Writer O'hara Gets His Due With Tribute From Wvia

Billboard Touts Value Of Tobyhanna Depot 
Local Blue Ribbon Task Force Aims To Convince 
Washington Planners That It Would A Mistake To 
Close The Local Army 
Facility

By P. DOUGLAS FILAROSKI; Times Leader Staff Writer
 Thursday, January 05, 1995 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 1A 





WILKES-BARRE -- While Republicans were taking control of Congress on
Wednesday, Teddi Berlatsky was recalling a science fiction novel about newts
(tiny salamanders) taking over the world. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Perhaps Berlatsky's job as head of an agency working with the poor affected
her outlook on a day when the Georgian embodiment of the Republican revolution
was becoming House Speaker. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Or maybe it was part of the general pessimism among Wyoming Valley
residents, who were asked about the new Congress on Wednesday. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "It makes no difference if they're Democrats or Republicans," said Barney
Slabinski, a retired municipal worker from Hanover Township. "None of them
have enough guts to get anything done." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Slabinski, sitting on a couch in his home, said he has seen politicians
come and go. Meanwhile, crime gets worse, taxes go up and no real change
occurs, the Democrat said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In taking over as House speaker, Newt Gingrich pledged, "We will roll back
federal programs, law and regulations, from A to Z." Senate Majority Leader
Bob Dole of Kansas said "It's a different day." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But a local pharmacist and area factory workers and senior citizens alike
doubted the Republican claims that a new day is dawning. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 What would they like to see? &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Health care and welfare reform, a balanced budget and a smaller government. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I had hoped to see something done with the health care, but I'm not sure
that's going to happen now," said Bob Piavis, a 33-year-old Democrat who owns
Maloney's Pharmacy on Main Street in Ashley. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Piavis sees a lot of people come into his small-town store in need of help.
But with Democrats out, Republicans are not likely to put President Clinton's
pet project high on the agenda, he said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "In any event, they need to start focusing on what's going on in the U.S.
and not in other countries," Piavis said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 John Kish, who runs a barbershop down the street, said he wants the new
Congress to balance the budget and erase the federal debt. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Being a businessman, I know that you don't stay in business very long
borrowing money to pay off debts," said Kish, who calls himself a
"conservative Democrat." "You have to put your house in order first." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Despite the general gloom, some people were optimistic. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Gary Crisci, a 29-year-old financial consultant with Merrill Lynch in
Wilkes-Barre, said he is looking forward to the tax cuts being promised on
both sides of the Congressional aisle. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Crisci, a registered Republican, said he is concerned about a more robust
economy and downsizing of government. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I think for two years it will be hard for Republicans to get a lot done
with a Democratic president," Crisci said. "But after that, with a Republican
president," there will be significant accomplishments, he said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Donald Storm, a 60-year-old retired resident of Wilkes Barre said, "I just
hope they can do half of what they say they can do. But I doubt it." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Berlatsky, who serves as executive director of the Family Service
Association of Wyoming Valley, in Wilkes-Barre, said in her line of work she
has good reason to be down about the new, cut-conscious Congress. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 She said there probably will be cuts in social programs in the next year or
so. But she said her agency will survive. "We've been around 100 years, and
we'll probably be around for at least 101." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Berlatsky said she is worried about what she called "the less-visible
poor." They include women going through divorces and the so-called working
poor, she said. "I'm concerned about people in need. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "When people know a particular human being's problem, they usually respond.
When they view an overall social problem, they get angry. I think this is what
Mr. Gingrich is responding to," she said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I just hope we can remember that we are all human and we are all
vulnerable." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 TIMES LEADER/FRED ADAMS &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Teddi Berlatsky, executive director of Family Service Association of
Wyoming Valley, says she is worried about Republicans slashing funds to
`people in need.' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 TIMES LEADER/FRED ADAMS &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 John Kish, who owns a barbershop on Main Street in Ashley, says he wants to
see Republicans balance the federal budget and cut the deficit. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Some Shrug At Gop's Talk On A Day When Hoopla Reigns In Washington, Some Wyoming Valley People Say They Want To See Action Before They Celebrate