I'm As Mad As Hell

I'm as mad as hell and I'm not gonna take it anymore.  There are a few things stuck in my craw that have been chaffing my irritation button for a week or so now.  First off, why hasn't Kids For Cash participant Rob Mericle been sentenced yet.  Mericle pleaded guilty in September to withholding information on a crime for taking actions that prosecutors said helped former judges Mark Ciavarella and Michael Conahan conceal the source of $2.8 million Mericle and Attorney Robert Powell had paid them.  It seems to me that 5 months is a long time to wait for sentencing.  Prosecutors allege the money, roughly $2.1 million of which was paid by Mericle, was a reward for rulings the judges made that ensured two juvenile centers once co-owned by Powell maintained a high occupancy rate.  On a positive note, federal prosecutors now have a motion in front of a judge to change the sentence possibility from the minimum to the max for his role in this despicable affair.  Let's see if the federal judge has enough guts to allow the justice system to throw the book at this crook.

Shame on Kraft Foods.  They have struck a deal with Genpact foods to ship jobs from our area to India.  WHAT!  WHAT! ARE YOU FREAKIN' KIDDING ME!  On Monday, Kraft foods informed their 350 employees that work in the Hanover Industrial Park that they will be moving to Genpact which is a few miles away.  Under the "Strategy Description employees saw,
  
 “Genpact was chosen by Kraft senior management to provide order to cash services. This bid waiver covers the 5-year term of the contract for the OTC services. Kraft employees will be transferring to Genpact. Contract language includes the agreed upon severance, benefits and all employment related provisions. Pricing for the first year is based on FTE count. Thereafter, Kraft has rights to convert to transaction based pricing. Kraft will exit Wilkes-Barre by July 1, 2014 and move into Genpact’s Wilkes-Barre facility. Beginning July, 2015 FTE will being (sic) to transition to Genpact’s India facility.”

It's time for this crap to stop.  I recommend that we all boycott products produced by Kraft Foods.  It's time we send a message to these companies that "we are as mad as hell and we're not gonna take it anymore".

And finally, it appears that the Insane Clown Posse at the Luzerne County Courthouse have screwed up yet again.  Our County Council debate over the 2014 budget has held up tax bills from being sent out.  The Council has been debating over an 8% tax hike.  The bills were supposed to be mailed out in January but are now just going out.  No big deal right?  Yes big deal.  The county now has only about $2 million is reserves to cover expenses which include payroll and other bills.  Local tax collectors are required to turn over tax payments by the 10th of each month which now means the county will not get any more money until April 10th.  Two million bucks does not go a long way when you are trying to cover the bills for a month and a half.  All I can say is, "What a bunch of idiots".  I made the call a few years ago that this Council form of government will not work.  I predicted that many things will get caught up in gridlock due to the members not agreeing and "BOOM" here it is.