MAY 8 - MAY 14, 1999
MAY 14, 1999
Ideas, ranting, ravings, and quips
Good morning. It is 46.8 degrees at 6:22 A.M. I am getting a late start today,
I have been stuffing envelopes for a last minute mailing. That is an election, folks. So,
here are some of your letters.
- "Keep on truckin' Bud. I can't wait to hear or see the
fact that you will be re-elected as our McKean County Commissioner!!! Am I being too
hasty? I think not. Just from reading the letters to you through the e- mail, people do
look up to you and they know you are the person for us. Honesty, that's what I see and
that's what I want. Along with honesty comes informing the people of everything that goes
on which is all of our concern."
- "Who the hell does Jay Chapman think he is? I remember the lazy bum from
Dressers. He was a gold brick then and it is pretty clear that he is one now. I am glad
you meddle. The county needs it. and it is clearly about time. Chapman is covering up his
own incompetence on the solid waste authority that Harrijane appointed him to. Keep up the
good work. We are all behind you."
- "You know what burns me?
"The
USA is battered in the world press because, after dropping thousands of bombs, bad info
causes one to hit the Chinese embassy, killing three. More die for disagreeing with that
governments policies daily than that.
"The Yugoslavians have been fighting for 500 years. What makes anyone think
that we are making a difference by spending literally billions to bomb them into
friendship.(I don't think that the Serbs are right and I don't like the human tragedy part
but geez we aren't making a difference. Give the 'freedom fighters' some weapons and let
them fight the battle.)
"How come, with the deficit problem we have here in the U.S.,we can afford
to give aid to all these other countries. Deficit means we spend more money than we bring
in. If that was my checkbook or yours, we'd be bouncing a check. Do it enough, and you go to jail.
"Welfare programs that repair cars for those
who are just coming off assistance. Works like this. They go to the local garage, get an
estimate, up to $750 to purchase a car, have it repaired, so they can get to work. In my
line of work, you cannot imagine the shenanigans I get into. "Well, can you give me
an estimate that says my tranny's bad, and I'll use that money to get another car?"
or "Can you just sign the check and give it back?".
"NO I CAN'T!!!!" Anyone wondering where part of that 25% of their pay is
going can look right here for some of the explanation. Hmmmm , my old family truckster
needs a new motor mount , a couple of skins and a tune-up. Guess who's payin' for that?
"A new manufacturing plant comes to town
where the potential for wage can be around $10 an hour. Do the people that have been
busting their butt for $6-7 an hour get first crack? Nope. If you have been sitting on
assistance for the last 8 years, while everyone else worked their can off, scraping to get
by while supporting you, you have fulfilled the major skills qualification.
"SSI. I have seen people who fleece that system into the dirt. Example; and this
is the truth. I know of a couple that have a beautiful house in a corner lot on Jackson
Ave. They are not married cause that cuts the amount of SSI they would get. I don't know
why he is on SSI, but she is deaf(?). However, they can lug band equipment all over town,
play music and make money. Their equipment is first class. Oh, and by the way, SHE sings
in the band. Anyone doin the math here? Or when a child of 3 is diagnosed with a learning
disability, and mom is given SSI for him. What the hell could the logic be there? Was this
child a wage earner, who's condition caused him not to be able to work anymore, causing
financial hardship? SSi is for those who cannot work for a valid reason. Not because you
screwed off in school and can't read, or abused alcohol or drugs and think that it's a
debilitating disease.
"Suing the manufacturer of a gun used in the commission of a crime. Wow is this a
revelation for lawyers. Next, we'll see rope companies, car companies ( when some idiot
gets drunk and drives through a busload of anything), ball bat companies, candle stick
companies, knife companies, beer bottle companies...is this seeming a bit redundant to you
yet? Colorado was a very, very bad thing. Any kind of death is tragic but put the blame or
cause where it belongs. No one at the gun plant is lovingly looking at the product they
just produced and saying "I hope they use this to shoot a spouse , a schoolmate, or
rob a store."
"And speaking of kids, don't blame the parents. Blame the lawmakers. Their
definition of child abuse needs to be re-defined. I am not saying beat your kids bloody,
but when I, along with most of you reading this, screwed up, we got our butts tanned. And
we didn't shoot up a school. I feel bad for the educators that cannot enforce discipline
in their own class rooms. I can tell you for a fact that Mr. Ditty at Fretz had a real big
paddle. Guess how I know?
"Good luck to all the candidates."
- "I stopped believing in Santa Claus when my mother took me to see him in a
department store, and he asked for my autograph. --Shirley Temple
If all the cars in the United States were placed end to end, it would
probably be Labor Day Weekend. --Doug Lars
A bank is a place that will lend you money if you can prove that you
don't need it. --Bob Hope
I know that there are people in this world who do not love their fellow man, and I hate
people like that! --Tom Lehrer
I was going to buy a copy of The Power of Positive Thinking, and then I thought: What good
would that do? --Ronnie Shakes
It is difficult to produce a television documentary that is both
incisive and probing when every twelve minutes one is interrupted by
dancing rabbits singing about toilet paper. --Rod Serling
Somewhere on this globe, every ten seconds, there is a woman giving
birth to a child. She must be found and stopped. --Sam Levenson
(1911-1980)
Television - a medium. So called because it is neither rare nor
well-done. --Ernie Kovacs
Always remember this: If you don't attend the funerals of your friends,
they will certainly not attend yours. --H.L. Mencken
A good novel tells us the truth about its hero; but a bad novel tells us
the truth about its author. --G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936)
Thus the metric system did not really catch on in the United States,
unless you count the increasing popularity of the nine millimeter bullet.
--Dave Barry
This isn't right. It isn't even wrong. --Wolfgang Pauli, on a paper
submitted by a physicist colleague Today you can go to a gas station and find the cash
register open and the toilets locked. They must think toilet paper is worth more than
money. --Joey Bishop
The trouble with being punctual is that nobody's there to appreciate
--Franklin P. Jones
Red meat is NOT bad for you. Now, blue-green meat, that's REALLY BAD for you. --Tommy
Smothers
When you go into court you are putting your fate into the hands of
twelve people who weren't smart enough to get out of jury duty. --Norm Crosby
The imaginary friends I had as a kid dropped me because their friends
thought I didn't exist. --Aaron Machado
I told the doctor I broke my leg in two places. He told me to quit going to those places.
--Henny Youngman
The reason there are two senators for each state is so that one can be
the designated driver. --Jay Leno
It matters not whether you win or lose; what matters is whether I win or lose. --Darrin
Weinberg
Remember that as a teenager you are in the last stage of your life in
which you will be happy to hear that the phone is for you. --Fran
Lebowitz
A cynic is a man who, when he smells flowers, looks around for a coffin --H.L. Mencken
It ain't so much the things you don't know that get you in trouble. It's
the things you know that just ain't so. --Artimus Ward, 1834-1867
Comment at rdhedbud@penn.com.
MAY 13, 1999
The election at a glance
Good morning. It is 43.4 degrees at 5:02 A.M.
Now it is five days until election day. If you are prone to pains in your
chest, you have them. If you have trouble sleeping, you aren't. Surprisingly enough, I
slept all night and only woke up a half an hour ago. That is good for me.
In my position it is hard to gauge the electorate. I don't have any great organization
behind me. The workers this time have consisted of my wife Sharyn, son Geoff, Aunt Rose,
Sharyn's mom, Winnie, Sue, Ann, and Anita. There were a ton of envelopes to be addressed
and they all got done.
We solicited no campaign contributions. The entire campaign was funded out of my own
pocket. Even without the outside funds, contributions of time and caring, that aren't
required to be reported, were definitely there. Margaret, Sarah, Jerry, Tom, and Connie
would be in that column.
Now we are at the time that some ask: "What have you done for me lately?" It
is easy for some to discount accomplishments of an entire administration when some 25 year
old begins saying because he was a township supervisor, that makes him qualified to lead
an entire county. Are the people really that blind to follow such a line of thinking? Next
Tuesday will tell the story.
No real issues have ever been raised. The land fill seems to be the biggest issue
followed by tourism. Both of those issues I created when I first suggested we sell
the land fill, and then pointed out State Senator William Slocum was going to steal our
local tourist bureau and move it to Warren. Alot of misinformation followed, a bunch of
Beck haters came out to join the fight; but in the end, begrudgingly, it turned out
that I was right.
We have another township supervisor who is four years in the past. He tried to make the
County Nursing Home an issue. At the same time he ignores his crooked bridge, violations
of Veterans Rights, and the Sunshine Law. Still he dwells on something we covered that a
real long time ago and things have never been better.
Actually, it boils down to personalities and power.
The party is promoting a supervisor from Bradford. It appears that the Club is
promoting him, too. However much the people will play in this election remains to be
seen. They were the factor that was not figured in the last election and ultimately led to
the party's fall from power in the Court House.
They have their annual spring dinner tonight. Attorney General Mike Fisher is the
special guest speaker. How convenient that he appears up here in the middle of nowhere
five days before the election just to bring attention to the political charges that have
been levied against me over $370 in campaign contributions that I reported and spent on
legitimate campaign expenditures.
Looking back, I was one of three men who inherited a very difficult situation. In a
relatively short period of time we were able to get a handle on it and bring it under
control. County Government has moved forward, not back. Things are better, not
worse. So you figure it out.
Comment on this article at rdhedbud@penn.com.
MAY 12, 1999
Out and about in Bradford
Good morning. It is 43 degrees at 5:45 A.M.
Last evening was one of those unusual times when I got out during the week. I
had to stop in and see my buddy, Smiling Vince Gaeto, and pick up an election ad for the
magazine that will be out Saturday. Seeing Vince is always worth a laugh or two.
Also, I stopped into the Downbeat and saw the lovely and talented Mary Jo Allen, the
owner of the Bow Wow Boutique. Pete, as usual, was back in the kitchen cooking up his
culinary delights. (That's where Pete belongs, too.) From there, it was over to JJ's
Saloon on East Main Street. Judi, always lovely, was there, and the luscious Robin was
behind the bar. The usual assortment of patrons, Denny from DC's Army Navy and Mario, were
there, too.
Finally, it was over to Beefeaters where I ran into Kevin Spoorer. It was Kevin and
Skip Bond who did such a profession job one my "home movie" on asbestos at the
high school. Sharyn and I sat down for dinner and it wasn't long that the Doynows,
Mr. & Mrs. arrived. Of course they didn't speak. He is Connie Cavallaro's campaign
manager and she is the Councilwoman who has changed her name because her mother
embarrassed her because she asked for the service from the city she was entitled to all
along. Oh well, as they say in New York City, go figure!
While they were still there, in came Michele Corignani and Bob Cummins. Moments later
Greg Henry arrived. Then came LA Rotheraine, Don Cummins, and finally Nick Cummins.
Our little table for four, suddenly grew. Fortunately, Sharyn and I had finished
eating.
Like I said yesterday, I have had enough of politics. This race is getting
absurd. Don commented on my article on Reason #1 and I started in on REASON
#2.
"Hauser claims he has used his skills that he developed to the betterment of the
community," I said. "He talks about how he has given freely of his time and he
mentions a number of activities, including the Route 219 Association. Heck," I said.
"He was paid for that by the Bradford Area Alliance. And besides, what does that have
to do in being a District Justice?"
Sharyn kicked me when the conversation shifted to the business about his small
business. I kept my mouth shut about that one. As we left I commented to her that the
claims were getting to be a bit much.
"Let's go to the Bradford Hotel," she suggested. "You are always
in so much better of a mood when you are there."
So, it was off to the Bradford Hotel.
As we walked in, Cornplanter and Red Jacket were sitting at the bar with my
father in law, George Walter and his fishing buddy, Ed O'Hara. The four of them were
involved in a deep conversation and Dave Sheffer seemed to be the referee.
"It's just like when the British gave us blankets with small pox and measles germs
on them. There isn't any difference." Cornplanter insisted.
"Hey," Red Jacket added. "Don't forget how the Americans stole Grand
Island from us."
Cornplanter angrily retorted to that by saying: "You sold it and you didn't have
the right. You started it all because you wanted money. You never thought that someday
there would be enormous real estate value to that island. You had no vision. You couldn't
imagine the bridges and highways that the white men were able to build. Oh, if you would
have only listened to me when I told you to stop selling all the land."
To that Red Jacket shot back: "A lot of good that did you. Look at where your land
is today. You held on to it so you could have your own reservation and now where is it? At
the bottom of a lake, that's where it is!"
"That may be true," he said. "But I cursed it and that's why the fish
don't bite and the tourists don't come. That's why the white men fight over drinking beer
on the water and riding snow mobiles on the ice. It's my curse. They are doomed to
confusion for one thousand years on those waters and in the forest surrounding the
waters."
George and Ed agreed. They both admitted that the Forest Service was in a state of
confusion, not to mention the Fish and Boat Commission. They also were in agreement about
the fish in the reservoir. "The curse is working," they both said.
"Hello," Sharyn and I said. "What is this all about?" I
asked.
"They're talking about the Asbestos Cover-up at the High School," Dave said.
"How did they get to the reservoir?" I asked.
Dave just shrugged his shoulders.
"It is a cover-up," I said. "And that's a damn shame."
Sharyn spoke up. "They called Clint McLaughlin a liar at the School Board meeting
the other night. That is a sure sign that its a cover-up. Anyone who knows Clint
McLaughlin, knows he is not a liar. The people who are calling him a liar should think
long and hard. They are the liars."
I know better than to correct, add to, or otherwise enlarge on anything my wife says.
Any man who has been married longer than one week knows that. But, she had an excellent
point.
"The two young men who came forward were not the only construction workers
I talked to about the asbestos," I said. "No. There were others, six of
them. All told identical stories and they all were concerned about their own health, as
well as the future health of the students. Every one of them were just as worried about
feeding their families and their livelihoods. They did not want to be black balled on
future construction jobs. To a man they all felt that would be the fate of Dave Hickey,
Jr. and Clint McLaughlin.
"Have any of you seen the movie?" I asked.
Cornplanter and Red Jacket said they had. "We rented our copy at
Man's World and kept it an extra day so we could show a few of the others what was going
on."
"And what did you think?" I asked.
Cornplanter spoke right up. "It wasn't any home movie like The Era said
it was. It was professionally done."
"It was informative and very well done," Red Jacket said. "You reminded
me of a white Ed Bradley - you know, the Sixty Minutes guy."
"It scared the daylights out of me," Ed said. "Every single parent
should see it and then get a lawyer. To think that went on and now they are covering it up
with the aid of the EPA and other officials is beyond belief."
The subject shifted to the Solid Waste Authority.
"That's a good idea you have to disband the authority and have the county take
over the garbage dump," Dave said. "Reading today's paper, you finally got Jim
Buck to agree that all the things you have been saying for over a year are all true. How
did you accomplish that?"
"Your guess is as good as mine on that one; but when I talked to him on my cell
phone before I came in here, he admitted that he finally read the booklet on Authorities
that Jay Paul Kahle gave him. Isn't it amazing what happens when The Era reporters
do research and give all sides of an issue."
"It's about time," Red Jacket said. George agreed, as did Cornplanter and
Sharyn. Me, I knew it. I had been saying it all along.
We called it a night. Sharyn, who had been drinking coke drove home. It was good to be
out during the week. That doesn't happen very often.
Comment on this at rdhedbud@penn.com.
MAY 11, 1999
Reason #1: Time to stop!
Good morning. It is 39.9 degrees at 6:02 A.M.
I am really hating this political campaign. I am hating it because now we
are getting down to the home stretch (seven days to go) and the cute, dirty comments and
innuendoes are starting to appear.
Chris Hauser, Candidate for District Justice for the City of Bradford, Corydon
and Otto Townships ran a curious ad in yesterday's Era.
"Why you should vote for me on election day?"
He gives as REASON #1:
"I am the only candidate to have completely familiarized himself with the
duties and responsibilities of the office. I have proven that I am a capable
administrator. I have managed a successful law practice and have owned a small business. I
have never been removed from any position or office for failure to perform my
duties."
Now, who do you think that is aimed at?
Could it be our Chief of Police Richard Cavallero? Could it be Jay Paul Kahle?
Let's look a bit closer.
Dick Cavallero was removed from the position of Chief of Police by Mayor Arvid (Boss)
Nelson for having a messy desk. That gave rise to a last minute write in campaign
against the "Boss" by Dick's aunt, Councilwoman Connie Cavallaro. The write in
campaign was a furious one but when the votes were counted it seemed that Connie was short
by as many as twelve votes. The paper proclaimed Arvid Nelson the winner.
That is the way it should have been but Attorney Greg Henry thought otherwise.
He immediately began gleaning the records of the election and began questioning poll
workers. Machines, according to him, may have malfunctioned. Stickers for write
in purposes, according to him, may have fallen off the official ballots. Some
voters, according to him, may not have been competent or even living in the City at
the time of the election.
Get the picture? Attorney Henry was throwing anything against the wall that he thought
just might stick. He was attempting to have the results of the election set aside and give
his candidate, Connie Cavallaro, a second shot at Boss Nelson in a special election.
Arvid Nelson is a fine gentleman. Connie Cavallaro is a wonderful lady. Greg
Henry, on the other hand, got down and dirty and began to make challenge after challenge.
Who do you suppose was representing Mayor Nelson while Greg Henry was running wild over
the records and any semblance of order in this election? Who do you think was representing
Arvid in all of this? Guess!
You got it. It was the man who calls himself "The Best Qualified
Candidate For District Justice." None other than Chris Hauser himself.
Votes are supposed to be sacred. Votes, like the seal of the confessional, are
supposed to be private and secret. However, Mr. Henry was allowed to question an old
woman who was a patient and a resident of the County run nursing home, Sena Kean Manor,
and find out how she voted. Mr. Hauser sat back, did and said nothing.
His client had already won the election! He watched that victory diminish with
each vote, including allowing several stickers that were laying on the floor of the
election booth to be counted and to be awarded to the Mayor's write in opponent. The
Judge, in the end, and with no vigorous defense, or offense, by the Mayor's council, had
no choice but to order a second special election. The rest is history. Connie won and Dick
was reinstated as Chief.
As for Mr. Kahle, was the ad also aimed at his loss to Charley (The Tuna) Jeff
( I only lie when my eyes are blinking) Duke?
Until I ran for office in 1995, that was the dirtiest campaign in the history of this
county. Mr. Kahle was the victim of lies and deceit from within his own ranks of people he
believed were his friends. Mr. Duke lied and smeared Mr. Kahle, and with the aid of some
13th hour antics by Judge Cleland, ousted Jay as District Attorney.
Mr. Hauser had better think long and hard. No doubt reason #2 is in today's
paper. Reason #1 could easily be taken apart. Why doesn't Mr. Hauser tell the people what
happened to his small business. Why doesn't he tell them all about the background of that
little fiasco? It comes down to something real simple.
Mr. Hauser just may be a bit more polished than Mr. Cavallero and a bit more
fleet of foot than Mr. Kahle. But, people who lived in glass houses should not forget
where they came from. I know all the details. Stop this now.
Comment at rdhedbud@penn.com.
MAY 10, 1999
A self serving idea - the second judge
Good morning. It is 34.2 degrees at 6:12 A.M.
When lawyers ask for anything, you can bet your last penny that you are about
to lose it. Nothing is different in the latest, long winded, financially unsound
proposal put forth on behalf of the McKean County Bar Association for a second judge.
This is not a new idea. Charley (the Tuna) Jeff (I only lie when my eyes are blinking)
Duke proposed this way back when he first became the District Attorney in 1993. (That was
when he thought he could get along with King John. That also is another story - those two
with their family money and egos attempting to coexist.) Anyway, the concept is that we
have so much criminal activity here in little McKean County (population in the area
of 48,500) that the court system is clogged. For that reason, we need a second
judge.
The real problem is we don't need the judge we have!
John Cleland has probably never worked a full week in his entire life. I am certain
that he hasn't since I took office in 1996. Most Mondays he is "working" at
home. Forget about trying any cases before him on those days. Then we have criminal pleas
and sentencing on alternate Thursdays. That in itself is a dead giveaway. If we are so
clogged with these cases, we would be doing it every Thursday, or every day for that
matter, just to get them out of the way.
The District Attorney claims to have tried thousands of cases in four years. The judge
will back that up and so will the Bar Association. But, there are thousands of cases in
the form of charges; not thousands of criminals!
Each person who commits a crime: DUI, Theft by Check, Simple Assault, whatever, is
charged with anywhere from three to ten other charges for the purpose of plea bargaining
and keeping the conviction rate high for re-election purposes should anyone ever challenge
the DA for her job. The fact of the matter is that we have relative few criminals, just a
whole lot of charges.
A second judge? What does the Bar Association call those Senior Judges who are
in the Court House ten to fifteen days a month?
When you combine the number of days they are in the Court House working with the number
of days John Cleland is there working, we have one full time Judge of the Court of
Common Pleas. The concept of having a Second Judge is to have two judges working at the
same time. That never happens in our Court House even though we do have two court rooms.
If this was managed properly we would in essence have 1 1/2 Judges right now! But it isn't
and instead we have, maybe, just maybe one full time judge between John and the Senior
Judges, and more likely, 3/4 of a judge.
Besides having Senior Judges to do his work for him, John Cleland also has Debbie
Babcox ($48,000 plus benefits) as a Family Law Master. She insures that John never has to
go to court to hear Divorce Cases or Child Custody Cases. She does that part of the job
for him and he signs off when she has finally decided that everyone on both sides has been
bled dry. Divorce McKean County style, is a time consuming and expensive situation.
He also has Steve Minor ($18,000 a year plus benefits) as a Juvenile Law Master. Steve
is a bargain for the county and he does a darn good job, too. Still, he insures that John
never has to hear Juvenile Court Cases by doing that part of his job for him. Maybe, just
maybe, that in itself is a blessing in disguise.
If we had a second judge, what would he do? Judge Cleland told the
commissioners that if we got another judge that he would still need the Family Law Master
and the Juvenile Law Master. What would be the purpose of the second judge if it isn't to
do the work that the Judge himself is now doing so he would then become a self canonized
highly appointed Administrator, never hearing any cases?
Dennis Luttenauer may be a Constitutional Law expert, and Mr. Mutzabaugh may be an
expert on the perfect martini, but they should not attempt to dabble in County finances
unless they have some background and know what they are talking about. The idea that a
second judge would cost the taxpayers a mere $20,000 over and above the $$70,000 that the
state gives us for his incidentals is absurd.
The fact of the matter is in the very first year there would be a direct cost in excess
of a half a million dollars to install a second and junior King to John Cleland. In each
successive year, based on today's dollars, the cost would be in the area of a quarter of a
million dollars over and above the $70,000 that we are "given." That does not
mention the cost of relocating departments and people currently occupying the space that
King John feels should be given to his junior partner. How would we pay for that and those
expenses unless we raise County Taxes?
The average taxpayer works damn hard to earn the living that he and she does.
Most of us do not have the quality time or the extra dollars to join a shooting club or go
on cruises. We are concerned just with making ends meet. There is no corporate welfare for
us! We don't have Judge Cleland sending us jobs (cases) so we can have a few extra
dollars. No one raised our hourly rate from $40 to $75 like the Judge did for the lawyers
on court appointed cases. No, if we have anything left over, our extra money goes to pay
our taxes and support our children. We do not have the luxury of the livings that Mr.
Mutzabaugh or Mr. Luttenauer earn and cannot stand even one extra dollar in taxes. A
second Judge would raise our taxes.
Here's a fine idea.
Let's install a time clock outside the Judge's office and outside of each court room.
Let's have the judge punch a time card and clock in and out. Let's see what really goes on
and let's finally find out if we are getting our money's worth with the one judge that we
have before we start asking for a second one.
We already have one hole in our heads. Why would we ask for another one?
Comment on this article at rdhedbud@penn.com.
MAY 8 & 9, 1999
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