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Saturday, December 10, 2011
Friday, December 09, 2011
Luzerne County budget
The good news is that it doesn't use fictitious revenue from land sales or borrow more money. The bad news is it includes personnel cuts in the court system and other departments that will not stand.
County budget includes deep cuts
The largest preliminary cuts from 2011 expenditure levels are: probation, down $1.2 million; prison; more than $900,000; magisterial courts, more than $800,000; district attorney, more than $600,000; domestic relations, more than $600,000; stenographers, more than $300,000.
2012 budget down $3.5M
County Prothonotary Carolee Medico Olenginski blasted Urban and Petrilla after the meeting for cutting $419,000 out of her budget, saying the loss would reduce the revenue generated by the office and “sabotage the new government.”
“In my opinion, they are vindictive, evil people and are taking their last shot at me because I stood up to them and could not be compromised to stoop to their level of bad government."
Nor is Judge Burke
Burke: Lawsuit over judiciary budget cut may happen
"There is a mandate to fund the court system at the level of "reasonable necessity.' The current proposal would fall woefully short of meeting that standard, and the court will continue to review all budget matters over the next weeks with a goal of coming to a funding resolution with county officials," Burke said Monday.
Gort42 Luzerne County Courthouse special correspondent Ethel Price has some inside info:
Petrilla sent an email to all departments telling them to prepare a new departmental budget to conform with the budget figures the commissioner's prepared. She also advised them to prepare a list of positions that would equal the budget cuts.
The row officers sent her a reply pretty much telling her to go screw herself and they were not going to cut staff for her and she should do her own dirty work. Apparently Carolee told her in very strong terms how she felt about it.
Today I got my hands on the overall budget and to tell you it is a mess is a gross understatement. For example, Petrilla/Urban cut the magistrate offices by over 53%. They cut some of the rents in half. Now think about that ..... in many offices, there are only two clerks so if the remaining clerk is sick or on vacation, the office will have to be closed. There are leases with private landlords who will not sit and give up half of their agreed upon rents. Approx. 10 of the 17 offices are housed in municipal buildings and these local governments also have leases and they are pretty much done with their budgets using figures from their leases ......... now what?
This is just a small part...... the Court Stenographers budget is cut by just over 44%. How can that be? These stenographers are required by law and must be present for every court action. How will this be accomplished when the budget is cut almost in half?
The big thing here is that the cuts that were made were not made from the proposed 2012 budget. They just threw those numbers away and these are cuts against the 2011 budget.
This budget is absolutely unworkable. The cuts were made without regard to employee contracts or legal requirements.
It really is a cluster f***. Petrilla and Urban put their heads together on this and all they did was prepare a budget that kills balances. The debt is the real culprit and it is impossible to pay the size debt we have by balancing the budget on the backs of the employees. It just can't be done. Debt needs to be funded by special dedicated debt mileage and the budget must be addressed on a needs basis, not a wish list.
County budget includes deep cuts
The largest preliminary cuts from 2011 expenditure levels are: probation, down $1.2 million; prison; more than $900,000; magisterial courts, more than $800,000; district attorney, more than $600,000; domestic relations, more than $600,000; stenographers, more than $300,000.
Carolee is not happy
2012 budget down $3.5M
County Prothonotary Carolee Medico Olenginski blasted Urban and Petrilla after the meeting for cutting $419,000 out of her budget, saying the loss would reduce the revenue generated by the office and “sabotage the new government.”
“In my opinion, they are vindictive, evil people and are taking their last shot at me because I stood up to them and could not be compromised to stoop to their level of bad government."
Nor is Judge Burke
Burke: Lawsuit over judiciary budget cut may happen
"There is a mandate to fund the court system at the level of "reasonable necessity.' The current proposal would fall woefully short of meeting that standard, and the court will continue to review all budget matters over the next weeks with a goal of coming to a funding resolution with county officials," Burke said Monday.
Gort42 Luzerne County Courthouse special correspondent Ethel Price has some inside info:
Petrilla sent an email to all departments telling them to prepare a new departmental budget to conform with the budget figures the commissioner's prepared. She also advised them to prepare a list of positions that would equal the budget cuts.
The row officers sent her a reply pretty much telling her to go screw herself and they were not going to cut staff for her and she should do her own dirty work. Apparently Carolee told her in very strong terms how she felt about it.
Today I got my hands on the overall budget and to tell you it is a mess is a gross understatement. For example, Petrilla/Urban cut the magistrate offices by over 53%. They cut some of the rents in half. Now think about that ..... in many offices, there are only two clerks so if the remaining clerk is sick or on vacation, the office will have to be closed. There are leases with private landlords who will not sit and give up half of their agreed upon rents. Approx. 10 of the 17 offices are housed in municipal buildings and these local governments also have leases and they are pretty much done with their budgets using figures from their leases ......... now what?
This is just a small part...... the Court Stenographers budget is cut by just over 44%. How can that be? These stenographers are required by law and must be present for every court action. How will this be accomplished when the budget is cut almost in half?
The big thing here is that the cuts that were made were not made from the proposed 2012 budget. They just threw those numbers away and these are cuts against the 2011 budget.
This budget is absolutely unworkable. The cuts were made without regard to employee contracts or legal requirements.
It really is a cluster f***. Petrilla and Urban put their heads together on this and all they did was prepare a budget that kills balances. The debt is the real culprit and it is impossible to pay the size debt we have by balancing the budget on the backs of the employees. It just can't be done. Debt needs to be funded by special dedicated debt mileage and the budget must be addressed on a needs basis, not a wish list.
Thursday, December 08, 2011
David Freed for Attorney General
From PoliticsPA
Carlisle — In the crowded lobby of the Cumberland County courthouse, District Attorney Dave Freed launched his bid for Pa. Attorney General Tuesday afternoon. He repeatedly emphasized his record as a tough-on-crime prosecutor.
“The vast majority of my career has been spent prosecuting criminals. I’ve prosecuted capital murder cases, run grand jury investigations, taken down child pornographers, locked up drug dealers, child molesters and arsonists,” he said.
Freed was flanked by several of his colleagues – District Attorney James Martin of Lehigh County; Tom Kearney of York County; and Shawn Wagner of Adams County – and introduced by Ed Marisco of Dauphin County. His website boasts the endorsements of 20 Republican DAs from across the state.
He joins Pa. Senator John Rafferty (R-Montgomery), the only other declared Republican candidate.
“The vast majority of my career has been spent prosecuting criminals. I’ve prosecuted capital murder cases, run grand jury investigations, taken down child pornographers, locked up drug dealers, child molesters and arsonists,” he said.
Freed was flanked by several of his colleagues – District Attorney James Martin of Lehigh County; Tom Kearney of York County; and Shawn Wagner of Adams County – and introduced by Ed Marisco of Dauphin County. His website boasts the endorsements of 20 Republican DAs from across the state.
He joins Pa. Senator John Rafferty (R-Montgomery), the only other declared Republican candidate.
When you look at the picture I posted and the banner he has on his website he appears to have Michelle Bachman eyes.
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CasablancaPA has some information about both Republican candidates
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And, unsurprisingly to anyone who is familiar with the Pennsylvania state legislature going back to, well, forever, Rafferty's staff received quite a few campaign reimbursements... Check it out for yourself here. If there is one thing we've all learned since 2007, campaign reimbursements have always led back to illegal campaign activities IF a prosecutor issues subpoenas and investigates.
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Beyond merely surrounding himself with some of the largest beneficiaries of the legislative bonuses he abhors, Rafferty seems to have a more significant problem than just schizophrenic taste. How does it look for a candidate for Attorney General to hire as a leading member of his campaign team a current target of an on-going grand jury investigation? What signal does it send to the investigators at the OAG who are still investigating the Senate Republican Caucus' operations during Mike Long's leadership?
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Will anyone ask Harley, the Office of Attorney General, or Governor Tom Corbett whether Leroy Zimmerman's son-in-law "obviously doesn't understand the law?" Or, was Harley just spouting nonsense on the taxpayer's dime to protect his boss politically?
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Freed told Capitol Ideas that he will drop out if he doesn't get the backing of the PA State Republican Committee
"I will not run without the endorsement," he said. "I have no problem saying that."
The winner of the primary or endorsement contest will face one of 3 Democrats in the General election.
"I will not run without the endorsement," he said. "I have no problem saying that."
The winner of the primary or endorsement contest will face one of 3 Democrats in the General election.
They are Dan McCaffery who is backed by Congressman and head of the local Philadelpia Democratic party Bob Brady. Scranton native Kathleen Kane who has been on Hardball discussing the Sandusky scandal.
Former Congressman Patrick Murphy has also been proposing protections for children in the wake of the scandal and stands up for fellow veterans. Murphy was the leader in Congress for the repeal of DADT. I was in the military in the 70/80's and we knew who was gay but didn't give a shit, all that mattered was if you could do your job.
Murphy made it to the last Blogfest which got major props from me and our local scribes. We will have another gathering before the April primary and expect even more statewide candidates in addition to the local hopefuls to attend.
Wednesday, December 07, 2011
Pennsylvania Congressional Redistricting
A Capitolwire (subscription required) story yesterday about the latest plan for the gerrymandering of Congressional Districts got the chattering classes and candidates , well, chattering. The first 2 maps floated here and here will not look like the final version according to this story.
The Republicans want to chop up Luzerne County
"Since the weekend the biggest change has been adding Wilkes-Barre and Pittston to the district of U.S. Rep. Tim Holden, D-Schuylkill, along with Scranton and other Democratic areas. Republican advisors to Rep. Lou Barletta, D-Hazleton, did not want those two areas to stay in Barletta’s district, fearing they could help lead to his future defeat." And they want to add Wyoming County to the 11th CD so Barletta can be another voice in Congress for the gas drillers and help his fundraising.
Lou Barletta's press guy Shawn Kelly gives a politically correct answer to this speculation.
No Barletta in proposed area district
W-B, Scranton in zone with Easton
“Why wouldn’t Rep. Barletta want Luzerne County whole?” Kelly asked. “He won it twice, handily – by 4.8 points in 2008 and by 13.4 points in 2010. It’s his home county. It’s where he’s best known. Rep. Barletta wants to keep Luzerne County whole. Period.”
Bill Vinsko blasts the Republican creative map making
ONCE AGAIN, CONGRESSMAN BARLETTA AND THE STATE LEGISLATURE ARE TURNING THEIR BACKS ON THE PEOPLE OF NORTHEAST AND CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA.
As has been widely reported over the last few weeks, the Congressional District Boundaries in Pennsylvania are being released this week. First, Lou Barletta got rid of the only county he could not win – Lackawanna County. Then he cut out the only county he won once – Monroe County.
Wilkes-Barre, Pittston, Duryea and Dupont, and several other Luzerne County municipalities, have always been a part of the 11th Congressional District. Interestingly, Congressman Barletta, in an effort to avoid having a strong challenge from Bill Vinsko on November 6, 2012, is supporting a move tonight to surgically remove Wilkes-Barre, Pittston and several other Luzerne County municipalities from the 11th Congressional District. It seems now that he does not even trust the people who actually elected him.
We are calling on Congressman Barletta, the Governor and our state legislators to work to keep Luzerne County intact and put the people ahead of politics now! It is no wonder why people are fed up with Congress. Now, our own Congressional leaders are attempting to steal the election and take away the rights of the people.
The following is a statement from Democratic Candidate Bill Vinsko:
“If Congressman Barletta is afraid to face voters who live in the heart of his own District, then he should work harder to convince them by doing his job. Under this plan it’s downright wrong that Luzerne County will be broken into parts and the voice of our people will be muted in Washington for brazen political reasons. I call on Congressman Barletta to publicly ask the state legislature and Governor to keep all of Luzerne County in the 11th and to keep the voice of Northeast Pennsylvania strong and united in Washington,” said Bill Vinsko.
Capitol Ideas says that the whole thing will be pushed off for a week.
Former 10th CD Congressman Chris Carney is lurking around.
Christopher Carney Gauging Support for 2012 Bid
On Friday, Carney met with a dozen Keystone State political fundraisers, former donors and organized labor representatives to discuss a 2012 campaign, according to a source who attended the roundtable discussion at a downtown Philadelphia political consulting shop.
The Republicans want to chop up Luzerne County
"Since the weekend the biggest change has been adding Wilkes-Barre and Pittston to the district of U.S. Rep. Tim Holden, D-Schuylkill, along with Scranton and other Democratic areas. Republican advisors to Rep. Lou Barletta, D-Hazleton, did not want those two areas to stay in Barletta’s district, fearing they could help lead to his future defeat." And they want to add Wyoming County to the 11th CD so Barletta can be another voice in Congress for the gas drillers and help his fundraising.
Lou Barletta's press guy Shawn Kelly gives a politically correct answer to this speculation.
No Barletta in proposed area district
W-B, Scranton in zone with Easton
“Why wouldn’t Rep. Barletta want Luzerne County whole?” Kelly asked. “He won it twice, handily – by 4.8 points in 2008 and by 13.4 points in 2010. It’s his home county. It’s where he’s best known. Rep. Barletta wants to keep Luzerne County whole. Period.”
Bill Vinsko blasts the Republican creative map making
ONCE AGAIN, CONGRESSMAN BARLETTA AND THE STATE LEGISLATURE ARE TURNING THEIR BACKS ON THE PEOPLE OF NORTHEAST AND CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA.
As has been widely reported over the last few weeks, the Congressional District Boundaries in Pennsylvania are being released this week. First, Lou Barletta got rid of the only county he could not win – Lackawanna County. Then he cut out the only county he won once – Monroe County.
Wilkes-Barre, Pittston, Duryea and Dupont, and several other Luzerne County municipalities, have always been a part of the 11th Congressional District. Interestingly, Congressman Barletta, in an effort to avoid having a strong challenge from Bill Vinsko on November 6, 2012, is supporting a move tonight to surgically remove Wilkes-Barre, Pittston and several other Luzerne County municipalities from the 11th Congressional District. It seems now that he does not even trust the people who actually elected him.
We are calling on Congressman Barletta, the Governor and our state legislators to work to keep Luzerne County intact and put the people ahead of politics now! It is no wonder why people are fed up with Congress. Now, our own Congressional leaders are attempting to steal the election and take away the rights of the people.
The following is a statement from Democratic Candidate Bill Vinsko:
“If Congressman Barletta is afraid to face voters who live in the heart of his own District, then he should work harder to convince them by doing his job. Under this plan it’s downright wrong that Luzerne County will be broken into parts and the voice of our people will be muted in Washington for brazen political reasons. I call on Congressman Barletta to publicly ask the state legislature and Governor to keep all of Luzerne County in the 11th and to keep the voice of Northeast Pennsylvania strong and united in Washington,” said Bill Vinsko.
Capitol Ideas says that the whole thing will be pushed off for a week.
Former 10th CD Congressman Chris Carney is lurking around.
Christopher Carney Gauging Support for 2012 Bid
On Friday, Carney met with a dozen Keystone State political fundraisers, former donors and organized labor representatives to discuss a 2012 campaign, according to a source who attended the roundtable discussion at a downtown Philadelphia political consulting shop.
Yonk on the mend
Last week my good friend David Yonki told his readers of the Lu Lac Political Letter that he will be out of action for a bit getting some medical attention. I talked to him yesterday and I'm happy to report that he is doing well and will be back in action shortly. He has been well taken care of by a tall redheaded nurse with an uncanny resemblance to Gina Davis.
I believe her name is Rozetta
I believe her name is Rozetta
Tuesday, December 06, 2011
Do the Republicans want to win the White House in 2012?
I've been an observer of Presidential politics since shortly after I learned how to read but I've never seen anything like this pre-primary season. Serious candidates like Mitch Daniels and John Thune took a pass then Tim Pawlwnty dropped out after the Iowa straw poll after losing to Michelle Bachman.
Donald Trump was leading the polls in the spring peddling birther nonsense then his bubble burst when Bin Laden was killed and he decided to go back to his TV show. Texas Governor Rick Perry was cheered for executing people and raised a bunch of money but couldn't speak in complete sentences and had a memory lapse. Then it was pizza guy Herman Cain who was sunk by an allegation of a 13 year extramarital affair after being accused of sexual harassment. Cain dropped out Saturday and the Borowitz Report translates his statement:
But before I go, let me share with you my final thoughts on my campaign. After months of crisscrossing this great land of ours and participating in over three hundred televised debates, I am being disqualified because of an extramarital affair. And that raises the following question: are you fucking kidding me?
I mean, let’s get real. I never heard of Libya. I didn’t know whether that CNN dude’s name was Wolf or Blitz. And my only training for running the #1 nation in the world was running its #8 pizza chain. Yet none of that, I repeat, none of that disqualified me. In fact, I was the front-fucking-runner, as long as I kept my 9-9-9 in my pants. (I have no idea what I meant by that — I just like saying 9-9-9.)
But here’s the part that really kills me. You’re kicking me to the curb because I was messing around, and instead you’re going with… Newt Gingrich? I repeat: are you fucking kidding me? Oh, I know what you’re saying: you love Newt because he’s an “intellectual.” Well, Newt Gingrich is the intellectual of the Republican field the way Moe was the intellectual of the Stooges.
Now the front runner is Newt Gingrich who is an ideas man. Most of them are bad like having grade school kids work as janitors. Now he talks about bipartisanship after poisoning the atmosphere in the 1990's.
Every Word Matters: Using 'Keywords' as a Political Tactic
Gingrich's negative words for Democrats
"Anti-flag, anti-family, anti-child, anti-jobs, betray, coercion, collapse, consequences, corruption, crises, decay, deeper, destroy, destructive, devour, endanger, failure, greed, hypocrisy, ideological, impose, incompetent, insecure, liberal, lie, limit(s), pathetic, permissive attitude, radical, self-serving, sensationalists, shallow, sick, they/them, threaten, traitors, unionized bureaucracy, urgent, waste"
Now Trump is back in the news saying he will be the moderator of a Newsmax debate about a week before the Iowa caucus that has some Republicans balking . Newt doesn't have a ground game and even if he wins an early contest or 2 it's hard to see him lasting in a contest with Mitt Romney. Andrew Sullivan said that Romney makes plastic look real.
Back to my original point. I really don't think that the Republican media machine want's to see President Obama defeated. It would be bad for ratings for FOX News and Rush Limbaugh if they didn't have a Democratic President to beat up. Not to mention what it would do to their book sales.
Sunday, December 04, 2011
11th CD news: Barletta and Vinsko
Congressman Lou Barletta has been in the news lately. He got House Speaker John Boehner to view flood damage in Bloomsburg and blasted President Obama's visit to Scranton saying "The people of Scranton would rather have a job than a visit, especially a visit at taxpayers’ expense.” He thinks that the President should stay in Washington trying to make a deal with the Republicans who reflexifely oppose anything he proposes even if it was their idea in the first place like the indvidual mandate .
I think the President is right using the bully pulpit and Barletta just may be listening. While saying he doesn't want to raise taxes on anybody Barletta won't rule it out. TT:
Mr. Barletta told The Times-Tribune by telephone he still favors a payroll tax extension and is open to considering an expansion and even the proposed surcharge.
"I think we should keep all ideas on the table if we can pay for it," he said. "I wouldn't rule anything out at this point. I'm open to leaving everything on the table and let's get the best idea."
But his preference is to not raise any taxes, he said. I guess that is progress in his thinking.
This week he sent out some press releases supporting a bill to make road signs easier to read.
Rep. Barletta is the lead Republican sponsor on bipartisan road safety bill
And getting into the holiday spirit
Rep. Barletta's district offices to be collection sites for Toys for Tots program. That's cool.
New, unwrapped toys will be collected at Rep. Barletta’s Wilkes-Barre and Taylor offices between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
The addresses of those offices are:
Taylor, Lackawanna County: 802 South Main Street, Taylor, PA 18517. Phone: (570) 562-6240. The office is in the same center in which state Rep. Sid Michaels Kavulich has his office.
Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne County: 1112 State Route 315, Plaza 315, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702. Phone: (570) 235-1420.
Democratic challenger Bill Vinsko has been defending the civil rights of a Bloomsburg University
student and posted a new soppy video:
I think the President is right using the bully pulpit and Barletta just may be listening. While saying he doesn't want to raise taxes on anybody Barletta won't rule it out. TT:
Mr. Barletta told The Times-Tribune by telephone he still favors a payroll tax extension and is open to considering an expansion and even the proposed surcharge.
"I think we should keep all ideas on the table if we can pay for it," he said. "I wouldn't rule anything out at this point. I'm open to leaving everything on the table and let's get the best idea."
But his preference is to not raise any taxes, he said. I guess that is progress in his thinking.
This week he sent out some press releases supporting a bill to make road signs easier to read.
Rep. Barletta is the lead Republican sponsor on bipartisan road safety bill
And getting into the holiday spirit
Rep. Barletta's district offices to be collection sites for Toys for Tots program. That's cool.
New, unwrapped toys will be collected at Rep. Barletta’s Wilkes-Barre and Taylor offices between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
The addresses of those offices are:
Taylor, Lackawanna County: 802 South Main Street, Taylor, PA 18517. Phone: (570) 562-6240. The office is in the same center in which state Rep. Sid Michaels Kavulich has his office.
Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne County: 1112 State Route 315, Plaza 315, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702. Phone: (570) 235-1420.
Democratic challenger Bill Vinsko has been defending the civil rights of a Bloomsburg University
student and posted a new soppy video:
Saturday, December 03, 2011
Sarah Palin said some nice things about Rick Santorum
Sarah Palin said some nice things about Rick Santorum (R-VA) on Fox News that he touting in a fundraising email.
Gort
“If voters start shifting gears and deciding they want ideological consistency, then they’re going to start paying attention to say, Rick Santorum.”
Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin said that last night on Fox News about me, and I wanted to make sure you heard about it as well.
I am grateful for those kind words from a strong conservative like Governor Palin. And it’s becoming more clear that other conservatives are starting to rally around our message of passionate conservatism.
I love it when a politician sends a personalized email when hitting me up for money but I'm unclear what the difference is between a passionate conservative and a compassionate conservative like Bush advertised. I think it might be something akin to being a benevolent axe murderer as Mike McGlynn once said in the CV.
Michelle Bachman said she would consider him for VP.
CNN: Bachmann threw out a few names Wednesday when asked who her potential vice-president would be, including fellow candidate Rick Santorum...The congresswoman from Minnesota also floated Santorum as a potential attorney general, saying his legal acumen was top notch.
"I think that Rick Santorum is a wonderful man personally, but also, I think that he's very gifted when it comes to the area of legal issues."
Rick is charming all the girls saying "I’m the one you want to take home to Mom.”
Rick Santorum a Hit With the Ladies
Gort
“If voters start shifting gears and deciding they want ideological consistency, then they’re going to start paying attention to say, Rick Santorum.”
Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin said that last night on Fox News about me, and I wanted to make sure you heard about it as well.
I am grateful for those kind words from a strong conservative like Governor Palin. And it’s becoming more clear that other conservatives are starting to rally around our message of passionate conservatism.
I love it when a politician sends a personalized email when hitting me up for money but I'm unclear what the difference is between a passionate conservative and a compassionate conservative like Bush advertised. I think it might be something akin to being a benevolent axe murderer as Mike McGlynn once said in the CV.
Michelle Bachman said she would consider him for VP.
CNN: Bachmann threw out a few names Wednesday when asked who her potential vice-president would be, including fellow candidate Rick Santorum...The congresswoman from Minnesota also floated Santorum as a potential attorney general, saying his legal acumen was top notch.
"I think that Rick Santorum is a wonderful man personally, but also, I think that he's very gifted when it comes to the area of legal issues."
Rick is charming all the girls saying "I’m the one you want to take home to Mom.”
Rick Santorum a Hit With the Ladies
Friday, December 02, 2011
Technical difficulties
Yesterday I received a message from my friend Wil Toole
Not sure if it is me, my puter or your site ....... there is brown background which prevents me from reading your postings.
The blog looked normal on my computer so I told him to check back later. I didn't make any changes to the template and haven't had to mess with the html code since the last blogger update so I thought it was a problem with his computer. I checked the blog on 2 other computers and it appeared fine. Then I got a few other messages saying the thing and I finally figured it out. It's a browser problem.
The blog looked normal on my computer so I told him to check back later. I didn't make any changes to the template and haven't had to mess with the html code since the last blogger update so I thought it was a problem with his computer. I checked the blog on 2 other computers and it appeared fine. Then I got a few other messages saying the thing and I finally figured it out. It's a browser problem.
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Gort42 looks fine on Internet Explorer 7 but is all messed up on Firefox. The last few months I've had the opposite problem with a few sites. Whenever I load NEPartisan and Oliver Willis with IE7 I get a pop up box that says the site is running a script and freezes my computer requiring me to do a restart but they both work fine when I open them with Firefox.
.I'm not sure what the problem is but I will try deleting some recent links and pictures to see if it will solve the problem. So bear with me folks while I try to solve this problem instead of posting about a few of these stories.
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No challengers yet for Luzerne County state legislators
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Lou Barletta compra programa de la piedra de Rosetta para aprender español
.Update: The culprit was Michelle's picture of President Obama I snagged from her flickr account.
I deleted it and everything is back to normal.
I deleted it and everything is back to normal.
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Thursday, December 01, 2011
Corey O'Brien gets some national press
The New YorkTimes story a day before President Obama's visit to Scranton created something of of a buzz. It says that this is Hillary Clinton country full of Reagan Democrats who may vote for a Republican this time around. Despite what the Professor thinks Barack Obama will win Luzerne and Lackawanna counties in 2012 but our area but it will be a battleground as it always is. Expect the President and VP Biden to visit us in the run up to the election and the Republican nominee will also make a few stops.
At first I focused on this quote “For many people here, Obama is too liberal,” said Ed Mitchell, a Democratic strategist based in nearby Wilkes-Barre. Sorry Ed, Obama is not liberal enough, if he was he would hire retiring Congressman Barney Frank as Press Secretary or maybe Bernie Sanders or at least listen to their advice.
Lackawanna County Commissioner Corey O'Brien's remarks got the most attention “Enough with the soft approach,” said Corey O’Brien, a Democratic Lackawanna County commissioner and early backer of Mr. Obama. “He’s got to say, ‘I’m in charge, and I’m going to get it done with or without Congress.’ ”
A few people chastised Corey for not knowing how the the Federal government works.
Where Campaigns Work Well
No, Barack Obama is not Harry Potter
FOR SOME REASON, a lot of people think after that his inauguration, President Obama was handed a top secret magic wand.
Kevin Drum: Republicans have to be chortling at this. It's exactly the response they've been hoping for as we head into election season...
Political Animal: Just to be clear, my point is not to pick on Corey O’Brien, an Obama supporter. He’s very likely frustrated and concerned, and knows plenty of people in his community who are equally frustrated and concerned. I don’t blame them in the slightest — given the larger economic circumstances, their anxiety is well justified....The public likes to think of the President of the United States, no matter who’s in office, as having vast powers....Americans hate Congress, overwhelmingly dislike Republicans, and the notion that the GOP is sabotaging the economy just to undermine Obama is widely believed. And yet, the president may suffer politically because many voters expect Obama to succeed — despite unprecedented Republican obstructionism — by “getting it done with or without Congress.”
The Plume Line
Why GOP benefits from blocking Obama’s jobs policies
I thought it would be worth checking back with O'Brien to get a sense of how widespread this sentiment is in that region, a bellwether area that Obama is set to visit today.
Turns out it is widespread, and that this dynamic may well be in full force. O’Brien said that many voters from the region are fully convinced that Republicans are deliberately trying to block Obama policies that might help alleviate joblessness — but that in their minds, the buck still stops with the president.
“People see that Republicans have been the party of blocking progress — that’s clear,” O’Brien told me. “The people of northeastern Pennsylvania, who will help decide who wins the state, all understand what’s going on.”
But he added: “They still look at the president and say, `the buck stops with the president.’ And that’s something the president has to overcome.”
O’Brien predicted that Republicans would not be rewarded for their obstructionism in the end. But he depicted an extremely volatile political environment, in which people are enraged by government’s failure to alleviate people’s economic suffering. He said Obama still needs to find some way of either securing some GOP support or making it even clearer that he grasps the depth of pubic rage over gridlock and that he’s the one fighting to make things better.
“The frustration is boiling over,” he said. “There’s an awareness here that the president can’t do this alone and that’s never been more true than it’s been now.” But he again characterized public sentiment by saying: “The buck stops with the president.”
And there you have it.
UPDATE: O’Brien got in touch with me after Obama’s speech today, and he sounded convinced that Obama was striking the tone he needs to strike. He said he thinks Obama “scored a lot of points” with eastern Pennsylvanians.
At first I focused on this quote “For many people here, Obama is too liberal,” said Ed Mitchell, a Democratic strategist based in nearby Wilkes-Barre. Sorry Ed, Obama is not liberal enough, if he was he would hire retiring Congressman Barney Frank as Press Secretary or maybe Bernie Sanders or at least listen to their advice.
Lackawanna County Commissioner Corey O'Brien's remarks got the most attention “Enough with the soft approach,” said Corey O’Brien, a Democratic Lackawanna County commissioner and early backer of Mr. Obama. “He’s got to say, ‘I’m in charge, and I’m going to get it done with or without Congress.’ ”
A few people chastised Corey for not knowing how the the Federal government works.
Where Campaigns Work Well
No, Barack Obama is not Harry Potter
FOR SOME REASON, a lot of people think after that his inauguration, President Obama was handed a top secret magic wand.
Kevin Drum: Republicans have to be chortling at this. It's exactly the response they've been hoping for as we head into election season...
Political Animal: Just to be clear, my point is not to pick on Corey O’Brien, an Obama supporter. He’s very likely frustrated and concerned, and knows plenty of people in his community who are equally frustrated and concerned. I don’t blame them in the slightest — given the larger economic circumstances, their anxiety is well justified....The public likes to think of the President of the United States, no matter who’s in office, as having vast powers....Americans hate Congress, overwhelmingly dislike Republicans, and the notion that the GOP is sabotaging the economy just to undermine Obama is widely believed. And yet, the president may suffer politically because many voters expect Obama to succeed — despite unprecedented Republican obstructionism — by “getting it done with or without Congress.”
The Plume Line
Why GOP benefits from blocking Obama’s jobs policies
I thought it would be worth checking back with O'Brien to get a sense of how widespread this sentiment is in that region, a bellwether area that Obama is set to visit today.
Turns out it is widespread, and that this dynamic may well be in full force. O’Brien said that many voters from the region are fully convinced that Republicans are deliberately trying to block Obama policies that might help alleviate joblessness — but that in their minds, the buck still stops with the president.
“People see that Republicans have been the party of blocking progress — that’s clear,” O’Brien told me. “The people of northeastern Pennsylvania, who will help decide who wins the state, all understand what’s going on.”
But he added: “They still look at the president and say, `the buck stops with the president.’ And that’s something the president has to overcome.”
O’Brien predicted that Republicans would not be rewarded for their obstructionism in the end. But he depicted an extremely volatile political environment, in which people are enraged by government’s failure to alleviate people’s economic suffering. He said Obama still needs to find some way of either securing some GOP support or making it even clearer that he grasps the depth of pubic rage over gridlock and that he’s the one fighting to make things better.
“The frustration is boiling over,” he said. “There’s an awareness here that the president can’t do this alone and that’s never been more true than it’s been now.” But he again characterized public sentiment by saying: “The buck stops with the president.”
And there you have it.
UPDATE: O’Brien got in touch with me after Obama’s speech today, and he sounded convinced that Obama was striking the tone he needs to strike. He said he thinks Obama “scored a lot of points” with eastern Pennsylvanians.
POTUS in Scranton
I wasn't able to make it but a couple of our local bloggers had front row seats. I spotted Michelle (thanks for the pic) and Karla on MSNBC before the event started and await their reports. Sorry, I don't do Twitter.
I agree with my friend DB Echo who is an unemployed/underemployed bloggerOnly the Yonk and the Blogfather have post game reactions up so far. David says "We hear all about the job creators but my question remains the same, What have they have been creating in the last three years? Tell me. Point me to a private industry jobs program, point me to an industry that has adopted a patriotic mantra to get America working again? Answer me those questions and I’ll shut up about taxing the rich...Obama needs to stay tough" and Mark repeated his usual digs at unions and government workers saying "With no record of achievement to run on, expect a steady of dose of the obfuscation and the class warfare until he's trounced next November."
Before the President spoke 3 of our friends on the right greeted him. Politics in NEPA had a creative post knocking him for a campaign stop because of sagging poll numbers, green energy jobs and the housing market and also took a shot at Corey O'Brien. McGruff posted a press release from 10th CD Congressman Tom Marino alleging "his insistence on sticking to his worn-out ideologies and Chicago-style politics is clearly hurting the national economy." Chicago-style politics? I wish he was more like Mayor Daley and knock some heads together. Pure Bunkum called him Robin Hood and also mocked the fiction that this wasn't a campaign event. Since Betty has taken the side of Prince John and the Sheriff of Nottingham I'll quote the President:
Now, I know you hear a lot of folks on cable TV claiming that I’m this big tax-and-spend liberal. Next time you hear that, you just remind the people who are saying it that since I’ve taken office, I’ve cut your taxes. Your taxes today -- the average middle-class family, your taxes today are lower than when I took office, just remember that. We have cut taxes for small businesses not once, not twice, but 17 times. The average family’s tax burden is among the lowest it’s been in the last 60 years. So the problem is not that we’ve been raising taxes. We’ve actually been trying to give families a break during these tough times. Even after employers came out and said they refused to do any more hiring until that half-breed Kenyan-born Muslim socialist fascist was out of the White House.
Until John Boehner got up and said, yes, that's exactly what we're doing.That was months ago. It hasn't gotten any better since then. The political battle is ramping up. Job seekers are being held hostage. The economy is being held hostage. Republicans want to maximize economic suffering to drive home the point that Americans made a terrible, terrible mistake when they elected Barack Obama in 2008.
Instead I think the point they are making, and underlining in red, and circling and drawing arrows and lightning bolts next to, is what a terrible, terrible mistake it was to load up Congress with even more Republicans in 2010.
Unfortunately, a large proportion of the electorate is soft-minded and easily manipulated. Yes, they say, Barack Obama is a failure, just like Rush Limbaugh said he would be! And besides, those Democrats are evil, what with their love of abortions and gay marriage and the Fourteenth Amendment and all that other un-American crap. I gotta vote Republican!
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