Wall Street West-Kanjorski Brainchild Died And Slips Into Obscurity

There was much excitement when Paul Kanjorski announced he was going to "potentially" bring 1,000 jobs to our area via bombing reclaimed mine- scared land. Instead of mines scarring the land it would now be almost 500 detonations per year. People quickly realized that it is election time and just like the FBI playbook cited by Hans Gruber in the movie "Diehard" Mitchell and Kanjorski were up to their same old "Let's Save The Gipper" tactics.

Yesterday, David Pierce over at the Pocono Record, reported on the death of one of Kanjorski's former "Let's Save The Gipper" tactics, Wall Street West. In this press release from Kanjorski's office in 2006 he promotes a talk he had about Wall Street West at a National Conference on Business Continuity.

Scranton, Pa. - Congressman Paul E. Kanjorski (PA-11) today presented the Wall Street West initiative to 1,500 attendees at the national Business Continuity Conference of the Securities Industry Association in Manhattan. Wall Street West is a concept that grew out of the realization that major financial services firms need secondary facilities in the wake of a catastrophe like September 11.

The Penn Regional Business Center, a division of LTS Builders in Monroe County, recently announced plans to create a financial district in northeastern Pennsylvania that would be fully compliant with federal recommendations for business continuity, and is set to break ground in June 2007.

"Wall Street West is a concept that we have been working on diligently since September 11. Northeastern Pennsylvania is suitably located for backup facilities because it is less than 125 miles from Manhattan, and is located in a different watershed and separate electrical grid. I am pleased that so many local and state officials, as well as community and business leaders in our region, have realized the benefits of Wall Street West. Our area is fortunate to have businessmen like Larry Simon, who took the seed of our vision and planted it with his investment in the Poconos," Congressman Kanjorski said.

Congressman Kanjorski earlier this month met with Simon, elected officials and financial services industry representatives to discuss the establishment of reliable backup facilities in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

Simon, chairman of the board and CEO of PRBC, hosted a reception at the SIA conference.

But the press release gets better.

In August 2003, Congressman Kanjorski addressed the SIA Business Continuity Task Force, and several firms expressed interest in Wall Street West. Governor Ed Rendell successfully applied for a $15 million Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) grant for training and education from the U.S. Department of Labor. Additionally, Gov. Rendell recently pledged $30 million to Penn Regional Business Center for low-interest grants and loans.

Taxpayers threw $45 million at this project and it ended up dying a slow death. And that is not the end of the story.

Look at this article that appeared in the Pocono Record back in 2006 by Micahel Sadowski. Again the headlines are from the "Let's Save The Gipper" playbook. $125M PROJECT BRINGING 1,300 HIGH-END JOBS WITH AVERAGE SALARY OF $50,000- 'Wall Street West' in the works

A shovel hasn't even touched dirt yet for construction of the first building, but developer Larry T. Simon already envisions a second building — or more.

That's how confident he is that his pet project, the $125 million, 300,000-square-foot Penn Regional Business Center, will be a success, establishing back-up data centers for financial companies based in New York City.

The numbers being cited for this undertaking — the first "Wall Street West"-designed building in the region — are staggering. At least 1,300 high-end jobs would be created, with an average salary around $50,000, according to those supporting the project. Proponents also say the project, which will be built on 14.6 acres of land, could lead to more than $400 million a year in local revenue.

The state could benefit to the tune of $3.5 to $4 million in income taxes per year, which is part of the reason it has committed about $30 million in grants to the project's construction.

Click on the link in that article to read about the infamous fiber optic network from Manhattan to the Poconos that never saw the light of day. The article is from June 8, 2007.

POCONO MANOR — The key element of the Wall Street West project is in place.

State and federal officials announced that Level 3 Communications of Bloomfield, Colo., will be constructing the $24-million fiber-optic network allowing the Wall Street West idea to become a reality.

Construction will begin on the 600-mile fiber-optic line within the next 12 months and be completed 12 months later, according to Jeffrey Allen, vice president of management for Level 3 Communications.

There are more links in this article.

Related Stories

East Stroudsburg group wins Wall Street West grant

With fiber-optic network coming, local developer can begin building

Scranton lands first Wall Street West jobs

Business center planned for Independence Road

Wall St. West developer gives pitch to NYC firms

'Wall Street West' in the works

Two Poconos projects promise jobs

Back to the Pierce's article on the closing of Wall Street West.

In its closing press release, WSW officials pointed to an organization formed in 2009 — the Pennsylvania-based National Center for Organizational Continuity — as a natural successor to Wall Street West for regional job-skills training and development.

"The National Center for Organizational Continuity is an interdisciplinary training and research collaborative," states the NCOC website. "It is dedicated to ensuring the nation's workforce obtains and maintains the high demand skills required to ensure both public and private sector resiliency in the event of a disruption of any scale or type."

The sole phone number listed on the Organizational Continuity website this week was disconnected. E-mails to a web address listed on the site went unanswered.

About all those promised jobs..well...let's quote Martin Luther King "I had a dream" then I woke up to reality. A politician like Paul Kanjorski will say anything and do anything to keep getting elected including blowing tens of millions of our hard earned dollars on Tomfoolery. To jerk around with the emotions of the unemployed or those aspiring to stay in our area borders on villain type behavior like Hans Gruber.








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We Are Determined To Build Positive Name Recognition- Todd Eachus 1996

March, 1996 Campaign '96 Update- Todd Eachus Campaign Flyer

The House Democratic Campaign Committee has announced that a fund raising event has been scheduled for Todd Eachus in Harrisburg on April 4, 1996. State Representative Mike Veon, Chairman of HDCC and Democratic Minority Leader William DeWeese are prime sponsors of the event.

"Like the French Fleet at Yorktown, we will be there with all guns blazing", said DeWeese emphasizing the assistance Democrats plan to give challenger Todd Eachus to unseat Tom Stish.

"I am honored that the Democratic Leadership has taken such a public stand and concern about this race in the 116th District."

Jury convicts ex-Pa. lawmaker Mike Veon in public corruption trial- March 22, 2010

Former Pennsylvania House Speaker Bill DeWeese charged in Bonusgate scandal- December 15, 2009

Is that what Eachus meant by building Positive Name Recognition?

Is this what he meant by guns blazing?

Mr. Eachus Define Term Limits

In an August 1996 mailing Todd Eachus stated he was for term limits.

"Tom(Stish) is a career politician who has been on the public payroll throughout his career; first with the public school system and now with the State of Pennsylvania... I, on the other hand, believe in term limits. We should expect public service, not self service."

It is now 2010. I was just wondering what Mr. Eachus considered an appropriate time to keep his campaign promise. Mr. Eachus claims that Tom Stish was a career politician. Todd Eachus has been in office since 1996. Nuff said. One has to wonder how the teachers feel when Todd Eachus made it sound like something illegal to work in the public school system.

His reference to serving as a Congressional staff member including serving under Paul Kanjorski.

Forecloures Up 74% Scranton/Wilkes Barre Region- Great Job Paul Kanjorski

Paul Kanjorski caught a break today,...well maybe. It seems the news is focusing on the Third Circuit Court of Appeals liberal ruling against Hazleton. The Times Tribune featured this article today highlighting the meteoric rise in foreclosures in the Scranton/Wlikes Barre region.
Regional mortgage foreclosures catapulted in the first six months of the year, according to a national real estate tracking company.

Foreclosures in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre/Hazleton metropolitan area jumped 74 percent from the January-to-June period in 2009, according to RealtyTrac, a Los Angeles-area firm that compiles foreclosure data.

One in 213 residences in Lackawanna, Luzerne and Wyoming counties was in foreclosure from January to June, making the region the 161st most-active among the nation's largest 206 metro areas, according to RealtyTrac. The volume from January to June was up 80 percent from the July-to-December period.

Statewide, foreclosures through June increased 16 percent over the same 2009 period, data show, and one in 199 homes was in repossession.

"I would have guessed they were up more than 50 percent, but it's even more staggering," said Mark Conway, a Dunmore bankruptcy trustee. "At sheriff's sales, there used to be 20 or 30 (properties). Now, there's 80, 90, 100 or more."

The foreclosure jump tracks the region's rising unemployment rate and indicates bank repossessions have moved beyond subprime loans to more-conventionally financed properties.

"This is directly correlated with the recession," said Dr. Satyajit Ghosh, a University of Scranton economist. "Our job situation and our economy is not looking good. The unemployment rate is the highest we've had in many years.

Foreclosures are expected to continue to rise until the employment situation improves.

"If the economy doesn't turn around and the job situation doesn't turn around, this is going to be a consistent problem for a number of years," Mr. Ergott said. "Everybody is kind of bracing for another round of this to hit the fan.


How is Ed Mitchell going to spin this one? Of course he will say it is Lou Barletta's fault that Kanjorski ruined the banking industry with his 20 plus years experience on the Finance Committee. Ed Mitchell took shots at Barletta over unemployment in Hazleton. It is time Kanjorski accounts and atones for what has happened in his district. With no end in sight for job losses our region is destined to suffer economically for years squarely at the hands of Nancy Pelosi, Paul Kanjorski, Harry Reid, and Barack Obama.

Appeals Court Effectively Blocks Hazleton Ordinance

The Third Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia handed down its ruling today that states federal law largely pre-empts states and local municipalities from enacting their own laws to deal with local issues as a result of illegal immigration.

Michael Rubinkam of the Associated Press quoted the following opinion from the courts ruling.

"It is ... not our job to sit in judgment of whether state and local frustration about federal immigration policy is warranted. We are, however, required to intervene when states and localities directly undermine the federal objectives embodied in statutes enacted by Congress," wrote Chief Judge Theodore McKee.

Their Opinon means that local municipalities have handcuffs on where local issues that arise out of an influx of illegal aliens create an undue economic burden to the community. The local governments are forced to suffer the consequences of a pathetically lax federal government.

Congress may feed the public that it is trying to deal with illegal immigration but this ruling points out otherwise. Congress is telling state and local governments "This is our sandbox and stay out." It is clear indication that Congressman like Paul Kanjorski are feeding a bunch of hockey puck to his district when he states "I have consistently supported legislation to secure our borders and enforce our current federal immigration laws."

Why are so many states and municipalities taking matters into their own hands and creating their own laws if current federal immigration laws are protecting them from undue financial burdens?

Here is a link to the court's ruling. Here is a picture of Judge Theodore McKee. He was nominated to the Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit by President Clinton in 1994.

At the time of this posting there were 1,206 comments posted on Yahoo concerning this ruling. Most are decidedly negative against the ruling.

Obama and Kanjorski want us to prove we have health insurance but their laws make it illegal for illegal aliens to prove their status or citizenship. Go figure.

Kanjorski Vote On Healthcare To Raise Price For All

FoxNews.com is reporting that new government figures show Obamacare under Barack Obama's costly healthcare overhaul that Paul Kanjorski voted for will increase the tab for everyone.

The nation's health care tab will go up -- not down -- as a result of President Barack Obama's sweeping overhaul. That's the conclusion of a government forecast released Thursday, which also finds the increase will be modest.

Here's what Paul Kanjorski had to say on March 21, 2010 about his vote for the healthcare overhaul.

"Today I will vote for legislation designed to improve the affordability and accessibility of health care. Americans already spend more on health care than the people of any other nation. If we take no action, health care costs are expected to double over the next ten years, just as they have over the last ten years.

The 60 Plus Association, as reported in the Times-Tribune, started television commercials attacking Paul Kanjorski for his misguided vote on the healthcare overhaul.

A conservative-leaning, nonprofit issues group will launch close to a $500,000 television advertising campaign locally today portraying U.S. Rep. Paul E. Kanjorski as a Washington liberal who voted for a costly health care reform bill that cuts Medicare by $500 billion.



Ed Mitchell, Kanjorski media consultant said. "Who in their right minds believes that he(Kanjorski) would (have) voted to cut Medicare by $500 billion?" The answer Mr. Mitchell is the Congressional Budget Office back in 2009.

Congress’ chief budget officer on Tuesday contradicted President Barack Obama’s oft-stated claim that seniors wouldn’t see their Medicare benefits cut under a health care overhaul.

The head of the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, Douglas Elmendorf, told senators that seniors in Medicare’s managed care plans could see reduced benefits under a bill in the Finance Committee.

The bill would cut payments to the Medicare Advantage plans by more than $100 billion over 10 years.

Elmendorf said the changes “would reduce the extra benefits that would be made available to beneficiaries through Medicare Advantage plans.”

SHAWN BISHOP, SENATE FINANCE COMMITTEE PROFESSIONAL STAFF MEMBER: “The $113 billion dollars is a reduction in the extra benefits, the added, additional benefits that Medicare Advantage enrollees have available to them. And those benefits come in the form of vision, dental, reduced hospital deductible. It’s unstatutory, it’s unlawful for any Medicare Advantage plan to reduce the AB covered benefit that they provide. That’s by statute. They have to provide that. They are going to have a reduction in the added benefits that they have in Medicare Advantage. So there’s a reduction in benefits but its additional extra benefits that they have above what they’re entitled to by law on the fee for service side.” (Finance Committee, U.S. Senate, Hearing, 9/22/09).

Ed Morrissey states in his article "Only an idiot would conclude that $500 billion in cuts to Medicare over 10 years would mean no reduction in benefits". Elmendorf is speaking not just from hard data but also common sense. Any attempt to get that level of “savings” from Medicare will necessarily cut the benefits going to its recipients. Trying to cast that as a myth is either an indication of mathematical incompetence, political dishonesty, or both.

I guess that answers Mitchell's question.

Did Kanjorski Say He Supported A High Speed Rail Line From Scranton To New York ?

In this video form Moe Lane of Red State Kanjorski says he would support a Maglev line for Boston to Richmond into Cleveland. Evidently the high speed rail line he has been touting for Scranton to New York would have a slight detour.

Moe's comment: first he was babbling about how nobody expected unemployment to get this high, and how he didn’t vote for the stimulus because it wasn’t big enough, and then he got into the entire maglev thing

Paul Kanjorski And His Act 47 Cities

PA2010 featured this article about Paul Kanjorski's attempts to attack Repulican Lou Barletta's stewardship of the City of Hazleton.

The local focus, in campaign e-mail missives to reporters framing Barletta as a failed mayor, mirror efforts by Democratic incumbents across the country to localize races that Republicans prefer to play on national issues. Whether Kanjorski’s criticisms gain any political traction—and whether they will form a foundation for his paid media campaign against Barletta—remains to be seen.

From the Pennsylvania Legislator’s Municipal Deskbook, Third Edition (2006)
Municipal Fiscal Distress and Recovery

In an effort to address the short-term and long-term financial difficulties faced by municipalities in the 1980s, the Municipalities Financial Recovery Act was enacted in 1987. This statute, commonly known as
Act 47, accomplishes four objectives:

1. A state assistance plan was developed to aid distressed municipalities to restore their financial integrity while leaving principal responsibility for the conduct of financial affairs to its locally elected officials.

2. Procedures for a distressed municipality to file a municipal debt readjustment (bankruptcy) under federal law were updated.

3. A method was established to consolidate or merge distressed municipalities that no longer are considered viable with more viable communities. (Note: These provisions were later repealed and replaced by the Municipal Consolidation or Merger Act.2 )

4. A grant and loan program was established to assist distressed municipalities in paying their current operating expenses, thereby allowing them to use locally generated revenue to retire debt.

Act 47, in a nutshell, includes the following:

• Provides criteria for identifying distress.
•  Outlines the powers and duties of the Department of Community and Economic Development in assisting a community to alleviate its distressed status.
• Grants standing to numerous parties to request a determination of municipal financial distress.
• Specifically provides a procedure for declaring a municipality as being distressed and subsequently authorizing the appointment of a distressed municipality coordinator.
• Requires the formulation of a fiscal plan unique to the distressed municipality, which will enable the municipality to remedy its distress status.
• Gives the distressed municipality the option of formulating its own fiscal plan.
• Requires the Commonwealth to withhold all state funds except those considered absolutely essential when a distressed municipality refuses to adopt a fiscal solvency plan.
• If needed, authorizes a distressed municipality to file a municipal debt readjustment action under federal law.

According to the Pennsylvania State of Innovation website there are nineteen municipalities in Pennsylvania under Act 47. Four of those municipalities (21%)are located in Kanjorsk's congressional district and have distress determinations under Act 47- West Hazleton since 2003, Scranton since 1992, Township of Plymouth since 2004 and Kanjorski's own hometown, Nanticoke since 2006.

The City of Hazleton is not on that list. Mitchell's proselytizing statements about mismanagement are a desparate attempt to save his candidate. Kanjorski saddled Nanticoke with the failed Kanjorski center. Kanjorski was their solicitor from 1969 to 1981.

Here is an assessment by Kanjorski of Nanticoke's plight in 2003. "Nanticoke has definitely been going through a transition," he admitted. "It suffered, like all of Northeastern Pennsylvania, from the devastation of the coal mining industry, and that happened probably in the late 40s when gas and oil became standard fuels, replacing anthracite."

Kanjorski explained that the American trend of leaving cities for suburban areas is a factor.

"What has happened in Nanticoke is basically in transition from a thriving center core population to a bedroom city," he said.
The decline of Nanticoke's downtown is representative of what is happening throughout the U.S.

"I look back and think if I return to Nanticoke after 20 years, the downtown will have several new buildings, boutique shops and retail stores, parking to accommodate them, houses up to standard," he said. "(There will be) a high quality of life, and a periphery of jobs and parks around the community and new communities around those areas ... Assuming the area can attract the kinds of jobs and industry that will sustain this kind of growth."

Kanjorski said there are two very promising prospects for offices in downtown Nanticoke, which he said, is working on moving along as fast as he can.

There is $2 million in grants for Market Street - part of, which is a Keystone Opportunity Zone - which John Toole said, has been "sitting there for years."

"We've had a lot of plans for Market Street, and they just haven't taken off yet," John Toole said. "I always have people contacting me, and the (chamber) does too, looking for small or certain-sized spaces to lease."

Now Nanticoke is in a distressed financial situation. Kanjorski should e answering questions on what he is going to do about the plight of the cities in his district. After all he wants to continue representing them.

Paul Kanjorski should take responsibility for his role in their plight and concentrate on the situation in his own home town before he focuses on Hazleton.

Mitchell Wrong On Barletta Position Regading Social Security

In the 2008 race between Lou Barletta and Paul Kanjorski I wrote a post covering the misleading information that was coming from the Kanjorski camp about social security and privatization.

In today's Times Leader Bill O'Boyle's article points out that Mitchell and Kanjorski are bringing up that dead horse again.

The Lou Barletta campaign says U.S. Rep. Paul Kanjorski is once again lying about Barletta’s stance on Social Security, despite being caught doing so by an independent fact-checking organization two years ago.

Ed Mitchell, spokesman for the Kanjorski campaign, said the FactCheck report dealt with the 2008 campaign and not 2002.

“The real fact is in 2002 Lou Barletta came out for personal savings accounts, which is a privatization of Social Security,” Mitchell said. “He endorsed George Bush and ran on the GOP platform that supported privatization of Social Security. He held this position for six years until on May 27, 2008, he flip-flopped because he was getting so much political heat.

Here is the Lou Barletta For Congress political commercial from 2002 on the subject. It is found on the Libary of Congress website and now on Youtube. If you click on the Library of Congress link, click on Otober 28 then click on "Click to Enter Site" then click on "Have you seen the Barletta television commericals Click Here. Click on the one "I signed a pledge in a roomful of senior citizens that said I would not privatize Social Security."

This is the REAL FACT Mr. Mitchell.

Tara Toohil Calls On Eachus To Respond To Bonusgate Allegations

In today's Standard Speaker staff writer Sam Galski is reporting that Tara Toohil, candidate for the Pa. House of Representative seat in the 116th district is calling out House Majority Leader Todd Eachus to answer questions surrounding his role in the Bonusgate investigation and misuse of taxpayer funds conducted by Attorney General Tom Corbett's office.

Toohil issued a news release Tuesday that sets a 5 p.m. Thursday deadline for the incumbent to respond to 10 questions about the legislative corruption scandal that has led to several convictions and charges against House lawmakers and staffers, charging that Eachus has repeatedly refused to answer questions regarding his involvement. Toohil contends that constituents deserve answers to the questions, which she says she e-mailed to Eachus Campaign Spokesman Dave Georges.

"His name has repeatedly surfaced in the Bonusgate investigation even being named as a close ally to convicted felon and former State Representative, Michael Veon," Toohil wrote. "According to published reports, Representative Eachus's own aide, John Paul Jones, testified before the Grand Jury that Representative Eachus directed state employees to work primarily on political campaigns while on state time. Jones admitted that he did political work for Mr. Eachus while operating under the cover story that he was a legislative research specialist making $62,000 a year in state money."

She demanded answers to the following questions:

How much taxpayer money was spent on political work by state employees under your direction? During what time period did this occur?

Did you ever utilize state resources improperly in order to assist in campaigns?

Were you aware that your employees were doing political work on state time?

Have you ever used the term "soft dollars" in referencing state money that you directed to be used for political campaigning?

Did you personally make campaign phone calls out of your legislative office?

Did you direct John Paul Jones to do political work on state time?

Did you authorize bonuses (paid with state money) to state employees who did campaign work?

Have you discussed your involvement in Bonusgate with your employees or with your former ally and convicted felon Michael Veon?

Why do you refuse to answer questions from the media regarding your involvement in the Bonusgate Scandal?

"Representative Eachus, the people who put you in office deserve answers to these questions," Toohil wrote. "As an elected official you do not have the right to remain silent when it comes to answering to the public.

Eachus Campaign Spokesman Dave Georges tried to deflect Toohil's public call for answers about the "Bonusgate" scandal on Tuesday, saying Toohil should instead take a position on pertinent issues such as mine land reclamation, job creation and programs that could help veterans returning from the Middle East.

Here was Eachus's statement back in February about the pending closing of veteran outreach centers in Pennsylvania.

House Majority Leader Todd Eachus, D-116, Hazleton, and Rep. Ken Smith, D-112, Dunmore, vowed to bring together all the relevant state agencies and organizations like the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars to try to work out a solution that meets veterans' needs while recognizing budgetary realities. That's political speak. What is really means is that Pennsylvania doesn't have the money to continue to fund these outreach centers because the legislators are taking the money for themselves in the form of per diems, expense accounts, lavish pensions, and "country club" health benefits.

As to the issue of jobs and the mine reclamation project currently being conducted by Hazleton Creek Properties one only has to turn to this statement made by Paul Kanjorski, former boss of Todd Eachus. I understand that many workers rely on this project for jobs. Todd Eachus has been the representative of "NO" on this project from the beginning. It has brought at least 10 new police officers to the City of Hazleton. Maybe it is Todd who should explain his stance against Lou Barletta and the City of Hazleton.

A open question to David Georges. You said rather than question Todd Eachus Toohil should instead take a position on pertinent issues such as mine land reclamation, job creation and programs that could help veterans returning from the Middle East. Are you saying that public corruption and all that has happened in Harrisburg and Luzerne County aren't "pertinent"? What a commercial for Toohil.

On the subject of the "Party of No"