***WILKES-BARRE - There will be a theater.
And shops.
And restaurants.
And people. Lots of people. And lots of things for people to do. "Just like the olden days," said Mayor Tom Leighton, after the Greater Wilkes-Barre Development Corporation was named the exclusive developer of more than 20 vacant properties along South Main and East Northampton streets on Monday. Leighton, who has been negotiating with all parties involved for the past six to nine months, said he is thrilled the efforts are finally producing results.***
See McG? See? Horse first and then the cart. Now that is what I call a grand statement made by someone that understands business. My guess is that McG used to deliver fork trucks to potential buyers and then go after the funds at some other time.

***The mayor said the theater would serve as a second anchor, with Boscov's being the first. In between, Leighton said there will be dress shops, men's shops, shoe stores and eateries.***

Another bold statement. Is this going to squash any of the rumors that Boscov's is moving up on the hill? Two anchors? That sounds like a very solid way to hold a ship, and I think that this ship will end up being the Queen Mary rather than the Titanic.

***City Council Chairwoman Kathy Kane, who along with her fellow council members was on hand for Monday's announcement, said the revitalization project, has council's full support. "Anything we can do to help, we'll do," she said.***

Wait a second. You have got to be kidding me. Council offering help to the mayor. Stand up and cheer, or sit down and drink. Works for me either way. All I have to say is that I have seen in business something called, "trickle, flow, flood." Activity happens and happens and happens and it looks like nothing is going on, then all of a sudden, bang, we get a trickle of business. So work happens and happens and happens and the trickle becomes a steady flow, but at this point, all of the work you have been doing really starts to pay off, it snowballs with momentum, and a flood of activity takes place. I think Wilkes-Barre is prime for this type of result, and I think it will happen.

Last post: How about just "desserts?" Duh!! Would really rather not eat any chocolate covered sand.

Speaking again of education, as you know, one of my hot buttons, how about the news out of NY that less than 1/3 of Latino students and only 35% of black students graduate high school. And NY is a bastion of liberalism and progressive education. This is low compared to the national averages of just over 50% nationwide, which is still criminal in my opinion. This on the heels of the new national campaign ads sponsored by the NEA telling us how good public education is. Well, I guess for an organization that promotes failure and chooses to lower standards to the lowest students (it's too much like work to raise those that are failing-easier just to pass them on), a 50% minority graduation rate is probably an A+ in their book.

And whose fault is it? Why Bush's of course. It's the fault of the "no child left behind" act. You see, there were no education problems before Bush took office. And we all know how well education did under the Clinton's. Why, they successfully took Arkansas' education program from being ranked 48th nationally to 50th in just four years! Nope, you would have to go all the way back to Reagan and Bush Sr. to find any education problems in this country. The same is true for homelessness, unemployment, Social Security, Medicare, and don't forget Bush lied.

It looks like we want to make Interstate 80 a toll road? Trickle down will never be able to keep pace with siphoning up by our government friends. Why are we always asked to do with less, but our government isn't? And just where in the he!! is all the gas money going? Remember the nickel road tax? To look at our highways would suggest that some folks are partying it up at Club Med rather than using the tens of millions generated per year from that nickel and all the other "over the road" taxes already levied on drivers, especially truck drivers. Folks, truck drivers are going to start bypassing Pa. altogether or route 80 at least, and it won't just be because of the road conditions or the lifetime construction projects. They can use 68 in Maryland (a very nice drive) or 17 in NY. I know route 17 isn't the best road. It passes through some small towns out West near Erie, and again in the East near Corning and Elmira, but it's an easy stretch between.

Actually, even 81 could be bypassed if truckers wanted to deal with Baltimore, which isn't bad if you are an overnight driver. We are going to "tax and fee" ourselves out of business. If that happens, say so long to many of the gas stations and little eateries along 80. Does anyone know of any business, county, state, or country that has ever taxed its way into prosperity? Before we look at banging drivers again for using the very roads they are already funding several times over, shouldn't we be asking, "Where is all the road money going?"

One of the many headaches that liberals have been dealing with, especially the environmentalists, is the Puerto Rican Island of Vieques. At the end of the Clinton administration, liberal protesters demanded that the US Navy abandon bombing and naval gunfire exercises that had taken place on the island for nearly seventy years.

Liberal's such as Reverend Al Sharpton, Mrs. Jesse Jackson, Joan Baez, Robert F. Kennedy,Jr., Edward Olomos, Michael Moore and Ramsey Clark bumped into one another to fly to Puerto Rico, boat over to the island, trespass (but never on a day that there was an exercise scheduled) and get arrested for the benefit of the New York Times or Newsweek.

In 2002, the bombing exercises were transferred to an Air Force bombing range in central Florida, not far from the Jacksonville and Pensacola Naval Air Stations. In January, many of the protesters were back in Puerto Rico, celebrating the final bombing exercise on Vieques and waved Puerto Rican flags and placards that read "US Navy, get out of Puerto Rico."

The following February, Rumsfeld announced that the US Navy will close the Roosevelt Roads Naval Air Station in Puerto Rico in 2004, eliminating 1200 civilian jobs as well as 700 military positions. This naval facility is estimated to put nearly $300 million annually into the local economy.

The next day a stunned Governor Sila Calderon, held a news conference in San Juan, protesting the base closure as a serious blow to Commonwealth's economy. The governor stated: "The people of Puerto Rico don't now or never did have an interest in closing the Vieques bombing range or the Roosevelt Roads naval base. We are interested in both staying in Puerto Rico."

Once again our protestors have successfully claimed a victory by putting 1900 folks out of work. But wait, I thought they cared about jobs. Oh, wait. I forgot. 1200 of those jobs were Puerto Rican jobs and the other 900 were military men and women-so good for them. That's what you get for being a member of a group of baby killers and murderer's (Kerry's words).

On January 21, the Secretary of Defense also announced that starting this year, the US European Command would begin moving most if not all of its active combat and support units from bases in Germany to others being established in Poland, The Czech Republic, Hungary and Turkey to "better position them for rapid deployment to likely hot spots in those parts of the world."

Immediately the business and government leaders in the German states of Hesse, Rhineland and Wurttemburg, protested the loss of nearly $6 billion in revenue each year from the bases and manpower to be displaced. A spokesman for the Foreign Ministry speculated that the move might be "what the Americans call 'payback' for the actions of this government in opposing military action in Iraq." I doubt that. More like we're putting them where we need them.

Keep the Faith.
Private Sector Dude.