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Issue Home March 16, 2004 Site Home

Letters to the Editor Policy

Call Any Certified Inspector

On Wednesday, March 3, CHOCH (city hall of city halls) had an information meeting for contractors on the new Pennsylvania Uniform Corruption Code. CHOCH brought in their crooked monopoly contractor, John Hudak of Building Inspection Racketeers, BIR, from Scranton.

Hudak spent an hour and twenty minutes explaining the wondrous nature of BIR inspections. Basically, BIR will be very, very, very user-friendly. BIR’s highly trained inspectors will never need more than 24 hours to find your job site, and they probably won’t hang around and bother you for more than 20 minutes. No matter how many mistakes you make, there will never, ever be a surcharge for repeat visits.

Most of the hundred-plus contractors in the room sat like deer in the headlights. A few expressed doubts about the professional abilities of BIR’s highly trained and certified inspectors, not one of whom was introduced to their clientele (or even present?). Hudak made it clear, several time over, that back in the bad old days, building inspectors at city hall or L & I were nothing but incompetent, opinionated hacks. But this is now New Pennsylvania, and Hudak has the "pleasure" of hiring all of BIR’s fine young men. He will not hire a Master Code Official who knows more than he does, but gives contractors a hard time. Remember, BIR is user-friendly.

In point of fact, a borderline illiterate can pass a two-hour test and get certified. Many certified inspectors don’t know the difference between PVC cement and solder. They’ve never bent a nail or hammered a wire. A sensible contractor might hire them as helpers. But, they’ll be user-friendly.

CHOCH’s crooked monopoly contract with BIR is not a monopoly. No! It’s a "contract." And the 80/20 fee split is not a bribe, it’s not a kickback, it’s rent for the office space and "the girl." Wyoming County CHOCH has a similar, crooked monopoly contract with Guardian, the building inspection racketeers from Monmouth Junction, East Germany. But Wyoming County only collects a 15% bribe/kickback/rent. Shame on them!

For those of you in the opt-out municipalities, you can call any certified and insured inspector. I guarantee that the price will not be less than $750 for a new house. Not one red cent will go to city hall. There will be a surcharge for repeat visits; if you mess it up, you will tear it out and try again. That’s what a building inspection is supposed to be.

As I said in November, the Uniform Corruption Code does not require crooked monopoly contracts; it merely condones them. For all practical purposes, no inspector with any self-respect would work for weasels like Hudak and Guardian. I would rather drive to Montrose and sign up for welfare or leave Pennsylvania, where I’m sad to say I was born.

Several people have suggested that my previous epistles were ever-so-slightly over the top. As I write this, I am sober as a church mouse. You have the right, under the right-to-know law, to know what’s going on. You have the right to talk. You may petition the Lord in prayer. You have the right to write in Yaller Dawg for representative/senator. We should make snow fleas the official state insect, or at least elect them to the legislature.

Not nearly enough said.

Sincerely,

David A. Kerr, Jr.

Friendsville, PA

Trying, One More Time

Since Mr. Amadio doesn’t seem to understand my letters, and since he didn’t reprint my letter the way I wrote it, I will try one more time:

It was a false statement when Mr. Amadio wrote that the members of the Susquehanna County Economic Development Board "said it was okay to fire Justin Taylor."

Mr. Amadio went on at length last week about many issues. The fact remains that when he wrote that we "said it was okay to fire Justin Taylor," he was writing something which was not true.

Mr. Amadio does not have a license as a news writer, or columnist to write something which is false, and then go unchallenged.

He also spent the last three paragraphs of last week’s column answering charges, which I did not make, in another letter which I wrote to Forest City Borough City Council on a totally different subject.

I am well aware that Mr. Amadio will always have the last word in this newspaper, no matter what I write. I know he can interpret, misinterpret or misconstrue anything which anyone writes to challenge him – but that does not make it right!

Sincerely,

John P. Kameen

Susq. Co. Economic Dev. Board member

EDITOR’S NOTE: Dear John, I will not respond to your insinuating that our reporter, P. Jay Amadio made false statements, that is for him to address. One editor to another, I will respond to your intent to discredit this publication’s policy to clarify errors, or allow opinion to be expressed. The County Transcript, unlike your own Forest City News does not censor opinion, or fact to suit purpose. I.e.: "No matter what I write." Your (and anyone else’s) opinion, clarification, or personal interpretation is both welcome and solicited in my publication. The fact you do not practice what you pretend to preach in your newspaper will not influence the County Transcript’s (my) belief that it’s OK to challenge the "chosen few," every now and then at the least.

For The Record

I currently serve as a School Board Director for the Forest City School District representing the Borough of Union Dale, PA. I have taken the position of Director to try and better serve the community and most importantly, the children, which includes my two daughters. Unlike some School Board Directors, I have chosen to listen to the concerns of the people for which I was elected to represent.

Unfortunately, when the Board of School Directors meet for the "public" monthly session, very few people of the School District attend. As a Director, I have been asked by several people about the Board’s recent decision not to retain Ms. Bernice Lukus as the Forest City School Superintendent.

For the record, I made a motion at the November meeting to retain Bernice Lukus as Superintendent, which was seconded by Margaret Schwartz. Now having the motion on the table to retain Ms. Lukus, the President of Directors, Dr. Joseph Lucchesi immediately called for an executive session (which is a closed meeting to the public). After a two-hour executive session, only five members out of nine returned to the regular meeting and did so out of an obligation and commitment they took on as Board members. Once the meeting resumed, we addressed some of the open issues and made decisions that we felt had the best interest of the students, teachers and residents in mind.

December’s meeting started with the reorganization of the Board. Tom Baileys was nominated as President. Our newly appointed President immediately stated that the Board did not intend to retain Ms. Lukus as Superintendent. Reverting back to the November meeting, me and two other members looked forward to having Ms. Lukus as our Superintendent for another four years. Due to the circumstances of the executive session and the political aspirations of some of the members, I regretfully and personally feel that it was predetermined that Ms. Lukus would not continue as the school’s superintendent for another four years.

It is unfortunate, because I strongly feel that Ms. Lukus is the best candidate for the position of Superintendent of the Forest City School District. This position, currently remains open and I truly hope that when the Board meets we can collectively choose a Superintendent that best serves our school, children and community without prejudice and political motives involved.

Further, I personally invite the public to attend these "open" meetings, in order to see some of the ongoing politics that continue to plague our School District. It is not only the responsibility of the School Board, but the community itself needs to be involved so that this blatant disrespect of certain members of the School Board can be abolished. I feel that certain members are not making decisions for the betterment of the students, teachers and residents of the Forest City School District.

Sincerely,

Thomas M. Heller

Union Dale, PA

Let’s Live Our Faith

I was watching the Billy Graham Crusade and as the camera scanned the thousands of people there to hear the word of God I thought of the movie, The Passion of Christ. This movie is breaking many box office records. There seems to be a great hunger to experience God. Then a TV program on EWTN came to my mind. Fr. George Rutler, noted speaker from the archdiocese of New York was speaking about Simeon, the old man in the Temple when Mary and Joseph took Jesus to be circumcised. (Lk 2, 25-35) Simeon was happy to die having seen and held the baby Jesus. Fr. Rutler asked if we would be as happy to die. Then he asked us to imagine what our world would be like if every Christian politician would do his job in a Christian way; if every Christian voter would only vote for politicians who oppose ungodly laws. There would be no abortion (an abomination to all Christians until the 20th century). There would be no gay marriage (Romans 1 26-28, 1st Corinthians 6 9-10, 1st Timothy 1 10).

I'm aware that what I am saying is not politically correct. I respect all people's right to worship as they please but I can't help but wonder - if all Christians studied and lived out their Christian faith, would our country be in the mess we now find ourselves? And if every Christian registered and consistently voted could we reverse this ungodly trend? Let’s not just experience God - let’s live our faith.

Sincerely,

Annette Corrigan

Jackson, PA

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR POLICY
Letters To The Editor MUST BE SIGNED. They MUST INCLUDE a phone number for "daytime" contact. Letters MUST BE CONFIRMED VERBALLY with the author, before printing. At that time you may request to withhold your name. Letters should be as concise as possible, to keep both Readers' and Editors' interest alike. Your opinions are important to us, but you must follow these guidelines to help assure their publishing.

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