Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength.--Eric Hoffer

Check this nonsense. Boortz again:

AND NOW --- INTRODUCING YOU TO “ODD!”

This will be the next great fad disease for school age children. Oppositional Defiance Disorder. The “ODD child” is a child that gets angry or frustrated and defies authority. In other words … a child. He argues with adults, he loses his temper, he has a negative attitude, he blames others for his mistakes.

Teachers.net has a chatboard discussing this grand new disease. One post by a teacher says: “Today was a really bad day. I have been teaching grade seven for four years and today was the first time I was called a "Whore," by a kid who has Oppositional Defiance Disorder.”

Stand by folks, this is soon going to become a full-fledged disease and some drug company is going to develop some mind-altering drug that will make these kids compliant and passive. Oh man, are the parents going to love this one. Here’s a link on this new fad-disease so you can start getting your excuses ready.

Let’s try that again. He argues with adults, he loses his temper, he has a negative attitude, he blames others for his mistakes. Holt jumpin’ orangutan farts! Our mayor may be suffering from oppositional defiance disorder among other maladies. I seriously doubt that many would be willing to take up his cause and steadfastly deny that he is not just a tad odd. Heyna?

Okay, the biggest local story has to be the mayoral debate. Judging from the accounts of the local papers, it sounds as if five of the six candidates behaved themselves. This quote had me scratching my head before I could even open my eyes fully this morning:

I will continue the path I've taken the last eight years. Confidence in government comes from keeping taxes down." -- Mayor Tom McGroarty

Confidence in government comes from keeping taxes down??? I studied political science in high school (I even paid attention) and I can’t remember learning that one. Is that how it works? Increasing crime doesn’t matter. Loan defaults are no biggie. Failing equipment should be overlooked. A crumbling infrastructure isn’t a problem. High profile and ultra-expensive blunders ain’t no big thang. Absentee slumlords and the reverse-gentrification of our neighborhoods is actually fun. Roll all of that inconsequential junk up and smoke it. Confidence in government comes from keeping taxes down.

What a sawed-off maroon! We should immediately raise the city’s wage tax back to the pre-McG levels of 3% and start fixing the god damned city already. The guy presides over a city that has taken on the look of Mogadishu during his wasteful two terms as tyrant and he is sticking to his “I lowered your taxes” spiel. It’s not the lack of his promised progress he asks us to forget, it’s the fact that the city has actually gone backwards during his reign that he thinks we should overlook. Forget the broken streets, the broken street lights, the broken buildings and the broken dreams, he held the line on taxes? Take a close look at the physical and financial condition of the city stupid!

His entire failed run as mayor is an anachronism. The city wants to go one way and he’s dragged us the other way. We needed cooperation and teamwork, but received only adolescent cheap shots directed in practically every direction. We needed a professional leader, but the O.D.D. must have clouded his judgment. We needed something approaching a consensus and a viable plan, but were offered only “the world according to McMayor.” Ya’ wanna know what? His vision of the city sucks.

Oh, but he kept the taxes down. At this point, I’ve got two words for him. Who gives a muck?

And then we have the less than truthful finger pointing as reported by the Voice:

The mayor was adamant the city's rapidly escalating health insurance costs are the most important issue facing the city. He specifically identified how some part-time city council members receive health care and that firefighters and their families, even retired ones, cost the city $22,000 a year each in benefits.

Let’s do this. How many council members receive health care benefits? Three? Four? I personally don’t believe that they should receive any health benefits, but is the fact that a handful of council members receive these benefits really such a big issue, or a big cost to the taxpayers? Council should pick a date (say 2005 for instance) and mandate that from that year on the health care benefits available to future councils be eliminated once and for all. And the gas allowance.

There’s no arguing the fact that health insurance costs are escalating year after year. Us folks in the private sector have to deal with that also, but unlike this city, we still manage to show a profit in spite of it. Why is it that the firefighters and their families should be singled out while discussing the escalating costs? Would that have anything to do with the firefighters of this city solidly supporting Tom Leighton’s bid to become our next mayor? You bet your ass is does! Lemme guess! The nonexistent pool tables and catching a few winks during fifteen hour shifts are going to be dusted off and offered as proof again that our hose dudes should be seen by the taxpaying public as a bunch of conniving, greedy bastards. Don’t worry, he’ll put them in their place and if reelected, there will eventually be fewer of them on duty when the black soot begins to emanate from your humble adobe. Public safety is taken for granted until it’s your little girl that lies unconscious on the floor of a second story bedroom. Should we downsize our fire department to save money, or should we elect a mayor who eliminates wasteful overtime and maintains the level of the outstanding emergency services that we have come to expect?

Our mayor tried to save money by deleting our police department and we all know how that has blown up in his face and resulted in even more “for sale” signs being placed on the tree lawns across this city. He has been actively working to reduce the staffing of the fire department and close a firehouse or two for years, all in the name of cutting costs, but his loyal apparatchiks that work for the city are allowed to nearly double their base salary after overtime is factored in. What’s good for the goose is equally good for the gander everywhere else in the real world, but not in Tommy’s kingdom. He plays favorites, and if you’re not willing to wear out a pair of knee pads, you will be thoroughly vilified for public consumption.

The firefighters and their families get health care benefits. So deal with it wunderkind! For once during your painful run as the self anointed CEO of Wilkes-Barre, deal with it as an adult would. Treat your employees with dignity and respect and try a bit of honest negotiation. It’s amazing how receptive to necessary change, or austerity employees can be when they are treated as if they are an important cog in the overall machine. It’s also amazing what a sprinkling of people skills can deliver.

Here’s another election mud toss courtesy of the Voice:

McGroarty labeled council obstructionists and at one point attacked Councilman Phil Latinski, who was in the audience.

He insinuated Latinski was responsible for a lawsuit that could cost the city "mills of property taxes."

When McGroarty was finished, he looked in Latinski's direction and winked.

He winked at him? You don’t suppose he wants Phil to grab his ankles? Nah. Couldn’t be. He must have simply been being his usual, juvenile self. We’re supposed to be down on Phil now, because some chickie was too physically weak to become a cop? This lawsuit is a frivolous lawsuit. She took the physical test and she failed it. Where is the evidence that the test was discriminatory in any way? Here in Cracker-Barre (FU*K Daniel Stubbs!), we like our cops strong and fleet afoot. Silly, aren’t we? It seems that the mayor has now elevated himself to being our judge, jury and executioner too. The lawsuit was filed against the city, so that’s proof that Phil is guilty of discriminating against women that need assistance opening a new bottle of catsup? Well, during a hot primary season it is. All rise. Judge McMudskipper has issued his decision.

Objection your dishonor!

They’re going to do two more debates? This ought to be a laugh riot. The mayor should have done his campaign some good and stayed at home in the DPW garage.

In my opinion, two of those six candidates have no realistic shot at being elected and they will probably garner less than 5% of the total vote. Another is a spoiler and has no real aspirations of ever becoming our mayor. That leaves Tom Leighton to vanquish the king and then defeat Christine Katsock in November. If not, I’m a gone fother mucker. I’m not alone in that respect. If Tom Leighton doesn’t come out of this primary as the winner, he had better order a few hundred more “for sale” signs because he is going to be real busy when the exodus out of the city intensifies. That’s a horrible thought. The way it shakes down for me is, if Tom Leighton wins, Wilkes-Barre wins.

I see that councilman Jim McCarthy took a walking tour of our red light district and is calling for an increased police presence to finally put the clamps on this well-known nonsense. Nice try and all, but the king probably isn’t going to go for that. Our police chief admitted that that neighborhood has always been hookers row. The mayor used to send his assistant down there for daylight tours. He’s been confronted numerous times by angry residents. Yet, the hookers still claim squatters rights on that neighborhood. It sounds to me as if the mayor doesn’t care. Why admit to any problems on his watch? If he keeps his head planted firmly in the recyclables, maybe the problem will mysteriously go away. If he continues to do that, the risk that a resident may be seriously injured, or worse increases exponentially, since they have recently taken to confronting the defiant hookers and their pimps that are always near by. Now there’s a lawsuit waiting to happen!

By the way, it’s not a walking tour, it’s a walkabout and it‘s usually much more fun when done on a bike.

I could get used to having the boulevard closed. It makes a nifty bike trail.

The amazing duo, Gage Andrew and Taylor Kate, are due to hit town tomorrow. Whoopee! She’s a whole month old already.

A couple of e-mails:

******Mark:

Drive on New Sherman Street through Coal Street to North Sherman Street--WHAT A LANDING!! It is seriously an accident waiting to happen now that Coal Street was PARTIALLY REPAIRED for votes! If and when someone goes too fast, McG [I mean the taxpayers] will be paying for the bottoms of vehicles to be replaced instead of new tires!! I cannot believe the State is allowing this shoddy construction.

Speaking of New Sherman Street, take notice of the roadway near a few of the catch basins in the vicinity of Stevens Road. Those basins were left in dire need of repair for so long that the roadway was severly undermined by rain and snow. Of course, McG replaced the basins last year for a photo shoot, but he did nothing to stabilize the washed out base of the roadway, a serious problem that he allowed to happen.

Taxpayer who knows******

Again:

******Mark,

As you might know, tonight (4/24) was the first of three mayoral debates. I don't know if you were there or not, but here's a fun recap for all the readers:

- Tom Leighton received the most applause out of everyone. McGroarty had his own little support crew there, decked out in gaudy McGroarty campaign shirts, but they were the only ones clapping.

- McGroarty used the fire fighters as a scapegoat for high city taxes, pointing out that he doesn't feel he should pay for the healthcare for those who've "moved on" (I assume he means retired?). He mentioned this about 3,000 times.

- Jack Smith hinted at a developer who's looking to bring in $10 million to the city. He didn't hint as to who it was, but said he would have more information as the time went on.

- The debate moderator from the LWV had the facial and vocal expressions of Greta Van Susteren, and couldn't hold the debate down.

- After the debate, McGroarty ducked out quickly. A reporter from WVIA caught up with him, and asked him about the fire department's aging and broken equipment. McGroarty actually told the guy he didn't know what he was talking about, and said the equipment was in good shape. Before the WVIA guy could get another question in, McGroarty took off.

In conclusion, everyone was in good form, excluding McGroarty. Everyone answered their questions, except McGroarty. Notice a trend here. Wilkes Dude is not surprised, I'll tell you that!

Keep up the good fight.******

Did anyone notice that his supporters would benefit personally if he were to be reelected? They don’t support a man that offers us a better Wilkes-Barre, they support a man that offers them continues employment and little else. Shame on them.

Yo! Two mulch fires in one week? Where the hell are we buying this mulch?

I’m out of here. Later.