More Fun and Games in Luzerne County

Recently, we've been treated to the stories of corruption at our schools. While it is nice to actually read about the perpetrators getting caught, it amazes me that it is entirely possible to find out more about this crap by just going out to a pub and chatting with people. I know you want an example, so I'll give you two.

All the local papers have been talking about Intellacom's business dealings with Pittston Area and LCCC. It has been reported that Intellacom, owned by Tony Trombetta, was given hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of no bid contracts by Ross Scarantino. What hasn't been reported is that Scarantino's buddy Brian Dunn also hired Intellacom to put in security cameras at WB Career and Tech School. I heard the contract was worth over $600k. How'd the newspapers miss that? Did the FBI miss it too?

Another little bird tweeted to me that a certain local business has a virtual monopoly on selling pizza to almost every single local school district (oddly enough, WB Career and Tech isn't one of them). While that in and of itself doesn't mean anything fishy is going on, it should be looked into. I am always curious as to how one business manages to tie up a large amount of taxpayer dollars and seemingly has no competition and doesn't have to bid to get the contract.

I'll let you know when more filth comes bubbling out.

Arlen Specter Shocks Absolutely Nobody

Arlen came out of the closet today and announced he will be running as a democrat.

I've met Arlen and had some pleasant conversations with him. He genuinely is a nice guy. What he is not, and never has been, is a Republican. The straw that broke the camel's back was his support of Obama's Spendulous Package. Many of us could forgive Arlen's frequent siding with the far left as long as the things he was voting for weren't cataclysmic mistakes like that pork laden disgrace. That time he just went way too far. I think he realized that he would lose to Toomey in the primary and that is the only reason he switched. Hell, I don't think he'll beat any serious democrat challenger either.

So to you Arlen, I say farewell and don't let the door knob hit you in the ass on the way out the door. Frankly, there should be a mandatory retirement age for Congress anyway. While I'd rather see term limits, I think they'd be a lot harder to pass.

Michael Moore in Luzerne County?

I heard on Sue Henry's show that the biggest asshole on the planet may be coming here to do what he does best, make a fortune through the suffering of others. Of course Sue didn't put it that way but then again she isn't as blunt as I am.

Just what this area needs, another ignorant douche profiting from misery. Didn't we have enough of that with Conahan and Ciavarella and all the democrat politicians and appointees that had to know what was going on in the courthouse?

Screw the tea parties, let's protest this rotund windbag whose sole mission in life is to seek out pain and feed off of it like a vampire or more apropos, a leech.

Stick a fork in him, he's Dunn

The first of our local school board members has been arrested. Brian Dunn got pinched yesterday for selling jobs and contracts. I heard a rumor that Mr. Dunn was actually stupid enough to take a check for some of his kickbacks. That kind of dumb just can't be fixed. I hope he hasn't reproduced!

Arguably, the worst kept secret in the world is that NEPA is a pay to play haven. You want a teaching job? You better be related to a board member or have a bag of money. Want to do business with the county or a school district? Same rules apply. Look up FR Wholesale for a good example. You have to ask yourself just one question; "Why does somebody spend $20-50,000. to win an election to an unpaid position?"

On my pal Gort42's blog he posted that he heard the going rate was $4,000. to get a teaching position. I have heard that it is double that. We all know what it costs to get to run a juvie center for the county, $2.6 million. Truth be told though, that's the only amount we know so far. I continue to wonder if guaranteeing placements was worth that, how much was it worth to participants 1 and 2 to get the county to sign a lease for $58 million when we could've owned the facility for $8-9 million. To the FBI, just a hint, but maybe you should take a look at that. I heard the Cayman Islands are beautiful this time of year.

Speaking of questionable leases, how about District Justice Zola's office space in Hazleton? The guy leasing the space got all the money back that he paid for the property in just 2 years. I have quite a few friends that lease commercial property and they all say the norm is a minimum of 8 to 10 years. Just how did they decide what was a fair rate for that property? I guess it helps when you're friends with the District Justice and certain county commissioners. Did I mention that Zola is a democrat and that he's running for Luzerne County Judge? Wasn't there a song called "Things That Make You go Hmmmm?????

You want change? Here's an Obama change that'll make you cringe

From World Net Daily. I really don't like to copy articles to post but this is just necessary reading.
Is this who we really want formulating our national defense policy????

OBAMA WATCH CENTRAL
Pentagon official blames U.S. for al-Qaida attacks. Worked for George Soros, argued for government control of media
Posted: April 20, 20099:35 pm Eastern
By Aaron Klein© 2009 WorldNetDaily
Rosa Brooks
She believes al-Qaida was an "obscure group" turned into a massive threat due to U.S. policies.
She's referred to former President Bush as "our torturer in chief" and a "psychotic who need(s) treatment" while comparing Bush's arguments for waging a war on terrorism to Adolf Hitler's use of political propaganda.
She's worked on behalf of George Soros' philanthropic foundation.
Meet Rosa Brooks, the Obama administration's new adviser to Michelle Fluornoy, the undersecretary of defense for policy, a position described as one of the most influential in the Pentagon.
"I prefer to think of (my new position) as my personal government bailout," Brooks wrote in a departing piece at the Los Angeles Times, where she served as a regular columnist.


Brooks' new boss earlier this month briefed Congress on U.S. policy in Pakistan and Afghanistan, two countries for which she has enormous power concerning drafting future military doctrine.
"Brooks will wield an extraordinary degree of influence in helping shape U.S. policy. Her extreme views should therefore be closely scrutinized," wrote Nile Gardiner, a contributor to the London Telegraph's online blog.
Indeed, Brook's recent L.A. Times columns evidence views some may find concerning.
Get "Shut Up, America! How to fight the end of free speech"
In 2007, she labeled al-Qaida as "little more than an obscure group of extremist thugs, well financed and intermittently lethal but relatively limited in their global and regional political pull. On 9/11, they got lucky. … Thanks to U.S. policies, al-Qaida has become the vast global threat the administration imagined it to be in 2001."
Also that year, she called the surge in Iraq a "feckless plan" that is "too little too late" with "no realistic likelihood that it will lead to an enduring solution in Iraq." The surge was widely credited with helping to stabilize Iraq.
Brooks wrote Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney "should be treated like psychotics who need treatment. … Impeachment's not the solution to psychosis, no matter how flagrant."
She also penned a column about Bush entitled "Our torturer-in-chief" in which she inferred attacks against the U.S. were a result of torture policies.
"Today, the chickens are coming home to roost," she fumed, but "the word 'accountability' isn't in the White House dictionary."
In another column she referred to the regimes of Iran and North Korea as "foreign authoritarians," while calling the Bush administration a "homegrown" authoritarian regime.
In a column last month, Brooks claimed the Bush administration's Office of Legal Counsel arguments for prosecuting the war on terrorism were similar to tactics used by Hitler.
According to Brooks: "How did such dangerously bad legal memos ever get taken seriously in the first place? One answer is suggested by the so-called Big Lie theory of political propaganda, articulated most infamously by Adolf Hitler. Ordinary people 'more readily fall victim to the big lie than the small lie,' wrote Hitler."
Last week, FoxNews.com highlighted Brook's departing column in which she argued for more "direct government support for public media" and government licensing of the news.
Wrote Brooks: "Years of foolish policies have left us with a choice: We can bail out journalism, using tax dollars and granting licenses in ways that encourage robust and independent reporting and commentary, or we can watch, wringing our hands, as more and more top journalists are laid off."
In response, L. Brent Bozell, president of the Media Research Center, countered, "The day that the government gets involved in the news media you see the end of the democratic process, because an independent news media is absolutely essential to the success of a democracy."
Brooks is also a law professor at the Georgetown University Law Center, where she serves as director of Georgetown Law School's Human Rights Center. She previously served as special counsel to the president at Soros' Open Society Institute. She has consulted for Human Rights Watch and served as a board member of Amnesty International USA.

Gov. Ed Rendell Wants to Ban Assault Weapons

http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/nra-chief-rendell-fight-over-assault-weapons-2009-04-19.html

This link is to the story of our wonderful governor and his position on "assault" weapons. He wants them banned and feels that anybody that either owns one or wants to own one is an irrational fool. This really shouldn't come as a surprise to any of us. Fast Eddie has always been a devout Obamanite and continues to swill the special koolaid. The only reason our current president hasn't already begun a serious push for a ban like this is because he knows it's political suicide. Fast Eddie is just being used as a pawn and frankly, he's probably too stupid to realize it.

Obama and his minions would like nothing better than to see the second amendment stricken from the constitution. An unarmed populace is far easier to rule and control. The fact that they can't do that immediately probably doesn't bother them at all. They are patient and will make it a full court press move when the timing is right.

For them and Governor Rendell D (ouchebag), I have a question. Do you remotely realize just how many gun owners there are? Do you really think any sane police officer is going to go on a gun confiscation mission? Do you really think our armed forces want any part of becoming jackbooted thugs for you?

I think this issue, more than any other, will precipitate the next American Revolution. I think people will fight before they give up their rights. I think a lot of people are going to get killed for no other reason than to try to make a liberal douchebag's wet dream come true. Please, I beg of you, pull your heads from out of your asses.

Luzerne County is Famous or Should I say Infamous

So I'm at my meeting in the big apple yesterday and as we are concluding our business, out comes the question; You're from the Wilkes-Barre area, isn't that where those judges were putting kids in jail for money? The only answer I could come up with was yes, unfortunately.

These crooked democrat politicians(each and every one that has been and will be indicted is a democrat) have made our area an embarrassing joke. For those in the know, we know that the arrests have only just begun. When it is all over, there are going to be a load of local politicos behind bars. I say it can't happen fast enough to suit me.

The real question will be if the same old voters will do the same old thing and vote a straight democrat ticket. I hope they can realize that a one party system is about as broken as a system can get.

Pittston Area Hiring and Contracts Probe

Just the latest in what will be a long list of area school districts that are going to have some explaining to do. A little bird chirped to me last night that a certain Frank S. is in for a massive cavity search and will be singing like a songbird himself. We can all only hope that he names all of those involved in that cesspool.
Will write more about this but I am off to NYC on business.

Update: oops wrong first name. That's what I get for drinking and politicking at the same time.....

Dan Meuser's Testimony to the House Republican Policy Committee

I was fortunate enough to get a copy of Mr. Meuser's testimony and his permission to guest post it. Thank you, Dan.

Good afternoon. I do want to thank the House Republican Policy Committee and special thanks to Representative Karen Boback for inviting me to today’s forum.

My name is Dan Meuser. I am the former President of Pride USA. Pride Mobility Products is the worldwide leading designer and manufacturer of mobility products and rehab devices and employs over 1,000 in Northeast Pennsylvania and 1,400 worldwide. I am currently a Board member of Pride Mobility, a business person investing in the economic advancement of Northeast PA (NEPA), and actively involved in the local Chamber of Commerce and many community organizations. I am also a Board member of Misericordia University and I want to thank Misericordia as well for hosting this forum.

My testimony today is on the economic climate here in NEPA, as well as the impact President Obama’s stimulus plan has on NEPA businesses and our economy as a whole.

We are at a new dawn of NEPA’s economic future. NEPA has the essential resources available for maximizing business opportunity for the long term. These include geographical proximity to 70% of the nation’s marketplace, well educated employment pool, strong system of higher education, considerably lower operating costs than neighboring regions, favorable real estate opportunities, productive farmland and quality of life.

There are new businesses entering our region regularly, as well as many existing companies that are built to last and will weather the current economic challenges. Nevertheless, in spite of NEPA’s natural and manifested resources, our region’s young people, students, families, small businesses, farmers and communities are suffering the effects of the current recession.

President Obama’s plan, portrayed as a plan to stimulate the economy by creating jobs, providing relief to working families and getting the economy moving forward, loses focus of its objective as an “economic stimulus”. It is more of a mix of minor tax cuts with significant funding to state and federal agencies, earmarks and long term expansions of discretionary spending.

The positives and negatives of these programs we will leave to be debated in other forums. My testimony is focused on the plan’s effect on job creation and economic advancement for NEPA.

Of the $787 billion in spending, only $26 billion will be spent this year, with $110 billion to be spent next year. The minimal funding trickling down to NEPA will take a very long while to work its way into our economy. There is only 3% of the $787 billion to be invested in transportation, highways and roads. Less than 2% of the package is dedicated to energy programs, half to be invested this year. (These figures are provided by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and, regardless of any economist opinion, the CBO’s numbers are the only numbers that count.)

The CBO also asserts that the majority of the spending, about $400 billion, is being directed to 150 different federal agencies for their discretionary spending, including agency augmentation and the enhancing of existing social programs.

Such spending has little effect on long term job creation or economic stimulus in NEPA. The package does actually contain job creation and economic inhibitors for NEPA. These include the “Cap & Trade” provision (a tax increase on carbon fuels which will increase costs on all businesses and consumers) as well as a removal of the tax exemption for domestic investment in gas and oil exploration.

The Marcellus Shale has enormous job creation and economic stimulus opportunities for NEPA. Realistic estimates are that over 5,000 jobs can be created over the next 5 years as well as an infusion of over
$1 billion dollars in NEPA’s economy alone; with the potential of over 12,000 jobs and $7 billion of revenue created statewide.

The provisions of “Cap & Trade”, the rescinding of the domestic drilling investment tax credit, as well as our state Governor’s call for a 4.5% severance tax, will either mitigate, delay by years or destroy indefinitely the economic gains the Marcellus will create.

As mentioned, NEPA is the ideal distribution point for industry, having access to 70% of the nation’s buying power within an eight-hour drive. Nevertheless, there is little in the $787 billion dollar package that will improve NEPA’s distribution or transportation strength. Not one dime is allocated for investing in the expansion of I-81 or for the development of the Susquehanna Valley Thruway in Central PA. Such an investment would deliver huge returns and truly be a game changer for a multi-county region from Northumberland County and Snyder County through Union, Montour, Lycoming, Sullivan, Bradford and Tioga. Yes there are pavement and superficial /”shovel ready” projects to be funded, but nothing which will advance NEPA or Central PA and deliver an economic return on the infrastructure investment.

Small businesses in NEPA employ about 60% of our working population, yet President Obama and the Congress’ plan only extend approximately .05% of the $787 billion to small business stimulus. Meanwhile, businesses nationwide with less than 50 employees lost 175,000 workers last month and companies employing 500 or less lost 430,000 jobs in March alone.

What President Obama and Congress did dedicate to small businesses included a possible tax savings for those companies who qualify, some enhanced depreciation opportunities and marginally improved access to business loans. However, the tax benefit can only be realized by companies who have been in business 5 years and profitable in the right timeframes as defined by the plan, and the depreciation of capital investment will be just for those who made large capital investments in 2008 (over $137,000). The loan enhancement programs for small business amount to $615 million dollars. This is $615 million in loans, not a bailout, and that is million with an “M”, for the entire nation’s small businesses.

Small business owners know best what they need in these extremely difficult times. They need tax relief, in the form of a payroll tax holiday, capital gains reduction and immediate access to low interest loans. These would create an immediate catalyst for small business, would be less costly than other programs and would deliver a “Return on Investment” as well as put the responsibility for loan payback on the businesses receiving the loans, not the American taxpayer. A recent survey conducted by the National Federation of Independent Business of small businesses, showed that 1 in 4 small businesses say they do not expect to survive the current recession. Again, with 60% of employment existing in local small businesses, this is an obvious economic concern and sector where focus should be significant, not at a .05% level.

Other crucial issues for Northeast & Central PA include the plight of our dairy farmers who are dangerously challenged by the unpredictability of milk prices. And it must be emphasized that the cost of healthcare for families and businesses is putting serious strains on both families and businesses and requires immediate attention. Family healthcare costs are both a cause and symptom of current economic conditions. Healthcare can be made more affordable, and it must be a priority of government public policy.

In conclusion, government economic policy can only help or hinder economic advancement; it cannot and should not try to create it.

Economic policy should conceptually be from the “ground-up“ and focus on allowing for a competitive business environment, with all appropriate quality standards in place. Such advocacy would ameliorate job growth and help working families, small business and community development. Such policy would also create more jobs, more taxpayers and result in increased tax revenues.

Thank you, and with the continued hard work and leadership of Pennsylvania’s House and Senate Republicans, we will move Northeast Pennsylvania and our Commonwealth forward.

Nancy Pelosi's Jet

YOUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK!!!
The Jet is a USAF Boeing 757

And they want to talk about Sarah's dress.

Republicans! (and democrats!) Are you out there?

MADAME PELOSI Madame Pelosi wasn't happy with the small private jet that comes with the Speaker's job...no, Madame Pelosi was aggravated that this little jet had to stop to refuel, so she ordered a Big Fat 200 seat jet that could get her back to California without stopping!

Many, many legislators walked by and grinned with glee as Joe informed everyone that Nancy's Big Fat Jet costs us, the hard working American Tax payers, thousands of gallons of fuel every week. Since she only works 3 days a week, this gas guzzling jet gets fueled and she flies home to California , cost to the taxpayers of about $60,000, one way! As Joe put it, 'Unfortunately we have to pay to bring her back on Monday night.' Cost to us another $60,000. Folks, that is $480,000 per month and that is an annual cost to the taxpayersOf $5,760,000. No wonder she complains about the cost of this war...it might cramp her style and she is styling, on my back and yours. I think of the military families in this country doing without and this woman, who heads up the most do-nothing Congress in the history of this country, keeps fueling that jet while doing nothing. Madame Pelosi wants you and me to conserve our carbon footprint. She wants us to buy smaller cars and Obama wants us to get a bicycle pump and air up our tires.

Keep in mind the figures above do NOT include cost of plane or crew, just fuel!One wonders what her total package cost us? And She wants to tax our IRA'S & 401K's!

These people are nuts.

Guest Post Coming this Afternoon

This will be a must read. Look for it around 3ish.

Are you ready for a Mericle?

Just imagine, you buy a house for $280k. It was built in 1985. You own it for a couple years and the home gets reassessed for $390k. You successfully appeal that down to $234k when the appeals board decides your home is much smaller than they thought and that it is 10 years older than they thought. That would be great, wouldn't it?

It doesn't end there though. You put the house back on the market for $400k right after you win the appeal.

This probably would sound fishy no matter who owned this house. What makes it smell worse than Barney Frank on a hot summer day is who sold the house to this lucky man and who this lucky home owner is.

Obama Bows to Saudi King

Here is the video of the President of the United States bowing to the King of Saudi Arabia. While that is a shame, the big deal is that the White House (read Barry) has issued a statement that he did not bow. Here he is caught in his lie.

Obama's World Tour

This was a first for me. I've never seen the leader of any country do what our glorious chairman did. He spent his entire trip apologizing for America and just how bad of a member of the world community we are. Unfooking believable!!!!

Even despots from third world shit holes do not do that. What exactly Chairman Zero feels America should apologize for eludes me. America is the greatest nation on earth in every way that matters. Without America, there is no world economy, no stability, nothing, nada, el zilcho. Do we now apologize for being great? Is that it? I think not Mr. Obama.

My Democrat Friends were Right

I'll be the first to admit when I'm wrong. My liberal buddies had it right. I'll man up and admit it.
(I can't take credit for this, it was emailed to me. But it's sooo true)

Sad but true, I was a fool:

Dang ... I hate to admit it, but my liberal friends were right!

They had warned me that if I voted for McCain, the nation's Hope would deteriorate, and sure enough there has been a 20 point drop in the Consumer Confidence index since the election, reaching a lower point than at any time during the Bush administration.

They warned me that if I voted for McCain, the US would become more deeply embroiled in the Middle East, and sure enough, thousands of additional troops are scheduled to be deployed into Afghanistan.

They warned me that if I voted for McCain, that the economy would get even worse and sure enough, unemployment is approaching 10% and the new stimulus packages implemented recently have sent the stock market lower than at any time since 9-11.

They warned me that if I voted for McCain, we would see more "crooks" in high ranking positions in Federal government and sure enough, several recent cabinet nominees and Senate appointments revealed resumes of scandal, bribery and tax fraud.

They warned me that if I voted for McCain, we would see more "Pork at the trough" in Federal government spending and sure enough, over 9,000 "earmark Pork Bills" showed up in the bailout in the past few weeks ... several hundred billions for the politicians and lobbyists's pet projects ... and to buy more power and votes.

They told me if I voted for McCain, we would see more deficit spending in DC and sure enough, Pelosi, Reid, Barney, ad infinitum and some worthless Republicans have spent more in 30 days "than all other Presidents together" in the history of theUSA....

I ignored my Democrat friends in November and voted for McCain/Palin.

Damned if they weren't right ... and I still hate to admit it, but all of their predictions have come true.


"Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups"

Yet Even More Luzerne County Corruption

Nobody from the courthouse can explain why certain properties are left off the sheriff's sale list. Mr. Jabers, owner of the Saber Room and about 20 other properties in the county, is the latest big name democrat to see himself in the news. He only owes $140,000 in back taxes and has been delinquent since 2004. The sheriff is supposed to auction off your property once you are two years behind on your taxes.

Like many other super dems, Jabers has been getting a pass every year for five years. Must be nice to be a powerful democrat in Luzerne County!!!!

The Citizens Voice has a very nice article about it today. My favorite part? Every single big shot dem in the courthouse says that somebody higher up asks for these tax scofflaws properties to be taken from the auction list but they just don't know who it is. I say horse shit, they all know.

Even More Luzerne County Corruption

It seems that there is no limit to the corruption of democrat judges in Luzerne County. Records from insurance lawsuits have been seized by the federal government. The judges whose case records they want examine? None other than Judges Toole and Peter Paul Olszewski. Rumor has it that indictments will be coming right after the May primary. Seems like suspicious timing to me.

The worst kept secret in the world has also been exposed. The feds are also looking into hiring practices at a couple area school districts. It has long been known that to get a job as full time teacher in this area that you needed one of the following; 1. To be related to a school board member. 2. knew somebody that was very chummy and or related to a school board member. 3. The ability to pay a school board member a substantial sum of money for the job.
Is there really anybody that didn't know this? The only thing wrong with what the feds are doing is that they're only looking at two districts when they should be looking at them all.

I challenge the teachers that got their job in the manner stated above (that would be all of them) to come forward and turn state's evidence. I think any teacher brave enough to do so should be fully protected by the whistle blower laws.

This is by no means a rant at the teachers but rather at the system of nepotism and corruption that continues to flourish in this area.

12.8 Trillion Dollars!!!!!

As reported on Bloomberg.com (article here http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=armOzfkwtCA4&refer=world), Our Chairman, Barack Hussein Obama's stimulus spending commitments now stand at $12.8 trillion. That is equal to the entire GDP of America last year. It exceeds the entire national debt.

You do not need a degree in economics from Princeton to understand that this cannot possibly be good for the country. No country can spend its entire GDP and survive. It just isn't possible without a staggering influx of tax dollars. How much tax dollars you ask? Right now, just to cover that spending, it is just over $42,ooo for every man, woman , and child in America. Still think Borat won't be raising your taxes? Still think just 5% of wage earners in America can cover that?? Do you still think the 53% of wage earners that are paying the entire income tax obligation can be taxed enough to pay that?? The true answer is that 12.8 trillion is far beyond what can be covered, even with the rosiest of rose colored glasses, can you see it differently.

It is nearly impossible to comprehend just how much money that is, but I will try, yet again, to help you grasp the concept.

If you stacked $100 bills 6 feet deep with no space between stacks, you would need 64 acres of land to hold that much cash.

If it was 12.8 trillion seconds, it would take over 409,000 years for a stop watch to reach that number.

Can you grasp it now???????????????

Luzerne County Republican Endorsements

For Judge: Hughes and Pendolphi. Not much of a surprise as they are the only two Republicans running.

For Prothonotary: Carolee Oleginski. This was a small surprise. I really liked Walter Mitchell and thought he'd have done a good job for us. Yes, I dropped her ex-husbands name from this intentionally. She has been divorced from Charlie for decades and it is high time she moves on with her life and stops using his name.

For Controller: Nanda Palissery. Not a surprise at all and far and away the most qualified candidate for the job.

For Register of Wills: Nevenglosky.

The question on my mind is what the candidates that didn't get the endorsement will do. Will they continue to campaign for the primary? I hope not as that will force the winners to waste badly needed money that would be put to better use in the general election.