Norco Dem Party Boss Walt Garvin dropped in on Ron Angle's Friday news conference, and was kind enough to engage in a quasi-debate after it was over. From this, we have learned the following:
1) Wally G claims that neither he nor the Dems have an official position on Gracedale. I see. I guess that he and the Lehigh County Dem Party Boss were on Gracedale campus last Sunday to blow bubbles and chase butterflies.
2) Walter believes it would be "inappropriate" to advise Northampton County voters that their continued public support of Gracedale will likely result in a 20% tax hike in each of the 5 years mentioned in the initiative. Laughing, Angle said it sure is "inappropriate" if you want to get someone's signature on a referendum petition.
3) After claiming he is neutral, and with no facts to back him up, Garvin debated Angle on the merits of privatizing Gracedale. It is very clear that Dems will use this issue in next year's election.
Thanks Walt. Overnight Angle has become an expert on longtime care. You are representing the concerns of the most vulnerable citizens of the County who are most often unable to defend themselves.
ReplyDeleteYou are correct, Angle's comments are opinions and the numbers he is throwing around has no basis in fact other than the reality created by his buddy Stoffa by not allowing revenue producing beds to be filled. For forty-five years the Home has weathered more difficult storms. Now Angle and Stoffa have created this "Trojan Horse" of an argument to push an agenda to raise quick cash and cut jobs. They wrap it in concern for the elderly and all the knowledgeable people on this issue know that is just not true.
Those in the know, know this is a bullshit sell job that they need to push through as soon as possible since most County residents oppose this stupid self-centered move.
Sell the damn thing... you go RON! The county (ANY COUNTY) has no business in the nursing home business!
ReplyDelete@7:04am Yeah.....it was OK for the County to be in the nursing home business when Gracedale was making money for the county. Now the present elected officials ran it into the ground so everyone wants to sell Gracedale instead of getting those elected officials out of office that ran it into the ground. What about the 5.5million Gracedale made for Northampton County?!?
ReplyDeleteBernie..did I hear Ron correctly? Did he say that if 51% of the electorate want Gracedale funded..he would be obliged to do so? If that is what he said in the video I would consider that as asking for a mandate..no? It is my contention that as such a galvanizing issue..it should be put before the county voters and then you have a clear path..one way or the other. If this was a topic of discussion during the last voting cycle..I would concede that mandate to sell to council as it is now constituted with Republicans but it wasn't an issue as it is now. This could be political suicide for many council members as how can they reliably vote for their constituents in a fair and honest way without knowing their wishes. Prudence..
ReplyDeleteDave, you heard Ron correctly. But Ron also wants the voters to know the facts. The initiative fails to inform the voter the County cost of keeping Gracedale over the next 5 years. To make an informed decision, they need to know that, too. But the people circulating the petition are NOT going to tell taxpayers that it will cost the County at least $5 MM + per year over each of the next 5 years, together with $12 MM in capital improvements that need to be made. The circulators will never inform voters that no one is being "kicked to the curb," and that Gracedale will be mandated to keep Medicaid beds. They will never tell voters that quality of care actually went up at other institutions that were privatized.
ReplyDeleteI will admit that the petition wording is not what I would have chosen but I will solicit signatures tomorrow and up until the deadline. If asked I will be honest with any questioners I encounter as much as I can not knowing every detail of county financial matters. The district meetings are a good start to the fact finding process and I hope things go well and in an orderly fashion. I am not a proponent of boorish behavior..it accomplishes nothing. I just want to see the will of the people be done and it appears the Home Rule Charter is a good thing and it allows for differing opinions to be expressed. The founding Fathers were pretty intuitive and could see future problems and a way to solve them..amicably.
ReplyDeleteIf we could just exterminate everyone who hits age 60 and doesn't make 100k a year, there would be no issue. Government hands off my Medicare!
ReplyDeleteI inform EVERYONE that the current number being floated is a increase of 5% from Ferraro up to 20% from Ron . I also try to keep Rons name out of the conversation as WHENEVER IT COMES UP EVERYBODY HAS TERRIBLE THINGS TO SAY ABOUT HIM.
ReplyDelete(If I were him I would heve a complex by now.) I then politely explain I have no opinion about him and try to change the subject. I inform them the county, if it is decided to keep Gracedale, will probably be compelled to change management possibly to an outside firm to make it efficient. Not profitable as we aren't in it for profit however self sustaining which I think is possible. I think we will have between 40 and 60 thousand signatures when it is all said and done. I've only been out 5 days there is an overwhelming positive reponse. I would say that would be a mandate. Rons support on the council will evaporate when the other members see this number. That is if they want to keep their pensions and lowcost healthcare. Maybe Ron should begin to save faceband allow the referendum to go through with his blessing. Then during the winter he could mount a campaign to educatebthe prospective voters to his reasoning. I think he would look alot better to people if he did it that way. So fund it for a half year and let the voters decide, and maybe as a reward you keep your position on council because you've joined the human race. Just a thought.
Is the coming swaption due note a major part of this initiative to sell Gracedale? That is a large chunk of change that is hanging over the counties head and I think that fact alone is pushing the need to free up assets/cash. Our elected officals entered into that deal with their eyes open and now it's time to pay up. Is this the only way to satisfy our debt?
ReplyDeleteThere is not one shred of real evidence to corroborate the statement that it will cost at least $5 million a year for 5 years, not one. Remember when it was $6 million a year for ten years. I see they have had to lowball there first outrageous predictions. A new Administration that wants to keep Gracedale and actually implements the steps to make it happen will restore the Home to its rightful place of excellance. that is the biggest fear Angle/Stoffa have.
ReplyDeleteThese guys are unbelievable. This is the Angle/Stoffa method, just say something and have the people who work for you agree and it is fact.
Look at the real facts, until Angle/Stoffa came along Gracedale was doing just fine. Stoffa closed 100 beds to fix the windows and wouldn't let the beds be refilled. So money went out with no revenue coming in. He tehn uses that year to base all future costs on. This is the most blatant fraud heaped on the residents of Northampton County in over half a century.
The ballot question is simple and honest,"Do you want the County to keep Gracedale", yes or no.
Lets not play games with Anglomoics or Stoffanomics.
Neither of these people have any credibility on this issue. They have both wanted to dump Gracedale for years to further their other goals.
I have another ballot question. If the County sells Gracedale and gets $30 million and cuts the workforce by 33%, should the county taxpayers get an immediate tax cut of 5%. Yes or no.
The motto of this gang,"sell seniors buy land".
O'Hare, how do you know the quality of care "went up" at other privatized institutions?
ReplyDeleteInquiring Minds
@ inquiring minds.....Healthcare at the Dauphin County home had to go up......it was already rated as low as it could be rated by Medicare's rating. This is how they twist the facts. Just look it up for yourself.
ReplyDeleteWell, Gracedale is not that far behind, so its quality of care will go up, too. The top-rated nursing homes, with the exception of Cedarbrook, are not public. Of course, you know all this.
ReplyDelete"Is the coming swaption due note a major part of this initiative to sell Gracedale? "
ReplyDeleteOf course it is. It's mentioned and nearly every meeting and I've written about it. It's certainly one of the reasons to sell.
To Frank Merchant, When you're making these arguments, are you looking u the skirts of these women? Do yiu have any mpre bright observation about flowered panties? You're a sicko and exactly the kind of person the Gracedale Goons deserves.
ReplyDelete"The founding Fathers were pretty intuitive and could see future problems and a way to solve them..amicably."
ReplyDeleteDave, the founding fathers had nothing to do with the HRC and would probably detest it as mob rule.
Gracedale has had great ratings until Stoffa ran it into the ground. Again there is no definitive proof the care of Gracedale will go up if in private hands, once you factor out the intentional Angle/Stoffa sabotage.
ReplyDeleteAlso the costs numbers are pure fiction.
The "Big Lie', you repeat it often and loudly. That is the strategy of Angle/Stoffa as dutifully reported by their Minister of Propaganda uberfuhrer O'Hare.
"Roll out the old people and buy land, mien fuhrer!!
I'm lots of things, sicko isn't one of them. I thought injecting this story into the narrative would reduce some of the tension in here however I was wrong. And I thought name calling and personnal attacks was verboten in here. Just when its' you being attacked I guess. Also not mentioned in my statement was the fact my wife and 4 year old daughter were with me when this happened. Are they being painted with the sicko brush as well? Please be careful how you answer. I await your apology. And might I add this line of attack only invigorates us so keep up the good work.
ReplyDeleteI want 1000 signatures by the end of the week. Wanna bet I get them?
BTW I don't make arguments I make statements extremely non confrontational statements. I do this petition work on my own and am not associated with the union or the Alzheimer people other than to get the blank petitions. I will not be at the polls with the "goons" or "crazys" as I have a proven method of collecting signatures en masse. I am quite the independent, a very dangerous breed as far as you and Angle are concerned. Once this project is completed you will be shocked when you learn of my next endeavor. Good luck to the two of you.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous name-calling is not permitted, but I sign my posts and you are one sick pup. Your proven method appears to involve stalking women in the Slate Belt.
ReplyDeleteFrank Merchant said...
ReplyDelete"BTW I don't make arguments I make statements extremely non confrontational statements."
I guess you made an exception for me... I'm honored.
Don't get upset Frank. O'Hare was caught in a woman's dress in a Courthouse men's room by a Court Administrator. he deflects the issue but he knows it is true.
ReplyDeleteNext to O'Hare, Charles Manson is a Boy Scout.
Once again Tea Person you have not comprehended the statement. You know before I get into it I would like you to refund any Pell Grants or monies provided by the governemt you accepted for your education. The first reason is you appear thick or stupid or ignorant and it was awaste to give you any funds. The second reason as a member of the Tea People you realize those monies are considered unconstitutional. GIVE IT BACK LOSER. Now, I wasn't refering to this blog due to the vitrole level. I tend to go off, and YOU deserve it, hypocrite. I am refering to the manner of which I explain the Gracedale situation to people who ask before they sign. Now, I am not going to address anymore of your inane questions. So don't bother asking.
ReplyDeleteRETURN THE MONEY YOU STOLE FROM WE THE PEOPLE THE TAXPAYERS, HYPOCRITE.
Oh and Bernie I live on Rose Inn Ave in case your perplexed as to why you can't find my address. Why not stop by sometime.
Tea Person
ReplyDeleteOne last thing,
why not take pride in your appearance, and comb your hair for your photo.
That's interesting because you claimed elsewhere to live in Bangor. How can I stop and see you when you don't post the street number?
ReplyDeleteFrank be careful if you have small children. O'Hare has a non related prepubescent boy he hangs with. He calls him his "grandson".
ReplyDeleteMost of us are concerned about that one.
You're a sick turd. All you do is validate Bernie.
ReplyDeleteFrank,
ReplyDeleteFirst, I speak here as an individual, not as "Tea Person". You do that as a diversionary tactic.
Second, my inane question was, "How many Gracedale jobs are being lost and what makes them better than private sector jobs that endure sales, mergers, closings, etc"
It's really a very easy question.
If living in a world where I received a public gov't funded education over 30 years ago makes me a hypocrite... so be it.
I pretty much assumed that joining with like-minded people who are concerned with the issues of the day would cause me to be called a racist --- and I figured, "so-what", it reflects more on the name caller than me. Any one who knows me, knows better. No more hiding from the slandering name callers.
And add to "racist" --- hypocrite, retard, ditto-head, FoxNews zombie, blah, blah, blah...
Pile it on. What comes out of your mouth defiles you, not me.
Wait, I keep seeing Gracedale made a total of $5.5 million up till 2009? What was the effect of 2010? Why is 2010 avoided when talking to a "G-Goon"?
ReplyDeleteAnon 9:33, if you read the reports it is obvious that 2010 like 2009 are Angle/Stoffa years that were worked to make the point of selling Gracedale. Stoffa emptied beds to fix the windows but would not let Gracedale fill them, thus the revenues are still way down. If Stoffa is not watched by an independent panel of experts dedicated to saving Gracedale, he will continue to bankrupt citizens to make his point.
ReplyDeletePoint is Stoffa has engineered this manufactured crisis at Gracedale.
I got 110 signee's yesterday in Bangor over a 10 hr. period at the combined first and fourth ward polling place. Not too many grey panthers blew me off and most women were willing to talk and ask what the issue is all about. I mostly approached older couples and young marrieds/kids and left the single guys pass by unless they requested info or to sign as the petition was not available at every polling place to my knowledge.
ReplyDeleteBernie..hung out with Joe Cap..former Bangor Mayor/Council fill in yesterday at the poll in town as he was handing out Dertinger ad's. We had some great discussions and the time passed fast.
ReplyDeleteSome people thought the Gracedale petition was being voted on..on the ballot. The meeting in two weeks in Bangor should be well attended as I reminded the petition signers of that up coming county forum on the proposed sale. We may have to get extra chairs for the event and are doing our best to be ready for a crowd.
ReplyDeleteBernie..can you post a head count of tonights Northampton Boro forum meeting? That would help us to anticipate the number of chairs we could need. Thanks.
ReplyDelete"Sell Land, Save Seniors"
ReplyDeleteDave, I won't be there tonight. I'm covering a Beth ZHB meeting. Sorry.
ReplyDeleteThe Angle/Stoffa "dog and pony show", kicks off tonight.
ReplyDeleteHow many lies can they tell and who did they pay to tell them?
"Sell Land, Save Seniors"