Election Results Maps for US Senate Republican Primary 2012

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Letter to NuPo: Notes from Meeting about W-B City Parking Authority

This is a letter by Mark Robbins concerning the latest boondoggle by Wilkes-Barre City government.

1) Leighton met privately with some parking authority members prior to the meeting. When the issue of the Sunshine laws came up, Atty Murray Ufberg (Rosen Jenkins and Greenwald) provided a legal answer as to why it wasn't a violation.

2) Alan Wolstetter (Fox and Rothschild) showed up. Nobody knew if he was going to show or not. (J.J. Murphy's relative, Patrick Murphy, is an attorney at Fox and Rothschild.

3) Desman (Parking consultant firm) is supposed to give a valuation figure tomorrow (Wednesday). We will see if it is $20,000,000. My concern is consultants will often, in response for payment, tell you what you want to hear.

4) Wolstetter is still under the $10k cap imposed from the last meeting.

5) I questioned why, in the face of the report Josh Moyer wrote, they were still interested. I told them that once a deal was signed, the relationships between businesses and city parking will be altered forever. A private firm will not care to work with businesses. We are selling our city.

6) I asked to see the financials in regards to the $ 20,000,000 number. Apparently it was pulled out of a hat.

7) If there are no buyers, the city will have wasted $150,000 - $200,000 in money. That's a lot of money for a "no" answer.

8) Remember... 40 % of the fee ($8,000,000) will not go to revenue producing assets. It will go to retire debt. That is a brutal up front cost.

Luzerne County Libraries Reject Ron Paul DVD

A graduate from King's College reports that most libraries refused to put a DVD documentary about Ron Paul's first presidential campaign called For Liberty into their collections.

Accepted For Liberty
Wilkes University
Osterhout Free Library
Scranton Abington Memorial Library

Rejected For Liberty
King's College
University of Scranton
Hoyt Library
Back Mountain Library
Hazleton Public Library
Kirby Library (Mountain Top)
Abington Community Library (Clarks Summit)
Mahanoy City Public Library
Shenandoah Public Library
Lancaster Public Library (Duke St. location)

Below are his words:

I gave a copy to public libraries in Hazleton, the Back Mountain, Mountain Top (Kirby), and Kingston (Hoyt). The only public library in Luzerne County to accept the DVD and put it into their collection was the Osterhout Free Library in Wilkes-Barre.

I spoke with a librarian there who said that since I had donated to the other libraries so long ago (August 2011 or seven months ago) and since those libraries still hadn't put it out, they must have rejected it. When I called each of them up in December 2011 and asked why they hadn't displayed "For Liberty", they all said that the DVDs simply had not been processed yet. None of them would admit that the DVD I gave them was refused, which must have been the case.

It is a sad state of affairs that people in charge at the Hoyt, Hazleton Public, Back Mountain, and Kirby libraries are so anti-democracy that they refuse to accept DVDs that feature a political candidate they presumably don't like. Other libraries to reject it were King's College, Mahanoy City Public, University of Scranton, the Abington Community Library in Clarks Summit, the Lancaster Public Library on Duke St, and the Shenandoah Public Library.

In addition to the Osterhout, libraries to accept the Ron Paul DVD into their collections were Wilkes University and the Scranton Abington Memorial Library, and Wilkes even sent me a kind letter of thanks.

Tim Mullen: Ron Paul offers remedy for steep prices at pump

Below is a letter to the editor by Tim Mullen that was published in the Times Leader on March 27, 2012.

Ron Paul offers remedy for steep prices at pump

Mitt Romney is the latest candidate to join a long line of contenders to promise $2-per-gallon gas to the American electorate. Working in the candidates’ favor is the fact that the average American constituent is too unsophisticated to realize that the president has only slightly more control over gasoline prices than he does the weather. The American public is clueless as to how gunboat diplomacy and money printing have much more to contribute to fuel prices than the president’s wishful decrees. Neither our current president nor any Republican candidate other than Ron Paul has any will or desire to keep a lid on these two major contributors of inflated fuel prices

These candidates know that hell will freeze over before the soccer moms will give up their Escalades, Cherokees and Hummers and cram poor little Johnny and Suzie into the back seat of a Ford Focus to head off to practice.

What would many of our own local folks in Monroe County do with all the extra time if they couldn’t commute two hours one way into the city five days a week? Is it any wonder why most of the world views us as the most arrogant, wasteful and obese society on Earth. Factor in our gunboat diplomacy and SWAT tactics used in our quest to police the world and ourselves in search of terrorists under every rock, and around every corner, and we are also the most reviled nation in a good part of the world.

As a believer in the Libertarian philosophy, I am against excessive taxation. I do, however believe in user taxes such as the gasoline tax as long as the money is spent on transportation infrastructure. The individual can control some of the cost of this tax by his or her choice of vehicle. One needs to look no farther than Europe to see that its tax on gasoline has prevented urban sprawl. European cities are safe to live in and vibrant economically. Populations are kept concentrated, so mass transit thrives and is reliable. Efficient traffic circles are used instead of wasteful and dangerous traffic lights/intersections.

As our economy circles the bowl and awaits the final flush, many people have asked me if there is any hope this election cycle to turn the ship around.

Slim to none is my answer. Ron Paul -- the only candidate who believes in the Constitution, has any clue about the gravity of the economic situation, and knows that we can no longer afford to be the world’s policeman -- has been written off as a kook or ignored by the mainstream media.

Some of you may call me a cynic, others may call me an America hater. My record proves that I am neither. I tell it like it is. I am guilty of knowing a little too much about the world and how and why this country was founded. I don’t like what I see.

Tim Mullen

Kingston Twp.

Leighton Cohorts Falter in Primary

Leighton's cousin Bill Vinsko and J.J. Murphy's relative Patrick Murphy lost their Democrat primary elections.

It appears as though the house of Leighton is again unable break out from the political underworld of Wilkes-Barre City. Bill Vinsko, city attorney and cousin of Leighton, lost to Gene Stilp in the Democrat primary for the 11th Congressional District. Word had it that Democrat party elites had backed Vinsko. Interestingly, both Vinsko and Stilp were King's grads, but this was their lone similarity.

While Stilp seemed like an honest activist, Vinsko was more than complicit with all of W-B city's corruption; most notably, the contract he wrote between the city and price-gouging tow-truck operator Leo Glodzik. Although the contract mandates that logs be kept of each tow, they haven't been since it was written in 2006. Mayor Leighton has refused to enforce these provisions even after activist Mark Robbins went to the papers in 2011. All the while, Vinsko has looked the other way. Moreover, Vinsko has incorporated several businesses for Glodzik and was Facebook friends with him.

The Glodzik scam or "Cars for Cash" works like this: W-B City cops call him to tow a vehicle. He then charges outrageously high towing fees, which poor people can't afford to pay right away. Then, Glodzik charges high impounding fees, so that the person has virtually no hope of ever getting their car back. Meanwhile Glodzik guts the car and sells its parts. Each year, $50,000 of Glodzik's revenue goes to Wilkes-Barre city as mandated by the contract: a sort of legal pay-off. Glodzik is supposed to be prevented from price gouging people because the contract mandates that he charge industry standard and that logs be kept of these tows by city police. Glodzik lied to the Times Leader saying the flat rate of $200 he charged Mark Robbins for a rollback tow was industry standard, when it is actually around $80.* Robbins won a right to know request against W-B City Police and Glodzik, and according to Robbins, the records they produced did not match. This is the sort of baggage Vinsko carries around.

Stilp also had a modest but far-reaching celebrity status over his activism and opposition to the PA Legislature's pay raise vote. His demonstrations involved a pink pig prop, which he parlayed into a symbol of his campaign, even placing it as the background on his yard signs. If Stilp beats the emasculate "play it safe" dud Lou Barletta in the general election this November, hopefully he will continue with his opposition to corruption and not be a rubber stamp for the wantonly corrupt Obama agenda.

J.J. "the snake" Murphy is a former Wilkes-Barre City Administrator, and is said to be Leighton's top schmooze-artist. If his relative Patrick Murphy won the primary for attorney general and were elected, there would be absolutely no hope whatsoever of any W-B City Government corruption ever being investigated by the attorney general's office. Murphy lost primarily because his opponent Kathleen Kane (no known relation of W-B city controller Kathy Kane) received Bill Clinton's endorsement. It's amazing how simple-minded and sheepish Democrats are that they would be so affected by an endorsement from an establishment sleezebag like Clinton. Regardless, Kane probably also wouldn't investigate Cars for Cash, since even the Republican attorney general has hesitated to do so.

In 2010, Leighton lost to John Yudichak in the state senate primary 69% to 31%. We were told by an old resident of Wilkes-Barre that four or five families maintain political control over the entire city. Like modern Medici, their kind predominate in government offices throughout Wilkes-Barre and Luzerne County. But their political reach doesn't seem to go far beyond city limits, as these losses seem to attest.
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* http://nothingtonpost.blogspot.com/search/label/Bill%20Vinsko

NEPA Primary 2012 Endorsements

Update 4-26-12: Winning candidates are in bold and italicized.
______________________________________

Criteria: Being pro-liberty and/or anti-corruption.

Republican
President -Ron Paul
US Senate -Marc Scaringi
Congressman 11th -Write-in "Repeal NDAA"
Congressman 17th -Write-in "End the Fed"

Delegates Congressional District 11
Michael Harrison
Michael Anderson
Joe Zapach
Alternate -Holly Anderson

Delegates Congressional District 17
Trent Miller
Anthony Antonello
John Manko
Alternate -Greg Sheeler

Democrat
President -Write in "Randall Terry"
US Senate -Joseph Vodvarka
Congressman 11th -Gene Stilp
Congressman 17th -Write-in "Bring the troops home"
Attorney General -Kathleen Kane
_____________________________

Explanations

Ron Paul -Republican for President
The only true statesman besides Gary Johnson to run for president in 2011/2012. He has boldly opposed the military industrial complex and the warhawks who want to bankrupt America with unnecessary war with Iran. He wants to end the Fed, an institution which many economists believe is at the root of our economic woes and causes fincanical bubbles and other problems. He is also stranger to the lobbyist and friend of those who want sustainable government. Only his plan was found to actually balance the budget. He also polls better with Independents than Romney. Ron Paul offers better product differentiation than Romney, since unlike Romney and Obama, Ron Paul wants to bring the troops home, end the Fed, stop Homeland Security and TSA abuses, and initate policies to balance the budget. These are stances Ron Paul can deliver on that Obama and Romney can't due to being sold out to the same interests. But alas, the owners of media at its highest levels seem to have a strong hatred of him. It's amazing that so-called conservative talk radio hosts haven't put their differences aside and unanimously supported him.

Marc Scaringi -Republican for US Senate
Scaringi is the best candidate to balance the budget, and will likely vote 100% with Rand Paul in the Senate. He too offers a contrast with Casey that indpendents can find palatable, including bringing the troops home and ending drug prohibition. He has stated along with top US generals that the US should endeavor to AVOID war with Iran. He is thoroughly pro-life, pro-gun, and opposes redistibution of wealth. After vetting him personally, it is certain that he is against the: NDAA, "PATRIOT" Act, TSA, Homeland "Security", PIPA & SOPA, and Obamacare. He also wants to end the Fed and to balance the budget.

We chose Scaringi over Sam Rohrer because Rohrer unfortunately has flip-flopped on foreign policy, even once calling for a pre-emptive strike against Iran. He has been endorsed by Herman Cain who follows a Henry Kissenger foreign policy. It is a shame that Rohrer, someone who has taken radically pro-liberty stances such as being against drivers' licenses, would support a hawkish, morbidly establishmentarian foreign policy. Rohrer also favors drug prohibition. However, he opposes Homeland Security, REAL ID, the "PATRIOT" Act, and seems to be solidly pro-freedom on domestic issues. Because of superior name recognition, Rohrer also polls better than Scaringi, and thus has a better chance of beating the Toomey-esque Tom Smith and the liberal Steve Welch. There are legitimate reasons for voting for Rohrer, but the best man overall is Scaringi.

Joseph Vodvarka -Democrat for US Senate
Vovarka could be termed a "protest candidate" since he has a small campaign going. But Vodvarka has some really good beliefs, including being in favor of full gun rights and of auditing the Fed. His main theme is bringing manufacturing back to America, and withdrawing from international (and unconstitutional) trade agreements such as NAFTA and GATT.

Huffington was Moonstruck by Gingrich

Check out this post on the Ob Lure about Ariana Huffington's past support of Newt.

http://obscurelure.blogspot.com/2012/03/huffington-was-moonstruck-by-gingrich.html