HAVE A HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! December 31
That’s the view earlier from Sydney, Australia. My Sister in law was there to see it. Lucky girl!
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Only in Pennsylvania December 31
Horse and buggy driver charged with drunken driving
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An Early Bailout December 31
The Penn Central railroad in the 70s.
Based on the mergers of two of the largest railroads in the world, the Pennsylvania & New York Central railroads, the PennCentral Railroad was pretty much formed bankrupt.
Here’s a video that the PC management created in selling their bailout request to Congress.
Washington eventually decided to create a new railroad, ConRail, which combined what was “still good” in Northeastern railroads and abandon or scrap the rest.
Something the railroads that became ConRail had been asking for for years.
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Re: Pa New Years Traditions December 31
The Hartley Potato Chip thing in Lewistown was just started last year.
The more established tradition is that many of us will be eating sauerkraut either tonight or tomorrow. Don’t ask me why. But it’s tasty, warm, and a kraut-dog goes well with a good beer, so I’m not complaining.
Also, Port Royal (Juniata County) will be lowering a sprint-car, and Beavertown (Snyder Co.) has a 5′ 8″ artificial beaver.
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Pa New Years Traditions December 31
At Bethlehem’s First Night, a crane lowers a 25-pound lighted fiberglass likeness of a marshmallow Peep. That was No. 2 on the TripAdvisor Web site’s Top 10 quirkiest New Year’s Eve events.
A 120-pound, 7.5 foot-long edible bologna lowered by a Lebanon Fire Department ladder truck was seventh on the list. (Key West, Fla., was No. 1 with night spots offering choices of a descending conch shell, pirate wench or drag queen in 6-foot red high-heeled shoe.)
Elsewhere in Pennsylvania, not in the Top 10, Hershey raises a Hershey Kiss, Pottsville raises a Yuengling bottle, Hummelstown drops a 9-foot lollipop, Lewistown lowers a big bag of Hartley’s potato chips, and Elizabethtown lets down a monster M&M.
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Toomey Speaks Out on Card Check December 31
In the past Arlen Specter has consistently supported the “card check” proposal that would deny union members a secret ballot. The proposal will soon be coming up again and will probably pass unless Republican senators stand firm against it. Pat Toomey, who nearly defeated Specter in the Republican primary four year ago and will probably be challenging Specter again, has written an editorial denouncing “card check” as an intolerable assault on workers’ rights. It reads in part:
Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter is the only Republican who has joined the Democratic senators voting to advance the legislation. That isn’t the kind of leadership a state with a broad industrial base needs.
By stripping workers of their rights, the act would undermine businesses and workers, causing further declines in American employment and productivity in an economy that desperately needs both.
Labor unions can play a constructive role as bargaining agents for workers, provided they are accountable to their members through a democratic process. But compulsory membership, monopoly privileges, and unchecked power can harm the workers whom unions are supposed to help.
Read the whole thing here.
Clearly Toomey plans to make Specter’s vote a campaign issue. Will the threat of a Toomey candidacy be enough to make Specter reconsider his vote?
Stay tuned
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RE: Weeping for the Li-berries December 30
Here’s a little reality check from Philly Firefighter, Captain America:
Common Pleas Court Judge Gary Di Vito denied a request this afternoon from Local 22 of the International Association of Fire Fighters for an injunction to stop Mayor Nutter’s plan to close seven fire companies next Monday.
Local 22, in a legal action launched two weeks ago, said the elimination of five fire engines and two ladder trucks would endanger the lives of firefighters and city residents. The union argued that a grievance it filed with the city on Dec. 3 about the company closings should be considered before any action is taken.
I guess nobody is weeping for the firestations, so no need for judicial interference. Captain America is actually supportive of keeping the libraries open, but disgusted – and rightfully so — with the media coverage of this issue. Read his whole post here. And here’s more:
Under Mayor Nutter’s cutbacks ENGINE 14 will be eliminated creating a single Ladder station. Single Ladder stations were done away with sometime back in the 1930s? ironically because it no longer made sense to house a Ladder Company without a Pumper. The arrangement was found to be inefficient. NOW SUDDENLY it makes sense again? Hardly.
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Philly Li-berries December 30
As Lisa said, “saved by the courts.”
We gotta find this guy for his reaction….
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Meanwhile, we’ll still be getting rid of that firefighting equipment… December 30
From NBC10:
Mayor Nutter and the Free Library of Philadelphia will halt their plans to shut down 11 branch libraries Wednesday after 5:00 p.m after a judge from the Court of Common Pleas ruled against the closures, as reported by Philly.com.
Ok, count me amongst those who think that libraries are important but not at the expense of lives that could be lost to fire. Count me also amongst those who are questioning how a Court of Common Pleas judge can rule on budgetary matters concerning the City.
I admit I’m more than a bit tired of the over-wrought response to closing library BRANCHES in the city of Philadelphia. As if one couldn’t get to another branch in the City. As if Philadelphia was banning all books wihin the city limits.
The concerned citizenry, of course, trotted out the pre-requisite brainwashed waif:
“The library is a great place to go. It changes kid’s futures,” said Maria Dasilva, a concerned child.
Ah, the wisdom of a child. If only we could all be so smart and not so concerned about vulgar money matters. Let’s hope that the fire equipment being “retired” isn’t in her neighborhood. Because that could potentially “change her future” too.
Library supporters will be having a party tomorrow at the Kingsessing branch that was supposed to close. The party will start at 3:30 p.m.
Wonder who’s paying for that?
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CSI: Bridgeport December 30
It’s like a plot from a network crime show:
A Bridgeport man who decapitated himself jumping off the Dannehower Bridge Saturday afternoon had apparently accidentally strangled his live-in girlfriend while the two were having sex, according to the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office.
Just before 2 p.m., 43-year-old James F. Goeke drove a burgundy minivan halfway across the northbound side of the bridge that crosses the Schuylkill River, and parked the vehicle on the shoulder.
The man tied a rope to the minivan’s back seat and put the other end around his neck and jumped off the bridge, and after “falling a great distance,” the rope decapitated him. His body and head landed on Barbadoes Island, according to District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman.
Upper Merion and Norristown police were the first on the scene and saw the man on the railing with a rope around his neck.
“Upon arrival of police officers, (Goeke) jumped off the bridge,” the DA said.
When investigators later went to Goeke’s Belmont Village apartment on Ross Road, they immediately smelled “the odor of death” even before entering the unit, Ferman said. Minutes later, police found a woman’s badly decomposed body under a blanket in the master bedroom.
Investigators determined the dead woman was 42-year-old Michelle Kavenaugh, who lived in the apartment with Goeke. She was naked and lying on her back and had a belt from a cloth robe around her neck, according to authorities.
“It appeared the two were involved in consensual sexual relations,” the DA said. “This appears to be an accidental killing.”
Ferman is quoted as saying that this is a “tragedy all around.” I couldn’t agree more.
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Brave Sir Obama December 30
Unforunately, we were treated to Mr Obama’s opinions for two years about how things were wrong. Now that world watches his every move, he has the temerity to say, “there is only one president at a time.”
Meanwhile, the world waits.
World leaders, including Gordon Brown and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, have called for an immediate ceasefire.
Mr Ban even said that Israel’s response attacks from Gaza amounted to an ‘excessive use of force’.
But Mr Obama has made the decision to leave all comments to outgoing President George Bush, who has so far chosen only to attack Hamas.
On the golf course, his security team even turned away a letter from pro-Palestinian campaigners urging him to help stop the four-day-old violence.
Pensioner Robert Steiver, 65, of Honolulu, said he was disappointed that the president-elect was not echoing the condemnation of other world leaders.
He told the Honolulu Advertsier: ‘I don’t think he’s taking a vacation, he’s preparing to be the next president.
‘I’m deathly afraid he’ll continue the failed policies of the Bush administration. I’ve been suffering with the Palestinians for years.’
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The Coming Reality December 30
For my inaugural post, I will examine the realities of Pennsylvania’s budget crunch and the fast-approaching day on which tough decisions must be made.
Governor Ed Rendell will preside over the state’s path of action for another two years before passing on a likely deficit to his successor. Sadly, the current economy is a staple nationwide (see New Jersey and New York) and no sane observer can pin the state’s economic position solely on Rendell. Surely, he has not always backed the soundest financial moves, but the Governor can be applauded for an accomplishment every so often.
Sunday’s Philadelphia Inquirer provided a glimpse at the impending struggles facing the administration:
Typically, governors in their last two years must combat the lethargy that afflicts a lame duck. Instead, Rendell’s biggest challenge will be a lack of money to continue pushing an aggressive agenda, aides and political analysts said.
“We have no choice. We’re going to have to make cuts,” Rendell said last week. “This is not something of our doing. It’s a national recession.”
G. Terry Madonna, a professor and pollster at Franklin and Marshall College, put it this way: “The days of bold new initiatives are over. I think you’re going to see the administration go from playing offense to playing defense.”
Steve Crawford, Rendell’s secretary of legislative affairs, said that despite a looming deficit in this year’s $28 billion budget – and a very difficult battle for next year’s budget – the administration does not intend to stop pushing new ideas or new programs.
Among the administration’s top three legislative priorities for the next year, Crawford said, is finding ways to ease the shock for electric customers when most caps on electricity prices begin expiring in 2010.
But Crawford acknowledged that at the top of the list is crafting a “responsible budget” that balances the need to expand certain core programs with the economic reality.
And the reality is grim.
This month, Rendell announced that the projected budget shortfall is $1.6 billion. That could grow by the end of the fiscal year in June.
Indeed, “the days of bold new initiatives” appear numbered.
Although Rendell expects $900 million from a state aid package from Washington in 2009, he has pledged to use at least half of this fund to stem the massive budget shortfall. He hopes for more and could get lucky in the early years of an incoming Obama Administration intent on spending the nation out of its economic doldrums.
As I have witnessed firsthand from my vantage point in Montgomery County, political honeymoons are fleeting, especially in the current environment. Philadelphia mayor Michael Nutter, recipient of the largest victory margin in city history only thirteen short months ago, now finds himself in a public dogfight, grappling with persistent crime and painful budget cuts. Unfortunate news multiples even as Nutter maintains a confident persona about current and future city development. The mayor pushes ahead on plans for new office towers, urban renewal projects, and the long-neglected Delaware riverfront. Nutter, like Rendell at the state-level, could be the beneficiary of a metropolitan-minded White House.
What I’m getting at is this: Politicians statewide- from the Montgomery County Commissioners to Michael Nutter to Ed Rendell and beyond- may come to realize that 2009 is the year they must face the music. Economic forecasts aside, the nation’s financial footing is likely to worsen before it improves. In the coming months, the conflicting themes of endless possibilities and growth versus hunkering down and trimming the government’s waistline will surely clash.
The most successful politicians and policymakers, therefore, will be those you layout the grim truth early and present a limited and responsible set of priorities. Harrisburg and Washington have prefected the art of dipping their hands in numerous problems at once, solving none. Why not skip the promises and focus on a handful of necessary and vital reforms?
One area that must occupy any Rendell vision is highway and road infrastructure. State road conditions are repeatedly cited as among the worst in the country. Endless construction and traffic delays are no less familiar to Pennsylvanians than Joe Paterno or Philly cheesesteaks. Even as someone who believes in the core principles of fiscal conservatism, I cannot say I disagree with Obama’s idea to infuse government capital into infrastructure. A product of Eisenhower’s ’50’s, the nation’s highway system is outdated and desperately in need of major upgrades. An influx in funding could, simultaneously, renew this lifeblood of commerce and everyday life, while providing an ample amount of reliable and outsource-proof jobs to American workers.
So, in the coming age of stark realities, what should Pennsylvania prioritize? Roads? Job creation? Healthcare? Maybe a long look at what is not working in Harrisburg in an effort to trim government spending?
Governor Rendell, your political capital is running low. Spend it wisely.
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Congratulations Granny! December 29
Sarah Palin is a grandmother, and the First Dude is now “Gramps” [that's gotta hurt]. Their daughter, Bristol, gave birth to a son today. Both mother and child are doing well…, no word on Sarah though. [I remember how traumatic it was when my little sister became a granny.]
Read about it here.
For those with Palinesque tendencies, here’s a link to the “Men for Palin” site.
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Beautification December 29
I know this is incredibly small bananas compared to the largess of the Chester Stadium and the Convention Center expansion, but I think the sorts of projects I’m going to talk about are more numerous, and are likely to be a big part of the ever-increasing Obama stimulus plan.
The Patriot-News reports that $250k “left over” from federal grant money will be used for several projects including a Riverwalk in Wormleysburg.
I understand the incentives of the Cumberland County commissioners (”use it or lose it”), but why does this perverse situation persist? Why is money appropriated for one use being used for another?
Furthermore, why do we fund these kinds of projects at the state or federal level at all?
Not to pick on Wormleysburg and its measly quarter mil, I’ll point the finger at my own home town…
The Lewistown Monument Square Development Plan has cost over $1.1M, most of which has come from PennDOT, DCED, and somehow they got some Growing Greener funds. (Don’t ask me what Growing Greener has to do with a street project… I haven’t the foggiest.)
Now, don’t get me wrong – the project looks nice. But they screwed up the traffic flow, removed a few scarce parking spaces, added benches and tables suitable for loitering, and disturbed ongoing business while they were under construction.
As far as I can tell, no permanent jobs were added to the downtown area, and existing businesses lost revenue. In my book that makes the project worse than worthless.
But it’s been such a “success” that we’re going to apply for Phase-III funding to the tune of another $1.1M from the $60M Pennsylvania Community Transportation Initiative, a bucket of both state and federal money.
And there was much rejoicing. Yay. (/end Monty Python reference.)
But again, my point is not to pick on the specific bureaucrats who justify their paychecks by applying for grants. Nor is my point is not to single out any one instance of this idiocy as being more or less particularly wasteful than any other instance. My point is that this whole beautification/park-ification theory is moronic.
As the expected size of the Obama stimulus balloons, the number of unfunded worthy projects diminishes. Even the most generous of economic justifications for the stimulus must acknowledge that not every project is beneficial to the economy. In order for the stimulus to show a theoretical long-term benefit the projects must facilitate a level of economic activity beyond their input costs.
Does River-walk do this? Or any generic beautification project? (Or the Chester Soccer Stadium? Or the Convention Center expansion?)
That’s irrelevant to the central planners. They need to show that they’ve “done something”. And Obama’s proclaimed “use it or lose it” funding structure will ensure oodles of bridges to nowhere can get the green light.
Think these sorts of projects don’t fit the mold of the Obama stimulus? All the government funding for the Lewistown project was from various transportation, economic development, and “green” slush funds. That’s exactly what Obama is promising, from sea to shining sea.
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Parents Magazine: CHOP is #1 December 29
From today’s Inky:
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia has been ranked as the nation’s top pediatric medical center by the magazine Parents.
The hospital known simply as CHOP has been routinely rated the top rated children’s hospital by various studies ..
The ranking by parents rated each of the nation’s pediatric hospitals using a 250-question survey that included survival rates, the number of complex procedures, the research conducted, and efforts to prevent medical errors.
As a parent who has had numerous dealings with this fine organization, let me give a hearty second to Parents’ kudos. My daughter was diagnosed with Type I diabetes in 2004. Her pediatrician immediately sent us to CHOP, where she was admitted for four days. The admission served a dual purpose: to stabilize and bring under control her blood sugar, and to offer us an intense and thorough education on diabetes management. The endocrine team at CHOP has been exemplary–answering our questions, offering us resources and just generally being available to help us to manage this very difficult and dangerous disease.
It was not until sometime after my daughter was diagnosed that I truly appreciated how lucky we were to have access to CHOP. I found out my girlfriend was also diagnosed with Type I diabetes at the age of 40-something a week later. She did not get anywhere near the same quality of care or education that my daughter received from CHOP. Indeed, her primary care physician was reluctant to even send her to an endocrinologist. Six months later, my brother-in-law was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes; the total diabetes care offered by his primary care physician was encompassed by two xeroxed sheets of paper telling him what not to eat along with a poorly explained prescription for glucophage (he later went to an endocrinologist at my urging).
I was flabberghasted at the poor level of care my adult friends received for their diabetes as compared with the quality stellar care my daughter received. I thank God every day that an organization like CHOP exists and that it is within close proximity to us. Thanks to the care she has recieved from CHOP, my daughter has established a solid foundation from which to effectively manage this horrible disease. She has been with her CHOP endocrine team since 2004 (seeing them at the sattelite office in King of Prussia) and thankfully, will be able to continue with them until she graduates from college.
The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia is a blessing for everyone, but we here in southeastern Pennsylvania are truly lucky to have this quality organization in our midst.
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Christmas Edition is a New Low for the Post-Gazette December 28
In the Christmas Edition of Pittsburgh’s far-left newspaper, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the editors found it appropriate to bombard unsuspecting readers with this nonsense:
NewsBusters: ‘Dear Mr. Obama,’ Why are our Kids so Brainwashed?
“Dear Mr. Obama” is a new feature in the PG wherein “children” are encouraged to write in to the paper with their left-wing laundry lists for the Obamessiah. In the Christmas installment, we saw children asking Lord Barry to pass laws to punish people for driving large vehicles, “end” the war in Iraq (whatever that means), and dump a few more billion dollars into our failing public school system which has already produced at least one generation of physically, mentally, and spiritually lethargic Americans.
So now the Post-Gazette is using children to try to convince us that suicidal liberalism is what’s best for America. As “progressives” continue to push America from a country full of people who asked what they could do for their country to a country full of people with their hand out, waiting for big government to come and save them, it becomes clear how every society on earth has met its eventual climax and decline.
As Alexander Tytler observed, a society usually lasts about 200 years, and goes through a cycle from start to finish. That cycle is:
Bondage –> Spiritual Faith –> Courage –> Liberty –> Abundance –> Selfishness –> Complacency –> Apathy –> Dependence –> Bondage
I would say that we are currently in the stage of Apathy, and that Obama’s supporters are confusing their enthusiasm for that man with their love of laziness and their desire to become dependent upon the state. Dependence doesn’t happen by accident, after all. And it’s not a long way to go from Dependence to Bondage, and if that happens, we’ll probably see a second Civil War in this country. Well, they are comparing Obama to Lincoln, aren’t they?
We live in dangerous times. Perhaps the most dangerous thing about them is that a majority of Americans seem to think that there is “hope” in ushering in a new era of socialism, which was once viewed as extremely anti-American.
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Eagles: In Playoffs December 28
Holy crap.
Even before Sunday, the Cowboys knew this game needed to be a victory for them to make it to the true playoffs, but the Eagles were not so sure.
Like a Rubix cube, they needed a few things to line up and create their perfect scenario.
While the New York Giants lost to the Minnesota Vikings 20-19, the Eagles still had playoffs hopes as the Birds were riding on the wings of the Raiders and the Texans.
In a lucky turn of events, both of their games ended 31-24.
But did it turn out the way the Eagles wanted?
Did you hear the roar in Philadelphia Sunday afternoon?
That pretty much said everything worked out the way Andy Reid’s squad wanted.
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Mercer County’s Woodland Place – A Close Look at the Numbers December 28
The local press coverage regarding Woodland Place in Mercer County has been lacking details and specifics, which I find frustrating. So, on Tuesday, December 23, 2008, I stopped into the Mercer County PA Commissioners office to see if I could do a bit more investigating on my own regarding the dirty details of Woodland Place. It was an enlightening visit, and I left the Mercer County Courthouse about an hour later feeling satisfied with some of my findings.
I had the pleasure of sitting down with John Lechner (the sole Republican in the County Commissioners office) for an informative visit. Mr. Lechner was kind enough to sit down and discuss the situation at Woodland Place openly and honestly (at least I was left with the impression that the conversation was open and honest . . . only time will tell if my assumption was truthful). I learned quite a bit, and I’d like to share my findings and attempt to correct some of the errors that I (and others) have passed along in the past according to Mr. Lechner.
Issue #1 – Details Regarding the Original Sale of Woodland Place
The deal for Woodland Place took place in 1998. Unfortunately, popular belief is apparently incorrect regarding the handling of the money at that time. I’m told that the County actually received NO money in 1998. It seems that the County did not receive the $3.5 million from the proceeds of the sale of Woodland Place until 2002 when the bond was issued. The bond of $8.8 million was to cover $3.5 million for the County and $5.3 million for upgrades and improvements.
This issue leads me to ask “who in their right mind closes a real estate/business deal without getting ANY money”? Apparently, the past Mercer County Commissioners found this to be acceptable business practices.
Issue #2 – Details Regarding the Infamous $8.8 Million Bond
In 2002, the owners of Woodland Place sought a loan to cover the $3.5 million debt to the County (for the original purchase of the nursing home) and to cover the costs of improvements. As I’ve already outlined, Woodland Placed needed the County in order to get the funding, and the County was foolish enough to buy in. This is an issue that I have a great deal of difficulty with. Woodland Place came forward and said “we need $8.8 million”. However, even WITH the improvements, the nursing home would only have a $5 million appraised value. Who in their right mind would lend $8.8 million to a business that will only end up valued at $5 million after the loan? Apparently (again), the answer is past Mercer County Commissioners (specifically, Ken Seamans, Gene Brenneman and Olivia Lazor).
During the conversation with Mr. Lechner regarding this topic, I asked the reasonable question “what safeguards were put into the original contract for the $8.8 million bond that protected the County and the Tax Payers should Woodland Place default?” Mr. Lechner’s answer was “none”.
Huh? Are you kidding me? Who in their right mind would enter into a real estate/ business transaction and not cover themselves in case of default of the other party? Apparently (again), the answer is the past Mercer County Commissioners. Do you all see the recurring theme here?
After further discussion and probing, Mr. Lechner mentioned that the County Solicitor (representing the County in the transaction) and the Attorney for Woodland Place (representing, of course, Woodland Place) were one and the same. Again, Huh? Are you kidding me? I thought for a minute and I inquired, “Lew McEwen”? Mr. Lechner answered “yes”.
Wow. What a disaster. I’m only into my first 10 minutes of discussion with John Lechner and I’m absolutely overwhelmed with disgust over the situation. But, wait . . . there’s more . . . our conversation continued.
Issue #3 – What Debts are the County Currently Paying on Behalf of Woodland Place?
After the 2002 loan went on the books, Woodland Place started out OK and initially made the bond payments. In about two years time, that ended and the responsibility of paying the bond payments fell to the lap of the County. I asked specifically what percentage of the bond payments Woodland Place had been making during that time (assuming that they were able to make some portion of the payments, right?). The answer? . . . from that point, the County made every bond payment in full. John Lechner was clear to point out, however, that the County has not been paying operating expenses of Woodland Place. He stated that the County has been ONLY making bond payments (for which they are financially responsible if Woodland Place does not make the payments), and Woodland Place has been on the hook for their other debts.
Issue #4 – What are Mercer County’s Options with Woodland Place?
Bankruptcy of Woodland Place
I discussed the option of bankruptcy for Woodland Place. Unfortunately, if Woodland Place filed for bankruptcy, the assets of Woodland Place would be sold off to the highest bidder and the County would be left “holding the bag”. In this case, the County would simply be responsible for the entire bond and they could not regain any of the funds owed to them. The losses for the County in this option would be huge.
Foreclosure on Woodland Place
John Lechner and I also discussed the option of the County foreclosing on Woodland Place. Unfortunately, foreclosure offers many of the same problems and headaches as bankruptcy. In the end, the County is again left “holding the bag”, and they would be back in the “nursing home business” . . . not a good direction for the County. They would be left with all of the financial problems of the failing nursing home, they would be left with the responsibility of running the home, and they would be left with the balance of the bond. In looking for a “win, win” scenario, this one is a “lose, lose, lose” scenario.
Bankruptcy of Mercer County
The only way for the financial responsibility of Woodland Place to disappear from the County’s books is to either pay it off OR for the County to go into bankruptcy. As you can see, finding a way to pay the bond is the only REAL option here.
Private sale to a “Good Buyer”
In a best case scenario, the County needs to find a “good buyer” for Woodland Place. They need to find a buyer that can step up and buy out Woodland Place so that some of the debt can be repaid to the County. That buyer could then turn Woodland Place around and transform it into an asset for the area. The County will still end up with the short end of the stick, but at this point it is a matter of how can we “lose the least”. This is the only option that will provide the County with some reimbursement from the original bad bond loan of 2002.
Issue #5 – Is the Same Old Management Still in Place at Woodland Place?
New management was brought into Woodland Place twice since 2004. The most recent change in management occurred this past summer. As I understand it, that new management is quickly beginning to turn things around.
The total debt for the failing nursing home has dropped, and the total income is increasing . . . they are actually beginning to be run like a “real business”. They are collecting their receivables, they are increasing their income, and they are paying down their debt . . . these are all good signs.
Issue #6 – Is There an End in Sight . . . Ever?
Perhaps. If things continue on their present course, Woodland Place will actually begin to look attractive to prospective buyers, and it may be able to be sold to reclaim some of the debt that is owed the County? In my conversation with John Lechner, I heard a sound of cautious optimism for the current direction of the home. Unfortunately, all of this is based on my ability to believe all that I was told. I will handle my conversation with John Lechner the way that I handle all encounters . . . I’ll trust him until he gives me a reason not to. I’m trusting what I was told, but I’ll also be “cautiously optimistic” until I see concrete proof to substantiate what I was told.
Issue #7 – Will Mercer County Ultimately Still Lose Money?
Unfortunately, yes, but we will loose much less if we can “sell and get out” rather than try to continue to hang on to the sinking ship. Again, it is a matter of getting out with the least loss.
Issue #8 — The Necessity of the 2 Mill Increase . . . and Will it Last Forever?
I ran through some quick numbers with John Lechner regarding the 2 mill increase that was put through in Mid-December. If everything goes perfectly with Woodland Place, it appears that the County could have sufficient funds to “cover the balance of the bond” after a 2 mill increase for only 2 years. I asked why the County couldn’t just limit the increase to 2 years (and extend it later if it is “absolutely necessary”). In typical political form, John Lechner answered (in general terms) “if we don’t need the increase in 2 years, we can just rescind the tax increase in 2011”. I couldn’t control myself and I laughed out loud. Perhaps that answer goes over with some people, but my response was “no one ever rescinds back a tax increase . . . once a tax increase is on the books it stays there forever”. At that point, John Lechner did admit that in two years time (after the funds are put aside for the Woodland Place bond), the County will be in need of additional money for the general fund anyway, and eventually the increase will be earmarked for general cost increases for the County budget. The 2 mill increase of last week is divided into 1.5mill for Woodland Place and .5mill for increased operating expenses for the County. Although all of the cash needed for Woodland Place would be collected by the end of 2011, the 2 mill increase will, in all likelihood, remain in order to put the County back on its feet after this whole episode is done and gone. Woodland Place has placed us in a deep ditch, and the County will need the 2 mill increase for years to come just to get back on solid ground.
Issue #9 – What Exactly Happened to the $5.3 million from the Bond Loan for “Improvements”?
I’m sorry, but I have one final question that will, perhaps, remain unanswered for all eternity. What ever happened to the $5.3 million from the original bond loan that was earmarked for improvements? Supposedly, the funds were used to make Woodland Place “very nice” . . . but can you tell me that it is $5.3 million dollars “nicer”? I don’t know about all of you, but $5.3 million is still a lot of money to me, and it makes me uncomfortable that the books of Woodland Place were never made available to the people of the County (seeing that we are the ones paying for it). I would love to see a dollar by dollar accounting of all 5.3 million of those dollars, but I realize that will never happen. It just seems like someone really pulled a quick one on the people of the County, and now we have no other option but to pick up the pieces and move on. It would be nice to know who ended up with a fatter wallet after the $5.3 million was “spent”.
In summary, perhaps things aren’t as bad as the local press makes it look. Don’t get me wrong, the situation is still pretty darn BAD, but it is something that looks like it is finally beginning to work itself out. If the County can assist in getting Woodland Place in the hands of a “good company”, they will eventually get out from under this relentless financial burden on the tax payers. Hopefully, in the future, the once failed nursing home will be an asset to the community by giving back in many ways.
Am I more optimistic about the situation? Yes.
Am I overly hopeful or trusting? No.
There are lots of things that need to happen in order for everything to work out perfectly for the County, but I’ll remain hopeful that the County Commissioners will push to close the door on this issue. I’m sure that they don’t want to hear about it any more than we want to remind them about it.
As it stands, I’m going to give the current County Commissioners a pass for a little while. I’m going to see if things pan out in the way that they were explained to me. If things don’t begin to go in a positive direction for the County, I’ll probably end up at the Courthouse again for another long and friendly conversation. Until then, we should all keep our fingers crossed for the “best case scenario” for the County and for the future of Woodland Place.
I’d like to stress, however, I’m still sickened by the fact that the County was able to get itself in this situation in the first place. Let this serve as a long lasting reminder to the people of Mercer County that “even a few bad apples will quickly ruin the whole barrel”. The horrendous mistakes of a few County Commissioners back in 1998 and 2002 will eventually cost the tax payers of this County MILLIONS OF DOLLARS in the long run. If that doesn’t make you want to get out and vote, I don’t know what will!
As always, just my opinion.
~Roberta Biros, Mercer County Conservatives
~Roberta Biros, Mercer County Conservatives
Comments, compliments or complaints?
Pa Forecast to Lose a House Seat December 28
The question for 2010, is which one?
a new study finds that the Lone Star state will be the big winner in the upcoming congressional reapportionment.
The study, from the firm Election Data Services, projects that Texas will pick up three seats in Congress. Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Nevada and Utah would gain one seat each. Iowa, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania would each lose one.
The Constitution requires that every decade, states redistribute their congressional districts to account for changes in the country’s population. The decisions are fraught with political consequences and could help determine partisan control of the House for the next decade.
Outside of Ohio, those all look like blue states. Oops. 
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More Pennsylvania Pictures December 27
No theme this week. Just some random shots.
This is the main square of New Philadelphia, a town in the coal region of Schuylkill County. I’m not sure what the founders expected when they named it, but it sure hasn’t turned out like the other Philly.
Mist on the mountain — Pennsylvania may be glorious for nine months of the year, but right now it’s just cold and bleak.
And icy…, did I mention the ice?
And who needs Christmas trees indoors, when you have these right outside.
Comments, compliments or complaints?