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Thursday, June 16, 1994 Page: 3A QUICK WORDS: TAKE A SWIG OF THIS
Take a swig of this urrounded by Congressional colleagues and their
pampered guests, Paul
Kanjorski pushed a glass of ice water across the crisp, white tablecloth in
the U.S. House of Representatives dining room”Members Only,” read the letters
printed above the door to these chambers of privilege.
“Here, drink this,” said the Nanticoke Democrat, motioning for me to take a
sip.
We had been at lunch for two hours and he’s making me drink water, I
thought.
We were here to talk about the congressman and his plans for our valley.
Kanjorski wasn’t happy with a column I recently wrote about his $30 million
high-tech dream. His publicly funded vision includes high-tech labs, massive
job development and environmental clean-up. Add in a lake with an inflatable
dam for boating and fishing and a cable TV station … wait a minute, that’s
another dream.
It all sounds too good to be true.
As a result, I had hinted that Kanjorski might have lost his grip on
reality. “So, Paul,” I asked “Do you think that perhaps you might have spread
yourself too thin?”
“Drink this,” said Kanjorski, nodding to the glass of water.
I took a sip.
“That’s government,” said Kanjorski in a smooth, practiced tone. “This is
one of the only countries in the world where you can drink tap water that’s
not hazardous to your health. And you can thank government for that.”
The little piece of dinner theater (or lunch theater) came about because I
had mentioned to Kanjorski that I basically distrust government.
Kanjorski wanted to reassure me that government can do good for the people.
To him, that’s what the Earth Conservancy is all about.
Unfortunately, the respected members of the community whom he has appointed
to the board of this private non-profit corporation have not done an admirable
job of telling people what’s happening and how our money is going to be spent.
Often, they act like members of the landed gentry who seem to believe that
they know what’s best for the people whether the people agree or not.
“In the eyes of some people, Paul,” I said, “the perception applies to you
as well.”
Kanjorski said he understood. This project is the first of its kind, he
said. And the board members are not used to handling this sort of thing.
In time, Kanjorski promised more information about how the continuing
supply of money he expects from the government will be spent.
Still, that doesn’t mean the public will know every phone call and meeting
that goes on, Kanjorski said. Washington just doesn’t work that way.
In essence, Kanjorski said, “Trust me.”
Then we embarked on a complex and sometimes confusing journey into the
workings of federal government.
I must admit that it didn’t take long before I began to feel at somewhat of
a disadvantage. Washington is clearly Kanjorski’s home court.
In Wilkes-Barre it’s easy to forget that Kanjorski is a legitimate power
broker who has the connections and the know-how to get things done. Listening
to him hold court and talk of his vision, I was just another confused taxpayer
being offered a ride on the little train that lawmakers use to ferry them back
and forth between their offices and Capitol Hill.
Through it all, Kanjorski seemed so very sure of himself. Maybe his vision
can someday provide salvation to an economically depressed region that seems
to be getting worse instead of better.
Maybe not, though.
In this massive project, obviously the most important of his career,
Kanjorski seems to realize that his reputation is at stake. He stresses that
nothing is more important to him than his integrity.
That much is clear.
But our congressman should remember that skepticism, especially by the
press, can be as beneficial to the people he serves as a long, cool drink of
water.
Steve Corbett’s column appears Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday