Election polls

Very few scientific polls are conducted in local elections for the simple reason that they are expensive and very few campaigns have the money to conduct one. Even if they did the chances are that they don't have people with the expertise who know how to use the results to shape an election strategy.

I know the Wilkes-Barre Mayor's race has been polled (guess what camp did that) and Pittston Politics reports that Jackie Mo had a survey that showed her up big before Salaventis went on the air. In the last Congressional races the local papers paid for polls but they are not about to waste money on a municipal election. Besides, it looks like the Times-Leader can't afford it anyway.

Polling the Judicial races is pointless and trying to survey the races for seats on the new Luzerne County Council is impossible with so many candidates and without a model to build on.

Local bloggers decide to take up the slack .

The LuLac Political Letter

Here are the poll results we took for the General Election in 2011. As we indicated yesterday, the poll was among LuLac readers, it had 178 respondents, to our knowledge they only voted once and is presented as an unscientific sampling of the pulse of LuLac readers who follow politics as well as this blog site.

It's a tradition on Gort42 to put up some polls on the sidebar the week before the election. I'm not going to list multiple candidate races such as County Council and the Judicial contests. Altogether there are 35 candidates.

So we have 2 questions.

Who will win the races for Luzerne County DA and Mayor of Wilkes-Barre?

Vote on the side bar.

Looking to 2012 I have heard reports that the NRCC has polled the 11th CD recently finding that former 10th CD Congressman Chris Carney would top Congressman Lou Barletta by 5 points. I'm trying to get more info on that.

Speaking of local bloggers

Blog of the week
Harold Jenkins from NEPA Blogs talks to us today about "Gort42", the ultimate guide to local politics and local political blogs.

NEPA Blogs Flapdoodle

Luzerne County DA

The hottest race this cycle has unexpectedly been the contest for Luzerne County District Attorney. In the spring incumbent Jackie Musto Carroll looked like a shoe in without a primary opponent and no Republican had circulated nominating petitions. She even mounted a write-in campaign trying to also snag the Republican nomination but Stepahanie Salavantis got into it at the last minute and secured enough write-in votes to become the Republican nominee. Like most political junkies I hate uncontested elections and welcomed her entry, I always like a choice in an election.

To the surprise of most political observers Salavantis is running hard spending some big bucks on radio and TV ads. Her campaign finance reports show that she has received some financial support from individual donors but most of her money has come from her parents. Carroll also got money from her folks but not as much. I didn't find the name of her Uncle Ray in any of the reports.

Stephie Sal has had 3 spots on TV so far trying to tie Jackie Mo to the Juvie Brothers (cash for kids) scandal implying she could have somehow prevented or stopped it. DA Jackie Mo is not on the air yet that I have seen but I'm told that will change shortly. She has hired local legend Ed Mitchell to do her media.

PittstonPolitics.com has been all over this race and even made an ad for Carroll.





Update: Jackie Mo on the Air

Shakeup at the Times-Leader

Richard Conner has announced that he is stepping down as the publisher of the Wilkes-Barre Times Leader. This media board reports that he has also has pulled out of the newspaper business in Maine. Speculation is rampant about the financial health of the publication with many people fearing for their jobs and the rest of us worry about having just one local new source for information about local politics and government. The local TV stations ignore political stories unless something really big happens and the afternoon radio show is a joke.

The Citizens Voice has more information about what is going on than the TL.

Times Leader staffers face uncertain future


"Obviously there's concern in the newsroom," said one reporter. "It certainly seems more dire than it has before."
At the rate the cuts are coming, along with Connor's resignation, that same reporter wondered if Wilkes-Barre could soon become a one-newspaper town.
"It's not a good situation," the reporter said.
"I think everyone knew that both papers couldn't exist forever."

My interaction with reporters from both papers has been positive for the most part. Many told me they welcomed the competition and said it made them do their jobs better. I think we are the only small market in the USA with competing daily newspapers.

From a veteran of the newspaper wars who has joined the ranks of us lowly bloggers, Betty Roccograndi who writes Pure Bunkum

Is This The Beginning Of The End For The Times Leader?

And there’s nothing like the fear of being scooped that keeps reporters on their toes. When Bill O’Boyle worked for The Citizens’ Voice and beat me on a story, I feared going into the office that day to face the dragon lady, who’d inevitably ask icily, ”Why don’t we have this story?” (But, dear readers, I scooped him plenty in return.)...
What I’m getting at is remove that competitive spirit, and reporters run the risk of losing their drive in digging for news that those in office would just love to hide.
But the biggest irony of all would be if The Citizens’ Voice, a long ago fledgling offshoot of The Times Leader, which did everything possible to drive it out of business, becomes the only game in town.

Who is the dragon lady? I have a guess.

You Tube weekend Lady Liberty 125

Notice that she has her back to New Jersey

Statue of Liberty at 125

Statue of Liberty birthday celebrations

It began with a naturalization ceremony for 125 immigrants from more than 40 countries, who would leave the island as U.S. citizens.


The statue's proper name is 'Liberty Enlightening the World.' La Liberté éclairant le monde

The people of France gave the Statue to the people of the United States 125 years ago in recognition of the friendship established during the American Revolution. Over the years, the Statue of Liberty's symbolism has grown to include freedom and democracy as well as this international friendship.

I'm a grandchild of immigrants as are most of you and this recent hating on recent immigrants disgusts me. This country was built on immigration and I don't mind pressing 1 for English. When I was growing up in the North End of Wilkes-Barre in the 1960's there were mom and pop grocery stores with signs in the window written in Russian and Slovak. But that was OK because they were white. Today there is a place on George Ave in Wilkes-Barre that sells hummas, felafel and other Arabic foods. There are plenty of other places in the area that you can get real Mexican food instead of the junk that Taco Bell sells. As Homer Simpson once observed "if we didn't have immigrants who would play short stop or kick our extra points?"

The New York Times has this great Civil War series DISUNION that I have been reading. I'm struck by how many recent immigrants went to war to defend the Union. Back then there were not many rules to come to America. We welcomed everyone. Today, some want to build a wall with an electrified fence and a moat filled with alligators to keep people out which is better than building one to keep people in like the Soviet's did in Berlin. God Bless America and viva la France.

The original Coming to America video by Neil Diamond that I wanted to use after writing all this is no longer available.

Neil performs the song live:

My country tis of thee

sweet land of liberty







Casablanca La Marseillaise

Aux armes, citoyens...

Wrong People Arrested on Wall Street

From the Borowitz Report




Millions of Americans cheered the news on Friday that arrests had finally been made on Wall Street, but were soon disappointed to learn that the wrong people had been taken into custody.....


At banking giant Goldman Sachs, chairman Lloyd Blankfein admitted that when he heard police sirens outside his building, “I was sure they were finally coming for us.”




A Letter from Goldman Sachs




As thousands have gathered in Lower Manhattan, passionately expressing their deep discontent with the status quo, we have taken note of these protests. And we have asked ourselves this question:


How can we make money off them?


The answer is the newly launched Goldman Sachs Global Rage Fund, whose investment objective is to monetize the Occupy Wall Street protests as they spread around the world...


The Rage Fund will seek out opportunities to invest in products that are poised to benefit from the spreading protests, from police batons and barricades to stun guns and forehead bandages. Furthermore, as clashes between police and protesters turn ever more violent, we are making significant bets on companies that manufacture replacements for broken windows and overturned cars, as well as the raw materials necessary for the construction and incineration of effigies.

Blogger Meet-up

via Michelle

....announce the upcoming NEPA Blogger Meet-up. This event will be actually focused around the bloggers…what a novel thought!

We are inviting the usual political suspects, but don't think that many of them will be showing up because of the close proximity to election day. I'm sure that they will be busy vying for last minute votes.

Here are the dirty deets about the event:

The Who/What: NEPABlogs.org will be hosting an informal Blogger Meet-up. Come out and meet the NEPA Blogs (dysfunctional) family. ALL ARE WELCOME. There is no admission or cover charge. It is absolutely 100% free. You have to buy your own drinks though. Unless you serenade me with an off key version of Lady Gaga or something like that.

The When: Sun Nov. 6, 2011 starting at 5pm. Stay until the cows come home….or last call. Whichever comes first.

The Where: The Metro Bar & Grill in Dallas. For directions to the Metro Bar and Grille, please visit: http://www.themetrobarandgrill.com/

***More details here: http://nepablogs.blogspot.com/2011/10/blogger-meet-up.html – We put the "fun" in dysfunctional.

I hope you can stop by and partake in some libations with cool kiddies.

The Saturday OT Commitee and Operatic Society will also be attending to infuse cash into the malt beverage industry to insure it's liquidity. This a gathering of bloggers, readers, political types, friends and anyone else that is interested. All are welcome. A quick check of the agenda reveals that there isn't one. Michael Rennie, the unofficial Social Secretary of the Northeast Blogging Council has announced that his organization has sanctioned the event saying "It's a good excuse to drink beer."

The Metro was recently purchased by my Attorney, Lazlo. He helped me out a few years ago when some scumbag tried to extort money from me for publishing a few pictures of then Congressman Don "the Tunkhannock Strangler" Sherwood's girlfriend Cynthia Ore that he had put out on the web as bait then falsley claimed to have a copyright. Tom shot him down proving he was full of shit doing me a great service and didn't even send me a bill. For that I will be forever grateful. If you need a business attorney consider hiring Smithford.

Did somebody say Lady Gaga


LOS ANGELES — Lady Gaga enjoyed her "first real Marilyn moment" with former President Bill Clinton.

Wilkes-Barre Mayor forum tonight

The forum will be held Wednesday, Oct. 26th at 7 p.m. at Wilkes University, Stark Learning Center, Room 101. Others are calling this a debate but that remains to be seen. Audience members will be able to submit written questions. Former State Representative and W-B City Council member Kevin Blaum will moderate, he now writes a Sunday Column for the Times-Leader. I go back a long way with Kevin, who is pretty savvy guy, and I hope he lets the candidates mix it up.

Only Betsy Summers has a website but you can find all 3 on Facebook.

Re-Elect Mayor Tom Leighton

LISA COPE FOR MAYOR

Betsy Summers

I haven't paid much attention to the politics of my hometown lately but I have to agree with my friend the Blogfather that Leighton has been a big improvement over the last guy. He got the finances in order so the city doesn't need 3 tax anticipation loans and it's bond rating was restored. Boscov's didn't close and the downtown has more businesses than when he took over. There are more police officers on the street and a new fire station was constructed in Hollenback Park.

On the down side a few places have pulled out of the downtown lately and the Heights firehouse had to be closed because it was falling apart.

Trying to blame the mayor for crime in the city is unfair as there will always be drunken idiots with beer muscles and the federal and state drug and gun laws encourage gang warfare Ask the Mafia how prohibition was good for business plus just about every resident of every town in the northeast will complain about potholes and the condition of the roads.

Leighton's challengers are doing their best to make something out of his alleged ethical lapses such as the home security system paid for by the taxpayers, hiring his kids for summer jobs, the LAG towing contract, Old River Road Bakery, security cameras and a few other things.

There is an old rule to politics that says the challenger doesn't win an election but the incumbent loses it. Wilkes-Barre is an overwhelmingly Democratic city and with 2 challengers spitting the anti Leighton vote in the race Mayor Tom should be with us for the next 4 years . The 2 Captain Obvious college professors agree. Tom Baldino of Wilkes University and David Sosar of King’s College say Leighton already has several advantages in the race, but with two candidates vying for the votes of discontented residents, the two-term Democrat becomes an even safer bet.

Out of Iraq

A few days ago I asked Congressman Lou Barletta (R) and challenger Bill Vinsko (D) for a statement on the withdraw of US troops from Iraq.

The responses

From Barletta spokesman Shawn Kelly:

While Rep. Barletta is hopeful that, after more than eight years and more than 4,400 military lives lost, the war in Iraq can come to a conclusion, he’s very concerned that this withdrawal can be considered a strategic victory by America’s enemies in the Middle East and will embolden Iran. Rep. Barletta hopes that the decision to fully withdraw from Iraq was made with the consultation and support of the military commanders on the ground in Iraq and around the region. He hopes that every avenue for ensuring the continued cooperation between the United States and Iraq will have been pursued before the last American soldier leaves Iraq later this year. Rep. Barletta understands and appreciates the sacrifices made by American military families, and he wants to make sure those sacrifices enhanced security and stability in the Middle East.

From Bill Vinsko:


Hi Gort: I wanted to personally respond to your question:


I could not be more thrilled that our troops, and particularly our Pennsylvania Patriots, are coming home for the holidays. Iraq is transitioning from a sworn enemy of the United States to a fledgling democracy and an ally in the fight against terror, because of the heroism and hard work of our troops. In Congress I will work my hardest to open a new chapter of economic prosperity so that our veterans can find good, family-sustaining jobs in Northeast Pennsylvania, and the happiness they have certainly earned. Finally, while I am happy about our hard-working military personnel coming home from Iraq, I do not want anyone to forget those who will not be returning -- we are forever indebted to them and their families.


Thank you for contacting me on this issue.

Salavantis hits Jackie Mo hard

Republican challenger Stephanie Salavantis is trying to make Luzerne County District Attorney Jackie Musto Carroll a part of the kids for cash scandal that resulted in Judges Conahan and Ciavarella going to jail. She has been running an ad the last few days that says Jackie Mo could have made a 3 minute journey to juvinile court to find out what was going on and thus end it. The spot is not on her YouTube channel even after I asked her to post it. That request was posted on her Facebook page and was deleted within minutes. Her facebook page has been chopped up with everything before September being deleted.

Nice try, but David Lupas was the District Attorney for most of the time when all this was going on. It's ironic that Lupas is now the judge in charge of the Juvunile Court. With Hugo Selenski back in the news I'm reminded how many times Lupas dropped the ball and couldn't get a murder conviction for someone with at least 5 people buried in his back yard.

Musto Carroll faces aggressive challenger

What the hell here is the Majestic ad




Update: The "Three Minutes" spot has been added to Salavantis' YouTube Channel
http://www.youtube.com/user/salavantisforda

Libertarians on the move

I've always had an interest in the minor parties and have criticized them for running candidates for President, Governor and Senate in races that they can't possibly win instead of concentrating on local races and building a bench. The local Greens seems to be defunct but the Libertarian Party has taken my advice and has a slate of candidates in the local elections. Whatever you think of the individuals I think it is an accomplishment that they are on the ballot. I like a choice in an election.

3 Libs are running for Luzerne County Council.

Mike Lacey

Brian Bergman

Tim Mullen

In the Wilkes-Barre mayor's race they give us Betsy Summers and Tim Russel want's to be the Mayor or something in Elmenton. Where is Elmonten?

Lou Jasikoff likes a CV headline It says “Libertarians have gotten their wish.” Here in Northeast Pennsylvania it is the Libertarian Party and candidates driving the bus. We are the story and the opportunities are enormous. All day, everyday the news outlets are talking about these races, and all day everyday not one, not two, but many Libertarians are being interviewed, and more often than not our candidates are on multiple shows each day.
We have opportunities like never before to ask questions like: "Let me phrase this in another way. Are you in favor of funding gang violence, are you in favor of funding terrorism? Of course you are not. But this is what America's drug policies do today. What is your solution?Throw more people in jail? Heck we can't keep drugs out of jail. 70% of women today are in jail for non-violent drug abuses. 4% of the worlds population and 25% of the worlds prison population. Is this the America you want?The list goes on and on, but hopefully you get my point. We know we are right on the issues, and given the opportunity we will succeed.

In the 2010 election for state rep Tim Mulen got 15% and if he can keep that support he may win a county council seat. He answered the questions but to him by LuLac.




Tim Mullen on Storm Politics

I'm under attack

Thats what Norton tells me. Not that Norton, this one . This is one of biggest pains owning a PC. So now I'm running anti virus scans and the other protection against malware, adware and underpants gnomes. Profit!

I know Michelle and Dr. Joe will tell me to buy a Mac but I'm not comfortable buying something that expensive off a website without local support. I think the closest Apple store is in Allentown.

I bought the computer that I have in 2005 from Custom Computer in Kingston, PA. They have been outstanding with their customer support. Whenever I have a problem or question I'm calling a place across the river not on the other side of the world.

PA 11th CD news

I have asked Congessman Lou Barletta and challenger Bill Vinsko for a statement on the withdraw of US troops from Iraq. I await their responses that I will but up verbatim.

Bill Vinsko had good start to his campaign fund raising gathering almost as much money in the last quarter as incumbent Barletta. Vinsko pulled in $85,000 and Mayor Lou raised $100,00 and spent it all but still has $200,000 cash on hand with a $230,00 debt owed to himself. You can read the FEC reports here.

I got an email from the Vinsko camp:

DCCC, media tout Bill Vinsko among nation’s top challengers.
Vinsko beats Marino, keeps pace with Barletta in 3rd Qtr Fundraising.
Tops all recent Democratic challengers from Northeast PA in first filing.

POLITICO reported today that Bill Vinsko was among the top Democratic challengers who on average beat Republican top challengers in 3rd quarter finance filings with the FEC by $50,000, according to numbers released by the DCCC.

“…Democratic CHALLENGERS against Republican Patriot Program members outraised Republican CHALLENGERS to Democratic Frontline members on average.”

– Politico Morning Score, October 19, 2011.

Vinsko for Congress raised $84,972, on par with the two sitting Republican Congressmen from Northeast Pennsylvania. Vinsko’s filing beat Congressman Tom Marino’s $80,776 and kept pace with Congressman Lou Barletta’s $100,196. While new congressional maps will not be published until January, Vinsko is expected to challenge Barletta in the Pennsylvania’s newly drawn 11th CD.

“I am pleased that the DCCC and national media have recognized what hundreds of Northeast Pennsylvanians have said with their individual contributions. We are tired of the Washington politicians who have done nothing to get our economy back on track, but instead have voted to end Medicare as we know it. Together, we are going to change that direction in November,” said Bill Vinsko, a small business owner and Assistant City Attorney of Wilkes-Barre.

Vinsko raised more money in his first quarter than any recent Democratic challenger from Northeast Pennsylvania:

BILL VINSKO (7/1/11 to 9/30/11) (Vinsko for Congress): $84,972
CHRIS CARNEY (7/1/05 to 9/30/05) (Carney for Congress): $28,283
COREY O'BRIEN (7/1/09 to 9/30/09) (Corey O'Brien for Congress): $26,400

And Vinsko also outraised Barletta, Marino and incumbent Democrat Tim Holden in individual (non-PAC)contributions to Northeast Pennsylvania campaigns:

Vinsko: $80,144
Barletta: $68,992
Holden: $59,475
Marino: $36,776

Vinsko got an up arrow from PoliticsPA. Hey Sy, include me in your blog roundup.

Troops coming home from Iraq

When Bush decided to invade Iraq I asked the question "what are we going to do 2 or 3 years from now when they are still shooting at our people?" It's been 9 years after a colossal waste of blood and treasure it will finally end. One of the biggest reasons I voted for Obama was his promise to get our troops out of the middle east.

Atrios tagged those of us who opposed the war as "dirty fucking hippies" who should listen to "the very serious people" even after it was obvious that this was one of the worst foreign policy blunders in the history of the United States. The 101st Keyboard Brigade and other chickenhawks counseled that we should give it one more Friedman Unit to turn things around.

Polling shows that the American people overwhelmingly favors this decision. It looks like the hippies were right. Mitt Romney and the rest of the Republican presidential field put out statements opposing the decision but they would want to outlaw velcro if it came out the President wore basketball sneakers with it instead of laces.

The charge that Obama is weak on national security is laughable just ask Osama, Qaddafi and all those people that have been blown up by drone attacks.

THE PRESIDENT: Good afternoon, everybody. As a candidate for President, I pledged to bring the war in Iraq to a responsible end -- for the sake of our national security and to strengthen American leadership around the world. After taking office, I announced a new strategy that would end our combat mission in Iraq and remove all of our troops by the end of 2011.

As Commander-in-Chief, ensuring the success of this strategy has been one of my highest national security priorities. Last year, I announced the end to our combat mission in Iraq. And to date, we’ve removed more than 100,000 troops. Iraqis have taken full responsibility for their country’s security.

A few hours ago I spoke with Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki. I reaffirmed that the United States keeps its commitments. He spoke of the determination of the Iraqi people to forge their own future. We are in full agreement about how to move forward.

So today, I can report that, as promised, the rest of our troops in Iraq will come home by the end of the year. After nearly nine years, America’s war in Iraq will be over.

Over the next two months, our troops in Iraq -- tens of thousands of them -- will pack up their gear and board convoys for the journey home. The last American soldier[s] will cross the border out of Iraq with their heads held high, proud of their success, and knowing that the American people stand united in our support for our troops. That is how America’s military efforts in Iraq will end.

But even as we mark this important milestone, we’re also moving into a new phase in the relationship between the United States and Iraq. As of January 1st, and in keeping with our Strategic Framework Agreement with Iraq, it will be a normal relationship between sovereign nations, an equal partnership based on mutual interests and mutual respect.

In today’s conversation, Prime Minister Maliki and I agreed that a meeting of the Higher Coordinating Committee of the Strategic Framework Agreement will convene in the coming weeks. And I invited the Prime Minister to come to the White House in December, as we plan for all the important work that we have to do together. This will be a strong and enduring partnership. With our diplomats and civilian advisors in the lead, we’ll help Iraqis strengthen institutions that are just, representative and accountable. We’ll build new ties of trade and of commerce, culture and education, that unleash the potential of the Iraqi people. We’ll partner with an Iraq that contributes to regional security and peace, just as we insist that other nations respect Iraq’s sovereignty.

As I told Prime Minister Maliki, we will continue discussions on how we might help Iraq train and equip its forces -- again, just as we offer training and assistance to countries around the world. After all, there will be some difficult days ahead for Iraq, and the United States will continue to have an interest in an Iraq that is stable, secure and self-reliant. Just as Iraqis have persevered through war, I’m confident that they can build a future worthy of their history as a cradle of civilization.

Here at home, the coming months will be another season of homecomings. Across America, our servicemen and women will be reunited with their families. Today, I can say that our troops in Iraq will definitely be home for the holidays.

This December will be a time to reflect on all that we’ve been though in this war. I’ll join the American people in paying tribute to the more than 1 million Americans who have served in Iraq. We’ll honor our many wounded warriors and the nearly 4,500 American patriots -- and their Iraqi and coalition partners -- who gave their lives to this effort.

And finally, I would note that the end of war in Iraq reflects a larger transition. The tide of war is receding. The drawdown in Iraq allowed us to refocus our fight against al Qaeda and achieve major victories against its leadership -- including Osama bin Laden. Now, even as we remove our last troops from Iraq, we’re beginning to bring our troops home from Afghanistan, where we’ve begun a transition to Afghan security and leadership. When I took office, roughly 180,000 troops were deployed in both these wars. And by the end of this year that number will be cut in half, and make no mistake: It will continue to go down.

Meanwhile, yesterday marked the definitive end of the Qaddafi regime in Libya. And there, too, our military played a critical role in shaping a situation on the ground in which the Libyan people can build their own future. Today, NATO is working to bring this successful mission to a close.

So to sum up, the United States is moving forward from a position of strength. The long war in Iraq will come to an end by the end of this year. The transition in Afghanistan is moving forward, and our troops are finally coming home. As they do, fewer deployments and more time training will help keep our military the very best in the world. And as we welcome home our newest veterans, we’ll never stop working to give them and their families the care, the benefits and the opportunities that they have earned.

This includes enlisting our veterans in the greatest challenge that we now face as a nation -- creating opportunity and jobs in this country. Because after a decade of war, the nation that we need to build -- and the nation that we will build -- is our own; an America that sees its economic strength restored just as we’ve restored our leadership around the globe.

Thank you very much.





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Luzerne County Judges

We will be electing 6 new Judges of the Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas next month. There are 7 candidates and I have met 6 of them. They are all good people that will replace the disgraced Juvie Brothers Conahan and Ciavarella. LuLac tells about them: These convicted Judges were sneaky, conniving, vindictive, powerful and ruthless bastards. Ask a former Judge named Lokuta. I don't want to open the whole Lokuta thing again but me and the Yonk agree that she was fucked over by Conahan and the Judicial Conduct Board that had a few of his acquaintances sitting in judgement of her. She was not convicted of a crime and probably deserved a kick in pants but overturning an election is extreme.


5 of the 7 candidates secured the nomination of both the Democratic and Republican party's in May. I hate cross filing for Judge and School Board because these are political positions and we should decide in the general election not the primary. The convential wisdom is that the 5 who got double nominations will win although anything can happen. That's why we have elections.

The double five are:

Jennifer Rogers

Lesa Gelb

Mike Vough

Joe Skarosky

Fred Pieratoni

That leaves the odd man (person) out. The race for the 6th spot is between Rebublican Dick Hughes and Dem Molly Mirabito

This is a tough call for me. I have had a few discussions with Hughes and Molly. They both came to Blogfest and the lawyers I know highly recommended them both.

My solution to this delimma is to bullet vote for Mirabito and Hughes.

Walter Griffith endorses

Editor:
Residents of Luzerne County, I am asking for your help in making the County of Luzerne a better government by voting on Nov. 8. The voters of Luzerne County have a very important decision to make on Nov. 8 with regard to the government in our county.
There are 28 candidates that are on the ballot for Luzerne County Council and seven judicial candidates for the Luzerne County Court. These positions are vital to the accountability and creditability of our county, and the election should be decided very carefully to be sure we are moving in the direction of fixing our problems and not making them worse.
There are several candidates that I would like to recommend to the voters for your consideration on Nov. 8 to make our county a better place to live and work. The following 11 candidates are my choice for Luzerne County Council which I believe would make a difference in the way our county is governed and also make reasonable and rational decisions that would justify the decision for home rule government as the right choice.
Eugene Kelleher (R)
Charlie "Bible Buck" Hatchko ( I )
Kathleen Dobash (R)
Steven J. Urban (R)
Tim Mullen ( I )
Gina Nevangloski (R)
Joyce Dombroski-Gebhardt (R)
William Bill James (R)
Harry Haas ( R )
Michael Lacey ( I )
Steven A. Urban (D)
Straight party voting should be avoided in this election if we hope to elect the most qualified people. We need to elect people who will make a difference in our county, in part by selecting the first county manager under the home rule charter who will act as the chief executive of our county.
The ability to cleanse the judicial system of this county is also a very critical issue and our judicial selections should be made after much study and research. The ballot will provide a choice of seven candidates for six judicial positions. We must be certain that those who seek to be judges of our court will administer the law fairly and honestly.
There are two candidates that I feel would are qualified to handle such a difficult but rewarding position. I whole heartedly recommend them to you. Dick Hughes has the necessary experience as a prosecutor and a private practice attorney. He is of the highest moral character with a strong sense of fair play, and I believe he will make an excellent judge. Joe Sklarosky, Jr. is another person I believe to be well qualified to administer justice fairly, who will also make an excellent judge. I encourage you all to do the necessary research to be sure that we choose the most qualified people to serve on the Luzerne County Court.
Voters of Luzerne County have decisions to make which will impact Luzerne County for many years, and we must take the time to choose these people very carefully. Please do not vote straight party this November. Your county government deserves better than that from the people responsible for its very existence. Please use your votes wisely.
Walter L. Griffith Jr.
Luzerne County Controller

I haven't talked with Walter for some time but if he had asked I would have advised him not to write this letter.

Rangers even up the series winning 2-1 today.

Rick Williams on the air

Independent Luzerne County Council candidate Rick Williams has a spot running on the local newscasts. I know that cost of a rating point in the NEPA market is lower than other areas but it is still expensive for a local campaign. I can't find a financial report for Williams at the Luzerne County election bureau and Nothington Post points out that he was a registered Democrat until March of this year.

This a traditional man in street and testimonial

Candidates on the air

I had to cut yesterday's post short to deal with yet another minor domestic crises. The only reason I was even watching the local news is to see what candidates for local office had ads running. Yesterday's 6PM newscast had 3 political spots. The first was from ASCME asking Lou Barletta to support President Obama's job plan, that's not going to happen. Judge candidate Jennifer Rogers had the 2nd and the last was for DA Republican hopeful StephanieSalavantis that has the local blogosphere buzzing. See Joe V and the Yonk. Today there were a few more on the Noon broadcast including one for Luzerne County Council candidate Rick Williams.

I will highlight some of them in future posts.

Tonight I'm looking forward to game 2 of the World Series and will be cooking that All American dish, meatloaf. I took the night off from work after being poked, prodded, wired up and getting electric shocks in my leg by a Neurologist then went to the dentist for more fun. This aging process stinks.

I watched the local TV news tonight

I usually don't because I work 2nd shift and it's geared to sensational reporting about fires, car crashes and cute stories about kids doing something for soldiers or some other worthy cause.



To me the biggest story of the day was the DEP granting Cabot Oil's request to stop delivering fresh water to people in Dimock but it got only a passing mention of about 10 seconds. It is tragic someone's house burned downed or lost their life in a auto accident but the long term threat to the health of the people of Dimiock and the rest of us deserved more attention.






Driller OK to halt water to Dimock





DEP: Cabot can stop delivering water to Dimock resident








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Lou Barletta targetted by enviromental group

The Natural Resources Defense Council is going after Congressman Lou Barletta for his votes to block new clean air regulations from the EPA. Last week the NRDC blasted Barletta and other PA US House members for voting for what they termed the "Fetal Poison Bill."

Fourteen PA Reps Have Dirty Secrets: They Support the "Fetal Poison Bill"

Who loses? Fetuses, babies and young children. Who wins? The 14 Pennsylvania members of Congress who are larding their campaign treasuries with dirty energy political contributions.
House bill 2681, the "Cement Sector Regulatory Relief Act of 2011" would repeal updates to Clean Air Act standards to reduce toxic emissions from cement plant,”
s – one of the biggest sources of mercury pollution in the US. It’s a “Fetal Poison Bill” because mercury exposure can cause serious brain damage to fetuses, babies and young children.

The NRDC has chart at Dirty Secrets that says that says Barletta has taken almost $ 80,000 from polluters.

Sticking to the party line that regulations kill jobs (they don't) Barletta sent out a fundraising email that seems to welcome the attack.

I supported delaying this job-killing regulation. Rather, they’ll resort to scare tactics.



Dear Gort --
The attacks keep coming. The latest is an accusation from a left-wing, radical environmentalist group that is accusing me of voting in favor of the “Fetal Poison Bill.” It’s an attack meant to grab headlines, which means there’s no truth to it...

Since taking control of the EPA, President Obama’s supporters have been putting forward radical new regulations not focused on protecting the environment, but rather to punish specific industries in this country. It’s a dangerous mix: a politically-motivated anti-business agenda and a struggling economy with 9% unemployment...

A recent EPA regulation, for example, would -- without Congressional intervention -- have resulted in the shuttering of nearly 20% of our nation’s domestic cement plants, putting thousands of jobs in jeopardy, and costing businesses $3.4 billion a year. The environmentalists won’t mention any of this when they tell you I supported delaying this job-killing regulation.


The President doesn't have an "anti-business agenda" and Barletta doesn't cite his assertion that 20% of cement plants would be closed. Do they just pass along this claptrap from a central source? I'm sure that SOP will correct me tomorrow.

Barletta spokesman Shawn Kelly and NRDC blogger Pete Altman had this exchange

“Claims that Rep. Barletta is ‘attacking’ the Clean Air Act are completely false. Not one of the roll call votes cited (#86, #140, #147, and #741) alters the Clean Air Act in any way. Every single vote cited keeps current EPA regulations in place and allows the EPA to continue to regulate pollutants. The roll call votes in question do not weaken or remove any EPA regulation currently in effect,”

Pete disputes that statement:

Denying the Facts: Representative Lou Barletta's True Record of Dirty Air Votes

Interestingly, Barletta’s team doesn’t bother denying the charge our ad actually makes, which is that he voted to let polluters dump more dangerous pollution into our air. And they deny charges we didn’t make – that Barletta voted to alter the Clean air Act and weaken and remove EPA regulations currently in effect.
We could have, though read the list


Here is the ad:

The 2011 World Series

The Red Sox broke my heart a month earlier than usual and the Phillies waited until October to take a dive unlike a few years ago when they would get it out of the way in April. They turned the old adage that good pitching will beat good hitting on it's head. The TV ratings will suffer without east coast teams in the fall classic as the Yankees, Phils or Sox are not in the hunt. People in Texas and Missouri will tune in along with those Cubs fans in Chicago pulling against the Cardinals will watch but not many others.

Anyway my pick is the Cardinals in 6. Vote on the side bar.