the number 203, in fact, it came about by accident, yet reports and studies have indicated that groups more than 150 tend to be less efficient,” Smith said. “Reaching a consensus with 203 people on major and controversial issues has proven more difficult in recent times.”
With 203 members, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the second largest in the country. “In order to right-size Pennsylvania’s government, the Legislature needs to put its own house in order,” Smith said. “Today’s committee vote positions the bill for consideration by the full House in the next several weeks.”
To change the size of the Legislature requires an amendment to the state Constitution, which means the same bill must be debated and passed in two consecutive sessions, and subsequently approved by referendum vote of the people of Pennsylvania.

MURPHY TO KEYNOTE

NARAL Pro-Choice America will mark the 39th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Roe v. Wade with an annual dinner on Thursday, January 26, 2012 at the Hilton Washington Hotel in Washington, D.C. The program will include remarks from NARAL Pro-Choice America President Nancy Keenan and a keynote address from The Honorable Patrick Murphy. In addition to the speeches and award presentation, Susie Essman, comedienne starring in the critically-acclaimed HBO comedy series Curb Your Enthusiasm, will serve as the event’s mistress of ceremonies. She has also appeared in her own half-hour HBO comedy special, made numerous appearances on Late Night with Conan O’Brien, The View, and Crank Yankers, to name just a few of her many television credits.

MEDIA MATTERS

PCN AND PATERNO

The Pennsylvania Cable Network (PCN) will air LIVE coverage of the public memorial service for former Penn State head football coach Joe Paterno. Coverage is courtesy of WPSU-TV. The service, which will be held at the Bryce Jordan Center, is scheduled to air statewide on PCN beginning at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 26. The coverage will also be streamed LIVE at www.pcntv.com by clicking on the “watch now” streaming option located on the website’s homepage.
Following the coverage of the memorial service, PCN will open up the phone lines to allow viewers to share their comments about Joe Paterno with a statewide audience. Viewers are asked to dial toll-free at 1-877-PA6-5001 to participate.
Joe Paterno coached the Penn State football team from 1966 until his firing in November of last year in the aftermath of the child sex abuse charges against former Penn State football defensive coordinator, Jerry Sandusky. The 85-year-old former coach passed away on Sunday just months after being diagnosed with lung cancer.
PCN is a nonprofit, noncommercial news organization created and supported by cable television companies. PCN receives no state or federal funding. Network programming is distributed on more than 150 cable systems in Pennsylvania serving more than 10 million Pennsylvanians in 3.3 million homes. A complete listing of PCN affiliates and network channel designations is available by visiting PCN's website at www.pcntv.com.

ECTV

ECTV Live will welcome Sarah Keating, Vice President for Enrollment at Keystone College for it's weekly schedule of programs beginning on January 30th. The school will be offering some special activities to mark Black History month in February. Those, and many other free events open to the general public will be the topics of discussion for the show which, as hosted by Judge Tom Munley, was created by co-host David DeCosmo to highlight events and organizations improving the quality of life in the area. ECTV Live is available to Comcast Cable viewers on Ch19 and is presented each day at Noon and Midnight with additional 6pm showings several days during the week. You can check the complete ECTV daily schedule at http://sites. Goggle.com/site/ectvschedule/home.

SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE

This week Shadoe Steele presents Saturday Night Live at the Oldies on WILK AM and FM. The show starts at 7pm and is on until midnight with ABC News on the top of the hour. Shadoe’s guest this week is Brett Michaels, of the Celebrity Apprentice.

STORM POLITICS

What it's like to run for office for the 1st time as a political novice--the good, bad and ugly. Guest: Former Hazleton Mayoral Candidate, Jeff Cusat. And at the end of this show, a discussion of Hazleton issues and Tiffany’s "polite" request of Hazleton officials...this week on WYLN TV on Th 930p, Sat 5p, Sun 11a, Mon 830p, T 930p.

SUNDAY MAGAZINE

This Weekend On Sunday Magazine...Brian Hughes speaks with political activist & State Representative candidate Kevin Haggerty about the school voucher bill in Pennsylvania, and issues in the 112th Legislative District. Brian speaks with Karin Volo, the founder of the website bringingjoytotheworld.com, who discusses the 4 years she spend in prison for a crime she did not commit, and how she’s dedicated to bringing joy, and helping others facing difficult situations in life. And Magic 93’s Frankie in the Morning speaks with Scott Hall & Nick Walet from the Graham Academy about their free baseball clinic for youngsters with autism and special needs. Sunday Magazine, Sunday morning at 5:30am on JR 93.7 & 97BHT, 6am on 97.9X, 6:30am on Magic 93, and 9:30am on WARM 590 AM.

1967U.S. astronauts Gus Grissom, Edward Higgins White, and Roger Chaffee are killed when fire breaks out in their Apollo spacecraft during a launch pad test.

In Pennsylvania as Governor Ray Shafer’s term begins, a constitutional convention was meeting to overhaul state government. Shafer had made this the very foundation of his term as Lt. Governor…..in Scranton City Councilman James Doherty criticizes the Walsh administration’s meetings with the Scranton Redevelopment Authority. Doherty says that Council members were not duly informed of the times. A meeting was held to resolve this issue and 45 years ago the number 1 song in America and LuLac land was “Kind of A Drag” by the Buckinghams.

COMO PHOBIA

The LuLac Edition #1916, January 25th, 2012

2012-01-25T14:23:00.003-05:00

Our "Write On Wednesday" logo.

George Graham and this blog editor in a 2009 visit to WVIA TV/FM.

WRITE ON WEDNESDAY

WVIA FM'S GEORGE GRAHAM

When I was in college, during the summers of the Sam Irvin/Watergate hearings and the Impeachment hearings, I did the news on WVIA FM for George Graham's "Mixed Bag". George was/is a creature of habit and the meticulous manner in everything he did translated into his preparation and execution of his on air duties at FM 89.9. It is for that and many reasons that I was pleased to see a Times Leader editorial sing the praises of George Graham and his commitment to good, innovative radio programming.
WVIA’S GRAHAM: MUSIC TO OUR EARS
GEORGE GRAHAM’S warm voice sounds good coming through the radio, especially on a cold winter night when it comforts like a blanket or the sound of a companion’s key unlocking the door.
We – like plenty of the longtime radio host’s devoted listeners in Northeastern Pennsylvania, maybe you – have grown accustomed to Graham. He has been a fixture at WVIA-FM since its start, nearly 40 years ago. He’s our guest on many a weeknight, or maybe we are his. We get together around 7, usually in the kitchen, sometimes the car. We spend quality minutes, maybe even a few hours. He begins with jazz; we unwind. While we eat, he plays music “not heard elsewhere on the radio dial.” He talks about singer-songwriters, new tracks and independent labels; we learn.
When he marks an occasion, such as Martin Luther King Jr. Day, with the appropriate song selection, we nod approvingly. On a day when the stock market nosedives and Graham puts together a playlist that includes a Depression-era tune, we chuckle.
We await Graham’s roundup of artists’ upcoming performances at venues such as the Deer Head Inn (Delaware Water Gap) and Godfrey Daniels (Bethlehem). He gets tongue-tied and trips over titles, or momentarily misplaces a postcard with pertinent info, and we love it, because it’s George and because radio was meant to be raw.
For almost 38 years, Graham has treated us to “Mixed Bag,” a program featuring “distinctive varieties of rock, plus folk, blues, world music, fusion, Cajun/zydeco, reggae, new acoustic, Celtic” and other sounds virtually eradicated from modern radio. For that matter, from modern life.
Graham, a Carbondale native with an eclectic bent, is chronicler and historian, advocate and admirer of music.
We look forward to his “Weekly Album Review” and comprehensive coverage of blues and jazz festivals. At year’s end, we appreciate the good-natured spirit of his “Graham Awards” and the gravity of his “musical obituaries.”
We love his passion for his craft. We like to hear him all year long, even this week during one of those recurring fundraising drives when Graham and others tout the benefits of membership to the public radio station based in Jenkins Township.
As fans, there is but one thing we don’t want to hear the venerable George Graham say: Due to lack of financial support, folks, the show’s over.

The LuLac Edition #1915, January 24th, 2012

2012-01-24T00:26:00.006-05:00

Conference hijinks and fun.

Prospective Luzerne County Manager Robert Lawton. (Times Leader photo).

WB CITY COUNCIL PERKS/TRIPS

The Wilkes Barre City Council has again come under fire for its base salary of $13,000 a year for part time work as well as its acceptance of city benefits like health care and pensions. This information is nothing new, it came out again as part of the Right to Know request made by taxpayer advocate groups. The Democratic controlled Council set these parameters a few years ago and they have not changed them despite public pressure. Mayor Leighton who is paid over $70,000 a year has not taken a raise in the last 5 years.
It was revealed that Council members went on Conference junkets the last few years. A word on conferences: you do get a lot out of them because you get the opportunity to see what other areas do. Plus you get a bead on what challenges they are facing and what problem you might be hit with it in the future. The fact that the Mayor made trips for presentations along with his City Administrator is something that I as a resident of the city want to see. The job of Mayor as well as the City Administrator is to be the face of the City of Wilkes Barre. During the 80s, when Mayor Tom McLaughlin served, you knew he was the guy. His City and Chief Administrator at the time was the late Bob Wilkie. Both men sang from the same song sheet. You want that in a City Administration. You want the powers that be in Harrisburg and Washington to know your face, your name and your city. Travel judiciously and pick your spots.
As far as Council trips, not so much. From the Times Leader: Councilman Bill Barrett and Kathy Kane, who left council in December to become controller, say the city has benefited from numerous projects that they learned about by attending the conventions. Okay: name them. The only thing we heard from Kane as Council chairperson the last year was how much time residents could speak at Council meetings.
By admission these are part time people. It’s not as if this City Council , as a body or individuals are great and innovative thinkers that will change the city overnight with a dramatic idea. The Council has been nothing but a rubber stamp body under the Leighton administration. They should all stay home. However if there is information vital to city interests, they can always use the teleconferencing technology at LCCC.
The lame duck trip of Councilman Tony Thomas and Bernie Mengeringhausen in November to the National League of Cities in Phoenix is problematic. Since 2006 Thomas and Mengerinhausen have taken the trip with Kathy Kane and Bill Barrett. The four have made the same trip to the same conference but with the retirement of both Thomas and Mengerinhausen, what was the rationale for the latter two to attend? To say goodbye? Mengerinhausen’s replacement Kathy Kane was on the trip anyway. So he certainly didn’t have to introduce her around. Thomas’ assertion that he was going to stay involved in community activities so therefore the conference was a good thing for the city is ridiculous. From the Times Leader: “He (Thomas) continues to live in the city and plans to volunteer his time to help council members and other city officials in any way he can”. So does that mean that a person like Karen Ceppa or Bob Kadluboski or say a guy like me who continue to live in the city and are willing to help in any way we can are eligible for attending the conference? I mean that’s pretty vague criteria right there, isn’t it? Just because the money was in the budget for Mengerinhausen and Thomas doesn’t mean it has to be spent! I can understand how both men, who served as well meaning public servants might have gone because “the money was budgeted”. However, both should reimburse the city for at least half of their trips as a gesture of good faith.
But that won’t happen. Wilkes Barre officials will do what they want to do. Not because they are malicious, greedy or dishonest…but because they can. The electoral make up of the city lets them. It’s like a little kid, if there is no evidence of consequences, then any questionable behavior is not going to change. No one in the planning stages of the last trip ever said, “Hey wait a minute, we might get hell if Bernie and Tony go” because Kane and Barrett were on their way to landslide wins against GOP opponents who had no registration strength or organizational money behind them. The right to information requests are done with the right intentions but the energy is misplaced. It’s almost like watching a reality show about the Kardashians, the gossip is delicious, you rail against their lifestyles and you bitch about how horrible they are and how honorable you might be in their positions. But that’s it. Nothing will change in Wilkes Barre unless a group of people get united, form a coalition of people so pissed off they are willing to infuse serious money to get party registrations (it could either be Democrats or Republicans) and make a serious effort to overthrow the Democratic power structure. Right to Know requests might bring out dicey expenses but short of any criminal activity (of which there are none) only an electoral revolution will make any significant changes. The last Republican on City Council was Jack Jones two decades ago. And he became a Democrat!!!!. A good friend of mine who understand how politics works around here constantly tells me that politicos who take a chance and run for office deserve the perks, the amenities, the trips. They were the ones who go out and get the petitions signed, they are the ones that make small talk at the rallies and put themselves out there and win. And in a way he is right. Until there is a new wave of office seekers and a vastly different electorate in Wilkes Barre….look for more of the same. We’ll all make noise about it in the short run but in the long haul, nothing will change.

LAWTON ON THE WAY

The Times Leader’s Jennifer Learnes Andes is reporting that the Luzerne County Council has made an offer of $110,000 a year to Robert Lawton to be its first County Manager. Lawton, of Rio Vista, Calif., will start working here on Feb. 21 according to published reports.
The Times Leader story reports that Lawton has been principal management analyst for Solano County, Calif., since January 2010, acting as a senior member of an executive team that services a 909-square-mile suburban/rural county with a $761 million budget, 2,469 employees and population of 423,000.
Former County Budget Director Tom Pribula has been serving as Interim Manager. Lawton is going to have his work cut out for him for two reasons, the first is that this County is a total mess. The second reason is that no one save the new County Council and Interim Manager want to fix it. No one wants to make a sacrifice. Maybe it will be a good thing that Lawton knows no one here. We wish him luck and give him a few pieces of advice:
1. Don’t take it personally if people don’t like you because you’re an outsider. People from Scranton have the same problem.
2. If someone says you’re a cousin….don’t believe them.
3. If you do need to listen to anyone, the magic number is 12. The 11 County Council members and the Interim Manager. Everyone else will have an agenda.
4. Senunuas’ Bar is down the street from the Courthouse. It’s a college bar free of lawyers but the drinks are pretty reasonable. You may not think you’ll need this advice but I guarantee you will find your way there after one meeting with the hold over row officers.
5. Abe’s Hot Dogs, South Main, the original. Don’t settle.
6. If you are not an early riser, beware of Jim Bobeck, the guy likes to meet for coffee before dawn.
7. Everybody in the Courthouse is the most essential and hard working employee you will ever meet. They’ll tell you that themselves.
8. Find out exactly what the heads of the county employee unions do. The taxpayers really want to know.
9. FYI......The littered streets and couches on the side of the road, we're slobs.
10. There are two Steve Urbans on the County Council, one has hair, the other doesn’t. Both may seem like the same person so you’ll need to tell them apart.
11. Taxes. We have them. You can raise them. Employees. We have them. You can downsize or expand some as needed. You’re the man now. Don’t be afraid to make a choice. People will scream and threaten your job. Looking at your resume, I’m guessing you’ve left better jobs than this.
12. If you have an Ipod, at some point, after a tough day, you are going to need a mood changer. Here’s a song I guarantee you’ll be thinking about. Might as well have it in your music rotation.

The LuLac Edition #1914, January 24th, 2012

2012-01-24T00:11:00.003-05:00

The Monday Night Florida debate starring Rick Santorum, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul.

FLORIDA DEBATE # 1

After South Carolina, comes the crucial Florida primary and on Monday night Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich tangled over the semantics on whether the former House speaker engaged in "influence peddling," was a citizen publicly advocating for a certain position, or a "consultant" skirting lobbying disclosure rules.
Romney charged Gingrich with lobbying without registration on behalf of Freddie Mac, Gingrich responded with a convoluted answer. Gingrich said he hired lobbying disclosure experts study the regulations who advised him of what he could and couldn't do in order to legally avoid registering as a lobbyist. The reason he didn't want to register, he said, was to avoid being accused later of influence peddling. Huh?????????? I mean read that sentence over a few times and think whether it came from a prospective President and not a magician!
Gingrich had previously claimed that Freddie Mac hired him as a "historian” .
The Gingrich campaign later sent out a release calling the candidate a "small businessman”. So what is it, a historian, a consultant, a lobbyist? Newt is starting to remind me of the old cartoon from my childhood, “Little Johnny Everything”.

The Romney campaign is hoping Florida will be a firewall for the former governor's White House chances. Romney has spent millions on advertising in the state, and Romney has enjoyed an early advantage in the polls — one his campaign hopes transfers to the over 225,000 early and absentee ballots that have been cast.
However the contest is closed to registered Republicans which means the electorate might be composed of the more conservative voters that fueled Gingrich's win in South Carolina. Gingrich is hoping that dual wins in South Carolina and Florida could crush the aura of inevitability Romney built around his campaign.
Texas Rep. Ron Paul has pretty much decided against mounting a huge offensive in Florida. However the good doctor had spent much of the debate voicing his patented message, railing against government spending and U.S. involvement in foreign conflicts.
Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, the winner of the Iowa caucus and a third place finisher in South Carolina (he garnered 100,000 votes) he reminded viewers of Gingrich’s troubles as speaker, and the positions taken by Romney in the past that run counter to the GOP base. Santorum brought up the health care plan Romney espoused as Governor in Massachusetts and Gingrich’s support of a government mandate for health care.
Santorum, has said he will continue fighting forward in Florida, but would need a strong debate performance and more money in order to compete. Santorum wants to stay as the logical alternative to Gingrich. However Gingrich was more subdued and toned down in comparison to his Thursday night appearance in South Carolina and his raucous victory speech on Saturday. It appeared he frustrated the attacking Romney who wanted to engage him on a more volatile level but the former Speaker wasn’t biting. The debate was on NBC TV and moderated by NBC anchor Brian Williams.

The LuLac Edition #1913, January 23rd, 2012

2012-01-23T10:20:00.004-05:00

121rst District candidate Peter Mailloux with Rick Arnold at Arnold's Saturday event. Mailloux has his sights set on Eddie Day Pashinski's seat. (Photo by Jim O'Meara.)

119th District candidate Rick Arnold with 116th District Representative Tarah Toohill. Some of Toohill's current distrait will become part of the 119th if the reapportionment stands. (Photo by Jim O'Meara).

Prospective Congressional candidate Matt Cartwright. (Times Leader photo)

GOP TAKING ON THE DEMS

It is early but three Republicans in Luzerne County are setting their sights on being a State $Representative. To do it, they are going to have to unseat Democrats. In the 119th, Rick Arnold will take on Freshman Gerald Mullery might benefit from the redistricting. My friend Gort reports that In 2010 Arnold lost by just 1300+ votes with a Libertarian candidate in the race. If this is a 2 person race it could be very competitive. Arnold kicked off his campaign on a snowy Saturday at the Crestwood Industrial Park. The bleak day, the awful weather and the cold chill were a perfect backdrop for Arnold’s main campaign message: JOBS: AND LACK THEREOF IN HIS DISTRICT. Arnold is a personable hard working fellow and impressed many in his run in 2010.
In the 120th, Phyllis Mundy faces Aaron Kaufer. Kaufer will announce his candidacy for state representative of the 120th district in front of family, friends and supporters at the American Legion in Kingston at 6 p.m. Tuesday, January 24, 2012, 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. (speech will be held at 7 p.m.) Kaufer is a young candidate with a lot of energy. It will be interesting to see how he runs this campaign against a two decade experienced Representative like Mundy. The key to both the 119th and 120th race is to keep it a one on one contest and not have a third party, (as worthy as they are) muck things up. This is where the political powerhouses (if there are any left with juice in the GOP) might come in handy.
In the 121st Eddie Day Pashinski will face former Fairview Township Supervisor Pete Mailloux, a Republican with a very prominent name in the Wyoming Valley. Mailloux also owns a business in Mountain Top. He kicks off his campaign also on Tuesday at 7:00PM at the Wilkes-Barre Township Fire hall. (Presumably there will be a lot of room since the FBI hauled out a lot of stuff out of there last week!) Mailloux has a good reputation, presents himself well but will be facing a three term incumbent. If I were running his campaign, I’d see how many of Pashinski’s relatives are on local government payrolls, if any. Pashinski who authored his own health care plan a few years ago has gained a lot of traction and respect in Harrisburg and be tough to beat.
But the fact that the GOP are fielding candidates is a good thing for the party. Plus there is a re energized base among young people who are hellbent on putting people in office in the County. While Tarah Toohill and Stefanie Salavantis ran tough, well thought out campaigns, it is not an accident that they won by taking on people who never thought they’d ever be in a fight.

CARTWRIGHT TO SPEAK

Matt Cartwright will be making a major announcement regarding the 2012 Congressional Election on Tuesday, January 24th, 2012 at 12:00 pm.
Cartwright, a Lackawanna County resident and attorney with Munley, Munley and Cartwright, will be speaking at the Hilton Scranton Hotel and Conference Center, 100 Adams Avenue, Scranton, PA 18503. This event will be open to the public.
Cartwright will most likely discussing his intention to run for Congress in the 17th Congressional District. He’s not calling the news conference to discuss his picks for the Super Bowl!

WITHIN REACH?

The 11th Congressional District race has been a hot topic of conversation regarding the re-election chances of Lou Barletta. It has been assumed that because he is a Republican, Barletta’s new district boundaries are overwhelmingly Republican. But in a statement released by the Congressman;s office to Bill Kelly on WVIA TV’s “State of Pennsylvania”, the actual breakdown of the district is 44% Republican, 43% Democrat and 13% Independent. If that is the case, then maybe Wilkes Barre Democrat Bill Vinsko might actually be within striking distance of making this race more competitive. By no means will Vinsko’s entry mean a slam dunk but these numbers now shed new light on the upcoming race in the 11th. No Republican in the outer reaches of the district will not vote for a Democrat not residing in the district, albeit barely. But an Independent might.

The LuLac Edition #1912, January 22nd, 2012

2012-01-22T16:14:00.003-05:00

The LuLac Edition #1911, January 22nd, 2012

2012-01-22T00:16:00.004-05:00

South Carolina.

The late Dick Cosgrove (right) with son Joe when his son was sworn in as a Judge in Luzerne County.

SOUTH CAROLINA NEWT’S SALVATION

Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich romped to a decisive win in the South Carolina primary Saturday night. Garnering 40% of the vote and more than 250,000 ballots marked for him, Gingrich said in a victory speech that he’d challenge Barack Obama to 7 three hour debates. Strong backing from conservative and religious voters and people fears about an uncertain economy fueled Newt Gingrich's victory Saturday in South Carolina's Republican presidential primary, an exit poll of voters.
The stats also showed that for the first time, Gingrich had grabbed two constituencies that his chief rival, Mitt Romney, prided himself in winning in the year's two previous GOP contests in Iowa and New Hampshire. By a decisive 5 to 4 margin, Gingrich bested Romney among voters looking for someone to defeat President Barack Obama this November, and he led Romney by nearly as much among those who considered the economy the top issue in picking a candidate.
The primary went quickly to Gingrich this week when in a course of 72 hours, Gingrich got two standing ovations at various debates, Texas Governor Rick Perry dropped out and endorsed Newt and Gingrich’s ex wife came on ABC’s Night line and said Gingrich asked for an open marriage. Gingrich went all ballistic on CNN moderator John King saying bringing a personal issue like that to the forefront of a debate was despicable. I said on Topic A Friday night that in a weird sort of way, Mary Ann Gingrich might have helped her ex husband win the primary and play the righteous indignation card.
From here we go to Florida where Gingrich can get loaded up with more money in anticipation of the 31st voting in the Sunshine State. Romney needs to do something about his weak answers on tax returns. Meanwhile the guy in the catbird seat in all of this is Rick Santorum. The Romney people have it in their best interest to have Santorum stay in the race to split the conservative vote. The anti Gingrich people in the party might start funneling more money into Santorum’s coffers to keep him as a viable, stable, less explosive conservative alternative. Ron Paul will keep fighting getting a little piece of the pie and do what he does best, gin up crowds, scare some people, inspire people. But in the end, he’ll just roll along and entertain.

DICK COSGROVE

Dick Cosgrove long associated with the Pittston Dispatch died Saturday. Cosgrove was the father of former Judge Joe Cosgrove and George Cosgrove, who heads the administration at Pittston Area high School. I met “Mr. Cosgrove” when I was 15 years old. I used to take my music column up to the Dispatch and he’d always comment about my articles. I’d take in his advice and enjoyed the fact that one of the big shots (he was Advertising Manager then) actually paid attention to me. Cosgrove went in with the late William Watson Senior in 1947 forming the weekly paper that became an institution in the Greater Pittston Area. In his later years, Mr. Cosgrove wrote a weekly column for the Citizen’s Voice. My condolences to his family. This isn’t an original thought and most likely one that you’ll see thousands of times this week in print, but, “it was an honor to know Mr. Dick Cosgrove and an honor to be in his presence”. Somewhere in newsprint heaven, Bill Watson Senior and his son “Pidge” are trying to launch another newspaper. They got their ad man on board now!

COSGROVE’S FINAL COLUMN

From the Citizen’s Voice:
To our readers: Veteran Voice columnist Dick Cosgrove passed away Saturday at his home in Pittston. His final column was published Tuesday, Jan. 17:
Every week, I write a column for the Citizens’ Voice by sitting at my computer and typing the words of the column on the keyboard. It dawned on me this week that the keyboard I use on my computer looks the same as the keyboards I have used throughout my career.
I have been in the newspaper business for many years, more than 65 to be exact, and I have relied on the typewriter keyboard, or nowadays, the computer keyboard through all those years.
And while things are hi-tech these days, with computers and such, the keyboard everyone uses to write on computers or to send emails or to text someone still has the same look as the good old keyboards we used to use on the old mechanical typewriters.
I learned to type in business school at St. John’s in Pittston after high school. didn’t like the business portion too much, but the nun who taught there promised me that if I stuck with it I’d be able to type when the course was over. She was right and she gave me a tool which I still use to this day, the ability to type. It was right after that when I was on the stairs in the old Times Leader building on Market Street in Wilkes-Barre and met Joseph P. Murphy, the managing editor, who asked if I wanted to be a reporter. I said ‘yes.’ Then he asked if I could type. I again said ‘yes.’ He said “Report to Pittston on Monday.” So because I could type, I got the job and have been in the newspaper business ever since.
In those early days, and for most of my career, I typed on a manual typewriter. It was an old, heavy, black Olympia typewriter which used a fabric typing ribbon which was inked and moved slightly with each key typed. As the line of type got close to the edge of the paper, a bell would ring, reminding the typist that it was time to hit the “return” bar, which the typist would hit to slide the paper carriage back to the beginning of the line and advance the paper to the next line. It could be set for single or double space.
Machines like the Olympia typewriter really were “manual” typewriters. There was a lot of manual work that the typist had to do, but there was something about hearing the bang of the keybar on the paper and moving the return bar which let you know that you really were typing words on the page.
Typing on a computer keyboard is a lot different than typing on the manual typewriter.
The computer keyboard doesn’t need a strong strike for the image to appear on the computer screen and there is no need to push a return bar when the typed line of text gets near the end of the line. The computer automatically moves to the next line with no effort.
One thing the computer does that the old manual typewriters did not is either correct spelling mistakes or at least leave a mark to let you know that a word is not spelled correctly. If the old manual typewriters did that, it would have made a reporter’s life much easier.
While the old manual typewriters and today’s computers are different, they do share the same keyboard, with some small differences. The keys on both of these keyboards are the same, with the same letter formation. This kind of formation is called the “qwerty” keyboard, since the top line of the keyboard begins with the letters q-w-e-r-t-y. It originated in the 1870s with an invention of Christopher Latham Sholes, a newspaper man from Milwaukee. With the help of friends who worked on perfecting the keyboard layout, ultimately the idea was sold to Remington which perfected the “qwerty” keyboard in 1878.
This keyboard formation is the one I used in business school and on the old manual typewriter, and is still the formation used on today’s hi-tech devices like computers and telephones and other things.
“When a reporter sits down at the typewriter, he’s nobody’s friend.” Theodore White

The LuLac Edition #1910, January 21st, 2012

2012-01-21T00:03:00.003-05:00

"Sound Off Saturday" logo.

SOUND OFF SATURDAY

I had an “Interview” segment in the hopper but a story in the Times Leader on line caught my attention. Interim County manager Tom Pribula is at wits end trying to figure out what the County Council wants to do about the budget. Some would be open to a tax increase, others would not. The Homestead Act was also talked about too. But one part of the article really hit me regarding the employee unions (who after all work for us) at the County Courthouse.
“Pribula and several council members say they’ve essentially scrapped proposals to generate $2.5 million with a 12-day layoff for all employees and $1.2 million from a union pay raise freeze because unions aren’t embracing those options.”
My question to these people, (and I’m sure Pribula and the Council people have thought it) is this:
WHY NOT?
Taxpayers should not go to the meetings assailing the Interim Manager, the County Council members or the media who reports
on this. They should ask the unions WHY NOT?

The LuLac Edition #1909, January 20th, 2012

2012-01-20T14:03:00.004-05:00

"Maybe I'm Amazed" logo.

MAYBE I'M AMAZED

MAYBE I’M AMAZED….that there seems to be an epidemic of abuse of children the last few weeks. Or maybe all the cases investigated are just coming to fruition. But it seemed like every news broadcast this week featured a child getting sexually abused, a baby being beaten or shaken or just some other kind of ugly incident. I mean is this who we are as a society here? Will we be known as the area that sure as hell knows how to make babies but are clueless how to raise them? And if we are clueless, and can’t raise them, do we just kill them?
MAYBE I’M AMAZED…..that in the race for Attorney General, Patrick Murphy does not have a law license in the state? The guy is a decorated veteran and great candidate in terms of personality and presentation. But if the Democrats finally want to win the Attorney General’s race (since the office became an elected one in 1980 no Democrat has won it) there better be some pretty good talking points to combat this.
MAYBE I’M AMAZED……that the Luzerne County Council is ready to make an offer to a candidate so soon. The name has not been released. But if the person takes the job, how long will it be before he gets here and more importantly how long is he going to stay.
MAYBE I’M AMAZED……that the union officials in the County Courthouse didn’t come up with the furlough solution themselves rather than have someone suggest it to them. Furlough days are being used all over the country to make up budget cuts so people don’t get laid off. It will be interesting to see how this suggestion pans out.
MAYBE I’M AMAZED……that there are many Conservative Republicans willing to give Newt Gingrich a pass on the three wives. Although James Dotson from “Focus On the Family” all but called Newt’s #3 a harlot by committing adultery with Newt while he was married to his second wife. The “Open Marriage” thing to me is hysterical, the only time that ever comes up is when a guy gets caught. It’s kind of like that pass Doug Flutie threw when he was at Boston College for a touchdown, all the stars have to be aligned just right.
MAYBE I’M AMAZED…….that A.J. Munchak has gotten more legal help before his sentencing on the 30th. His new Attorney will join Chris Powell in trying to keep A.J.’s prison sentence lower than Bob Cordaro’s. Attorney Lisa Mathewson officially entered the case on Wednesday. Will her late entry buy Munchak more time?
MAYBE I’M AMAZED….that it took an intervention by the acting manager of the County to settle the dispute between Sheriff John Gilligan and Walter Griffith on a dispute of forfeited weapons. Manager Tom Pribula ruled in Griffith’;s favor citing the charter language which read, the controller "shall have access to and may inspect all County property, equipment, and facilities." Griffith said he wants to audit the guns obtained protection-from-abuse orders to see if any have been damaged or are missing. Fair enough Walter but how are you doing on all those backed up audits in the Controller’s office? I haven’t heard anything about how that’s progressing.
MAYBE I’M AMAZED…..that there is such a big deal being made of Rick Santorum’s sweater vest. I own two and wear them to keep warm. When you’re stuck in Iowa for a year, you need something like that because winter starts after Labor Day there.
MAYBE I’M AMAZED……that people were surprised and outraged by John King’s question to Newt Gingrich about the 3 wives and Gingrich’s reaction to it. Both guys knew exactly what they were doing to do and do. It was kind of like watching the WWE. Except these guys had no written script to make it all the more authentic.
MAYBE I’M AMAZED….that they say “American Idol” is finally slipping in the ratings. You think? The show is a rip off of Ted Mack Amateur Hour and I’m sorry the show is woefully predictable. I can tell you the format, the way it will pan out and I’ve never ever seen it.
MAYBE I’M AMAZED…..that the NFL Playoff are sometimes better than the Super Bowl. With my Pack out of it, I’m going with the Patriots over Baltimore and San Francisco just getting by the Giants. One of my favorite cities is San Francisco ( as well as Mrs. LuLac’s) so I’m rooting for the 49ers.

The LuLac Edition #1908, January 19th, 2012

2012-01-19T23:30:00.003-05:00

Debaters from left to right, Rick Santorum, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul.

SOUTH CAROLINA DEBATE # 2

Saying that momentum was on his side after an announcement of victory in Iowa, former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum attempted to weaken foes Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich with a series of direct attacks on the two front-runners in the last South Carolina debate ahead of the state's primary on Saturday.
Santorum charged both Romney and Gingrich would be weaker opponents against President Barack Obama. Santorum brought up health care and said neither could draw a contrast with the incumbent over health care policy.
A rejuvenated Santorum characterized the Massachusetts health care plan passed while Romney was governor "an abject disaster". Romney retorted that he'd get rid of Obama Care on day 1 and that he would have consumers have the ability to buy their own health insurance taking it from job to job. He also attacked Gingrich for supporting an individual mandate for over a decade.
The debate came at the end of a huge day that saw Santorum being declared winner of the Iowa caucuses more than two weeks after his apparent second-place showing to Romney. Texas Gov. Rick Perry then dropped out of the race and throwing his support to Gingrich. It is the last debate match up between the four candidates two days before Saturday's pivotal first in the South primary.
Things started off with a bang when a thoroughly pissed Gingrich criticized CNN for starting off with a question about reports that he offered his then-second wife a choice of an open marriage or divorce. He revealed to her he was having an affair with the woman he later made his third wife.Gingrich attacked the news media and King in particular saying he was appalled a Presidential debate would start with a question like that.
"To take an ex-wife and make it two days before the primary a significant question in a presidential campaign is as close to despicable as anything I can imagine," retorted Gingrich who said CNN was peddling trash. Gingrich said that CNN chose to start the debate with it. Gingrich came out of the box swinging saying the “elite media” was attacking the GOP in hopes of getting Barack Obama re-elected. Gingrich's response elicited loud applause from the audience. Santorum said he was a Christian and was forgiving but it was up to the voters. Romney said that they needed to get to the real issues and Paul weighed in saying that corporations who run the media sometimes need to be looked at in terms of standards.
Recent polling of the race suggests that Gingrich has been enjoying a late surge in South Carolina, one that could threaten Romney's bid for a win that, his campaign hopes, would all but seal the nomination. South Carolina has correctly predicted the eventual Republican nominee since the inception of its primary in 1980; in each subsequent contest, the winner has gone on to become the GOP standard-bearer.
Romney has sought to project an air of inevitability surrounding his candidacy, but has been tagged by questions about the business practices of Bain Capital, the private equity firm he co founded, that go to the core of his argument that he is the candidate most experienced to repair the U.S. economy. Romney's work for Bain also made him wealthy, and Romney's GOP rivals have pressed him to release his tax returns.
He dealt with both issues in the debate. Romney sought to explain Bain's work in greater detail, highlighting instances in which its work created jobs. He avoided engaging with Republicans, like Gingrich, who have questioned Romney's private sector record.
It was Santorum, though, who put the most pointed questions to the two front runners. Santorum, who served in Congress while Gingrich was speaker, raised questions about whether Gingrich's conduct as a leader would lead to a "worrisome moment" for the GOP. That exchange opened up a broader, sharper discussion between the candidates on their backgrounds. Romney characterized Gingrich as a lifelong insider, and again touted his business experience as the best qualification for his candidacy. Whether Romney did much to reverse his slide likely won't be known until Saturday, when South Carolinians head to the polls. Debate settings have been a strength for Gingrich, and he, Paul and Santorum have relished the opportunity to pile on Romney in these settings.
Romney held his own but really had to struggle when pressed on his record as Governor. Santorum tried to make points by painting himself as the safe conservative alternative to Gingrich. Santorum seemed to be saying “you won’t have an October surprise from me. Ron Paul was all but eclipsed by the three others. Paul did win points by talking about support for veterans and saying he was embarrassed to produce his taxes saying he didn’t make as much money as the other three. Who won? Gingrich for his straight forward attacks and ability to turn any negative answer about himself to a positive. Santorum for his cogent attacks on Gingrich and Romney. Those were the two winners, Romney held his own and Paul placed.

The LuLac Edition #1907, January 19th, 2012

2012-01-19T11:52:00.008-05:00

The Conservative alternatives, Gingrich and Santorum.

Laureen Cummings.

Our "Como Phobia logo".

Our 1967 logo.

PERRY OUT

He was once touted as the front runner. The next Governor of Texas that would become the power on the GOP throne. But Risk Perry did have the luxury that George W. Bush had (getting tutorials in foreign policy and economics ) from world wide experts. Perry struggling in the polls and having had dismal debate performances announced today he is dropping out of the race fort President. He has been stuck at 4% in the polls and has endorsed Newt Gingrich. The leaders of the right in the GOP prevailed upon him to bow out before the crucial South Carolina primary so maybe some of his votes could go to Newt Gingrich or possibly Rick Santorum. Perry would make an ideal Vice Presidential candidate with the huge bundle of electoral votes in Texas. Plus with a little practice, he may be a viable candidate a few cycles in.

SANTORUM WINS IOWA

That 8 vote margin didn’t hold up and Rick Santorum actually won Iowa by 34 votes. While this doesn’t change the delegate count, Santorum does get bragging rights. Plus, if Romney falters in South Carolina or has an unimpressive showing, the air of inevitability might be chipped away some.

ROMNEY’S TAXES

The 15% that Mitt Romney pays on taxes is going to be a problem in this year’s fall election. Mrs. LuLac and I pay a tax rate of about 28%. Now we don’t get taxed the way Romney gets taxed, on investments but the average American tax payer is not going to understand that. Romney is not the first rich man to run for but in this climate where job creators and big business is vilified, being loaded might be a liability. Romney needs to explain why his tax rate is so low. Not to satisfy a class argument but to give the American people a quick tutorial on how a rich guy can get to the point that he might pay less than the general public. Business people usually take risks and with that risks come reward. Romney’s people might due well to explain it. In the meantime, look for the Obama camp to pounce. Despite what you believe about me and other left of center Democrats, we have no class envy. Most of us recognize that the people who take the risks, deserve higher compensation. The heroes of the Democratic party, FDR and JFK were rich beyond comprehension. Plus we have had no trouble with politicians getting rich on their names and tours of duty like Reagan, Ford and Clinton. What is troubling about Romney is this type of tone deafness that seems to permeate his thoughts. The guy doesn’t know when to leave well enough alone. The other day he said that his speaking fees weren’t a lot of money. The figure that “was not a lot of money” was about $350,000!! He said this days before a primary in a state that has been historically one of the poorest and has pockets of unemployment of over 20%. Again, this was a type of error that should not have happened. Regular folks don’t care how rich people like Romney are. We couldn’t even imagine what to do with the interest on that money. But don’t throw out a figure that is small to you and significant to the majority. It was unintended but Mitt Romney just rubbed our noses into how wealthy he is. That’s what regular folks can’t stand. It is said Romney greatest fear is repeating the cardinal sin his father committed in 1968 saying “he was brainwashed by the generals” on the Vietnam War. It was true but he shouldn’t have said it. Mitt Romney, the last few weeks has not only repeated but magnified the sins of his father by not thinking culturally on the haves and have nots in a tough economy.

MUST SEE TV

ABC News plans to air an interview with the second wife of Republican presidential contender Newt Gingrich on "Nightline" just two days before the GOP's South Carolina primary. Excerpts from the interview with Marianne Gingrich will be released during the day Thursday, ABC News spokesman Jeffrey Schneider said, ahead of both a Republican candidate debate Thursday evening in Charleston, S.C., and ABC's late-night news program. ABC News has not indicated what Marianne Gingrich said in the interview. Her ex-husband has said that they don't have a relationship.
The interview comes as Gingrich, the former House speaker, is trying to topple GOP front-runner Mitt Romney by casting himself as the more conservative option in the GOP presidential race. It would shine a spotlight on a part of Gingrich's past that could turn off Republican voters in a state filled with religious and cultural conservatives who may cringe at Gingrich's two divorces and acknowledged infidelities. Marianne Gingrich has said Gingrich proposed to her before the divorce from his first wife was final in 1981; they were married six months later. Her marriage to Gingrich ended in divorce in 2000, and Gingrich has admitted he'd already taken up with Callista Bisek, a former congressional aide who would become his third wife. The speaker who pilloried President Bill Clinton for his affair with Monica Lewinsky was himself having an affair at the time. Now to be fair to Gingrich, he did ask for an open marriage but his second wife refused. Apparently that was a deal breaker and that's why they got divorced.

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT

KRAFT/OFFSET LAYS OFF

I know there are many dedicated workers under the dome at the Luzerne County Courthouse. And the people who will get hurt will be those who are making the least amount of money and have the least seniority. But it is going to be very hard for the county Council not to let anyone go given the layoffs at two hugely successful area firms, Offset Paperback and Kraft Foods. They had to make sacrifices, deal with market forces, cut the fat or using a BCNEPA term “right size”. Even though good people will be let go…it is going to be hard to justify not doing it in light of this recent news.

CUMMINGS STOPS BID

Laureen Cummings has ended her bid for United States Senator. She made the announcement earlier in the week. Telling the Scranton Times, the energetic and vociferous candidate declared, "I'm not going anywhere," Cummings, 47, of Old Forge, said Monday, two days after dropping out of the Senate race to back Tim Burns, a Republican business consultant from Washington County.
Her departure winnowed the remaining Republican candidates to six actively seeking support at regional caucuses before the state Republican Party meeting Jan. 27 and 28 in Hershey. Cummings said she did not want to split the Tea Party vote and backed Brewer because she felt he was close enough to her in the issues and was a more viable candidate to run statewide. You will most likely be hearing from her on radio and TV as well as other news outlets. The other candidates besides Jim Burns are Tom Smith, Steve Welch, Sam Rohrer, David Christian, ; and Marc Scaringi.

CASEY’S FOE

Incumbent Senator Bob Casey has opposition in the form of Allegheny County manufacturing plant owner Joe Vodvarka. Brian Kelly from Wilkes Barre who is a retired professor and ran against Paul Kanjorski a few years back said he could not get enough names on the ballot or his campaign off the ground. In 2006 despite much straight party backing in the primary Casey did have 3 primary opponents.

SANTORUM THE REAL DEAL

FOX News just released a poll that said 29% of Republican voters believe Rick Santorum is the candidate best described as the true conservative, and this certainly makes him the best conservative to take on Romney. This is over twice the number that named Newt Gingrich. Rick Santorum is gaining support and in 2nd place, just behind Mitt Romney in two other national polls released today. This is a great sign that we are headed for a big Santorum Surge in South Carolina, and well positioned as the alternative to Romney.
It is time for conservatives to unite behind the one conservative Republican candidate that can win -- and that one candidate is Rick Santorum.
This weekend Rick secured a huge endorsement from Tony Perkins and 150 other top evangelical leaders who recognized it is time for conservatives to come together and rally their support behind one candidate.
Tony Perkins stated, “Rick Santorum has consistently articulated the issues that are of concern to conservatives, both economic and social. He has woven those into a very solid platform.”

PAULA’S HOME HOKUM

First off I never watched Paula dean’s cooking show. No matter how good the food looks, I always found her annoying and really ignorant. The affected “y’alls” I felt were indicative of what we Americans do all the time, equate bad English with southern charm. So she cooks up this great tasting stuff and pushes it on her show. Albeit she recommended that her cooking was for special occasions. And not to be used every day. The other day she goes on “The Chew” (another food show) and announces she has Type 2 Diabetes. She of course starts to cry and say that she wants to be remembered as someone who by talking about her disease, helped people. Here are the facts; she kept the disease a secret for a few years. She revealed it now because she has a contract with a drug maker Novo Nordisk. Novo Nordisk site links to promotional materials for the drug Victoza which Dean now takes on a daily basis. Her other lucrative endorsements include Smithfield ham and Philadelphia Cream Cheese. Look, I wish her the best in terms of her health. But spare me the tears. Please. And please don’t over inflate the importance of your advice. Dean said on the Today Show, “You can have diabetes and have a piece of cake. You cannot have diabetes and eat a whole cake." I love to eat. I know guys that love to eat. I’ve known women who could eat me and those guys under the table. But I have yet to meet anyone who ever ate a whole cake in a day. I’m sorry, it never happened. Take your medicine, get on with your life but please….stop crying as if you’re a victim. You live by the butter knife, you die by the butter knife.

JILL’S BOOK

The Second Lady of the United States, Jill Biden has plans to author a children’s book titled “Don’t Forget, Nana, God Bless Our Troops”. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers announced today plans to publish an illustrated children’s book by Second Lady of the United States. The book will be illustrated by award-winning artist Raul Colon and is set to go on sale June 5, 2012.
“As a military mom and a teacher, I wanted to write this book to make all Americans, especially children, aware of the unique experience of children who have a parent or other relative deployed in our armed forces,” said Jill Biden. “I saw with my own grandchildren just how difficult it is to carry on while you are worried about a parent who is serving in a war zone … and I also learned what a difference it makes when members of the community show support. I hope my granddaughter Natalie’s story, which inspired the book, gives readers some insight into the strength and character of our military families, and encourages them to reach out in their neighborhoods and communities.”
Biden will be donating all net author proceeds to charities that support military families and children, and she has refused an advance for the book. In addition, Simon & Schuster will make a contribution to a charity that supports military families and children.
The book is inspired by the real life experiences of the Biden family and will be told through the eyes of Vice President Joe and Jill Biden’s granddaughter, Natalie Biden. As the Major of the Delaware Army National Guard, Natalie’s father, Beau Biden, was deployed to Iraq for a year.

100 BILLION

Is that the latest fighter jet coming off the assembly line? Is it the cost of a health care initiative? Is it a cure for cancer? Is it the cost of a new undeclared war? Is it the amount of money spent on security systems to fight terrorism? NOPE. 100 BILLION is the amount of money deadbeat parents owe in this country for child support. 100 BILLION. And in most cases, authorities can’t find the deadbeats because they stay one step ahead of the law. Round up the kids, jail the parents indefinitely and bring back orphanages.

MEDIA MATTERS

ECTV

If you're starting to work on your taxes you'll want to try to catch ECTV Live the week of January 23rd with hosts Tom Munley and David DeCosmo! Their guests will be Nancy Post from Lackawanna County's Voluntary Action Center and volunteer Jim Conrade who offers tax assistance advice to senior citizens. They'll be discussing services offered by the agency and some tips about the current tax codes. ECTV Live is broadcast on Comcast Ch19 each day at Noon and Midnight with selective showings at 6pm too. The traditional tax deadline of April 15th will also mark the 100th anniversary of the sinking oif the Titanic. In 1972 DeCosmo became personally involved with a story that lead to the "reuniting" of two Titanic survivors. He has produced a special program about regional connections to the Titanic disaster which is currently being aired on a rotating schedule on ECTV.

SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE

This week Shadoe Steele’s guest on Saturday Night Live At the Oldies is Don Brewer of Grand Funk. Tune in to WILK AM and FM from 7PM to midnight with ABC News on top of the hour for the best oldies show in town.

STORM POLITICS

Tiffany Cloud has a great presentation this week on WYLN TV 35. Her guest is Carole Drewniak. “Storm Politics” can be seen on WYLN TV 35930 TH, 5 SAT, 11A Sun, 830 Mon, 930p T.

PCN

PCN TO PROVIDE FIRST-EVER LIVE COVERAGE OF STATE SUPREME COURT SESSION ON LEGISLATIVE REDISTRICTING
The Pennsylvania Cable Network (PCN) will provide an historic first with its gavel-to-gavel coverage of the state Supreme Court’s hearing on Pennsylvania’s legislative redistricting plan. The state’s highest court, for the first time, agreed to LIVE coverage by PCN beginning at 9:30 a.m. on Monday, January 23 in Harrisburg. The state Supreme Court is scheduled to hear appeals to the legislative redistricting plan as proposed by the Pennsylvania Legislative Reapportionment Commission.
The justices will hear oral arguments of 11 prospective appeals filed in response to the redistricting plan that was approved in December of 2011. The state’s legislative districts were redrawn by a constitutionally-mandated commission to offset population shifts reflected in the 2010 census. A successful appeal will prevent the plan from becoming law.
PCN has been providing gavel-to-gavel coverage of the state’s Supreme Court proceedings since September of last year. The state’s highest court decision to allow PCN cameras into the courtroom is an historic first.
New procedures set forth by the high court regarding the broadcast of court proceedings now allows PCN to choose which session days to record, but all proceedings must be aired in their entirety. The January 23 session will be the first time LIVE coverage has been permitted during a state Supreme Court session.
PCN continues to record the En Banc coverage of the state’s Superior Court as well as the state’s Commonwealth Court. State Supreme Court proceedings are also recorded in their entirety.

CBS NEWSMAN DEAD

Richard Threlkeld, a far-ranging and award-winning correspondent who worked for both CBS and ABC News during a long career, has been killed in a car crash on New York's Long Island. The 74-year-old Threlkeld died Friday morning in Amagansett, N.Y., when his car collided with a propane tanker. He was pronounced dead at Southampton Hospital, according to the East Hampton, N.Y., Police Department. He lived in nearby East Hampton. The driver of the tanker, Earl Fryberger Jr., of Coatesville, Penn., was not injured, said police, who are investigating the accident.
Threlkeld spent more than 25 years at CBS News before retiring in 1998. He was a reporter, anchor and bureau chief who covered the Persian Gulf War and the Vietnam War, the Patty Hearst kidnapping and trial, the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy, and the execution of Gary Gilmore. He was one of the last journalists evacuated from Phnom Penh and Saigon when those cities fell to the Communists in 1975.

SUNDAY MAGAZINE

This Weekend On Sunday Magazine....Brian Hughes speaks with Michael Hanley, the Executive Director of United Neighborhood Services of Lackawanna County about new asset testing for food stamp recipients in Pennsylvania beginning on May 1st.
Magic 93’s Frankie in the Morning speaks with Christine Zavaskas and Paul
LaBelle about the Judi R. Rock On 2 event to benefit cancer research coming up
on Feb 4th at the Scranton Cultural Center. And Frankie speaks with Alan K Stout from Big Brothers/Big Sisters about the 30th Bowl For Kids Sake fundraiser coming up at the end of March.
Sunday Magazine, Sunday morning at 5:30am on JR 93.7 & 97BHT, 6am on 97.9X,
6:30am on Magic 93, and 9:30am on WARM 590 AM.

1967

Super Bowl I: The Green Bay Packers defeat the Kansas City Chiefs 35–10 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum....Albert DeSalvo (The Boston Strangler) is convicted of numerous crimes and sentenced to life in prison...Jeremy Thorpe becomes leader of the UK's Liberal Party.......A Fistful of Dollars, the first significant "spaghetti Western" film, is released in the U.S..... Raymond Shafer is inaugurated as Pennsylvania’s new Governor. Raymond Broderick is sworn in as Ltn. Governor………the Luzerne County Republican committee indicates that Commissioner William Goss will not be running for Commissioner. The Shickshinny resident is given the endorsement for Treasurer. Wilkes Barre City Councilwoman Ethel Price is given the endorsement for County Commissioner replacing Goss. Jim Post, the other majority GOP County Commissioner is given the other nod for the spering primary…..and 45 years ago, the number 1 song in LuLac land and America was "Georgy Girl" by the Seekers.

COMO PHOBIA

The LuLac Edition #1906, January 18th, 2012

2012-01-18T00:00:00.007-05:00

Our "Write On Wednesday" logo.

Featured players Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul, Rick Santorum and Rick Perry.

Co-starring Joe Biden, B. Obama and J. Huntsman.

WRITE ON WEDNESDAY

’12 CAMPAIGN AND DR. STRANGELOVE

I don’t know how many thoughts of Mrs. Lulac find their way on to these pages. We have great conversations and are at that stage in our marriage where we not only finish each other’s sentences but are now thinking the same thing about a particular subject at the very same moment. But this article on “Write On Wednesday” is truly Mrs. LuLac’s own. She started to tell me about it on Saturday night as we drove home from church but I stopped her cold and recommended she contribute it to “Write On Wednesday”. At least that way she’ll get credit for something on this site. So here is her take on the GOP 2012 Presidential field and how it relates to a classic Cold War movie.
This Presidential Primary Season strikes me as being more picturesque than most. We have had two Mormons and two Catholics on the Republican side, which is a bit strange. The in-fighting and finger-pointing have been impressive. So, too, has one candidate’s extreme reluctance to release financial information that might show he isn’t so “shucks, I’m just a regular guy” as he would like us to believe. Yes, it’s been strange and I love it.
Strange. Love. Here’s a thought: These characters are right out of Central Casting. Suppose someone decided to re-make the 1964 satirical black comedy, Doctor Strangelove: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. It wouldn’t take much imagination to assign candidates to the major roles. So, with apologies to Stanley Kubrick and Columbia Pictures, here’s my dream cast for the new version.
Mitt Romney as Merkin Muffley, the American President who appears calm in a sea of madness, but who is completely ineffective in solving the ultimate crisis.
Newt Gingrich as Dr. Strangelove, the wheelchair-bound nuclear scientist and former Nazi who is apparently not quite in control of his right hand or his anger.
Jon Huntsman as Captain Lionel Mandrake, a British exchange officer who discovers the plot to destroy the Soviet Union and annihilate the world, but is powerless to stop it.
Ron Paul as General Buck Turgidson, a slightly off center Patriot who cannot bring himself to trust the Russian Ambassador.
Michele Bachmann as Miss Scott, General Turgidson’s secretary and “special friend”.
Rick Perry as Brigadier General Jack D. Ripper, a rabidly paranoid Patriot who sets the End Game in motion to preserve our essential bodily fluids.
Rick Santorum as Major T. J. Kong, the B52 commander and pilot who famously rides his nuclear missile to the ground despite the best efforts of the President to persuade him that the order for self-destruction was bogus.

Rounding out the cast as the Pinko Commies are Joe Biden as Soviet Ambassador Alexei de Sadeski and Barack Obama as Soviet Premier Dmitri Kissoff.
It’ll be a blockbuster!
Disclaimer: Casting Mitt Romney as President is in no way meant to be taken as an endorsement of or prediction for his success.

Mrs. LuLac is a multi year professional in the NEPA Pennsylvania Library system. Mrs. LuLac by writing this article in no way promotes Communism or any derivative thereof. She has been a great help to me since I started this little project and has been the technical success behind any new innovation you see here. We are closing in on 3 decades of marriage and I'd be in the gutter without her.

The LuLac Edition #1905, January 17th, 2012

2012-01-17T00:19:00.003-05:00

Debates.

SOUTH CAROLINA GOP DEBATE #1

Last night’s Republican presidential debate found front-runner Mitt Romney defending his record as a capitalist, saying he bears no responsibility for attack ads aired by his allies. He also said he might release his tax returns by spring"I have nothing in them that suggests there's any problem and I'm happy to do so," he said. "I sort of feel like we're showing a lot of exposure at this point," he added in an apparent reference to the campaign to come against Democratic President Barack Obama.
Romney came under fire from the opening moments of the debate, the first of two in the run-up to this weekend's first-in-the-South primary in South Carolina. The former Massachusetts governor won the first two events of the campaign, the Iowa caucuses and last week's New Hampshire primary, and leads in the pre-primary polls in South Carolina.
One of his rivals, Newt Gingrich, stated that a victory for Romney in South Carolina would assure his nomination as Obama's Republican rival in the fall, and none of the other remaining contenders has challenged that idea.
That only raised the stakes for Monday night's debate, feisty from the outset as Gingrich, Texas Gov. Rick Perry and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum sought to knock Romney off stride while generally being careful to wrap their criticism in anti-Obama rhetoric.
"We need to satisfy the country that whoever we nominate has a record that can stand up to Barack Obama in a very effective way," said Gingrich.
The five men on stage also sought to outdo one another in calling for lower taxes.
Paul won that competition handily, saying he thought the top rate should be zero.
And in a state with a heavy military presence, the tone seemed more aggressive than in earlier debates.
Gingrich drew strong applause when he said: "Andrew Jackson had a pretty clear idea about America's enemies. Kill them."
The debate began hours after Romney received an endorsement from former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, who suspended his own candidacy and urged the remaining contenders to stop attacking one another for fear it might benefit Obama in November.
There is a second debate this week leading up to the important primary on Saturday. It looks like Romney has a commanding lead. He may win it not because people are clamoring for him but because the conservative wing of the party is still fragmented. Gingrich is spending a few million and Rick Santorum has received the endorsement of religious leaders. Perry keeps chipping away and though weakened still divides up the vote. Then of course there is Ron Paul. Unless something drastic happens this week, look for Romney to cement the lead for the nomination on Saturday night.
Source: AOL, LuLac

SAM SORBER

The greater Wilkes Barre area and Hanover Township lost a long time politicval icon on Saturday. Sam Sorber died this past weekend. Sorber died Saturday. He was born April 27, 1921, in Lower Askam and was the son of the late Samuel H. and Marie Davison Sorber. He attended Hanover schools, graduated from Hanover Township Memorial High School and attended Bloomsburg University. Samuel owned and operated Sorber's Service Center in Lee Park for over 50 years. In his political career, he served first as tax collector for 16 years and later as township commissioner for 22 years. In addition to serving his constituents for almost 40 years, he was Second Legislative District Chairman for 12 years. Although he had a stellar run in politics, the love of his life was his business. He supported area youth by hosting car washes and sponsoring/advertising at football games. His civic affiliations consisted of the Hanover Township Lions Club, American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars. Mr. Sorber served his country in the U.S. Army during World War II. Legend had it that if you wanted any kind of a favor in Hanover Township, you had better be a Sam Sorber Republican. He was old school but a straight shooter. He is survived by his daughter Ruth.

The LuLac Edition #1904, January 16th, 2012

2012-01-16T00:09:00.003-05:00

Martin Luther King, Junior.

MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY

I never insult easily but one day in the late 80s when I was in Millersburg, Pa doing some lecturing I began to talk about the late Martin Luther King Junior. A kid in a HACC (Harrisburg Area Community College) tee shirt raised his hand and requested that I not talk about King because I had no knowledge of the man. Plus he said, “It was a black thing”.
Even though I wanted to let the little piss ant have it, I proceeded to tell him chapter and verse of the night Dr. King got killed. I proceeded to tell him that as a young boy watching TV, one of the most formative moments of my life (next to the JFK assassination) was that March on Washington. Anyone who grew up in the 60s had a connection to Martin Luther King. He was on the news constantly and was the course of great division between all Americans. I remember an argument at a neighborhood gathering when one man was wondering about King’s epitaph. It read, “free at last, free at last, thank God almighty I’m Free At last”. After the man repeated, he said aloud, “who the hell was stopping him from being free?” A cousin of mine weighed in saying, “Guys like you”. A melee nearly ensued because even people who lived in the time didn’t quite grasp what King was fighting for.
There was a time in America where there were separate bathrooms for folks of a different color.
There was a time when you blacks couldn’t sit at the same lunch counter or ride in the same section of a bus.
Growing up in the 60s, King was like this blazing star that dramatically blazed across America. He was cut down at the age of 39.
Everyone of my contemporaries remember him, his life, his speeches, his legacy and his death. We have the dubious luxury of knowing first hand that Martin Luther King wasn’t just “a black thing”, but “an American thing”. Even though Martin Luther King had to drag most of America kicking and screaming into humanity for all, he will be forever remembered as a great American change agent. That’s also part of what I told that kid more than 20 years ago in Millersburg. He called me last night to console me on the Packers and ended up giving me a story to write for Martin Luther King Day. We’re both now good with Martin Luther King Day and why we have it because it is after all, an American thing. With truth, freedom and justice for all.

HUNTSMAN OUT

The Huffington Post reports that Jon Huntsman is dropping out of the race for the Republican presidential nomination, according to campaign officials.
An aide to Huntsman confirmed the news to The Huffington Post and said the former governor of Utah would endorse Mitt Romney on Monday. The aide added that Huntsman "didn't want to stand in the way of the candidate most prepared to beat Obama and turn around the economy."
Huntsman will deliver a speech on his decision on Monday at 11 a.m. ET in Myrtle Beach, S.C., according to the aide. Romney will not stand alongside the Utah Republican as he delivers his remarks.
With Huntsman bowing out, that leaves the “moderate/progressive” wing of the GOP to Mitt Romney. With the endorsement of Rick Santorum by Christian religious leaders, and the fading of Gingrich and Perry, his withdrawal and subsequent endorsement of Romney leaves a classic battle between Romney vs. Santorum. What is open to question is how long the race will go on.

LUZERNE COUNTY DEMS ENDORSE

At their January meeting this week, the Luzerne County Democratic Executive Committee voted to endorse Bob Casey for U.S. Senate, Patrick Murphy for Attorney General, Rob McCord for State Treasurer, and Eugene DePasquale for Auditor General, the Committee announced. "We are incredibly proud to support Senator Casey, Congressman Murphy, Treasurer McCord, and Representative DePasquale in their bids for their respective offices. They have all demonstrated their commitment to standing up for middle and working class Pennsylvanians. We strongly endorse their candidacies because of their integrity and their dedication to social justice and equality, economic fairness and opportunity, and for government that works for everyone, not just the privileged few," said LCDC Public Relations director and 2nd District Chair Casey Evans.

LIBERTARIANS COME TO WILKES BARRE

During its November state meeting in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania, the Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania selected Wilkes-Barre to host the 2012 State Libertarian Convention. According to current LPPA state chair, Lou Jasikoff, convention dates have now been confirmed and will run from Friday April 20th through Sunday April 22nd.
The convention will be held at the Kirby Center for Performing Arts and the Best Western Genetti Hotel and Convention Center. A kick-off “Meet and Greet” for Gary Johnson, former two-term Governor of New Mexico, and other guests begins a festive Friday evening at the Kirby Center, ending with a rocking “Friday Night at the Oldies” disco party open to the general public. Michael Badnarik’s highly renowned Constitution Class will also be offered starting Friday night. Jasikoff added that in 2004 Mr. Badnarik was the Libertarian candidate for President.
If Lou Jasikoff is going to be hosting this convention, he’s going to have to be as visible in the city as he was during Betsy Summers 2011 campaign for Mapor. And since the newly re-elected Mayor Tom Leighton usually greets visitors to the city, Lou better make sure the Mayor knows how to pronounce his name. (It's about 2 and 1/2 minutes in to this video of the debate).

The LuLac Edition #1903, January 15th, 2012

2012-01-15T00:50:00.006-05:00

Home Rule organizer, P.J. Best.

The original Home Rule Yes logo.

State Senator John Blake.

HOME RULE PIONEERS

I saw a letter in the newspaper on Friday that did some chest thumping for the pioneers of Home Rule. It was a good history lesson for historical trivia fans like myself. It also put in perspective how far Home Rule has come and how far it has to go in order to work. Anyway here’s the letter that ran in the newspaper:
Editor:
I would like our new county council to understand how they got here - (not by election if this went on as they did in the two previous government study commission attempts):
You are here for two reasons:
1. Due to the hard work of chairman Jim Haggerty and his Luzerne County Transition Committee (but they could not publicize or fight for adoption).
2. You are here because Ed Chesnovitch and I recognized that if no publicity organization was formed the cause would be lost. Chesnovich recruited Michael Giamber, who took the bull by the horns and carried forward the attempt to publicize Home Rule and helped raise the funds necessary to accomplish our goal. If Giamber did not get the grant I doubt there would have been enough funds to win our goal. The sister of Ronnie, who was the secretary for the study commission was the first one who purchased 100 yard signs at $400 out of her own pocket and my son, Ronald, contributed $1,000 to fund the publicity. Fred Heller made a CD at his cost and Dave Chaump donated his band to play at our VFW rally. Chesnovich, as our treasurer, also contributed - even with a fractured leg - as I took him to our meetings.
Certainly others contributed and I am not trying to slight anyone who helped bring about a victory for Home Rule, with the vote in favor of the charter being 49,343 to 40,304. About 55 percent voted yes.
Home Rule backers blamed the past form of government for corruption, cronyism, patronage hiring, wasteful spending, higher property taxes and out-of-control debt.
We, Home Rule yes committee, had the Democratic organization, the Republican organization and even the union involved with the fight. Now the county council has to take over the reigns and prove that our Home Rule yes efforts were justified.
I wish you good luck in your endeavors and remember that Ed, Michael and I will still be here to help in any way.
Thomas W. Dombroski
Trucksville
One key omission here. One of the key movers in the adoption of Home Rule came from the leadership of an impressive young man named P.J. Best. Best of Pittston City took the bull by the horns and helped get the thing on the ballot. Best then off to Pittsburgh to finish law school. When the history of Home Rule from inception to whenever is written, P.J. Best has to be right up there with all the others.

THE BISHOP’S PROBLEM

Last week we promoted on event at Brennan Hall on the campus of the University of Scranton regarding women in government. The event featured former Congresswoman Marjorie Margolles Mezvinsky as one of the featured speakers. Bishop Bambara, following his predecessors rants declared that the University as a Catholic College should not have invited Margolles-Mezvinsky because she was pro choice. Pro choice is giving women the right to choose. Margolles Mezvinsky is not going to advocating for abortion or even addressing the pro choice issue. All she is going to do is promote the election of women candidates. The Bishop’s reaction was nothing if not predictable. And sad.

BLAKE’S TAKE

State Senator John Blake recently sent an opinion on Governor Tom Corbett’s Budget Message. Here’s how he reacted to the news from the Governor’s office:
While our economy continues to be sluggish in rebounding from recession, Governor Tom Corbett has decided that cutting financial support and freezing access to essential state programs and services will remedy Pennsylvania’s below-estimate tax revenues.
With the biggest months for tax revenue collections yet to come, Governor Corbett directed his Budget Office to freeze nearly $160 million in state spending last week – inflicting additional pain on families already struggling to cope with the deep cuts contained in the 2011-12 state budget.
The Governor has directed most state agencies to reduce their overall 2011-12 spending by 3 percent, although some individual appropriations will be reduced by up to 10 percent. Indeed, upon review of those line items experiencing the deepest cuts, there is little question that those cuts impose greater hardship on the poor, the sick, veterans and on workers administering important economic development programs throughout the state.
The Governor , already presiding over $500 million in un-appropriated funds within the current 2011-12 budget cycle, advanced additional budget cuts during the traditionally-lower revenue collection months, rather than waiting to see what the traditionally-higher revenue collection months hold for Pennsylvania. Revenue collections in the Spring have always served to inform the true status of the state budget going in to final budget negotiations in the General Assembly. This brings into serious question both the timing and the necessity of these additional cuts within the current fiscal year.
I understand the need to tighten our belts in times of economic hardship but we cannot balance a state budget on the backs of our most vulnerable citizens while billion dollar corporations with sophisticated accounting and legal departments work to evade taxes or other similar corporations continue to profit from the extraction of our abundant natural resources without providing some relief to the working class taxpayers of this state.

The LuLac Edition #1902, January 14th, 2012

2012-01-14T15:41:00.002-05:00

Our "Interview" logo.

INTERVIEW

This weekend is going to be a big football weekend and by extension a big one for those who’d like to place a wager. I talked to a buddy who is in the business.
Q: Is this one of the biggest weekends of the year?
A: Yes. For me it’s the biggest, even bigger than the Super Bowl.
Q: Why is that?
A: Volume. 4 games. I only deal with a group of people who belong to my uh, club.
Q: How long have you been doing this?
A: 15 years. I inherited from my dad who got it from his dad.
Q: So how long has your family been taking illegal bets?
A: 75 years.
Q: Any arrests?
A: Nope.
Q: How do you pull that off?
A: We’re careful, we’re discreet and we’re not greedy. It makes for a good sideline business.
Q: So your family has had real jobs?
A: Yeah, what do you think we are scumbags?
Q: No. Can I place a bet?
A: You can because you know one of the referrals. But from what I was told, I’m not sure I’d take you.
Q: Oh you heard about 1979?
A: Yeah.
EDITOR’S NOTE: In 1979 my father and I decided to bet on football as if we were going to a bookie. But we never used any real money but kept a running tally on the games we picked. By mid November we were up $2300.00 but by the end of the regular play off season we were down $7800.00. After mid November, everything we touched turned to crap. It was a valuable lesson.
Q: Okay so you won’t take my money but let me ask you about money. How much cash do you have on hand for payouts?
A: Enough.
Q: C’mon.
A: No, people know you and I can just see you putting this on TV or on your computer thing.
Q: Okay, for a weekend like this, will you do better than a Super Bowl?
A: It depends. With Denver and Tebow, we’re running ahead in terms of volume betting.
Q: How about Tebow?
A: I respect him as a player but with him being in this playoff, it’s a real pain in the ass.
Q: Why?
A: Every call, every meet up, people want to talk about him. Ask my opinion. I like to move fast, get in and get out. If they want to talk about Tebow, call a talk show!
Q: Who are you picking?
A: I have no preferences. How ‘bout you?
Q: Denver with the points, (although I think New England is due to win a playoff game) Houston, San Francisco and the Giants with the points.
A: You’re picking against Green Bay?
Q: Yeah, I love ‘em but I got a gut feeling.
A: (Smiling) Care to place a bet on that?
Q: Sorry. Don’t gamble. Been to Mohegan Sun once for the buffet, a buddy dragged me, and when I used to go on those bus trips to Atlantic City, I’d take the quarters they gave me……hey where ya goin’?
A: Thanks for the coffee. Gotta run. Don’t have time for your stories. Game time is 4pm and my deadline is more important than yours!

The LuLac Edition #1901, January 13th, 2012

2012-01-13T21:49:00.003-05:00

"Maybe I'm Amazed" logo.

MAYBE I’M AMAZED

MAYBE I’M AMAZED……that so much fuss is being made over Tim Tebow’s Christian beliefs. Does anyone remember Roger Staubach in the 70s? He wasn’t exactly going to strip clubs every night. Tebow’s success is coming about because he is erratic, a throwback and is perceived as the under dog. Americans love the under dog. Consider this: last Sunday when Tebow came back to beat the big bad Steelers, more than 42.4 million people tuned in to watch. The last time that many people watched was last year’s Superbowl! Plus the TV audience share was over 30%. Top shows don’t get anywhere near that. And Tebow’s theatrics generated 9,420 tweets a minute. That is amazing.
MAYBE I’M AMAZED…..that Paul McCartney is catching fire for the name of his new album, “Kisses On the Bottom”. Man do some people have dirty minds. School girls have been putting kisses on the bottom of letters for years. Then of course there’s this song:

MAYBE I’M AMAZED…...that the GOP is coming after Mitt Romney for being uh pro business. Is the party of business having a guilty conscience of the go go greed is good mentality that GOPers always promoted?
MAYBE I’M AMAZED……that it is already two years since the devastating earthquake in Hatti. What is even more disturbing is that a half million people are sill not back in their homes.
MAYBE I’M AMAZED…..Memphis officials on Thursday approved naming a city street after the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., nearly 44 years after the civil rights leader was killed in the city. Memphis already had a section of Interstate 240 dedicated to King, but the naming of a prominent street in the city's tourist district is being seen as a symbol that the city is finally taking steps to heal the wound caused by the assassination. But c’mon, 44 years it takes them to name a street after the guy?
MAYBE I’M AMAZED……that my man Pope Benedict named over 20 new Cardinals who will vote on his successor. The Pope also came out against same sex marriage. His belief system is still intact. His papacy which has been regarded as an interim one is being watched closely given his increased frailty and age.
MAYBE I’M AMAZED……that the Gallery of Sound Store in Edwardsville is closing. That store was always one of my favorite places due to the kindness and knowledge of the staff.
MAYBE I’M AMAZED….that now Newt Gingrich is pulling back on his attacks on Mitt Romney. First he was going to savage him but now he changes his mind. Can you imagine this in a Gingrich presidency? First I will and then I won’t. No wonder the guy has had three wives.
MAYBE I’M AMAZED…….that a Judge has officially declared poor Natalie Holloway dead. What an awful case. Yet the scum bag Van der Soot or whatever his name is still is around and getting undeserved face time on TV. But he got 28 years to rot for the murder of some other girl.
MAYBE I’M AMAZED…..that former Senator and Debra Winger boy toy, Bob Kerrey is now 68 and considering a comeback to run for a Senate seat from Nebraska. Kerrey ran for President in 1992 against Bill Clinton and was at one time pretty popular. Kerrey is going for the seat of the spineless and clueless Ben Nelson. That guy was such a big baby busting President Obama's stones on health care it was just to me incomprehensible that he called himself a Democrat. I hope Nelson goes very soon. He was a disgrace to the Democratic party, its principles and its President. Let’s hope Kerrey, if he chooses to run does better.
MAYBE I’M AMAZED…..that Stephen Hawking recently turned 70. He just keeps on keeping on I guess.
MAYBE I’M AMAZED…..that Congressman Tom Marino has endorsed Rick Santorum in his bid for the Presidency. That took guts and some loyalty on the part of the first term Congressman. How it translates in the long run will be anyone’s guess. But Santorum is not burning any bridges on the campaign trail like Perry and Newt. You might see him as a credible choice for Vice President on the 2012 ticket.
MAYBE I’M AMAZED…..that it is 34 years that Hubert Humphrey, former Vice President of the United States died on this day. Was in a car driven by a college buddy in an ice storm after a night at Barrels, Whiskey and Rhyme when I heard the news.
MAYBE I’M AMAZED….that baseball Commissioner Bud Selig got another extension on his contract as Commissioner. Selig was named in 1992 as an “interim” Commissioner and is still there twenty years later!

The LuLac Edition #1900, January 13th, 2012

2012-01-13T13:25:00.005-05:00

1900 and counting!!!

Working on the blog with a constant companion on my left.

Interim County Manager Tom Pribula.

1900 AND COUNTING

Today marks the 1900th Edition of the LuLac Political Letter. We thank you for your support and for comments. These articles, contrary to public belief are not fueled by performance enhancing drugs or liquids. All we use on occasion is TAB. All that said, on to 2000!!

THANKS PATRICK J.

A friend of mine from college and the radio station there, WRKC FM, Pat Fadden intervened recently in a LuLac crisis. Pat and his wife Marian were visiting one of their daughters in the Philadelphia area. Pat knew that since Sunshine closed, my supply of Tab was at its nadir. He was kind of enough to grab some in a Philadelphia area store. So I wish to publicly thank you and as the articles get better, you should too!

PRIBULA’S PROPOSAL

Interim Luzerne County Manager Tom Pribula joins the growing rank of elected and unelected public officials that are encountering a problem: shock and surprise. Pribula was always a budget hawk under the Petrilla administration telling the Commissioners what they didn’t want to hear. He was kind of like that one buddy of yours who knows the calories count of the wings and beer you consume at a Super Bowl party and dutifully tells you what you don’t need to hear at the 2 minute mark: in excess this stuff will kill you. Pribula has made a practice of telling people in government that in order to get the budget under control, you have to trim the sails. Last night Pribula proposed cutting some calories off of the County’s on going Super Bowl bash that has plunged it into debt for years. He proposed a tax increase and everyone seemed to be fainting in shock and surprise, slapping their foreheads until they were bloody and expressing wide eyed shock. I thought it hysterical when I saw the comments on the newspaper on line editions. In one week Pribula went from a “straight shooting savior” to a “lackey we got to get rid of”. The tax increase is 3.93 percent property tax increase in the amended 2012 county budget. It wasn’t a whopping increase like Lackawanna County officials are so fond of doling out.
The increase would raise taxes from 5.215 mills to 5.4 mills and amount to $20.50 more on a $100,000 property. Plus the tax hike would generate about $3.5 million and reduce the number of staff cuts from up to 150 to 56. No one likes taxes but I thought everybody who voted for the charter was on the same page that the reason why we needed a change was to put leaders in charge who would do the right if not painful thing. In true Luzerne County style, not one County Council member supported the proposal. I mean what in the world did they think he was going to come up with? The County is in debt. Its bills aren’t being paid. It has no credit rating. And these guys on Council take a straw poll? In real dollars a tax increase will cost a guy like me twenty bucks. A year. That’s lunch at the Beer Deli. For those who live in better neighborhoods or areas and have more expensive houses, that might compute to $60.00 bucks a year. Not to promote class envy here but if you have a $300,000 home and bitch about paying $60.00 bucks extra in county taxes, shame on you. Maybe when the county does get enough money to build a new prison they should put it across the street from your McMansion.
Then there are the County employees. Never been a fan because when I worked in the news media covering trials and Commissioners meetings I’d see my fair share of people preening through the halls and socializing. But the County does need people to make it work and run. Without the tax increase, 156 people would lose their jobs. The County Council wants to do a modified increase that will only come back to bite them in the butt in a few years. With the tax increase, there would only be 56 staff cuts.
Plus staff cuts are concerning because there are many working in the county that are paid by state and federal reimbursements. So you can’t touch those people. Then you have tenured people that with their union’s will threaten to sue. More trouble than its worth. The courts, don’t even think about it. So the county worker who will get screwed will be the person with the least protection, the least clout and the most to lose.
Without a tax increase, (unless Pribula can contact one of Tom Leighton’s 2006 benefactors or prevail upon the Applewood Golf Course guy who won 32 million to donate) that money needs to be raised. And yes I’m sorry to say but it has to come through your taxes.
The Interim Manager did what he said he was going to do. Now the County Council, most of them who ran as “citizen activists and not politicians” are sitting back and calculating how this will impact on their future. Please! What fools the people who voted in this form of government were to think that politics would be set aside as the guy they hired to get them through this crisis told them what needed to be done. If the Council does not vote for an increase to save the county from its debt, my only wish is that all 11 of them have to look in the eyes of the county employees they are letting go in order to save their political asses. Pribula like Tom Corbett told them what he was going to do in terms of cuts and budgets……to take a straw poll is totally ridiculous. But I guess people without spines shock easily.

The LuLac Edition #1899, January 13th, 2012

2012-01-13T00:06:00.002-05:00

13 Questions logo.

13 QUESTIONS

1. What is wrong with America?

Jeez, nothing like starting out big huh? Well I think for one thing we do a lot of talking but rarely do we follow up on improving society. There are too many talkers and not enough listeners. The second thing going on is that there is a great disparity in classes. And that has gotten worse because of the hero worship we have for people whose only claim to fame are that they are rich. They become famous for simply that. It strikes me as odd that the 99 per centers will celebrate these people, watch them on TV and even try and emulate them. But these celebrities don’t give a rat’s ass about the people who glorify them. Our national attention span is pretty much shot too. If a candidate doesn’t say it in a minute or less, we’re on to “The Bachelor”. Bottom line is we have to fix ourselves before we can fix government. We’ve got to study, think, then get involved. We have to get away from the attitude, “I got mine, now get yours”. I hope that’s enough of a start for you.

2. Your thoughts on Newt Gingrich please?

I think he missed his time. Gingrich should have run in 2008. At that time Barack Obama was not as skilled in debating and even in campaigning as he is now. Even with his baggage, Gingrich could have presented his experience vs. Obama’s lack of it in that campaign. Plus Gingrich who was out of office since ’97 could have distanced himself from the Bush/Cheney version of conservatism. He could have disassociated himself from every aspect of the Bush years and could have formed a coalition of rock ribbed, deficit hawk conservatives (they call them Tea Party people now), Republicans who did not want a Democrat and people who thought Obama was inexperienced. Timing is everything and he missed his chance in ’08. I have no doubt in my mind that had he run in 2008, President Gingrich would be running for his second term.

3.What grade do you give the new County Council in Luzerne County so far?

A minus. They all seem to be working together and have a big job to get this thing off the ground.

4. Are you upset that a local person is not in the final ring of finalists for County manager?

No. Because the way this area is, everyone is related to someone in some shape or form. I think they did a good job by picking from the outside. Can you imagine the uproar if a Doug Pape or a Red O’Brien was a finalist? The way that the Vice Chairwoman Linda Houck explained it was satisfactory to me.

5. Okay Yonki, Linda Ronstadt or Carly Simon?

Tough one. I’d go with Ronstadt because she seems less complicated and needy than Carly Simon.

6. Tom Corbett is cutting the state budget again. Do you think this will hurt him politically?

In the short term, yes. In the long run, no. He is doing it early in his term and if the revenues start to flow at a greater rate, he can restore some of those cuts and look like a hero. Don’t forget, some of the cuts are not cuts, some of them are just a freeze on what people will get in the next year.

7. Did you read the latest book on the first lady and the President?

No. I have no interest in it at all. The writer last spoke to her subjects in 2009. That’s a problem in my book if you can’t get a reaction.

8. Is it me or does Fox News make it a prerequisite for their panel people and reporters to wear very short skirts?

Nope, it isn’t you. You won’t see my girl Candy Crowley on Fox News I’ll tell you that!

9. What do you think of the looting in West Pittston?

Every time I see something like that I think of Paul Kanjorski. Kanjorski made no apology for being a supporter of government. Back in 1972 during and after the Flood, the National Guard was called out to curb looting. The Guard was patrolling long after the waters receded. The Guard now is winding down from the Iraq War but there are still people serving in Afghanistan. If it were a different time, there would be more police and guardsmen to take care of this situation. But as Kanjorski opined many times, when federal programs suffer, there are consequences. And the lack of protection for these homes in West Pittston is an example of how government functioned in 1972 vs how it is operating today. My thoughts though about looters: shoot them with a stun gun that will paralyze them for a month, keep them in a hospital ward and feed them once a day with a tube. After that, let them think about how precious movement of their limbs are and maybe they’ll keep their mitts off other people’s stuff. Oh and if they are good patients after a week, I’d then issue catheters to them.

10. How are your Packers going to do against the Giants this week?

I’m holding my breath. The Pack has some emotional issues going on because of a death in their coaching family. But the Giants seem like they are on a roll and can be very, very dangerous. They remind me of what the Packer team was like last year, getting hot at the right time and then running the table.

11. As far as your writing goes, have you ever considered working on a period piece and if so, what era?

Yes I have. The era would be WWII. I have an idea but it hasn’t hit paper yet.

12. Any comments on the Firetruck controversy with Mayor Leighton?

Well he did get the fire trucks and that’s a good thing. I would have given credit to the donor in some way. What I don’;t understand is how this donation came all the way from a California firm. I mean what is the connection there? Don’t we have the Luzerne Foundation for that type of thing? Leighton is going into his third term and I think it is ironic that he still has to defend stuff from a few years ago (even before his re election to term #2) even after winning big.

13. What are your thoughts on the Scranton Times story about Bob Cordaro and Chuckie Costanza not testifying at his trial? Was there jury tampering?

Nothing would surprise me. I thought it odd that Costanza got himself out of jail for the day and then decided not to testify. Did Cordaro have a relative of Chuckie’s in the courtroom sitting next to Steve Corbett? This is one twist after another. The entire Cordaro/Costanza/Munchak saga is like a bad and unfinished Paul Sorvino movie! Maybe me and one of my fellow posters will develop a “treatment” and submit it to big Paulie with a couple of bottles of homemade sauce. We’ll also need half a million too………………….

The LuLac Edition #1898, January 12th, 2012

2012-01-12T08:39:00.012-05:00

Courtroom Scene from "Trial By Jury". Pick out the staff members if you can.

Attorney General candidate Patrick Murphy.

Mary Garm, David DeCosmo's guest this week on ECTV.

Our 1967 logo.

Our Como-Phobia logo.

YOUNG DEMS MEETING TONIGHT!!!!

Luzerne County Young Democrats are holding a meeting at Rodano's Public Square Wilkes-Barre tonight to discus the upcoming Pennsylvania Primary Election. Candidates welcome to attend. For more information contact Young Democrats President Thomas Shubilla at 570-239-3432 or use the computer and e mail him thomshubilla@gmail.com. Get there at 7pm and you'll be fine.

POSTING POLICY

A few rules on LuLac posting.
1. Anyone who reads can post. Because they live in America they can be obnoxious, smart, dumb, funny and say what they want. They can also be condescending and insulting as long as they stay clear of physical appearance jokes or thoughts. Just because someone posts lengthy ideas and opinions doesn’t mean they “high jacked” the blog site.
2. We reserve the right to edit any thought or comment because this is our site.
3. We reserve the right to promote any candidate we like and criticize any candidate/politico not doing their job.
4. We welcome all people who will read us and comment on us. We appreciate your following us.
5. If anyone does not like the posters, my format, my thoughts or the way I run this site, you are more than welcome to go elsewhere. There are plenty of blogs out there but you won’t find one that is pretty much superior to all the others in content, format, originality, style, institutional knowledge and creativity. I appreciate you reading but if one or two posters are too much to bear, maybe you’re not as open minded or tolerant as you appear to be. (Plus you can do what I’ve been doing since I was a kid with newspapers, if you find something not of interest, skip over it).
All that said, “CASE DISMISSED!”

REMEMBRANCES OF 1968

This Republican race for the White House is starting to remind me of the 1968 race. That was the year that Mitt Romney’s father flamed out before the primaries. The front runner who got no love or respect was Richard Nixon. The former Vice President was dubbed as a loser and someone who could not win in the fall. The left of the party wanted Nelson Rockefeller to run and after a much ballyhooed announcement, he turned it down. Only a month later did he change his mind and get back in. Nixon the liberals said was too old school. The conservatives thought he wasn’t “right”enough and shoved a California Governor named Reagan onto the national stage before he was ready. Nixon it turns out was the only logical alternative.
In 2012, Mitt Romney seems like a giant compared to the people he’s running against. Romney has plenty of money, has a message and looks the part. His opponents have not roughed him up yet but are certainly giving fodder to the Democrats in the fall. Ron Paul says that Romney will be a Bush conservative and run up deficits. Gingrich and Santoirum are using lines out of Wall Street protesters to attack capitalism. Who would ever think a fellow Republican would attack capitalism? Jon Huntsman pretty much shot his load in New Hampshire and can help Romney by being perceived as being too liberal. And Rick Perry has not gained any traction and continues to stumble. Like Bill Clinton, Romney’s best friends can be his worst enemies politically.
Romney goes to South Carolina with money and two wins in his arsenal. South Carolina can trip him up or be his affirmation. The troubling part about the Romney candidacy is that over 55% of voters in New Hampshire said that they weren’t excited about Romney as a nominee. I think the GOP wants to win so badly that they are afraid to give a total thumbs up to Mitt Romney. Romney, like Nixon in 1968 is not loved, revered or worshipped. Nor does he have the movie star glamour of an Obama. But if he continues to ploddingly win, build up majorities and campaign on a consistent message, maybe the stiff and mildly insincere businessman just might dim the lights on the Rock Star President. Romney characterized the Obama Presidency as a detour. Every election is a reaction to a previous one. Jimmy Carter’s “I’ll never lie to you” win was a reaction to the Nixon scandals and the Ford pardon. Reagan’s election was a reaction to the perception that Carter was a weak leader. Americans in 2012 might say, “Okay, we reacted to the Bush presidency of undeclared wars and paying for stuff with no thought on how to pay for them. We did our due diligence and hired a Democrat and a black one at that. Maybe this is a detour”. It’s a long way to the nomination and the General Election but Romney appears to be the grown up in the GOP field swatting at the gnats trying to infiltrate that perfect hair do.

QUESTIONS WE SHOULD HAVE ASKED

When people run for Judge, we tend to treat them a tad differently than your run of the mill candidates. Even though they run the political gamut, attending picnics, events and dinners we allow them to talk about serving with integrity, honesty, honor and restoration of faith. We all ask them those questions. But it is apparent that maybe we should have asked some of these candidates who ran in ’11 about issues like “cooperation”, “taxpayer concerns” and “team players”. County Controller Walter Griffith has stated publicly that all department heads should meet with the Interim Manager about new hires when the county is in so much debt. Interim Chief Tom Pribula expressed disappointment on TV the other night with the lack of cooperation by some departments. Pribula said he also advised all departments to stop hiring new employees until the 2012 budget is finalized. But according to my sources, Tom Burke is starting to fill jobs up on the third floor and has made no move to eliminate or consolidate others. This week 6 secretaries to the Judges were hired as well as ten law clerks. Some of these newly elected Judges shared a secretary in their firms. And in other states, a law clerk is not paid a salary but is indeed a law student studying under a Judge. Look, the new Judges are entitled to staffs but if every County department is being asked to bite the bullet, why not the Courts? And even though there has been a huge backlog, what’s the rush? Also, what about pooling resources in tough times? Next time there’s a campaign for Judge, after we hear the obvious platitudes, we should ask some house keeping questions or ask the prospective jurist if they will be part of the County team or just a perpetuation of the problem?

MORELLI’S SHOTS

I don’t understand some of these tax payers screaming at Rick Morelli Tuesday night at the County Council meeting. Morelli last week revealed what everybody in the county pretty much knew, that three non female, non Hispanic white guys were being considered for the Manager’s Job. Morelli said the names should be released, he was voted down and then when asked after the meeting who they were, Morelli pointed the reporters in the right direction. Morelli has been out in front in the media from day 1 ever since the idea of a county council was formed. What is the big shock that he talked to the press? He isn’t the Chairman or the Vice Chairman. He was asked a question and was not bound by an oath of secrecy. Surely there are more important questions to be asked of Council members regarding where this budget is going to be cut and how the county will function. Morelli did something he has always done, citizens slapping their foreheads in indignation and surprise isn’t getting us anywhere.

NOT A BIG SHOT

So Doug Richards who is a convicted felon and a former Human Resources person for Luzerne County was “not a high ranking official”. He got paid in the bhigh 70s and sifted through all the resumes under the dome. Yet his defense attorney, Bill Ruzzo is asking a three judge appellate panel to throw out the sentencing by Federal Judge James Munley. Ruzzo says Richard as not high ranking but had to go through layers to hire and fire people. Ruzzo said that the sentencing guidelines caused Munley to impose a heftier sentence on Richards. A crime is a crime is a crime. I can just see a pot dealer using this line of defense, “Hey Judge, I wasn’t a big shot here man!” Jesus.

MURPHY GETS ENDORSEMENT

Patrick Murphy is running for Attorney General. An important component for an eastern Pennsylvania candidate is to line up support in the Western part of the state. Murphy has gotten some heavy lift from Western Pennsylvania politicos that can only help him in his run for AG.
TODAY, Allegheny County’s top political and labor leaders endorsed former prosecutor and Iraq war veteran Patrick Murphy for Pennsylvania Attorney General. Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, veteran U.S. Rep. Mike Doyle, President and Business Manager for Laborers’ District Council of Western Pennsylvania Philip Ameris, State Senator Wayne Fontana, State Rep. Dan Frankel, State Rep. Dan Deasy, State Rep. Matt Smith, Allegheny County Controller Chelsa Wagner, Pittsburgh City Controller Mike Lamb, Pittsburgh Councilmen Bill Peduto and Pittsburgh Councilman Corey O'Connor highlighted Murphy's experience as a combat veteran and prosecutor in explaining why they believe he gives Democrats the best chance to win in Western Pennsylvania and across the Commonwealth.
"One thing I have learned about Patrick over the last few years, is that he is a tireless worker. He comes from a working-class background. He's one of us in Western Pennsylvania, with good blue-collar roots, who has served our country with distinction. He is truly a hero to go out and keep the rest of us free," said Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald. "We have a man here who has integrity...and we respect that here in Western Pennsylvania."
In a statement, U.S. Representative Mike Doyle wrote, "Patrick was someone who immediately established a reputation for fighting on behalf of working families to protect them from the abuses that cost so many their homes or their jobs. He’s a blue collar guy who never forgot his roots, something we can appreciate here in Pittsburgh. He is a man of courage, passion and conviction and I know I can trust him in this very important office to do the right thing for all Pennsylvanians. That is why I support him for Attorney General."

BARBOUR’S PARDONS

I always like Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour. When he was Chairman of the Republican party, I always liked his straight shooter style. But the sheer number of pardon he gave to criminals (over 200) was way out of line. Some of the people he pardoned were murderers too. What was the guy thinking? Obviously he was colored by the fact that prison trustees worked in the Governor’s mansion. He also has signaled that he has no ambitions to be Vice President or have a serious role in a future GOP administration. I know in my heart people, even killers need a second chance to redeem themselves. But my head says that there are murder victims in their graves while these “pardoned” individuals are on the sunny side of the earth. If I can think of something like that, why can’t Haley Barbour! This is a disgrace. (Note: Judges in the state are now looking into the pardons that were granted).

MEDIA MATTERS

STORM POLITICS

On WYLN TV 35's "Storm Politics", a special week IN HONOR of our returned Iraq War Veterans...You may know him as Mayor Dane Watro of McAdoo...but prior to this, he served in Iraq and was on the team that guarded Sadaam Hussein. Hear his story, and this week on Storm Politics, only on WYLN TV. Additional airs: Th 930p, Sat 5p, Sun 11a; Mon 830p, Tues 930p.

SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE

This week on Saturday Night Live at the Oldies, WILK’s Shadoe Steele hosts The Queen of Rockabilly Wanda Jackson. Saturday Night Live at the Oldies can be heard from 7pm to midnight with ABC News on top of the hour.

ECTV

ECTV Live hosts Tom Munley and David DeCosmo will welcome Mary Garm of the Lackawanna County Library System during the week of January 16th -22nd. The trio will discuss a Children's Library program to mark Chinese New Year which
officially begins on January 23rd, They'll also be outlining plans for the Library's "Cabin Fever program" and other activities scheduled for the Library System
during the coming year. ECTV is presented each day at Noon and Midnight on Comcast Ch19 in the greater Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area will additional showings at 6pm on selected dates. ECTV Live highlights events, activities, and organizations that are designed to improve the quality of life in the area and are
presented free of charge to the general public.

WILK’S RATING SLIP

WILK slipped a little bit in the latest ratings. The full Fall ratings came out earlier this week and WILK lost some audience. It fell from a 6.1 in the summer (12+) to a 5.0. That’s its lowest M-F number since the FM was born. From what I see, Most of the erosion went to The Talker. It went from a 1.0 to
a 1.8. The significant thing here though is that the decrease came in a season fall which featured a hot, local election – in which local talk radio usually booms. All of that said, radio ratings run in cycles, and you can get too high or too low. I’m sure there will be a rebound in the future. When I worked at Rock 107 in the nineties, 107 was # 1 in the important 25 to 54 demographic beating out KRZ and Magic 93. My sales manager at the time was momentarily happy but then got gloomy. When I asked him why he said, “We’re bound to go down”. And they did. Then were back up. But this drop in a busy election season is significant.
Here’s a link: http://ratings.radio-online.com/cgi-bin/rol.exe/arb175.

SUNDAY MAGAZINE

This Week on Sunday Magazine
Brian Hughes speaks with Mollie Marti, author of the book “Walking With Justice”, about the life and times of her mentor, the late Luzerne County Federal Judge Max Rosenn. Magic 93’s Frankie in the Morning speaks with Michelle West from Leadership Wilkes Barre about a supply drive to benefit the Blue Chip Animal farm. And Brian speaks with Tara Reynolds from MassMutual about the small business outlook for 2012, and what small business owners should do to plan for the future.
Sunday Magazine, Sunday morning at 5:30am on JR 93.7 & 97BHT, 6am on 97.9X, 6:30am on Magic 93, and 9:30am on WARM 590 AM.

BLANKLEY DIES

Tony Blankley, a conservative author and commentator who served as press secretary to Newt Gingrich during the 1990s, when Republicans took control of Congress, has died. He was 63. Blankley was a regular in the 90s on “This Week With David Brinkley” explaining the policies of the Gingrich Revolution. Blankley had been suffering from stomach cancer. In his long career as a political operative and pundit, his most visible role was as a spokesman for and adviser to Gingrich from 1990 to 1997. Gingrich became House Speaker when Republicans took control of the U.S. House of Representatives following the 1994 midterm elections. Earlier, Blankley spent six years in the Reagan administration in a variety of positions, including speechwriter and senior policy analyst. From 2002 to 2007, he served as editorial page editor of The Washington Times. In recent years, he also wrote a syndicated newspaper column and provided political commentary for CNN, NBC and NPR. He was also a regular panelist on "The McLaughlin Group." He was the author of two books and a visiting senior fellow in national security communications at the Heritage Foundation. Born in London, Blankley moved to California with his parents as a child and became a naturalized American citizen. He worked as a child actor in the 1950s, appearing in such TV shows as "Lassie" and "Highway Patrol" and playing Rod Steiger's son in the movie "The Harder They Fall."

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT

SNARLIN’ARLEN FOR HILLARY

The Philadelphia Inquirer says Specter was asked in a Tuesday meeting with the Inquirer editorial board whether Clinton should replace Vice President Joe Biden as Obama's running mate. The paper says Specter called that "the second-best alternative." He continued "A better alternative is to make Hillary the nominee. As long as we're talking about dumping, let's go to the core problem." Asked if he was serious that Democrats should dump Obama, Specter said he wasn't getting involved in what he called "that selection problem." And the Republican-turned-Democrat said Obama should keep Biden, whom he called "a very effective voice" for the administration.

QUALIFYING FOR FOOD STAMPS

Pennsylvanians seeking food stamps will soon have to A Pennsylvania newspaper says former U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter has suggested that Democrats think about supporting Hillary Clinton rather than Barack Obama for president in 2012. The Philadelphia Inquirer reports the asset test slated to take effect May 1 would bar anyone under 60 from receiving food stamps if they have more than $2,000 in savings or similar assets. The limit would be $3,250 for anyone over 60. Houses and retirement benefits would be exempt but second cars with a value over $4,650 would count. The Department of Public Welfare tells the Inquirer the new policy will prevent someone from taking benefits if they have their own resources. Critics say the new test hurts seniors and the newly unemployed while making it harder for the working poor to save enough to escape poverty.

1967

The Doors' self-titled debut album is released………Charlie Chaplin launches his last film, A Countess From Hong Kong, in the UK........USMC and ARVN troops launch Operation Deck house Five in the Mekong River Delta.....Operation Cedar Falls starts. Segregationist Lester Maddox is sworn in as Governor of Georgia....Dr. James Bedford becomes the first person to use cryonics to be preserved with the intent of future resuscitation.........In Pennsylvania, incoming Governor Raymond Shafer and his Ltn. Governor Raymond Broderick tour the Capitol meeting with Legislative leaders. GOP Speaker Ken Lee and Senate leader Robert Flemming…..in Scranton Mayor James Walsh beefs up the police department with 5 new hires. The patrolmen were sworn in during a ceremony in the Mayor’s office and 45 years ago this week the number 1 song in LuLac land and America was “Snoopy Vs. the Red Baron” which was a holdover from the 1966 December top ten.

COMO PHOBIA (Be not afraid!)

The embed link to this version from the movie "Dollface" was disabled. Check it out, here's the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPoZeeOuY5s.
COMO PHOBIA is our latest, newest LuLac feature.

The LuLac Edition #1897, January 11th, 2012

2012-01-11T15:52:00.007-05:00

"Write On Wednesday" logo.

Kevin Haggerty, candidate for State Representative in the 112th District.

WRITE ON WEDNESDAY

GOING AFTER SMITH

Kevin Haggerty who lives in Dunmore has said he will be running against Ken Smith in the 112th District in Scranton. Haggerty penned this missive and we thought we'd share it with you on "Write On Wednesday".
Representative Ken Smith is always saying things like ‘we need to tax big oil’, and ‘how dare the Governor cut services to programs like meals on wheels and Education. And oh yes, ‘I am pro-union.’ But these are just words and do not reflect his voting record. Mr. Smith pretends to be upset with Governor Corbett’s budget cuts and said so in the Scranton Times on January 6th, but then amazingly votes with the Republican Party on issues which are near and dear to Democrat families in the 112th district. First Mr. Smith voted yes on House Bill HB(1330), which takes funding away from the public schools in the 112th District. Mr. Smith is supposed to be defending the Mid Valley, Valley View, Scranton and Dunmore school districts, but instead he is voting Republican- and causing fiscal pains to an already vulnerable education system. When Mr. Smith talks about why the Governor won’t tax big oil and gas, just take a look at his recent vote of yes for Senate Bill (SB) 1249. This Republican bill is responsible for the most gerrymandered redistricting this state has ever seen, and Democratic leaders are taking this matter to court. So why did Ken Smith vote with Republicans? Twelve districts have been drawn favorably to Republicans with only six favorable to Democrats. In other words, Representative Smith voted to guarantee Republican dominance in this state- a state with a 1.8 million voter registration advantage for Democrats. Real Democrats don’t do this, and this Republican control will never allow a tax on the gas industry, while continuing massive cuts to human services and education. Most seriously, it will harm unions across Pennsylvania. If Mr. Smith wants to become a Republican than I would hope he would just switch party affiliation, instead of using catch phrases about big oil, education, human services and our labor work force. The Governor is Republican, the state general assembly is Republican and our United States congress is controlled by Republicans. And all we have in the 112th District is a Democrat who uses his party to get elected but who then votes Republican on the issues that matter most to northeast, Pennsylvania Democrats and working families.
Respectfully,
Kevin Haggerty
(112th District)

The LuLac Edition #1896, January 10th, 2012

2012-01-10T21:07:00.002-05:00

Mitt Romney, a determined front runner.

ROMNEY ROMPS TO # 1

Mitt Romney was projected as the winner of New Hampshire’s Republican presidential primary on Tuesday, giving the former Massachusetts governor a sweep of the first two critical tests in the GOP nominating contest.
Romney quickly moved to consolidate his support by delivering an impassioned victory speech that focused not on his primary opponents but squarely on President Obama. He appealed to voters in South Carolina, who will go to the polls in 11 days, to propel him to the nomination and “make sure 2012 is the year [Obama] runs out of time.”
Speaking to supporters in his campaign headquarters in Manchester, N.H., just half an hour after the polls closed, Romney assailed Obama for failing to live up to the “lofty promises made by a hopeful candidate.”
“Today we’re faced with the disappointing record of a failed president,” he said. “The last three years have had a lot of change, but they haven’t offered much hope.” Adding a shot aimed directly at Obama’s recent jobs tour, Romney added: “The middle class has been crushed. Twenty four million of our fellow Americans are still out of work, struggling to find work or have stopped looking.”There was no talk of Romney wanting to fire anyone here tonight.
Based on early exit poll results, Romney appeared to have received a vote percentage in the mid-30s. That’s good, he breaks the 26% plane. Ron Paul was on pace to finish second, followed by former Utah governor Jon Huntsman, who had skipped last week’s Iowa caucuses to focus his effort here and enjoyed a late surge in the polls.
Former House speaker Newt Gingrich and former Pennsylvania governor Rick Santorum were farther back. Santorum finished just behind Romney in Iowa.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry didn’t campaign in New Hampshire so he could focus on South Carolina.
So Romney moves on to South Carolina with Gingrich in hot pursuit with a 5 million dollar stipend from a billionaire gambling executive. That money will be spent to beat up on Romney. Paul will continue on and will have a segment of the vote. Huntsman needed to do better in New Hampshire. There was no big surprise shocking win which he needed. Santorum might connect with southern voters with his values issues but needs to get more organized and a little more money.
On January 21st, South Carolina becomes the next big test. In the days ahead, the campaign will play out like a bad TV rerun. Let’s chase Mitt, Mitt bad. Mitt responds, I am not. Opposition candidates say, yes you are. And so it goes.
Combined internet Wash. Post/LuLac.

The LuLac Edition #1895, January 10th, 2012

2012-01-10T17:09:00.003-05:00

Political conventional wisdom? Out the window in New Hampshire.

NEW HAMPSHIRE UPDATE

The last 48 hours have been not been kind for Mitt Romney. A less than stellar debate performance Sunday was followed by two mistakes on the campaign trail. The first being his plastic like demeanor and denying the fact that he was political. By saying he was not political made him look political. No one will ever mistake the ambitious Romney for Cincinnatus doing his duty then resuming plowing the fields. In the meantime, the GOP’s crazy uncle in the attic with the semi hot wife Newt Gingrich's has been leasing a kami kazi suicide charge at Romney. Meantime, the mild mannered Jon Huntsman appears to spit nickles anytime the topic is Romney. Even with all of this going on, Romney will win New Hampshire. He has polled in the mid to high twenties in Iowa but in New Hampshire has polled as high as 45%. The problem for him is twofold, the expectations game where winning is losing and losing is winning. And those infernal New Hampshire voters who just love to bust the stones of the political conventional wisdom. Romney will win but these gaffes will keep his numbers down from the magic 40% he needs to stay dominant. Look for Huntsman to finish second possibly tying with non entity Ron Paul followed by a recently recharged and rearmed Gingrich and a climbing Santorum. All that said, it appears Romney will become the first non incumbent contender since Jimmy Carter to win both Iowa and New Hampshire.

The LuLac Edition #1894, January 10th, 2012

2012-01-10T06:48:00.003-05:00

New Hampshire primary promotional card.

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Today voters in New Hampshire will go to the polls and pick a candidate. Since 1920, New Hampshire has always been the first primary state. The interesting thing about New Hampshire is that voters are pretty much unpredictable. They don’t want to be put in a box or known as predictable. Plus an important component of New Hampshire is the fact that perception sometimes is more important than reality. If you are perceived as a winner, even though you don’t win in real numbers, then you win. Here are a few examples:
1968: Minnesota Senator and anti war candidate Gene McCarthy got 42% of the vote. Lyndon Johnson got 48% but all anybody talked about was how close McCarthy came. Within weeks, Johnson dropped out of the race.
1972: Maine Senator Edmund Muskie got under 49% of the vote. But prior to the election, his campaign manager said “she’d eat her hat if Muskie didn’t get over 50% of the vote.” George McGovern came in at 39% but because his was an unanticipated number, and Muskie’s people over promised, McGovern got the buzz.
1992: On the Republican side President George Bush won the primary but his opponent Pat Buchanan polled so well (he nearly hot 40%) that people assumed Bush lost. But the media buzz was how the GOP right was angry at Bush.
1992: On the Democratic side, Paul Tsongas won the primary. A one term former Senator from Massachusetts he was the assumed winner. So when Bill Clinton finished second at 24% and kept on calling himself “The Comeback Kid" even after allegations about an affair with a hairdresser, people thought Clinton was the big winner.
This year the GOP primary field is Mitt Romney vs the rest of the world. Romney is way ahead in the polling and has not done enough to lower any expectations of a good finish. But if he polls under 40% and someone like Jon Huntsman or Rick Santorum hits the mid 20s, look for more Stop Romney talk to ensue.
I'm thinking you'll see Romney first, Huntsman second hitting the mid 20s and Gingrich and Santorum in the mid teens fighting for third. However, Paul may trump both of them for third.
New Hampshire is an entity unto themselves. It is a better predictor than Iowa and is rich in history. The overlying theme for the state is this: expect the unexpected. And if the expected does happen, someone will color it as being unexpected. I know it sounds crazy and confusing but that is New Hampshire and its role in Presidential politics.

The LuLac Edition #1893, January 9th, 2012

2012-01-09T11:11:00.003-05:00

Richard M. Nixon and wife Pat.

NIXON AT 99

ELVIS AT 77

Yesterday would have been Elvis Presley’s birthday. He would have been 77. Today Richard Nixon would have been 99. The two were linked by a special visit from Presley. Take a look at these two icons in action.

RAISES FOR FLUNKIES!!

Last month we told you that State lawmakers would be receiving 3 percent raises but as they say in the knife commercials, “wait, there’s more!!” The Harrisburg Patriot reports that state legislative employees are eligible for higher pay too.
Staffers in three of the four legislative caucuses will get raises. Those working in the Senate Democratic Caucus and the Republican and Democratic offices in the state House of Representatives wlll earn raises ranging from 1.45 percent to 2.5 percent.
Many of the Legislature’s 3,000 employees went without pay increases for some time when the nation fell into a recession, but many are once again eligible for higher pay. For now, Senate Republican staffers are going without raises. Some state workers who aren’t getting raises — and haven’t had them for years — are angry. The paper reports that the raises for most legislative staffers come at a time when Gov. Tom Corbett has asked for shared sacrifice. The governor asked teachers to give up raises they were due — and some did. His administration also has secured agreements from several state workers unions on a 12-month pay freeze in their new four-year contracts. But hey, pay the flunkies because God forbid the overpaid Legislators have staffers who aren’t taken care of!!!

CANDIDATE SCHOOL

The University of Scranton is going to have a candidate school for women who want to run for office. Scranton University is putting it on on January 28th from 8am to 5pm. It’s in Brennan Hall, you can contact Dr. Jean Wahl Harris or Stan Zygmunt at the university, 941-7400,
Guest speaker will be former Congresswoman Marjorie Margolles Mezvinsky, Chelsea Clinton’s mother in law. The theme of the program is “Ready to Run”. Maybe with the lack of success of women candidates trying to break through in Lackawanna County, the program should be retitled “Avoid the sharks”.

The LuLac Edition #1892, January 8th, 2012

2012-01-08T00:01:00.003-05:00

LuLac on Twitter. Join us.

Former Judge Mark Ciavarella.

ANOTHER INDIGNITY

There are many people in this area that feel no sympathy for tainted and imprisoned Judge Mark Ciavarella. The story of his corruption will live on in the history of Northeastern Pennsylvania. But the final indignity is going to be the settlement reached with builder Robert Mericle for the kids that were railroaded by Ciavarella. Michael Sisak reports in the Citizen’s Voice that one of the Attorneys representing the for profit detention centers said that the proposed settlement before Federal Judge Richard Caputo “would reward juvenile offendes who committed numerous crimes, or sexual crimes, violent crimes robbery, burglary and first degree felonies more than it will those who committed lesser misdemeanors”, I’m not defending Ciavarella’s action in the detention center scam but I do know this. Prior to becoming a Judge and even after his election, Ciavarella preached the gospel of tough love. Many say he was the perfect patsy in need of cash and was manipulated by Mike conahan and Bob Powell. But that said, he was a true believer in making sure kids who were violent got what was coming to them. How ironic would it be that in the final analysis, the kids he so desperately wanted to punish got a greater financial reward from his corruption activities and are now free on the streets…..with cash rewards while he sits in a Federal lock up. The final indignity indeed.

WHY NOT THE BEST?

I never thought I’d be agreeing with the Urbans on anything regarding the new Luzerne County Council. But as far as the new County Manager hiring process, they do have a point. Even during the campaign, Independent Council candidate Rick Williams said the applications should be extended and maybe he was right about that too. The three top candidates actually aren’t impressing me at this very moment. The top guy from California has been touted as “the front runner”. Council member said if this guy isn’t chosen, it’ll knock the wheels off of the selection process. Really? Robert Lawton has had a series of short term positions. And his mortgage is under water in California. Can he get bonded? Will he stay? And while this is certainly not a reflection on Mr. Lawton or anyone having mortgage difficulties, remember this, we had a Judge who lost his way because he was in debt. Do we really want to take that chance again? The other candidates, Patrick Becher of Oneida, N.Y. is said to be eliminated because he wants more money than Lawson and a third finalist- Jeff Naftal of Lancaster, S.C. is said to be unable to get a majority of votes on Council. So it looks like the Council is putting all its eggs in one basket. Maybe it is time to reassess and maybe re open the search. The accolades given interim manager Tom Pribula this week included the words “straight shooter”, “honest as the day is long” and “dedicated public servant”. It kind of bothers me that in regards to the top three, I’ve not heard those words. Yet. In 1974 Jimmy Carter wrote a campaign book, “Why Not the Best?” Given the information out there about the three finalists, it seems like the County Council is just “Hoping for the Best”.

The LuLac Edition #1891, January 7th, 2012

2012-01-07T13:01:00.002-05:00

Our "Interview" logo.

INTERVIEW

This week, as part of our returning feature, I sat down with a county resident/political activist that has some ideas on the debt and financial problems facing the Luzerne County Council.
1. The County Council has only been in office for one week. You seem very frustrated by their progress. Why?
The group has already splintered in nothing more than special interests. The two Urbans have separated themselves to the point of not even taking their oath of office in the court house, they chose to do it in a private home. One member has discussed with the media what the group voted on as being not yet public information. The Charter itself stymies the Council by keeping them from direct involvement in the day to day operation of county government. The Council is forced to operate with no authority.
2. The newspapers say that the debt can't be addressed for refinancing until 2018. Yet you say that the debt can be dealt with immediately. How?
The debt is a monster that was not created over night and several administrations have to accept responsibility for where we are. In my mind, the absolute only resolve is to separate the debt within the county budget. The numbers being bantered about indicate that the debt service for 2012 is just under 25 million dollars while in 2008 it was only 1 million dollars. The value of one mill is approximately $19,000. So to cover the debt, the county needs to have a debt service millage of 1 1/3 mills. That would produce $25.3 million. The debt would be covered and no longer a major problem for budgeting purposes.
3. The interim county manager wants to possibly raise taxes by 4%. Is that enough?
Not if the figures available are accurate. 4% as allotted by the Charter would produce $3.8 million but if you review the budget passed by Petrilla/Urban and Cooney, they simply removed legitimate expenses that must be addressed and refunded to make county functions operate. Examples are the magistrate rents were cut in half without renegotiating with the landlords. One magistrates office was left without funding for staff. Remaining Row Officer funding was eliminated and they must be paid by law. Deputy Row Officer salary removed from budget leaving no one in charge of the office management and no funding for the new county manger to provide supervision. This is the tip of the ice berg so to have a workable budget that does not include special debt millage, the 4% allowed by law will not suffice. It is important to keep in mind that the interim manager is not saying he only needs 4%, he is saying that 4% is all that is allowed. Special debt millage is not restricted in the Charter.
4. Can you separate debt service and the general fund? And if so, can you solve the debt issue?
As I pointed out above, the debt service can be addressed as a separate issue. The amount required to cover the 2012 debt payment is the highest amount needed to satisfy the ultimate debt retirement. If a separate debt fund is created, the debt issue will never be an issue in future budgets, it will have been addressed this year. I must emphasize that future spending must simply stop! An example of wasteful bond fund spending is the matter of the county's formerly proposed acquisition of a juvenile detention center. Ten million dollars was borrowed, the project was set aside but rather than simply repay the bond, the money was used for resolve the bond structures.
5. You seem very passionate about this. Have you reached out to the County Council?
Yes, I have emailed some members of the Council and expressed my willingness to help as a part time consultant (I was clear I am not looking for a full time job) and I have often spoken at public meetings and letters to the editor with regard to some solutions I think bear consideration.
6. Under your plan how many people in the county will lose their jobs?
None. If my plan were adopted and put into effect, the county would then have the time to implement a course of study that would result in a trimmed but functionable operating work force.
7. Does the county need to renegotiate with the unions?
Yes. Every employee should be a working part of government operation. There should be a need for every employee and a value placed on every employee. Contrary to popular opinion, county employees are not highly paid but do enjoy benefits that allow for a livable existence. I was among the original organizers of the county union and after some organizational/labor problems, I was elected as the first union president under the union certification. I am very familiar with the attitude of the union and I have no doubt that given the opportunity and real intention of fairness, the union(s) would cooperate and help resolve the budgetary problems.
8. You say that you can help the county with your experience in government and business, but with all due respect, your government service was in the 80s and 90s. We're 2 decades away from, that. Don't you think times have changed?
Certainly times have changed but people haven't changed and the basic problems of government have not changed. Government provides services and must fund those services. We all must keep in mind a quote I read that collecting taxes is not sinful, spending is. The hallmark of my government management experience was problem solving. All too often common sense is set aside and goals become the issue. I have never encountered a problem in government where a solution was not to be found. And keep in mind, my government management was hampered in that taxes were capped by law and general fund spending could not under any circumstance exceed 30 mills. That 30 mills was under the old system of property values and ratios. Under today's values, that 30 mills could run the city and the county with money left in reserve.
9. The county is in trouble. If you were "the guy", what would be the immediate steps to keep it afloat?
Obviously from what I've already said, I would first create a debt service tax. It would not be popular but it is a fact of life. This Council did not create the debt but they must deal with it. People should not complain because there were very few people at county meetings when this debt was being incurred.
I would then meet with each union and have an open and honest discussion about the fiscal condition of the county and ask for their help in the resolve. I wont go into detail but I do have some very pointed suggestion I would discuss with them. Union cooperation is paramount in solving the county's fiscal problems.
I would have an immediate hiring freeze. It must be considered that we have a new form of government and the Charter does call for certain positions and management will most certainly have to deal with new hires. I am talking specifically about current and existing positions. No new hires and the success of this program would require the cooperation of the unions.
10. Was the past administration irresponsible in the budget they passed. And if the answer is yes, why do you think they did that?
Yes, in my mind they were totally irresponsible. I mentioned earlier that funding was simply removed from the budget and much of it is required by law and by contracts both private and public. Why they did what they did is beyond me and only they can answer that. The obvious answer would be self political preservation. Mr. Urban has continued his political career and we have no idea what Mrs. Petrilla has in mind. We can assume that Mr. Cooney will return to private business or simply retire. These outgoing Commissioners need to share a good deal of the blame for silly spending. One thing that comes to mind is the fact that they pretty much closed Moon Lake for lack of funding and then spent a grant on consulting fees for a plan on how to best use the park. No money to operate it but spend money on a utilization plan. They had a financial plan prepared and it contained nonsense suggestions such as saving money by eliminating one paid holiday. It never dawned on any one that you don't save a dime if you pay a person to be off on holiday or sitting at their desk. The payroll for that day will not change but the plan called for a savings. And of course spending a half million dollars plus future maintenance costs on a finger print reading time clock is ludicrous at best. You can bet that the rank and file are at work every day but management? They still wont know what management is doing because of the exemptions as to who must use the system. My suggestion to them was to have a sign in/out sheet on every manager's desk and put responsibility on management where it belongs. My example to the Commissioners at the time was the old story that NASA spent millions developing a ballpoint pen that would write in a gravity free atmosphere. The Russians used a pencil.
11. My fear is that without a scalpel, all of the past inequities will continue. I realize County government has mandates and they have to channel federal funds from everything to transportation and social services, but can you honestly tell me there's no fat to be cut, anywhere?
No and I didn't say that. I did say that an immediate hire freeze be put into place and union meetings should be held. I also mentioned that the county would then have almost a year to resolve employee issues and that there are ways to reduce the workforce without the use of a machete but your word of choice, scalpel is an excellent method. Attrition and retirement will go a long way in resolving this problem. Incentive and cooperation are key.
12. Are you comfortable with the proposed set of candidates that have been leaked to the media and can anyone get us out of this mess?
In all fairness, I did not sit in on the interviews nor have I had access to the resumes. From the rumors and some media details, and if I were forced to offer an opinion, I would have to say I am not satisfied with the choices. But again, I have no first hand information nor have I been made privy to any background and experience verifications. I will say that I did offer a suggestion as part of the interview to ask each candidate to detail the most difficult management problem they every dealt with and how did they resolved it. As a former government administrator, I know that of all the questions possible, none are more appropriate with regard to ability than that.
13. If what you propose is so easy, why isn't anyone doing it?
I don't know. I also ask why I didn't invent the hula hoop or the pet rock. Simple ideas but only one person came up with them. I mentioned from the get go that common sense will deal with most problems and I will admit that when I sat at my manager's desk the first day, I didn't have all nor even most of the answers but experience doesn't come alone. Ask yourself, of those struggling with the problems, what experience do they have to deal with county government problems? Maybe that's part of the problem.
14. Any other thoughts?
Jeez, isn't that enough?

The LuLac Edition #1890, January 6th, 2012

2012-01-06T11:42:00.002-05:00

"Maybe I'm Amazed" logo.

MAYBE I’M AMAZED

MAYBE I’M AMAZED……that there is a great deal of distrust among the Luzerne County residents regarding the County Council. I predicted that this new Council was going to have to come to the table prepared for just about anything. There is still a hangover from the corruption scandal. That will last a long time. Meanwhile, new Council members are going to be paying the price for past sins.
MAYBE I’M AMAZED……that people do not think Rick Santorum’s candidacy will have any legs. Santorum is a Washington veteran and can point to a conservative record. He might be surprised by how well he did but he is no political fool. His 2006 loss came at the hands of a very popular Bob Casey who ran against him in a very unpopular year for Republicans. Look for Santorum’s campaign to keep rolling.
MAYBE I’M AMAZED……that people are still shocked that Governor Tom Corbett wants to cut more money from the State budget. This is what the man ran on, why are people still surprised over this?
MAYBE I’M AMAZED……that people are shocked when an attack in a bar happens after 2AM. I sympathize with the young lady who was attacked and I hope the people who did it are brought to justice but nothing good comes out of being out after midnight. Especially on New Year’s eve when all the crackheads, idiots and amateurs are running amok.
MAYBE I’M AMAZED……that there didn’t seem to be such great interest in the Bowl Games this week. See what happens when you dilute product? Years ago, even the most casual observer knew that the college Football champ would be crowned on New Year’s Day or at the latest, the second of January. Now you’re looking at a week after the New Year.
MAYBE I’M AMAZED……that people are surprised that Newt Gingrich is going for blood against Mitt Romney in the New Hampshire primary. Newt offends easily, does not like to be challenged, let alone be criticized. Did the Romney people think Newt was going to go away without responding in kind? And watch this counterattack, because Newt is going to go guns blazing but at the same time deny any role or participation in it. Ya gotta love that about him. I love how he is saying “he worked with Bill Clinton” in the 90s. Clinton cleaned his clock on many occasions, now Newt says they were best buds.
MAYBE I’M AMAZED…..that it has been 32 years since my dad died on this day. He most likely will be amazed that I survived somehow the last 3 decades. Barely but still here.
MAYBE I’M AMAZED…..that more people over the holidays have been talking about CSPAN’S “Contender” series. The network did retrospectives on losing candidates like Adlai Stevenson, Tom Dewey, Wendell Wilkie, Charles Evans Hughes, George McGovern and Barry Goldwater, just to name a few.
MAYBE I’M AMAZED……that CBS’s “Face The Nation” will expand to an hour for Campaign 2012. The show has only been on for a half hour since its inception.
MAYBE I’M AMAZED…..that Robert Dickey, a singer/guitarist best known for his work on the Bobby and James Purify top ten single 'I'm Your Puppet,' died Dec. 29 in Tallahassee, Fla. He was 72. According to the Associated Press, no cause of death was given.After touring with the likes of Otis Redding, Dickey joined his cousin James Purify in the mid-1960s when producer Papa Don Schroeder brought the group to Fame studios to record their signature ballad "I'm Your Puppet”.
MAYBE I’M AMAZED………that the Newt Gingrich circus continues. Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich said Thursday he is willing to go before the NAACP and urge blacks to demand paychecks, not food stamps, Gingrich told a town hall meeting at a senior center in Plymouth, N.H., that if the NAACP invites him to its annual convention this year, he'd go there and talk about "why the African-American community should demand paychecks and not be satisfied with food stamps." Now this speech is troubling because it seems Gingrich assumes that the only poor people are blacks and the only people who use food stamps are black. People of all colors and races are poor, just poll any checker at a grocery store. Newt’s behavior is why he is regarded as the GOP’s crazy uncle in the attic.
MAYBE I’M AMAZED……that according to published reports, that much of the outstanding debt in Luzerne County won’t be eligible for refinancing until 2018. That my friends is one big mountain to climb. We wish the new people well at the Courthouse.
MAYBE I’M AMAZED…….that the Union head who came on TV the other night concerned about job cuts said absolutely nothing about working with the new County Council on deferred raises or adjustments to their union contracts to help out. All Paula Schnelly talked about was what a disaster it would be if jobs were eliminated. Kind of like someone on the Titanic saying, “Our sailors might lose their jobs…..and oh by the way, the ship is sinking too”.
MAYBE I’M AMAZED…….that the Hotel Sterling problem is going to be passed on to this County Council. I’ll be very interested to see what a federal investigation is going to expose in this particular area. And you mark my words, when and if this structure comes down, it’s going to take at least three tries to knock it down completely. Even though the Chicken Littles of the Valley are saying it’s a clear and present danger, that sucker is not going to go down easy.

The LuLac Edition #1889, January 5th, 2012

2012-01-05T10:47:00.007-05:00

Attorney Bill Vinsko.

Our 1967 logo.

LULAC POLL RESULTS

Our new feature year is 1967. In the most recent LuLac poll, 44% picked 1967, 37% 1976 and 19% picked 1980. So every week we’ll feature 1967 as our feature year. If there are any LuLac readers who have memories or photographs of events that happened politically or in pop culture and want to share them, just e mail me and if they are relevant we’ll put them up. All items will be scanned and returned if we connect by mail.

VINSKO GETS BIG CHECK

Bill Vinsko recently received some big support from one of the local unions. Vinsko is running for the Democratic nomination in the 11th Congressional district. Vinsko, publicly thank the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (I.B.E.W.) and the Local Union 163 for their generous donation to Vinsko for Congress, and their support in his bid for the United States House of Representatives. Vinsko said, “I am very proud to receive such great support from I.B.E.W. and its outstanding membership. Their workers exemplify the hard-working Americans and Pennsylvanians that I will represent when elected to Congress. They need jobs, the 11th District needs jobs, Pennsylvania needs jobs and America needs jobs. It’s time to ensure that the middle class is protected and that we put America back to work. With the help of I.B.E.W., other great organizations, and the people, it can still be done. I want to publicly thank I.B.E.W. and Mike Kwashnik for their faith in my candidacy.”
Politically the money is a big deal. You don’t see many big checks like that going to local, rookie (and I say that with all due respect) local candidates. But what comes with that is even more important. The candidate gets a major lift from the union members and the people who are connected to them by relation, neighborhood or just acquaintances. This is a good move for Vinsko from many standpoints.

CARTWRIGHT CALLING

Dunmore residents were treated to calls about the possible candidacy of Attorney Matt Cartwright. Cartwright has said he is interested in running in the newly formed 17th Congressional district against incumbent Tim Holden. This polling is just another toe in the water for the popular and well known Moosic attorney.

THE GOVERNING CLASS

I’ve come to the realization that there are five classes of people in LuLac land. The rich and the poor are the most obvious. No matter what, you will always have those two. Then there is the hard core criminal element, the people who rob and steal and kill because it’s just what they do. Then of course there is the struggling middle class beset by taxes, high prices on tuition for their kids, food, gas, etc. These are the people who play by the rules and still get screwed. Then there is the new class, the governing class. These are people who have had government jobs. Some are very hard working and make the government function. Others are there because they got lucky and knew someone. Nothing wrong with that. In private industry, it helps to have a relative working in the company you are applying to. But in Luzerne County, I was struck by a union representative being interviewed on the news saying that the potential layoffs would be a disaster and cut down on services. Here’s my question: how do you know that? The County government has been over staffed for years. The Courthouse is not a 24/7 operation like a hospital, fire station or police headquarters. There are regular business hours. You can’t conduct any business before 8AM nor after 5PM. So even in an office with say a staff of 6 helping to administer it (and I’ve worked for national and international companies that had an office staff of three, a GM, an Administrative Assistant and a Human Resource person-everything else was outsourced) are you telling me that that amount of people can’t get the work done?
Then there is the issue of the part time people getting benefits. That doesn’t happen anywhere in the world but local government. Steve Corbett brought up the fact that many lawyers are part time in the Counties and get health care benefits for themselves. I even heard they get the benefits for their families. Again, my question is why?
As the County Council starts to go through the budget, maybe it would be a good idea to really take a hard look at “the governing class” and really see if these jobs are needed in some areas. If they are not, maybe they can be reallocated to areas that do need them. The Council should start from within its own walls and then work outside toward the mandated agencies they need to fund. Private business has been cutting back, copying and pasting, shifting people about for years. It’;s time government in Luzerne County did the same thing. Lackawanna County has started and might be a good example to follow.

BACHMAN OUT

Congresswoman Michele Bachman leaves the Presidential race after her poor showing in Iowa. Bachman who won the meaningless Straw Poll in August (something to do between the corn dog vs deep fried butter eating contests) exited the race. Bachman had a penchant for articulating the positions of the new right. She was energetic on the trail and seemed to be gaining momentum last summer. But I wonder how many people were put off by her presentation. She had a first grade teacher type of cadence when she was explaining something and had what Mrs. LuLac refers to as “crazy eyes”. Either way, she makes her way into history as the Presidential race of 2012 goes on.

PERRY STAYS IN

When Rick Perry hit 10% the other night in Iowa, he said he was going home to reassess his position. After Gene McCarthy nearly beat President Johnson in the 1968 New Hampshire primary, Bobby Kennedy reassessed his position and got in the race. Perry said he thought about droping out but changed his mind. Here’s why:
1. Perry’s strength is in the South. To drop out before North Carolina and Florida would be foolhardy. He has a natural constituency there. Why cede it to Santorum?
2. He has a lot of money to reach voters. More than Santorum and Gingrich.
3. Perry has made just about every mistake you could on the debate stage. He has survived it with good humor. He has nowhere to go but up.
4. Ronald Reagan in 1976 lost a ton of primaries to Gerald Ford until the Texas primary in the latter part of spring. He came within a hair’s breath of beating Ford. Losses don’t mean much if you are piling up delegates.
5. The longer Perry hangs in there and if he does show some strength, even if Romney or Santorum beat him, he’s primed as an alternative for the Vice Presidency.

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT

LOVELACE BIO

The biopic of former porn star-turned-activist Linda Lovelace has added three new cast members. Chief amongst the new stars announced on Monday is Demi Moore, who will play the role of feminist and women's liberation activist Gloria Steinem.
Moore will get a short cameo in the film, which will star Amanda Seyfried as Lovelace and Peter Sarsgaard as her ex-husband and porn production manager Chuck Traynor. It is a bit ironic that she'll play Steinem, as one of her best known roles is that of a stripper in "Striptease." Featuring as Lovelace's co-star in "Deep Throat," the iconic porn film that made Lovelace famous, will be Adam Brody, who is best known for his work on "The OC." Eric Roberts has also been added to the cast as a lie detector expert.
In December, James Franco was reported to be in talks to join the film as Hugh Hefner another celebrity cameo. Hank Azaria in December signed on to play Jerry Damiano, the director of "Deep Throat."
Last seen in the ensemble financial drama "Margin Call" and the Sam Levinson-directed drama "Another Happy Day," Moore will next be seen alongside Miley

MEDIA MATTERS

SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE

This week Shadoe Steele’s Saturday Night Live At the Oldies will feature Spencer Davis. You can listen to Saturday Night Live at the Oldies from 7pm to midnight with ABC News on the top of the hour on WILK AM and FM.

ECTV LIVE

Electric City Television's weekly Public Affairs program ECTV Live will welcome Paula Rochon Mackarey during the week of January 9th. Paula is the President of "Happenings Magazine" which has been published in Northeastern Pennsylvania since 1969! Host Judge Tom Munley and co-host David DeCosmo will be discussing the history of the magazine and highlight some of the many "quality of live events" area residents can expect during this New Year.
ECTV Live can be seen at Noon and Midnight each day of Comcast Ch19 with additional showings at 6pm on selected days each week.

STORM POLITICS

This week Doctor Joe Leonardi is the featured guest on WYLN TV 35’s Storm Politics hosted by Tiffany Cloud. Leonardi talks about childhood obesity. Storm Politics can be seen on WYLN THURS @ 9:30 PM • SAT @ 5 PM • SUN @ 11 AM, MON @ 9:00 PM • TUES @ 4:30 PM.

SUNDAY MAGAZINE

This Week on Sunday Magazine
Brian Hughes speaks with Shannon Ludwig from the American Red Cross about the big regional blood drive in Scranton, Wilkes Barre, Hazleton & Pottsville coming up on Wednesday, Jan 11th.
This Week in Harrisburg features comments from State Senator John Yudichak about the Marcellus Shale impact fee legislation.
Brian Speaks with Dr. Chris Mohr, who will tell us how we can speed up our metabolism. And Brian speaks with Dr Steve Stamos about low back pain.
Sunday Magazine, Sunday morning at 5:30am on JR 93.7 & 97BHT, 6am on 97.9X, 6:30am on Magic 93, and 9:30am on WARM 590 AM.

GOP DEBATES

Two big debates this weekend, a Sunday Night debate on ABC News at 9PM from New Hampshire and then the Meet The Press debate on Sunday morning at 10AM on NBC.

PCN

The Pennsylvania Cable Network (PCN) will chase away the post-holiday blues with its popular annual week-long coverage of the Pennsylvania Farm Show starting Saturday, January 7 at 12:00 p.m.
This year, PCN will air LIVE coverage of the butter sculpture unveiling. The first-hand look at this year’s creation will air at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 5.
Throughout the week, PCN will provide round-the-clock coverage. New to the show are exhibits like the barn display with Penn Ag Industries and the Butterfly House. Both will be featured by PCN as they make their debut at the show this year. These highlights and many more farm show favorites make up the network’s extensive coverage of the event which encompasses over 100 hours of network programming in just one week.
This is the 19th year that PCN will move its operations from the Camp Hill studios to the Farm Show. During the week, PCN devotes its programming schedule to this agricultural showcase which puts a spotlight on Pennsylvania’s largest industry.
This year’s coverage is being underwritten, in part, by the Pennsylvania Pork Producers Council, Penn Ag Industries, Pennsylvania Egg Farmers, Pennsylvania Farm Bureau and the Pennsylvania Treasury 529 College Savings Program.
PCN will air taped highlights of various events and displays throughout the week. A schedule of LIVE events, including some of our taped coverage, is as follows. Please note this schedule is tentative and subject to change.

NEW FEATURE YEAR

1967

Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of the British North America Act, 1867, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair…..The Green Bay Packers beat the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC Championship game 34-27. The game was referred to as The Ice Bowl”….. Kansas City Chiefs beat Buffalo Bills 31-7 in AFL championship game FCC requires AM-FM sister stations to be at least 50% different……Tonight Show" is shortened from 105 to 90 minutes…."Milton Berle Show" last airs on ABC-TV,,,,,,, NFL New Orleans' franchise takes name "Saints"…..in Pennsylvania the Scranton administration begins to clear out of Harrisburg making way for the Raymond Shaffer tenure……..in Wilkes Barre City Mayor Frank Slattery announces that he will not seek another term but rather run for Luzerne County Common Pleas Judge……Frank O’Connell Junior takes the oath of office as State Representative serving the 5th Legislative District which encompasses the West Side and 45 years ago the number 1 song in LuLac land was the Neil Diamond penned tune, “I’m A Believer” by the Monkees.

The LuLac Edition #1888, January 4th, 2012

2012-01-04T18:33:00.005-05:00

"Write On Wednesday" logo.

WRITE ON WEDNESDAY

Thieves steal spirit of the season

I had to share this Letter To the Editor with all of you. The letter writer talks about being ripped off in Wilkes Barre. Let’s face it, in the city, especially the neighborhoods people take what they want with impunity entering your house or yard. They also drop their garbage faster than a male porn star drops his pants and put it anywhere they want. The college students litter the streets with their red solo cups and leave their housing areas a mess. There are a few local landlords who clean up after them but there's only a few. The outskirts of the city going toward Plains are littered with mattresses, chairs, whatever people want to dump. This letter should come as no surprise to anyone living in The Diamond City.
It is with a heavy heart that I am writing this letter. I always have been a huge fan of Christmas. I have enjoyed how nice everyone seems to be at this special time of year. Well, unfortunately, the Grinch seems to have visited my home not once, but twice, this year.
On Dec. 16, I was informed by my father that he chased someone down the street after seeing him steal my mail. The mail, I have come to realize, contained a DVD I had ordered as a Christmas present for my daughter. Oh, well, I thought: It’s annoying, but not that intolerable.
However, on Sunday morning on my way out of the house to go to church, I realized my illuminated manger set was stolen from my front lawn!
I can’t begin to tell you how upset I was. Of all things to steal.
I am not a rich person; I bought the manger set after the season two years ago and was so proud to have it on display.
To the person or persons who have violated my mailbox and my front lawn, please know you have stolen more than items, you have stolen my faith in the goodness of people. Merry Christmas.
Claire Wert
Wilkes-Barre

The LuLac Edition #1887, January 4th, 2012

2012-01-04T01:31:00.005-05:00

Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum.

SANTORUM’S WIN

Even though 8 votes separated Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum for first place in the Iowa Caucuses, I have to say that former Senator Santorum was the big winner. As late as days before Christmas, Santorum was polling in single digits. All of a sudden a surge started toward Santorum. Santorum who never got any respect throughout the campaign and debates did an old fashioned type of retail campaign where he spent time with various voters. Santorum worked hard holding more than 400 campaign events and virtually lived in Iowa. For his reward, voters gave him a big boost from his also ran status.
Romney in Iowa stagnated. True, he got nearly 30% of the vote but so too did Santorum. Romney basically did not grow electorally. He almost got the same amount of votes (he got 29 more in 2012) than he did in 2008. For someone who says he could be a winner and beat President Obama, well that might be a problem.
Santorum and Romney go to New Hampshire and battle it out. Their campaign victory speeches were a contrast in styles and energy. Santorum’s speech was emotional and touched his audience. Santorum already in this Presidential bid possesses a Reagan like quality. You might disagree violently with what he says and believes, but you can’t help but be drawn to his personal story. Romney on the other hand gave a technocratic, merchandising speech that reminded me more of a Project Manager than a potential President.
Ron Paul hit his high water mark but you know his star is already on the decline.
The big question mark in this race is going to be Newt Gingrich. Mitt Romney’s strategy of using PAC money to go after Newt Gingrich in Iowa might have destroyed the former Speaker’s chances in the corn fed state. Strategically it was smart. But it will hurt Romney in the long run. A political rule of thumb is you don’t go after someone who will carry a grudge. And Gingrich is steamed about the way the Romney people singled him out in Iowa. In his speech, Gingrich praised Santorum, not Romney. Plus Gingrich told CBS News that he was going to go after Romney in New Hampshire with the 9 million bucks he raised this last quarter. Gingrich said he was going to “compare and contrast” their records. That can only hurt Romney.
The GOP needs to find it’s post Bush voice. It certainly was not John McCain. It might be a contrast between Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum. This race reminds me of the 1964 race where moderates like George Romney (Mitt’s dad) Bill Scranton and Nelson Rockefeller just never got the passion of the party. Barry Goldwater did. Santorum would be wise to emulate not Goldwater but the man who gave a speech for the Arizona Senator, Ronald Reagan. This thing can be Santorum’s if he does three things:
1. Stay out of the Romney/Gingrich fight.
2. Stay positive and not get testy with the media.
3. Keep your humble/under dog/middle class roots narrative going.
The last part is extremely important. The GOP might be perceived as the party of the rich but there are many more of the 99% in the party than the rich. The reason why people in the party, particularly the Tea Party segment don’t like Romney is because he is part of the 1%. The rich. The GOP, thanks to Ronald Reagan has had a migration of people from the middle class who used to be Democrats. They left their party because of cultural issues. Santorum can fill that gap primarily because he can personalize his beliefs better than Romney.
New Hampshire is going to be interesting.

The LuLac Edition #1886, January 3rd, 2012

2012-01-03T14:37:00.004-05:00

"Even Steven" logo.

ROMNEY’S "EVEN STEVEN"

What may be a strong success for Mitt Romney might also be a weakness too. I took two of those newspaper polls last week on Ipods and a social messaging website. After I took their poll question, I answered the following question:
Do you find Mitt Romney:
Very favorable.
Somewhat favorable.
Fairly unfavorable.
Strongly unfavorable.
In the category Somewhat favorable, he scored 26%.
In the category Fairly unfavorable, he scored 25%.
In the category Very favorable, he scored 25%.
In the category strongly unfavorable he tallied 24%.
Now this poll was just two random snapshots in a newspaper in the course of three days…but it shows that opinion on Romney is pretty even in terms of how well he is perceived and how `unfavorable he is viewed. Romney does not seem to ignite great passion either way. The ironic thing about this year’s Iowa vote is that Romney may win with less votes than he got in 2008 finishing third. Will this “even Steven” polling of Romney help him get the nomination as the least offensive alternative for the nomination but doom a general election campaign? Time will tell.

SANTORUM ON MEET THE PRESS

David Gregory really tried to do a number on Rick Santorum on Sunday’s “Meet the Press”. Santorum did very well under a barrage of questioning where a strident Gregory questioned Santorum’s backing of Mitt Romney in 2008. Santorum said it was a political decision he made at the time. Gregory had to realize that the answer was honest but belittled Santorum for putting that in that context. Gregory thinks he’s tough and thinks he’s Tim Russert. He’s not. I’m no Santorum backer but his treatment of the Presidential candidate lends credence t the fact that there is a liberal media bias. To Santorum’s credit, he held fast and made Gregory look like a spoiled little boy trying to live up to someone’s expectations.

CORBETT’S BIG FREEZE

The Philadelphia Inquirer is reporting that Gov. Tom Corbett is ordering a pay freeze for top state employees, including himself.
Corbett spokesman Kevin Harley told The Philadelphia Inquirer in a story published Tuesday the freeze applies to members of the governor's Cabinet and management employees in state government.
Corbett's order blocked three-percent annual cost-of-living increases that were scheduled to take effect Sunday for those executive branch employees.
Harley didn't tell the paper how many people are covered by the pay freeze, but the newspaper says a similar freeze ordered about two years ago by then-Gov. Ed Rendell affected 13,000 people. Corbett continues to walk the walk in terms of trying to lower the spending in Harrisburg.

COSGROVE’S EXIT

Pittston Politics.com wrote a piece about Judge Joe Cosgrove’s exit from the Courthouse. Apparently Cosgrove left his personal belongings and desk cluttered when Mike Vough came in to get his office in order. Unless Cosgrove has a good excuse like an illness in the family or a misunderstanding of who was going to do this, this is pretty bush league and not one would have expected of him. Let’s hope that’s the case.

TOMMY’S QUESTIONS

I was struck by a line in today’s Times Leader from Jennifer Learnes Andes’ (one of our 2011 Women We Love awardees) article that said this about Interim County Manager Tom Pribula’s budget task.
Revising the 2012 budget will be one of his primary focuses. He already has a list of employees to grill about the accuracy of their expense and revenue projections.
That is telling because those hacks running some of the departments under the dome will not know what hit them. Pribula worked in private business where profits and numbers mattered. His questions will revolve around real money and need real answers to his questions. I’m really wondering how those Courthouse people who opposed the charter are going to conduct themselves in the days ahead too.

The LuLac Edition #1885, January 2nd, 2012

2012-01-02T12:41:00.007-05:00

SELLOUTS AMONG DEMOCRATS IN REDISTRICTING, SID, KEN & MIKE!!!!

TCMC Medical College logo.

SELL OUT SID, SMITH, AND CARROLL

It really cracks me up when people run for office when they first announce. “I’m going to be different, I’m going to be close to the people, I’m going to think about the future, you can count on me”. That’s the regular Election Day crap you hear. Then once they’re in, they blanket the media with puff pieces and outrage toward obvious targets. But actions speak louder than words and here in LuLac land we have four State Representatives that enabled the gerrymandering of Congressional Districts. My friend Tom Borthwick from NEPA Partisan wrote about this issue:
Lackawanna County State Reps Ken Smith, Sid Michaels Kavulich and Ed Staback voted for the new Congressional Districts, aka, the craziest, most undemocratic gerrymander the GOP could’ve mustered. State Rep. Kevin Murphy is the only one with guts and conviction, choosing to vote against it. Here’s the roll call.
Why does this matter? Well, normally it wouldn’t. Except that there was a cadre of Republicans who were against the map and if Democrats had stayed unified and actually voted against the plan, the vote would’ve come down 95-97. As in, Democrats could’ve stopped this. If the Legislature couldn’t come up with a compromise, then it would’ve gone to courts and PA would’ve gotten something fair.
Keystone Politics is calling for Smith and Kavulich, and Reps like them, to be primaried. I don’t blame them. My favorite quote, “Unfortunately, 36 members of the state House Democratic caucus think that the Republican Party should win more elections in Pennsylvania.” Remember, Democrats have a nearly 2 million voter registration advantage over Republicans in this state. The only reason that Republicans are in control of our Congressional Delegation and entire state legislature is because of gerrymandering. Democrats are grossly underrepresented proportional to registration, and that’s a matter of fact, not ideology. And Smith, Kavulich and Staback voted to maintain this imbalance. There is, of course, only one reason for this: political gain. Their lack of principles is appalling.
In terms of principle, forget Smith. The guy had trouble paying his bills and then hid behind his wife when he was caught by the Scranton Times. “I don’t know nuthin’ about any stinking tax bills, my wife takes care of that stuff!” or words to that effect. Never forget, Smith never paid his Social Security withholding taxes. That screwed his workers. Another “sainted small business man” we hear about everyday. Yeah right! Staback gets a pass because he’s retiring and most likely doesn’t give a shit anymore. But the two I’m totally disappointed in are Sid Michaels Kavulich and Mike Carroll. The Democratic party has been very good to these guys through the years. Kavulich worked in a high paid media job in Harrisburg before becoming a State Representative. He was paid by the Democratic caucus. Carroll worked as an aide in State Representatives offices for years. Those jobs just don’t go to just anyone. In a way, I understand what Carroll did, because every town in the Pittston area is in his district but that doesn’t hide the fact that he voted with the Republicans on this one. Kevin Haggerty is running against Smith in the 2012 primary. Let’s hope the Democrats grow a set and get some primary opposition against Kavulich and Carroll. A GOP challenge isn’t going to do it but an intra party face off might purge us of smiling faces that turn around and stab their own party in the back. If these “good Democrats” line up with the State GOP on an issue like re-districting, can we really trust them with votes on care for our children and elderly?

TCMC ASKS FOR MONEY

Check this out, after paying out huge bonuses to Human Resources and Finance people, the Medical College is soliciting money from the general public. Here’s an e mail that LuLac obtained from the current administrator trying to salvage this ship. No word if your contribution could be allocated for a bonus.
Dear Friends of TCMC,
Since arriving in the spring of 2011, I have been thrilled by the continued community support of The Commonwealth Medical College (TCMC). Thank you for helping us achieve our goal of educating future physicians in our region.
It has been an amazing year of milestones at TCMC. We welcomed our third class of medical students and masters of biomedical sciences students. Our inaugural MD class, graduating in 2013, started their third-year clinical rotations training with our clinical faculty in communities throughout our 16-county region. This fall, we celebrated the opening of the Medical Sciences Building, a state-of-the-art home for our research and academic programs, with a community dedication and open house.
As 2011 comes to an end, please consider a gift to your medical college. Any gift, large or small, will have a lasting impact on the College, our students and our community for years to come.
Thank you for your support. I wish you and your family a joyous holiday season and a happy New Year.
Sincerely,
Lois Margaret Nora, MD, JD, MBA
Interim President and Dean
The Commonwealth Medical College
Give until it hurts folks. Gottta keep those bonuses coming!!!!!!

A NEW MAJORITY

The Luzerne County Council was sworn in this morning. 9 under the Courthouse dome, 2 (The Urbans) by a Notary in a private home. These dual swearing in ceremonies send a powerful message to Luzerne County residents. The Urbans are sending the signal that they will be an island unto themselves. It appears that they do not want to be known as coalition builders with the other 9. So, the new way of doing business on the Council will be among the nine. The votes might be 5-4, 6-3, 7-2, kind of like a school board. So the Urbans, either by design or unwittingly have changed the political dynamics of how decisions are made.

THE FIRST BAMBINO

The first New Year’s Baby in the area came in about 4AM on Sunday morning. Mom has two previous babies, she’s 21, dad is just 17 (“He was just 17, you know what I mean, and the way he looked was way beyond compare") and of course are going to live happily ever after. Dad and the baby’s last name is Otto, Mom’s last name is Gifford.

The LuLac Edition #1884, January 1st, 2012

2012-01-01T15:11:00.003-05:00

2012 logo.

MAKE A PREDICTION......

I DARE YOU!!!

The LuLac Edition #1883, December 31st, 2011

2011-12-31T12:41:00.004-05:00

Happy New Year logo.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

I don't know anyone except maybe one of the 6 people elected to Judge or Stefanie Salavantis who thought this was a perfect year. Most people I've talked with have either not had jobs, jobs that paid them less than a few years ago, had ill health or had property destroyed from the flood. So let's can this bitch of a year and hope that 2012 will be just a tad more generous in spirit to all of us. In my 2006 book, "Legis Vitae/David Yonki's 26 Rules of Life", one rule that I didn't chronicle should have been. It applies to how I feel at New Year's every year as the new day dawns: "Expect the worst....but hope for the best". HAPPY NEW YEAR.

NEW YEAR'S 1951

NEW YEAR'S NOW

The LuLac Edition #1882, December 31st, 2011

2011-12-31T01:04:00.003-05:00

Jennifer Rogers is sworn in as Judge at a ceremony at the Courthouse on Friday.

WILK's Shadoe Steele.

NEW ERA BEGINS

For the first time in many a moon, the Luzerne County Judiciary is going to be fully staffed. Friday saw the swearing in of 6 new Judges. Mike Vough, Joe Skaroksky Junior, Lesa Gelb, Fred Pierantoni, Richard Hughes and Jennifer Rogers all took the oath of office.
These new Judges will in effect have the opportunity to serve into the middle of this century. The new team joins Tina Polachek Gartley, Bill Amesbury, Dave Lupas and President Judge Tom Burke. We wish them luck and success.

SALAVANTIS SWORN IN

The new District Attorney Stefanie Salavantis was sworn in Friday. There was some confusion as to where and when she was supposed to get the oath. (See what happens when you don’t put Bob Harper on retainer?) Anyway, she’s now the youngest DA in the history of Luzerne County and is making $168,000 a year.

PRIBULA INTERIM MANAGER

Tom Pribula, the former Finance Director of the County is the interim County Manager. Pribula takes the job while the new County Council works out negotiations with a new County Manager. I don’t know if he applied but Gerald Cross would be an excellent choice. Pribula is getting $2,000 a week, a lap top and cell phone. He was not interviewed or considered for the top job. We wish him luck.

WHERE’S ROMEO?

For many years Shadoe Steele was on ‘KRZ FM. Last year the powers that be decided that some character “Romeo” should be on ‘KRZ from 7 to midnight. Steele moved his popular program to WILK AM & FM to huge successes. So the other day I’m watching PA HomePage and I see this pantload manager from Entercom saying that yes indeed Shadoe Steele’s Oldie Show would be broadcasting live from 6 to midnight on all of the Entercom Stations including ‘KRZ. So let me get this straight, Shadoe is back on ‘KRZ for New Year’s Eve? Where or where art thou poor Romeo? On syndication. Shadoe Steele and his program are a local institution. Glad to see the management understand that………at least for a week.

The LuLac Edition #1881, December 30th, 2011

2011-12-30T17:33:00.005-05:00

Top stories logo.

2011 TOP 10 STORIES/LULAC LAND

10. ENDING OF ADULT BASIC: Thousands of people lost their Health Insurance in 2011 when the Adult Basic program ended.

9. HOME RULE EXPANDS: Home Rule Study Commissioners were voted on in both Nanticoke and Pittston. Voters opted to review their options with Home Rule Study Commissioners.
8. STAYING THE COURSE: Two cities in Luzerne County stayed the course and re-elected their Mayors. In Wilkes Barre Tom Leighton was re elected to a third term and in Hazleton Joe Yanuzzi won a term in his own right. Yanuzzi was appointed after Lou Barletta went to Congress.
7. LACKAWANNA COMMISSIONERS: Mike Washo retired from his job as County Commissioner opening up the process. Corey O’Brien and Jim Wansacz, once primary foes united and won election along with minority Commissioner from the GOP Patrick O’Malley. The day after the election, Lackawanna County residents were hit with a huge tax increase.
6. NEW JUDGES: Six new Judges are elected in Luzerne County. In the spring primary Joe Sklarosky Junior, Mike Vough, Fred Pierantoni, Lesa Gelb and Jennifer Rogers win dual nominations. The GOP candidate Dick Hughes is supposed to face off against Molly Hanlon Mirabito. Hughes polls ahead of double winner Gelb but in the end in the general election, Hanlon Mirabito loses by 500 votes. The new Judges join Tom Burke, David Lupas, Tina Polacheck Gartley and Bill Amesbury on the bench.
5. CONAHAN SENTENCING & PLEA: If he had not annoyed Judge Kosik, Mike Conahan might have been half way through a 7 year jail term from his original plea agreement. Conahan was sentenced to 17 and a half years in August and expressed regret for his actions. He is serving his jail term in Florida.
4. NEW COUNTY COUNCIL: In the primary, each party elected 11 candidates. On the Democratic side, 33 vied for a seat while 16 Republicans sought the office. 49 ran but in the end, 11 prevailed. The winners of four-year terms are: Morelli, Democrat; Stephen A. Urban, Democrat; Jim Bobeck, Democrat; Tim McGinley, Democrat; Edward A. Brominski, Democrat; and Republican Stephen J. Urban.
The winners of two-year terms are: Republican Harry Haas, independent Rick Williams, Democrat Elaine Maddon Curry, Democrat Linda McClosky Houck and Republican Eugene L. Kelleher.
3. MUNCHAK/CORDARO CONVICTED: Lackawanna County Commissioners Bob Cordaro and A. J. Munchak are convicted of taking bribes. Their sentencing was pushed forward to 2012. The convictions come after a federal investigation.
2. CIAVARELLA VERDICT: Former Judge Mark Ciavarella is convicted and sentenced to 28 years in jail. Outside the courtroom there was much drama. Here’s how the verdict developed on the Friday before President’s weekend.

1. FLOODS OF 2011: This story effected everyone. Homes in West Pittston, Jenkins Township and Shickshinny and other parts of our area are still not back on track. Wilkes Barre and Kingston were spared but other areas got hit badly.

The LuLac Edition #1880, December 30th, 2011

2011-12-30T16:27:00.004-05:00

Top ten logo.

2011 TOP 10 STORIES/PENNSYLVANIA

10. RICK SANTORUM: It takes a rare breed to run for President and not many Pennsylvania politicians have tried it. In the last century two Governors, Scranton and Shapp made runs for the top job. Santorum a former Senator has established a beach head in Iowa and has run a campaign that touts his family values credentials. This top story of 2011 will bleed into 2012 if Santorum garners some success in Iowa.
9. FLOOD OF 2011: The state takes a big hit when flood waters hit in the late summer of 2011. Governor Tom Corbett puts the state in emergency mode and tours the affected areas.
8. REDISTRICTING: The Pa. House and Senate, under the control of Republican majorities redraw the Congressional districts. It gives the GOP a leg up by trying to shore up Republican strong holds. The state has a huge Democratic registration.
7. 911 COMMEMORATION: In the middle of a vast stretch of grassland in western Pennsylvania, poet Robert Pinsky read out 40 names to a somber and silent crowd. After the poet said each name, two large bells were chimed.
Former presidents, state officials, bereaved relatives, artists and members of the public gathered Saturday to open a 1,500-acre national park on the outskirts of Shanksville, in honor of the 40 passengers and crew members who died on United Airlines Flight 93 on Sept. 11, 2001. Former Presidents Bush and Clinton attended the event along with Vice President Joe Biden.
6. CORBETT BACK SURGERY: Governor Tom Corbett went under the knife for back surgery. Control of the state was given to Ltn. Governor Jim Cawley. Corbett has recovered nicely.
5. MACELLUS SHALE DEBATE: The debate over a Marcellus Shale tax or assessment still goes on in the state. The legislature is close to putting together some sort of assessment but in deference to the Governor aren’t going to call it a tax.
4. ON TIME BUDGET: Pennsylvania passes an on time budget. It was the first one since 2002 and the document even contained some cuts that reduced its size. Also for the first time in ten years.
3. INAUGURATION OF TOM CORBETT: Tom Corbett takes over the reigns of state Government and becomes the state’s 46th Governor. In his first six months as Governor, Tom Corbett passed an on-time budget for the first time in nine years. Governor Corbett closed a $4.2 billion deficit by controlling state spending while not raising taxes on Pennsylvanians. Also, Corbett passed historic tort reform that safeguarded Pennsylvania’s small businesses and signed property tax reform that put spending control back in the hands of Pennsylvania’s taxpayers.
2. JOE PATERNO OFFERS TO RESIGN/THEN GETS CANNED: I always thought they’d have to carry out Joe Paterno on a slab. That’s the way I thought he’d end his time as Penn State coach. That was not to be. Paterno was forced to resign in the wake of the sex scandal that enveloped the Penn State University. Paterno at first wanted to dictate the terms of his resignation, asking the board of trustees to let him coach the rest of the year. In a hastily called meeting, they said no and fired him. Paterno’s sacking was met with protests from Penn State fans and students. It was revealed he is suffering from cancer and broke his pelvis in a fall in early December. Not the way we envisioned JoPa going out.
1. PENN STATE SEX SCANDAL: The Penn State sex abuse scandal refers to allegations that former Pennsylvania State University football assistant coach Jerry Sandusky sexually assaulted or had inappropriate contact with at least eight underage boys on or near university property. After an extensive grand jury investigation, Sandusky was indicted on 42 counts of child molestation dating from 1994 to 2009, though the abuse may date as far back as the 1970s.
Per the findings of the investigation, several high-level school officials were charged with perjury, suspended, or dismissed for allegedly covering up the incidents or failing to notify authorities. In the wake of the scandal, head football coach Joe Paterno was dismissed from his position and school president Graham Spanier was forced to resign. Sandusky has denied the allegations. This will be a story that will continue into the next decade.

The LuLac Edition #1879, December 30th, 2011

2011-12-30T15:59:00.004-05:00

Top ten logo.

TOP STORIES/U.S. AND THE WORLD

10. OCCUPY WALL STREET: Protests across the nation focused in on the inequality of economic stress on the middle class. People with nothing left to lose chose to camp out in tents at very public places.
9. CONGRESSIONAL SEX SCANDALS: Give a boy a toy and he’ll find a very unconventional use for it. Congressman Anthony Weiner’s career went up in smoke when he started sending photos of himself to women he met on social network sites. He would have been better off if he stuck with an old fashioned flip phone.
8. CONGRESSWOMAN ATTACKED: U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was shot in the head and an aide killed earlier this year when an assailant opened fire in an area where the Democratic lawmaker was meeting with constituents in Tucson, Arizona. A federal Judge and the grand daughter of former big league manager Dallas Green was also killed. A mentally incompetent non entity was charged with the killings and attack. Giffords is making her way back after the attack appearing in a surprise appearance before the U.S. Congress.
7. LIBYA INCURSION: President Obama did not commit many troops to the Libyian effort but did channel U.S. support. The United Nations Security Council passed an initial resolution on 26 February, freezing the assets of Gaddafi and his inner circle and restricting their travel, and referred the matter to the International Criminal Court for investigation.In early March, Gaddafi's forces rallied, pushed eastwards and re-took several coastal cities before attacking Benghazi. A further U.N. resolution authorised member states to establish and enforce a no-fly zone over Libya, and to use "all necessary measures" to prevent attacks on civilians.The Gaddafi government then announced a ceasefire, but failed to uphold it. On 16 September 2011, the National Transitional Council was recognised by the United Nations as the legal representative of Libya, replacing the Gaddafi government. Muammar Gaddafi remained at large until 20 October 2011, when he was captured and killed attempting to escape from Sirte.[56] The National Transitional Council declared the liberation of Libya and the official end of the war on 23 October 2011.
6. GOP PRESIDENTIAL RACE: One of the on going news stories of 2011 was the Republican race for the person who would face off against President Obama . Former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty dropped out after not registering in the straw poll. The field was tempted and teased by Sarah Palin, Chris Christie and Donald Trump. Michele Bachman, Newt Gingrich, Mitt Romney, Herman Cain, and Rick Perry, all had their crests while Rick Santorum appears to be getting one now. Jon Hunstman is still waiting. Meanwhile, Congressman Ron Paul continues to be the mystery man. Paul has great grassroots support and might win Iowa. But can the national media and GOP take him seriously as a nominee? And if not, will he run as a third party candidate? Paul may be the most intriguing politico of 2012.
5. IRAQ WAR ENDS: President Obama brought the troops home at the end of this year. The long nonsensical war in Iraq which costs nearly 5,000 lives finally ended. Shortly after we left, the good citizens of Iraq promptly started blowing each other up again.
4. THE RECOVERING ECONOMY: The jobless rate is at about 8 and ½ percent and economic growth is slow. The Republicans whine that the rich can’t invest without tax breaks, the Dems want to know where the heck are the jobs. A new title is born for business people who blame the government for over regulating them, they are now called “Job Creators”. Bow down and kiss their feet.
3. DEBT CEILING: The U.S. Government has been raising the debt ceiling every year since the Reagan administration. This year the House Republicans decided to fight it and nearly brought the government to its knees. In the process we lost our credit rating and people’s opinion of Congress went into the single digits. And yet they continue to fiddle while this country is stuck in low gear.
2. REVOLT IN EGYPT: The 2011 Egyptian revolution took place following a popular uprising that began on Tuesday, 25 January 2011 and is still continuing as of December 2011. The uprising was mainly a campaign of non-violent civil resistance, which featured a series of demonstrations, marches, acts of civil disobedience, and labour strikes. Millions of protesters from a variety of socio-economic and religious backgrounds demanded the overthrow of the regime of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Despite being predominantly peaceful in nature, the revolution was not without violent clashes between security forces and protesters, with at least 846 people killed and 6,000 injured. The uprising took place in Cairo, Alexandria, and in other cities in Egypt, following the Tunisian revolution that resulted in the overthrow of the long-time Tunisian president. On 11 February, following weeks of determined popular protest and pressure, Mubarak resigned from office. The revolt in Egypt has opened the door for more instability in the Mid East.
1. BIN LADEN KILLED: Osama bin Laden, hunted as the mastermind behind the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil was killed.
The president called the killing of bin Laden the "most significant achievement to date" in the effort to defeat al Qaeda.
"Justice has been done," Obama said. And then some. The little piss ant who killed more than 3,000 Americans in the New York City in 2001 cowered in his compound while U.S. Special forces shot him in the head.
Bin Laden was located at a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, which was monitored and when the time was determined to be right, the president said, he authorized a "targeted operation."
"A small team of Americans carried out the operation," Obama said. "After a firefight, they killed Osama bin Laden and took custody of his body."
DNA testing confirmed that it was bin Laden and then in a ceremony too good for anyone of his stature, his sorry remains were buried at sea where presumably his remains made many shark violently ill.

The LuLac Edition #1878, December 29th, 2011

2011-12-29T22:54:00.006-05:00

"Moving On" logo.

MOVING ON

These were some of the political, music, sports and pop culture icons to pass away in 2011.
Mark Ryan, 51, British musician (Adam and the Ants).
Bernard O'Brien, 96, American politician, member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives (1965–1980).
Charlie Callas, 83, American comedian and actor (Silent Movie, Switch).
Jack LaLanne, 96, American fitness and nutritional expert, pneumonia.
Sexy Cora, 23, German pornographic actress, complications from breast enlargement surgery.
Gus Zernial, 87, American baseball player (Oakland Athletics, Detroit Tigers, Chicago White Sox), heart failure
Sargent Shriver, 95, American diplomat and politician, Ambassador to France (1968–1970), Vice Presidential nominee (1972), complications from Alzheimer's disease
Roy Hartsfield, 85, American baseball player (Boston Braves) and first manager of Toronto Blue Jays, complications of liver cancer.
Georgia Carroll, 91, American fashion model and actress (Yankee Doodle Dandy). In 1943, Carroll joined Kay Kyser's band, known as the "Kollege of Musical Knowledge", as a featured vocalist. Capitalizing on her good looks, she was given the nickname "Gorgeous Georgia Carroll", probably as a joking reference to the professional wrestler George Wagner, who used the name "Gorgeous George". As a member of Kyser's band, Carroll appeared in three films: Around the World, Carolina Blues, and most notably the Second World War-era "morale booster" Thousands Cheer which gave fans a chance to see Kyser and his band in Technicolor. Kyser's band has a featured performance near the end of the film, with Carroll delivering a key solo interlude of the Arthur Freed/Nacio Herb Brown standard, "Should I?" In 1945, Carroll married Kyser and made no further film appearances, retiring from performing in 1946.

Cookie Gilchrist, 75, American football player (Buffalo Bills, Denver Broncos), cancer.
Margaret Whiting, 86, American pop singer ("A Tree in the Meadow", "Moonlight in Vermont"), natural causes.
Howard Wallace Pollock, 90, American politician, U.S. Representative from Alaska (1967–1971).
Dave Sisler, 79, American baseball player (Boston Red Sox, Cincinnati Reds), prostate cancer.
Tom Cavanagh, 28, American ice hockey player (San Jose Sharks), blunt force trauma.
Ryne Duren, 81, American baseball player (Philadelphia Phillies, New York Yankees).
Anne Francis, 80, American actress (Honey West, Forbidden Planet, The Twilight Zone), pancreatic cancer.
Jane Russell, 89, American actress (The Outlaw, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes), respiratory illness.
Duke Snider, 84, American Baseball Hall of Famer (New York Mets, San Francisco Giants).
Rick Coonce, 64, American drummer (The Grass Roots).
Ollie Matson, 80, American Hall of Fame football player (St. Louis Rams, Philadelphia Eagles), complications from dementia.
Joe Frazier, 88, American baseball player (St. Louis Cardinals) and manager (New York Mets).
Gino Cimoli, 81, American baseball player (Brooklyn Dodgers, Pittsburgh Pirates), heart and kidney complications.
Betty Garrett, 91, American actress (On the Town, All in the Family, Laverne & Shirley), aortic aneurysm.
Kenneth Mars, 75, American actor (Young Frankenstein, The Producers, The Little Mermaid), pancreatic cancer.
Joanne Siegel, 93, American widow of Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel, model for Lois Lane.
Chuck Tanner, 82, American baseball manager (Pittsburgh Pirates) and player (Los Angeles Dodgers), after long illness.
John Paul Getty III, 54, American heir and kidnapping victim, grandson of J. Paul Getty and father of Balthazar Getty, after long illness.
Woodie Fryman, 70, American baseball player (Detroit Tigers, Montreal Expos).
René Verdon, 86, French-born American White House Executive Chef, leukemia.
Elizabeth Taylor, 79, British-American actress (Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Cleopatra, Butterflied 8), heart failure.
Dorothy Young, 103, American actress, assistant to Harry Houdini.
Warren Christopher, 85, American diplomat, Secretary of State (1993–1997), complications from kidney and bladder cancer.
Ferlin Husky, 85, American country music singer, heart failure.
Jean Smith, 82, American baseball player (All-American Girls Professional Baseball League).
Hugh Martin, 96, American songwriter ("Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas") and film composer (Meet Me in St. Louis), natural causes.
David S. Broder, 81, American journalist (The Washington Post), complications from diabetes.
Patricia Brennan, 66, Australian feminist and clinician, advocate of women priests, cancer.
Phoebe Snow, 60, American singer-songwriter ("Poetry Man"), brain hemorrhage,
Hubert Schlafly, 91, American engineer, co-inventor of the TelePrompter.
Madelyn Pugh, 90, American screenwriter (I Love Lucy, The Lucy Show, Here's Lucy, The Mothers-in-Law) and producer (Alice).
William A. Rusher, 87, American columnist, publisher of National Review (1957–1988).
Sidney Harman, 92, American businessman and publisher (Newsweek), acute myeloid leukemia.
Eddie Joost, 94, American baseball player and manager (Philadelphia Athletics, Cincinnati Reds).
Gil Robbins, 80, American folk singer (The Highwaymen) and actor, father of Tim Robbins, prostate cancer.
Larry Shepard, 92, American baseball manager (Pittsburgh Pirates) and coach (Cincinnati Reds).
Andy Robustelli, 85, American Hall of Fame football player (Los Angeles Rams, New York Giants).
Jeff Conaway, 60, American actor (Grease, Taxi, Babylon 5.
Harmon Killebrew, 74, American Hall of Fame baseball player (Minnesota Twins, Kansas City Royals), esophageal cancer.
Barbara Stuart, 81, American actress (Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.).
Mel Queen, 69, American baseball player (Cincinnati Reds, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim) and pitching coach (Blue Jays).
Jack Richardson, 81, Canadian record producer (The Guess Who).
J. Donald Crump, 78, Canadian commissioner of the Canadian Football League (1990–1991).
Odell Brown, 70, American jazz organist and songwriter ("Sexual Healing").
Jackie Cooper, 88, American actor (Skippy, Our Gang, Superman) and director.
Sada Thompson, 83, American actress (Family), lung disease.
Ruth Roberts, 84, American songwriter ("Meet the Mets"), lung cancer.
Gaye Delorme, 64, Canadian musician, heart attack.
Peter Falk, 83, American actor (Columbo, Murder, Inc., Pocketful of Miracles, The Princess Bride).
Fred Steiner, 88, American television composer (Perry Mason, Star Trek, The Twilight Zone).
Mike Mitchell, 55, American basketball player (Cleveland Cavaliers, San Antonio Spurs), cancer.
José Pagán, 76, Puerto Rican baseball player (San Francisco Giants, Pittsburgh Pirates), Alzheimer's disease.
Eleanor Dapkus, 87, American baseball player (All-American Girls Professional Baseball League), breast cancer.
Papa Joe Chevalier, 62, American sports talk radio host, stroke. The talk show host came to Lackawanna County Stadium and did his show live when Bob Cordaro owned an FM all sports radio station in the 90s.
John Henry Johnson, 81, American football player (San Francisco 49ers, Pittsburgh Steelers) and Hall of Famer.
Elmer B. Staats, 97, American public servant, Comptroller General of the United States (1966–1981).
Amy Winehouse, 27, British singer-songwriter ("Rehab"), accidental alcohol poisoning.
Tom Aldredge, 83, American actor (The Sopranos, Boardwalk Empire), lymphoma.
Lil Greenwood, 86, American vocalist (Duke Ellington Orchestra).
Edson Stroll, 82, American actor (McHale's Navy), cancer. Stroll played Virgil, he’s the sailor on the right in this video.

Dick Williams, 82, American baseball player and manager (Oakland Athletics), Hall of Famer, ruptured aortic aneurysm.
Wes Covington, 79, American baseball player (Milwaukee Braves, Kansas City Athletics, Philadelphia Phillies), cancer. In an 11-year career, Covington was a .279 hitter with 131 homers and 499 runs batted in, with a .337 on base percentage and a .466 slugging percentage in 1,075 games. His best season came in 1958, when he posted career numbers in average (.330), home runs (24) and RBI (74) [1]Covington also was one of a handful of major leaguers to have played for four different teams in one season, after he played for the Braves, White Sox, Athletics and Phillies in the 1961 season. Following his baseball career, Covington moved to Western Canada and operated a sporting goods business. He later became an advertising manager for the Edmonton Sun newspaper, a position he held for nearly 20 years. In addition to his duties with the Sun, he was involved in youth charity work in the Alberta capital. [2]When the Edmonton Trappers joined the Pacific Coast League in the early 1980s, Covington returned to baseball as a promotions consultant and special ambassador for the club. In 2003, at the invitation of the Braves Historical Association, Covington returned to Milwaukee for the first time in 40 years. Covington was regarded as something of a recluse but came back to Milwaukee for this reunion.
Jack Layton, 61, Canadian politician, Leader of the Official Opposition (2011) and New Democratic Party (2003–2011), cancer.
Jerry Leiber, 78, American songwriter ("Stand By Me", "Hound Dog", "Jailhouse Rock", "Kansas City"), cardiopulmonary failure.
Don Chandler, 76, American football player (New York Giants, Green Bay Packers).
Hugh Carey, 92, American politician, Governor of New York (1975–1982) and U.S. Representative (1961–1974).
Peter Gent, 69, American football player (Dallas Cowboys) and author (North Dallas Forty).
Dolores Hope, 102, American philanthropist, widow of Bob Hope, natural causes.
Norma Holloway Johnson, 79, American federal judge, first African American woman to serve as a district court chief judge, stroke.
Eleanor Mondale, 51, American television personality, daughter of Walter Mondale, brain cancer.
Charles H. Percy, 91, American politician, Senator from Illinois (1967–1985), Alzheimer's disease.
Frances Bay, 92, Canadian character actress (Happy Gilmore, Blue Velvet, The Middle).
Kara Kennedy, 51, American television producer, daughter of Ted Kennedy, heart attack.
Malcolm Wallop, 78, American politician, United States Senator from Wyoming
Mickey Scott, 64, German-born American baseball player (Orioles, Expos, Angels).
David Utz, 87, American surgeon, removed Ronald Reagan's prostate, heart failure.
Robert Pierpoint, 86, American broadcast journalist, complications from surgery.
Roy Smalley, Jr., 85, American baseball player (Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee Braves, Philadelphia Phillies).
Roger Williams, 87, American pianist (Autumn Leaves), pancreatic cancer.
Ingvar Wixell, 80, Swedish opera singer.
Tom Wicker, 85, American journalist, heart attack.
Karl Slover, 93, Slovak-born American actor (The Wizard of Oz). Diagnosed at an early age with pituitary dwarfism, Slover was barely two feet tall by his eighth birthday. Dwarfism was not a family trait; his father stood six feet six inches, and his mother was just a few inches shorter. Slover's father went to great lengths to make Slover taller, including taking him to Hungary where doctors fixed stretchers to his arms and legs. When Slover was just nine years old, his father sent him to work for a traveling midget show based out of Berlin, Germany. After working with the show for several years, Slover moved to the United States where he joined another traveling show. It wasn't long before Slover began appearing as midgets in films like The Terror of Tiny Town, Block-Heads, Bringing Up Baby, and They Gave Him a Gun. Slover was working in Hawaii when his circus manager sent him to Hollywood, where 'little people' were needed for an upcoming film called The Wizard of Oz. At the age of 21 and standing just 4 feet 4 inches, Slover played the parts of four munchkins in the movie; the first trumpeter, a soldier, one of the sleepy heads, and was among those who sang "Follow the Yellow Brick Road.
William Aramony, 84, American charity executive. Was head of United Way of America in the 80s.
Joe Frazier, 67, American boxer, World Heavyweight Champion (1970–1973), liver cancer.
Václav Havel was a Czech playwright, essayist, poet, dissident and politician.
A Nobel Peace Prize nominee, he was the ninth and last president of Czechoslovakia (1989–1992) and the first President of the Czech Republic (1993–2003). He wrote more than 20 plays and numerous non-fiction works, translated internationally.
Andrea True, 68, American adult film star and disco singer, heart failure.

Hal Kanter, 92, American screenwriter, director and producer (Julia), complications from pneumonia.
Matty Alou, 72, Dominican Republic-born American baseball player (Pittsburgh Pirates, San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals), diabetes.
Bob Forsch, 61, American baseball player (St. Louis Cardinals), aneurysm.
Christiane Legrand, 81, French jazz singer.
Dan Frazer, 90, American actor (Kojak, As The World Turns), cardiac arrest.
Patrick V. Murphy, 91, American police chief, New York City Police Commissioner (1970–1973), heart attack.
Slim Dunkin, 24, American rapper (1017 Brick Squad), shot.
Harry Morgan, 96, American actor (M*A*S*H, Dragnet), pneumonia.
Dobie Gray, 71, American singer ("The 'In' Crowd", "Drift Away").
Barbara Orbison, 61, German-born American record producer and music publisher, widow of Roy Orbison, pancreatic cancer.
Al Davis, owner of the Oakland Raiders and the first Commissioner of the American Football League. He was 81.
Margo Dydek, a 7’2 center for women’s basketball, she was nicknamed Ppynch after a cake from her native Poland. She was 37 and had a heart attack giving birth to her third child.
Randy Savage, WWF Wrester, he was 58. Known as “The Macho Man”.
John Mackey, 69 Baltimore Colts wide receiver. He made 5 pro bowls and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1992.
Dan Weldon, 31, 2 time Indy 500 winner was killed in Las Vegas at the racing season finale.
Marty Marion, 93, St. Louis Browns infielder. Won the MVP for the ’44 season where the Browns won their only championship.
Bubba Smith, 66, TV star, and Baltimore Colt icon.
Paul Splitdorf, 64, won 166 games in 15 seasons with Kansas City Royals.
Clifford Parker "Cliff" Robertson III (September 9, 1923 – September 10, 2011) had a film and television career that spanned half of a century. Robertson portrayed a young John F. Kennedy in the 1963 film PT 109, and won the 1968 Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in the movie Charly. On television, he portrayed retired astronaut Buzz Aldrin in the 1976 adaptation of Aldrin's autobiographic Return to Earth, played a fictional character based on Director of Central Intelligence Richard Helms in the 1977 adaptation of John Ehrlichman's Watergate novel The Company, and portrayed Henry Ford in the 1987 Ford: The Man and the Machine.
G.D. Spradlin one of Hollywood's most prolific character actors, Spradlin has portrayed presidents (Andrew Jackson and Lyndon Johnson) and senators, as well as preachers, doctors, major generals, naval commanders, colonels, an admiral, a sheriff, a police chief, a CEO, and Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee.
Didn't begin acting until his 40s, after serving in World War II in China with the Army Air Force. He worked as an attorney for Phillips Petroleum, then made his fortune as an independent oil producer. Served as director of John F. Kennedy's 1960 presidential campaign in Oklahoma, and also ran, unsuccessfully, for mayor of Oklahoma City in 1965. He started acting after taking his daughter Wendy to audition for a production of "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof". He ended up taking a role in the play himself. Spradin played the sexually active Senator Geary in Godfather 2.
Nick Ashford, 70, was one-half of the legendary Motown songwriting duo Ashford & Simpson that penned elegant, soulful classics for the likes of Diana Ross and Marvin Gaye and funk hits for Chaka Khan and others. One of his biggest hits was with his co wroiter and co star, wife Valerie called “Solid”.
Dorothy Rodham: 92, Dorothy Rodham made occasional campaign appearances with her daughter during Clinton's unsuccessful Democratic presidential bid in 2008, and she helped the former first lady raise money to retire her campaign debt. She also made trips with the Clintons during their years in the White House, including a 2000 visit to India and a 1998 trip to China.
Vasil Alexyev, 69, world class weightlifter who was featured on the opening of ABC’s Wide World of Sports.
Nick Charles, CNN’s first sports anchor, his coupling with Fred Hickman made CNN number 1 in Cable Sports until ESPN came along. He died of bladder cancer.
Kim Jong-il, 69, funny looking dictator who loved movies, sports and atomic weaponry.
Andy Rooney, CBS News icon. Rooney was a war correspondent, transitioned from writing for the camera to being in front of it. He was a wild man in an age where conformity ruled.
James Arness, you grew up with Jim Arness. His Gunsmoke shows were a staple of our youth. Gunsmoke lasted twenty yesars on CBS.
David Nelson, Ricky’s older brother, he had an acting career, managed the Nelson family affairs after everyone died, was the last surviving member of the Ozzie clan.

Clarence Clemmons: Sax player for the E Street Band, he could’ve been a football plsayer but chose music. He had only one chart hit but it typified how we feel about those passing away in 2011, one way or another, you were a friend of mine.

The LuLac Edition #1877, December 29th, 2011

2011-12-29T16:32:00.018-05:00

WOMEN WE LOVE 2011

Our 2011 edition of “Women We love” has some pretty topical and news worthy picks this year. “Women We Love” is a feature that LuLac started a few years ago. We make our picks based on the number of comments we get, non published and published, the e mails generated by a particular female in the news, the buzz generated by the person or intriguing facts that we just can’t ignore. That said, here’s the 2011 edition of “Women We Love”.
MOLLY HANLON MIRABITO: Even though she just missed being a Luzerne County Judge by less than 550 votes, Molly has enhanced her stature as an honorable officer of the court who impressed mightily on the campaign trail. Mirabito’s race was supposed to be a head to head match up with GOP barrister Dick Hughes but she wound up facing off with dual nominee Lesa Gelb for the 6th spot on the County bench. In losing, Luzerne County lost an accomplished prosecutor that would have been a great Judge. However, because of that thought, it is said that Mirabito has a bright future in legal and political circles because of the way she conducted herself in this latest campaign.
ATHENA FORD: Ms. Ford is a frequent e mail contact of mine. She is a community organizer in the Philadelphia area for the Pennsylvania Health Access Network. PHAN is an organization that keeps an eye on health care issues in the state of Pennsylvania. PHAN also monitors any shenanigans the health care insurers in the state might try. PHAN also was instrumental in fighting for more people enrolled in the children’s insurance program and fought vigorously against the ending of the Adult Basic program in the state. Ford is a ball of energy and presents these community issues passionately and regularly to Keystone State residents.
KRISTEN MULLEN: A seasoned photo journalist, the Citizen Voice’s Kristen Mullen is an award winning photographer. Mullen is a ubiquitous presence in Northeastern Pennsylvania. She might show up at a political meeting, a forum, debate, school meeting, PTA get together, athletic event, you name it, you see her acrobatically positioning herself to get the best shot of her photographic prey. On location, she is habitually pleasant and is a fine representative of her paper and her trade. Whenever I see her at an event, and she takes my picture, magically I’m 10 years younger and 8 pounds lighter. Ya gotta love that!!!
HEATHER LONG: A regular on PCN’s “Journalist’s Roundtable” Heather Long impresses with her knowledge of state wide issues as well as her dead on assessments of the political powers that be in the state Capitol. Long’s “Our Views and Yours” in the editorial section of the paper is widely read and regarded by Central Pennsylvania readers as well as state wide on line followers.
TRISH HARTMAN: Just a few month’s ago, this Philadelphia area native was anchoring the weekend news on WNEP TV. She is now the night time co anchor with Scott Shaffer and rarely makes a miscue. Hartman also covers stories when off the anchor desk putting together informative and efficient packages that inform 16 viewers. An avid runner, Hartman participated in the Steamtown Marathon this fall.
LIZ RANDOL: 2011 was a big year for Liz Randol. She burst on to the political scene and ran for the job of Lackawanna County Commissioner. Randol nearly made it coming within a few votes of unseating incumbent Corey O’Brien. Randol wisely rejected trying an independent run in the general election and instead made her presence known appearing at various events and keeping her political profile high. Randol was once Chief of Staff in the Lackawanna County Commissioner’s office. If you couple that knowledge with her obvious political skills, you just now Liz Randol has a future in Lackawanna County politics. And people, if you don’t want her in the Lac, we’ll gladly take her in Luzerne County.
ANNE RICHARDS: When the Penn State scandal broke, this young lady stepped up big time to give her age demographic’s view of the unsettling events in State College. Appearing on PCN’s “Journalist’s Roundtable”, Richards was articulate, knowledgeable and presented her views very well. Richards is a staff member and co anchor of the widely respected “Centre County Report”.
MANDEE MARIE: You may or may not be familiar with Happy Jack Burns polka broadcasts on WALN Digital Cable Radio out of Allentown. But if you are, you know an integral part of his broadcasts are “The Party Channel Girls”. The newest addition came in the form of Mandee Marie who co hosts with Happy Jack every Sunday evening. Jack and the other Party Channel girls, Layla and Vicki attend various community and charity events in the Allentown/Bethlehem area. Mandee Marie is one of the trio’s brightest add ons. WALN broadcasts can be seen on SERVICE ELECTRIC HD Channel 137 in the Wilkes Barre area.
HILLARY CLINTON: She now is being mentioned as a possible Vice President on a 2012 ticket. Talk about a turn of events. But I don’t think Barack Obama will allow that to happen since his substantial ego will not make allowances for a Clinton to bail his butt out. As Secretary of State she has proven herself to be tough on the world stage, articulate and passionate. Watching her work is a type of sideshow that provides an insight into what type of President she might have been. Or maybe a preview of what is to be. Clinton might find herself in a situation where something might finally come to her….long after she stopped searching for it.
KATHLEEN PARKER: Parker’s syndicated nationally by The Washington Post. and is a regular guest on television shows like The O'Reilly Factor and The Chris Matthews Show. Parker describes herself politically as "slightly to the right of center. Parker is the author of Save the Males: Why Men Matter, Why Women Should Care (New York: Random House, 2008). A columnist since 1987, she has worked for five newspapers, from Florida to California, and is the 1993 winner of the H.L. Mencken writing award presented by the Baltimore Sun. She has written for several magazines, including The Weekly Standard, Time, Town & Country, Cosmopolitan, and Fortune Small Business. She also serves on the Board of Contributors for USA Today's Forum Page, part of the newspaper's Opinion section. She is also a contributor to the online magazine, The Daily Beast. The Week magazine named her one of the nation's Top Five columnists in 2004 and 2005. .Parker is reasonable, thoughtful, easy on the eyes and a broadcast survivor. She had a show on CNN with former New York Governor Elliot Spitzer.
LARA LOGAN: Logan is the chief foreign affairs correspondent for CBS News, and a correspondent for CBS's 60 Minutes. Logan made news this year when she was covering the uprising in Egypt. Logan and her CBS crew were arrested and detained for one night by the Egyptian Army on 3 February 2011, while covering the Egyptian Revolution. She said the crew was blindfolded and handcuffed at gunpoint, and their driver beaten. They were advised to leave the country, but were later released. On 15 February 2011, CBS News released a statement that Logan had been beaten and sexually assaulted on 11 February, while covering the celebrations in Tahrir Square following Hosni Mubarak's resignation.. CBS 60 Minutes broadcast an interview with her about it on 1 May 2011; she said she was speaking out because of the prevalence of sexual assault in Egypt, and to break the silence about the sexual violence women reporters are reluctant to report in case it prevents them from doing their job. .]She said the incident involved 200–300 men and lasted around 25 minutes. She had been reporting the celebrations for an hour without incident when her camera battery failed. One of the Egyptian CBS crew suggested they leave, telling her later he heard the crowd make inappropriate sexual comments about her. She felt hands touching her, and can be heard shouting "stop", just as the camera died. One of the crowd shouted that she was an Israeli, a Jew, a claim that CBS said, though false, was a "match to gasoline". She went on to say that they tore off her clothes and, in her words, raped her with their hands, while taking photographs with their cellphones. They began pulling her body in different directions, pulling her hair so hard she said it seemed they were trying to tear off chunks of her scalp. Believing she was dying, she was dragged along the square to where the crowd was stopped by a fence, alongside which a group of women were camping. One woman wearing a chador put her arms around Logan, and the others closed ranks around her, while some men who were with the women threw water at the crowd. A group of soldiers appeared, beat back the crowd with batons, and one of them threw Logan over his shoulder. She was flown back to the U.S. the next day, where she spent four days in hospital. That my friends in an intrepid reporter in the true tradition of CBS News.
JENNIFER LEARNES ANDES: Anything you want to know about Luzerne County government, anything you know about Luzerne County government was most likely gleaned from an article written by Jennifer Learnes Andes. Throughout the corruption trials earlier this year, Andes was there with her lap top giving Times Leader readers a minute by minute account of the court proceedings. Observing her work, I was struck by the fact that it seemed like she never took a break. I saw her bantering back and forth with Defense Attorney for Mark Ciavarella, Al Flora. A week later there was a detailed story about how Flora was going to try to run the Public Defender’s office after the trial ended. The old time reporters would love her work ethic, head down, ear to the ground and tons of accurate and informative stories that any writer or reporter would give this ultimate compliment to: “I wish I wrote that”.

TIFFANY CLOUD: You see her on TV for WYLN’s “Storm Politics”. Her show is informative and on point. But Tiffany Cloud (and she will never admit this) has fast become a power broker in Luzerne County politics. In the last two years, she has helped plot and nurture two upset candidacies that have shaken to the core the old boys network. She virtually ran Tarrah Toohill’s 2010 upset against the still invisible Todd Eachus and became one of the biggest cheerleaders for young Stefanie Salavantis who became the Luzerne County District Attorney. In future years, I predict Cloud will be bringing forth more strong candidates that will bedevil the Democratic establishment and revitalize the Luzerne County GOP. Some people think Storm’s power comes from the Interview table she presides over on the Hazleton based TV station. Not so, sources tell me her political plotting comes off the laptop on the kitchen table. Revolutions usually start unnoticed and undetected. Look to this one to be for a silent but powerful force in NEPA politics in the next decade.

NANCY KMAN: Nancy Kman is the big cheese at WILK News/Talk Radio. A fellow cancer survivor, sometimes I think that Kman and I are the only two progressives left in this part of the world. Doing double duty as a manager as well as an on air host, this mother of two puts that experience to good use managing the sometimes rambunctious and boisterous children of WILK. Think of the people she works with in the morning, Webster, Tarone, Brown, Steele and Thomas. Between the 5 that’s over 150 combined years of broadcast experience, not to mention broadcast egos. I mean we aren’t even getting into the rest of the crowd she has to manage during the remainder of the day. Nancy K keeps the train on schedule and even if at times it looks like someone will derail it, she manages to put it back on track and more or less on time. You gotta love her for that!

MONICA MADEJA: Monica Madeja is the co host of the popular WBRE show Pa Live which replaced Oprah. Monica has anchored and reported the news on WBRE serving with distinction during the great Flood of 2011. Madeja took a lot of crap this year on a message board that dealt with the news media. That board was shut down due to all types of bad internet behavior. Madeja essentially ignored the inane criticism and went about her business of being a good reporter and commentator. Her new show with Dave Kuharchick highlights her knowledge of the area and obvious talents.

The LuLac Edition #1876, December 29h, 2011

2011-12-29T00:05:00.006-05:00

Attorney Jim Bobeck, currently under attack by Steve Urban Senior.

The late Roberto Clemente.

Our 1972 logo.

“IT WHAT HE DOES”

The Luzerne County Council is not yet seated but the fighting is going to start. Most political observers felt that the fight for the Chairmanship would be between Attorney Jim Bobeck and Rick Morelli. After all, both have served on the Transition Committee in terms of equal time as well as longevity. One is a Democrat, one is a Republican. One is from Hazleton, one is from the Greater Wilkes Barre area. In any other county, this would be a battle of the titans. But remember folks, this is Luzerne County where one has to uncover the layers of the colossal governmental onion that sometimes is sweet and sometimes stinks.
Morelli and Bobeck know that in order for this new government to work, they have to move in a new direction. Thus Morelli’s admission that he’d take the number 2 position. I mean this makes sense, the two guys that have been there the longest in forming this new government should have a stake in it in terms of a leadership position. But again this is Luzerne County,
Outgoing Commissioner and incoming Council member Steve Urban Senior told Bobeck that he was uncomfortable with him Bobeck) serving on Council and even being the head of it because of Bobeck’s father running “Step By Step”, an agency funded by the County. For those of you unfamiliar with “Step By Step”, it is an agency that manages group homes and takes care of people with mental and physical challenges. They pay their caregivers a hot $8.00 an hour to take care of these individuals in need of help. (I know, I know, 8 bucks an hour to virtually hold the lives of disabled adults in that big paycheck….but that’s how we treat “those people” here in Luzerne County!) But I digress. Urban also brought up the fact that Bobeck works as a master in certain cases in the county court system but that is by rotation. Urban claims that this is a terrible conflict of interest and that Bobeck should be shown the door. Bobeck has been front and center on all of these dealings since assuming a role in the forming of this new government. All of a sudden Urban notices this and makes a big stink putting on his “tax payer protector hat”. Why now?
Tim McGinley is the reason why. McGinley has also expressed an interest in the Chairmanship. McGinley is one of the most connected people in Luzerne County. Look at the resume, when he finished one job as a school teacher, he fell into another one as a principal at Valley West. When that was through, he slid into an administrative position at CEO. His tentacles reach into every department under the Courthouse and beyond. Urban, realizing this, (notice he never brought up an issue about anyone else) starts to discredit Bobeck, You can bet that Urban wants to get on the good side of the old political pro and not the young kid. I mean if this throwing of mud by Urban works, watch what he gets when the new government gets up and running.
Ed Brominski was so disgusted he walked out of the meeting, such is his distaste for the man (Urban) and his methods. Brominski should realize that Urban has no loyalty to anything or anyone except the business of being Steve Urban. A few months back a disgruntled Republican told me about some of the stunts Urban pulled when he was with the GOP. The man was angry but rather than condemnation, there was just resignation. In a phone conversation with the man about the latest “Urban legend”, he simply said, “It what he does”.

NEWT AND THE COURTS

So Newt Gingrich wants to call out the Federal Judges for some of the decisions they make. Newt along with Michele Bachman want to haul the Judges before Congress to explain themselves and their decisions. If you ask me, Newt is 12 years too late. I’d love to hear the explanation of the 2000 Supreme Court that handed over the Presidency to George W. Bush.

MEDIA MATTERS

SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE

This week Shadoe Steele broadcasts live at 6PM from downtown Scranton for his “Saturday Night Live” program. The broadcast is part of Entercom’s New Year’s Eve celebration.

STORM POLITICS

This week Tiffany Cloud has an encore presentation of her interview with Congressman Lou Barletta. Storm Politics can be seen on WYLN TV 35 THURS @ 9:30 PM • SAT @ 5 PM • SUN @ 11 AM, MON @ 9:00 PM • TUES @ 4:30 PM.

SUNDAY MAGAZINE

On New Years Day, featuring my interview with State Senator John Yudichak, who discusses his first year in office, and topics ranging from the September floods and redistricting to jobs, gas extraction and state store privatization, and a summary of the top local news stories of 2011. Sunday Magazine airs Sunday morning at 5:30am on JR 93.7 & 97BHT, 6am on 97.9X, 6:30am on Magic 93 and 9:30am on WARM 590 AM.

ECTV

ECTV Live will begin it's 2012 program series the week of January 2nd with Pam Rogers as the guest. Ms Rogers is founder and publisger of "northeast Pennsylvania Family magazine (formally Today;s Child). Hosts Judge Tom Munley and David DeCosmo will be examining the magazine's efforts to serve as aFamily Resource Guilde for people throughout the area. ECTV Live can be seen on Concast Ch19 and is broadcast each day at Noon and Midnight, with several additional showings at 6pm on seleced weekdays.

PCN

The Pennsylvania Cable Network (PCN) will chase away the post-holiday blues with its popular annual week-long coverage of the Pennsylvania Farm Show starting Saturday, January 7 at 12:00 p.m. This year, PCN will air LIVE coverage of the butter sculpture unveiling. The first-hand look at this year’s creation will air at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 5. Throughout the week, PCN will provide round-the-clock coverage. New to the show are exhibits like the barn display with Penn Ag Industries and the Butterfly House. Both will be featured by PCN as they make their debut at the show this year. These highlights and many more farm show favorites make up the network’s extensive coverage of the event which encompasses over 100 hours of network programming in just one week. This is the 19th year that PCN will move its operations from the Camp Hill studios to the Farm Show. During the week, PCN devotes its programming schedule to this agricultural showcase which puts a spotlight on Pennsylvania’s largest industry. This year’s coverage is being underwritten, in part, by the Pennsylvania Pork Producers Council, Penn Ag Industries, Pennsylvania Egg Farmers, Pennsylvania Farm Bureau and the Pennsylvania Treasury 529 College Savings Program.

1972

The bones of Martin Bormann are identified in Berlin………Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 crashes into the Everglades in Florida, killing 101 of 176 on board……Roberto Clemente dies in a plane crash off the coast of Puerto Rico while en route to deliver aid to Nicaraguan earthquake victims. He got hisd 3000th hit in the 1972 season. Here's the at bat and the hit.

An extra leap second (23:59:60) is added to end the year…Pittsburgh Mayor Pete Flaherty issues a proclamation mourning the death of Roberto Clemente…….in Luzerne County, Democratic power house Joe Tirpak says he intends to take on incumbent Controller Steve Yanoshak in the upcoming 1973 election…..and 39 years ago today, the number 1 song in Lulac land and America was Carly Simon’s “You’re So Vain”.

The LuLac Edition #1875, December 28h, 2011

2011-12-28T00:00:00.003-05:00

"Write On Wednesday" logo.

WRITE ON WEDNESDAY

IRAQ WAR, HEROES AND THE END

The following short piece came from a Vietnam era combat veteran.
The war is over!
Recall a young girl named Jessica Lynch? Of course you do. She was a “reluctant hero” of the war!
The Army made a big story out of her heroism and her rescue. Jessica Lynch played along, some.
She was seriously injured, confused and being pressured by military superiors to be something she wasn’t. She knew the truth and she was uncomfortable. Eventually most of the story came out. The rescue was not exactly “the raid on Entebbe”. In the initial action where she “fought like a tigress, or so we were told, ”She never fired her gun! She was incapacitated. Bottom line is she went thru hell, she served honorably and I hope she is doing well today. The fantasy was the Army and the Administrations work. An attractive wounded, young American White Female was great spin in a fantasy war that employed a sales and promotion team that eventually gave us “Mission Accomplished!”!
What I want to know is this, The commanders and soldiers watching the initial action that night, in infrared light, saw the image of a “slight built soldier” fighting like a madman. A slight built male soldier was identified.
A good case was made that he was the Hero. Who was he? Is he alive or dead? What decorations did he receive for his actions, which were deemed exceptional enough to declare mistakenly that Miss Lynch was a hero?
I never saw any follow up on this story.
It fits well with this war and let us know we were being lied to right down to the reason for war!
The staged downing of Saddam's statue was a fabricated over the top piece of 1940s Hollywood as well!
Saddam is dead, that’s good.
Turmoil will soon prevail in Iraq and a large number of fine young Americans are gone, never to come home.
Others were horrifically wounded.
Was it worth it? And who was the Hero, one of many who we never heard of?

The LuLac Edition #1874, December 27th, 2011

2011-12-27T14:39:00.005-05:00

Former Senator Rick Santorum. Will Iowa bless his Presidential aspirations?

CAN RICK DO IT?

Every GOP 2012 Presidential candidate has had their moment in the sun. Rick Perry, Mitt Romney, Michele Bachman, Newt Gingrich and Herman Cain all have had their boomlets. The only two not getting that opportunity are Jon Huntsman the former Obama appointed ambassador to China and our own Rick Santorum. Santorum who once stood very close to the Republican power structure was roundly defeated in 2006 by Bob Casey Junior. Casey had to be put into the race kicking and screaming but despite that, he quickly dispatched Santorum. In Iowa the former Senator has camped out there since he made his announcement last year. The question week one week from Iowa is this, can he pull off a good showing there next week?
Consider this:
1. There are 45 percent of Iowa Republican voters still undecided.
2. Santorum has been touted as the sleeper candidate by none other than 2008 Iowa caucuses winner Mike Huckabee. Huckabee has some influence with religious conservatives and has no great love for Mitt Romney.
3. He has relentlessly campaigned in the state, hitting all 99 counties and moving his family out there. He has held 350 campaign events in the past year. Santorum has been everywhere.
4. His debate performances have been consistent, crisp, professional, no flubs. Plus he is not afraid to tout his conservative credentials.
5. Plus, and this might be key in a state like Iowa where the voters want their fannies kissed at least three times a day, he has given them in a campaign what they want. Face to face, old style meet ups, sometimes even one on one events that the other candidates have not had the time or inclination to do.
6. Santorum is a “live off the land” candidate that has not spent much money but has a message that resonates with this type of voter.
If Santorum finishes third, it would catapult him into the top tier. Not that he’d win the nomination but a third place finish would be as good as Pat Robertson’s in 1988. Even a fourth place finish in high teen double digits would keep his momentum going. One week from Iowa, the very fact that national pundits aren’t writing him off entirely is good news for the Santorum for President camp.

LULAC POLL

As we enter 2012, we are asking our readers to pick our feature year. In Thursday’s edition, we always feature a year in history. You pick, we’ll report on it in 2012.
WHAT YEAR WOULD YOU LIKE LULAC TO FEATURE IN 2012 AS PART OF ITS HISTORICAL FEATURE?
1. 1967.
2. 1976.
3. 1980.
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