Political Rants

Election 2010- The people Have Spoken

2010-11-03T12:03:00.003-04:00

A hearty congratulations to all of the winners!!

This was by far the nastiest campaign cycle I can remember. There was enough mud slung to accommodate all the pigs on earth. I honestly believe that those that were the worst offenders paid a hefty price per gallon of mud. Think Eachus, Kanjo, and Carney.

The reality is the American people were voting as much on Pres. Obama's agenda as they were the candidates. I hope that those newly elected and those sitting incumbents have heard the message. It couldn't be more clear that the American people do not want our great nation drifting into the abyss that the far left seems to think that everybody wants. Fact is, as proven by the election results, the overwhelming majority wanted the brakes firmly applied to Obama's whacked out vision for the country.

I sincerely hope they all got the message and live up to the promise of representing their constituents rather voting the way their party tells them to. This goes out to both democrats and republicans. You have to now know that we are watching and we will send you packing as well should you forgot who it is you actually work for.

I honestly cannot wait for the Presidential address at 1:00pm. Will Pres. Obama acknowledge the overwhelming rejection of his agenda or will he simply write it off to the people not being patient enough??? I have many friends from the D side of the aisle and most said they'd give Obama 2 years to accomplish some good. Two years came and two years went. The only thing this administration has accomplished is America being in far worse shape than it was.

If those newly elected and sitting incumbents work for a better America together, we will all be better off.

The Pennsylvania Governor Race

2010-10-28T09:40:00.003-04:00

The choice here is quite simple. You can either vote for Tom Corbett or for four more years of Ed Rendell. I think we can all agree that Rendell's governorship has been a disaster. Even Rendell is now on the air saying that whoever gets voted in will be saying how much debt he left them to deal with. Dan Onorato is in lock step with Rendell's core methodology of tax some and spend a lot.

I know many people are for the gas tax. I am too!! Just not the way Rendell was going to do it. By the by, you all know who will be paying that tax, don't you? If you guessed the gas companies please do the world a favor and don't reproduce. This tax will be a "soft" tax on everybody that uses natural gas. The cost of it will be passed right onto us. He was going to use nearly 70% of that tax to simply add more revenue to the general fund for you guessed it, more spending. This from a douchenozzle that increased the state budget by 40% in just 8 years. I don't know about you, but I certainly am not making or spending 40% more than I did 8 years ago. Is anybody??? The reality is, just like the supposed good use of all the casino tax revenue for us lowly taxpayers, this revenue stream would be of little or no use to the residents of the state. In all likelihood it would've gone to Philadelphia and Allegheny counties not to the areas that will need help with their infrastructure where the drilling is occurring.

There is a lot of money coming into the state from the gas already. There should be an extraction tax and that revenue should stay in the areas where they are drilling.

Luzerne County Home Rule Charter

2010-10-27T14:52:00.003-04:00

Having read the proposed charter I can tell you that it is not perfect. Specifically, I'd have liked to see either districting or guaranteed minority representation. Do I like that the controller's position has been diminished? Certainly not. That we have to let it run for 5 years before we can change it? hell no.

The sad reality is that even if you think the charter is the completely goofy it simply cannot be any worse than what we have currently. Further, even if you haven't read the charter you could make a wise decision to vote for it just by taking a look at those that have come out rabidly against it. Just as we are all judged by the company we keep (and rightly so) so should this be judged by those both for and against it. On the con (no pun intended) side, we have Comm. Petrilla who was of course the controller while the Luzerne County taxpayers were being robbed and children used as a profit center. solicitor Vito Deluca, an entrenched democrat that also loses his job if the charter passes. Carolee Oleginski, our beloved prothonotary (which only about 4% of the residents even know what a prothonotary does) also stands to lose her job. The list is long of those against it and almost all of them stand to lose their employment and or power. The exception is Walter Griffith, Controller Extraordinaire. I have heard his concerns and they certainly are legitimate but again, it can't be worse than what we have now. Walter is the only elected official I trust at the courthouse but I disagree with him here.

Then we have those not in office blathering on any radio station that will have them. Some I think are just sycophants and others like being in the press. Like the woman from the lake that has become famous for her crusade against reassessment. If I ever meet her I just want to ask her if she complained as vociferously about her taxes for all those years when she knew she wasn't paying anywhere near what she should have been. But I digress..........

I think we should all vote for the charter and at least try to change the culture of corruption in this county because until that changes, we are a sunk ship. If all of the entrenched dome dwellers are against it, it has to be good for the taxpayers. Fact is, they have given us every reason in the world to vote for this charter and I hope you all do.

Obama's Honeymoon Jokes

2010-07-21T09:45:00.005-04:00

I don't know, nor do I care, if these jokes are attributed correctly. I just like them.

You know Obama's honeymoon is over when the late night talk showcomedians start taking their turns with nasty but hilarious jokes .....have a laugh!!

The liberals are asking us to give Obama time. We agree .. andthink 25 to life would be appropriate. --Jay Leno

America needs Obama-care like Nancy Pelosi needs a Halloweenmask. --Jay Leno

Q: Have you heard about McDonald's' new Obama Value Meal? A: Order anything you like and the guy behind you has to pay forit. --Conan O'Brien

Q: What does Barack Obama call lunch with a convicted felon? A: A fund raiser. --Jay Leno
Q: What's the difference between Obama's cabinet and apenitentiary? A: One is filled with tax evaders, blackmailers, and threats tosociety. The other is for housing prisoners. --David Letterman

Q: If Nancy Pelosi and Obama were on a boat in the middle of the ocean and it started to sink, who would be saved? A: America! --Jimmy Fallon

Q: What's the difference between Obama and his dog, Bo? A: Bo has papers. --Jimmy Kimmel

Q: What was the most positive result of the "Cash for Clunkers"program? A: It took 95% of the Obama bumper stickers off the road. --David Letterman

Is $412 Million Enough?

2010-07-13T14:23:00.004-04:00

As you probably have read in the paper today, Congressman Kanjorski's nephew Russell's company got a $400,000,000. tax dollar loan. This on top of a grant (a grant is just a free handout) of $9 million to nephew Russell's company, Cornerstone Technologies and also on top of $3 million grant to the same company that just got the 400 million.

To be fair, the $3 million grant was given to the company shortly before Russell was hired. I am absolutely certain (holy shit, the sarcasm, it burns) that the company getting a 3 million dollar handout from Russell's uncle had nothing to do with Russell being hired as a vice president of finance and marketing. I'm not saying anything funny went on but just picture that job interview. I imagine it went something like;

Interviewer: What qualifications do you possess that qualify you to be our vice president of finance and marketing?

Russell: well, let's see, I got a federal grant from my uncle, Congressman Paul Kanjorski, in the amount of $9 million dollars and started a company called Cornerstone Technologies.

Interviewer: I see, and what did your business do?

Russell: Nothing, we never made or marketed a product and I bankrupted the business in a few months.

Interviewer: Hmmm, sounds like you don't know jackshit about marketing or managing finances. Please tell me again what makes you think you are qualified for this position?

Russell: did you catch the part about my Uncle Paulie being a congressman? or the part about the $9 million?

Interviewer: No, er, mmm, no I didn't but you see Russ, the problem is the company is a little short of money to hire any new applicants right now. Should that change in the immediate future you seem to be the ideal candidate for this position.

While that interview is strictly a construct of my imagination, I'd be willing to bet a lot of money that those thoughts have crossed many minds. Flash forward to this spring and our hero Russell is in for his annual performance review (sorry, it's my over-active imagination again) and I can easily picture this conversation;

Russ's boss: Russ, times are bad, the economy is in the crapper, and frankly, you just don't seem to be working out.

Russ: did I mention that my uncle is friends with President Obama?

Russ's Boss: no, you didn't

Russ: well, just between us, in the beginning of summer, I heard that this company may be in line to get an almost zero interest loan from the federal government that as long as the comapny goes bankrupt, it won't have to be paid back.

Russ's boss: How much money will they loan us?

Russ:only a few hundred million

Russ's boss: that will buy a shitload of golden parachutes!! but how do we get to keep the money without paying it back?

Russ: assuming I am still employed, that would be my job and I am an expert at that. Did I ever tell you whatever happened to all those machines I bought with my first $9 million? well there's a bowling alley back home with a huge basement......................................

Is it enough already? Are we going to keep this monumental douchenozzle in office? Please lord, I hope the answer is no. Congressman Kanjorski, please consider your gift of $412 million of our tax money to your nephew your severance package.

Another Prominent Democrat Sentenced

2010-06-29T11:17:00.003-04:00

Rich Emanski got sentenced to a few months in jail, a couple years probation, and a $10,000 fine. This would sound like a good punishment unless you factored in the bagillion dollars he made by paying to play in Luzerne County. Stop and think for a moment, would you be willing to spend a few months in jail if you could make enough money that any normal person would never have to work again?

Once again we see a slap on the wrist for a very well connected guy. What a joke!!

Senate Committee Unanimously Approves Internet Kill Switch for Obama

2010-06-28T13:54:00.002-04:00

This link http://news.techworld.com/security/3228198/obama-internet-kill-switch-plan-approved-by-us-senate/?olo=rss goes to the article in from Techworld.

Much hay was made about the attorney general of Pa and a couple of bloggers. I am very curious to see what the blogosphere has to say about this. I would bet money if Dubya tried to have a way to shut down the interenet that there'd be rioting in the streets. Is it okay now because it's Pres. Obama??? I cannot fathom anything good coming from any president having that power.

A Local Attorney Arrested for DUI Without a Trace of Alcohol in His Bloodstream

2010-06-25T10:32:00.005-04:00

A local attorney was recently arrested for DUI even though he didn't have a drop of alcohol in his system. He was quoted as saying "If it happened to me, you know it is happening to others".

Well Mr. Attorney, this is what happens when lobbyists write our country's laws. The DUI laws in America were radically changed due to lobbying pressure. Only one of the lobbies involved had noble intentions. The others were strictly about profit. M.A.D.D. wanted stricter DUI laws for the good of the community. It isn't too hard to figure out who stands to make money from having harsher penalties and changes made to the existing laws. If you guessed lawyers and insurance companies, give yourself a pat on the back.

I am not entirely sure how much an attorney charges for representing DUI clients but I would bet it is at least $1,000. Since only a fool would represent them self when going to trial, this is money that is going to change hands. Insurance companies on the other hand, are going to raise your rates and keep them there for 5 to 10 years.(or however long a DUI stays on a driving record). If anybody out there can comment how much your car insurance went up from a DUI, please do so. I have heard a handful of people tell me their rates tripled. You'd think their rates tripled because they had multiple convictions for it but that is not the case, at least with those that I spoke with.

I know a few people that have been convicted of DUI. They all tell similar stories about how much it cost them and one thing is for sure; when you see those signs that say DUI, you can't afford it, you better believe it. They all say that when it was said and done, their DUI cost them over $6,000.

That brings me to some interesting things about this subject:
If you have a CDL, your blood levels are half for DUI whether you are driving a commercial vehicle or not.
It is a common misconception that .08 blood level is needed for a conviction. Guess again, you can be found guilty of DUI with any measurable amount of alcohol. So unless you've never had a drink and drove, you've been at least potentially guilty of DUI.
The GAO did a study on the lower blood levels and found that they had absolutely no impact on alcohol related deaths or injuries since being made law.
Towns, counties, and states, lose money to run checkpoints. They do not make a profit on doing them. In fact, the only ones that make a profit from DUI convictions are insurance companies and lawyers.
The only form of profiling that is a generally accepted law enforcement practice is DUI checkpoints.
Studies have shown that many activities done while driving have the same, or in the case of texting far worse, impairment to your abilities to operate your vehicle safely. Only DUI is aggressively prosecuted.

You can feel free to add your own factoids. The simple fact is, what happened to the attorney that was arrested and forced to give a blood sample, is happening every day of the week to people that do not have his means to fight. Further, every single one of those in our local corruption scandal are facing less penalty (think Frank Pizella getting house arrest) than the average first time DUI convict and that bothers the hell out of me.

Invariably, some goofball is going to say that I am in favor of drunk driving so let me set a few things straight for you. I quit drinking some time ago. I do not use drugs. I think driving when drunk is a very serious problem. I think that at the very least, lower blood levels for DUI at least make some stop and control their drinking before driving a car. I know there is a very high likelihood of repeat offenses. I know there are problem drunks driving that have had numerous convictions for DUI and think that there should be some upper limit that after your (pick arbitrary number) conviction, you should not ever have a license again. I think that after your second DUI, you should be forced to have a device in your vehicle that won't let it start if there is alcohol(is this a law already?). I know the vast majority out there have in fact been guilty of DUI but just haven't been caught. My message here is an anti-lobbyist writing our laws message and inspired by Frank Pizzella getting house arrest. I hope no one that reads this will ever drive drunk again but I also know you will. I also know those that drive drunk aren't just risking their own lives but rather the lives of innocent people and in that, are as wrong as wrong gets.

As a side note, if you are a drinker, you should try quitting, you'd be amazed at how annoying drunk people can be when you're sober.

Joe Sestak and Marcellus Shale

2010-06-15T09:09:00.005-04:00

First, I'd like to thank the retired Admiral for his service to our country. That said, I have just three points I'd like to make after listening to Mr. Sestak on WILK for the last couple of days. In no particular order:

1. Mr. Sestak, are you aware of what office you are running for? I was under the impression it was for a seat in the United States Senate. After listening to you pontificate about gas drilling it sure sounded to me like you wanted to be a policy maker in Harrisburg. The US Senate makes policy for the country not individual states. The US Senate does not write policy for the state's various departments. I assume you knew that Joe so I must also assume you were pandering like a $3. whore.

2. Mr. Sestak also played the same song we are all tired of and nobody with the exception of the mentally challenged believes any more. By taxing the gas we will all get a tax break. Did we not just hear that about the casinos? Did it come true?? Of course not, this is just more pandering but this time it is like a $1. whore. This will never happen. When the government gets a windfall of tax dollars the last thing they would ever consider is cutting any taxes. They will simply find a way to spend that money on something else. In Pennsylvania's case, I will go out on a limb and guess that SEPTA and Allegheny County's transit authority will get even more funding from people that have not and never will use their services.

3. Mr. Sestak played yet another tired ditty for us. He is for the working families in this great state. It seems any Demoncrat running for any office just has to play this song for us. It is in fact a bald faced lie and in this instance an easily provable lie. Mr. Sestak, hereafter referred to laughingly as the champion of the poor, wants to tax the living shit out of the Marcellus Shale gas. (I am for this, by the way, just do NOT insult my intelligence by telling me the only reason you want to tax it is to so you can cut my taxes. I'm not that stupid and truly hope nobody else is either). How do we know it is an all out lie from the Champion of the Poor? Quite simple. Corporations do not pay tax per se. When they are taxed they account for that as an expense. As an expense, they adjust the cost of their product to reflect that higher cost. For the slow, that means their product will cost the consumer more money. I ask you, who is most affected by a product costing more? Here is a hint, it isn't the rich. That's right, the good old champion of the poor is really just out to screw them without so much as a kiss first. This is becoming ever more common with soft taxes that are in fact hurting the poor tremendously and have absolutely no effect on the rich. Like the tax on sugary drinks (also brought to us by the champions of the poor), who is it affecting? Mr. Sestak is not on the working family's side, he is on Joe Sestak's side and is hoping to baffle you with bullshit.

Mr. Sestak did have a lot of good suggestions about regulatory issues with the shale gas but the suggestions he made do not fall under the purview of a US Senator. The fact that Sestak openly and freely admits that he is backing Pres. Obama's agenda all the way is enough reason not to vote for him. His total lack of understanding what a US Senator's job duties are is another. His most unforgivable sin though is his pandering like a cheap whore.

BP and The Gufl Oil Spill

2010-06-07T09:29:00.002-04:00

The disaster in the gulf is by any measure tragic. What I can't get over is the response of the average John Q. It seems they can only find blame with BP. Does BP own the well that went kerblooey? Sure they do, no doubt about it. Are they responsible for fixing the mess? Absolutely. Does all the blame rest squarely on BP?? NO!!!

Does anybody actually believe that years ago the execs from all the oil companies got together and decided the best way to make money from oil was to drill in over a mile deep of water? How mentally challenged can people be? For the oil companies, the most profitable place to drill is on dry land and it's also the easiest. The real question people should be asking is why they are drilling in an environment that increases their costs and risks so dramatically. If you guessed it is because the government mandates that they drill that far off shore, give yourself a prize. If you guessed that it was because that's where the oil is, kick yourself in the ass for having a bad case of terminal stupidity.

If I were the CEO of BP, I'd be on every major media outlet explaining exactly why they have to drill in an environment that not only increases their costs exponentially but also precludes being able to fix the problem. If they were drilling in 200 feet of water, do any of you realize how easy this would have been to fix? Send a few commercial divers down and in 1-2 days, crisis stopped, over, done, finito!! Had they been drilling in ANWAR, a couple of hours and the crisis would've been over. The government and the not in my backyard group needs to accept their culpability in this.

The sad reality is that we live in a society that absolutely needs oil to live. This disaster only further illustrates the need to find a safer (not safe, safer) compromise. Drilling for oil is a dirty, dangerous business. It is also a necessary one.

Pres. Obama's Greatest Accomplishment to Date

2010-06-04T14:07:00.002-04:00

It was in today's paper and widely reported on the radio that Pres. Obama created 413,000 new jobs in May. This would be quite an accomplishment except that 411,000 of those new jobs are temporary government jobs related to the census. Even so, you have to admit, this is the first real thing Barry has accomplished. So let us all tip our hats to the Borat and give him a hearty well done. Damn, I couldn't even keep a straight face while typing that. How the hell am I going to be able to say it without bursting out laughing??

I am curious as to why that number isn't being as widely reported by the media. Don't get me wrong, it is being reported but you will have to look a bit farther to find it than the 413,000 number.

Even Sue Henry on WILK only talked about the 413k number and never mentioned what the bulk of those "new" jobs were.

This is a very bad joke. The problem is, the joke is on all of us.

Joe Sestak tells Obama to pound sand

2010-06-03T10:08:00.003-04:00

Joe Sestak told Obama that he is too busy to bother attending an Obama Rah Rah Rally. Usually, a candidate will do anything to attend a rally with a sitting president from the same party and sometimes even from the opposite party. It is a great way to gather support and money. Unfortunately for Obama, Sestak's campaign has come to the conclusion that the special kool aid has worn off in all but the most deluded of voters and that being seen with the worst president in our country's history could only harm his campaign.

I wish he would attend with Obama as I certainly do not want him to be our next senator and anything that would hurt his chances of winning is a good thing in my book. That being said, I do admire his fortitude to tell the sitting US President to go pound sand straight up his ass.

Steve Corbett Hates the Proposed Home Rule Charter

2010-05-28T05:12:00.000-04:00

While trying to drastically increase the pain of my head ache yesterday, I decided to flip on the Steve Corbett show on WILK. In the words of Bush the RINO, Mission Accomplished!!

Good old Stevie has come out and flatly stated he is against the Luzerne County Home Rule changes. As a general rule, that is reason enough to be for it.

You see, as an example, Stevie is one of those unique individuals that actually believes the New York Times is a legitimate newspaper. That what they print is a factual representation of the news. In most people’s opinion, the NY Times is the worst of the ultra-left rags that long ago abandoned printing unvarnished news. That is why I say taking the exact opposite position of Corbett will be the right choice about 90% of the time. His judgement is so far shot out of a cannon, you’d have to be a fool or a nut to agree with him even much of the time.

I’ll set aside that he is a crackpot that relies on inciting his audience just to get ratings. After all, that is his job. I do however, pity the foolish goobers that think he is doing anything good for the community. What he is doing is filling his wallet. It is his job to stir you up enough to call him. Fact is, Stevie is excellent at that. He is great at making a bad headache far worse too!!!

Luzerne County Home Rule

2010-05-27T10:07:00.002-04:00

I am both surprised and dismayed to learn that some of our elected county officials are dead set against the proposed changes. Most surprising is that I have heard that Steve Urban is leading the parade against any change.

I can certainly understand being against anybody that drew up the charter being allowed to be put in office because of the charter but against the whole thing?? I have to ask, is this a hedge in case Mr. Urban loses his senate bid? If so, that is right up there with Arlen Specter switching parties because he didn't want a primary to decide his political fate.

Urban has been a great watchdog for the citizens of Luzerne County and would serve us well as a state senator. That being said, I'd like him to explain in detail, his stance on the home rule charter. The citizens of Luzerne County have suffered enough under the corrupt Democratic rule of this county for far too long. I am inclined to think that any change could only be for the good. Please tell us all Mr. Urban, why changing the culture of corruption under the dome is going to be a bad thing other than losing your commissioner job.

A Refreshing Primary Season

2010-05-24T12:54:00.003-04:00

With the dust settled, I can honestly say I am happy with how this primary season turned out. For once, it was the dems shoveling the mud at each other instead of the republicans.

I must say that I was impressed with Dave Madeira. Nancy from WILK did her level best to try to drag him down to her level but he resolutely refused. Mr. Madeira, well done sir. For WILK a hearty well done for getting rid of Kevin and replacing him with Webster. At least Webster is rational and more or less coherent (with the exception being beer buzz Fridays).

With that being said, a little bird told me there may yet be a fight on the republican side. I'll try to let you know what is happening there as the facts become available.

I know it's been a while and thank you for your patience. I am frankly amazed at how many visitors I still get every day even though I have been far to busy to write. The new business I have started (GO SOLAR- Call your local Home Depot) is finally starting to roll and hopefully will not require so much of my time and I'll be able to be snarky daily again. See you soon.

The Next Governor of Pennsylvania

2010-04-12T10:31:00.002-04:00

Regardless of who wins this race, the next governor is going to face some monumental issues.

Our current governor has increased the state budget about 45% since taking office 8 years ago. In all of that spending increase, not once, not ever were the problems our teachers' and state employees' pension funds face ever addressed. In Fat Eddy's defense, he was not the first to ignore the looming tsunami that will hit us in the next few years. That said, I find it incredulous that the cost of running this state increased 45% under his watch. I ask you all, has your income risen 45% in the past 8 years? Has any cost of running your household risen 45% in the past 8 years? I didn't think so. The question that has been bandied about (especially on my friend Gort42's blog) is "What realistic cuts can be made to his budget?" I think the answer lies in what he increased spending on.

With tolls shot down on I80, reliance on $2.7 billion of one time stimulus money, and a now projected $525 million budget shortfall for this year's budget, the problems are increasing geometrically. The sad fact that so many of our 8 bagillion legislators are going along with this ride of the rails plan is nothing short of them asking to be booted out of office. One question begs to be asked of every single one of them; What the fook do we do next year??? And that doesn't even take into account the pension problem or the fact that Pa. is one of 38 states now that has a bankrupt unemployment compensation fund. More on that in a moment. The reason all those far too numerous legislators are going along is that this is an election year and as we all know, the most important job those animals have is to get re-elected. They will do nothing that they perceive to threaten their chances. For that reason alone (as if their weren't enough others), I say boot them out and demand a vast reduction in their number. Enough is enough!!!! I don't care what party or political belief you subscribe to, any candidate that doesn't specifically support a reduction does NOT deserve a single vote.

Back to the unemployment compensation fund. You read that correctly, there are now 38 states that have zero dollars left in that fund. I know what you are thinking; How is it possible for that to be true if unemployment is hovering around 10%? The fact is, it isn't. Unemployment numbers are far higher than the media reports. The real numbers, we will probably never know but the simple fact of 38 states' unemployment funds being bankrupt points to a number at least double 10% and probably even higher than that. Think about that for a few minutes and see if you like the direction America has taken since 2006. I sure don't and as a matter of fact it worries me about the future of this great nation.

The next governor of Pa will be forced to address these issues and the reality is that no matter which party wins, we, the taxpayers, are going to lose. Taxes will have to be raised and our elected handjobs in Harrisburg are going to have to cut their spending. One thing that they can do to cut spending occurred to me as I was driving through a construction zone on I81. I know this is a crazy idea but bear with me. Instead of one guy working and 4-8 supervisors making sure he uses the shovel correctly, let's have 4-7 guys working and only one guy supervising. Crazy, I know, but every other workforce has more workers than supervisors so I am thinking that they may be onto something. Another way (besides reducing the largest legislature in the known universe) is to renegotiate the not just unbelievable but unconscionable pension deals we offer to retiring legislators (think Bob Mellow), teachers, and other state employees. I am sure there are quite a few ways they can cut spending but these jumped right out at me.

How and how much will taxes have to be raised? The how is debatable. The how much will depend on how much spending they can chop out of the budget. Suffice to say, taxes are going up in the keystone state and it won't be a small amount. I have heard Tom Corbett talk about some of these issues. I want to hear more, not just from him but from anybody running for state office and I include in that all the incumbents. I am sure there will be some debates and I am hoping our now famous local bloggers will not just ask those questions but not take the old round-about circle jerk for an answer.

Difference between Conservatives and Liberals

2010-03-27T09:42:00.002-04:00

If you ever wondered what side of the fence you sit on, this is a great test!
Lot of truth here!
If a conservative doesn't like guns, he doesn't buy one.If a liberal doesn't like guns, he wants all guns outlawed.

If a conservative is a vegetarian, he does'nt eat meat.If a liberal is a vegetarian, he wants all meat products banned for everyone.

If a conservative is homosexual, he quietly leads his life.If a liberal is homosexual, he demands legislated respect.

If a conservative is down-and-out, he thinks about how to better his situation. A liberal wonders who is going to take care of him.
If a conservative doesn't like a talk show host, he switches channels.Liberals demand that those they don't like be shut down.

If a conservative is a non-believer, he doesn't go to church. A liberal non-believer wants any mention of God and religion silenced.(Unless it's a foreign religion, of course!)

If a conservative decides he needs health care, he goes about shopping for it, or may choose a job that provides it. A liberal demands that the rest of us pay for his.

Courtesy of Tinman

Back door deals and Obamacare

2010-03-23T11:46:00.003-04:00

I am sincerely curious as to when the media will start reporting exactly what was promised to whom for their votes in favor of this bill. That being said, I want to write a little bit about our own congress critter from the 10th here in Pa., Chris Carney.

It was reported in the Times Leader that Mr. Carney was promised Jack Murtha's seat on Appropriations for a yes vote. No secret there but I heard an interesting rumor that I thought I'd share. It appears Mr. Carney was not only offered a carrot but a stick as well from the Obama administration.

My question to Mr. Carney is; Why not tell the public about the threat? Personally, I don't think you deserved that action Chris. I mean after all the late nights working extremely hard and working up a sweat that you and your chief of staff put into research, it just isn't right. Please don't misunderstand, I still think Mr. Carney is Pelosi's bitch (he has proven this 91% of the time) and certainly doesn't deserve to retain the seat, but right is right and fair is fair. All those late night, early morning, and even some afternoon work sessions should be recognized. The media should report on it so your dedication can be shown to the public. What do you say Chris?

It's been a long break

2010-03-18T16:19:00.002-04:00

Now I'm back. Unfortunately, there is so much going on it's hard to start.

I could talk about AJ and Bobby but that was old news long before they were indicted. Hell, we all knew that was coming!

I could write about Obamacare but I wrote long ago that it was going to pass whether the people wanted it or not. Point of fact, the vast majority do not want it but why the hell would that stop congress? They(and I mean both parties) haven't listened to their constituents for decades. Why start now? That brings me to what I am going to write about, the tyranny of the minority.

Our government was set up to prevent mob rule. What has in fact happened is the exact opposite. Now even spotted owls have more rights than people. Why? because a very vocal minority of people wanted them protected at all costs regardless of the impact it would have on peoples lives. Does it affect me? No, I'm not a logger but you can bet your last cent that quite a few in the logging industry were adversely affected.

I may be pretty far to the right politically but have always stood up for minority rights. Perhaps not critters over humans but you get the point. Now we have our wonderful President and his administration forcing one very small minority to pay for another very small minority's health insurance. Speaking of which, we already were. News flash, ever here of medicaid? SCHIP? Medicare? The fact is, we don't deny health care to anybody, period. You may not get a Rolls Royce when all you can afford is a Hyundai but that is how the world works.

The trouble with writing about Obamacare is that nobody knows exactly what's in the bill. Kind of troubling that our elected leaders will be passing something that they have zero clue what it is.

I will say that there are some things that I truly want to see in this atrocity. I want absolute protection for people from their insurance company so that they can't be cancelled because they got sick. I want health insurance to be portable not just from job to job but from state to state as well. I want everybody to help pay for it and I do mean everybody. I want an affordable option for people that don't get insurance from their employer. I want the first subscribers to be all of Congress, the President, and all federal employees.

That being said, here is what I DO NOT WANT to see. Tax dollars paying for abortions. tax dollars paying for illegal aliens health care. As a matter of fact, unless it is a life-threatening emergency, I think that they should be turned away from our Er's(which if you didn't know, is their primary care provider and they never ever pay the bill for it). The provision protecting the so called Cadillac plans of the unions better not be in their (it will be). Death panels (they'll be there too in the form of a bureaucracy that will decide the best level of care for you). Only time will tell but I am willing to bet very few people are going to be happy with this boondoggle.

As always, I welcome your thoughts.

I am coming back

2010-03-15T16:15:00.001-04:00

I have been extremely busy and had to make some choices to free up time. Regular new posts will be resuming shortly. Stay tuned.

Hitler Finds Out Scott Brown Won Massachusetts Senate Seat

2010-01-21T10:05:00.001-05:00

Hilarious

Senator Brown

2010-01-21T09:30:00.002-05:00

No matter how the left tries to spin it, a Republican winning a senate seat in a solidly democratic state has got to be seen as a referendum on Pres. Obama's and the Dem controlled Congress's agenda. It seems people are coming to their senses and have finally taken notice of the fact that every single metric you can measure America by has gotten dramatically worse since Obama took office a year ago.

In a liberal democratic utopia like Taxachusetts, Massofhalfwits, Massachusetts, whichever name you prefer, the voters have spoken. They want our leaders to listen to our opinion. They want the Congresscritters to know they can be fired. I am glad of it. For far too long, said politicians have ignored our voice. I mean that on both sides of the aisle. When the overwhelming majority of us are against Obamacare and yet they still ram it through just amazes me. What did those goofballs think was going to happen? Did they think the rest of America was like Luzerne County where we just keep re-electing the same crooks and scumbags regardless of their actions?

I am genuinely curious to see if our reps in DC have paid attention to the message that was sent in Mass. Did Commander Carney get that message 5 by 5? Casey? Kanjo? I bet all of them that have been rubber stamping everything Obama has suggested will be heading for the hills and turning their backs on Obama. They certainly will if they hope to be retained. Only time will tell but this November is going to be very interesting!!

Moon Lake Park

2010-01-15T15:40:00.003-05:00

While it is not news that the county commissioners have decided to eliminate all funding for the park, the rumor I have heard is.

It appears the county wants to sell the park to an undisclosed developer. To facilitate this, the funding needed to be eliminated so that the park would fall into total disrepair and just become a mill stone to be cast away. I truly hope that isn't the case but it sure seems like it is. If I'm not mistaken, the entire budget for the park is only a few hundred thousand dollars. Why not trim 7 of the no-show jobs in the county instead??? I can understand if they are just waiting for those people to be picked up in the federal probe but why shut down the park? It does not compute unless there is another reason.

I have written some not very flattering things about Mr. Madrack, the cat that runs Moon Lake, but that doesn't equal me wanting the park closed and I certainly don't want to see it sold for a pittance to a very connected (to the dems under the dome) developer. The county has said they'd like to find somebody to lease the park and charge people to go there to try to recoup their money. The problem there is that the park doesn't get a lot of traffic so no sane businessman will do that.

2 More Democrat Senators on the way out

2010-01-06T12:57:00.003-05:00

Sens. Chris Dodd and Byron Dorgan have seen the writing on the wall and have decided to retire rather than face stunning defeat in their re-election races. I say good riddance. In Dodd's case, he can certainly take a large share of blame for the current financial crisis.

I find it hilarious that these two Douchebags know that because of what they did and their party is doing that they cannot possibly hope to win!!! Keep up the good work Pres. Obama and pretty soon you'll have cleaned out the majority of the dems in congress!!

Happy New Year

2009-12-31T10:55:00.001-05:00

I truly hope everybody has a great new year. Please be safe tonight and watch out for the amateurs!!

Wont Get Fooled Again

2009-12-24T09:58:00.001-05:00

In honor of Thomas "I gave Skrepenak thousands of dollars" Cooney being appointed the new Luzerne County Commissioner. He has also been the beneficiary of numerous county contracts. I would love to see the rest of his political donations!!!

The Next Luzerne County Commissioner

2009-12-23T13:18:00.002-05:00

Does anybody really believe in the farce at the courthouse that is being perpetrated today? I sure as hell don't and I'll tell you why. I am a boss and I have literally interviewed hundreds of potential employees. I know how long a job interview takes. Even when hiring an unskilled position it takes more than a few minutes. Why do I bring this up? Because our judges are going to interview over 60 people today for the open commissioner slot. They started at 10:00 this morning. If they only spend 10 minutes with each candidate, they will need over 10 hours just for the interviews. That assumes no breaks, no lunch, no hitches. What time do you think they will announce they have voted on and selected the "new" commissioner??

What a complete crock of shit!!!!

Skrepenak sent to the Scrap Heap

2009-12-17T13:58:00.003-05:00

Breaking news Skrep has reportedly signed a plea agreement and will be leaving his office. The Times Leader is reporting on this story!!! Stay tuned and to my buddy Gort, I told you so 2 weeks ago!!!

A Paige from a very old book

2009-12-14T09:38:00.002-05:00

I wanted to write about our illustrious Demoncrat controlled Senate passing yet another $1.1 TRILLION spending bill but alas I had the misfortune to read the story in the Times Leader today about Chris Paige.

I have written before and am sure I will again that I am tired of dirty politics and mudslinging. Mr. Paige instead of coming out and stating his qualifications chose instead to dig deep in the mud pit and start slinging. Whether he is correct about Barletta is irrelevant. Mr Paige, if your qualifications are that much better, why aren't you running on them?

Not so long ago, we had 2 guys run in the GOP primary. That race turned very nasty (at least on one side) and left it impossible to win a seat back that has always been a GOP slot. Is that what you are after here Mr. Paige? It is a mistake and a very foolhardy one at that. You have more or less guaranteed that people that are tired of this reprehensible bullshit will not support you. Count me as one of them.

The funny thing is, that last time around, the D's had a huge advantage thanks to Bush the RINO's actions. This time, people are going throw every bum in DC out. That includes Kanjo, Carney, Casey, and Snarlin Arlen. They have been at the helm while things have gone remarkably worse and have in fact increased the national debt to a level that the country is extremely unlikely to be able to recover from. Worse still, there is no end in sight to their spend and spend plans. This election cycle will see the GOP take back quite a few seats. I just hope you aren't sitting in one Mr. Paige!

Carolee Medico-Olenginski's Comments

2009-12-03T09:54:00.004-05:00

Setting aside her complaints that her old/new office isn't a palace, and gasp, the rug needs cleaned, it is time to set the record straight on her comments about the County Republican Party and Club GOP.

I am very active in the party and have first hand knowledge of its operations. First of all, you do not have to pay any money to be a member of Club GOP. You can get a membership just by volunteering a very small amount of time. Second, $50 for a membership if you choose to pay rather than volunteer, equates to about 13 cents per day. Does she really think that is way too expensive for anybody to afford? If your financial situation is that dire, I sincerely doubt you have any thoughts about being active in politics. Club GOP was formed to raise the money needed to be a viable party and actually recruit and support candidates for office and to let every registered Republican take an ownership role in the party. In essence, to be the fabled insider that has access to party officials. I ask you, is that a bad thing??? Our headquarters actually has a phone bank for candidates to use now. If you ever priced such an operation, you know that any candidate for a local office could not afford it. That brings me to the next comment this dried up hag made. She claims she got no support from the county party. This at best is a gross misrepresentation and at worst, an outright lie!! The phone bank was used to make calls on her behalf before the election. It was staffed by an all volunteer crew that gave a couple weeks of their time to make those calls. They also made calls on behalf of all of our candidates. By the way, I give a hearty thank you to all that helped!!

Carolee expected the county party to fund her entire campaign or at least the majority of it. The county party gave no financial support to any candidate. The reason for that is quite simple, there was no money to give. Club GOP is in its infancy and continues to grow despite the efforts of people like Carolee and the faction of the party she belongs to. You see, the former party elite wants to return to their glory days when the county party was their own personal fiefdom. The most common comment I get when I ask somebody to join Club GOP is "We have a county Republican Party?". The reason for this is that the powers that once ran the party did everything in secret. There was no party headquarters. Meetings were done in secret at a varied set of locations that only the "IN" crowd were invited to.

The next nutcase comment to spill from the wacko's lips was about the Michael Steele event. She claims it was a private function for Club GOP members only. She is partly correct. All elected officials as well as all Rep. candidates were invited to attend. The reason it was not a public event had nothing to do with the county party. Mr. Steele specifically requested a non-public audience and that only members of Club GOP be invited. I had lunch with Mr. Steele before the event and asked the obvious question, Why? He told me that he really likes the idea of Club GOP and wants to see more local parties across the country do the same. Make everybody an insider and everybody will be happier. How exactly she thought the county chairman was going to dictate terms to the national chairman eludes me. Probably because I'm not batshit crazy. Did I agree with making it a member only event? Sure I did. Every club has to offer its members something tangible for their membership or else why have a club at all. As an example,I joined Fox Hill Country Club because I like the idea of being able to play a round of golf in well under 4 hours. You know how that is possible?? It is a private course and you have to be a member to play there. Ergo, the course isn't crowded wall to wall like most public courses in our area.

Carolee was invited to every single event the party had. She showed up at only a couple. I personally witnessed party officials call and leave Carolee numerous voice mails which she never bothered to return. She actually has claimed the party worked against her when the exact opposite is true. Her and the faction she belongs to actively work against us at every turn in hopes of returning to those old days I mentioned. That will never happen and if it does I will leave the party. You see, I like it that everybody has a chance to be on the inside. I like openness. I like transparency. I like meetings that are at our headquarters and not at a bar or someones house.

There some in the party leadership that will be very angry about this piece. To them I say just this; The record needed to be set straight. To all that read this, these are my personal opinions and none of this piece has anything to do with the county party.

To Carolee I ask just a couple things; What is in it for you to be actively working against the party? and Why do you keep using your ex-husbands last name? Is it in the deluded hope that somebody will think you are a Medico?? You are not, you are a very bitter person that should make their agenda public.

Judge Toole Goes Down

2009-12-02T13:54:00.003-05:00

As I wrote those many months ago that he would, Judge Toole has gone down in disgrace with Ciavarella and Conahan. He has agreed to plead guilty to douchebaggery in the 1st degree.

I say good riddance and anxiously await to see if one more goes down or if a pass has been given!!!

Pres. Obama's Speech part 2

2009-12-02T12:57:00.002-05:00

I didn't catch any direct lies last night and am glad that the pres. has promised a mid next year withdrawal. Many are saying that he was wrong to set a withdrawal time line, I disagree. We will not win on any of the 3 fronts we are currently fighting on. It is sad to say but nonetheless true. The Soviets tried to win in Afghanistan for 8 long years and they were hampered by trying to look like the good guys in their tactics and policies. They lost, and so shall we.

I think our method of fighting in Pakistan is a far more productive tactic. We are using predator drones to carry out surgical strikes. We are using special warfare operators on fast in, fast out strikes. While these are great at minimizing our troop casualties, they do nothing to win the war.

Our Rules of Engagement need to be changed. Ask any front line Iraq or Afghanistan war vet if they knew where the terrorists were operating out of and storing their weapons. Everybody there knows, they are storing them in mosques. Take the safe havens away from them. Punish any country that sponsors terrorists. In that last sentence, I include leaders like Saddam Hussein that pay U.S.$25,000. to the families of those that "martyr" themselves. Fight them exactly by the same rules they fight us by. Soon enough their stomach would sour on being a terrorist.

As for Obama getting NATO to commit a sizable force to help in the battle, I say good luck Mr. President. They are fair weather friends that also happen to suffer from an overdose of political correctness. Although maybe if he goes over the pond and apologizes for America's greatness a few more times, he'll have that luck.

Pres. Obama's Speech

2009-12-01T11:48:00.002-05:00

I am going to watch it tonight just to see what new lies he gets caught telling.

When Joe Wilson called him a liar he was vilified. It turns out Joe was telling the truth and Obama was in fact lying. The Pres. told us all on national television that neither illegal aliens or abortions would be covered by Obamacare. As it happens, both are. The abortion issue is causing several democrats to turn tail and run from the bill. The illegal alien coverage has Reid and Pelosi saying that them being covered is just an unintended provision in the bill. I really cannot wait to see how they try to spin it now.

Tonight though, the Pres. will be talking about Afghanistan and his strategery or lack thereof on further prosecution of that war. I have a little history lesson for the Pres. If the Soviets, when they were at their strongest, got their asses handed to them there, how do we plan on winning? The Soviets fought with the gloves off so to speak and still lost. We are fighting to be as politically correct as we can and we will lose!! My advice, get us the fark out of there. I doubt that is in Obama's plan even though he promised exactly that on the campaign trail. I think he will go over there and personally apologize to them for America's greatness as he has in so many other countries around the world. I just hope he gives them a very large dose of the special koolaid beforehand.

What Direction is America Going?

2009-11-24T10:24:00.002-05:00

The answer is obvious. We are heading toward a big government utopia and we are making really good time.

The sad reality is that our elected representatives in Washington have lost sight of the fact that they are supposed to represent their constituents. Seems kind of obvious, that's why we call them our elected representatives. As we have seen recently, they do not care about the vast majority's wishes and willfully disregard us. The most recent polls show that we do not want Obamacare. As evidenced by the recent votes in the House and Senate, it is going to become reality in spite of every single poll result. Is there a solution? Yes, but not before it is far too late. We can vote the bums out but not before this monster is let out of its cage.

While the healthcare is a huge issue and government blue cross will cost 53% of us nearly $1 Trillion, it is not the issue that could spell the end of our country as we know it. That issue is Cap and Trade. Judging by the vote on healthcare, this bill will sail through the Congress. What will it mean to all of us, rich, poor, and middle class alike? Everything is going to cost more and not by just a smidgen here and a dab there, but lots more.

The single biggest increase we will all face is a massive price hike on our energy demands. Gas and diesel back over $4 per gallon? Bank on it. Your electric bill, 70-100% increase. Natural gas same thing. None of this should be a shock as Obama pledged it on the campaign trail. He directly stated that he would increase those costs to force us to conserve and find alternative energy solutions.

My advice to all is to start looking into those solutions now. Currently, there are many government plans to help with the costs of many of them. When the government money runs out for the incentives, you will be on your own and run out it will.

Personally, I have never got one red cent from Uncle Sam but this is one time when I will finally get something back for the hundreds of thousands of dollars in income tax I have paid in my lifetime. I am going to put a photovoltaic system (solar energy) on my roof. The cost would be crippling but since the government (in reality, the 53% of us that pay income tax) is generously going to pay for over half of it, I am going to do it. Want to know how widespread this is going to be? You only have to call your local Home Depot and they will send somebody out to give you a free estimate. Once this goes mainstream the government money will be gone so fast you won't believe it.

Self Portrait

2009-11-19T14:25:00.003-05:00

This picture comes courtesy of a good friend of mine. When she sent it I thought of an old joke. I'm going to take liberty with altering it.
"What's the difference between President Obama and Jesus?.........Jesus doesn't think he's the President"

A Prayer for Pres. Obama

2009-11-16T10:42:00.004-05:00

With our President taking the time to once again travel the world and apologize for America's greatness, I think we should all offer a prayer for him. After much research, I have found a prayer in the bible that we should all use. It is Psalm 109:8.

Please help me with this prayer chain!!

Obama has Pork Flu

2009-11-12T13:49:00.002-05:00

Every single initiative to date that this administration has implemented has either failed or been an unbelievable disaster. How anybody can trust them with our health care is beyond me.

As I truly believe Pres. Obama is a very intelligent man, I have to wonder if his goals are in fact to further the economic damage to our country. Let's face facts, things are markedly worse now than under Bush. The only change I have seen is a massive increase in the national debt and a huge increase in unemployment. The only hope I see is that this nut is gone in four years. The country will be extremely lucky to come out of this administration whole after 4 years, after 8, I doubt anything short of an act of God will save us.

Chief Public Defender Russin

2009-11-10T15:55:00.002-05:00

I don't know if anybody else heard him on the radio this morning but allow me to sum up his excuse. I am too monumentally stupid to have noticed that anything was wrong and far to cowardly to ever question a judge even if I noticed the problem.

How in the hell can somebody that friggin dumb get into college, let alone pass the bar?? Can a lwayer out there answer that for me???

A thought to brighten your day

2009-11-06T15:41:00.000-05:00

When you are down in the dumps and think you have real PROBLEMS, Just remember: SOMEWHERE IN THIS WORLD….THERE IS A MR. PELOSI

Some Great Election News

2009-11-06T15:22:00.000-05:00

First District Republican Committee-Press Release
PO Box 182
Hazleton, PA 18201
Contact: Sean Shamany, First District Chairman (570-233-1516)

First District Republican Chairman States Election Results Indicate “Major GOP Comeback” in Southern Luzerne County

Hazleton, PA-November 5, 2009- The First District Republican Chairman Sean Shamany is very impressed with the overall effort to get out the vote in the Tuesday’s General election. Republicans and like-minded Democrats in Southern Luzerne turned out at the polls to overwhelmingly support Republican candidates.

Shamany stated, “The GOP is on the rise in Southern Luzerne County and these results clearly show that voters will elect Republicans in the First District, even with the disadvantage to Democrats in registered voters. Many people in Southern Luzerne County are conservative in their views and want less government interference in their lives, lower taxes and sound fiscal responsibility. These results clearly show qualified Republicans can be elected in Democratic leaning counties, cities and municipalities.”

Some major accomplishments in the First District were:

In the city of Hazleton, Republicans Jim Perry and Karin Cabell were elected to office defeating a Democratic incumbent on Tuesday. When Jim and Karin take office, the city of Hazleton will have a Republican majority on council with four sitting GOP council members and a very popular Republican Mayor in Lou Barletta! Chairman Shamany stated, “This will be the first time in recent history that a Republican majority will control Hazleton City Council.”

In West Hazleton Borough, Republican First District Committee Member Frank Schmidt was elected as Mayor, replacing a Democrat in that office.

In Freeland, the borough council will return to a Republican majority, with the election of Republicans Robert J Quinn, Daniel Bobby, and Joseph Palko.

In Butler Township, Republican Committee Member Brian Kisenwether was elected Supervisor by a large majority of voters.

In county races, Southern Luzerne voters handily supported the Republican candidates across the ballot. Attorney Richard Hughes garnered more votes than both Democrats, Amesbury and Gartley, in every single municipality in the First District, despite the heavy Democrat registration figures. While Hughes lost the race due to results in the Northern part of the county, he dominated the votes everywhere in Southern Luzerne. Clearly Democrats in Southern Luzerne felt Hughes’ credentials and experience made him most qualified for the job. Along with Richard Hughes, Southern Luzerne county voters agreed to retain Republican Thomas Burke by a large margin. Other winners in the First District were Republican Walter Griffith for Controller, Republican Carolee Medico Olenginski for Prothnotary, Republican Gina Nevenglosky for Register of Wills and Republican Frank Semanski for Jury Commissioner.

Shamany believes “Now more then ever the First District Republican Party is energized and I encourage all registered Republicans to join our cause!”

The First District Republican Committee meets the last Wednesday of each month on the 2nd Floor above Mea’s Restaurant, Broad Street, Hazleton and meetings are open to all interested parties. Due to the holidays, the next meeting is 7PM, December 2nd . If anyone wishes to provide financial support to the continued Republican efforts in District 1, checks can be made out to: First District Republican Committee and mailed to PO Box 182 Hazleton, PA 18201

Yesterday's Election

2009-11-04T13:16:00.002-05:00

I am pleased with the results in general and offer a hearty congratulations to the victorious. The only disappointment I have is that Dick Hughes didn't win. I think he would've been the best of three and they were all very qualified to be judge. I am thrilled that Tom Burke won retention!!!

On the state level we took the Supreme Court spot and 3 of the Superior spots. Well done!!!

Nationally, a very clear message was sent in Virginia and New Joisey. I still can't believe a Republican won in NJ!!! Odds-wise that is the equivalent of me starting as the Phillies pitcher tonight. Regardless that Corzine was a douchenozzle, NJ is and always has been a totally blue state. Seems like maybe the Koolaid is wearing off, and only a year too late.

Hydrogen Barackside

2009-11-03T02:35:00.001-05:00

Tomorrow is Election Day

2009-11-02T14:23:00.003-05:00

I am hoping voter turnout is high but doubt it will be. Even with all the scandals involving elected and appointed democrats, I am betting it won't be. The funny things is, that even with all that is going on, many people will either stay home or vote as they have in the past. I truly believe that if we had a two party system in Luzerne county, much of what has gone on for so long would've stopped. Keep voting straight dem Luzerne County and we'll continue to be a sad mockery for the rest of the nation to sneer at.

With that said, I am hoping people will turn out to vote and to vote for real change. The only change I don't want to see is Judge Burke's retention. He has been an excellent and honorable judge that deserves to retain his seat. Without some new faces we will have proven that we can't learn from history. I would like to see Dick Hughes win his race, as well as Walter Griffith, here in the county. In the state races, I hope that Judges Joanie, Judy, and Temp all win.

If you do nothing else tomorrow, please get out to vote!!

Something Positive about Cash for Clunkers

2009-10-27T10:55:00.000-04:00

The one POSITIVE result of "Cash for Clunkers":
It's taken 75% of the Obama bumper stickers off the road.

Government Run Businesses

2009-10-22T14:49:00.002-04:00

Months ago, we all heard the president say that our government was not going to run the businesses that so wrongly were bailed out with our tax dollars (actually, with our future debt). Now, the government is in fact, managing those companies. Whether you think those executives don't deserve what they are paid or not, the fact is the Obama administration is calling the shots at those companies. They have in effect, been completely taken over by our government. You know which leader of a country recently did the same thing? Hugo Chavez.

Is that really what we want America to become???

Pres. Obama's Nobel Prize

2009-10-19T09:45:00.000-04:00

I laughed!!!

Cash for clunkers revisited

2009-10-14T13:50:00.000-04:00

Here is something to think about!
A clunker that travels 12,000 miles a year at 15 mpg uses 800 gallons of gas a year.

A vehicle that travels 12,000 miles a year at 25 mpg uses 480 gallons a year.

So, the average Cash for Clunkers transaction will reduce US gasoline consumption by 320 gallons per year.

They claim 700,000 vehicles participated, so that's 224 million gallons saved per year.

That equates to a bit over 5 million barrels of oil.

5 million barrels is about 5 hours worth of US consumption.

More importantly, 5 million barrels of oil at $70 per barrel costs about $350 million dollars

So, the government paid $3 billion of our tax money to save that$350 million.

We spent $8.57 for every dollar saved.

How good a deal was that ???

Well, they'll probably do a great job with health care though!!

The Farmer in Plains

2009-10-07T09:29:00.002-04:00

First, let me say it again, Kevin Lynn is a jackass.

Okay, now that's out of the way, here is my point of view. The people that were robbing the farmer in Plains were not there to get some veggies for dinner. As reported in the Times Leader and Citizens Voice, they had a van full of produce. This would shoot holes in their story of just being hungry to any rational person. They were stealing with intent to sell their swag. Regardless of what they were stealing, they WERE STEALING!!!

Think the farmer was wrong? Let me ask you this; You're soundly sleeping when noises from your kitchen awaken you. You leave your bedroom and check the kids. They are in their beds sleeping. You hear the noise from your kitchen again and proceed to find the source. Upon entering your kitchen, you see somebody loading your canned goods into boxes. What would you do? If you were armed (even with a baseball bat), would you detain them? Would you attack them? Or as Kevin Lynn suggests, would you say "Oh, you're only stealing canned goods, sorry to disturb you". Then you just go back to bed. I posit that only somebody with an IQ below 40 would take Kevin's suggestion.

You see, I think that your property is your property and not to be violated by any one. Stealing is stealing regardless of what is being stolen. Don't want somebody to point a gun at you for invading their property? How about not invading their property in the first farking place?? Sounds like a very simple concept to me.

Having grown up very poor and many of the veggies we ate we either grew or was given to us by farmers, perhaps I am not believing the thieves side of this story. Farmers are among the hardest working, most generous people I know. I've never heard of any farmer that wouldn't help a hungry person and doubt I ever will.

I leave you with just one thought. You should never curse a farmer with your mouth full!!

How bad is the economy?

2009-10-07T09:18:00.001-04:00

Thanks to Steve R.

The economy is so bad that I got a pre-declined credit card in the mail.

It's so bad, I ordered a burger at McDonalds and the kid behind the counter asked, "Can you afford fries with that?"

The economy is so bad that CEO's are now playing miniature golf.

The economy is so bad if the bank returns your check marked "Insufficient Funds," you call them and ask if they meant you or them.

The economy is so bad Hot Wheels and Matchbox stocks are trading higher than GM.

The economy is so bad Obama met with three small businesses to discuss the Stimulus Package: GE, Pfizer, and Citigroup.

The economy is so bad parents in Beverly Hills fired their nannies and learned their children's names.

The economy is so bad a truckload of Americans was caught sneaking into Mexico .

The economy is so bad Dick Cheney took his stockbroker hunting.

The economy is so bad people in Africa are donating money to Americans.

The economy is so bad Motel Six won't leave the light on anymore.

The economy is so bad the Mafia is laying off judges.

The economy is so bad Exxon-Mobil laid off 25 Congressmen.

The International Olympic Committee is a Racist Organization

2009-10-02T14:23:00.002-04:00

It is hard to believe they could be so openly racist. They have told our president that they disagree with him and that Chicago will not be in the running to host the Olympic Games!!

While the majority of Chicagoans are rejoicing in not being saddled with billions of dollars of debt, I think the IOC should be chastised for being racists just like everybody else that disagrees with Pres. Obama!!

The Juvie Scandal of Luzerne County

2009-10-01T11:47:00.003-04:00

While it was nice that the three candidates for judge were asked yet again if they had any connection to the disgraced judges and they all answered in the negative, nobody has asked the questions that we all need to know the answer to.

The questions should be directed at everybody in the district attorney's office. The questions that need asked are;

As prosecutors in these juvenile cases, how is it possible that you did not notice a gross disparity between the offense and the punishment that was meted out?

If you did notice the disparity, did you report it?

If you failed to notice the disparity, just how farking incompetent are you?

And most importantly, did anybody in the DA's office prosecute an unusual number of these cases? if so, the DA needs to explain why.

Shoot me an email and let me know your thoughts.

This Joke is Offensive

2009-09-29T04:55:00.001-04:00

and I am probably going to hell for laughing at it. Thanks to Steve R.

Two Middle East mothers are sitting in a cafe chatting over a plate of tabouli and a pint of goat's milk.
The older of the two pulls a bag out of her purse and starts flipping through photos. They start reminiscing.
'This is my oldest son Mohammed. He would have been 24 years old now.' '
Yes, I remember him as a baby' says the other mother cheerfully.
'He's a martyr now though' mum confides.
'Oh, so sad dear' says the other.
'And this is my second son Kalid. He would have been 21.'
'Oh, I remember him,' says the other happily, 'he had such curly hair when he was born'.
'He's a martyr too' says mum quietly.
'Oh, gracious me ...' Says the other.
'And this is my third son. My baby. My beautiful Ahmed. He would have been 18', she whispers.
'Yes' says the friend enthusiastically, 'I remember when he first started school'
'He's a martyr also,' says mum, with tears in her eyes.
After a pause and a deep sigh, the second Muslim mother looks wistfully at the photographs and says... 'They blow up so fast, don't they...'

Steve Corbett and Judge Burke

2009-09-28T12:23:00.004-04:00

Maybe Steve Corbett is a better man than I have previously judged. He has written on his blog at wilknewsradio.com that he was wrong and that he would vote to retain Judge Burke.

It takes a bigger man to admit when they are wrong and that is exactly what Mr. Corbett has done. Kudos to you Steve!!

Steve Corbett and the Luzerne County Court House

2009-09-21T15:29:00.002-04:00

It seems everybody else has weighed in on the retention of judges issue. Corbett has unequivocally stated that no judge should be retained. As with most things, he is wrong yet again.

Judge Burke is one of the finest judges we have ever had on the bench in this county. He has done absolutely nothing to warrant the scorn that a half-assed local talk show host has heaped upon him. Judge Burke never went to the condo in Fla. He never associated with the juvie brothers like some other local judges have done. My question is, why is Corbett painting him with the same brush. Is it because Judge Burke is a Republican?? Sure seems like it.

Before anybody puts too much stock into Corbett's opinions you should remember that he thinks Tina Gartley will be the best judge in the universe solely because she has a vagina. That is possibly the dumbest thing to ever escape Corbett's mouth and the good lord knows that he can't go 3 minutes without trying to top himself in the stupid remarks arena.

Letter to Arlen Specter

2009-09-16T16:12:00.001-04:00

A friend of mine wrote this letter to Arlen. I think it sums up a great many people's feelings. Thanks for sharing J.

Thought you would enjoy reading the email I just sent to ASSHOLE Specter.

Dear Senator,

I must address you as my Senator from PA. now but not for long! I am embarrassed that you represent the great state that I live in. You are only concerned about yourself and NOTHING else! I have never seen a person act the way you are. Maybe you need to get a job with ACORN after all of us proud Pennsylvanians throw you out of office once and for all. It is obvious that you do NOT represent our values anymore and it is time for you to go! I will donate my time and money to see to it that this is your LAST term in office! If you think for one minute that I am the only one that feels this way, you are in for a big surprise, my friend. To the staffer that is reading this, better get your resume out as you will not have your job much longer!

Kanye West is a Jackass!!

2009-09-16T13:26:00.002-04:00

President Obama, in a rare fit of honesty, said that Kanye was a jackass. For perhaps the first time, I believe something our current president said.

As usual however, he was only being partially honest. He forgot to mention that the reigning champion worst president of all time, Jimmy Carter, is also a jackass. If you haven't heard by now, the peanut president claims that it is only racism that keeps all whites from embracing and trusting all of Pres. Obama's plans. Mr. Carter, you were born a douchebag and you will die a douchebag without ever having attempted to make up for your douchebaggery. The problem with your theory is that the reason that most people don't trust or believe Pres. Obama is because by his actions and deeds he has not earned it. It has absolutely nothing to do with his race. It has everything to do with people in his own administration already disagreeing with his outright deceptions. They are openly stating that taxes will have to be raised on a lot more than just 1 or even 5% of the wage earners as just one example.

Perhaps it has something to do with Pres. Obama committing to double the national debt before he even hit 8 months in office (it took the RINO Bush 8 years). I can see how that would make any person fearful. Perhaps it is Pres. Obama's continuing relationships with nefarious individuals and entities. say ACORN for example. Bill Ayers and Prof. Gates would also come to mind.

I will however admit that in the instance, I am in complete agreement with our President about Kanye West!!!

Text of Chairman Terry Casey's Speech Kicking off Operation Heart

2009-09-15T15:28:00.001-04:00

Chairman Terry Casey’s Remarks
Tuesday, Sept. 15
I’d like to thank everyone for coming out today -- this is a critical event for the Republican Party but mostly for the citizens of Luzerne County.
I thank the candidates for taking the time out of their busy schedules to come here today to stand together and make this pledge to the residents of the county. Mostly, I thank them for putting themselves out there every day, just so that we can live in an area that is free of corruption.
Joining us today are:
· Supreme Court candidate Judge Joan Orie Melvin
· Court of Common Pleas candidates Richard Hughes and William Amesbury
· Controller candidate Walter Griffith
· Prothonotary candidate Carolee Medico Olenginski
· Register of Wills/Clerk of the Orphan’s Court candidate Gina Nevenglosky
· Frank Semanski, who is seeking re-election as jury commissioner, is also on our ticket
· And we certainly can’t forget Judge Thomas Burke, a man of honesty and integrity who is up for retention this year.
Thirty-seven years ago, following a devastating flood, the people of Luzerne County came together with a lot of heart and soul to rebuild our communities, churches and businesses -- piece by piece, house by house, neighborhood by neighborhood.
It didn’t matter if you were young or old, rich or poor, what religion you followed or whether you were Democrat or Republican. We worked side by side.
The result was a rebirth in our downtowns and neighborhoods. The people of Luzerne County showed such resolve and camaraderie that this area become known as the Valley With a Heart.
That will and determination, that essential goodness, is still here. Unfortunately, it has been overshadowed by a corrupt political machine brought on by the perils of a one-party system. It’s the dirty little secret that we’ve all known about for years: cronyism, nepotism, teachers paying for jobs. One set of rules for those in power, another set of rules for the rest of us.
So, what do we do to polish that tarnished image and to reclaim our reputation as the Valley With A Heart?
Nothing short of a heart transplant.
And that’s what we plan to do.
We are the Republican Party of Luzerne County and I stand here today and pledge that the days of a one-party political system are over.
With your help, these men and women standing next to me will give our county that much-needed heart transplant.
Together we will work to reclaim Luzerne County for the people who believe that government should be run with the consent of the governed, that our tax dollars and votes should not be frittered away with negligent practices or sold to the highest bidder. Or, in some cases, through illegal, no-bid contracts.
Most importantly we want to know that everyone will receive a fair shake when he or she seeks justice in our court system especially the most vulnerable among us, our children.
We are here today to announce the official creation of Operation HEART.
· Honesty
· Ethics
· Accountability
· Reform
· Transparency
These are virtues that have been largely missing from our county government lately.
Just as we did in 1972, we need to come together and fight this veil of corruption and mistrust that permeates our county.
We need to unite -- young and old, rich and poor, Republicans and Democrats, to fight the good fight.
There is a bright spot: The wheels of justice are turning again. Today in federal court in Scranton, two disgraced judges will be arraigned on racketeering charges.
But the next step is up to you, the voters of Luzerne County. This is your chance to wipe the slate clean and allow the Valley With a Heart to shine again.
We’re fortunate to have a candidate at the top of our statewide ticket who lives by these principles.
Judge Joan Orie Melvin is a tough but fair judge who plays an active role in the lives of her six children.
The integrity she has shown throughout her career, including her battle against the infamous 2005 pay raise, is just what we need on our highest court.
Ladies and gentleman, Supreme Court candidate Judge Joan Orie Melvin.

Luzerne County GOP Press Release

2009-09-10T11:07:00.000-04:00

Sept. 9, 2009
Contact: Renita Fennick 208-4671 or 239-8851
WILKES-BARRE -- Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele gave a pep talk to party faithful at Wednesday’s grand opening of the Luzerne County Republican Party headquarters on South Main Street.
Steele cut a red, white and blue ribbon and spoke to members of Club GOP, a newly formed grassroots organization designed to support the county GOP.
“This place is more than just four walls, fluorescent lights and a flag,” Steele said. “It’s where the Republican Party of Luzerne County will grow.”The local GOP’s permanent headquarters will house the offices of Executive Director Renita Fennick, and Northeast Pennsylvania Regional Director Jon Hopcraft of the state GOP. It will provide a meeting and campaign area for local, county, state and federal candidates and will feature a 24-line phone bank to assist with campaign efforts.
Steele urged party workers to come out and support the party and the candidates in the Nov. 3 election and said the timing was good for the GOP.
“Don’t believe it when they say the Republican Party is the party of no,” Steele said. “Our record is good. The opportunity is right.”
Steele, who was elected chairman of the national GOP in January, mingled with members of the ClubGOP during a private reception.
Club GOP members pay annual dues of $50 or more and receive membership cards, a subscription to the GOP Newsletter, a discount to some events and invitations to club-only functions.
County Chairman Terry Casey said the club’s goal is to make the local Republican Party a true grassroots organization.
“This allows the people to own the party,” Casey said. “This will truly make the Luzerne County Republican Party a party of the people.”
In the past, Casey said, the misconception was that people had to be big donors to make a difference, pointing out that the annual membership fee is less than $5 a month.
Casey said the Republican leadership recognizes that money isn’t everything and that not all registered Republicans would be willing or able to donate $50 to the cause which is why there are provisions for people to receive paid memberships by volunteering.
Membership dues will be used to pay the costs of keeping the headquarters open full time.
Anyone interested in obtaining more information may e-mail luzernecountygop@gmail.com or call headquarters at 570-208-4671.
41 s. main st. ste. 14
Wilkes-Barre PA 18701
LUZERNE COUNTY REPUBLICAN PARTY
Phone (570) 208-GOP1
Web site www.luzernecountygop.com

Best Obama Joke on the Internet

2009-09-09T10:21:00.001-04:00

Guy goes into a bar, there's a robot bartender. The robot says, "What will you have?" The guy says, "Martini." The robot brings back the best martini ever and says to the man, "What's your IQ?" The guy says,"168". The robot then proceeds to talk about physics, space exploration and medical technology.

The guy leaves, but he is curious, so he goes back into the bar. The robot bartender says, "What will you have?" The guy says, "Martini". Again, the robot makes a great martini, gives it to the man and says, "What's your IQ?" The guy says, "100." The robot then starts to talk about Nascar, Budweiser and John Deere tractors.

The guy leaves, but finds it very interesting, so he thinks he will try it one more time. He goes back into the bar. The robot says, "What will you have?" The guy says, "Martini", and the robot brings him another great martini. The robot then says, "What's your IQ?" The guy says, "Uh, about 50." The robot leans in real close and says, "So, you people still happy you voted for Obama?"

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly but not in that order

2009-09-08T11:32:00.003-04:00

I take a few days off and seems I missed a few things.

First, as is readily apparent, I am not a fan of Pres. Obama. That said, I find it ridiculous that people are protesting his taped speech to students in the classroom. This is not a precedent. The thing I find truly amazing is that so many people think so little of the President, or outright fear him, that he has evoked this response. Mr. Obama, that is a precedent and perhaps you should catch a clue. Your popularity is going down faster than a bowlful in my Flushmaster 3000 toilet. Mayhap you should alter your positions yet again?

The Health Insurance overhaul wages on. By the way, I wish both sides would call it that as that is what it is. This whole shebang is about yet adding another bureaucracy to our already over-bloated mess we call the federal government. It is not about helping the poor, kids, or the elderly as they will certainly get screwed the worst.

Bonner is out and Dave Yonki wants in. The Yonk, the Yonkster, the Yonk-a-Doodle-Dooooo. You may be surprised, but I am all for it. Mr. Yonki is an intelligent, honorable guy. He and I may not agree on just about anything politically, but Dave, you have my support!!

Michael Steele will be in town tomorrow to open the brand new Headquarters of the Luzerne County Republican Party. The ribbon cutting will be at 2:00 tomorrow afternoon. This is a private event for Club GOP members. You can join at the door however I recommend beating the rush and stopping by the new HQ today at 41 South Main St. in Wilkes-Barre. It is conveniently located next to one of my favorite restaurants, Thai Thai!!! I will be at the ceremony tomorrow and hope to see you all there.

Barack Obama's Downfall

2009-09-08T09:44:00.001-04:00

These are hillarious. Enjoy!!!

Congressman Mike Rogers' opening statement on Health Care reform in Washington D.C.

2009-09-02T13:12:00.001-04:00

This should be mandatory viewing!!

Breaking News, Prominent democrat Jerry Bonner Indicted

2009-09-01T12:14:00.003-04:00

Jerry Bonner, Jury Commissioner and member of the county housing authority has been indicted on a corruption charge. What a friggin shock!!!! Not!!! Yet another wonderful example of our elected democrats showing their true colors!!

Tony Trombetta

2009-08-31T15:19:00.003-04:00

My crystal ball is obviously running very fast but I thought I would give you an update. It seeems that Mr. Trombetta is very quickly liquidating all of his possessions. The Ferrari, gone. The Porsche Gemballa, gone. New home, on the market and priced to sell in a blink. I wonder why??

Social Security is a Ponzi Scheme that has alomost run its course

2009-08-31T09:52:00.002-04:00

The simple fact is that when a ponzi scheme runs out of enough new money it has to stop. We now have two workers to support each person currently drawing from the fund. Those two workers in actuality aren't paying for their own benefits. At what point will the government radically change the system? The reality is that no politician wants to touch the issue. It is considered career suicide.

How did the system get so broken? You will hear people say that it is because the government has been robbing the fund to try to balance the budget. While that is partly true, that isn't why the fund will collapse. Take a person that retires after 45 years of working. If they had a far above average job and made far more than the median income, they would have paid in $119,000. I got at that figure by doubling the median income for 45 years and used the current payroll deduction with employer's matching contribution to get at that figure. Let us assume that this far above average wage earner only draws $1,500 per month from the SSA fund. In just 79 months (6 years, 7 months) they will have taken every cent they paid into it, out. It isn't hard to see why the fund is going broke. People are living decades past retirement and drawing triple or more out than they paid in.

There is another reason for this as well. The fund was established to pay people that had no pension from their job enough to live on. Their are literally millions of people that collect those checks every month that shouldn't be getting a thing. Either because they are wealthy or as an example, a retired teacher that is drawing 70% of their best year's salary as a pension.

I think the quickest and easiest fix is to only allow those that need to draw from the fund to do so. I know what you're thinking. That doesn't sound very Republican to me and what about the fact that everybody that works pays into the fund!!! The problem isn't a partisan issue though. The good lord willing, we will all reach retirement age regardless of your political views and if you have not financially prepared yourself, you will need the fund. The fund only has about 30 years more before it is totally insolvent and something needs to be done now. My suggestion to any politico that has some balls is to draw a line. If you have a net worth of one million dollars, you do not get a check. If you have a pension that pays you $2,500 per month or more, you do not get a check. If your pension is less than that, your check should only make up the difference between the two. If you have no pension at all from work, the max you should get is $2,500. I only included this because the silly statement I get from the SSA says that I will get a lot more than $2,500. Of course that's a joke because I sincerely doubt that in 22 years when I am eligible to collect those checks that there will be anything left to collect.

Will that be enough to save the fund?? Heck no, but it will buy the government another decade or two to come up with a real solution.

Nude Photos of Nancy Pelosi: Internet Warning!!!

2009-08-27T09:45:00.001-04:00

INTERNET WARNING:
If you get an email titled "Nude photo of Nancy Pelosi," don't open it....
It contains a nude photo of Nancy Pelosi.

Want to meet Michael Steele?

2009-08-26T10:01:00.001-04:00

Aug. 25, 2009
Contact: Renita Fennick 208-4671 or 239-8851
WILKES-BARRE -- Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele will cut the ceremonial ribbon on Sept. 9 when the Luzerne County Republican Party holds a grand opening of its new permanent headquarters.
Steele, who was elected chairman of the national GOP in January, will meet with members of the newly formed ClubGOP during a private reception at approximately 2 p.m. After Steele’s visit, the celebration will be open to the public and the press.
The county party is moving into a permanent headquarters at 41 S. Main St., which will house the offices of Executive Director Renita Fennick, and Northeast Pennsylvania Regional Director Jon Hopcraft of the state GOP. It will provide a meeting and campaign area for local, county, state and federal candidates and will feature a 24-line phone bank to assist with campaign efforts.
ClubGOP is a grassroots organization established by the Luzerne County Republican Committee. Members who pay annual dues of $50 or more receive membership cards, a subscription to the GOP Newsletter, a discount to some events and invitations to club-only functions.
County Chairman Terry Casey said the club’s goal is to make the local Republican Party a true grassroots organization.
"This allows the people to own the party," Casey said. "This will truly make the Luzerne County Republican Party a party of the people."
In the past, Casey said, the misconception was that people had to be big donors to make a difference, pointing out that the annual membership fee is less than $5 a month.
"People thought that their $10 or $25 or $50 wasn’t important and nothing is further from the truth," Casey said. "This way, the average Republican can play a major role in supporting the party."
Casey said the Republican leadership recognizes that money isn’t everything and that not all registered Republicans would be willing or able to donate $50 to the cause which is why there are provisions for people to receive paid memberships by volunteering.
"A volunteer’s time is just as important," Casey said. "Volunteers who come in and work at headquarters, campaign with our candidates and man the phone banks will be recognized as members of ClubGOP with all of the benefits."
Membership dues will be used to pay the costs of keeping the headquarters open full time including salaries, rent, utilities, postage and other operating expenses.
Anyone interested in obtaining more information may e-mail luzernecountygop@gmail.com or call headquarters at 570-208-4671.
25 PUBLIC SQUARE
WILKES-BARRE PA 18701
LUZERNE COUNTY REPUBLICAN PARTY
Phone (570) 208-GOP1
Web site WWW.LUZERNECOUNTYGOP.COM

The Myth Behind Hybrid Cars and Chevy Volt

2009-08-25T09:17:00.003-04:00

Our President wants you to believe that hybrid cars will not only save the planet but save you money as well. I will explain how that is just another gigantic lie coming from this administration. I will use two examples and base the math on gas at $2.65 per gallon, average miles per year of 12,000, Highway fuel economy from the EPA, and current MSRP and published price of the Volt.

Chevy Volt vs Honda Civic DX sedan auto trans

MSRP for Volt $40,000 Civic $16,925

Estimated fuel economy Volt 230/gal Civic 36

Fuel used per year Volt 52 gallons Civic 333

Fuel savings by driving Volt $745 per year

Number of years driving Volt to break even on added cost 31

That's right, you would need to drive the Volt for only 31 years to make up for the added price you paid for it. I know what you're thinking, nobody drives the same car for 31 years. What you should be thinking is that the battery pack in Hybrid vehicles is designed to last 5-7 years. Since I have no idea how much the Volt's batteries will cost but do know how much they are for a Toyota Prius ($5,000 dealer cost). Lets do the math again. Also, the Prius is much closer to the price of the Civic.

Toyota Prius vs Honda Civic DX Sedan. Both auto trans

Msrp Prius $23,300 Civic $16,925

Fuel economy Prius 45 mpg Civic 36

Fuel used per year Prius 266 gallons Civic 333

Fuel savings by driving Prius $177 per year

Number of years driving Prius to break even 36

Sure makes sense to me to drive those hybrids. How about you???

Obamacare, Warning Consuming this product is extremely hazardous to your health

2009-08-24T13:46:00.002-04:00

Don't listen to talk radio about Obamacare but I think you should click this link and read what an orthopedic surgeon has to say about it. You'd be surprised to learn that part of the stimulous package has already paid for the council that will ration care. I took this from snopes.com so that you can see it is valid and has the full text of his message not the edited version that is making the e mail rounds.

http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/janda.asp

Voter Qualifications

2009-08-24T09:14:00.003-04:00

I posed the question if 18 years old was enough of a qualification to vote. It seems others feel as I do that by itself, does not mean you are qualified to vote. Some have suggested a mandatory test on knowledge of civics as a way to determine if you are smart enough to vote. The problem with that is that such a small percentage of people would pass such a test that we'd have more problems then than we have now.

The other problem with that is that unfortunately, we still have people that are illiterate and wouldn't be able to even take the test.

I think I have a far more simple solution. You must file a tax return to be able to vote. If you do not have to file a tax return for whatever reason, you must prove that you are exempt from filing. Full time students that don't work would be an example. All those people would have to do is submit their info to the IRS and get a card. Everybody else gets a card back from the IRS when their return is accepted. Regardless of whether you paid a gazillion dollars in taxes or got more back than you had withheld, you would have the privilege to vote. However, if you are enjoying the vast benefits of living in this country while living off the grid, you don't!!

The reason I suggest this is equally simple. If you are not part of the system, I think you should have absolutely zero say in any part of the system. You should have no benefit from the system whatsoever.

Your thoughts are welcomed!!

Should there be more qualifications to vote other than age?

2009-08-21T07:05:00.003-04:00

I will be on the road today but wanted to get this question out there.

I think there should be and will be writing about this over the weekend. Let me know your thoughts.

Chris Carney is a Blue Dog Democrat???

2009-08-19T09:46:00.002-04:00

At least that is what he would like his constituents to believe. I heard him on WILK today. The only thing I got out of his slippery answers was that he will say anything to get re-elected.

Chris, why weren't you just honest when asked if you were for the public option health care?? You should've just told the audience the truth; That it would be political suicide for you to be for it. I do love how you left the window open for flipping on it though!!

When asked if members of congress should have to switch to Obama Cross he replied that he couldn't see why anybody wouldn't. Congrats Chris, that's the biggest fooking lie I have ever heard and I've heard some doozies. Like you or any member of congress would switch???

The second biggest lie he told this morning was in response to the question about what would stop businesses from simply opting to pay the 8% fee and stop offering health insurance to their employees. Cmdr. Carney said that he has investigated this and found that businesses only pay 5% of their payroll for health benefits so it would be cheaper for them to keep offering the insurance as a benefit. I have no idea what businesses he looked at but you could bet your ass that that company offers some off brand, low coverage, high deductible insurance. I have spoken with many other business owners and those of us that offer Blue Cross are paying a hell of a lot more than 5% of our payrolls for health bennies. I polled businesses with fewer than 20 employees and businesses with more than 100 and not one of us is paying only 5%. Dream on Chris!!

I also loved how he danced around the FACT that many doctors are reducing or flat refusing to take new medicare patients because the reimbursements are so low. The lefty responded that most doctors just want to help patients so he doesn't see why they wouldn't want to accept ridiculously low payments for their services. Ever hear of having a few hundred thousand dollars worth of student loans to pay back Chris? Ever realize that most people that go to college actually have to pay for it unlike Pres. Obama and his newest Supreme Court Justice?? Ever hear that if somebody devotes that much money and a minimum of seven years of their life to become a doctor is entitled to make an above average income?? Of course not, you live in a weird world where none of those things matter. Here on planet earth, they do with the exception of saints. Unfortunately the sinners (as your side sees them) vastly outnumber the saints!!

Next week's news today

2009-08-13T21:33:00.003-04:00

There I was on my way home from work and like a dope, I stopped at a yard sale. The only thing they had that I was interested in was a very nice crystal ball. Not that I believe in that kind of stuff but it was nice, so I bought it. When I got home I decided to clean it up to display it. Imagine my surprise when I looked into it and saw next week's headlines!!!

Rostock, Piazza, Adonizio, and Trombetta all arrested with a note that Vonderthief's arrest was emminent!!! Shocked I was!!! I can't wait to see if my crystal ball qas right.

Of course it helped my clairvoyance a bunch knowing that a truckload (literally) of construction records were seized today!!!!!!!!!

Total Breakdown of all 1,100 pages of Obamacare

2009-08-13T16:28:00.001-04:00

Read this but be warned, you will cry!!!

http://blog.flecksoflife.com/2009/07/19/the-hc-monstrosity/

More Obamacare with a dash of Arlen Spector for taste

2009-08-13T14:32:00.003-04:00

If Obamacare is so simple and only focused on a few things, why is the proposal 1,100 pages?
Seems like a lot of paper for a bill that is, as Pres. Obama says, going to provide for 1. Insurance cos. have to cover pre-existing conditions 2. they can't cancel you, and 3. Well, 3 varies depending on what day of the week it is and who he is addressing.

I have to wonder why that is. Seems to me you could pretty much cover that with a couple pages. Where is the transparency he promised? Why aren't they spelling out the exact specifics? The short answer they give is that they haven't hammered them all out yet. The true answer is they won't do that until it is too late.

Should we expect any different? Apparently not when newly minted but always was democrat, Arlen Spector says things like "These protesters at the town hall meeting aren't representative of all Americans". Arlen, we've been pals for years and that has got to be the dumbest thing that you've ever said. With 81-82% of Americans totally against Obama's plan, I'd say the protesters couldn't be more representative of John Q. I love that the left's wildest moonbats (read Pelosi and Reid) will stop at nothing until they pass this turd. They will be doing for the Republicans what George W. Bush did for the Democrats. If it weren't for the trillion dollars worth of damage it will do, I'd help them advance this idiocy!!! We'd probably get about 80 seats in the Senate!!!!!!!!!

MAXINE WATERS OUTS THE DEMS SOCIALIST AGENDA

2009-08-12T16:39:00.001-04:00

Listen to this jackass!!!

ABC 20/20 Takes on Health Care Reform

2009-08-12T09:34:00.001-04:00

This is from 20/20, a show about as far from right wing as is possible. Watch this and judge for yourself if Obamacare is a good idea or pure, unadulterated horse shit.

My View on Obama's Health Plan and the State of the Union

2009-08-10T12:50:00.003-04:00

As Pres. Obama continues to push for his vision of a health care utopia, I think it is important to understand a few key points. The Pres. says that there are 48 million people without health insurance in America and that is vital to get them covered as soon as possible. Who in their right mind could possibly be against that? Well, nobody, unless of course you look at a few things this administration would rather you not know;
1. That number includes 12 million illegal aliens. Yep, he wants us to pay for their insurance too.
2. That number includes between 8 and 10 million people that already qualify for government assistance for health care but have not signed up for it.
3. He claims that only 5% of Americans will be taxed to pay for this coverage. THAT IS A FLAT OUT LIE. Even his Treasury Secretary said that taxes will have to be raised on everybody just to pay for this administration's already $1.9 trillion deficit. ( more on this in a moment). Pres. Obama has already said that anybody that gets their health insurance from their employer will be taxed on that benefit. That sure as shit is a lot more than 5% of the population!! I wonder why he is lying so vociferously about this point? That's right, more class warfare bullshit that the left is so famous for.
4. Our government is incapable of running anything efficiently. As a matter of fact, the bureaucrats that run every government program will spend every penny in their budgets because they know if they don't, that budget will be cut next year as it is seen to be over funded. Show me one business that successfully runs with that model. You can't, because there isn't one.
5. If our President thinks this plan is so important, why doesn't he just tell the public the truth. Or better yet, ask them just one question; Would you be willing to pay for this plan? This lousy piece of government crap would sink faster than an anchor if he did and that's why he won't.

Now, let's talk about Obama's $1.9 trillion deficit. This is yet another glaring example of a government not being honest with the citizens. True enough, so far this year, Obama is running that far in the red. Unfortunately, what they aren't telling us is that it is actually far higher than that. You see, the income tax revenue is already off by 18% as of June 1st. That means the real deficit is already at $2.24 trillion and we are only in August!!! Kind of makes you nostalgic for Bush's RINO spending, doesn't it???
Now, let's factor in that Obama has a super majority in both houses. He will get his health care turd passed. Right off the bat, the deficit swells even further. Where will it end?? Nobody knows, but it won't be good for our country. The sad reality is that America's economy was once based on manufacturing. It is now based on the service sector. The difference that matters here is that when you manufacture goods and sell them to foreign markets, you bring outside money into the economy. That is why we pulled out of the last depression relatively quickly and why this one will continue for quite some time. I'm hoping about 3 and a half years if you know what I mean!!!

A last thought for you. Our form of government was set up to protect the few from the tyranny of the majority. I'm not sure exactly when or how it happened but now, the majority has become the victim of the tyranny of the minority. The biggest question I can think of is who will protect us now?

Rep. Tom Price admonishes govt-takeover of healthcare

2009-08-08T10:02:00.001-04:00

Whether you are a dem or a rep, you need to watch this clip!!!

Mr. Skrepenak meets the Grand Jury

2009-08-06T10:02:00.002-04:00

Skrep's father testified before the grand jury. About what, nobody is saying, but his son commented in today's paper that it may have been about his actions as a commissioner. Gee, you think Greg???

Let's run down some things they may have wanted Skrep's dad (who is a really nice guy) to talk about.

Greg and Todd signing a lease for $58 million for a detention center that Luzerne County could've owned for $9 million.

Greg lives in a townhouse he bought from Tony Trombetta. The same guy who sold $100 security cameras for $1,000 each to countless local school districts, LCCC, and lord knows what other government agencies.

Who really owns Big Ugly's bar?

That bar is actually leased from the Pasonick family. You may know them, they provide engineering services to almost every single government entity in Luzerne County. I've been told that they do over 90% of all government engineering jobs in this area. I am sure that's just a coincidence.

Most importantly, and likely, they wanted to know who was at the countless meetings held at that bar in the past 2 years. Oops, I wasn't supposed to write that one, but oh well. ;)

Let me know if I left anything out.

Sen. Lisa Baker Event

2009-08-06T09:53:00.000-04:00

The First-Ever
Clam Baker
With Sen. Lisa Baker
will be held
Thursday, Aug. 13, 6-9 p.m.
The Checkerboard Inn, 385 Carverton Road, Trucksville
$35 per person
Tickets on sale at GOP Headquarters, 25 Public Square

Call 208-4671 or e-mail luzernecountygop@gmail.com

I hope you can make it!!!

GOP Golf Tournament

2009-08-05T16:26:00.001-04:00

The Luzerne County Republican Party will hold its Inaugural Golf Tournament at 12:30 p.m. Oct. 2 at Blue Ridge Trail Golf Club, Mountaintop. Format is four-man scramble. The $175 registration fee includes 18 holes of golf, lunch, beer, cocktail hour, a buffet dinner and prizes. The early payment discount is $150 per person if paid by Sept. 18. Registration and lunch begin at 11 a.m.
To register or to sponsor a hole, call 208-4671 or e-mail luzernecountygop@gmail.com

I am playing in this event and am looking to fill out a foursome. Shoot me an e mail if you're interested!!!

Plaxico Burress On Gun Safety

2009-08-04T09:50:00.001-04:00

The grand jury has decided there is sufficient evidence to charge Plaxico Burress. In an effort to garner a lower sentence. He has made this important public safety message. Some language in this is not safe for work!!

Conahan and Ciavarella, is the fix in?

2009-08-04T09:06:00.003-04:00

So the federal judge threw out their plea agreements. Theoretically, they are facing more time than the original 84 months. In reality, I would take wagers on a few things. One, I bet they get far less time than they originally faced. And two, a reasonable paraphrase of what the judge will say at their vastly reduced sentences will be something like this; "These men have shown tremendous remorse and we must not forget the many years of serving the community honorably before they were led astray. Therefore, I feel that 23 months (certainly no more than 3 years) will repay their debt to society." Any takers?

CNN American Morning: Missouri Car Dealership Gives Away an AK47 with Each Truck Purchase!

2009-07-30T14:02:00.001-04:00

The full interview with CNN reporter getting her ass handed to her and her liberal bias.

Special thanks to Randy for sending me this!

Michael Steele Is Coming to NEPA!!!

2009-07-30T09:07:00.003-04:00

Our national chairman is coming to Wilkes-Barre on September 9th. All the details haven't been fleshed out yet, but will be soon. The details I have are that this will be a Club GOP member only event with absolutely no exceptions. If you aren't a member, you will not be allowed to attend!!!

I know that they are going to make this a very affordable event and that the expected turnout is going to be huge. You have a month to join the club and join the fight. If you need more info or an application to join, please send me an e mail.

Luzerne County GOP Picnic

2009-07-30T09:05:00.001-04:00

Just a little reminder. The annual GOP Picnic is this Saturday August 1st from 1:00 until 6:00. If you haven't RSVP'd yet, you must call our headquarters and do so asap. The number is 570-208-4671

Mandatory Drug testing for Welfare Recipients

2009-07-29T15:50:00.004-04:00

I saw an interesting poll on Facebook that asked the question if you were for mandatory drug testing for welfare recipients. The real question is, why don't we have that already? In today's world, it is a rare job indeed that doesn't make you submit for testing. Some companies have random tests. Some have routine testing. If we have to submit to testing to keep our jobs, isn't it fair that we make those that live off of our tax dollars (that includes government employees and elected officials) do the same????

I am back and ready to rant

2009-07-28T15:41:00.002-04:00

I've been away for a week and believe it or not, I didn't watch the news or read a newspaper while I was away. It turns out that I didn't need to. The same old same old went on and almost nothing has changed.

We got Pres. Jug Ears Obama still trying to push Gigantic Mistake Government Cross Health Insurance. Out of curiosity, I wonder if anybody else has noticed that once again our illustrious head lib in charge wants the most productive 30% of the population to pay for health insurance for the least productive 18%.

Iran is still trying to become a nuclear power and Israel vowing to do everything to stop that. I'll give 8 to 5 on Israel kicking Iran's ass sideways in that fight if anybody would like to place a wager.

Fat Eddie Rendell is still swearing that the budget problems aren't from his wild overspending rather they are from those big mean Republicans in the state Senate that want to cut a bunch of the 40% big fat increase in the budget that Captain Cheesesteak managed to ramp up. I say way to go to the Senate and a hearty thank you for at least trying to rein in the gubner.

On a side note, I got a very nice letter from the GM of Toyota Pavillion at Montage apologizing for the parking situation and the incredibly boorish behavior of a handful of his employees. I just wanted him to see it here that I appreciated the note.

More snark tomorrow, stay tuned!

Nothing

2009-07-27T08:24:00.001-04:00

Nothing describes Obama perfectly!!

Vacation and Some Big Things Coming

2009-07-17T16:03:00.003-04:00

I will be away for a week or so, please check back in then.

Before I leave the land where computers are common for the land where they still use abacuses (is that the right plural?), I will let a couple of my blogging friends in on some news that I am sure they will share with you. I'll give you just a small hint. After Monday google Michael Steele and check for blog posts. THIS IS GOING TO BE HUGE!!! If you're not a member of Club GOP, you're going to want to be one!!!

The first annual Club GOP picnic is rapidly approaching. It will be held on Aug. 1st at the Harteis Farm in Dallas. There will be a catered meal, beer, soda, live entertainment, and fishing and games. This event is only $25 for adults and kids 6-12 are $5. Club GOP members get a $5. discount!!! For directions and tickets, please call the headquarters 570-208-4671.

The annual summer cocktail party is July 23rd at the Westmoreland Club. Call HQ asap for tickets. This event is $150/person or $250 per couple.

I'll be back soon with my batteries and snark recharged. See you at the picnic!!

The Toyota Pavillion at Montage Mountain

2009-07-15T14:18:00.003-04:00

Last night, I took the wife to see her favorite band in the world, Nickelback, at Montage. The concert was one of the best I've seen. We had back stage passes and the missus got to meet the band. Unfortunately, that is the end of the good part of the story.

The show was over right at 11:00pm and after a leisurely 15 minute walk to the car it was apparent that it would be a bit before we would be on our way. I had no idea how much of a bit it would be!! We pulled out of the parking lot onto paved road exactly one hour and 48 minutes later. As if that wouldn't have been bad enough, one of the jakasses that works in the parking lots up there was driving a small utility vehicle when he stopped beside the car behind us to answer a question from the driver. Apparently, the driver had the temerity to ask what the hold up was. Said jackass the responded with this gem "Buddy, it's a concert, there's 17,000 people here, deal with it". The driver asked how it could possibly take over an hour to get out of the lot. Jackass responded "Buddy, you want me to make this a fuckin problem for ya? I can, no fuckin problem". That quieted the driver and Mr. Jackass then pulled up beside us and could go no further as he was blocked by a vehicle trying to get out of a cross lane in front of us. What does Mr. Jack ass do, you ask? He tells that driver to back the fuck up 'cause he wants to get down the hill.

Well, those of you who know me that I have only one thing in common with Popeye. There's all I can stands and can stands no more. I was perfectly willing to suffer in silence to that point but alas I couldn't help myself. I said out the window "No shit sherlock, so does everybody here and if this wasn't such a cluster fuck, nobody would have a problem". Oddly, he didn't offer to cause a problem for me and was on his way as soon as the other guy could get out of his way.

The reason I told you this with all the expletives included is to make the following comparison even more dramatic. You see, I took my wife to see Nickelback in the spring at the Izod Center at the Meadowlands. The crowd was similar in size to yesterday's. It was a nice leisurely 15 minute walk to the car after that show as well. The similarity ends there though. From the time I started the car, to the time we were on the freeway, was 8 minutes. Traffic on the freeway was flowing at normal highway speeds!!

Suffice to say, I won't be attending any more concerts at Montrash, and recommend you all avoid them at all costs as well unless you want to put up with the crap and jackasses.

Bob Mellow

2009-07-14T12:00:00.003-04:00

State Sen. Mellow is the latest in a very long and undistinguished line of local elected democrats to disgrace himself. He has violated state ethics rules by renting his office space from himself. Thereby double dipping in the pot and illegally enriching himself.

Some may say, what's the big deal? I say the big deal is that he stole $200,000 of our tax dollars.

The odds that anything will come of this are slim to none as he is one of the most powerful dems in the state government and at least one member of the ethics commission is his own appointee.

It really is a shame that we keep electing crooks like Kanjo and this douchenozzle.

Pennsylvania's Budget

2009-07-09T13:52:00.002-04:00

The state is still without a budget even though the state senate handed Fat Edward Rendell a balanced budget. That wasn't good enough for our favorite food inhaler. We all must remember that Eddy Rendell has increase the state's budget by nearly 40% in the past 7 years. Like the typical democrat that he is, he just can't see the correlation between his out of control spending and budget deficits. Furthering his stupidity and that of his party, he has decided that he should just raise personal income tax a hefty 16% rather than cut all the fat from the budget. Like I said, typical democrat!!

Governor Rendell has now pulled out the democratic party playbook and is using the press as his weapon of choice. He was in at least 3 papers that I read today firing those same old tired bullets. The poor are being screwed by the rich republicans. The mentally handicapped are being screwed by the evil republicans. Wrong fat ass!! You are screwing them!!

Michael Jackson

2009-07-07T15:10:00.002-04:00

He was many things in this life. A pop star is what he wanted to be remembered as but to me and many others, he was nothing more than a very twisted pedophile and the world is a better and safer place for children with him gone.

It sickens me that people have such short memories. Many out there are making a hero out of a serial child molester. WTF is wrong with you people?

I hope god has more mercy on his soul than he had on all the little boys he abused!!

Luzerne County Democratic Elected Officials

2009-07-01T09:37:00.003-04:00

Just when you thought we'd get a break from the scandals under the dome, out pops another one.

Democrat Sheriff Savokinas not only has cocaine found in his car but also appears to have broken the chain of evidence with a mess of heroin. Of course he has an explanation for the coke found in his; somebody planted it there. Yep, sounds plausible to me. Although Sheriff, just to put all of our fears to rest, how about submitting to a little drug screen. I recommend they test your hair as that is the best method for a tox screen. That test will show drug use for almost a year after any abuse. What do say Mikey??

As for breaking the chain of evidence with the heroin, guess what? The dealer that it came from will probably walk as that is most likely now inadmissible in court. Smooth move, exlax.

Say what you want about Barry Stankus but I have a very hard time believing that either of those incidents would've happened on his watch.

I know I left out the whole vacation and sick days thing but that is because it isn't just the sheriff but every elected democrat at the courthouse that doesn't know that you are supposed to keep track of those days. Have any of you ever heard of any work place that doesn't keep track of that??? Neither have I!!!

Keep voting straight democrat folks and we will never run out of these scandals.

Quick Obama joke for you

2009-06-30T12:52:00.002-04:00

A driver is stuck in a traffic jam going into downtownChicago . Nothing is moving north or south.

Suddenly a man knocks on his window.The driver rolls down his window and asks, "Whathappened, what's the hold Up?"

"Terrorists have kidnapped Barack Obama, HillaryClinton, Oprah Winfrey, Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, RosieO'Donnell, Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton. They areasking for a $10 Million ransom.. Otherwise, they are goingto douse them with gasoline and set them on fire.

We are going from car to car, taking up a collection."

The driver asks, "On average, how much is everyone giving?"

"About a gallon."

Some Great Obama Bumper Stickers

2009-06-25T05:20:00.001-04:00

Wrongly Attributed to Pam Geller

2009-06-24T12:42:00.001-04:00

This was written by TPS (no, I don't know who that really is) and has been attributed to Pam Geller and a few others. It was written in November 2008 shortly after the election. It was true then and been proven true since.

I am a student of history. Professionally, I have written 15 books in six languages, and have studied history all my life. I think there is something monumentally large afoot, and I do not believe it is just a banking crisis, or a mortgage crisis, or a credit crisis. Yes, these exist but they are merely single facets on a very large gemstone that is only now coming into a sharper focus. Something of historic proportions is happening. I can sense it because I know how it feels, smells, what it looks like, and how people react to it. Yes, a perfect storm may be brewing, but there is something happening within our country that has been evolving for about 10 - 15 years. The pace has dramatically quickened in the past two. We demanded and then codified into law the requirement that our banks make massive loans to people whom we knew could never pay back? Why? We learned recently that the Federal Reserve, which has little or no real oversight by anyone, has "loaned" two trillion dollars (that is $2,000,000,000,000) over the past few months, but will not tell us to whom or why or disclose the terms. That is our money. Yours and mine. And that is three times the $700B we all argued about so strenuously just this past September. Who has this money? Why do they have it? Why are the terms unavailable to us? Who asked for it? Who authorized it? I thought this was a government of "We the People," who loaned our powers to our elected leaders. Apparently not. We have spent two or more decades intentionally de-industrializing our economy. Why? We have intentionally dumbed down our schools, ignored our history, and no longer teach our founding documents, why we are exceptional, and why we are worth preserving. Students by and large cannot write, think critically, read, or articulate. Parents are not revolting, teachers are not picketing, school boards continue to back mediocrity. Why? We have now established the precedent of protesting every close election (now violently in California over a proposition that is so controversial that it wants marriage to remain between one man and one woman. Did you ever think such a thing possible just a decade ago?). We have corrupted our sacred political process by allowing unelected judges to write laws that radically change our way of life, and then mainstream Marxist groups like ACORN and others to turn our voting system into a banana republic. To what purpose? Now our mortgage industry is collapsing, housing prices are in free fall, major industries are failing, our banking system is on the verge of collapse, Social Security is nearly bankrupt, as is Medicare and our entire government. Our education system is worse than a joke (I teach college and know precisely what I am talking about.) The list is staggering in its length, breadth, and depth. It is potentially 1929 x 10. And we are at war with an enemy we cannot name for fear of offending people of the same religion who cannot wait to slit the throats of your children if they have the opportunity to do so. And now we have elected a man no one knows anything about, who has never run so much as a Dairy Queen, let alone a town as big as Wasilla , Alaska . All of his associations and alliances are with real radicals in their chosen fields of employment, and everything we learn about him, drip by drip, is unsettling if not downright scary (Surely you have heard him speak about his idea to create and fund a mandatory civilian defense force stronger than our military for use inside our borders? No? Oh, of course. The media would never play that for you over and over and then demand he answer it. Sarah Palin's pregnant daughter and $150,000 wardrobe is more important.) Mr.. Obama's winning platform can be boiled down to one word: Change...radical change. Why? I have never been so afraid for my country and for my children as I am now. This man campaigned on bringing people together, something he has never, ever done in his professional life. In my assessment, Obama will divide us along philosophical lines, push us apart, and then try to realign the pieces into a new and different power structure. Change is indeed coming. And when it comes, you will never see the same nation again. And that is only the beginning. I thought I would never be able to experience what the ordinary, moral German felt in the mid-1930s. In those times, the savior was a former smooth-talking rabble-rouser from the streets, about whom the average German knew next to nothing. What they did know was that he was associated with groups that shouted, shoved, and pushed around people with whom they disagreed; he edged his way onto the political stage through great oratory and promises. Economic times were tough, people were losing jobs, and he was a great speaker.. And he smiled and waved a lot. And people, even newspapers, were afraid to speak out for fear that his "brown shirts" would bully them into submission. And then he was duly elected to office, with a full-throttled economic crisis at hand [the Great Depression]. Slowly but surely he seized the controls of government power, department by department, person by person, bureaucracy by bureaucracy. The kids joined a Youth Movement in his name, where they were taught what to think. How did he get the people on his side? He did it promising jobs to the jobless, money to the moneyless, and goodies for the military-industrial complex. He did it by indoctrinating the children, advocating gun control, health care for all, better wages, better jobs, and promising to re-instill pride once again in the country, across Europe , and across the world. He did it with a compliant media - Did you know that? And he did this all in the name of justice and...change. And the people surely got what they voted for. (Look it up if you think I am exaggerating.) Read your history books. Many people objected in 1933 and were shouted down, called names, laughed at, and made fun of. When Winston Churchill pointed out the obvious in the late 1930s while seated in the House of Lords in England (he was not yet Prime Minister), he was booed into his seat and called a crazy troublemaker. He was right, though. Don't forget that Germany was the most educated, cultured country in Europe . It was full of music, art, museums, hospitals, laboratories, and universities. And in less than six years - a shorter time span than just two terms of the U. S. presidency - it was rounding up its own citizens, killing others, abrogating its laws, turning children against parents, and neighbors against neighbors. All with the best of intentions, of course. The road to Hell is paved with them. As a practical thinker, one not overly prone to emotional decisions, I have a choice: I can either believe what the objective pieces of evidence tell me (even if they make me cringe with disgust); I can believe what history is shouting to me from across the chasm of seven decades; or I can hope I am wrong, close my eyes, have another latte and ignore what is transpiring around me. Some people scoff at me; others laugh or think I am foolish, naive, or both.. Perhaps I am. But I have never been afraid to look people in the eye and tell them exactly what I believe - and why I believe it. I pray I am wrong. But, I do not think I am.

All Republicans Unite

2009-06-18T14:28:00.003-04:00

I am so tired of the pundits talking about which direction the party needs to go in. One group says farther to the right. The other says farther to the middle. I am here to tell them and all of you that they are both wrong!!

I really do not care if you are a moderate. Stand with me! So far to the right you fell off the edge? Stand with me. What is so hard to grasp about the concept of united we stand, divided we fall? We as Republicans need to come together. We do not need to agree with each other on every single issue. All we need to agree on are the basic tenets that make us Republicans. A need for strong national defense, personal responsibility, fiscal conservatism, and small government. All of the other issues should be secondary and are certainly no reason for the division of the party. We are making our party easy pickings for the democrats and I ask all of you why??

Even here in the sleepy little corrupt Luzerne County there is a faction of the party that wants to break the party apart for no reason that I can discern. We have formed the GOP Club of Luzerne County (no, you don't need to be a resident to be a member). This club was formed to be the foundation that our county party is rebuilt upon. We face a nearly 2-1 voter registration deficit but don't have the resources to fight that. We want to offer more candidates for office and be able to properly support them but again we need the manpower and resources to do so. We have already taken steps to help our candidates run. When we move into our new headquarters we will have a phone bank that they can use as well as volunteers from the club to help them. That all sounds great to me but guess what. THERE IS A SMALL BUT DETERMINED GROUP THAT CALL THEMSELVES REPUBLICANS BUT ARE ACTUALLY AGAINST MAKING THE PARTY STRONGER!!! They actively tell people not to help. I want one of them to tell me why.