In Monroe County there is a full-time administrative staff of 8.1 to run a jail with a 337 average daily population while in Lackawanna, for example, there are only 12 administrators running a jail with an average daily population of 886.
So in Monroe County there is one administrator for every 41 inmates, while Lackawanna gets by with one administrator per 73 inmates.
In view of these 2007 figures Monroe needs 50 percent more administrators per prisoner than Lackawanna.
In Schuykill County, whose jail population is nearly the same as Monroe's, there are only four administrators, compared to Monroe's eight.
In addition, Schuykill County runs its prison for $39.59 per prisoner, where as Monroe spends $73.95 per prisoner.
Most of the Pennsylvania county jails with daily populations of similar size run their penal institutions for about 25 percent less that Monroe is able to manage.
BUT there is one glaring exception, and that is Pike County which needs $87.52 a day per inmate to run the place. With the exception of the big cities, Pike is by far the most expensive county jail in the state to run---and it takes eight administrators to do it. WMD
Monday, October 13, 2008
Monroe bankruptcies through the roof
By many measurements Monroe County's economy in the autumn of 2008 is in acute distress.
Consider these disturbing facts:
--There was a nearly eight-fold increase in personal bankruptcies in 2007 compared to 2006 in Monroe County, as filed in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Wilkes-Barre.
An analysis of the filings reveals that in the year 2006 a total of 49 Monroe County residents filed for bankruptcy.
In 2007 there were 372 bankruptcies filed by Monroe residents, nearly a eight-fold increase in a single year.
So far in 2008 there have been 338 bankruptcy filings by Monroe County residents (and a few small businesses),--and there are two and half months to go.
August, 2008, was the worst month with 67 bankruptcies filed from Monroe County.
---Surely the housing crunch plays a role, but bankruptcy lawyers report the major problem pushing folks into bankruptcy is under or uninsured medical expenses; then comes flexible mortgage rate resets and unmanageable credits card and home equity loan payments.
Job losses in the home building businesses are a big problem. One leading builder has seen a four-fold drop in sales, and there have been multiple layoffs in the building trades. Sub-contractors have been hit hard with many staffs cut in half or more.
Consider these disturbing facts:
--There was a nearly eight-fold increase in personal bankruptcies in 2007 compared to 2006 in Monroe County, as filed in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Wilkes-Barre.
An analysis of the filings reveals that in the year 2006 a total of 49 Monroe County residents filed for bankruptcy.
In 2007 there were 372 bankruptcies filed by Monroe residents, nearly a eight-fold increase in a single year.
So far in 2008 there have been 338 bankruptcy filings by Monroe County residents (and a few small businesses),--and there are two and half months to go.
August, 2008, was the worst month with 67 bankruptcies filed from Monroe County.
---Surely the housing crunch plays a role, but bankruptcy lawyers report the major problem pushing folks into bankruptcy is under or uninsured medical expenses; then comes flexible mortgage rate resets and unmanageable credits card and home equity loan payments.
Job losses in the home building businesses are a big problem. One leading builder has seen a four-fold drop in sales, and there have been multiple layoffs in the building trades. Sub-contractors have been hit hard with many staffs cut in half or more.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Letter: Stand up for facts
Is it reasonable for this writer to request that this paper banish the word liberal? The word has no meaning, and does much damage. It used to mean a spendthrift who wanted more government in our lives. Now the Republicans have preempted that territory. The liberal Democrats have governed in a more fiscally responsible fashion than the conservative Republicans.. Let’s see if we can attach some meaning to this onerous word “liberal”
Let's look at the financial facts. Under Clinton 1.76 million jobs/ year were created, and under Bush 369,000. Under Clinton we had an increase in the median household income of $6,000 , under Bush a decrease of $1,100. Also with Republican tax cuts for the wealthy the rich have gotten richer, and the poor poorer . In 1928 just before the crash the top .01% of US families averaged 892 times more income than the families in the bottom 90%. In 2006 thanks to Republican policies, the top .01% averaged 976 times more income than the bottom 90%.
The greater the gap between the rich and everyone else, the more dangerously unstable economies become. In 2005 the top 400 wealthiest people paid a paltry 18.2% of their income in federal taxes thanks to Republican policies, and in 1955 the top 400 paid 51.2%. Even Warren Buffet finds this tax situation too favorable for the rich.. But not McCain. His policies would continue these disparities. The US Trade deficit under Clinton was $380 billion and under Bush $759 billion consequently countries are more hesitant to lend us money. McCain’s disdain for fiscal stewardship was reflected in his calling for a gas tax holiday, a move which was political pandering at its worst. Also, how does this spendthrift approach speak to our citizens. Do they think, if deficit spending is good enough for government, then it is good enough for me, then they run up credit card debt? In the financial area, the ”liberals have become the fiscal conservatives, and the conservatives the spendthrifts, so “liberal” has no meaning in this arena.
On the issue of the government's interference in our lives the Republicans have invaded our Constitutional right to privacy with a passion with their Patriot Act. An unprecedented nearly 400 cities and local entities have passed resolutions protesting this erosion of our Constitutional rights. Benjamin Franklin sounded the battle cry on this when he said" he who gives up liberty for security , deserves neither.” Meanwhile the "liberals" seek to limit the government tampering in our lives. On the issue of liberties ” liberals” want to restrict government, and the conservatives want more government poking into our private lives, yet the perception seems to be to the contrary.
If the Republican’s would just let the word liberal alone, and not abuse the defenseless three syllables, there would be no problem. But they choose to yank the word with all its negative historical baggage into the limelight. Palin's liberal bashing acceptance speech was reminiscent of the McCarthy red baiting era. McCarthy used red bating as a tool to manipulate people into a fearful frenzy finding a communist around every corner. McCain's people use the word liberal to invoke the same fear creating the misimpression that if a Democrat is elected, somehow the terrorists will run rampant and we will spend ourselves into oblivion. McCarthy’s tactics worked, as do McCain’s. Their campaign is a fear based campaign. The fear formula works. Invoke fear in the electorate and they will give up rights and vote for a regime that limits liberties. My humble request to McCain and Palin is to move away from their liberal baiting McCarthyistic tactics and move towards a meaningful, enlightening discussion based on THE FACTS. The facts and not fear is what should determine the election's outcome. And to the Pocono Record, can we hold an appropriate funeral for the word liberal which now has no meaning?
Mark Lichty
The greater the gap between the rich and everyone else, the more dangerously unstable economies become. In 2005 the top 400 wealthiest people paid a paltry 18.2% of their income in federal taxes thanks to Republican policies, and in 1955 the top 400 paid 51.2%. Even Warren Buffet finds this tax situation too favorable for the rich.. But not McCain. His policies would continue these disparities. The US Trade deficit under Clinton was $380 billion and under Bush $759 billion consequently countries are more hesitant to lend us money. McCain’s disdain for fiscal stewardship was reflected in his calling for a gas tax holiday, a move which was political pandering at its worst. Also, how does this spendthrift approach speak to our citizens. Do they think, if deficit spending is good enough for government, then it is good enough for me, then they run up credit card debt? In the financial area, the ”liberals have become the fiscal conservatives, and the conservatives the spendthrifts, so “liberal” has no meaning in this arena.
On the issue of the government's interference in our lives the Republicans have invaded our Constitutional right to privacy with a passion with their Patriot Act. An unprecedented nearly 400 cities and local entities have passed resolutions protesting this erosion of our Constitutional rights. Benjamin Franklin sounded the battle cry on this when he said" he who gives up liberty for security , deserves neither.” Meanwhile the "liberals" seek to limit the government tampering in our lives. On the issue of liberties ” liberals” want to restrict government, and the conservatives want more government poking into our private lives, yet the perception seems to be to the contrary.
If the Republican’s would just let the word liberal alone, and not abuse the defenseless three syllables, there would be no problem. But they choose to yank the word with all its negative historical baggage into the limelight. Palin's liberal bashing acceptance speech was reminiscent of the McCarthy red baiting era. McCarthy used red bating as a tool to manipulate people into a fearful frenzy finding a communist around every corner. McCain's people use the word liberal to invoke the same fear creating the misimpression that if a Democrat is elected, somehow the terrorists will run rampant and we will spend ourselves into oblivion. McCarthy’s tactics worked, as do McCain’s. Their campaign is a fear based campaign. The fear formula works. Invoke fear in the electorate and they will give up rights and vote for a regime that limits liberties. My humble request to McCain and Palin is to move away from their liberal baiting McCarthyistic tactics and move towards a meaningful, enlightening discussion based on THE FACTS. The facts and not fear is what should determine the election's outcome. And to the Pocono Record, can we hold an appropriate funeral for the word liberal which now has no meaning?
Mark Lichty
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Oh deer! Tipsy hunter bags ranger’s decoy
Rangers in Delaware Water Gap National Recreation area were running a deer decoy operation near the cemetery along Zion Church Road in the southern end of the park when a man drove up in a pickup truck, stopped in the middle of the road, and shot at the ranger’s decoy white-tail deer from inside the vehicle. He was charged with illegal hunting, driving on a suspended license, and open beer. He had a 075% blood alcohol level. Oh, and he missed the decoy deer. WMD
Good news from ESSA
By William Doolittle
For the Messenger
It’s time to say a little bit about ESSA Bancorp, the
new name for East Stroudsburg Savings Association,
that went public last year. Customers and employees
of the bank were able to buy the initial offering of
stock at $10 a share. The offering shares were over-subscribed and the
bank had to cut back all customers who came after 2005.
Securities and Exchange documents also indicate that
the bank’s directors had to take a cut in their
desired shares so that all of the bank’s customers
could be accommodated. Even at that, the bank sold more
shares than it anticipated in its most optimistic
scenario.
Almost immediately after trading began in April, the
price jumped to $12 a share, a 20 percent increase
On Oct. 4, 2008 it taxed at $13.6.
Director Frederick Kutteroff bought $239,490 worth, and
Vice President Thomas Grayuski invested
$33,270 soon after the company went public In several transactions, the pair is listed as having bought shares at around $12 a share.
Insider trading must be made public and is posted by
the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
The local bank is the second largest in our market
and plans to use the $159 million raised in the stock
sale for internal and external expansion.
In the past two months small cap analysts have praised the companies prospects, and large cash reserves which can be used for acquisitions.
In addition, the bank funded its ESSA Foundation with
common stock and cash worth ESSA funds foundation with $12.7
ESSA Bancorp, Inc., the holding company for Monroe County's ESSA Bank & Trust. In doing so the bank reported a loss in 2007. When making its stock offering ESSA promised to fund the foundation which supports numerous non-profit endeavors in the county. The local bank went public in April of 2007, offering depositors and employees shares at $10 apiece. The stock is now trading above $13. Insider buying by bank trustees and officers has been steady since ESSA went pubic. Some recent recipients include: American Red Cross of Monroe County $4,900; Pecan Youth Orchestra $2,000; First Impressions Career Closet, $3,500; Pocono Choral Society, $5,000; Youth Association of Pocono Mountain, $25,000. August 2, 2008
In 2005, the ESSA Foundation gave away just under half a million dollars to local
organizations.
Monroe is site of nuclear attack scenario
By William Doolittle
For the Messenger
Mass death and widespread misery would follow a nuclear attack on Monroe County, Pa., a scenario prepared for the Army War College in Carlisle predicts.
Death and personal injury would be widespread if an atom bomb were to be detonated by terrorists. There would be so many bodies, the report predicts, mass burials or freezing of corpses might have to be used.
The imagined 10-megaton explosion at Pocono Raceway during a popular race weekend likely would engulf and consume local, state, and regional emergency responses. Unless very well-trained, many of the initial responders could become victims themselves.
The Army’s paper, written by Professor James Kievit and Lieutenant Colonel Jeff McNary, surmises, “More than 100,000 people were in the immediate vicinity of the detonation, many of them transients from out-of-state. Blast and heat immediately destroyed or severely damaged most structures within 1,000 meters of the detonation.
“An electromagnetic pulse damaged many electronic devices within about 5 kilometers ( 3 miles). Injuries from flying debris occurred out to 6 kilometers ( 3.7 miles). Temporary flash-blindness contributed to innumerable traffic accidents on nearby highways, including multi-vehicle pileups in both directions on nearby I-80. Radioactive fallout drifting east southeast directly threatens the Stroudsburg area (pop. approx 30,000), with the potential to drift through New Jersey, perhaps as far as Newark, or even to Staten Island, N.Y."
The report also predicts and recommends the following: – On site tracking of current and cumulative radiation dosage among responders, and rotation of forces. Currently no centralized management system exists. – Sufficient immediate treatment and medical evacuation capabilities. Mass casualties will overload local and state capabilities; federal assets cannot deploy in time to provide effective aid. – Immediate availability of sufficient specialized aircraft and crews to accomplish medical evacuation and movement of responders. – Victim registration and dose identification of all survivors for purposes of lifelong medical monitoring. The writers’ bleak conclusion states, “Response to an attack of this nature may well be qualitatively and quantitatively overwhelming.”
For the Messenger
Mass death and widespread misery would follow a nuclear attack on Monroe County, Pa., a scenario prepared for the Army War College in Carlisle predicts.
Death and personal injury would be widespread if an atom bomb were to be detonated by terrorists. There would be so many bodies, the report predicts, mass burials or freezing of corpses might have to be used.
The imagined 10-megaton explosion at Pocono Raceway during a popular race weekend likely would engulf and consume local, state, and regional emergency responses. Unless very well-trained, many of the initial responders could become victims themselves.
The Army’s paper, written by Professor James Kievit and Lieutenant Colonel Jeff McNary, surmises, “More than 100,000 people were in the immediate vicinity of the detonation, many of them transients from out-of-state. Blast and heat immediately destroyed or severely damaged most structures within 1,000 meters of the detonation.
“An electromagnetic pulse damaged many electronic devices within about 5 kilometers ( 3 miles). Injuries from flying debris occurred out to 6 kilometers ( 3.7 miles). Temporary flash-blindness contributed to innumerable traffic accidents on nearby highways, including multi-vehicle pileups in both directions on nearby I-80. Radioactive fallout drifting east southeast directly threatens the Stroudsburg area (pop. approx 30,000), with the potential to drift through New Jersey, perhaps as far as Newark, or even to Staten Island, N.Y."
The report also predicts and recommends the following: – On site tracking of current and cumulative radiation dosage among responders, and rotation of forces. Currently no centralized management system exists. – Sufficient immediate treatment and medical evacuation capabilities. Mass casualties will overload local and state capabilities; federal assets cannot deploy in time to provide effective aid. – Immediate availability of sufficient specialized aircraft and crews to accomplish medical evacuation and movement of responders. – Victim registration and dose identification of all survivors for purposes of lifelong medical monitoring. The writers’ bleak conclusion states, “Response to an attack of this nature may well be qualitatively and quantitatively overwhelming.”
Toby man dies having wart removed
Winding through the Monroe County courts is a unique case: Maldonado verses Dr. Michael A. Eufemio ,in which Carlos Maldonado‘s widow claims Dr. Eufemio mistakenly proceeded with a wart removal procedure using a general anesthetic despite the fact he had medical evidence that Maldonado was “not a suitable candidate for anesthesia.”
Janet Maldonado, the plaintiff, lives in Tobyhanna. Other defendants in the case are Urology Associates of the Poconos; Dr. Nita Grover, J&C Holding ( a medical temp agency) and Pocono Medical Center.
The Maldonados have four grown children, three sons and a daughter.
Maldonado, whose wart was on his penis, was on the operating table for 45 minutes before expiring, according the his widow’s law suit. The complaint contends Maldonado had an abnormal EKG heart test, but the operating team went ahead with the procedure anyway.
"Med mal" in Monroe County
Medical malpractice suits filed in Monroe County have dropped significantly in recent years according to statistics gathered by the State of Pennsylvania.
For instance, there were only five filed in 2003, three in 2004 and seven in 2005. This is in comparison to 14 and 10 cases respective in 2001 and 2002.
So called med-mal suits are the bane of doctors, but the record over the past decades has shown that juries in Monroe County are loath the make big awards even when plaintiffs succeed. WMD
News Analysis: Understanding education funding
By William Doolittle
For the Messenger
Monroe County residents, because of their deep concern over soaring school populations and the resulting property tax increases, need to understand the broad context in which school funding occurs.
Peering back to the nation’s beginning, the Founding Fathers, in their wisdom, understood that in this large, new land one size would not fit all when it came to education. As a result the founders made no specific mention of national control, or funding, of education even though they understood education was absolutely necessary in a democracy that needs an educated electorate.
These men who were educated at home or in tiny schoolhouses down the lane left the running of schools to the states. The Tenth Amendment of the Bill of Rights states, “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.”
That is the only guidance given to the citizens of the United States about who is to run their schools. In a back-handed manner, the Tenth Amendment reserves the power and responsibility of public education systems exclusively to the states, by not enumerating that responsibility to the federal government.
But, you may exclaim, “My local school board runs the schools.” That is true, but only at the sufferance of the states, which have gingerly turned many function s of school operations to local school boards. Hawaii runs a single statewide school system. To further prove the point that the states are, by law , in charge, there have been several instances in the past decade when the state took over entire school systems, among them Philadelphia, Newark and Jersey City. Through the years, hard-pressed citizens have complained that several state methods of distributing so-called state aid to local districts is unfair because affluent districts are able to draw more money per student from property owners than poorer districts.
This is the downside of state control, because many legislatures are unable to, or unwilling to respond adequately to special situations such a s fast growth. According to the state Department of Education, “Pennsylvania’s school districts receive 57 percent of their revenues from local sources and 38 percent from the state. The state provides about 25 percent of (local) general fund budget.”
This is one of the lowest rates in the United States, a disgraceful performance, placing Pennsylvania on a level with the poorest states in the union. If the state provided 50 percent or more of the operating budget of local schools, the school property taxes might be mitigated.
According to a recent study by the Pew Charitable Trusts, Pennsylvania placed 49th of the 50 states in the state contribution to local school operating budgets.
Another misconception is that the federal government plays a major role in funding education. Not so. The federal government is a minor contributor to local school education funding. After all is said and done, state legislators are completely responsible for educating our children, even though the state has “loaned” much of that responsibility to local school boards.
Examine for yourselves their poor performance and ask yourselves why these people care so little about your child’s education.
For the Messenger
Monroe County residents, because of their deep concern over soaring school populations and the resulting property tax increases, need to understand the broad context in which school funding occurs.
Peering back to the nation’s beginning, the Founding Fathers, in their wisdom, understood that in this large, new land one size would not fit all when it came to education. As a result the founders made no specific mention of national control, or funding, of education even though they understood education was absolutely necessary in a democracy that needs an educated electorate.
These men who were educated at home or in tiny schoolhouses down the lane left the running of schools to the states. The Tenth Amendment of the Bill of Rights states, “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.”
That is the only guidance given to the citizens of the United States about who is to run their schools. In a back-handed manner, the Tenth Amendment reserves the power and responsibility of public education systems exclusively to the states, by not enumerating that responsibility to the federal government.
But, you may exclaim, “My local school board runs the schools.” That is true, but only at the sufferance of the states, which have gingerly turned many function s of school operations to local school boards. Hawaii runs a single statewide school system. To further prove the point that the states are, by law , in charge, there have been several instances in the past decade when the state took over entire school systems, among them Philadelphia, Newark and Jersey City. Through the years, hard-pressed citizens have complained that several state methods of distributing so-called state aid to local districts is unfair because affluent districts are able to draw more money per student from property owners than poorer districts.
This is the downside of state control, because many legislatures are unable to, or unwilling to respond adequately to special situations such a s fast growth. According to the state Department of Education, “Pennsylvania’s school districts receive 57 percent of their revenues from local sources and 38 percent from the state. The state provides about 25 percent of (local) general fund budget.”
This is one of the lowest rates in the United States, a disgraceful performance, placing Pennsylvania on a level with the poorest states in the union. If the state provided 50 percent or more of the operating budget of local schools, the school property taxes might be mitigated.
According to a recent study by the Pew Charitable Trusts, Pennsylvania placed 49th of the 50 states in the state contribution to local school operating budgets.
Another misconception is that the federal government plays a major role in funding education. Not so. The federal government is a minor contributor to local school education funding. After all is said and done, state legislators are completely responsible for educating our children, even though the state has “loaned” much of that responsibility to local school boards.
Examine for yourselves their poor performance and ask yourselves why these people care so little about your child’s education.
How PMC's ER fixed serious problem
By William Doolittle
For the Messenger
The Pocono Medical Center's emergency room suffered serious problems in the past and a detailed study outlines the successful steps taken to cure them.
The study, published in Health Management Technology, in April of 2006 said, PMC “struggled with high bed occupancy and surges in patient volume, six-hour wait times in the emergency department (ED), as well as other problems such as “lost” charts, poor documentation and low patient satisfaction.
The study of PMC’s situation noted “Also, it was hard to miss.. . . scores on patient satisfaction, which averaged 20 percent, reflecting that 80 percent of other hospitals did a better job pleasing ED patients.”
After the emergency room completed automating, the patient satisfaction scores reversed, with 80 percent patient approval.
Before it was automated, the emergency department treated 50,000 patients a year using mostly a paper tracking and registration system. Now, more than 70,000 patients a year visit the ER.
The story points out that the situation was so serious that in 2001 hospital officials began to study an automated information system for the ER.
“For starters, triage or patient screening took at least an hour, which was too long, especially with chest pain patients. Long wait times not only put patients at risk, but also posed a public relations problem for the hospital,” the magazine reports.
“The hospital needed information from patients to get them registered and to track them, but this required a lot of time and created the mistaken impression that the hospital was focused more on insurance information and medical record numbers than on patient care,” the study found. “The Waiting Room Is Closed” was the name of the new policy of speeding patients through the admission process and into the ER itself for treatment.
The results were amazing.
Data from the system supplied baseline numbers of how to improve the operation, including:
The emergency department at PMC now handles more than 70,000 visits a year, and although many patients may still disagree, it appears as if the ER has gone a long way toward solving its "satisfaction" problems.
For the Messenger
The Pocono Medical Center's emergency room suffered serious problems in the past and a detailed study outlines the successful steps taken to cure them.
The study, published in Health Management Technology, in April of 2006 said, PMC “struggled with high bed occupancy and surges in patient volume, six-hour wait times in the emergency department (ED), as well as other problems such as “lost” charts, poor documentation and low patient satisfaction.
The study of PMC’s situation noted “Also, it was hard to miss.. . . scores on patient satisfaction, which averaged 20 percent, reflecting that 80 percent of other hospitals did a better job pleasing ED patients.”
After the emergency room completed automating, the patient satisfaction scores reversed, with 80 percent patient approval.
Before it was automated, the emergency department treated 50,000 patients a year using mostly a paper tracking and registration system. Now, more than 70,000 patients a year visit the ER.
The story points out that the situation was so serious that in 2001 hospital officials began to study an automated information system for the ER.
“For starters, triage or patient screening took at least an hour, which was too long, especially with chest pain patients. Long wait times not only put patients at risk, but also posed a public relations problem for the hospital,” the magazine reports.
“The hospital needed information from patients to get them registered and to track them, but this required a lot of time and created the mistaken impression that the hospital was focused more on insurance information and medical record numbers than on patient care,” the study found. “The Waiting Room Is Closed” was the name of the new policy of speeding patients through the admission process and into the ER itself for treatment.
The results were amazing.
Data from the system supplied baseline numbers of how to improve the operation, including:
- Improved patient length of stay; more than 50 percent of patients were in the ED more than four hours.
- Eliminate lost charts; physicians estimated that 4 percent were “lost” and no bill was issued.
- Retain more nurses; they used an average of 23 percent agency nurses because of staffing shortages.
The emergency department at PMC now handles more than 70,000 visits a year, and although many patients may still disagree, it appears as if the ER has gone a long way toward solving its "satisfaction" problems.
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