MAY 26 - 31, 1998
MAY 31, 1998
Will Tom Ridge be the first Vice President from Pennsylvania?
Our Governor, Tom Ridge has been mentioned as a Vice Presidential possibility.
Actually, he has more than an outside possibility for the second spot. Many consider him
the leading contender. If that happens and the Republicans win in 2000, will he be the
first Pennsylvanian ever to hold that post?
George M. Dallas of Philadelphia was the first Pennsylvanian to be
elected Vice President. He was a contemporary of James Buchanan, the first and only
Pennsylanian ever elected President. Dallas had his eye on the Presidency when he
was Senator from Pennsylvania. It was a time when Andrew Jackson and James C. Calhoun of
South Carolina clashed over the supremacy of state's rights vs. the authority of the
Federal Government.
Dallas understoond the concern of states and their distrust of the
Federal Government. He saw the five distinct regions of Pennsylvania and their interests
as a smaller version of the Union of States that was experiencing the growing pains of
National Puberty. Even with that comprehension and his own inherent distrust of a large
Federal government, Dallas stood firmly with Jackson.
When South Carolina enacted legislation that made federal legislation null and
void unless ratified by the State Legislature, Dallas stood with the other northern
Senators. They gave their support to Jackson's threat to send in troops and place the entire
state under martial law unless they acquiesced to the will of the Nation. Calhoun and
South Carolina backed down.
Dallas, as Senatorial leader, was rewarded for his unwavering support
of the Presidency and was named the U.S. Minister to Russia. He would serve three years in
that prestigious post and would distinguish himself as a man of peace and an able
negotiator. His even handedness and keen insight averted a near certain war between
Austria and Russia.
He came home in the Spring of 1844 to participate in the Convention of
the Democratic-Republican Party. There was no clear candidate even though many wanted
former President Martin Van Buren. After seven ballots James Polk of Tennessee was chosen.
In order to balance the ticket with a northerner, the party looked to Dallas.
Polk and Dallas won by a narrow margin on November 5, 1844. Dallas was
the first Pennsylvanian to be in direct succession to the Presidency. The state saw this
as an honor. Dallas was hailed as a great Pennsylvanian. That would not last long.
The nation was divided. The north supported Polk only because Dallas
was on the ticket. The large manufacturing centers of the north believed that the presence
of Dallas would insure continuation of the strong tariff. Except for the issue of
the time which was very similar to our abortion issue, only slavery could insite
more anger and argument than the tariff. Unlike other Vice Presidents, Dallas was forced
to take a stand on the issue.
Polk saw the reduction of the tariff as the single most important
issue of his time. He favored lowering the taxes on imported goods because it would help
the agricultural South. When Dallas remained true to form and supported the President over
the protests of the Northern manufacturers and miners, he lost the support of his native
state. He allowed the wall of tariffs that was strong enough to eleiminated foreign
competition to be breached and was accused of selling out to the South.
When he also supported the admission of Texas as a slave state, the
religious North turned farther away from their choice as Vice President. Later, after
leaving office, he would be appointed as the U.S. Minister to Great Britain by President
Pierce. He would be considered by many as "an assassin of Northern industry and the
destroyer of the coal and iron industries." However, Texas would honor him in 1856 by
naming a settlement on the Trinity River after him. Dallas, Texas is named after the first
Pennsylvanian to be elected Vice President of the United States.
Our Governor, Tom Ridge can never be the first Vice President or even
President from Pennsylvania. If there is a choice as to being the second
anything, then I would certainly support his in setting his sights on the top spot, not
the second and man in waiting. President Ridge has a better sound than Vice President
Ridge. Tom Ridge has certainly distinguished himself and Pennsylvania by taking the lead
in programs aimed at changing how human service programs are managed.
His children's initiative has placed Pennsylvania head and shoulders above and
beyond the rest of the nation.While the rest of the country wallows in old and
unmeasurable programs, Pennsylvania, under the leadership of the Ridge Administration, has
moved to a "Results Based System of Prevention." They have recognized that
spending a dollar today on Prevention can eliminate the ten we might have to spend
tomorrow on Correction. That, coupled with sound and responsible fiscal management, with a
friendly hand turned to industry, Tom Ridge and his policy makers have remade
Pennsylvania.
Tom Ridge should run for President. He should carry our state wide programs to a
national forum and enact them across the land. Democratic leadership and liberal policies
have given us the problems we live with today. Democratic leadership and liberal policies
have destroyed our families. Democratic leadership and liberal policies have made the
Presidency an immoral office. A Republican like Tom Ridge can change that.
MAY 30, 1998
I am taking the day for myself. I am to going to the office, check my mail, visit Aunt
Rose, and then cut the grass. Look for a comment tomorrow.
MAY 29, 1998
It has become a pasttime to knock good programs like Family Centers. In the past,
when various writers of The Bradford Era would editorialize and attempt to destroy
something or someone, there was never a vehicle with which to answer. Even the monthly
edition of the MLR was not current enough to undo the damage that vicious and one-sided
writing was able to create. That was until recently when the Mountain Laurel Review went
online with its own web site on the World Wide Web.
The Publisher’s Page is a daily editorial page written by me, Harold T.
Beck. The editorials written are current and newsworthy. They deal with issues that affect
each and every taxpayer in the circulation area of The Mountain Laurel Review. The
editorials will often give you insight into what is going on that you otherwise would have
never known. Yes, I am using my position as County Commissioner and as described in a
despicably false and misleading editorial by Jim Buck as "a political insider"
to tell you what is going on in McKean County. I am doing that because that is what you
elected me to do for you.
I have neither forgotten why I was elected nor have I forgotten who elected me.
I have not forgotten the promises I made to each and every one of you. I promised to
participate in a county government that was fiscally responsible and I have. At the end of
the second full year in office the budget was not only balanced, but a 1.56 million dollar
deficit was erased and created a surplus of $563,000 in the County Treasury. Financially,
McKean County has never looked better.
That is why I am so outspoken against the fiscal irresponsibility of School
Districts. That is why I am especially critical of Cheri O’Mara and Kathy Kelly
in the Bradford Area School District. With a debt of over 36 million dollars and a budget
of 25 million dollars what are our taxes going to be? Who can afford to live in the BASD
anymore? Elderly home owners are going without food just to pay taxes. That is absurd! For
what? So they can hire a public relations spokesman? If they balanced the budget as we did
on the county level, then Ms. O’Mara could speak for herself and have no need for a
$45,000-a-year shield.
I promised an open government and have gone out of my way to give you that.
Larry Stratton complains that I do not consult with him before I introduce ideas. I do it
in public. I must remind Larry that he did not vote for me. He voted only for himself and
I represent you. Sure, I make mistakes. I am not perfect and my style of open talk can
lead to the famed foot in the mouth from time to time. That is me and that is why you
elected me and that is why you read The Mountain Laurel Review.
That is also why I oppose the policies of Ray McMahon. I oppose deals behind
closed doors and that is why I used my inside knowledge to expose what was happening
between the City of Bradford and the Bradford Area School District and the refinery with
Mr. McMahon’s guidance. I refused to be a part of his secret dealing so taxes could
be moved to the unsuspecting little guy. There is a long history of this happening and I
am opposed to it continuing. Taxes are supposed to be fair.
Currently, over 500 people read our editorials each and every day. That is after
only one month of being on the Internet and two weeks of the daily editorial. Each and
every day our readership grows. Enjoy them and take them to heart. This is the true free
press.
MAY 28, 1998
Death at Central Towers in Kane
The following letter came to The Mountain Laurel Review via
e-mail. It speaks for itself.
On May 8, 1998 at 1:40 a.m. a call was made to 911 that a woman has fallen and thinks
she broke her hip at 130 Greeves St. Central Towers, Kane. At 1:42 a.m. the ambulance was
dispatched, 1:48 a.m. they responded and arrived on scene at 1:51 a.m. The medic was also
called and arrived on scene at 2:03 a.m. and was with patient at 2:12 a.m. Our town cops
arrived shortly after the ambulance did with two cops on duty. The ambulance crew did not
have a key to access the building because authorities of the building deemed it not
necessary for them to have one. (The doors are locked at 9 p.m. each evening for SECURITY
reasons.You can get out of the building but no one can get in unless they are let in by
someone or you have a key.) Our town cops are to have a key to the building.
The key that the officers used that morning would not open the door. (There are two
keys to the building, one master key for the apartments and a key to unlock the doors to
enter the building.) Because of desperation, one of the ambulance personnel radioed McKean
County Control to call the caretaker of the building to let them in. The caretaker
responded within a minute or two and they were able to get to the patient, get her on the
caart, all while doing CPR.
They were in route to the hospital 10-12 minutes later (2:24 a.m.). The patient was our
mother and she did not make it that night. (The crew that was on duty knew our
mother's medical history and wanted to get to her as fast as they could). It was
twenty-one minutes that our mother lay on the floor in her apartment with help only a few
yards away. Could twenty-one minutes earlier have saved her life? I guess we will never
know the answer to this question.
Our mother lived at Central Towers almost from the time it was built in 1978. She was
only gone for two short periods due to her health. She loved the place and she felt safe
there. (I wonder what she would be thinking if this happened to someone else?) She also
was caretaker for a long time, helping anyone in that building that needed her help,
extending her services freely and lovingly. This building houses a lot of elderly and
handicapped people. Just how safe is it for them? There is nothing we can do to bring our
mother back but we can fight for the safety of others in that building. We believe that
all local emergency personnel should have a key to get into the building at night. Better
yet, that there be an emergency button installed at both entrances so this doesn't happen
to you or someone you love living in that building ever again.
Please contact the McKean County Housing Authority at 814-887-5563 or write to them at
410 East Water Street, P.O. Box 3366, Smethport, PA 16749 or contact your County
Commissioners at the courthouse and express your feelings.
Sincerely,
Becky Gulifer
Terri Smith
P.S. To the gentleman who made that call to our sister that night after our mother
mis-dialed her phone, our heartfelt appreciation. We don't know who you are, but you do.
God Bless you and we only wish things had turned out a little different.
On behalf of all of our readers and the Staff of the MLR, we mourn your loss
with you.
It is unfortunate that the Housing Authority did not have proceedures
in effect to insure that emergency personnel would have immediate and proper access to the
building and the residents. This is a situation that cannot be ignored. This is a matter
of safety and the health and well being of all the residents.
MAY 27, 1998
GOOD MORNING BOB HAND!
It is 6:12 a.m. It took me a few extra minutes to come up with my
rousing thought of the day. It deals with the influence the media has over us. You will
note that I included myself even though some might say that I am not part of the media.
Really, it is just point of view. Looking at it like that, even a fiction writer can
understand point of view.
The inference made by Mr. Stratton yesterday was that I was working on
The Mountain Laurel Review on county time. As you and I know, Bob, the articles
are posted first thing in the morning when the thought processes are sharp and not dulled
by outside influences. Even if his inference had been correct, so what?
Has Mr. Stratton ever sold a bale of hay, or a truck load of hay for
that matter, over the phone from his office? Of course he has and so what? Has he taken
the time out of a very busy day to attend to personal business? The answer to that is yes,
and really, it doesn't mean on darn thing that he has. We are men with
private lives and businesses, and at times they will spill over into one another.
No one complained when the three of us worked from 8 in the morning
until 9 at night during the reassessment. Nor did they complain when we stayed until 3 in
the morning on election night. What about the three day trips to Harrisburg to get funding
for programs in the county?
What should I say to the person who comes to my front door with a problem
associated with my position as a county leader? Should I say, "See me at the office.
This is my private time."? That would not only be absurd, but rude, also. I would
never do that. Neither would Mr. Stratton, nor would Mr. Weaver; so what is the big deal
about anything that might be done at the office?
I broke a rule when I pointed out that Mr. Stratton once tried for a
special break on his taxes just like ARG. I broke a rule when I did not idly sit by when
the media took false statements made by Chem-Nuclear that made it appear I spearheaded
their entry into McKean County and printed them without ever asking for or getting a
comment from me.
The story was false. Mr. Stratton, in the paper, confirmed that I made
the appointment for the meeting with John Burk. He has not denied making that
confirmation. He knows that was false. He set up that meeting and all subsequent meetings
with Chem-Nuclear including the secret one with township officials(which included Bill
Kilmer of Hamlin Township) and the Planning Office.
I took exception to Mr. Stratton verifying my involvement when all the
involvement was his and his only. I never said that I thought these dumps were safe and
would not mind having one next door to me. Just as he introduced "animal
bashing" to McKean County, he also gave us Chem-Nuke. He did that. I didn't.
What is this about? Will we start sneaking around and try to embarass
one another at every Monday meeting? Gosh, Bob, I sure hope not! I don't believe that this
is what the people of the county really want.
If it isn't that, then what is it? It seems to me that it is the
Landfill and the fact that we disagree about it remaining in the hands of the Solid Waste
Authority. It seems to me that while Larry opposes the privatization of the landfill, he
must feel that he is not on very good ground with his arguments that he must personally
attack me and attempt to discredit me in front of the people.
There is an issue here! It is very simple. Should we continue to carry
a 15.65 million dollar debt with no guarantee that the debt will ever be paid off, or
should we sell at an opportune time and reap a modest profit of say 2.4 million dollars?
Could McKean County use 2.4 million dollars more than it needs to guarantee 15.65 million
for an authority that has wasted 5 to 6 million dollars on a lechate treatment plant that
still is not large enough to handle what it was designed to do?
Do the taxpayers need to be in the solid waste business? I say no. Mr.
Stratton says yes. Jim Buck accused me of not being the Conservative Republican I hold
myself up to be. I have also been accused of expecting campaign contributions from whoever
might buy the landfill if and when it is sold. Gosh, Bob! Campaign Contributions are
really a bad word in my family these days, not to mention the expense. If I would do that
I would have to get STUPID tattooed on my forehead. Even I understand that!
I also understand fiscal responsibility. In the terms of McKean
County, it means having money before you spend it. It means agressively going to
Harrisburg and participating in programs and receiving funds that mirror what we are
already mandated to do. It means being able to add up all the expenses at the beginning of
each year, and adding up all the income from all sources, and creating what we commonly
call a budget. I do that for the commissioners. I use the computer and Lotus 1-2-3. Then,
the three commissioners, as a body, meet and determine a final form after additions and
deletions are made.
Two million dollars of extra revenue would surely come in handy the
next time someone comes to Larry for cars that were never put in the budget, or even a
$24,000 copier that we suddenly realized we needed. Then, when I ask "Where are we to
get the money?" there will be an answer instead of silence. Then we won't have to be
so creative and defer the expense to the next year even though it is being spent today.
Heck, Bob. What is all of this about? Why am I carrying on about
landfills, two million dollars, unbudgeted cars, and copiers? Why? Because that is
what the job is about, not this other business. That is the part that the media, as it
deals in personalities and trash, fails to tell the people.
When we finished 1997 $565,000 in the black, you ran the story. The Era
did not. Why? Is good news taboo?
Is the county better off today than it was on December 31, 1995? Yes
it is! Even when Larry and I bicker, or Jim turns "red in the race" at a
meeting, the people finally know what is happening in Smethport. All the goings on sells
newspapers. Even Jim Buck should like that. Maybe he should remember that the next time he
prints a false story and does not call for a comment. Maybe he should take his own advice
about killing the goose who laid the golden egg. Honk! Honk! Honk!.........ribbit!
I guess that's what happens when you hire a ferret to do a weasel's
work. It is now 7:26 in the morning.
MAY 26, 1998
HOW LONG SHOULD THE FLAGS FLY?
Now that Memorial Day has passed, how long should the flags remain on
the graves of McKean County veterans? The law requires that they remain on the grave sites
until the day after the Fourth of July. Should they remain even beyond that?
Leo Kibble of Keating Township thinks so and I agree. Mr. Kibble, a
Korean War veteran and former Army weatherman who proudly wears his Combat Infantryman's
Badge (CIB) to this day, believes that veterans deserve to have flags on their graves
through Veterans' Day, November 11, of each year. Currently legislation is in the Congress
that will make it law. However, in the absence of the passage of that bill, Mr. Kibble now
finds himself in a serious dilema.
George Rowand, caretaker of a local cemetery, will not allow the flags
to fly a day longer than the law requires. He claims a variety of reasons, mainly wear and
tear on the flags, for the immediate and sudden removal. Some might wonder at this and
even ask, what is the difference, anyway? While Mr. Rowand is of that frame of mind, it
means something to Mr. Kibble.
The controversy hit a fever last year when Leo enlisted the aid of the
County Veterans' Office. Ben Defibaugh, the Director of Veterans Affairs in McKean County
sent a letter to Mr. Rowand asking that the flags remain on the graves until at least
Labor Day. Mr. Rowand refused to comply with the request and confirmed with the local
State Representative that he did not have to allow the flags to remain.
Earlier this year, Mr. Kibble came to me. I wrote to Mr. Rowand and
offered my assistance and even volunteered to personally remove all of the flags in the
cemetery if they were allowed to remain until after November 11. The letter was intended
to help mediate what I assumed was a misunderstanding. It was then that I understood
what Mr. Kibble was up against.
Mr. Rowand angrily came to the Court House with my letter. He sat with
Commissioner Larry Stratton and County Solicitor Jay Paul Kahle(neither of whom, along
with Mr. Rowand, are veterans themselves) and attempted to have me censured for writing
such a letter that he saw as being designed to infringe on his area of power.
The offer to enlist the aid of various county veterans organizations
to remove the flags meant absolutely nothing. This was his turf and he would have it his
way no matter who said what to who and the law said July 4th and he had the law on his
side and the rest of us be damned!
Many area cemeterys leave the flags up all year. Each year, before
Memorial Day, new flags replace the worn and tattered ones to give each veteran's grave a
fresh and patriotic appearance. Is that too much to give to men and women who gave up
years of their lives to participate in Military Service so this nation could remain free?
Do they deserve that little token of recognition? I believe they do.
Whether the law says so or not, I am with Leo Kibble in the belief
that the flags should remain until the day after Veteran's Day. I see Mr. Rowand's
attitude as arbitrary and an insult to not only the dead veterans, but to their families
and their friends, and all veterans in general. I believe that a county Ordinance is in
order while we wait for Congress to act. I will introduce such an ordinance at the
Commissioner's Meeting today.
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