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User: jmacintyre Time: 05-11-2012 19:01 Product: Times_Leader PubDate: 05-12-2012 Zone: Main Edition: Main_Run PageName: edit_01 PageNo: 9 A

THE TIMES LEADER

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➛ S E R V I N G T H E P U B L I C T R U S T S I N C E 18 81 !

SATURDAY, MAY 12, 2012

Editorial

PAGE 9A

OTHER OPINION: PA. CLASSROOMS

Pension costs put schools in bind

CHOOL DISTRICTS Tribune-Review found that scrambling to close 300 retired educators are colbudget deficits are lecting more than $100,000 in turning to a variety of pension payments each year. The pension payments for approaches impacting the academic experience of chil- retirees are off-limits to redren – closing schools, laying form efforts. School officials off teachers and eliminating say tampering with pension programs. Sports also are on plans for existing employees might be illegal, as well. the chopping block. Union officials note that Public schools were estabeducators conlished to serve our tributed 6 perchildren. Too much The struggle to of the maneuvering cover the costs of cent of their pay to the pension involved in deterthe pension fund even as mining how schools school districts operate seems to fo- system is eroding contributed far cus on the interests the quality of less. Ten years of other stakehold- education … ago, school disers: teachers, adtricts paid 1.09 ministrators and repercent into the pension tired educators. While school boards chip fund. Today, they are paying away at the expenses they 8.65 percent, and the contrican control, they are strain- bution could increase to 18.19 ing from the burden of man- percent by 2014-15 unless a dates, most notably their solution to the crisis is found. One possible solution? contribution to support the pension fund for retired Members of the Legislature teachers and administrators. get no pension unless they reIn Milton Area School Dis- visit the issue and come up trict, the district’s contribu- with an alternative that does tion to the pension fund not depend on passing along jumped $400,000 from 2010- the cost to school districts. The struggle to cover the 11 – enough to pay the salaries to keep 10 starting teach- costs of the pension system is ers in the classroom. Instead, eroding the quality of educathe district is laying off teach- tion by consuming funds that ers and bracing for pension could be better spent in the costs to increase about classroom. $400,000 next year. The Daily Item, Sunbury Meanwhile, the Pittsburgh

QUOTE OF THE DAY “There were many errors, sloppiness and bad judgment.” Jamie Dimon The CEO of financial firm JPMorgan Chase revealed Friday that one of its trading portfolios lost $2 billion in the past six weeks. The announcement spurred a sell-off of bank stocks in Britain and the United States, while reigniting a debate over whether banks can be trusted to handle risk on their own.

OTHER OPINION: FRACKING

Fed drilling plan not proactive

HE OBAMA administration’s proposed rule for hydraulic oil and gas drilling on public lands is the equivalent of closing the barn door after the horses have escaped. The Interior Department issued a proposal last week that calls for companies to disclose the chemicals used in extracting gas and oil from shale deposits deep underground. The problem is, unlike an earlier plan that would have required them to release the information at least 30 days before starting a well, the new provision says the contents of the fracking fluid – water, sand and chemicals – don’t have to be divulged until after drilling is over. That’s hardly proactive. But the Obama administration, under criticism from Republicans and industry officials for the president’s energy policies, bowed to drillers’ objections. They said the adEDITORIAL BOARD

ditional paperwork would slow the permitting process and could jeopardize trade secrets. It decided scientists would be able to use the records to trace any future contamination after the fact, and that there was no reason to require disclosure in advance of drilling. The federal rule would apply only to 3,000 or so wells drilled each year on 700 million acres of public land administered by the Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management and another 56 million acres of Indian land. Regulation of drilling on private land – the majority of the 13,000 wells drilled each year – falls to the states, and some already require prior disclosure of fracking chemicals. The rule for public lands should be at least as stringent as those being imposed by states. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

PRASHANT SHITUT President and CEO/Impressions Media MARK E. JONES JOSEPH BUTKIEWICZ Vice President/Executive Editor Editorial Page Editor

MALLARD FILLMORE

With Victory Sports league, everyone wins – literally FORTY FORT – Brandon Harvey caught the ball. Maybe that doesn’t sound like a major news event, but it was an accomplishment of major league proportion. Harvey, 25, of Plymouth, has Down syndrome. He’s a member of the startup Victory Sports baseball league for adults with mental and/or physical challenges. Last week he was playing third base – the “hot corner” – during a spring training game at the Little League field on Tripp Street in Forty Fort. A left-hander, Harvey stood at the ready for anything hit his way, and on this mild early May evening, he answered the call. The ball was pitched, the batter swung and the ball was lofted in Harvey’s direction. He had it in his sights from the crack of the bat. He followed the flight of the ball – right to his glove. Brandon Harvey caught the ball, something unprecedented for this league’s participants. To appreciate Victory Sports is to appreciate the effort that each player puts forth each game. The participants are all adults – 21 and over – who love to play sports, but after “aging out” of Little League’s Challenger Division, they had no options until Victory came along. And the typical execution of baseball doesn’t happen due to their physical and/or mental challenges. Whether they have Down syndrome, or muscular dystrophy or multiple sclerosis, these athletes aren’t gifted with the same coordination or agility that other athletes possess. But the effort and enthusiasm are there – and always at 100-plus percent.

MAIL BAG

COMMENTARY

LETTERS FROM READERS

Good neighbors deliver hope in Wyoming County

Victory Sports was born. The participants played baseball in the fall and basketball in the winter. They also had a couple dances at which they renewed friendBILL O’BOYLE ships and had fun – a lot of fun. The outcomes are not measured scientifically, but Now, the rules of Victory are a bit lenient. parents tell league officials that Victory has Every player bats in each inning. The score made a big difference in their children – all is always tied. There are only winners in this positive. They have become more social and program. On this field, the dreams always active, and that’s a good thing. come true. And, nobody gets out – ever. At that 20th reunion last spring, Andy But Brandon Harvey caught the ball. Ashby, former pitcher for the Philadelphia And when Harvey caught the ball, he Phillies and other MLB teams, renewed his celebrated. He raised his hands, bobbed his friendship with Christina Capitano, one of head up and down and gave high-fives to the first-year Challenger players who is now almost everyone in Forty Fort. It was a main her early 30s. jor league moment in every way. During a game in 1991 at what is now Across the diamond from third base another celebration was going on; the batter, PNC Field, Capitano walked over to Ashby Jimmy Bonchonsky, was celebrating his and asked for his autograph. Ashby com“hit.” He crossed first base and stood his plied and the wide-eyed Capitano, then 10, ground as he awaited the next batter. Branasked a question: “Why should I want your don Harvey might have caught the ball, but autograph?” Bonchonsky was safe at first. Ashby told her he pitched for the Phillies, Everyone wins. And that is one reason to which Capitano responded: “You do? So why the program works. The Victory prodo I.” gram is a natural outgrowth of the ChalDo you see the simplistic charm in that? lenger Division, except that Little League So if you aren’t doing anything at 6:30 Inc. does not sanction an adult version of p.m. this Wednesday, come to the Pittston Challenger – yet. So, when Challenger held its 20th anniversary game during April 2011 Township Little League Field just off the Pittston bypass. You will see a real baseball in Pittston Township, most of the first-ever local Challenger participants turned out for game played by real baseball players who are concerned about one thing: giving their an “old-timers’ game.” very best while playing the game they love. Edward Orloski, one of those Challenger And Brandon Harvey, or somebody else, alums, asked officials a simple, yet profound, question: “Why can’t we play baseball just might catch the ball. anymore just cuz we got older?” There wasn’t a reason, not a valid one Bill O’Boyle, a Times Leader staff writer, is vice anyway. It’s just that nobody ever thought president of Victory Sports Inc. You can send email to him at boboyle@timesleader.com. enough about it to see the need. So last fall

oday’s families might be faced with job loss, aging, abuse, poverty and other situations, leaving people feeling helpless and hopeless. The natural disasters of 2011 brought many additional challenges to area residents. Certain residents lost their homes, valued treasures, personal belongings and their way of life. But all wasn’t entirely lost; people found caring neighbors, helpful strangers and a community filled with support fueled by H.O.P.E. The Wyoming County United Way is committed to H.O.P.E. – Helping Our People Every Day – and we discovered we were not alone. We discovered that people cared. Generous donations came in from our county and neighboring counties. Contributors gave selflessly both to the 2012 campaign and directly to help residents affected by the disasters in Wyoming County, which led to the development of

SEND US YOUR OPINION Letters to the editor must include the writer’s name, address and daytime phone number for verification. Letters should be no more than 250 words. We reserve the right to edit and limit writers to one published letter every 30 days. • Email: mailbag@timesleader.com • Fax: 570-829-5537 • Mail: Mail Bag, The Times Leader, 15 N. Main St., Wilkes-Barre, PA 1871 1

the Long-Term Recovery Committee. This committee was specifically created to assist victims of disaster. Donations came from a variety of charitable sources, including from a church group sponsoring a Zumba dance-a-thon, students holding a basketball free-throw competition and the Tunkhannock Disaster Relief Fund out of Washington, D.C. You are the reason for the success of this campaign. Your contributions support 22 local agencies providing assistance, focusing on the areas of health, education and family.

DOONESBURY

Thank you to all who contributed to the 2012 campaign. Your donations make a difference to our residents by giving them H.O.P.E. – Helping Our People Every Day! Flo DePolo President Board of Directors Wyoming County United Way

Resident lauds Mundy for following high road

n this era of political corruption and unkind words exchanged between political parties, I find a ray of hope in state Rep. Phyllis Mundy, D-Kingston. What grace it took to respond to state Rep. Tarah Toohil, R-Butler Township, with the words “imitation is the most sincere form of flattery.” Thank you, Representative Mundy, for demonstrating that civility is possible in the world of politics. Cheryl A. Fuller Dallas

User: mdessoye Time: 06-22-2012 14:45 Product: Times_Leader PubDate: 06-23-2012 Zone: Main Edition: Main_Run PageName: edit_01 PageNo: 11 A

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SATURDAY, JUNE 23, 2012 PAGE 11A

Editorial

OUR OPINION: PROGRESS

Let bright spots outshine gloom

Well, for starters, assuming OST OF THE time – heck, all of the time – that’s true: If you don’t try, you progress in these just slide down the slope faster. But consider the possibility parts feels like building sandcastles with a bully lurk- that things actually are getting ing in the background, ready to better faster than they are gettng wreak havoc and kick improve- worse. No area resident is apt to spout Dr. Pangloss’s Pablum ment into rubble. Build a movie theater in from Voltaire’s Candide: “All is downtown Wilkes-Barre, then for the best in this, the best of all condemn the historic Hotel Ster- possible worlds," yet bright spots sometimes ling despite more than seem to be outshin$6 million spent on The bright spots ing the gloom. preservation. sometimes seem News of private Install portals in to be outshining development of the the Wilkes-Barre levee Sterling Annex on that reconnect resi- the gloom Wilkes-Barre’s Rivdents to the river, then er Street is one exwatch as a record flood destroys homes and dis- ample; plans by Harrold’s Pharplaces lives along the unprotect- macy to renovate the Old River ed lowlands up and down the Road Bakery across town is another. banks. Coal Street is straight and – Conduct and complete the first countywide property reas- for the first time in years – sessment in four decades and smooth. Shickshinny and West completely revamp the county Pittston – two towns particularly form of government with a new shattered by last year’s floods, home rule charter, even as a fed- are rebounding. There’s more, but hopefully eral corruption probe exposes the depth and breadth of crony- the point is made. Once in a while it pays to turn ism, kickbacks and good-old-boy focus from the failures, and pay a arrogance. One step forward, two steps little more attention to the progress. back … what’s the point?

QUOTE OF THE DAY “To see this kind of investment in an otherwise extremely difficult real estate market and economic climate speaks volumes about the momentum the downtown has been able to achieve, despite any number of setbacks.” Larry Newman The Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Business and Industry vice president touted the sale of the former Sterling Annex to a private developer planning renovation into housing units.

OTHER OPINION: U.S. SYMBOLS

Should bison be national mammal?

OES AMERICA need tribal Buffalo Council want to a national mammal? add the American bison to the U.S. Sen. Mike En- list of national symbols. At zi, a Republican from their peak, American bison Wyoming, thinks so. And in a numbered more than 50 milrare show of bipartisanship, lion and ranged across most of many of his colleagues agree. North America. The largest The United States has three land mammal on the continational symbols. The oak has nent, bison were hunted nearly to extinction in the been the national tree since 2004. The rose The largest land 19th century. Today, some 500,000 was designated the mammal on the bison survive. Most national flower in continent, bison have been cross1986. bred with domestic The bald eagle has were hunted cattle and live in the longest tenure; it nearly to herds maintained has been America’s extinction for their meat and emblem since 1782. hides. About 20,000 Benjamin Franklin bison are considpreferred the turkey, which he thought was more ered wild. The push to elevate the bicourageous and respectable and was a native species. But a son to national mammal is driturkey grasping 13 arrows and ven by economics and history. an olive branch in its claws Still, the burly bison with its would have lacked the majesty massive head, short horns and of the eagle on the Great Seal of distinctive shoulder hump is a fitting symbol of the United the United States. Now, the Wildlife Conserva- States. tion Society, the National BiPittsburgh Post-Gazette son Association and the InterEDITORIAL BOARD

PRASHANT SHITUT President and CEO/Impressions Media MARK E. JONES JOSEPH BUTKIEWICZ Vice President/Executive Editor Editorial Page Editor

MALLARD FILLMORE

The Susquehanna couldn’t squelch spirit of her people IN THE DAYS leading up to June 23, 1972, we all laughed a lot. We laughed about everything – even the pounding rain that seemed never-ending in the prior two weeks. But then the earthen levees, weakened by saturation from a bulging Susquehanna River, were overwhelmed. On Beade Street in Plymouth and on Riverside Drive in Wilkes-Barre, they gave way and the river grew to a mile wide, pouring into homes and businesses throughout Wyoming Valley. We didn’t laugh – or even smile – for a long time after. I was a flood victim and I worked in the recovery, helping coordinate the cleanup in Plymouth and in Kingston. Later I worked for the Luzerne County Redevelopment Authority and helped people return to their homes or purchase new ones. Every morning for weeks I stood on the steps of the old Plymouth Borough Building as workers showed up at daylight to get their assignments. They were paid $20 per day to clean the homes and businesses of their neighbors. They arrived clean each morning and returned in the evening covered in mud to collect their daily stipends without complaint. They knew there was a big job to be done and they did it. You could see the determination in

MAIL BAG

BILL O’BOYLE

LETTERS FROM READERS

New EPA regulations jeopardize coal industry

to most of them before, there was skepticism. Many thought what was really happening could never happen. But it did. The water covered second COMMENTARY floors in many houses. It washed homes off their foundations. It carried furniture, appliances and memories all the their eyes. You saw they had a sincere sense of pride in what they were doing – way to the Chesapeake Bay. It was an event captured on film and every day, seven days a week. Nobody called off sick. No one shirked his or her shown across the country. Wyoming Valley was flooded, and the world knew responsibilities. As the muddy river water slowly reced- it. But what the media reports didn’t ed, people went back to their homes to show was the real story – the spirit of the find layers of mud and destruction, conpeople who refused to let the Susquehanfronting the full ugliness of a flood no na River take away their lives. They were one ever expected. knocked down, but they got up to finish This would be a challenge of monu– and win – the fight. mental proportions. The hard-working In September 2011, the river rose to people of the Wyoming Valley were now levels greater than 1972 and the imfaced with cleaning up their homes, resproved levees held. But unprotected toring their memories and rebuilding their lives in a way they had never imag- areas were devastated – receiving more water than Agnes provided. Those comined. munities are coming back slowly. No matter what one’s ethnicity or soWhen you watch the documentaries of cial standing, all were reduced to mudAgnes and read the books and look at the slinging, garbage-hauling laborers who pictures, realize what happened here. collectively would show an entire counDon’t allow Agnes 1972 to be a memory try how to rebound from tragedy. of devastation and ruin. This was no time to be concerned Remember Agnes 1972 as a challenge: about who deserved what – everybody When the Susquehanna rose up, so did was in the same boat, so to speak. The the spirit of her people. Agnes Flood of 1972 was a scary time. And then kick back and have a good Loud messages on bullhorns awakened a laugh. sleeping community with warnings of high waters – of impending flooding – of a disaster on its way. Bill O’Boyle can be reached at 829-7218 or email Still, because this had never happened bobyle@timesleader.com

ennsylvania’s coal industry, the fourth largest in the country, employs 52,000 people. New regulations from the Environmental Protection Agency could force utilities across America to abandon coal as a fuel for power generation, which could very soon put each one of these men and women out of work. I am a staunch proponent of clean air, but the new EPA regulations will cost power plants and consumers millions, but won’t measurably improve air quality. On the other hand, several independent research groups have concluded that the new regulations would put thousands of jobs in jeopardy and increase Pennsylva-

nia’s energy costs by as much as 8 percent. The choice is clear to me: We simply cannot afford more layoffs and price increases. Lawmakers in Washington will move to rein-in the EPA with legislation sponsored by Oklahoma Sen. Jim Inhofe. I believe it’s time we stand up for the hard-working men and women who work in Pennsylvania’s coal mines by supporting this effort to

DOONESBURY

protect Pennsylvania’s coal industry. Reductions in the coal-industry workforce would be a severe setback for this region’s slowly recovering economy. We have a chance to put a stop to this potential disaster, and for the sake of Pennsylvania families, I hope we will take advantage of that opportunity. State Sen. Tim Solobay D-Washington

Writer a supporter of Smith for Senate

e need Tom Smith in the U.S. Senate. He is pro-life and has what it takes. Smith is a professional who needs to be elected. Alex S. Partika Wilkes-Barre

User: jmacintyre Time: 07-26-2012 19:41 Product: Times_Leader PubDate: 07-27-2012 Zone: Main Edition: Main_Run PageName: edit_01 PageNo: 13 A

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➛ S E R V I N G T H E P U B L I C T R U S T S I N C E 18 81 !

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FRIDAY, JULY 27, 2012 PAGE 13A

Editorial

OUR OPINION: CAMPAIGN MONEY

Donor bucks keep Kanjo in ‘office’

• To pay for cellphones, ofT TURNS OUT former U.S. Rep. Paul Kanjorski of fice supplies, stamps and – no Nanticoke has redefined kidding – flowers. So if you happened to have “I’m running for public office” to mean “I have a private donated to Kanjorski’s campaign committee in a firm beoffice.” Voters ousted the veteran lief he was the right man for the legislator in part because of his office, now you know which ofpenchant for funneling other fice your money is helping him people’s money into family keep. That would be the offices of “Kanjorski & pockets. But losing Associates LLC.” the election appar- Voters ousted the Even if this is leently didn’t mean los- veteran legislator gal (perhaps ing that proclivity. As staff writer An- in part because of someone should file a complaint drew Seder reported his penchant for with the Federal in Wednesday’s edi- funneling other Election Commistion of The Times people’s money sion to find out), Leader, Kanjorski’s it’s not ethical. If campaign commit- into family you lose and you tee, Pennsylvanians pockets. have campaign for Kanjorski, has contributions left managed to dispense more than $122,000 in the 19 over, they should go solely tomonths since the 2010 election. ward paying off campaign Knowing Kanjorski has not debts, to another candidate’s been running for office, the ob- active campaign or back to the vious question is this: Where donors. Despite his flaws, Kanjorski did the money go? • To Kanjorski himself, for did a lot of good for his constituents, funneling federal money mileage reimbursement. • To K&K Real Estate, a to many worthy regional proholding company owned by jects. But he does us no good by Kanjorski and his brother, apparently as monthly $3,000 continuing to burnish the area’s payments for office space in a sad reputation of cronyism and building they own, where Kan- nepotism using other people’s jorski now runs a private con- cash. The only campaign he’s fundsulting firm. • To pay a woman for office ing now is one of self-aggrandizement. and clerical work.

QUOTE OF THE DAY “I don’t feel I deserve it and I would have never expected it.” Dr. Stanley Dudrick The Nanticoke native, 77, spoke demurely about the naming this year of a new hospital in Poland in his honor. During his career, while at the University of Pennsylvania, Dudrick pioneered a technique that allows people who cannot eat to be fed through a tube that bypasses the intestines – considered by some to be one of the three most important advancements in surgery during the past century.

OTHER OPINION: BANK WATCHDOG

Consumer bureau already paying off

HAT’S IN YOUR wallet? Maybe a little more green, now that Capital One must reimburse 2 million customers for over-aggressive selling. The big bank was fined $210 million last week by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau for selling customers credit card products they could not use or did not want. The penalty was the first action by the new regulatory agency created by the DoddFrank law, Congress’s response to the financial crisis of 2008. The bureau, which was fought by Republican lawmakers, is charged with protecting customers from high-pressure, deceptive or aggressive tactics by banks and other financial firms. The agency said Capital One’s call centers misled customers on payment-protection insurance, an option to help card holders pay their credit bills in the event of job loss, EDITORIAL BOARD

death or disability. Regulators said the marketers deceived customers into thinking that the protection was free, mandatory and would improve credit scores; the bureau’s 30-page order alleged that call centers sold the provision to ineligible outof-work customers and forced it on them without consent. As a result of the federal action, Capital One said it will make sure its subcontractors adhere closely to a proper sales script and not engage in unfair tactics. Later this year customers will receive refunds averaging less than $100 apiece. This is just the kind of role the bureau was expected to play, and its successful action shows how wrong-headed the political opposition to the agency’s creation was. If this type of action becomes the norm, taxpayers will get their money’s worth from the consumer watchdog. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

PRASHANT SHITUT President and CEO/Impressions Media MARK E. JONES JOSEPH BUTKIEWICZ Vice President/Executive Editor Editorial Page Editor

MALLARD FILLMORE

NCAA acted hastily and unfairly on PSU sanctions THE HEADLINES blared Tuesday, all relating to the severity of the NCAA’s penalties for Penn State University. Should Penn State have to pay for the way it mishandled the Jerry Sandusky sex abuse case? Absolutely. Was the NCAA fair in its sanctions meted out at a Monday press conference? Absolutely not. This is not to suggest the university was correct in the way it handled the Sandusky situation. It failed its students, its supporters and most important it failed the victims of Sandusky, a pedophile who probably will spend life in prison. But the NCAA penalties will harm more innocent people. There is no intent here to equate Sandusky’s young victims with the victims of the NCAA’s actions, but something must be said. First, what was the rush? Why couldn’t the NCAA have waited until all the related court cases were heard and adjudicated? Perhaps testimony and facts presented in the upcoming trials of former athletic director Tim Curley and now-retired vice president Gary Schultz will shed further light on the subject. Maybe these court cases will find the Penn State upper echelon of administrators – including coach Joe Paterno – even more culpable. Many people, mostly those with strong Penn State ties, refuse to believe their beloved football coach was capable of consciously leading a cover-up of Sandusky’s dastardly deeds. It’s a tough pill to swallow, given Paterno’s record and persona and his

MAIL BAG

BILL O’BOYLE COMMENTARY philanthropy. As attorney Mike Hudacek of Plymouth said this week, one phone call would have done the job and removed Penn State from the equation. One phone call to the authorities, one complaint to be filed, one revelation that there was a monster in their midst is all it would have taken. And more important, additional victims would have been spared the abhorrent advances of Sandusky. The NCAA has accepted the Freeh Report as gospel. The NCAA apparently felt it had enough to pass judgment. But this was, after all, a criminal case, not a recruiting violation. The NCAA could have been more effective in its penalties. Fine the university millions, remove all those people responsible for the cover-up, send a clear message that this will not be tolerated. But why punish these football players and coaches? They were not participants in the cover-up. Why take away wins from players who sacrificed, went to class, graduated and brought honor to themselves, their families and their school? And why take away Paterno’s/Penn State’s wins? Those victories were earned fair and square on the football field. Penn State didn’t cheat the system like other athletic programs have. You don’t improve a university by hurting its students and athletes. The NCAA could have deliberated longer. Penalties that would be even more effective could have been

found and levied. Instead, Penn State athletes who dreamed of playing for the Nittany Lions are torn between staying loyal to the institution they love or accepting offers from other colleges that dangle in their faces possibilities of bowl games and national titles. Tell me, how many of these schools can compare to Penn State when it comes to graduation rates, academic standards and playing football by the rules? At a time when a sensitive situation called for a sensitive, thorough, fair evaluation, the NCAA failed. It seemingly bowed to pressures from uninformed sources, like media types with questionable motives, to destroy not only a football program, but also a student body, a fan base and a university that should have been measured more for all of its good than for the inactions of a few misguided men. Much of the good that Penn State does might not continue because of these penalties, and that is wrong. Athletic and academic programs will suffer needlessly. Is that what the NCAA is about? God bless Sandusky’s victims. God bless Penn State. And shame on the NCAA for not thinking outside the box before acting. Bill O’Boyle, a reporter for The Times Leader, can be reached via email at boboyle@timesleader.com or by calling 970-72 1 8.

LETTERS FROM READERS

State of private sector is anything but ‘fine’

At a time when a sensitive situation called for a sensitive, thorough, fair evaluation, the NCAA failed.

or those people who think the private sector is “doing fine,” as President Obama declared at a press conference in early June, they might have been interested to see what was going on around 1 p.m. June 11 at Penn Plaza at South Main Street in Wilkes-Barre. The parking lot of this strip mall was filling up fast, and a line of people, mostly young, snaked around to the far south corner, where the Bank of America was located. The occasion? The bank teller at the drive-up window said that Save-A-Lot, a new budget grocery store that had recently moved in and was soon to open, was “hiring.” These people all were looking for honest work, not unlike so many in our country today. Most, I would guess, were not experienced produce managers or bakers or butchers, able to command (well, maybe

not any more) more money for their skills and experience. Instead, I would guess that most of these young people were looking for an opportunity to get at least entry-level work, with a chance to move up. I passed by there more than an hour later, and the line was shorter but still there. A chilling statement about the state of our economy.

DOONESBURY

Diana Morgan Wilkes-Barre

Morality’s gone missing in today’s evil society

vil exists. When a society sets out to remove all aspects of God from its consciousness, what remains? When God goes, morality becomes relative. What is right for me might be wrong for you. What restrictions does one have when there is no accountability? The law? Hah! The law is only effective when people obey it. If you have no moral obligation to it, why regard it? Consequences do not seem to matter. We, as a society, have bred this. The sewer pipe of Hollywood magnifies it. When you throw out the good in a society, only evil remains. God is good and you have a free will. If you do evil, the onus is on you, not God. David J. Obaza Nanticoke