Scarantino Among Pa Wrestling Legends

Judge shuts down another line of Defense questions

Santorum called best conservative candidate
We need Rick Santorum as our next president. Santorum is the only true conservative.

Alex S. Partika

Wilkes-Barre
Explore energy options to become self-sufficient
I attended a very interesting Keystone Energy Forum last November in Hershey.
 It opened with an address by Gov. Tom Corbett whose message was essentially &ldquo;energy = jobs.&rdquo; I was most impressed, however, when he put on his old attorney general&rsquo;s hat. He made it clear that any company that violated safe-drilling practices and laws would have the full power of the state descend upon it. 
We then heard from representatives of various energy producers at work in our state &ndash; oil, natural gas, coal, nuclear, solar and wind &ndash; as well as from the Energy Association of Pennsylvania (a trade association of our state&rsquo;s electric and natural gas distribution utilities), the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission and the governor&rsquo;s energy executive.
 Of all the interesting facts presented, the following stand out in my mind. 
Between oil, natural gas, coal and wind there is a huge heavy-equipment manufacturing industry here, producing mining equipment and wind turbines.
 Nuclear power produces one-fifth of our electricity and has become 40 percent more efficient since 1990.
 Within the next few years 218,000 Pennsylvanians will be employed by the Marcellus Shale industry, earning an average of $75,000 a year. The gas industry paid half a billion dollars in taxes last year, preventing an even larger state deficit.
 Most important of all: Everyone agreed that it was possible for Pennsylvania to become energy self-sufficient by 2015!
 This is a major selling point for attracting new businesses to our state and will give all of us one less thing about which to worry.

Hilary C. Pope

Scranton
Bambera had right, duty to disapprove of speaker
People criticized Bishop Joseph Bambera for his rebuke to the University of Scranton for inviting Marjorie Margolies, a pro-abortion activist, to speak at the university, even though she would not be addressing the topic of abortion.
 These critics overlooked a simple but important principle: namely, that it is the right and duty of any institution to express its moral disapproval about matters it regards as fundamental.
The Catholic Church holds that the injustice of abortion is not only a Catholic rule, but also a conclusion of the natural moral law, which people can understand just by making use of common sense. 
The critics of Bishop Bambera might not think that abortion is something worth taking a stand against, that it is not a grave and obvious evil. Each person is responsible for his own views. 
But disagreement with the Catholic Church does not take away the right of Bishop Bambera to protest the invitation of an objectionable guest into the &ldquo;home&rdquo; of a Catholic institution of learning.
For the record, I applaud Bishop Bambera&rsquo;s decision.

Joseph Warakomski

Hanover Township
March 31 is deadline for Medicare Part B
If you didn&rsquo;t sign up for Medicare Part B medical insurance when you first became eligible for Medicare, you have an opportunity to apply &ndash; but time is running out. The deadline is March 31. If you miss the deadline, you might have to wait to apply until 2013.
Medicare Part B covers some medical expenses not covered by Medicare Part A (hospital insurance), such as doctors&rsquo; fees, outpatient hospital visits and other medical supplies and services.
When you first become eligible for hospital insurance (Part A), you have a seven-month period in which to sign up for medical insurance (Part B). After that, you might have to pay a higher premium &ndash; unless you were covered through your current employer&rsquo;s group health plan or a group health plan based on a spouse&rsquo;s current employment. You are given another opportunity to enroll in Part B during the general enrollment period, from Jan. 1 to March 31 of each year. But each 12-month period that you are eligible for Medicare Part B and do not sign up, the amount of your monthly premium increases by 10 percent.
There are special situations in which you can apply for Medicare Part B outside the general enrollment period. For example, you should contact Social Security about applying for Medicare if: 
&#8226; you are a disabled widow or widower between age 50 and 65 but have not applied for disability benefits because you already are getting another kind of Social Security benefit. 
&#8226; you worked long enough in a government job where Medicare taxes were paid and you meet the requirements of the Social Security disability program and became disabled before age 65. 
&#8226; you, your spouse or your dependent child has permanent kidney failure. 
&#8226; you had Medicare medical insurance (Part B) in the past but dropped the coverage.
&#8226; you turned down Medicare medical insurance (Part B) when you became entitled to hospital insurance (Part A). 
You can learn more about Medicare by reading our electronic booklet, &ldquo;Medicare,&rdquo; at www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs/10043.html.
You also can call Medicare at 1-800-633-4227.

Nick Krutz

Social Security manager
Wilkes-Barre
Seniors suffer again under governor&rsquo;s cuts
In today&rsquo;s economy &ndash; in which we seniors are forced to pay more for heat, electricity, medications, food, etc. &ndash; our governor decides, as all Republicans seemingly do, to put the screws to us all rather than make the wealthy pay a few dollars more. 
No money for education. Nothing for the less fortunate. Surely the elderly can do without. 
However, the wealthy can keep theirs; and the prison system, expecting the &ldquo;have-nots&rdquo; to commit crime to get, will definitely need and have more.

John T. Banks

 Wilkes-Barre
Reader offers advice to cope with flu season
Here are a few suggestions to prevent and treat colds and the flu.
 Have a well-balanced diet. Keep your feet warm. Keep humidity between 40 and 50 percent in your house. 
For a runny nose, dice a fresh lemon into eight or 12 pieces and squeeze a piece of the fresh lemon (I also include the rind) in your tea or coffee. You can put the remaining pieces of lemon into your freezer for future use.
 Walk for 30 minutes a day.
 Here are some herbal remedies for a cold or flu: garlic, onions, barley, chamomile, ginseng, celery, fennel, echinacea, ginger, thyme, rosemary, basil. You can make a tea from many of these herbs.

Jacob Corney

Edwardsville
Send us your opinion

Letters to the editor must include the writer&rsquo;s name, address and daytime phone number for verification. Letters should be no more than 250 words. We reserve the right to edit and limit writers to one published letter every 30 days.

&#8226; Email: mailbag@www.timesleader.com



&#8226; Fax: 570-829-5537


&#8226; Mail: Mail Bag, The Times Leader, 15 N. Main St., Wilkes-Barre, PA 1871&#8194;1

Santorum called best conservative candidate We need Rick Santor