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I was out and about recently enjoying the company of faces I could actually see. Radio is a weird format. We spend most of our days imaging what our callers might look like.
I had a hard time believing my ears. The topic of discussion was (what else?) Luzerne County politics. You think that people would be exhausted by this point, re-hashing the perennial topic of debt card misuse, crony hiring, incompetence, no show jobs, questionable decisions from the third floor, juveniles without lawyers, a leisurely filing of financial statements by people who file documents for a living, stealing of the people’s money, re-assessment, and other things that would make your eyes glaze over (if they haven’t closed already).
One of the people in the discussion was brutally honest in his take on the Luzerne County mess. You might be shocked. You might agree.
“We could have had it all,” he sighed, running through a list of juicy jobs that are usually offered to the “in crowd,” including lucrative posts at the county’s park. “But, we got too greedy.”
Therein lies the rub. A new generation of county leaders came to power about five years ago. They asked us to trust them. They told us we didn’t need no stinkin’ home rule charter. They swore that things would be different.
Oh, they’re different, people. Those who were in charge turned a blind eye to a whole host of shenanigans, including the sudden shutting of a state-okayed juvenile detention center, a slew of no bid contracts and a juvenile justice system that’s under the scrutiny of the state’s higher court. Yep, they could have had it all. Now, if we’re to believe what’s being whispered in the ears of reporters, the county is under the scrutiny of the Secret Service, the F.B.I. and the I.R.S. If that’s all, I would be surprised. Some of these entities should open branch offices in the Courthouse Towers Building. They should overturn every rock, investigate every rumor, and tell the taxpayers as soon as possible what’s going on. Then, a new generation of people who just witnessed the total churning of the old guard should step forward, knowing they have the chance to do it right this time. And, those who are the successors after the mess is swept up and bagged, should resist the temptation to dole out no-show jobs at far flung places. |
Rush Limbaugh
