2010 June » PureBunkum

Tick Tock Tick Tock

Jun 302010

You Can't Find Me Because I'm Hiding

We’ve started a time clock to keep track of the last time U.S. Rep. Paul Kanjorski held a town hall meeting. Not the kind where he hides behind a telephone, but the kind where he meets his constituents face to face. He seems to have forgotten that that’s part of his job.

Kanjorski refused to hold any last year when taxpayers were having panic attacks about the looming overhaul of our health care system. He hit the phones instead. - his safety net. The man is a coward.

He wants you to keep him in the United States Congress but won’t meet with you when you pay his salary and his benefits and his summer-long vacation. Paul Kanjorski believes that he is too big to fail like some of the financial institutions he’s so gung-ho on regulating.

It’s time to seriously consider replacing him.

We have no way of knowing what kind of a Congressman Lou Barletta, the Republican mayor of Hazleton, would make. If nothing else, he’s persistent, challenging Kanjorski for the third time. And at least, so far anyway, he’s been accessible to the public. He doesn’t hide behind a paid consultant and his scripted remarks.

At the very least, constituents deserve some face time with their representative in Washington. Actually, it’s not surprising that Kanjorski hides. He has a lot of explaining to do.

Maybe others have forgotten, but we haven’t, that he earmarked $10 million for his family’s business, which then went bankrupt. That was not his money he gambled away. It was OURS. He has also flippantly referred to taxpayers’ hard-earned money as “free money.” He’s not alone here. These hogs in Congress spend our money like it grows on trees while hard-working Americans won’t take a summer vacation if they cannot afford it.

It’s time to clean up Washington and get rid of all those representatives who stopped representing us a long time ago, the Kanjorskis, the Harry Reids, the Nancy Pelosis, the Barney Franks, the Christopher Dodds. They have lost touch with average Americans who work hard and sacrifice to provide for their families.

We should not tolerate a representative who refuses to meet with us in person when we have very legitimate concerns about what’s going on in Washington. Congressman Kanjorski might want to reconsider his vow to not hold any public town hall meetings this summer.

We do not want to talk to you on the phone. We want to meet with you. If you deserve to be re-elected, you should have no problem justifying your record. But if you are worried you can’t, then maybe it’s time for you to leave Washington and enjoy all the “free money” in your bloated pension fund.

- PureBunkum

The Suspense Is Killing Us

National

Jun 292010

THE DASTARDLY DUO

“No one will know until this is actually in place how it works,” said Sen. Christopher Dodd, a Connecticut Democrat, of a new 2,000-page proposed bill which would expand government even more.

You’re leaving the senate, Dodd, because you know you’d never be re-elected. Do YOU know how the thing works? Does your loopy cohort, Barney Frank? Do the rest of the know-it-alls in Congress who thrive and survive on big government?

Like the 2,400-page health care overhaul bill, a new 2,000-page financial reform bill was hammered out in the wee hours of the morning last week.

More power for power-hungry President Barack Obama, who won’t be happy until he controls every aspect of our lives.

But Dodd and Frank and Paul Kanjorski know what’s good for us. That’s why they have to move ahead complicated legislation in the middle of the night while the rest of us morons are asleep. And Dodd has the unmitigated nerve to announce that we’ll understand it after it’s in place.

We still don’t understand ObamaCare and its ramifications, and we’re nervous enough about that, Sen. Dodd. Unlike the rest of us, you don’t have to worry about anything you pass under the cloak of darkness. You’ll sail into the sunset with your big, fat pension. You and your ilk made sure that the taxpayers will generously provide for you when you retire.

No one is saying that reform of our financial markets isn’t needed in light of the economic mess we’re experiencing. But some of the complaints from business groups and others leave the impression that just like health care, this new government expansion wasn’t thought out either. The goal, it seems, was simply to provide another ”win” for Obama and liberal Democrats.

Mark Zandi, of Moody’s Economy.com, told the Wall Street Journal that he predicts ”the bill will reduce credit to businesses and households by $80 billion a year, in part because it will make banks less profitable.”

Maybe this is what Chris Dodd meant when he said we’ll know how it works after it’s in place. Unfortunately, this numb-skull doesn’t realize that by then, it may be too late.

Now’s probably a good time to be mindful of the late Sen. Barry Goldwater’s warning: ”Remember that a government big enough to give you everything you want is also big enough to take away everything you have.”

This is happening right before our eyes – or when we’re sound asleep.

- PureBunkum

Hey Smart Ass, You Want Tax Relief? Don’t Pay Your Mortgage.

National

Jun 282010

Joe “Big F***ing Deal” Biden, our not so subtle Vice-President, is at it again. This time the VP called a custard store owner in Wisconsin a “SMART ASS.” He has to be a taxpayer because he asked Biden to reduce his taxes. That simple request prompted scummy gums to call him a “SMART ASS.”

The store owner should have given the VP a sob story that he couldn’t pay his mortgage or credit card debt. Biden would have been sympathetic, instead of insulting, and reassured him that the taxpayers will take care of it.

The audacity of the custard store owner to ask for some relief. Doesn’t he know he needs to work and create jobs to bail out the deadbeats, the unemployed and the rest of the entitlement society that inhabit the United States of America?

Whenever Team Obama/Biden encounter working people like Joe the Plumber and now the custard shop owner, their ideology gets the best of them. These small business owners are trying to create jobs. Wait, wasn’t that the reason Obama and the Congress passed the stimulus package? How’s that working for you Mr. Biden? Maybe you and your boss should stop your campaign to redistribute the wealth. And while you’re at it, maybe you should wash your mouth out with soap. And to think Joe is a former Scranton boy!

Enjoy the video. I really like the part where one of Biden’s staff starts to usher the media out the door as soon as Joe starts to flap his gums.

The Plumber

How About A Slumber Party?

Local

Jun 272010

By Betty Roccograndi

Before long, there will be enough local cons being sentenced to home confinement to hold a sleep-over.

The latest, the helpful and cooperative Frank Pizzella Jr., faced six to 12 months in prison for slipping a bribe to a Wilkes-Barre Area school director, but he slithered away with five months of home confinement. Easy-going U.S. Judge James Munley also sentenced Pizzella to perform 75 hours of community service and pay a $10,000 fine. The judge did not give Pizzella a gold star for helping to bring down fellow Luzerne County criminals.

“What he engaged in was outrageous,” said an apparently less-than- outraged Munley.

These sentencings are starting to be perceived as a bit of a joke. So are some of the official charges levied in plea agreements in comparison to some of the more serious crimes that were initially alleged.

Former Luzerne County Clerk of Courts Bob Reilly, who was accused of demanding $1,500 in kickbacks from a contractor, is now only charged with fibbing to FBI agents. He signed a plea agreement last Thursday and admitted he took money but thought it was a campaign contribution – the new talking points of Luzerne County shysters.

Just like Reilly, former Jenkins Township Supervisor Russ Arnone said the $5,000 he took from developer Robert Mericle for helping to get Mericle’s construction permit fees reduced, was a campaign contribution. According to newspaper reports, Mericle and Arnone had agreed to call it that should anyone ask. Campaign contribution sounds so much more acceptable than say, bribe or graft.

When Mericle paid two former judges $2 million for helping him land a huge contract to build two juvenile detention centers, that very generous thank-you was classified as a business-as-usual finder’s fee. Happens every day.

Reilly’s attorney Michael Butera said that at first Reilly said he only received one payment from contractor Barton Weidlich – until he was cornered, that is. Butera said of his client, that, ”in reality he accepted what he thought were campaign contributions on more than one occasion.” Yep, Weidlich was such a strong believer in Reilly that he searched him out at a used car lot, where he moonlighted, to slip him some cash to keep the dedicated public servant in office.

When Pizzella was questioned about passing on $5,000 to a Wilkes-Barre Area school director’s wife to help get his nephew a job, he said he was simply making a – you guessed it – campaign contribution.

The Times Leader reported that Pizzella told the court, “I take responsibility for what I did. I felt when I started this it might come back to bite me, but I felt obligated to do something.” He felt obligated, alright, because sonny needed a job.

Pizzella wasn’t a member of the WBA school board when he felt obligated to participate in the pay to play game so prevalent at Wilkes-Barre Area. He was just auditioning. And he proved that he fit right in. He later became president of that board.

Who Insinuated That Anyone Was Defective? Ask Kanjo

Local

Jun 262010

Kanjo, you must wish your comments were taken out of context as you are charging. Unfortunately, for you, they are immortalized on tape. Readers can see for themselves below.

Maybe Kanjo was sleep deprived after helping his cronies pave the way for passage of yet another bill in the middle of the night. That’s when he uttered (What was it a Freudian slip?) that because of the long recession, average, good American people who need some government help “are people, not minorities, and they’re not defective …..” YIKES! STOP THE PRESSES.

Kanjorski called criticisms over his slip of the tongue, ”petty statements from Republicans who clearly took my remarks out of context.”

“Macacca” comes to mind, here. When former U.S. Sen. George Allen used that word, the media’s criticism was relentless. You can bet the house that had Lou Barletta referred to minorities as not being defective, the Democratic Party would be shouting from the roof tops for him to drop out of the race. Instead, a Democratic colleague, Chaka Fattah, called Kanjorski “a man of honor” – in the wake of his dishonorable remarks.

Like I have said many times before, this nit wit is the number two man on Congress’ Financial Services Committee. Like so many of his cronies, Kanjorski has developed a sense of entitlement over his much too long tenure in Washington. And his comments were indeed racist.

It’s time to apologize, Paul. Maybe you can tell us what you really meant regarding the “defective” crack at your next town hall meeting. We insinuated nothing about minorities as you claimed. We can’t say the same about you, though.

By the way, Kanjo was ranting and raving while trying to pass legislation to get taxpayers to bail out dead beats who won’t pay their debts or their mortgages. Take a look.

The Plumber

Good Idea – Too Bad It’s Five Years Late!

Local, Oldies But Goodies

Jun 252010

A COSTLY RIDE

By Betty Roccograndi

This Little Red Wagon story keeps getting more appalling.

Over five years, Luzerne County has blown almost $1 million to organize and store county records and spent hundreds of thousands of dollars more to rent a building to house them.

Now, we may be back to square one. More than $1 million down the drain, and we’re starting over.

For five years, a company from Wayne, PA, LRW Solutions Group has been transporting and storing county records at the Thomas C. Thomas building, located on Union Street in Wilkes-Barre. State archivists , during a recent visit, said that building is inadequate for storing records. For starters, it is not climate-controlled.

That should have been the first thing the consultants from The Little Red Wagon noticed and corrected. The company promotes itself as Business Peformance Specialists.

Former county commissioners Todd Vonderheid and Greg Skrepenak and current commissioner Steve Urban hired these specialists for an initial $107,100 plus $5,000 in expenses.

One year later, the three extended LRW’s contract “at the previously agreed to daily rate of $1,050 plus customary expenses.” The minutes of that Sept. 13, 2006 meeting might have also said, “The county commissioners agree to allow The Little Red Wagon to stay as long as it likes because taxpayers’ money is no object. And we promise not to bother you”

Yes, what began as a $107,100 job snowballed into one close to $1 million.

If newly-elected county Controller Walter Griffith and county Prothonotary Carolee Medico-Olenginski didn’t begin questioning this seemingly open-ended contract, the runaway little wagon might still be slowly hauling records to the Thomas C. Thomas building.

Now, after all this time, Commissioner Urban, who is heading the county’s records improvement committee, plans to appoint a subcommittee to find a new location. Five years of rent at $103,000 a year and $1 million to haul and store records there, and we’re looking for a new place.

“It’s time that the county has a facility that has year-round temperature controls and somewhere the public can access and review records on permanent file and catalogued, similar to to a library,” Urban told The Times Leader.

Good idea. And all it took was the election of two new watchful row officers and a visit by state archivists to come to this realization.

Subsidizing Scofflaws and Wealthy Developers

Local

Jun 242010

By Betty Roccograndi

Well, now we have a better understanding why we’re all paying 15-percent more in county taxes. There’s almost $38 million of back taxes that have gone uncollected, The Times Leader reported Sunday. And some of the culprits are among those nabbed in the county-wide corruption probe, according to the TL’s eye-opening report.

Real Nice. It appears these criminals have stuck it to Luzerne County taxpayers in more ways than one.

What took the county so long to privatize the tax claim office? But, thankfully, it did. No sooner was Northeast Revenue Service LLC on the job before they aggressively began pursuing all these county deadbeats and identifying them online.

Some of the members of this Hall of Shame include Thom Greco, who owes a reported $106,286.11. Greco was recently charged with failing to report a crime involving an unnamed public official demanding a bribe. Now we find out he failed to report his taxes.

We’d like to know why Greco stuck it to the county when the county was very good to him, taking off his hands his dilapidated Market Street Square train station for a whopping $5.8 million? That deal needs to be investigated.

But after receiving a phone call from Times Leader Staff Writer Jerry Lynott, Greco responded that the delinquencies were brought to his attention and he’ll “have them taken care of within the next 30 days.” How about that? In 30 days, the county will receive a windfall of revenue. Thanks Northeast Revenue Service for posting Greco’s name online and bringing this little matter to his attention.

Another on the list is Big Kahuna Realty owner, Attorney Robert Powell. This man was savvy enough to get a Luzerne County judge to close the county’s juvenile detention center and then convince former county commissioners, Todd Vonderheid and Greg Skrepenak, to ignore protests and a state agency to rent his brand new detention center for an extraordinary $58-million over 20 years. This Big Kahuna was sitting pretty until the feds stepped in and charged him, two judges and the builder in relation to this still questionable deal.

The scofflaws also include former county prothonotary Jill Moran, former county human resources director Doug Richards and former county court administrator William Sharkey. Sharkey was charged with stealing more than $70,000 of public money so cheating on his taxes was par for the course for this guy.

So considering all of this, it was disturbing to view an ad in the TL’s real estate section for luxury condos in the heart of Wilkes-Barre. “City living at its best!” And the best part? They’re located in a Keystone Opportunity Zone (KOZ). So not only can you live the high life if you buy one, you don’t have to pay property taxes, or state or local income taxes for 10 years “with proper application.” The big winner here and in all KOZ properties is the developer, and, of course, those who don’t have to pay those taxes for a decade.

The bottom line is that with all the tax breaks, KOZs issued to the politically-connected, tax forgiveness bonanzas and $38 million in uncollected back taxes, it is no wonder that a majority of taxpayers are forced to pick up the slack.

With taxpayers scraping to make ends meet, no one’s taxes should be waived for 10 years. It simply isn’t fair to those who are left holding the bag.

Playing Both Sides Of The Fence

Local, National

Jun 222010

The Wizard Only Takes Calls

Hi, I’m Congressman Paul Kanjorski, and I approve this message: I will not – and I cannot stress this enough - WILL NOT meet with you at any town hall meetings this summer.

However, I will appear in person at a July 8 gathering of the Financial Industry Regulatory Agency at the Woodlands Inn & Resort on July 8. So if you wish to get a glimpse of me, you can stop by there. It’s open to the public.

But I warn you, I will not be taking any questions. The FINRA forum topic is “Making Smart Investments.” I know some of you cynics might see the irony here, that some time ago, I had Congress invest $10 million in my family’s business, Cornerstone Technologies, and it went bankrupt. If you’re still steamed about that, I suggest you get over it. As I’ve said repeatedly, nothing ever came of it, and I keep winning elections. Ha Ha.

And if you’re wondering why I agreed to meet with FINRA and not with you, it’s pretty obvious, isn’t it? Unlike you people, the FINRA members won’t nit pick me to death with silly questions like why did I vote for a multi-billion dollar stimulus bill that accomplished next to nothing and an astronomical health care entitlement that most of the country was against?

But don’t despair, I told you I plan to hold some telephone town halls this summer, where 8,000 of you can chat with me over the phone. What’s your problem? I’m bending over backwards to hear your concerns.

And don’t think for one minute that I didn’t anticipate that my opponent, Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta would jump all over this.

“It’s disappointing but not surprising, considering the amount of money Wall Street bankers and brokers have given to Kanjorski over the years,” Barletta told The Times Leader about his meet and greet with FINRA.

But Kanjo’s mouthpiece promptly jumped in to defend his boss: Ed Mitchell told the TL, “Congressman Kanjorski stands up for regulatory reform of Wall Street. Barletta just attacks to get his name in the paper. He doesn’t let facts get in his way.”

Yeah, Lou. Wait, is he talking about the fact that Kanjorski and his congressional cronies are not interested in regulating Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, who have lost billions but have contributed heavily to their campaign war chests?

But we understand if Kanjo is starting to think that Barletta is a real pain in the you know what. And speaking of that, we bet he may ask his friend Barack Obama to step in.

Obama is so frazzled these days over the big oil spill, he said he’s meeting with experts so he’ll know “whose ass to kick.” Maybe Kanjo can tap into that anger and ask Obama to kick Barletta’s.

- PureBunkum

Moving Right Along

Local

Jun 212010

By Betty Roccograndi

What exactly constitutes “moving along construction” for Robert Mericle? And what exactly did former Jenkins Township Supervisor Russ Arnone do to earn the $5,000 “contribution” for accomplishing this?

No doubt there are others, but it wasn’t until last Tuesday, when Arnone pleaded guilty to concealing that ”contribution,” that we learned that Mericle made yet another payment to a public official in return for official help.

When the powerful and politically-connected developer needed a little influential pull in “moving along” an introduction that led to his building two juvenile detention centers, he handed two Luzerne County judges $2 million. This time, the thanks-a-lot gesture was called a finder’s fee.

Arnone and ex-judges Michael Conahan and Mark Ciavarella got into trouble for taking the money, but Mericle didn’t for giving it. However, he was charged with knowing, but not telling anyone, that the judges did not report their bounty to the IRS. It’s unclear why Mericle was expected to be privy to someone else’s income tax return.

And it’s interesting that Mericle was in on disguising the payment to Arnone as a ”campaign contribution.” If this was a legitimate business transaction, then why the deceit?

U.S. Attorney John Gurganus said that Arnone and “the developer” agreed to call the payment a campaign contribution. At first, Arnone lied to federal investigators about receiving $5,000, according to The Times Leader’s report. When contacted, “the developer” said he made a contribution. Then Arnone caved and admitted it was Mericle who gave him the money.

But Arnone spent only part of it on a campaign. His attorney, Peter Moses, refused to say where the rest went. Maybe a nice 42″ flat-screen LED TV or. perhaps, a vacation. Obviously there wasn’t enough to buy a condo in Jupiter, FL.

Attorney Moses said, “We are very pleased with the plea agreement,” which spares Arnone any prison time. “And we are satisfied that it is in the best interest of Mr. Arnone, his family, and his loved ones, not to mention taxpayers and law-abiding citizens.” Alright, maybe Moses’ list of happy campers didn’t include taxpayers and citizens.

And speaking of taxpayers, it would be nice to know just how much money Mericle saved when he successfully sought, with Arnone’s help, a reduction in his construction permit fees for the CenterPoint Commerce & Trade Park.

When you think about it, Mericle should have made that $5,000 “contribution” to Jenkins Township’s police and/or fire departments instead of to Mr. Arnone. It was the citizens there who took the financial hit in lower permit fees, not Russ Arnone.

The Times Leader also reported that Mericle received more than $25 million in state grants and loans for his industrial park. But, then again, he’s also been very generous with campaign contributions to PA Gov. Ed Rendell. And what’s another $5,000 drop-in-the bucket “contribution” to a township supervisor to get your permit fees reduced to boot?

So we have a public official taking a payment for helping a super wealthy developer save some money at the expense of taxpayers, then covering it up and then lying to federal investigators.

No wonder Arnone is “totally comfortable” with his plea agreement, which calls for home confinement.

Attorney Moses said his client “acknowledges his wrongdoing (sure, when he was looking at prison time) and the only way to right the wrong is to accept responsibility for his action.”

And he’ll do that while he spends a couple of months at home.

Your Call Is Important To Us

Local, National, Oldies But Goodies

Jun 192010

LET'S TALK

Hi, I’m Congressman Paul Kanjorski, and I approve this message: I am not, I repeat not, holding any town hall meetings this summer. I didn’t hold any last summer when you were concerned about the pending health care overhaul bill, and I’m not holding any this year either. So there!

Maybe you didn’t notice that even though I refused to meet with you and still voted for ObamaCare without your consent, I STILL WON THE PRIMARY. Ha Ha.

But I care what you think. And that is why I will take your questions – but don’t think it will be in person. Do you think I’m nuts? I watched in horror how some of you loonies treated Arlen when he met with you to discuss your concerns. And that town hall meeting was broadcast on national television. So, no thank you! But, call me.

Last summer when other members of Congress took the heat and held town hall meetings with their constituents, who were eager to discuss Obama’s radical health care overhaul, Kanjorski held none. U.S. Rep. Chris Carney, from the 10th Congressional District, did and said he will again this year. U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter did also and faced some very angry citizens. That was his job. It was Kanjorski’s, too.

“I have held many town meetings over the years, in many different formats,” Kanjorski told The Times Leader on Thursday. “I have found that telephone meetings can be especially effective because I can interact with as many as 8,000 Northeastern Pennsylvanians on a single phone call.” That’s one long phone chat.

Continuing his justification for refusing to hold any town hall meetings this summer, Kanjorski said, “Telephone town meetings provide a unique and convenient forum to hear the concerns of my constituents and answer their questions live over the phone.” (Not to mention a safe forum in which he can screen and disconnect a constituent’s call if he’s not happy with the question, like what happened to the $10 million earmark that went to your family, Congressman?)

I’m sorry. We cannot complete your call as dialed. Please try again. Goodbye.

- PureBunkum

Hey, Friend. You’re Fired

Local

Jun 182010

By Betty Roccograndi

Uh Oh! How fast can you say another county lawsuit?

On Thursday, new Luzerne County Sheriff John Gilligan fired his chief deputy, Charles Guarnieri. ”I will do whatever it takes to restore integrity to this office and the county,” Gilligan told The Times Leader. He told The Citizens’ Voice he and Guarnieri are friends.

Guarnieri declined to comment. That’s what his lawyer probably told him to do in no uncertain terms.

Gilligan said he wanted to make clear that Guarnieri was not bounced for cause. Does that mean, then, that the hot-headed chief deputy sheriff was undermining the integrity of the sheriff’s office, not to mention the county’s?

Our new sheriff said he just didn’t need two chief deputy sheriffs. Now, that’s a new twist at the Keystone Kourthouse. And in a perfect world, especially with the economy being what it is, downsizing any county office would be a good thing. But we’re talking about the Kourthouse here, and we’re talking about an employee who isn’t shy about suing the county.

Guanieri filed suit when he was promoted from chief deputy to acting sheriff last year. He liked the promotion but not the $6,787 pay cut that came with it. Luzerne County Judge Joseph Cosgrove later ordered the county to restore Guanieri’s higher salary. That was in March. He got more money, now he’s out of a job.

Luzerne County Commissioner Chairwoman Maryanne Petrilla applauded Sheriff Gilligan’s firing of Guarnieri. ”I’m sure it was a difficult decision,” Petrilla said. Probably not. Gilligan was pretty quick on the draw here.

Petrilla also said she respects Gilligan’s decision. ”I think it was a good one.”

And she knows what she’s talking about. No sooner was Petrilla elected as a county commissioner before she knew trouble when she saw it and distanced herself from her loose cannon of a running mate, Greg Skrepenak. That was a good decision too – for her and the county.

But don’t underestimate Guarnieri, who’s had several run-ins with county officials. “It was very difficult dealing with him over the past nine months,” county Solicitor Vito DeLuca told the CV.

County Controller Walter Griffith said, “As the acting sheriff, he was a disappointment.” Griffith also said he has no intention of paying Guarnieri for any unused leave time because the sheriff’s office didn’t accurately track it. Now does that sound like something that would occur at the Kourthouse? You betcha!

In addition to telling the CV that he and Guarnieri are friends, Sheriff Gilligan also said, ”We had a nice conversation.” Hmmmm.

What did Guarnieri say? See you in court, pal?

Professor Kick-Ass To Address The Nation

National

Jun 142010

I have written extensively in this blog regarding my feelings about President Obama’s policies. I believe the president is probably a good person, and he appears to be a great family man. So my criticism of him is based strictly on his policies and his qualifications, or lack thereof.

We had this debate over 20 months ago, but while conservatives lost the debate with the voters, as everyday passes, we see that their concerns had merit.

One was that the president had very little experience and no executive credentials. The press was too busy hammering Sarah Palin and had no interest in vetting Mr. Obama. The national media was so enamored with candidate Obama, it failed to do its job.

We are now witnessing the stark reality of the president’s lack of executive experience. So how has he handled his first major crisis — the oil spill in the Gulf? It’s now 54 days, and he has proven himself to be woefully inept. His personal charm is proving to be no substitute for his lack of leadership skills. I would like to focus on the last 10 days or so.

Obama took a three-hour tour while he was on his Memorial Day vacation. See my previous post. This was purely a political act to show us that he cared. He took no significant action and revealed his weakness in handling a crisis. The visit backfired, and Obama was seen by the world as not being tough enough.
He sent his Attorney General Eric Holder down there, presumably to show he indeed meant business. By suing BP? That’s not going to stop the leak.
He then announces a moratorium on deep water drilling. That’ll show ‘em! At least the environmental wackos are happy. Unfortunately, this will probably kill what’s left of the economies in the Gulf. Again, the president is making decisions based on politics, which is all he seems to know, instead of what’s best for the people.
He now is demanding that BP assume responsibity for all the lost jobs due, in part, to his own moratorium. In an Oval Office prime time address on Tuesday night, Obama will order BP to set up a compensation fund. Again, no meaningful action by his administration.

UPDATE!!!! BP says it IS NOT going to pay the salaries of people who lost their jobs because of our president’s stupid decision to shut down deep well drilling in the Gulf. How this turns out will be fun to watch.

Obama gave a speech saying that BP’s quarterly dividend was over a billion dollars and, of course, managed to take another swipe at oil companies and how much money they have. Once again, Obama’s ideology and personal resentments get in the way of decisive action. And, once again, he reveals just how incompetent his administration truly is.

The president came to this job sorely lacking in executive experience. His cabinet members and advisers are mostly political hacks, academics, and radicals. I believe only three people in this administration have any business experience. Maybe that explains why he hasn’t yet spoken to the CEO of BP.

Barack Obama’s thin resume includes his work as a part-time professor. God help us if there is a terrorist attack!

UPDATE!!!! The President is finally going to meet with the CEO of BP. I wonder if he’s going to kick his ass? He promised to kick someone’s.

Going forward, when I comment on President Obama, I will refer to him as ”Professor Kick-Ass,” and every proposal or policy he recommends will begin with ”In theory.”

Barack Obama is the most inexperienced president in recent history. Sadly, the American people ignored this when they elected him. Now, we’re all paying for his shortcomings. And we are truly at risk because he doesn’t have a clue how to handle a crisis, and, unfortunately, neither does his Cabinet.

In theory…

The Plumber

Barack Obama Is As Bad As Helen Thomas, Maybe Worse

National

Jun 122010

What do Helen Thomas and Barack Obama have in common? See for yourself.

This former member of The White House press corps doesn’t even try to hide her disdain for Israel. Glad she’s the one who’s gone home.

Then there’s Obama, whose contempt for Israel may not be as blatant, but it is clearly evident.

YOU, I'll Pose With

This is a very telling photo considering that Obama refused, actually refused, to have his picture taken with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he visited the White House not long ago. But here he is, happily hosting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on June 9 at the White House, trying to smooth things over after Israel put up a blockade to protect itself. Obama didn’t like that.

When Netanyahu visited The White House, a downright rude Obama walked out of their meeting, announcing he was going to have dinner with his family. He shamed himself, and he shamed our nation.

Now the Weekly Standard is reporting that the Obama administration is planning to support an anti-Israel resolution at the United Nations next week.

Sources told Bill Kristol that an independent commission, under UN auspices, will be established to investigate Israel’s actions in the Gaza flotilla incident.

Israel has always been one of our strongest allies, especially in the fight against international terrorism. Israel has every reason to believe that , under this president, this friendship is strained. Barack Obama doesn’t get it that terrorists are gunning for both Israel and the United States. Israel need us, and we need her.

His treatment of Israel is deplorable.

Barack Hussein Obama is more concerned with appeasing the likes of Iran, a state sponsor of terrorism, who has made no secret of wanting to obliterate Israel.

This president is harming our country in more ways than one. We continue to ask, just who is Barack Obama?

- Betty Roccograndi

This Really Is A Joke, Right?

Local

Jun 112010

Made A Haul

By Betty Roccograndi

Please tell us you’re kidding. You’ve got to be kidding.

For five years we’ve been paying an outside company $1,050 a day to organize, preserve and protect county records, and it appears the firm, which promotes itself as “Business Performance Specialists” has flunked Filing 101.

And that’s the least of it.

Two state archivists said in a report, published Friday in The Times Leader, that stacked boxes and records, which could have been destroyed long ago, were, instead, stored. So we paid, and we can’t repeat this enough, $1,050 a day to haul those records from the Keystone Kourthouse to a storage facility on Union Street in Wilkes-Barre.

And speaking of that storage facility, where the annual rent is $103,100 a year, it’s apparently not suitable.

The Thomas C. Thomas building is “not conducive to the storage of paper documents,” according to the report by Pennsylvania State Archives representatives Susan Hartman and Jerry Ellis.

Now we need to know which county genius signed this lease for this purpose in the first place. We already know who hired LRW Solutions Group, aka The Little Red Wagon, from Wayne, PA. County cousins Greg Skrepenak, former chairman of the county commissioners, and Bob Reilly, former county Clerk of Courts, both signed the original engagement letter with LRW. They’re both gone, charged in the sweeping county-wide corruption probe.

And speaking of sweeping, there apparently was none done at the records facility. The archivists found cigarette butts on the floor, in a building where there should have been no smoking.

They didn’t mention whether they also found pigeon droppings. The archivists, last week, told the county records improvements committee that there was a hole in the wall big enough for pigeons to fly through.

But forget about the cigarette butts and trespassing pigeons. The archivists, who inspected the storage facility at no cost, thanks to county prothonotary Carolee Medico-Olenginski, who called them, found even more disturbing conditions.

They warned of the weight-bearing capacity of the wood floors, which they said are covered with “extremely deteriorated particle board.” Filing cabinets and docket books are stored on those upper floors. Let’s hope they don’t come crashing down on the head of some unsuspecting delivery man.

The archivists also cited security issues. “Anyone who gains access to the first floor can move freely throughout the building,” they said, adding that sensitive records are in chicken wire cages. The good news is that the cages are locked. The bad news is that one key seemingly opens all the locks. Then again, someone snooping around could always cut through the chicken wire.

Also, the state experts noticed something that the “business performance specialists” at The Little Red Wagon obviously missed - temperatures in the building are not regulated. They said that there are hot air blowers in the winter and fans in the summer that only operate when “someone is working on the floor.” Someone has to be working? Oh No.

They also said, according to the TL’s report, that because space is not being used efficiently, the county is paying more than is necessary. Tell us something we don’t know.

No one from the Little Red Wagon has come forward to defend itself. But from what we’ve learned, the county may also have paid this company far more than was necessary.

And will someone please explain how an initial contract setting a cap for consulting services at $107,100 turned into an almost $1-million carte blanche bonanza?

The only clue we have so far is that Greg Skrepenak and Bob Reilly were involved.

The Luzerne County Lynch Mob – That Would Be Us

Local, Oldies But Goodies

Jun 102010

He Doesn't Trust Us

By Betty Roccograndi

Lawyers representing former Luzerne County judge, Mark Ciavarella, expect us to presume that their client is innocent until proven guilty. Fair enough.

But those attorneys, Al Flora Jr. and William Ruzzo, do not want to give the rest of us the benefit of the doubt, we who comprise the potential jury pool which may be called upon to hear the case against the fallen judge.

No, Flora and Ruzzo believe that we here in Luzerne and Lackawanna counties and beyond are nothing more than a “lynch mob.” That’s what they claimed in their latest court filing to get the racketeering case against Ciavarella transferred to Delaware.

Yes, we rednecks in this part of the country are incapable of weighing the evidence because we have already cultivated our hang-the- bum mentality, and there’s no turning back. At least that’s what Ciavarella’s lawyers are indicating.

Flora and Ruzzo further argue that the hostility simmering in Luzerne and Lackawanna counties is contagious. They said in their filing that the entire 33-county Middle District of Pennsylvania is infected.

They went even further in presuming that we are closeted vigilantes who may go undetected. OUCH! That one hurt. The legal brief says that pre-trial questioning will (not may, but will) prove inadequate in identifying who among us are ”seeking to exact their own form of vigilante justice,” The Times Leader also reported.

Oh, I think attorneys Flora and Ruzzo are more than capable of extracting that information.

They also don’t like what many have dubbed the “Kids for Cash” scandal. We have to agree with them there; it is an inflammatory nickname. But what makes them think that we are the only ones in the nation who tuned into 20/20, which aired the allegations that Ciavarella and his partner-in (alleged) crime, Michael Conahan, accepted $2.8 million to steer juvenile delinquents to a privately-owned detention center?

All things considered, surely the lawyers didn’t expect that “Kids for Change” would stick.

Federal prosecutors are opposing the demand for a change of venue. Good for them. At least they have confidence that somewhere in a 33-county area, there are some who haven’t yet reached a verdict.

The lawyers are also fighting to get rid of presiding Judge Edwin M. Kosik who rejected Ciavarella’s and Conahan’s initial plea agreement, which would have put them in prison for a mere 84 months. They now face decades behind bars. So Judge Kosik is not one of their favorite people.

Flora and Ruzzo also believe the judge is biased based on a statement attributed to him in The Citizens’ Voice that the two judges ”prostituted their judicial office by incarcerating children for money.”

It’s hard not to like Judge Kosik. Okay, I may have just been eliminated as a potential juror. Darn.

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