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Issue Home March 11, 2009 Site Home

Letters to the Editor Policy

Will You Help?

Betty Wells Lavin (Harford High School - Class of 1957) and Robert Lavin (Forest City Regional High School) lost their home to a fire on the night of February 4, 2009. It was formerly located on Route 106 in Clifford.

The cause of the fire is unknown, but the Lavins do know that they lost all their material possessions and were lucky to have escaped with their lives.

An account has been set up in their name: Lavin Fire Fund Benefit, Honesdale National Bank, 619 Main St., Forest City, PA 18421, (570) 785-2274.

Please think about making a monetary donation; every dime counts.

We can make a real difference.

Sincerely,

Maria Gulbin-Suhadolnik

Lenox Twp.

All Calls Are Welcome

On Ash Wednesday Catholics received their ashes, which are to remind us of our mortality. Lent is a very special gift of the Church, to help us focus on where we are in our spiritual journey. Life is very short, and sometimes we forget the purpose of it all. This is a time to grow closer to God, who loves us beyond our comprehension.

We are all looking for answers and love. I invite you to tune into J.M.J Radio, 750 AM, as you drive or as a Lenten practice. At 1:00 p.m., there is a live call-in show where parents can call in for free advice from experts on child rearing and family problems. That number is 1-800 877-573-7825. At 3:00 p.m., there is an Open Line Live program featuring different representatives each day for questions dealing with different matters of the Church. That number is 1-800-585-9396. At 6:00 p.m., there is another Catholic Answers Live show where you are invited once again to call in with your questions. Sometimes the shows are encore presentations, but most generally they are live.

There are many other programs which can all be found on their website. Just Google - J.M.J. Catholic Radio. Instead of giving up things this Lent, why not try to open your heart and mind to the truths of the Church. All calls are welcome.

Sincerely,

Annette Corrigan

Jackson, PA

A Comedy Of The Absurd

The county Retirement Board meeting of “March 25” (presumably February 25 since it was reported in the Transcript’s March 4 edition) sounds like a comedy of the absurd.

According to the article, Commissioner Giangrieco has decided to substitute his self-proclaimed investment expertise for that of the professional financial advisors the county pays our tax dollars to. I was unaware Mr. Giangrieco was such an expert in this area. Where did he obtain his supposed investment expertise, at East Stroudsburg State College? That institution to this day does not even offer a major in finance. His position basically amounts to investing by ego instead of actual competence. Here’s why.

Giangrieco apparently objects to moving the pension fund assets to a greater cash position – generally a sound approach in a growing recession – because he feels it would be a “gamble” based on “market timing.” Sadly, he fails to recognize that his approach, keeping more of the pension fund in stocks, is itself the ultimate exercise of the very market timing theory he rejects. In short, he’s saying (and betting public funds on) his personal conviction that the market is now at its bottom, stocks can only go up and thus cash is a bad place to be. This is market timing at its most extreme and dangerous. Fact: since February 25, the date of his market prediction, to March 5 the Dow dropped another 676 points, or 9.3%! So much for “timing the bottom.” This is why we don’t hire plumbers to fix our computers.

Not even the best financial minds in the country can predict where the market bottom is in this economic climate, but Mr. Giangrieco purports to guide the county in an area well beyond any expertise he might have. He’s apparently been watching too much of CNBC’s Jim Cramer! It’s one thing to gamble one’s own investments on this basis, but quite another when one acts as a trustee of public funds.

If the county is paying out tax dollars for professional investment advice, the Commissioners should be following it. Should it turn out to be bad advice, those advisors can always be dumped in favor of others – just like the Commissioners can at the next election for having acted foolishly.

Mr. Giangrieco needs to direct his efforts to first becoming an effective commissioner before he stumbles blindly into the complex world of investment advice. And the majority commissioners would be wise to ignore the financial advice of an egotistical huckleberry in favor of the recommendations of the professional investment firm we taxpayers are paying for. You’ve just lost another 9.3% of the retirement fund by not doing so.

Sincerely,

Sam W. Lewis

Montrose, PA

We’ve Only Just Begun

Our government has driven us to poverty with technology, and to be sure that we do not revolt and incriminate the politically correct for borrowing our children and grandchildren’s money, they mean to dehumanize and enslave our conscience with abortion and every related evil.

Don’t say it can’t happen without us knowing. Obviously, we must press the media to present our 100% pro-life position that guarantees the preservation of the American family and families worldwide.

The great lie of our times is the politically correct slogan: separation of church and state. The results have been a demoralization of the human family and the breakdown of social institutions. Thomas Jefferson reflected the understanding of the founding fathers when he said, “Our constitution was made for a moral and religious people only!” It is undeniable that we, the people, have been blessed, “One nation under God.” God is love, and for 2,000 years has dwelt in our willing hearts and homes.

If our teachers would but uphold our beliefs in God’s word to our children, then they too would have that self-evident truth that all men are created equal, from the moment of conception.

Let’s pray for them and teach them to be pro-life.

Sincerely,

John Mann

Susquehanna, PA


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. 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.

Thank you, Susquehanna County Transcript


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