Santorum snubs Bush

When George Bush visits the Tobyhanna Army Depot tomorrow Sen. Rick Santorum (R-VA) will be 100 miles away.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports on the "scheduling conflict":

When President Bush touches down in Wilkes-Barre to talk about the war on terrorism Friday, the Senate's No. 3 Republican - the vulnerable Rick Santorum - will be 116 miles away in Philadelphia addressing the American Legion. Unavoidable scheduling conflict, Santorum's office says.

As the GOP loss in the Virginia governor's race Tuesday showed, however, it might also be a blessing to be in a different media market when Bush and his rock-bottom approval ratings come to your state.

Senator Specter and Congressman Kanjorski will be there but our junior Senator can't rearrange his schedule to join him? As 2 Political Junkies points out:

Yea, right. This is the guy who dropped everything to stand next to the Schaivo family in Florida. He can't clear his calendar for a coupla hours to stand next to the leader of his party who also happens to be the leader of the free-world?


Maybe the new Keystone Poll might have something to do with it.

Bush Favorable 34%-Not Favorable 54%. Santorum Deserves re-election 33%-Time for Change 49%. If the election for Pennsylvania's U.S. Senator were being held TODAY Casey 51%-Santorum 35%.

With Santorum trailing his likely opponent by double digits and Bush's popularity hitting new lows you can bet that Ricky and many other Republicans don't want to be seen anywhere near him. Even Bob Novak sees the obvious.

For a liberal Virginian to win a Southern red state signaled that cherished Republican majorities in both House and Senate, plus all the perquisites they entail, could be lost in 2006. Eyeing the Democratic landslide in suburban northern Virginia just over the Potomac from Washington that gave Lt. Gov. Kaine the governorship, Republicans in Congress envision their own doom. The antidote to avoid that fate is to keep as far away from President Bush as possible, a lesson underlined by the president's failed election rescue mission for former Virginia state Attorney General Kilgore. The consequences may be profound. As his approval rating dipped, Bush increasingly has been treated in Congress as a lame duck. Tuesday's Virginia outcome increases the propensity of Republican senators and House members not only to avoid their president on the campaign trail but also to ignore his legislative proposals.

Cynthia Ore and Don Sherwood settle lawsuit

The timing of this is great coming the day after the local elections. Give credit to the Sherwood campaign to try to bury it in all the other political news but the national media and the blogs will pick it up, this one is hopefully one of the first. This just shows what a hypocrite this guy is. Mr. Family Values has these ratings:

The Christian Coalition of America gives Sherwood an 84 percent rating for voting with the coalition's positions on legislative issues.

The American Conservative Union rates him at 88 percent.

The American Family Association gives Sherwood a perfect 100-percent rating.

From the TL:

U.S. Rep. Don Sherwood and the woman who said he beat her throughout their five-year affair settled a lawsuit Tuesday. A three-sentence press release issued by Sherwood spokesman Paul Clark said Ore and Sherwood, R-Tunkhannock, "have resolved their differences and the lawsuit will be dismissed." Terms of the settlement are confidential," the statement said. "The parties will have no further comment.”

It alleged years of abuse by the married congressman, who admits to having a five-year affair with Ore, but denies ever assaulting her. The lawsuit stated Sherwood repeatedly struck Ore on her face, neck, chest and back; violently yanked her hair; and tried to strangle her by placing his hands around her neck. It also says Sherwood threatened to harm Ore if she talked to police about the alleged abuse.

Israel Ruiz, a Metropolitan police officer who took photos of Ore during that second investigation, told the Times Leader he believed Sherwood should have been arrested. He said the congressman was given preferential treatment because of his political position.

I have had enough of sanctimonious people like this who want to tell me how to run my life but can't keep their own house in order.

No to Russell Nigro!

The people of Pennsylvania have made some minor history. For the first time a sitting judge lost a retention vote. Before I get into reasons for the loss I want to point out that the poli sci major in me is overjoyed. Why have an election when the incumbent never loses? Most of us don't know who these people are or what they do and the selection of appellate court judges should be taken out of the political arena. He lost by just over 10,000 votes and the other justice on the ballot Sandra Schultz Newman got a scare. The anti- judge sentiment even spilled into other retention votes. Luzerne County Judge of Common Pleas Mark Ciavarella received a 41% no vote, when the no's are usually around 20% or less.

Since the legislature was not on the ballot in this election the wrath fell on the judges. It was brilliant send them a message politics backed by political groups all across the spectrum. The 2 a.m. paygrab caught the attention of everyone who has an interest in politics and government. In an off year election a well motivated informed electorate can make a difference and we did. This fight is not over, just the opening round of a long challenge. Our lawmakers in the last few days have come up with some repeal measures that are full of this that and the other type of exceptions. That's bullshit. These clowns are now trying to backpedal and be seen as repealing the raise but leaving a bunch of loopholes so it can be still collected. We will see what happens next year when we vote for our members of the legislature.

Voting

Mrs. Gort and I just got back from voting and sadly we were the only one's there when we cast our ballots. As stated earlier I voted no on the judges and cast yes votes for Carolee and Eric Knappman. We also had three offices up for election in our little township that were all unopposed. One of the offices up for election was tax collector and I don't understand why this is an elected position. Some of our tax collectors in Luzerne County have recently been convicted of not turning over the money. It's another bill, mail it in like you do with the electric, gas or water. I know I'm sounding like a broken record saying these positions shouldn't be elected and now I'm watching an ad for a guy who is running for tax collector in Scranton. TV ads cost money for a position that can't pay very well. You wonder about the motivation.

Luzerne County elections

Today is one of two best days of the year for political junkies like me. Local elections are not as sexy as the selection of a president or governor but I have never missed an election since I became 18 years old a long time ago.

Turnout will probably be low in Luzerne County as there aren't any competitive races. I'm sure Jill Moran will be re-elected and Maryann Petrilla will become the next Controller. But I won't vote for them.

The Controller is supposed to keep an eye on the rest of the county government and should be independent. Steve Flood was certainly independent and became a pain in the neck to to his fellow Democrats. He united the local party in their desire to rid of him and Petrilla's list of donors reads like a who's who of area Democrats, including the sitting commissioners. So I will vote for Eric Knappman because he is not part of establishment and is not beholden to them. Plus I think his financial planning background will be an asset in managing the pension fund.

As I've said before jobs like Prothonotary and Register of Wills are clerical positions that should not even be elected positions. Same goes for Jury Commissioner who's only official duty is to once a year hit the print button on a computer to get a list of prospective jurrors. Well if we have to vote for these offices here are my picks. The Register of Wills race is easy since the only name on the ballot is the incumbent Democrat Dottie Stankovic. She has stepped on the toes of the local party leadership and they ran a challenger against her in the primary. But her legion of polka fans came out for her and she won easily. I hate to see anyone be unopposed and the Republicans didn't even put up a token candidate. But Dottie has shown a streak of independence and will get my vote. The Prothonotary race is the only one that has had any kind of debate with Republican Carolee Medico-Olenginski accusing her opponent of rarely being in the office. Then last week it was revealed that someone else was signing Moran's name to deeds when she wasn't around proving Carolee's point. Legal or not, it was pretty stupid thing to do and shows a serious lapse in judgment. I'm for Carolee. Jury Commissioner? I'll skip that one.

Supreme Court retention, Judges Russell Nigro and Sandra Schultz Newman

Lot's of reasons to vote no on these two.

-First of all it never has been done, no sitting Pennsylvania judge has ever lost a retention vote. A few years ago a Lackawanna County judge, I think his name was Eagan, lost a retention vote after he had been idicted for theft. Let's make some minor history.

-Second, the pay raise furor. Sure they voted to repeal it but some technicality still might give it to the judges. We can't vote against the legislature so let's vote no on these 2 and send them a message.

-Third is there expense account spending. Nigro likes $400 dollar dinners and Newman charges back nickel and dime stuff as outlined in this Daily News article.

-Fourth is why do we elect judges? The Court of Common Pleas is the one that people who turn to legal system encounter so that should be an elective position. But the judges on the the Superior and Supreme court's? They are elected in pointless statewide elections were the candidates can't answer any questions about the issues of the day so we usually get bio ads that tell us how tough on criminals they have been and end by saying they will lock up all the drug dealers.

Anyone with an interest in this subject, and I you are out there, is welcome to comment

Ryan Howard Named NL's Rookie of the Year

Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard, who led all first-year players in the major leagues in home runs with 22, was elected the National League winner of the Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year Award today. Howard, batted .288 and drove in 63 runs in 88 games and 312 at-bats, including 11 homers and 27 RBI in September/October. Howard is the fourth Phillies player honored, joining Scott Rolen, Dick Allen and Jack Sanford.

He had 22 homers and 63 RBI's in half a season.

Now what to do about Thome?

Redistricting

One of my favorite PA political analyst LVDem at Keystonepolitics links to a story in the Centre Daily Times that outlines a plan to establish a redistricting commission in Pennsylvania. It is probably a non-starter as I can't envision the politicians giving up the power to draw their own district maps. But is worth a try:

Rendell said a redistricting commission would allow an independent citizens commission to do what is now the highly partisan process of redrawing legislative district boundaries after every 10-year census. The process now gives lawmakers of the party in power the ability to gerrymander districts to maintain power.

"I think that redistricting has created so many safe seats in the Legislature that people aren't as responsive to the public as they should be," Rendell said.

"Generally, we should have a process that ensures public input," he said. "We can't be afraid of the public. If the idea's worth passing, we ought to listen to the public."

Similar plans are on the ballot in Ohio and California tomorrow, the polling I have seen suggests they will both lose. That's a shame, the founding fathers intended the House of Represenatives to reflect the mood of the people every two years. I think every district should be drawn as closely as possible and eliminate unopposed elections wherever possible. But it is a tough nut to crack as the recent uproar in Wilkes-Barre over a redistricting plan shows.

The West Wing live debate

I had a dilemma last night, either tune into my favorite political show or watch the Eagles lose again. Of course I couldn't resist the West Wing debate. It started off with both candidates agreeing to throw out the rules and have a real exchange of ideas. Congressman Santos and Senator Vinick covered the positions of the Democratic and Republican parties right out of today's papers. By the end, it was clear that Santos had won. Some highlights from MSNBC:

The first question went to Vinick:

"What would you do to seal the Mexican border (to illegal immigration)?"

"Enforcement first, that's my policy," said the California senator. "I would double the border patrol."

"I don't know how you're going to find room in the budget to double the border patrol with the tax cut you're proposing," fired back Santos, a Texas congressman.

A bit later, Santos promised a million jobs would be created in his first term.

"How many jobs will you create?" Sawyer asked Vinick.

"None," he replied. "Entrepreneurs create jobs. Business creates jobs. The president's job is to get out of the way."

And, inevitably, the term "liberal" was debated, as well.

'Republicans have tried to turn 'liberal' into a bad word," said Santos. "Well, liberals ended slavery in this country."

"A Republican president ended slavery," Vinick retorted.

"Yes, a LIBERAL Republican, Senator. What happened to them?"

If only the real debates were this good.

Note: I found a really good roundup of coverage at the West Wing News Blog.

The future of television

With more video content being offered on the web it is only natural to tie it to TV sets. Many cable companies already have video on demand for movies and NBC announced the Nightly News will now be available to download any time on MSNBC. The New York Times has the latest on the attempt to merge the internet and television:

Yahoo and TiVo plan to announce a deal today that will connect Yahoo's vast online service to TiVo's set-top boxes, which, in addition to recording television programs, have a largely unused capability to connect to the Internet.
The deal will allow TiVo, which has been struggling to differentiate its service from generic video recorders offered by cable and satellite companies, to offer a range of content and services linked to the Internet.

As Yahoo and most other major media and Internet companies rapidly develop video programming, users may want to watch some of it on big screens in their living rooms, rather than on PC monitors. David Katz, Yahoo's vice president for entertainment and sports programming, described the deal as a first step as Yahoo explores TiVo's technology.
"Our core business today exists on the computer because that's where the majority of our users are," Mr. Katz said. "Our goal is to provide our users on any platform with whatever content they are most interested in."

It's just a matter of time before new televisions being sold are hybrid machines with computer capabilities that can access the web.

Sunday

I enjoy Sunday. Read the papers and watch Meet the Press and the other news shows, then NFL football. I rarely get to do it.

Today the sports news is dominated by soap opera that has become TO and the Eagles. First I heard he is suspended for conduct detrimental to the team and now CBS and ESPN radio is reporting that he will play tonight. Whatever, I doubt if the birds will make it back to the Super Bowl this year. The biggest problem is they are too pass happy. If Donavan has a bad game they are sunk, they need a big bruising back to take the pressure off of him.

Back to Sunday. I cut the grass for the last time this season and attempted to organize the shed when it started raining. The dog got a bath and he is still pissed off about it. I was disapointed that Coughlin lost to Valley West.

Penn State had a great game yesterday beating Wisconsin 35-14 and moved up in the polls to No. 6. PSU could beat anybody right now. But the pecking order of the polls will work against them. They are headed to the Fiesta Bowl and hopefully a matchup with Notre Dame or Florida State.

Enough of this rambling, I'm going to blast U-2's Sunday Bloody Sunday.

Wilkes-Barre Area School Directors

There are five candidates running for four seats on the W-B Area School Board. Two incumbents, John Corcoran and Brian Dunn, received both the Democratic and Republican nominations. Mr. Corcoran is rumored to be on the short list to succeed Dr. Hudock as Coroner and says he is interested in the job. The other two were not as fortunate. Jim Height received the Democratic nomination and is running as a team with with Brian Dunn. Charles Luce was the odd man out and received the Republican nod. As I pointed out before he has sent out a mailer reminding voters that he is a Democrat running on the Republican ticket. They all claim to be opposed to tax increases but they raise them every year. Dunn and Height say they are against closing any of the schools and Luce wants to look at consolidation.

The newcomer in the race is Lynn Evans who received a duel nomination and was the second highest vote getter in the primary. I met her a few months ago and she came across as very knowledgeable about the challenges facing the district. She wants to take a look at these tax free KOZ zones to find a way to get some revenue out of them and she opposes closing any of the high schools. She also addresses the way the board does business and nepotism in an article in The Citizen Voice:

"I don't play the whole political game very well," Evans said. "I hope that just being me works."Evans hopes to bring more urgency to the board and to get rid of what she considers to be "secrecy." She vows to be open about the board's decision making and will not make decisions behind closed doors, she said. Evans also wants to work to keep the district's three high schools in operation. Bringing in money to the district is important, Evans said, and she wants to work toward squeezing money out of tax-free KOZ zones in the district. To really dig in Evans wants to enact "some kind of fair hiring system," she said."That seems to be a biggest thing people talk about," she said.

"People have had enough with nepotism."

Amen to that.

Sugar Notch

Only in Luzerne County can a Mayor be forced to resign over a backhoe incident. This guy has all sorts of financial problems and his friends tried to help him out. Today's Citizens Voice has the story:

Last week, three council members learned the other four - Ellis, the mayor's brother, James Mullin; Herman Balas and David Balakier - had arranged a private vote to give the mayor $2,500 in advance for backhoe work. He was to work 250 hours for $10 an hour.The check was written to Mayor Mullin, but was disguised in the March treasurer's report as a payment to Lenahan Oil Co. Namey said she did that because council members George Gushanas, Matthew Lukachinsky and Dolores Gegaris were unaware of the situation.

He also has some legal problems. So the guy resigned and the only other candidate on the ballot is the Green Party candidate Mario Fiorucci. The Republicans don't even have a candidate. If this Green candidate can actually get more votes than the disgraced Mayor he will take his place. I hope the voters of Sugar Notch vote him in and send a shock wave throughout the county.

Erik Knappman for Controller

The local elections are only a few days away and the most important job up is the County Controller. There are two candidates that I don't know much about. But from what I know it's an easy call. From the CV:

The only issue in the race is the lawsuit over over the pension fund.

Petrilla is non committal:

The board manages the $185 million pension fund and is the plaintiff in a lawsuit seeking millions of dollars in damages. Petrilla wants to meet with the board's lawyers to learn the nuances of the suit. She has not decided whether the board should proceed or try to settle.

Eric Knappman supports the suit:

Knappman said he understands the importance of the controller's vote on the retirement board and the board's management of the $185 million pension fund. He supports the board's racketeering lawsuit that seeks millions of dollars in damages against former county commissioners. "The court has found merit with that lawsuit," Knappman said, adding that he would compare the suit's legal expenses versus its damages as it proceeds..

In other words she would do what she is told and drop the suit. If we have Deomocratic Commissioners we should have a Republican Controller.

Lisa Baker for State Senate

From her press release:

For nearly 20 years, Lisa Baker has been serving the public interest with distinction. She has held various leadership positions within Pennsylvania state government, including Deputy Chief of Staff to Governors Tom Ridge and Mark Schweiker; Director of the GovernorÂ’s Northeast Regional Office; Chief of Staff to State Senator Charles D. Lemmond; and Research Analyst to Senate President Pro Tempore Robert C. Jubelirer.

What she wants to do in the state government was not addressed.

There is another candidate to succeed Charles Lemmond that announced previously:

On Oct. 4th, David Maderia announced his candidacy for State Senate at the Pierce St. Plaza in Kingston. The text of his speech is available here.

But there is another potential candidate out there on the GOP side. A well informed Luzerne County Republican operative gave me the scoop. Mayor Haggerty of Kingston will announce he is running for the seat after the new year.

It is disappointing that no serious Democrat has come forward.

Sherman Hills

There was another shooting at the Sherman Hills Apartment Complex. How many times have we heard of some crime being committed there? Shootings, stabbings and drugs. The place is a magnet for trouble. Maybe the place should be shut down and bulldozed. It may not do any good and just move the problems somewhere else. But it is worth a try. I don't know about the zoning laws and all that but a few single family homes on that site would be welcomed by the neighbors.

Phillies have a new General Manager

"We have somebody older than me, and that's good, too,"said manager Charlie Manuel, with a laugh. "He's going to do a good job for us. I think his experience speaks for itself."

This guy has the experience. He was the GM of the Blue Jays when they won the World Series in 1992 and 1993 and the team took 5 division titles when he was there. He was in charge in Seattle when they won 116 games in 2001.

I caught him on Daily News Live on Comcast last night and he actually answered the questions posed to him. The Phils have gone from being a bad team to being a pretty good team that just misses the playoffs. He said his first thing to do is re-sign Billy Wagner and reconized that he is a free agent and teams like Boston and the Mets are willing to throw a lot of money at him. He conceded the Phillies can't compete in a bidding war but said the club will make him a fair market offer. He also said the Thome/Howard situation is a good problem to have and conceded the solution will not come until spring training.

We have a veteran baseball guy running the show now.

George Pataki at Wilkes tonight

New York Governor George E. Pataki will present the Allan P. Kirby Lecture in Free Enterprise and Entrepreneurship at Wilkes University Thursday, November 3rd at 7:30 p.m. in the Dorothy Dickson Darte Center for the Performing Arts. The focus of Governor Pataki's address will be the "National Cry for Political Leadership."

Sounds kind of dry, but I'm sure I will see a few other political junkies there tonight.

Pay raise

The Pennsylvania State Senate just voted 50-0 to repeal the pay grab, it now goes to the house and I'm sure they will agree. Wow, our elected officials actually listened to the people. I'm glad they did it but they are not off the hook. They are hoping we will forget about this stunt when they are up for election next year. They did it out of fear of losing their jobs and they still deserve to be booted. They passed the original bill in the middle of the night with no debate or hearings before hand. Then Rapid Edward signed it and talked out of both sides of his mouth about his reasons.

The credit for bringing the heat can be spread around. Chris Lilik, who authors GrassrootsPA the best PA politics site around led the charge. He and his fellow Young Conservatives set up a website InformedPA.com , bought billboards and ran radio ads in the districts of the leadership. Russ Diamond started Operation Clean Sweep with the goal of getting rid of every member of the legislature. And the anger even spilled over to the Judges up for retention that I wrote about previously. GOP candidate Jim Panyard leads that charge.

In one of the few times of my life the voice of the people was heard by our elected officials.

No thanks

My blog buddy Dr. Rick invited me to join his endevors at the The American Check-UP.

I'm not ready to do that yet. I wander off into national issues once in a while but I try to stick to what is going on locally. I'm one of the few that do that. In fact, the only bloggers that deal with W-B and Luzerne county are me, Bill Fitz and the Blogfather.

Lately we have had some great post counter post debates. I think it's great! I will probably vote for the Republican candidates in the county elections because I think the Dem's have been there too long and have become corrupt and arrogant. The same thing in Washington. The GOP is running the show and they have made a mess of things. Time for a change. I have always been a registered Democrat but I think I'm more of a goo-goo. I want good government. The people who are in charge of the county government have not served us well. The Commissioners had to borrow money this year just to cover operating expenses and they had to that the year before. Plus they have floated bonds for all sorts of improvement projects. That's a lot of debt folks. The games with jobs being created is still going on.

About Washington. How about managing the country's finances. At the end of President Clinton's term the government was taking in more than it was spending. When the surplus was building instead of coming up with a bunch of new spending programs it was used to pay down the national debt. Of course a tax cut was warranted but they got carried away. Common sense tells you you can't have enormous tax cuts and a massive increase in spending. If you and I ran our households like this we would be sleeping in a box on top of a grate.

Nobody is asked to make a sacrifice. When we are at war no one is asked to pay for it. If the Army can't meet it's recruiting goals, no one is asked to serve. Everything is free. Mr. Bush is the worst occupant of the White House in my memory.

Luzerne County Prothonotary

A few days ago Democratic incumbent Jill Moran said this in the Citizens Voice:

"If you're a good manager, you can run a good office and you don't have to be there all the time,' Moran said. "I haven't had any complaints about the way my office is run. I'll be in the office as much as I need to be."

This was in response to the charge by her Republican opponent former Prothonotary Carolee Medico Olenginski that she is rarely in the office. One of the joys of politics is when your opponent proves your point for you, it has been revealed that a clerk has been signing Moran's name to official documents when she is not around. The Times-Leader has the details :

The fine print says Luzerne County Prothonotary Jill A. Moran was present when Sheriff Barry Stankus signed a deed of sale and declared the facts contained in it were true. The document even bears Moran's signature. But Moran acknowledged Monday she had her office clerk, Lana Bidwell, sign her name on that deed and others sheriff sale deeds when Moran was busy or out of the office. Moran said she had Bidwell sign so the documents wouldn't miss deadlines.

Everybody has deadlines and are usually aware of them so they can schedule their time accordingly. The lawyers will determine if this is legal but the other county officers do not allow other people to sign their names. Legal or not, it shows a serious lapse of judgment, especially for an attorney. Carolee makes some good points:

"Whether she gave Lana permission or not, those are legal documents, and I don't believe she has the legal right to have someone else do that for her." It would be less suspicious, she said, if Bidwell had put her own initials after Moran's name or had written "Lana Bidwell on behalf of Jill Moran." Medico Olenginski said she believes the signing of Moran's name was an attempt to cover up Moran's lack of presence in the office. Moran says she's in the office as much as she needs to be and constantly communicates with staff when she's not there. "Obviously Jill Moran is never there because I'm sure the sheriff would accommodate her schedule," she said.

Inflatable dam in Wilkes-Barre

The inflatable dam in W-B is in the news again. When I first heard about it my first reaction was this sounds like pie in the sky. After reading up on the project, it still does.

When I was a kid I went fishing between the the Market St. and Pierce St. bridges. We would throw our lines out and reel in sucker after sucker with an occasional carp. We didn't even use bait, not much has changed. The last time I was near the river it smelled like a sewer. From what I understand, when it rains the storm water runoff overwhelms the treatment plants because they are tied to the same drainage systems. Some action has been taken to isolate the systems but it will take a long time and much money. I remember seeing these orange things in the water and a buddy explained they were "Jimmy Floaters."

The Jimmy Floaters are a result of sewage mixing with mine water and the rest of the poison in the river. I think congressman Kanjorski should at least be credited with trying to come up with an idea to improve things. But a river has to flow and building a dam is not a viable option.

When I wrote about his opponent in the upcoming election who's main criticism was the dam, Joe Leonardi the Republican candidate made it a centerpiece of his campaign. It's probably a minor issue for most people but the cleaning up the river is important to all of us.

Happy Halloween

For more holiday fun, observations on gender differences and some funny pics visit Miss Cellania.

Baseball is over here comes Winter

A late congrats to the Chicago White Sox on winning their first World Series since 1917. The Red Sox won it last year and broke the curse of the Bambino. And now the south siders get past the Black Sox scandal. It's like some sort of exorcism is going on in the world of hardball. If the Cubs will barbecue a goat we can get all this behind us.

So the off season chatter begins. Who will be hired as General Manager and where will the free agents go?

The Phillies principle owner put out a statement a few days ago:

After extensive study and charting every home run the past two seasons, we have decided to make changes to the existing left field wall. Details on this project will be forthcoming.

They are going to move the fence back! In this day of home runs, it's good to see a team try to make a correction.

State Supreme Court Justices Russell Nigro and Sandra Schultz Newman

I received an interesting e-mail from Jim Panyard, a Republican candidate for Governor. He points outs many things that are wrong with the way we pick judges in Pennsylvania and how people can register their outrage over the recent pay raise. He even quotes Vito Corleone to support his argument! Anyone who uses the Godfather to make a political point is all right by me. It is such a well reasoned position, I have to share it with you:

The Panyard Report #2 From: James Panyard

Sent: Friday, October 28, 2005 10:59 AM

Subject: The Panyard Report#2

WILL THERE BE A COST FOR THE SUPREME COURT PAY GRAB?

By Jim Panyard

Pennsylvania's judicial elections have, based on voter turnouts, meant very little to the state's voters. Traditionally a turnout of 12 to 15 percent of registered voters, or about 6 or 7 percent of those over the age of 18, has determined who will dispense truth and justice from state benches.

The system for selecting judges is deeply flawed. It politicizes those who are supposed to dispense "blind justice" and objectively interpret state law.

When judges are beholden to the money and voter turnout mustered by special interest groups such as labor unions, the Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers, state lawmakers and political parties, they cease to be "citizens above suspicion."

Controversial rulings by Pennsylvania courts, up to and including the state Supreme Court, are always colored by a deep suspicion that someone or some group "pulled some strings." Those suspicions are warranted.

Lawyers seeking to become judges aren't picked by an Act of God. They have been politically active, party loyalists, significant contributors to Republican or Democrat candidates and parties and have shown a willingness to, if "not rock the boat", then to at least "play ball" and be aware of "how the system works."

One is reminded of the classic film, "The Godfather." Don Vito Corleone tells a subject he has just granted a favor, "Perhaps, some time in the future, and that time may never come, I will call upon you for a favor."

Imagine a lawyer, desirous of becoming a judge, asking a regional or statewide political Don for his favor and help in securing election to a judgeship. The words may not be the same as those of Don Vito, but do you imagine the message is any different?

This November 8 Pennsylvanians will again have the opportunity to select judges, but the scene is slightly different than the typical "off year", low turnout, apathetic voter judicial election.

Two state Supreme Court Justices, Russell Nigro, a Democrat and Sandra Newman, a Republican, must stand for "retention" to secure another 10-year term on the state's high court. They are both from the Philadelphia region of the state.

What makes this year's election different is that taxpayers are still enraged about the mammoth, unconstitutional pay grabs for the governor, state lawmakers - and state judges - that was passed on July 7th, at 2 a.m.

Adding fuel to the fire is the fact that the Chief Justice of the State Supreme Court, Ralph Cappy, who, fortunately for Ralph, is not standing for retention this year, was the original designer of the pay hikes ranging from 16 to 54 percent.

That makes Nigro and Newman potential targets of voter wrath on Nov. 8. The Republican Party that carried the pay raises through the state House and Senate, both of which it controls, has already said it will put up significant dollars to defend Newman. In all likelihood, the Democrats will do the same for Nigro.

On the other side of the financially imbalanced scale are angry taxpayers who may or may not get up off their duffs on Nov. 8 to sacrifice Newman and Nigro as symbols of their disgust with "business as usual in Harrisburg."

There is no well funded, statewide organized campaign to set the upheaval in motion. Just a glowing hope that people still care enough about their freedom to use what is left of it in the voting booth

(Mr. Panyard is a candidate for the Republican nomination for Governor of Pennsylvania.)

Hooters Air

Thanks to the Times-Tribune:

The first Hooters Air flight took off for Florida at 7 a.m. Thursday and arrived on time.

The low-cost carrier affiliated with the Hooters restaurant chain begins with two round trips a week to Orlando, Ft. Lauderdale and St. Petersburg, Fla. Starting Nov. 17, Hooters will double the weekly flights to both Fort Lauderdale and St. Petersburg, airport officials said Thursday. Some of the added flights will make brief stops at Lehigh Valley International Airport in Allentown to pick up additional passengers.

This is great, another choice when you want to go somewhere.

What the hell is a Prothonotary?

The title Prothonotary means first officer. As the Clerk of the Court of Common Pleas Civil Division, under the supervision of the judges of this court, the Prothonotary generally has the power to sign and affix the seal of the court to all writs and processes, and, also to the exemplification of all records and process.

And why is it an elected position? It's an administrative post with no policy making powers. We have many elective offices that are clerical in nature, this is one of them. I doubt if many people know what the Prothonotary, Register of Wills or Clerk of Courts even do. I even saw a TV ad for some guy that is running for Tax Collector someplace. His name was Charlie Spano and the ad didn't even tell you what district he is running in.

All these positions probably require someone with good organizational skills and maybe in the past it was important to have elections for them. Today I think we have too many jobs up for election and it becomes confusing. These jobs should be filled with people with strong managerial backgrounds and they should be hired by the elected officials who have policy resposibilties. In short, an administration. We had that chance a few years ago when a new county charter was proposed, but it failed.

So we are stuck with another election for offices we don't know a lot about. But at least there are some fireworks in one of them. Some choice quotes in the Prothonotay race.

From the Times-Leader:

During a interview Thursday with the Times Leader editorial board that, Medico Olenginski, a Republican who lost re-election four years ago, said:

-Revenue is down while filings in the office are up.
-The office's new computer software program isn't working well.
-Prothonotary Jill Moran is rarely in the office.
-Some checks are taking too long to cash and process.

Moran fire back:

Moran insists the computer system was a wise choice.

"Mrs. Olenginski hasn't been in the office since I took office, so how would she have personal knowledge about the computer? I'd be interested in having an intelligent conversation with her because she doesn't know what it does or how it works. "We went live March 1. No data was lost. That is just an absolute lie. I'll call it what it is because it's an absolute lie."

And Carolee let's her have it:

Medico Olenginski said many people have reported to her that Moran is rarely in the courthouse office, and Medico Olenginski doesn't buy Moran's excuse that she's often working out of the Hazleton office. Medico Olenginski said she would be a full-time prothonotary as she was before because of her strong "work ethic."

Moran said she is in the office "as much as I need to be."

If we are going to have elections for these obscure offices at least we get some entertainment.

Friends of Charlie Luce

I received a piece of election mail today, the first of the season. It was from Charles F. Luce, an incumbent Wilkes-Barre Area School Board Director. In it he points out that he received the Republican nomination but lost the Democratic nod by 12 votes. He points out that he is "still a Democrat but on the Republican ballot."

And that's all it said!

The school board was envisioned as a non-partisan position. That's why the members are not paid and the candidates are allowed to cross file for election.

None of the issues facing our schools were addressed. Not even the usual I did this, that and the other and want to do better in the future.

Vote for me because I'm a Democrat, pretty lame.

Note: The picture is of Coughlin High School in 1919 from Capt'n Clint's Place.

Effective marketing, serious art or both?

Alex at Pstupidonymous is off travelling the world this week and has taken a break from blogging. But he left us with something to think about.

Surprise

Exxon Mobil, Shell Post Record Profits

By STEVE QUINNAssociated Press Writer
DALLAS

High prices for oil and natural gas propelled Exxon Mobil Corp. and Royal Dutch Shell PLC to their best quarterly results ever on Thursday, with Exxon becoming the first U.S. company ever to ring up quarterly sales of $100 billion.

To put Exxon's performance into perspective, its third quarter revenue was greater than the annual gross domestic product of some of the largest oil producing nations, including the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait. The world's largest publicly traded oil company also set a profit record for U.S. companies by posting net income of almost $10 billion, according to Standard & Poor's equity market analyst Howard Silverblatt.

Erik Knappman vs.Maryanne Petrilla

One of the most important jobs in the county government is the Controller. As anyone who reads this site knows I am a big fan of Steve Flood. The local press have portrayed him as some sort loose cannon. Sometimes we need loose cannons, rabble rousers and bomb throwers. He stepped on the toes of the powers that be and they took him down. We need people that will throw their hands in the air and say stop! He was a stickler for the law and he reminded the Commissioners of it. Thank you Mr. Flood for your service to the taxpayers.

Now we have to decide who will succeed him. I have to admit I don't know much about either candidate. Maryanne Petrilla is the Butler Township manager. I don't know what her responsibilities are, but it sounds like she is the mayor of the town. If so, I would like to hear from somebody who lives there and tell me if the trash is picked up and streets are plowed when it snows. Her opponent is Eric Knappman who had a financial advise show on WILK. He has a construction business and became a certified financial counselor.

I haven't been contacted by either candidate in the mail or any other means. If anyone has more info please send it to me.

Some news from around Pennsylvania

Little Blog Blue congratulates Rick Santorum on being the most disliked Senator in the entire country.

The Washington Post has a summary of some of Don Sherwood's recent fundraising. He has received $26,000 from the PACs of the House Republican leadership. An interesting note is that the money can be used for either election or legal expenses. That's a relief as I was wondering how he was going to pay his lawyers.

The civil war in the PA Republican party has spilled into Montgomery County. The County Chairman is instructing people to back off the pay raise. If the reaction on GrassrootsPA is any indication, he may have thrown gasoline on the fire.

For news, opinions, and issues affecting the people of Upstate Pennsylvania check out the The Bud Angst Report. He covers taxes, protests, hunting and more.

LVDem covers several interesting stories at Keystone Politics. A bill has been introduced in Harrisburg to scrap emissions testing of cars that is probably going nowhere because of federal mandates. He also gives an update on the Allentown mayoral election and pay raise repeal-not. But the best story is about a controversy involving a singing parrot:

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) -- A yellow-naped Amazon parrot from the National Aviary in Pittsburgh sang 'How much is that doggie in the window?' and 'Alouette' to surprised senators Tuesday. The parrot, named Groucho, sat on a perch in a Senate visitors' balcony and sang in a warbling, croaking voice for several minutes after Lt. Gov. Catherine Baker Knoll, who presides over the chamber, formally recognized the bird and an aviary staff member with it.
Immediately afterward, Sen. Robert C. Jubelirer, the chamber's president pro tempore, was seen scolding Knoll on the Senate floor.

The last few days the Blogfather has been pointing out just how stupid some of the arguments in Washington are. People aren't so much concerned about Harriet Miers, Roe vs. Wade or teaching evolution as they are about heating their homes this winter. And he takes exception to my snarky comments about Cheney's visit. I don't think it is possible to wage class warfare today. I remember at the last Republican convention they declared the War on Poverty to be over, the poor lost.

RIP

More progress in Iraq.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. military announced the death of an American soldier wounded in Iraq on Tuesday, bringing to 2,000 the number of American service members killed since the war started in 2003, according to an Associated Press count.

U.S. Army Lt. Col. Steve Boylan, director of the force's combined press center, said via email, "The 2,000th Soldier, Sailor, Airman, or Marine that is killed in action is just as important as the first that died and will be just as important as the last to die in this war .....

Since the U.S.-led invasion in March 2003, more than 15,000 American service members have been wounded in the conflict, according to the Defense Department.
According to CNN's tally, 2,194 coalition troops have died in the war.

General Zod 2008

Carl at Simply Left Behind has seperated at birth comparison photos of new Fed chief Ben Bernanke and DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff. The resemblance is striking and I chirped in that they both look like General Zod. Check out the 3 of them here.

Which reminded me of something Pope George Ringo brought to my attention a few days ago. General Zod is running for President! Finally, a candidate we can all willingly obey or else. Reading his platform, he does sound like a Republican but plans to run as an independent. He states his reasons for running clearly:

When I first came to your planet and demanded your homes, property and very lives, I didn't know you were already doing so, willingly, with your own government. I can win no tribute from a bankrupted nation populated by feeble flag-waving plebians. In 2008 I shall restore your dignity and make you servants worthy of my rule.

Check out his entire platform at General Zod 2008.

Oil

A spirited debate about gas prices started in the comments of my previous post and has continued over at The American Check-up.
Some seem content that the recent spike in prices have somewhat abated and don't think it should an issue to be concerned about anymore.

Well I don't know anyone who isn't concerned about the price of gasoline, fuel oil and natural gas. It cost me $2.50 a gallon to gas up my car yesterday and I was recently notified that our budget plan to heat our home will be $50 more per month than last year. That is a big chunk of money that I would normally spend on other things. This enormous rise in energy costs in such a short time frame is going to have all sorts of negative consequences. Inflation is going to spike as the price of energy affects the price of just about everything. People will have less disposable income and will be forced to cut back purchases of non-essential goods and services. And that will hurt retail sales, manufacturing and entertainment industries. If inflation keeps increasing at the 1.9% (22.8% per year) rate it did last month the Fed will hit the brakes, raise interest rates dramatically and probably send the economy into recession. Not to mention the hardship it will cause for people of modest means who are going to have to make some very unpleasant choices.


This is not a new problem. We have gone through one oil crises after another since 1974 when OPEC cut off our supply because of the US support of Israel in the Yom Kippur war of 1973. President Carter tried to move this country toward energy independence and was ridiculed for his efforts. Because of our dependence on foreign oil this country is now involved in the 2nd war in the Middle East in the last 15 years. There are more to come. Oil is the biggest national security threat to our country. If we didn't need oil who cares if Iraq invades Kuwait or any other country? We wouldn't be sending billions of dollars to the middle east to fund their armies and terrorists. Right now the US is financing both sides of the war in Iraq. The Republicans answer? Give tax breaks to companies that are swimming in money to encourage more drilling. Common sense measures like raising the CAFE standards, encouraging conservation and developing alternative fuels are ignored. Of course there is no money in doing those things. Am I the only one who doesn't think it's a coincidence that the top jobs in the government are held by oil men and we're paying almost $3 a gallon for gas?

Dick Cheney's visit

Dick Cheney was in Shavertown yesterday for some super secret fundraiser for Sen. Rick Santorum (R-VA) who came away with $300,000 for his campaign with another $200,000 going to a secure undisclosed Republican warchest. I was disapointed I wasn't invited to this event but found out why in the Citizens Voice:

Vehicles under $40,000 were in short supply on Sutton Road in Jackson Township on Friday. BMWs, big model Mercedes and even a Bentley were common sights in the upscale neighborhood that played host to a $1,000-a-plate fundraiser for U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum.

I drive a Ford.

More Red Ink

Luzerne County is facing another hole in it's budget and the Commissioners have decided to borrow another $14 million using some creative accounting. As outlined in the TL this years shortfall is a result of a failure to collect about $6.5 million in taxes over the last 2 years and not getting together the paperwork in time to refinance existing debt that would have saved over $8 million. I suppose this is some sort of progress as they borrowed $17 million last year to pay the bills. Put this new loan on top of all the other borrowing they have done for capitol improvements and pretty soon most of the county budget is going to be used for debt service.

The World Series

The Astros wrapped up the NL pennant last night by beating the Cards 5-1 led by another strong outing by pitcher Roy Oswalt. Both Houston's and Chicago's pitchers have been terrific. We are probably going to see some low scoring games.

From a history standpoint you almost can't get a better matchup. The Astros have never even been to the series in their 43 years of playing ball. But the sentimental choice will be the White Sox who last won it in 1917. They lost to the Dodgers in 1959 and haven't been back since. They had two other appearances that are notable. The 1919 team that lost to the Reds will forever be known as the Black Sox because of a gambler's attempt to fix the outcome. That scandal still affects the game today, just ask Pete Rose. And in 1906 they won their first title by beating the crosstown Cubs.

It should be a great series, I just wish it was on earlier.

Chris Carney for Congress

The Carney campaign is joining in a creative way to reach voters. Instead of the usual blather and glandhanding how about actually helping people out. The details are here:

Democrat Chris Carney, candidate for Congress Pennsylvania’s 10th Congressional district, will participate in public service events organized by GoodWorks-PAC.org. On October 29, Carney will work in coordination with GoodWorks-PAC.org, local volunteers, and the Meals-on-Wheels Program of the Sunbury-Northumberland Interfaith Council of Churches to support housebound senior citizens in and around Sunbury, PA.

The whole idea is to help housebound seniors with their chores. It might be raking the leaves or going grocery shopping. The candidates should connect with the real problems of people and understand the challenges of everyday life. Most members of Congress are so busy raising money they forget about the problems of the people who sent them there.

Sewer Authority increases rates by $30

It will now cost more to flush the toilet. From the Times-Leader:

The board voted 12-1 to adopt a budget that increases rates by $30 a year for each household unit beginning in 2006. The rate for the average household will increase from $130 to $160 a year.

They are citing the increased cost of natural gas, loss of state funding and the closing of Techniglass as reasons for the hike. Add in the cost of gasoline and it's only a matter of time before the electric utilities put in for a rate increase. Only one board member questioned the increase and suggested ways to cut spending:

Joseph Mazur, the only authority board member to vote against adopting the budget, said the proposed budget concealed the rate increase. As he called for board members to postpone a vote on the budget, Mazur suggested that the authority could reduce expenses by eliminating frivolous expenses in the more than $17.6 million budget. He opposes monthly $700 allowances for five administrative employees who are on call around the clock. He also questioned the authority's three satellite offices in West Pittston, Wilkes-Bare and Nanticoke.

I read on the Authority web site that there are 14 board members. Why so many? Are these people paid? That's one area they can cut expenses. As Joe Mazur said;

"I can't see raping these poor people for something they really don't need."

We have something in common

This is on Political Wire:

Cindy Adams claims President Bush, "spending inordinate time working on handling his multiple problems of Iraq, Supreme Court, Karl Rove, gas prices, sliding polls, economy, has begun rehearsing answers to questions that might come up at a press conference.

More importantly, he's even watching reruns of West Wing."

This is good news, I think he can learn from President Bartlett. He should probably be watching this season. The White House is dealing with a national security leak. Sound familiar?

One more thing to worry about

Gas prices, terrorist alerts, bird flu and the flu flu. Now this from Peter at Blondesense:

Pet owners worried as dog flu spreads across United States

"Experts said the flu is spreading steadily through the United States affecting dogs, with no vaccine available to curb it. Perhaps five percent of its victims are dying. "Researchers recently found to their surprise the virus had crossed over from horses to dogs, striking greyhounds at racetracks in 11 U.S. states. Now it has been found in pets in California, Florida, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon and Washington state."

The whole story is available at Canada.com

I guess if this gets to be a big problem the military will start drafting Veterinarians as the proposed solution to a bird flu outbreak is to impose martial law. From CNN:

A call by President George W. Bush for Congress to give him the power to use the military in law enforcement roles in the event of a bird flu pandemic has been criticized as akin to introducing martial law.

Every time you wake up in the morning the government is trying to scare the hell out of you. What happened to the confidence in our people that Ronald Reagan always spoke of? We are better than these fear mongers that are in charge at the moment. If you listen to Bush long enough you will never get out of bed in the morning. They want you to lay there with the covers over your head, pissing your pants worrying about the bogey man under the bed or in the closet.

Why I prefer to shop by myself

Thanks to Miss Cellania for this and other male/female observations.

Wilkes-Barre redistricting

Lots of happenings in our county seat. The biggest political news is that the city council has appointed another commission to draw up the lines for new districts that will come into effect in 2007. From the TL:

City council voted last week to throw out the existing districts and form a new commission. Councilwoman Kathy Kane said that decision was motivated primarily by a dislike of the sprawling districts that gave little regard for neighborhoods.

The first plan drawn up by a commission in 2002 was a work of true gerrymandering. It divided the city into strips that cut across the neighborhoods. When the referendum was approved I think most people wanted a local councilperson to represent where they live. That spirit was ignored by the previous commission. At first I didn't like the idea of districts as it would lead to horse trading; you vote to pave my street, I will vote to fix your bridge, etc. But when I think back having a local advocate might have helped. I grew up in the North End and one of the worst things that ever happened to us was when they closed the Hollenback swimming pool because they built a new one at Coal Street Park. The kids of North End, Brookside, Parsons and Miners Mills had their swimming pool taken away. The new one was in the Heights. I wasn't allowed to go to the Heights because my Mom thought it was too far and not safe.

Hasay is hiding out

State Representative George Hasay was a no show for the Luzerne County GOP shindig. Bill Fitz is very disapointed, check out the details at My Take.

Health care

I will start off with this rant I put up on Carney for Congress:

The cost of health care impacts every business large or small. I read recently that almost $10,000 of new American car goes to pay for employee and retiree health care costs. When I was a manager of a small hotel we kept as many positions as possible part time to avoid benefit costs. I now work for a large concern but my premiums and co-pays have gone through the roof. I recently had to deal with a family member who needs long term care and she lost her house to pay for it. This is NUTS! We are the richest country on earth and we can’t figure how to take care of our people. And don’t tell me the government can’t efficiently administer a large health care plan. Medicare spends 3% on administration while most private plans are in the range of 20-25%.

From the TL:

Health insurance costs are estimated to rise 15 percent for Luzerne County government workers in 2006.

Why can't the state and the county employees join forces. The more numbers the better the deal. Mix in the schools and you have great deal.

Blame it on the internet and video games

From the TL:

WILKES-BARRE – A male juvenile was arrested on disorderly conduct charges after he made a homemade explosive device using toilet bowl cleaner on South Welles Street on Wednesday, police said. The incident is under investigation.

This kid may have a bright future as a chemical engineer.

Santorum and U2

Senator Rick Santorum is holding a $1000 a head fundraiser during the upcoming U2 concert in Philadelphia. It was originally reported in a way to suggest that Bono supported him. Carl at Simply Left Behind has a good play by play:

Yesterday, Rick Santorum's office issued a press release disguised as a story in Newsmax.com.

On Sunday, October 16, a unique political event will take place. At a concert of the legendary rock group U2, Senator Rick Santorum will hold a fund-raising event for one night only. (emphasis added).

U2 front man Bono is no stranger to Washington, D.C. He has come often to the nation's capital to network with politicians on behalf of his many causes. Santorum met Bono earlier this year, having been introduced by John Kasich, the former congressman from Ohio and host of Fox News Channel's "Heartland."

Naturally, Bono and the organization this tour is supporting, DATA, were quick to issue an embarrassing response...
"It is not uncommon for politicians, from both parties, to organize events at all kinds of music concerts and other entertainment events. If any political fundraising events take place at a U2 concert, it is without the involvement or knowledge of Data, U2 or Bono. U2 concerts are categorically not fundraisers for any politician - they are rock concerts for U2 fans."

CapitolBuzz sums it up:

NewsMax's misleading story that U2's Bono is raising money for Santorum is particularly interesting since in his book, It Takes A Family, Santorum describes Bono as satanic and ties U2 to the liberal view of society that Senator Rick hates so much. It's also noteworthy that Santorum is more than willing to stomach U2 when he's raising money for his campaign. His hypocrisy knows no bounds.

This behavior is not new for the Senator from Virginia. When he put himself in the middle of the tragic Terri Schiavo situation in Florida he cancelled a town hall meeting about Social Security out of "respect for the family." However he was able to make it to three fundraisers in the state and came away with over $200,000 in campaign cash.

Local links

I asked for local links and you have responded. This picture is of the USS Wilkes-Barre, a Cleveland class cruiser built during WWII. If you want the details of the ship it's here. The ship was damaged by a Kamikaze off Okinowa in 1945.

Retention of Judges

State Supreme Court Justices Russell Nigro and Sandra Schultz Newman (pictured at left) , both of Philadelphia, are up for a 10 year retention vote on November 8. They were both elected in pointless statewide elections were the candidates can't answer any questions about the issues of the day so we usually get bio ads that tell us how tough on criminals they have been and end by saying they will lock up all the drug dealers. That has been a succesful policy as we all know since all the drug dealers have been taken off the street since they were elected. So now we must decide if they deserve to continue on the bench.

A new twist has been added this year as they have become the lightening rods for everyone who is mad about the pay raise recently enacted by the legislature in Harrisburg. From the Pittsburgh Post Gazette:

Citizen groups angry about state legislators' big pay raise want to vote incumbent lawmakers out of office on Nov. 8. There's only one problem -- there aren't any legislators up for re-election next month. So the pay-raise protesters are doing what they consider to be the next best thing. They're urging Pennsylvanians to take out their frustrations on two state Supreme Court justices who are up for a 10-year retention election on Nov. 8 -- Russell Nigro and Sandra Schultz Newman. Ousting them, the protesters say, would send a strong statewide message that political incumbents aren't safe, no matter who they are, and it might even lead legislators to rethink the raise.

Thanks to Republicans and Conservatives for pointing out this article. DJB makes a very good case on why we should vote no on these people. As the article points out these people are get along/go along with everything that is wrong with Harrisburg.

More reasons to vote against these two was detailed by John Baer in the Daily News. Mr. Nigro has a taste for expensive restaurants:

He charges for lunches of more than $100 at Capital Grille and the Four Seasons; dinners of more than $200 at Bliss and Pompeii; dinners of more than $300 at Mio Sogno and Prime Rib: dinners of more than $400 at Prime Rib and Morton's.

Newman has more modest tastes:

She charges for her AOL and Comcast hookups, for her On Star service and for $10 tips to hotel bellhops and doormen (nothing against bellhops and doormen; just wish her generosity came out of her own pocket). She charged $165 for a private driver to take her to a conference. And she charged $5.05 for a soft drink and a quart of Half & Half from the Acme "for a meeting."

All this on their expense accounts! You and me pay for this.

I have always voted no on these retention questions, now I have a good reason.

Ed Wade is fired

One World championship in 120 years. 5 appearances in the World Series 1915, 1950, 1980, 1983 and 1993. And people obsess about the Cubs and Red sox futility.

Somebody had to take the fall and take responsibility. The team this year was exciting. They didn't fold down the stretch. I remember all the so called experts saying they would need 90 wins to make the playoffs. But they won 88 and missed the playoffs by a game. They were right.

He signed Jim Thome and Billy Wagner but locked up payroll on Lieberthall, Abreu and Bell.

We need a Billy Bean type guy. There a few experienced GMs out there, I hope the Phillies will grab one.

There is an election in Luzerne County?

No yard signs, radio or TV ads, nothing in the papers and I haven't received anything in the mail. The Times-Leader pointed out something I've noticed or not noticed. Three row offices are up for grabs this November and the candidates are almost invisible.

The most important position is Controller. Our present Controller Steve Flood was a pain in the neck to the powers that be and he was targeted by his own party for defeat. He was willing to put up his hand and was willing to say stop and think about this. So now the Democratic nominee is Maryanne Petrilla the business manager for Butler Twp. I don't know much about her but I hope she will put her loyalty to the taxpayers ahead of her debt to the party. Speaking of debt, her last filing shows she has a $70,000 campaign debt. Her opponent is Eric Knappman who I know nothing about. Even my friends in the local GOP don't know much about him. If anyone can enlighten me, please do.

We have a rematch in the Prothonatry race. Jill Moran, the incumbent Democratic prothonotary candidate is up again against the previous occupant Republican Carolee Medico Olenginski. I'm not sure how to measure performance in this job as the duties are record keeping and administration. It probably should not even be an elected position. I don't think most people even know what a Prothonatary does. A long time ago when I had less gray hair someone was pitching a candidate for this office to me. My reaction was "what the hell is a prothonatary." I miss Carolee, her act with Fred Williams on WILK was always entertaning. Moran is another one who owes allot of people money, she has $139,000 in campaign debt.

I'm not sure about the Register of Wills race. Dottie Stankovic was renominated and don't even know if there is a Republican in the race. The county party chairman gave her ringing endorsement after the primary:

"There's obviously bad blood out there. There's no mandate for Dotty with the number of votes she got. She and certain other people have been a cancer within the organization."

She has my vote.

Isaac Barre

There is some great info on local history at the Wilkes University website.
The naming of Wilkes-Barre was meant as an insult to King George III although other towns in the area were named in his honor.

A little background:

The Stamp Act was introduced in the House of Commons in February 1765. Barre was the single most vocal opponent of the tax in the House; he predicted rebellion in the Colonies. In a famous speech in opposition to the Stamp which stunned the House, Barre called the British Colonists in America the "Sons of Liberty," a catch-word which ignited passion in the New England settlements, but did not stay passage of the Stamp Act by Parliament.

When the Stamp Act was repealed in 1766, the town of Boston had a portrait of Barre hung in Faneuil Hall. The portrait was later destroyed by British troops during the Boston siege of 1775.

John Wilkes was a vocal opponent of the King's ministers. Whether he was a dedicated reformer, or an opportunist with unusual wit, can be debated. Nevertheless, Wilkes became a symbol of British and Colonial national rights and liberties which an oppressive government sought to suppress. His confrontations (or antics) were closely followed in Massachusetts and Connecticut newspapers, and Colonial assemblies would periodically meet in local taverns to cheer Wilkes' legal victories over Parliament.

Major John Durkee, President of the Settlers, began to use the name "Wilkesbarre" for the region near the Connecticut fort in his official correspondence. Durkee's designation of the critical center of the settlement as Wilkesbarre, of course, honored John Wilkes and Isaac Barre. The name Wilkesbarre assuaged Durkee's patriotic ardor, and was a shot across the Atlantic in the direction of the King's ministers.

OK, maybe I'm getting carried away with the history lesson. What set me off was I was listening to the Kings College radio station yesterday and the person doing the station ID said Wilkes-Bahhrrrr. Get the name of the town right. What do they teach in college? I grew up here and its always been Wilkes-Berry. That's berry, not bear or bahrr. Our town was named after a great man at least pronounce his name right.

The Blogfather

I want to thank Mark for his generous comments about my site. I have been reading him for a few years and noticed he is the only one that covers local issues. He was my inspiration to start a blog about local politics. He pointed out just how bad things had gotten under the previous mayor and wasn't afraid to point it out. He knows his stuff and his sarcastic take on the state of affairs would crack me up. I made the mistake one morning of drinking my coffee when reading him and ended up choking on it and spitting it all over my monitor because I was laughing so hard. I try to stick to local issues and poke fun at our self absorbed local leaders, sometimes the stuff writes itself.

I'm happy he likes my description of him:

The "blogfather?" That's a freakin' new one. Somebody once called me the "Rush Limbaugh of Wilkes-Barre," which really isn't the case. Yet another called me the "Matt Drudge of Wilkes-Barre," which, while Tom McGroarty was the mayor, was probably completely accurate. But, the "blogfather?" I like that.
Anyways, y'all should check out Gort 42. Add it to your faves and get a free Sony Playstation III for a limited time only.

I think someone also descibed him as the Jonathan Swift of Wilkes-Barre. I agree he is not the Rush of W-B. Unlike Rush he does his research. Sometimes when I listen to these talk radio clowns I'm reminded of the old saying "why let the facts get in the way of a good opinion."

Unfortunately I have run out of free Playstations. If you want one I suggest you contact the Blogfather at:

Wilkes-Barre Online

I'm sure he will make you an offer you can't refuse.

More about Wi-Fi in Wilkes-Barre

By the way it's pronounced 'berry" not bar.

From the TL:

Philadelphia’s getting all of the attention, but Mayor Tom Leighton wants to beat it to the wireless punch. The city might create a nonprofit corporation, Wire Free Wilkes-Barre, to guide the project much as Philadelphia has done, according to the plan.

The aggressive timeline is in part due to a state law signed by Gov. Ed Rendell in November, Murphy said. After Street announced Philadelphia’s plans in 2004, local Internet providers objected to what they called unfair municipal competition.
The state responded with a law requiring governments to offer local providers the chance to build their own Wi-Fi networks before municipal plans are developed.
That requirement is avoided if a network is in place before the end of the year, Murphy said.

Unfair competition? The companies that want to provide this service are telco's and internet providers. For the most part they have monopolies.

West Wing live

Oliver turned me on to this news:

September 6, 2005 -- In a first for NBC's "The West Wing" (Sundays, 8-9 p.m. ET), the Emmy Award-winning series will broadcast a live episode featuring a debate between presidential candidates Congressman Matt Santos (Jimmy Smits) and Senator Arnold Vinick (Alan Alda) on Sunday, Nov. 6 (8-9 p.m. ET).

Live TV is risky and I hope they pull it off. The show has left political reality but it’s still good. Arnie Vinnick is a Republican I could vote for so he could never actually get nominated. It should be fun.

Last week's episode was good. From Television without pity:

In his office, Toby takes Josh's call. Josh is asking that they do something to quiet down the leak story, but Toby breaks it to him that the White House is ending its investigation of the leak. Josh recognizes that this will throw the focus onto security issues for a while, giving Vinick a chance to dominate the discussion and contrast himself with the Democrats. Josh starts yelling at Toby, who just hangs up on him.

Then the Bombshell:

Josh tells Santos that the AP has a photograph of something that happened in his hotel bed in Cleveland: "Is there anything you'd like to tell me?" Unspoken but implied are the words "before I tear your eyes you, you cheating hussy." Santos: "His name is Bruce. He's a flight attendant on Aer Lingus." I think I know that guy. Santos leans back against the wall of the elevator, and sighs. "At first, it was long walks..." And that's when Josh loses it. Santos maintains the joke for a second, looking horribly offended that Josh would laugh at him just as he's sharing this difficult story. Josh apologizes for doubting Santos, pointing out that it's his job to ask these questions. And then Santos says, "Wait a minute. Cleveland?"

Joke roundup

From Blondesense :

If...President Bush were to tell me that it's sunny outside, while a lowly mule was telling me that the sky was falling, I would without hesitation go down to the basement and stay there until the mule told me that the sky had stopped falling.And although the mule could stay in the basement with me, I would not permit the President the accommodation.The Dark Wraith would not have enough extra food for both a wise mule and a dumb ass. -- The Dark Wraith

Welcome to the Late Show, ladies and gentlemen. It's like the Supreme Court, anyone can get in here.--David Letterman

We're learning more and more about Tom Delay. ... He was nicknamed, 'Hot Tub Tom,' got kicked out of Baylor for drinking and ... became a wild party animal who drank 10 martinis a night, or as they call it in Washington, a Kennedy. --Jay Leno

Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan is retiring. President Bush has already launched a search for the most inexperienced, incompetent candidate he can find. No, they'll find a replacement for Greenspan as soon as they figure out what the hell it is he does --David Letterman

President Bush has pledged to grant millions of dollars in tax breaks to national casino companies rushing to rebuild casinos along the Gulf Coast, giving residents who haven't already lost their house a chance to do so.--Daily Show commentator Lewis Black