Lisa spent 400 grand

TL: Lisa Baker easily won the Republican primary election for the 20th District seat of retiring state Sen. Charles Lemmond, and the amount spent on her campaign might explain her success.
Baker’s campaign cost more than those of her four opponents combined, according to campaign finance reports filed this week.
Baker, who captured 46 percent of the 23,751 votes cast in the May 16 election, reported her campaign spent almost $410,000 from Jan. 1 to June 5.
Dallas chiropractor David Madeira, the runner-up with 21 percent of the vote, reported $86,094 in campaign expenses.
Kingston Mayor Jim Haggerty, the third-place candidate with 18 percent, reported $212,088 in campaign expenditures.
Dallas School Board member Russ Bigus received 13 percent, and his campaign reported almost $23,000 in expenses. Carl Sutton, a Dallas Township resident and psychotherapist, ran a campaign that cost about $1,000. He finished in last place with 2 percent of the vote.
Baker spent more than $240,000 on TV ads. Haggerty spent more than $150,000 on radio and TV ads.

Our immigrant from Virginia

I got a couple of emails today that informed me that Gort42 and Wilkes-Barre Online were mentioned on WILK today. I was listening to baseball so I missed it. Wow. The subject was the Hazleton English only ordinance. I think it's nonsense but Mark favors it. We disagree as we often do. It's obvious that Mayor Barletta was put up to this by the Santorum campaign.

So the latest in the Senate race is Sanatorium is beating up on Blah Bob for saying he would vote for the bill sponsored by Bill Frist and the White House. You know that they are Republicans. So Ricky got Mayor Lou Barletta to do his dirty work and propose an inflammatory law that makes second class citizens of Hazleton's spanish speaking people. Judging by the reaction to this you can expect other towns in PA to propose similar laws. As Pope George Ringo pointed out HATE SELLS. First they tried to make gay people an object of fear but that didn't fly. So now they want to make Mexicans the scapegoats of our troubles. History is full of examples of blaming an unpopular minority for the problems of the day usually with disastrous results. As Santorum tries to close the gap on Casey (down 9 in the strategic Vision poll and 23 behind in Rasmussen) he is going to try to make Casey the issue. I got news for you Ricky, challengers don't win elections incumbents lose them. So far in Santorums media buys I haven't heard why I should vote for him only that the other guy is a bum. As The Big Fat Slob pointed out:

Give the people want they want

I' getting some hits from people searching for the Flora Bush video. Here it is:

The "third Bush twin" has a CD out:

On November 25th, 1981, George W. Bush became the loving father of twins. Unfortunately, Mom gave birth to triplets. Hello, America. I'm Flora Bush, the daughter the President doesn't want you to know about. I'm a Democrat! I'm a punk! And I'm going to rock you with my new album, THE CHILD LEFT BEHIND!!!"EAT YOUR PEAS!" "DON'T STAY UP LATE!" "DON'T GET GAY-MARRIED!"Listen to Flora Bush' debut CD featuring such classics as " Get out of Iraq (and my room) and "Puppies and Landmines"

Very personal post

I grew up the north end of Wilkes-Barre. In the 1960's people spoke language's I didn't understand. There were stores I had had a hard time buying things because I didn't know Russian or Slovak. I miss that. Yes Grandma didn't speak English but her kids did. And their kids were fluent in the English language but couldn't speak the the native tongue. What a loss. My father encouraged me to learn a different language and after 4 years of taking French I went to France. I wish I had paid attention because I had no idea what they were talking about.

My point is that the immigrants of today will assimilate just like our grandparents did. Even if the first generation doesn't grasp the language the next will.

Good riddance Joe Mazur

There is new Luzerne County Democratic chairman. I hope he is less divisive than the last one.

WILKES-BARRE — There’s a new face leading the Luzerne County Democratic party.
West Pittston attorney Mark W. Bufalino was narrowly elected party chairman Thursday night, culminating a week that saw at least four changes among district party chairs. The 36-year-old topped Kingston resident and current Fifth District chairman Tom Benesky, 47, in a 135-120 vote at the Ramada Inn on Public Square.

And the CV (Commissioners Voice) is calling this an injection of new blood just like Skrep and Vondy who backed Bufalino. So the Commissioners got their boy elected to lead the party after putting off reassessment so it won't be an issue next year when they run for reelection. Hopefully no one will notice that they can't balance a budget or pay attention to all the money they have borrowed.

Yeah, this is a new era in Luzerne County politics. What's the old saying; The more things change the more they stay the same.

Maybe I shouldn't be so hard on Mark and hopefully he will bring some life back into an organiztion that seems to be sitting on it's hands. I'm as guilty as anyone who gets caught up in local squabbles. But things have to change. It seems to be me that the best thing the County Democratic Party has going for it is that the Luzerne County Republican party is inept.

A case in point. The latest election demographic is the super voter(thanks Austin). Forget soccer moms and NASCAR dads. They are people like me who never miss an election. The kind of voter that is critical, especially in a primary. My Democratic Committeeman lives about 10 doors away. I know his name but I have never talked to him or seen him at the polls. I was urged by my neighbors to run for that position but for a number a reasons I couldn't do it at this time. The thing the party has to do is to get rid of dead weight like this. We need people who are willing to get out into the neighborhood. I will be out talking to my neighbors this fall about what is at stake and urging them to vote. We need some committee people who are willing to do the same.

Who wants a pay raise?

I do and so do you. Too bad we just can't vote on it. After all the fun of Pennsylvania legislators voting themselves a pay raise you would think that our representatives in Washington would run away as far and as fast as they can at such a suggestion. Some did but not our guy.

PB: The 249-167 roll call Tuesday by which the House blocked an effort to kill a $3,300 cost-of-living pay raise for members of Congress.

Rep. Paul Kanjorski (D-PA11) voted to prevent a direct vote on the pay raise thus clearing the way to raise his own salary. Dave Ralis puts into perspective:

Meanwhile, the House Appropriations Committee surprisingly approved a hike in the minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25, which would be the first increase in a decade. However, the committee's amendment to a bill funding health and education programs is likely to be stripped out when the measure comes to the House floor. If you're keeping count that's rich lawmakers 7, the poorest Americans 0. A person working at the current minimum wage would have to put in 16 weeks (at 40 hours per week) just to gross $3,300 - the same amount as Congress' automatic raise.

Good news from the war

WNEP: After 18 months away, six months of training and a year in Iraq, some soldiers with the 109th Infantry from Scranton and attachments are expected to come home Thursday. It's the start of the return of more than 800 Pennsylvania National Guardsmen.
About 80 soldiers are expected to arrive just before 6 p.m. but that's only the beginning. Over the next four days, all 800 soldiers from the 109th Infantry and attachments from Scranton will return home. Military officials said it will be the largest return of troops to northeastern Pennsylvania since the Korean War.
The soldiers returning Thursday evening will be home for good. A first sergeant said, "Northeastern Pennsylvania has done its part on the war on terror and the war in Iraq. I'm glad our men and women are coming home."

So am I. Time to bring them all home.

Idiot watch

Man told police he was robbed on way to buying marijuana

WILKES-BARRE – A man told police he was pulled from a car, assaulted and robbed after 11:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

According to Wilkes-Barre police:

The alleged victim, whose name was not released, told police he met an acquaintance at the Turkey Hill Market on Wilkes-Barre Township Boulevard and got into the person’s car so they could drive somewhere to purchase marijuana.

While driving in the area of Wilkes-Barre Boulevard, an unknown man pulled the alleged victim from the vehicle and began assaulting him, causing him to lose consciousness, he told police. He says he “awoke,” realized he had been assaulted and called a friend before dialing 911.
The alleged victim was transported to Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center for an evaluation and for treatment of facial lacerations, said police.

He could not recall what had been taking from him.

Hugo part deux

OK maybe it's part 57 as far as this guys court appearances go. People forget he spent time in prison for bank robbery and has been charged and convicted of a host of other charges from DUI to passing bad checks. But his second murder trial is on the way. I was watching the news tonight and someone said he should get a medal because he was killing drug dealers. Hello, he's an admitted drug dealer. And because people make stupid choices in their lives doesn't mean they deserve to die a horrible death.

So now the Hugo circus is headed back to the center ring and the pressure is on DA Dave Lupus to get a conviction this time.

KINGSTON TOWNSHIP -Luzerne County District Attorney David Lupas and his prosecution team convinced Magisterial District Judge James Tupper there was enough evidence for Hugo Selenski and Paul Weakley, his alleged accomplice, to stand trial for the murders of Kerkowski and Fassett. Tupper made the ruling despite no eyewitnesses to the murders or anyone placing Selenski or Weakley at Kerkowski's Hunlock Township home May 3, 2002, the day prosecutors allege the crimes were committed.

Hugo's former girlfriend has turned on him and some of the prosecution witnesses lack credibility:

Rodney Samson, another acquaintance of Selenski, said Selenski offered him $20,000 to help kill Kerkowski. But under cross examination by John Pike, Selenski's lead defense attorney, Samson admitted to taking 20 hits of crack and drinking between eight to 10 beers the night of the alleged statement.

The carnival atmosphere was evident during the hearing:

Members of accused murderer Hugo Selenski's family have made T-shirts comparing Selenski's second double-murder trial to a rematch in a boxing rivalry.
The words on the shirts (Lupas vs. Hugo Round #2) places Selenski in one corner and Luzerne County District Attorney David Lupas in the other.

And Hugo just can't shut up:

Lupas was presenting a crime-scene photo of Kerkowski's body to Selenski and his defense team when the first altercation occurred. "You're making a mockery of this court," Selenski said to Lupas as he handed over one photo. "No, you are," Lupas shouted back at Selenski. "This is a court of law," Lupas said. "This is a serious matter." About an hour later, the pair clashed again as Lupas handed over another piece of evidence. "No, you can't say anything to me," Lupas shouted at Selenski. "I didn't say a damn thing to you," Selenski fired back. "Leave me alone." "Why don't you sit there and keep your mouth shut," Lupas responded. "Keep smiling. Keep smiling."

Illegal immigration

Can a small city in Pennsylvania do something about illegal immigrants? Probably not but Hazelton Mayor Lou Barletta is trying to make it an issue locally. Somehow I'm skeptical of his efforts. As far as I know only the federal government can make and enforce the immigration laws. The problem is the federal government won't enforce the immigration laws on the books. When the last overhaul of the immigration laws were enacted in the 1980's it put the onus on employers to verify that companies were hiring legal residents and provided harsh penalties for those who hired illegals. Today those laws are not enforced. You can talk all you want about deporting people but if the companies that hire them aren't punished it makes a joke of the whole system.

Some great quotes from the TL story today:

Mayor Lou Barletta has proposed an ordinance that would prohibit and punish the hiring of illegal immigrants and renting property to them.
"I don't want them here in Hazleton," Barletta said. "They're not wanted. " The jobs most work are selling drugs. Many I am dealing with are not law-abiding citizens."
The city's population has spiked from 23,000 to 31,000 residents in six years because of an influx of Hispanics.
Barletta said he doesn't know how many of the city's new residents are in the country illegally.
"Many new residents are a productive part of our community," Barletta said.
"But a group of people are here illegally, not paying taxes, using city resources, and I have just had enough of it," the Republican mayor added.

Gee, I wonder if this initiative has anything to do with the Senate race.

TT: In dueling statewide radio commercials, the two major-party candidates for Mr. Santorum's Senate seat scorch each other for opposing views on the immigration-control bill that easily passed the Senate on May 25.....

The Russians had to build a wall to keep people in, the United States is talking about building one to keep people out. I'd rather live in a country that people want to come to instead of one that people want to get out of. Yes we have to get controll of our borders but I'm getting sick and tired of vilifying people because they are "different."

A hundred years ago our grandparents were looked down upon because they had a different religion, had a better tan and couldn't speak English.

This is America, a nation of immigrants.

ID theft

Sometimes they pass laws in Harrisburg that make sense.

From the PG: Don't be surprised if some day soon you get a letter with this disturbing news: A thief has swiped a computer file with your name, Social Security number or other personal financial data hoping to steal your identity and run up big bills in your name.


On June 22, Pennsylvania's Breach of Personal Information Notification Act takes effect, requiring companies to notify state residents if their sensitive personal data has been lost or stolen, exposing them to the risk of identity theft. The goal is to give Pennsylvanians an early warning so they can monitor their financial records for suspicious transactions and take steps to limit the damage.

This is a good idea considering I just received such a letter from the Veterans Administration.

Joe Leonardi for Congress

Do you want an inflatable dam in the Susquehanna River? This guy doesn't. He just got a website up, check out:

http://leonardiforcongress.com/index.htm

It's still under construction but here is his statement on the homepage:

Greetings,

I am Dr. Joseph Leonardi, and I want to be your Congressmen in the 11th Congressional District in Pennsylvania.

My Pledge To You

To have a Full Time Office in each County

Limit myself to 3 Terms

NO NEPOTISM - If you are related to me, No Government Job or Contract

I am Running to Represent YOU!

I must have your help to bring a NEW voice, representing REAL people, to the U.S. House of Representatives! Thanks for visiting, and thank you for your support!

Ricky and NASCAR

My friends at Santorum Blog are excited that a few NASCAR drivers have endorsed our visitor from Virginia. In fact the Santorum campaign has a web page up about it. John Micek calls it rednecks for Rick. It’s a natural fit as they are both dependent on corporate sponsorship. NASCAR now has a Scientology car. Anything for a buck

I previously wrote about Nascar Stickers for Political leaders. Take it a step further.

What if the senators talked like the drivers? It might go something like this.

The chair recognizes the Accuweather-Wal-Mart-K Street-PETA junior Senator from Pennsylvania.

Thank you Mr. Halliburton-Exxon-Mobile-Smith & Wesson President.

I want to call attention to remarks by the Sierra Club-Friends of the Earth-Ethanol Industry former Vice-President .Blah, blah, blah………….I now yield the remainder of my time to the AFL-CIO-NEA-Jack Daniels senior Senator from Massachusetts …….and so on.

On a side note I noticed that Alex moved me into left field and I always thought I was more suited to shallow center. I have resisted adding links to my blogroll that deal with one campaign. But it’s time to change that policy. Alex and the true believers are the best source of news about the PA Senate race. Of course they put their spin on the news of the day as do I.

Adding to the blogroll

Keeping an eye the politics of this country with a wide eye on the politics of Pennsylvania:

Next Direction

What kind of Big Government do you want?

I'm a bit conflicted. Do I want a government that spends money and keeps an eye on the bottom line or do I want one that expands and cuts taxes? I think that this is the choice this fall on both the state and national levels. We have a national debt that is out of control. There is the cost of the war, homeland security and everything else that government does. I remember in the nineties there were rules that said if you proposed a tax cut or a new program you had to show an offset. This week, after they tried to make people 2nd class citizens the Senate voted on eliminating the ESTATE TAX. This tax affects very few people and after they pay it they still have a few million left over. Must be rough.

I'll take the bait

I have always considered politics to be part entertainment. We have seen actors elected to high office such as President Reagan or Governor Arnold and we have Lynn Swann trying to defeat Ed Rendell. But this guy is something else.

His name is Raj Peter Bhakta and he is running against Allyson Schwartz for the PA-13 Congressional seat. I had never heard of him until I started reading that he was going into politics after he got his 15 minutes of fame on The Apprentice.

FORT WASHINGTON, Pa.-The bow-tied Bhakta was fired from the program after a home renovation project went awry. Now, two years later, he is trying his hand at politics, challenging Democratic freshman Rep. Allyson Schwartz for her seat in the state's 13th Congressional District.
Yet the cameras still follow him. A production crew is filming a documentary about his campaign.

I have never watched The Apprentice so I don't know what he did wrong plus he is trying to live down 2 DUI's and has no money. After leaving a very unflattering comment about him at LVDem's site (he ripped him a new one) I received a couple of emails from his campaign.

The first was a blogger outreach that was poorly worded and the second showed an ignorance of how things work.

The first:

Dear Gort,

I am contacting you on behalf of Raj Bhakta for Congress. I am writing because this campaign respects your impressive website which showcases your immense talent.

Blogs are underutilized in politics. This campaign is interested in developing a strong relationship with you, so that your blog may reach it's maximum potential. Please contact upon receiving this e-mail, as I would like future communication.

Sincerely,
Raymond Smalley
Raj for Congress
www.rajforcongress.com

Huh? If these guys have a way for this blog to "reach it's maximum potential" I'm all ears. I replied and asked what they ment by that and if I get an answer I'll let you know. The second one had a misleading title:

Allyson Schwartz's Indefensible Action

Republican congressional candidate Raj Bhakta is describing as "indefensible" the cut in funding Pennsylvania received from the federal government to address terrorism threats.

The state's share dropped from $81.9 million last year to $49 million this year. Philadelphia's portion went from $22.8 million to $19.5 million.
Bhakta, who is challenging Rep. Allyson Schwartz (D-13th dist.), noted that the Philadelphia area is large and has a busy port, military installations and a nuclear power plant. "If Philadelphia is not at risk, I don't know who is," he said.

What did Allyson Schwartz do to bring about this funding cut? The Department of Homeland Security decided how much the states and cities are going to get. A Republican administration interpreting a law passed by a Republican Congress is responsible for these funding cuts not Allyson Schwartz.

As usual, LV hits it on the head: "It only looks like this guy is in constant need of a TV audience and instead looks more like a TV show contestant than a legitimate candidate for Congress. He sounds like Rick Santorum... and we all know how much I don't like Rick Santorum."

I'm looking forward to the TV show. He wants to being rich and famous and maybe he will be. I've always said I'll take the rich and skip the famous.

It's an election year

Today I got an email titled "PA Governor's Newsletter" that came from Governor Edward G. Rendell. Then another one popped up with the title of "Rendell Report." The difference is the first came from the state government but the other came from Rapid Edward's re-election campaign. Stop it. They kicked you off Eagles post-game because it's an election year so don't spam me on the taxpayers dime.

Progress as promised

Oh yeah, that was the last guy's slogan. When I was driving around today I was listening to Sue Henry on WILK. She related a recent encounter with former Wilkes-Barre Mayor Tom McGroarity at the supermarket. According to her McG took credit for the ideas of building a downtown movie theater, a glorified bus stop and a new fire house at Hollenback Park. I'll give him credit for that, he had the ideas. But his problem was execution. It's hard to get things done when you go out of your way to piss off everybody you need to complete the projects. That and his lack of knowledge of arithmitic.

But anyway. Yesterday was good day for Wilkes-Barre. Finally something as basic as downtown streetlights are back.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From the CV:

Streetlights have been an issue since 2000, when corroded light fixtures began to topple over. Replacements have taken six years to install.

Mayor Tom Leighton and Governor Ed Rendell simultaneously threw the switch. It took a while for the lights to warm up, but after a few seconds all of South Main Street was aglow.

Residents of nearby Provincial Tower looked on from their balconies and cheered as the lights grew brighter. They waved to Rendell and some openly praised his work. Rendell politely thanked them for their support.

The governor was in town to speak at the Leadership Wilkes-Barre graduation dinner, so he was able to accept Leighton’s invitation to help turn on the streetlights.

Rendell realizes streetlights might be insignificant to some people, but he sees them as a sign of progress.

“We’re proud to have been a part of this,” said Rendell.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And we got a new fire station:

WILKES-BARRE – Making his third appearance in two days touting revitalization in the city’s northern section, Mayor Thomas M. Leighton officially opened the Hollenback Fire Station with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday.

The station, on North Washington Street north of the Cross-Valley Expressway, cost about $740,000 to construct. It will house two fire engines and two ambulances and be manned by four firefighters and one paramedic at all times.

The house will also accommodate a police substation.

Two new ambulances, each costing about $125,000, were also unveiled on Thursday. Leighton announced that the city will be receiving three new engines, each of which cost about $300,000, in the near future.

“As a result the entire city will be better protected,” he said.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I'm too much of a cynic to start saying I believe but things are looking up.

Newspaper wars

When you read the Wilkes-Barre papers today about the reassement controversy you see why we need 2 papers. The Citizens Voice thinks it OK that the Luzerne County Commissioners
Delayed the decision by talking on the phone to each other. They talked to many people in the courthouse who were hired by the dynamic duo and they think it’s fine.

Go over to the Times-Leader and they are ready to bust a blood vessel over it. Their story is quoting officials from other counties who say it’s a clear violation of the Sunshine Act and filed a lawsuit ..

As my favorite Slob pointed out, they both have an agenda. GOOD! One paper defends the status quo and the other calls for reform

The TL is still in Limbo.

Bernie is having some fun with the Northampton County Council over the Sunshine Act.

Chris Caney has a netroots ad

You can see it at You Tube.

Go vote and help Chris:

There are two votes you can cast this week for Chris, both of which have the power to bring significant support to our team. Cast your vote for Chris Carney today!

Vote 1: Gov. Mark Warner’s ‘Change the Map’ competition:

Mapchangers

Vote 2: Democracy for America’s Grassroots All Star Contest:

http://tools.democracyforamerica.com/housevote/

Maybe the Times-Leader is not lost

How many towns in the US have competing newspapers? The last time I checked it was about 10. Most of them are in big cities. I never thought I would be defending the Times-Leader especially after the strike that broke the union and spurred a new publication-The Citizens Voice. For those of you old enough to remember it was one of the most vicious responses to a strike I have ever seen. Since then the TL has passed through a few different owners and now they want to sell. The rumor is that Times-Shamrock will buy the paper and shut it down. Hopefully this will not happen:

Source: TL boss behind new bid

A group of investors assembled by Publisher Pat McHugh has submitted a surprise bid for the purchase of the Times Leader, a source familiar with the effort said Friday.
The offer was made to keep the paper operating and to retain the work force, according to the source, who is close to a Philadelphia-area consulting firm that brokered the arrangement.

I enjoy the Times-Leader. I would hate to lose it.

No reassessment this year

I was surprised the the Luzerne County Commissioners have put off reassessment until 2008. (not) Let's get past the election in 2007 before any tough decisions have to be made. It was interesting that this story was in the Commissioners Voice (thanks Mark) but not the TL.

CV: County Commissioners Greg Skrepenak and Todd Vonderheid opted Monday to postpone reassessment, which will place new fair market values on the majority of properties within the county.

How do I protect myself against gay marriage?

Pissed off Patricia gave me some suggestions.

Wardrobe! If I wear crazy clothes maybe they will leave me alone.

After work tonight I put on my best plaid Bermuda shorts with sandals and knee high black socks and a Metallica t-shirt. Then I took the dog for a walk. The two evil women down the street (so called life partners and they may want to get married) saw us and suggested we were hot and offered me a glass of lemonade and gave the dog a bowl of cold water. I refused the lemonade but I couldn't deny the dog a drink. What evil people would try to seduce me like that? For some reason when I wear this outfit my niece refuses to go to to the mall with me, go figure?

Tomorrow I have a big day at work. Instead of wearing the blue suit with the matching tie that Mrs. G picked out I'm thinking of wearing a striped shirt with the polka-dot tie and my tweed jacket with the patches on the arms just so I can ward off that guy that I think is gay. I know he must be gay because when I mentioned that I couldn't take my Mom to an appointment he volunteered to take her. What an evil person. I'm afraid of these people. They may redecorate my house or something.

As Patricia suggested I locked up my marriage license and bought some duct tape.

On a more serious note. Don't these guys have something more important to do (there's a war on, the budget is out of control, etc.) then try to amend the Constitution to restrict the rights of our fellow citizens. We have a federal system that has always left certain powers to the states. Marriage being one of them. I agree that this question should not be decided in the the courts but in the state legislatures.

A resemblance?

Maybe General Zod had a makeover and is trying to start smaller. Click on the images for the details.

Kanjorski had a meeting

WILKES-BARRE - President Bush is "sitting in a bubble," has made serious mistakes in Iraq while ignoring problems in the United States and has driven a record-setting national debt, said U.S. Rep. Paul Kanjorski on Saturday.

Kanjorski said the money the country is spending in Iraq is "foolishness"

I love this: Kanjorski said he spoke with Bush during a recent airplane flight and Bush acknowledged he was "in trouble" as far as popularity.
He says Bush asked him, "What can I do to change the perception of Congress and Americans?"
Kanjorski said he suggested the president "play cards and socialize with members of Congress" to generate conversation and obtain different views.

Would Bush even know how to play crazy eights or hearts?

His pet project, the inflatable dam, got another knock.

More trouble under the Mohegan Sun

CV: Clouding the future of slot machine gaming in Plains Township even more, operators of the Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs have cancelled an upcoming series of job fairs to introduce local residents to the 400 to 500 new jobs they plan to create.

If you read the article they are objecting to paying the host town (Plains Twp) 1 or 2 percent of revenue. I live in Plains Twp. and we are counting on that money to solve all of our problems. It's going to pave our streets, lower our property taxes and maybe build a pool to replace the one Wilkes-Barre just closed. Not to mention curing male pattern baldness and erectile disfuncion.

What a crock of shit this whole project has become. It's more complicated than the Medicare Prescription Drug plan.

The latest is the vendor fee.

PLAINS TWP- The regulations require any vendor that does more than $2,500 in business with a slots operator in a 12-month period to register with the board. Businesses that do $2,500 to $200,000 in business must pay $2,000, and those that do more than $200,000 in business must pay $4,000.
Woytowich said he provided catering services to Mohegan Sun last year for meetings held on and off site. The racetrack has spent about $1,400 as of August 2005, he said.

So if a small restaurant wants to keep doing business with the track they have to pay a licensing fee? This is FUBAR.

They closed the pool

This one hits home in Wilkes-Barre

First the Heights lost the fire station now they lost their swimming pool.

WILKES-BARRE-

Mayor Tom Leighton announced late Friday afternoon that the Coal Street Pool will not open for the 2006 season. The pool’s structure and pump system need significant repairs, he said.

I remember when the Coal Street Pool opened when I was still in school. When it was built they closed the Hollenback pool and filled it in. When I was a kid I spent my summers either playing pick-up baseball at Guthrie Field which is now locked-up or swimming at Hollenback. I remember riding my bike over to Coal Street after our pool was closed until my Mom said no.

All the attention is on the big projects downtown. Take care of the little things. Kids need a pool!

We can't lose Rick Santorum

I'm having a re-think about Rick Santorum. What would we do without him? Politics is a contact sport but it is also entertainment. Who is more entertaining than Ricky? He spent Friday campaigning with Sen. Bill Frist, the majority leader, talking about malpractice reform.

But Santorum's wife sued a doctor for $500,000 in 1999. She claimed that a botched spinal manipulation by her chiropractor led to back surgery, pain and suffering, and sued for twice the amount of a cap Santorum has supported.

Just after Frist left town he started running radio ads attacking Casey for saying he would have voted for a bill that Frist sponsored. That's gratitude.

This is the second media buy from the Santorum campaign and they both have attacked Casey on some made up issue. The first one was about the sneak and peek at the house he doesn't live in. Nothing positive about our visitor from Virginia.

He claims to be a conservative ( remember them?) but thinks it's OK for the government to spy on your phone calls, but not his. He also said that the way to support our troops is to put one of his bumper stickers on your car. At first he favored Intelligent design then he was against it. And he is a fiscal conservative, you know, against government spending but spends his time traveling the Commonwealth handing out pork checks. He has outside groups running ads that tell you what a great guy he is but they won't tell you who is paying for them. And he is running away from Bush.

I won't even get into the whole Terri Schiavo controversy other than to say what conservative would put the government in the middle of the most painful decision any family could face? But he did it with style. He flew to Florida on Walmart's corporate jet and blew off a voter forum about Social Security "out of respect for the family." But he found time to hit a few fund raisers and came away with a couple of hundred grand. One of the Philly columnists called it "Poetry in Motion."

What about the other guy? Bob Casey is boring, boring, boring.

Our Part of the Bargain

Above Average Jane asked other than voting, what is our part of the bargain?

I can't get past the voting thing. I know many people who just won't vote. Why? When I ask I get a myriad of reasons. The excuses I get seem to boil down to one thing. People are lazy. It takes time and effort to be an informed voter. Most of us that write political blogs do it as a hobby. Politics is our thing and find it hard to understand that many people just aren't as interested. But voter or not everybody has an opinion about the government. It's frustrating to try to figure it out.

The problem politicians run into was summed up by Edmund Burke; "Your representative owes you, not his industry only, but his judgment; and he betrays instead of serving you if he sacrifices it to your opinion." Our responsibility is to hold their feet to the fire but respect them when they make a principled decision that you don't agree with. You have to remember that our system of government is designed in a way that no one person or group of people should get their way all of the time. You have to make a deal. When our representatives settle for something less than the ideal, that's when all hell breaks loose. And it should. We have to constantly remind them why we sent them there.

Marc Holtzman

Does anyone remember Marc Holtzman? He ran for Congress in 1986 and got clobbered by Paul Kanjorski. He moved to Colorado and is running for Governor. But things are not going well for him.

Holtzman fails to make governor ballot

Holtzman fell 743 signatures short of the number required to gain a spot on the August primary ballot, according to Colorado Secretary of State Gigi Dennis.
Locked in a bitter fight with Congressman Bob Beauprez for the Republican nomination, Holtzman failed two weeks ago to win enough support at the state party assembly to secure a spot on the ballot. Holtzman's backup plan was to gather 10,500 signatures from Republican voters to guarantee him a place on the ballot....

Many political experts were shocked by what they saw as the incompetence of Holtzman's signature-gathering operation.
"Good grief, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to read the law and figure out how many signatures you need," said John Straayer, a professor of political science at Colorado State University.
Straayer said that Holtzman had neglected the fundamentals of building a campaign organization and gotten too caught up in his own image-making.
"This whole enterprise has been way too much Marc Holtzman and not a solid campaign organizational base," he said.

I have nothing to fear

When the Nazis came for the communists,

I remained silent;I was not a communist.

When they locked up the social democrats,I remained silent;I was not a social democrat.

When they came for the trade unionists,I did not speak out;I was not a trade unionist.

When they came for the Jews,I did not speak out;I was not a Jew.

When they came for me,there was no one left to speak out


First they came for the Muslims, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Muslim.

Then they came to detain immigrants indefinitely solely upon the certification of the Attorney General, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't an immigrant.

Then they came to eavesdrop on suspects consulting with their attorneys, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a suspect.

Then they came to prosecute non-citizens before secret military commissions, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a non-citizen.

Then they came to enter homes and offices for unannounced "sneak and peek" searches, and I didn't speak up because I had nothing to hide.

Then they came to reinstate Cointelpro and resume the infiltration and surveillance of domestic religious and political groups, and I didn't speak up because I had stopped participating in any groups.

Then they came for anyone who objected to government policy because it aided the terrorists and gave ammunition to America's enemies, and I didn't speak up because...... I didn't speak up.
Then they came for me....... and by that time no one was left to speak up.

Stephen Rohde, a constitutional lawyer and President of the ACLU of Southern California, is indebted to the inspiration of Rev. Martin Niemoller (1937).

A response to Jane

Mark at Wilkes-Barre Online did the homework:

No, I d say we need to pay strict attention to what they do, as well as every other elected official. And we need to hold them accountable. Unfortunately, we do seem to be paying strict attention, but what we remember, or what we choose to believe has become too selective.
Leftie bloggers see only the faults of the Republicans and vice versa. If the lefties are so completely motivated to dump Rick Santorum, why do they seem so content with obvious boobs such as Cynthia McKinney, or Harry Reid? Reid’s a stooge, but I wouldn’t argue with you if you called Santorum something equally disparaging. We need not dump just the Republicans boobs. We need to dump all of the boobs.
What is our part of the bargain? I guess that depends on how much time you, as an average Joe, can devote to politics, but I’d say our part of the bargain should be putting our country first and our party second for the good of said country. But more importantly, we should demand that the elected folk do likewise.
Good freaking luck on that one, because, as we all know, the only thing wrong with politics is that other party.
Right?

The problem with the Republicans

They just don't get it. The Republicans have been running the show on the state and national level for too long. And they have made a mess of things. There is a balance to politics. When the pendulum swings too far in one direction it swings back to the other. The Republicans have expanded the government and have decided to act outside the law. Be it the NSA wiretaps or the 2AM pay raise

Even the the Republicans I know have had enough.

PA politics

Check this out if you are interested in state government. Three reformers were on PCN.

Eric Epstein, Rockthe Capital.org

Chris Lilik, Young Conservatives of PA

Timothy Potts, Democracy Rising PA

The link is here:

http://www.pcntv.com/callprogram.htm

You can watch the show online at ...http://www.pcntv.com/callprogram.htmScroll down page to listing for the Wed., May 31, show -- click on "play" button. You'll need QuickTime player to view the show. (Links like this one are only available a few days.)

A big thanks to Bill Bostic!

More fun with reassessment

The CV has an article telling you why it should be delayed. And the TL has one saying why it shouldn't. It was originally scheduled to be completed this year just in time for the new tax rates to hit in the spring of 2007. Gee, what else is scheduled for the spring of 2007? That's right, the primary election for Luzerne County Commissioners. I guess spending another $700,00 to put it off until 2008 is no big deal. You don't want to confuse people or make politicians justify their decisions in an election year. What the hell, they already borrowed over $7 million to do this, what's a few hundred grand more "to get it right." If it goes on longer they can float another bond.

Just add it to the debt they have piled up for this, to renovate the Penn Plaza Building, remodel the River Common, give golden parachutes to 100+ county employees (and hire them back as consultants), to meet payroll the last 3 years and a few other things that escape me at the moment. I can't wait until the election of 2007 when we can take away their (our) credit card. I feel like a victim of identity theft.

Don't look up

A new music venue is opening in Edwardsville and A Flock of Seagulls is one of the first acts booked. I'm a sucker for 'has been' 80's bands and I'm looking foward to seeing this one.

EDWARDSVILLE:

The walls still need painting. The floors need sweeping.The green room, where performers will lounge and get ready for their shows, still needs to be furnished.And a deadline is looming large. The Spitfire Theatre is set to open this Friday with Richard Lewis, a top-name act in stand-up comedy, as its first headliner. Spitalik, 35, a former stand-up comedian whose flame-eating act earned him the nickname “Spitfire,” is accustomed to the spotlight. But he isn’t free with jokes at the moment. The owner of the new business concedes he’s staking “a lot” on a belief that he, Edwardsville, other area business owners and the region will benefit from the mid-size entertainment venue he’s creating at the revived Gateway Shopping Center.....

He already has bookings into November. Among them are national acts like The Knack and A Flock of Seagulls, as well as local bands. Entertainment will vary from pop to country, jazz to swing.

A challenge

My blog buddy Above Average Jane has issued a challenge or asked a question, depending how you look at it.

We in the blogosphere write and comment a lot on what we want from candidates and elected officials. Things are seldom a one way street however; other than voting, what is our part of the bargain? What should we be doing during campaign season? If our candidates are elected, then what? Do we just sit around until the next election? I asked Joe Hoeffel this question in the most recent interview and he gave this answer
Q.: In the bargain between elected officials and voters, what are the responsibilities of each?A.: Great question with a simple answer. Voters must stay informed, and officials must stay honest.What do you think? Are we making a bargain with candidates? If so, what is our part? If you have your own blog and are interested, write on a posting on this topic sometime next week and let me know when your posting is up. I’ll compile a list of all of them on Friday. If you don't have your own blog, leave a comment on this or another participating blog. Let's see what we can come up with.

I'm working on my response. But if anyone wants to weigh in on this I will be happy to post it. Toss me an email or put it in the comments.

10th CD update

“You can’t be proud of this congressman.” -former Georgia Sen. Max Cleland

CLARKS SUMMIT-Mr. Cleland, a decorated Vietnam veteran who lost his legs and part of an arm in the war, spoke to about 45 people at the Clarks Summit VFW. He endorsed Mr. Carney, of Dimock Township, Susquehanna County, because of his “honor and integrity” and “family values.” He talked about Mr. Carney’s war experience as a lieutenant commander in the Naval Reserve, saying Mr. Carney had a unique perspective on the war in Iraq that could help if he is elected. “We have the chance to get someone better than what we have here,” Mr. Cleland said. “Don Sherwood has not represented this area and its values.”

I picked up something interesting from the vote count in Wyoming County according to the Wyoming County Press Examiner:

In contested races locally, outside of the 20th Senate and 117th House races, there were few surprises, except that a number of observers were surprised at the strength of Kathy Scott in her Republican Primary challenge to U.S. Rep. Don Sherwood's 10th District seat. District wide, Sherwood garnered 56 percent of the vote to Scott's 44 percent. In Wyoming County, Sherwood had 67.8 percent of the Republican vote compared to Scott's 30.5 percent, and the rest given to write-ins.However, the 2,579 votes that Sherwood did receive were down by 863 from the 3,442 votes he received two years ago in the Republican Primary, when he was unopposed. Last week's showing suggested some voter upset over Sherwood's admitted relationship with a woman not his wife that ended last year but led to charges of physical abuse. Those charges were settled last November out of court.

The CV and the Scranton Times had a story about how Kathy Scott almost pulled it off:

She doesn’t think it was an accident. She did not improvise. She had a plan. Seasoned politicos question the role played by Scott’s $12,000, classic grass-roots campaign based out of her Williamsport home, but she said she thinks her hard work and election savvy helped her almost topple a sitting Republican congressman in the sprawling 14-county 10th Congressional District.

I like Kathy Scott. She was almost a giant killer. If she decides to run for office in the future I will consider helping her. She concentrated on the so called super voters. I'm one of them but I don't live in her district. So now the choice is easy:

Click on the image.

The Pennsylvania Republican civil war

Perzel rousing ire in party faithful

When Mark Harris was born, John Perzel was wrapping up his third term in the state House.
But Harris - a self-styled Reaganite who upset a longtime Republican House incumbent this month - showed no deference when asked about the future of the powerful speaker of the House.

"John Perzel has to go," Harris, 21, barely of legal age to serve in Harrisburg, told KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh the day after his primary win. "He is out of touch with the rest of the Republican Party. I think he is out of touch with the rest of the state of Pennsylvania."....

One House Republican compared Perzel (R., Phila.) and his leadership team to "George Custers. I have some major concerns with those who led us into this ambush, with those who led us into this slaughter, with the George Custers who led us into this massacre," said Rep. Will Gabig (R., Cumberland), who fended off a GOP primary challenger.

"The question now is do we continue with the same people who got us here and hope for the best in November, hope more people don't get their heads taken off, or do we make changes?"

If the Republicans keep a majority and Perzel survives as speaker you can expect Mark Harris (if he wins) to be the junior member of the special committee on tire recycling.

Memorial Day

The Senate race

There is an old rule to politics, the challenger doesn't win the the election, the incumbent loses it. Every thing I have seen so far is like Santorum wants to lose this election. He calls attention to his house in Penn Hills. Every story about it leads with the fact that he doesn't live there. Dumb. I 'm sure anyone who reads this site is aware of all the controversey.

If Rick was a Conservative I could respect him. He's not. He has been travelling around the Commonwealth handing out pork checks to every local government he can find.

What happenened to the Republican Party I grew up with?

Remember them? The party that wanted to balance the budget and keep the government out of your life.

It's more government in a weird way.

There are other candidates

Libertarian Meets Signature Requirement for November Ballot in a Single Day

Lower Providence Twp. - In another aftershock of the anti-incumbent earthquake, PA Clean Sweeper James Babb, the endorsed Libertarian challenger for State Representative in district 157, has collected the necessary signatures to be on the ballot.
Pennsylvania election law requires third-party and independent candidates to collect 466 signatures from district voters to qualify for the ballot in district 157. Although 55% larger than the major party signature requirements for their primaries, Babb's requirement was easily met in a single day at the polls Tuesday. The Babb for Pennsylvania volunteer team completed the task months before the August 1st deadline. Registered Republicans and Democrats who showed up to vote in their primaries gladly filled page after page with their signatures.
"Now voters in our district will have a true choice in the fall." said Babb. "Many voters in our district are concerned about the never ending tax hikes and runaway spending authorized by incumbent Carole Rubley. I look forward to debating these issues at the earliest opportunity. I want to know why she keeps taking more and more of our hard-earned money."
Babb's platform includes a pledge to personally read all legislation that he votes for, and cite the exact clause in the Pennsylvania constitution that authorizes any new law he supports. He also pledges to pursue the repeal of all existing laws not explicitly authorized by the constitution. He advocates common sense, free-market solutions instead of expanded government power.

It's Memorial Day weekend and vets support vets

Former Sen. Max Cleland to speak at Carney event

Former Sen. Max Cleland will be the guest of Christopher Carney, Democratic candidate for the congressional race in the 10th Congressional District, for a Memorial Day campaign event at 5 p.m. on May 29 at the Wyalusing Municipal Park, the Bradford County Democratic Committee has announced.


Max Cleland is a decorated Vietnam War veteran who was awarded the Silver Star and the Bronze Star for valorous action in combat, including the Battle of Khe Sanh. On April 8, 1968, Cleland lost two legs and an arm in a grenade explosion, and he today serves as an advocate for all veterans. He was the administrator of the United States Veterans Administration under former U.S. President Jimmy Carter.

The way this man was smeared by his opponent in his re-election bid still sticks in my craw. A chickenhawk bastard who never served a day in uniform put his picture next to Osama's. Well, where is Osama?

He went to Vietnam. He didn't get a place in the National Guard or had an anal cyst or received 3 deferments because he "had other priorities." I urge my readers in the wild north to go out and say thank you to this true American Hero.

The full schedule is at Carney for Congress.

The Governors race

From Political Wire: Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell (D) has opened up a huge lead over challenger Lynn Swann (R), according to a new Rasmussen Reports poll. Rendell currently tops Swann 52% to 34%, an astounding 21-point gain for Rendell since April’s poll. These numbers represent Rendell’s largest lead to date in his bid for reelection.

Rapid Edward will motoring up I-81 at the speed of light to attend an event in Wilkes-Barre tomorrow. He will still be late.

CV: Gov. Ed Rendell will be the guest speaker at a Memorial Day service Saturday at 6 p.m. in front of the Vietnam War memorial on the Luzerne County Courthouse lawn. The Luzerne County Vietnam Veterans Memorial Committee is hosting the event in Wilkes-Barre.

Has anyone seen Number 88 in the area? He just bailed out on an event in Williamsport that pissed off the organizers so he can get his picture taken with Tom Ridge instead. And they raised $15,000 for him. As West Branch Manufacturers’ Association Executive Director Michael J. Sharbaugh said, "It’s hard to understand. It makes you wonder, if he were going to be governor, would he keep his commitments?"

Cell phones

Some of my friends are celebrating the elimination of an antiquated tax on telephones. For most people it will mean a couple of bucks and will increase the deficit. It would be nice if they came up with a way to cut spending in an equal amount. I may be wrong but I think cell phone customers will benefit the most. Good for them.

I hate cell phones. What is so important that you have to be glued to one of these devices? You turn into a dog on a leash and can't even use the excuse that you weren't home when somebody called. I have been out for dinner where 3 of the 4 people at the next table have all been yelling into the things. A few days ago I'm trying to watch a ballgame at my local pub while some idiot was searching for the perfect ring tone. I left. I have had many close calls while driving when some jerk had one of them glued to their ear. It's just a matter of time before I get clobbered. When I ask why some one has a cell phone, the most common answer is in case I-my wife-girlfriend-kid-Aunt Tilly break down. How often does that happen?

I would not cut taxes on cell phones, I would increase them! Pennsylvania has a lot of Nuisance Taxes. This is one of the biggest Nuisances in my life.

Hugo's house is sold

Who would want it? I guess if you live in New Jersey next to oil refineries and toxic waste dumps a few bodies in the back yard is no big deal.

WNEP: The home where accused murder Hugo Selenski lived sold Thursday morning at auction.
The place in Luzerne County went to a New Jersey couple for $160,000. The home comes with a notorious past. It was the backyard of the home near Dallas where the remains of five people turned up three years ago. Selenski lived there with his former girlfriend.
The government seized the property during the probe "because of its connection to illegal activity," according to Luzerne County District Attorney Dave Lupas.
Selenski has a new address. He is in prison on murder charges.

The DA that couldn't get a conviction is upset about all the attention.

TL: “Rather than just glorifying that this was the property that Mr. Selenski lived in and making light of what may be unearthed or uncovered in the back yard. … Dead murdered, human beings were dug up from that property. That’s fact,” District Attorney David Lupas said. “People need to know that.”

Lupas is unsure if his office will get a slice of the proceeds.

Carney's chances improve

It's good to see one of the local papers catching up with what this and every other blog has been reporting for over a week. The combination of people waking up to the incompetence of the Bush administration, Sherwood's outrageous behavior and the throw the bums out mood of the people of Pennsylvania has made this a competitive race.

TL: Democrat Chris Carney's chances of upsetting U.S. Rep. Don Sherwood have improved, according to two nonpartisan sources that analyze congressional campaigns.

The Cook Political Report and Congressional Quarterly report the 10th Congressional District race is now competitive, but still give the Republican from Tunkhannock an edge.....The Cook Report changed its assessment of the race from Likely Republican to Leaning Republican. CQ changed its assessment from Republican Favored to Leans Republican, noting Sherwood's tepid primary showing against political neophyte Kathy Scott in last week's election.

The four-term congressman reported spending more than $350,000 in the seven months on a primary campaign against Scott, a little-known challenger from Williamsport.
Scott didn't file a campaign finance report before the May 16 election because she raised and spent less than $5,000 in campaign money. Yet she captured 44 percent of the Republican vote.

"This mediocre performance underscored the political damage done to the congressman by a sex scandal and emboldened Democrats who think they can pull off a big upset in a conservative-leaning district that usually is a Republican stronghold," Congressional Quarterly reported May 17.

"Forget Waldo! Where's Hoffa?"

All these years of jokes about NFL players doing touchdown dances on top of Jimmy Hoffa in the Giants Stadium endzone may go out the door. He may be in Michigan.

MILFORD, Mich., May 23 — The most popular items on the menu at the Milford Baking Company these days are the 95-cent "Hoffa cupcakes" featuring a green plastic hand reaching up through chocolate icing and candy sprinkles designed to resemble dirt....In fact, agents are preparing to begin the next phase of their search for Mr. Hoffa, which commenced a week ago. Workers from a local demolition company said they were asked to arrive Wednesday to start tearing down a 100-foot horse barn.
The barn stands over the spot where an F.B.I. informant, now in prison, claims he saw Mr. Hoffa buried in 1975, rolled up in a rug. A large tent was erected on Monday to house the horses that will be displaced by the excavation.
The dig on the farm, about 30 miles northwest of Detroit, is the most extensive search for Mr. Hoffa's remains since he disappeared 31 years ago from the parking lot of the Machus Red Fox restaurant 17 miles east of the farm.

Fun with Rick

All the attention today has been about Santorum's radio ads complaining about some sort of made up invasion of his privacy. He cares about his privacy but he doesn't care about the privacy of anyone else. Just a side note, his first media buy doesn't say why you should vote for him, but he says the other guy is a bum.

A tip to KP for this gem from York Blog:

It shouldn't have come as any surprise. Santorum has some odd views about privacy - mostly that people have no right to it.

Which, when you think about it, is an awfully weird thing for a person who calls himself a conservative to believe.....

To sum up, Santorum thinks people do not have a right to privacy. And he thinks that the government collecting our phone records is not a violation of whatever privacy we can expect to have, which is none, as far as he's concerned.

It's kind of confusing.

So I called Santorum's office. I thought someone there could try to straighten this out.

But then, I figured, if Santorum doesn't think the government collecting all of our phone records violates our privacy, he certainly wouldn't mind giving me all of his phone records so I could analyze them and put them in the paper.

I'm sure his phone records are a lot more interesting than mine. I only call for pizza now and then. He's probably calling lobbyists and fundraisers and, maybe, 1-900 numbers to phone lines where you can talk dirty to Rin Tin Tin.
I got his communications director, Robert Traynham, on the phone. Traynham offered a clarification. He said he thought his boss was speaking in the context of the government asking the phone companies to hand over records of every phone call made in America.

OK, but he did say it wasn't violation of privacy. So I asked Traynham if I could have records of all of his boss's phone calls.

He didn't understand the question.

I tried explaining, saying that since Santorum doesn't think it's an invasion of privacy, he wouldn't mind releasing records of his phone calls.

Traynham said, "Not at this time."

And then he said it was "a trick question," asking whether Santorum was planning to let everybody see his phone records.
I didn't think it was a trick question.
He did.

And he thought it was a "leading question."
And then he said he wouldn't "dignify" my questions with answers.
That happens to me a lot.
So from this, we can conclude a few things.

Either Santorum doesn't really understand the meaning of the word "privacy."
Or he thinks he's entitled to it, while you're not.

Joe Leonardi for Congress

I got a press release from the Leonardi campaign. Kanjo never sends me anything. It's a heads up about a LTE that will probably not get published in the local rags:

Leonardi for Congress
228 Main Street Dupont, Pa 18641Leonardi4congress@yaoo.com

(570) 718-1511

Dear Editor: On Saturday I spent the morning in Scranton to support our local Veterans. The Armed Forces Day Parade is a long-standing Scranton tradition which, being a veteran myself, I whole heartedly support and appreciate. I was saddened by Saturday’s low spectator turnout. The outstanding women and men of the United States Armed Services, who volunteer their lives to protect both our freedom and democracy, deserve not only to be remembered, but celebrated. I've talked about the formation of a NEPA Volunteer Corp., and once implemented, the volunteers will make Armed Forces parades and memorials a top priority. Among those priorities will be to ensure the continued existence of the Scranton Armed Forces Day parade. We live in an era in which those who oppose war can protest war, yet not protest those heroic individuals who fight in it. I am confident that all members of our community share my pride in our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines. During the upcoming Memorial Day weekend, I am optimistic everyone can find a way to recognize the sacrifices and contributions the brave members of the United States Armed Forces engage in on a daily basis.Finally, I want to thank WYOU for their coverage of the parade.

Thank You,

Dr. Joseph F. Leonardi,

Republican Candidate,U.S. House of Representatives PA District 11

Let's just wait until after the election, wink-wink, nudge -nudge

CV: Luzerne County officials are running out of time to implement the first countywide reassessment and an upcoming meeting should determine whether approximately 160,000 property owners have new tax rates in effect for 2007.

Maybe I'm just cynical but if you read the stories in papers about the ongoing reassessment Todd and Vondy are dragging their feet on this. They are raising all sorts of objections to delay the new property values being implemented which might result in many people having to pay more property taxes until 2008. Even if it means paying 21st Century Appraisals more to extend the contract.

The primary election for commissioners will be in 2007. A plus is they are trying to blame Steve Urban for the delay.

Fun in the Senate race

Thug?

Somebody looked into the windows of some house that Rick Santorum owns but doesn't live in and he goes ballistic. He doesn't live there and the place is empty.

This is the best little Ricky can do.

Read Santorum Blog

Beer in PA

Tip to Lou's List for pointing this out. Anheuser-Busch has bought out Rolling Rock and will close the local brewery. In the future the rocks will be made in New Jersey.

PITTSBURGH-But news that Rolling Rock will be leaving Latrobe, a town of about 9,000 people, spells trouble for the local economy and has upset residents who have seen generations of local people go to work at the brewery.
Tom Marflak, Latrobe's mayor, called the move "an injustice for the city."
"It goes without saying how disappointing it is to hear the news that Rolling Rock will no longer be brewed in Latrobe," he said. "It goes beyond just the brewery."
He said the sale could lead to a rise in unemployment or the relocation of families. If the plant closes, he said, taxpayers would pay a price.

Boy this global economy is just great. A few years ago Anheuser-Busch wanted to buy Yuengling but Dick Yuengling wouldn't sell. He realized that they would just take the recipes and close the local bottling plants. Now Yuengling is one of the fastest growing beers in the country! He realized he could have become a very rich man but he would have damaged his town and put his workers out in the street. The advantage he had is that it is a privately held company. Thank you Richard L. Yuengling jr., your head and heart are in the right place.

No Decision yet

The numbers are bouncing all over the place in the 118th State Rep race. The district includes northern Luzerne County around Pittston and a part of Monroe County.

WILKES-BARRE - Luzerne County officials on Friday conducted a 14-hour count of Tuesday's primary election returns, and the official vote count erased some votes officials say were erroneously added during Tuesday's unofficial count of paper ballots.
As a result, Arthur Bobbouine, Luzerne County chief deputy sheriff, went from winner to runner-up in the Republican primary for the state House 118th District seat.
Maureen Tatu, a Chestnuthill Township supervisor in Monroe County, appears to have won by 11 votes. According to the unofficial vote count, she trailed by 20 votes. Tatu's vote total now stands at 818. Bobbouine's total is 807.

This one is headed to a recount.

In the 117th Karen Boback is the apparent winner. I know James May mounted a write-in campaign but I have not seen the final numbers.

Boback edges out Carroll for GOP race for Hasay seat