Larry Vojtko who lives on 8th Street near me in Wyoming sent an email correcting something I wrote two weeks ago in a column about the state budget, where I equated PBS with NPR and said the state government shouldn’t be funding radio and TV stations.

From the e-mail: “I just wanted to correct a misstatement in yesterday’s column. All Things Considered is a production of NPR (National Public Radio). PBS is the public television network and as such produces and distributes television programs. PBS and NPR are separate non-profit corporations. I certainly respect your opinion regarding state funding of public broadcasting. Since you believe public broadcasting should pay its own way and because you enjoy All Things Considered I hope you’ll consider becoming a member.”

Your neighbor on 8th Street, Larry Vojtko.

You got me Larry, consider it done.

In June when my daughter, Sadie, graduated from Wyoming Area I wrote a column, a sort of a parting shot at the district. Sadie’s been harassing me ever since and boycotting the Dispatch and vows to keep it up until I retract something I wrote in that June column: “So anyway this is Sadie’s 15th year of school, 14 of them at Wyoming Area and she still doesn’t know the capital of Iowa.”

Ok, I retract that. Not only does she know the capital of Iowa, she knows it is one of two state capitals which are two-word French terms. She knows there are only four state capitals named after presidents, one named after a guy named Otto, and one three-word capital.

Last month while driving out to Yellowstone and back and we played the license plate game. Like, one of us would spot a plate and yell, “Kentucky” and she’d yell, “Frankfort.”

On a good day she can rattle off all 50 of them.

Before the end of the school year Wyoming Area sent us a letter which listed Sadie’s height, weight and body fat index. I’m guessing Wyoming Area didn’t come up with this on its own, it’s got to be some kind of stupid state mandate.

Well guess what – it’s none of their business, not the school’s nor the state’s, how much my kid, or any other kid, weighs or what her or his index is. Parents have two eyes and we have scales.

That reminds me, in the Democrats’ so called stimulus package is $1 billion to “fight obesity.” Not only are we too stupid to know when our kids are over or underweight, we are too stupid to know when we are overweight and we’re too lazy to do anything about it without the federal government taking us by the hand to the health food store or the treadmill.

It’s a free country and if I want to eat cheeseburgers all day and be fat, it’s none of Obama’s business and it’s none of congress’s business and if I decide I don’t want to eat cheeseburgers all day and I want to lose weight, then I’ll do it without any help from the busybodies in Washington or with the help of other people’s money.

How many of us in Greater Pittston could afford right now a brand new Toyota Highlander or Mercury Mountaineer, which go for about $34,000. Well, those are two of the more popular SUV models purchased under Obama’s Cash for Clunkers program.

With a $3,500 rebate under Cash for Clunkers the cars go for around $30,000.

Still can’t afford it? Then how does it make you feel to know that the government is using your money and your kids’ money to help people who can already afford them buy vehicles which you couldn’t afford even with the rebate.

An assessment by the New Jersey Transit and the U.S. Department of Transportation of a proposed half billion dollar passenger train service project between Scranton and New York City said only 40 people a day would take a weekday train from Scranton to New York City. The assessment also said the trip would take three hours and 20 minutes.

Paul Kanjorski, a proponent of the project, said in an email that a lot more people would take the train if it was faster.

He’s right there, but how many riders would be enough to justify spending a half-billion? And that’s just an initial cost. The assessment predicts the line will operate under a $12 million annual deficit. That is likely to go up and up and the line will need government subsidies annually.

The assessment has details like departure times and station stops, but missing was an estimate ticket cost.

A while back I complained about the state’s control of casinos, asking why it is that only businessmen who can come up with $50 million for a license can own a casino in Pennsylvania. I wrote that I would like to open Jack’s Slots and Chili Dogs in a storefront in Wyoming. Thought I was kidding didn’t you. Well, here’s what a casino looks like in South Dakota.

About the Author

Jack Smiles covers for the Times Leader. Reach him at or jsmiles@psdispatch.com.

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