Monday 27 November

Hello
Back to the grind. Walked a dog then went downtown for an apt. Saw this charter school. Wonder what they teach there.
Geez that Swiss-Chez Eagles defense was embarrising!! More later

Lower Merion High 25th Reunion

Hello
It was held at the Hilton in Valley Forge Pa. Dinner was very good and those who showed up had a fun time. Here are some pictures. Thank you to Jeff and Rich for organizing this one. Hope we can do it again for number 30!

Penn Valley Choir 1976

In keeping with going back to the past, Here is a album from the Penn Valley Elementry School Choir in the year 1976. The choir director was Tom Flocco who had the choir tour like it was a band. He is the man on the right with the white leasure suit next to the gray-suited Congressman I was in 7th grade when this came out. My brother is on the 1st row 3rd from the left. I was in it back in 1975. The picture was taken in Washington DC along with the Congressman Larry Caughlin. In 1976 Frank L. Rizzo was mayor of Philly and the 1st Rock flick came out

Thanksgiving 2006

It was a mellow time. We ate the excellent turkey and fixins from Zelphy's. The pumkin pie was to die for! It had a nice molassas and cinnamon taste. We then watched the Cowbows THUMP the Bucs. One of the announcers was calling the Cowboys QB Tony Romo the best right as he was standing next to Troy Akman. It was obvious that Akman was tired of the over the top love-fest about Romo. We then came home and pretty much went to sleep. It was cool. Its now 8:30 and I think I will make some coffee. We were going to take my mother to Jim's on Main St in Millville but decided to save time and stay home. Its open from Columbus Day to Memorial Day then is closed " For the Season." Going to get ready for the Lower Merion 25th Reunion and leave for Wynnewood around 5 today.

It was 25 Years Ago

Its Thankgiving and its 4 days off of work in a row!! Having dinner early in Clarks Pond in Fairfield Twp with Densie and Jon. Tomorrow nite will be my 25 High School Reunion. Yup Lower Merion class of 1981. Thank God we have a group cause I would never go if it was just myself going. I mean 5 years ago alot of the folks REVERTED back to behavor from high school. It was fairly creepy and distirbing. I think so cause I was not Mr. Popular and did not hang with the spoiled buttheads. Some act like in high school but with kids and a gut. It will be a trip though. Hope to get some good photos of folks. Its in Valley Forge instead of Center City Philly but we are staying the night so it will not be too bad. The photo on the left is yours truly in the Summer of 1981 with my Step-Father Bob. We moved right after Graduation and I went to a College called Webster University in St. Louis. I lasted one year and had to get the hell out. More on another posting.

Dear Gov. Rendell

I think this letter says it all:

We the members of SEIU Local 668/PSSU and employees of the County Assistance Offices strongly urge you to increase staffing in our offices. During the past several years there have been considerable cuts in staff while at the same time the welfare rolls have increased. Additionally, we have worked very hard to decrease the Food Stamp Quality Control error rate and to meet the Work Participation Rate. The Office of Income Maintenance has attempted to deal with the staffing shortages by simplifying regulations and decreasing contact with our customers. They have also paid considerable amounts of the taxpayers’ money to consulting firms to devise projects such as the Model Office, which has been an utter failure.

Our members know that there are better ways to save money and cutting staff is not one of them. We strongly believe that increasing staff will lead to more of our customers leaving the welfare rolls by helping them to become self sufficient. Also, it will lead to eliminating fraud. The combination of less staff, simplifying regulations, including less verification of income, expenses and residence, and less client contact, can only result in an increase in fraudulent cases. Additionally, our union has proposed ways to help clients and to improve verification of income that have been mostly ignored.

You will be sending your new budget to the legislature in the coming months. We hope that you reverse this trend in cutting staff and instead increase the complement of the County Assistance Offices. We believe that doing so will be a benefit to both our customers and the taxpayers. Given the increase in the costs of Medical Assistance and Long Term Care it is essential that only those who are eligible receive benefits.

Thank you for your consideration of this matter.

VICTORY AT LAST

WOW!! The Senate and the House! Good bye Rick Santorum and Rumsfeld
This is unbelieveable
What a birthday present for me and our country a real 2 party govt.