Congressional candidate John Moran visits Towanda
Review Photo/JAMES LOEWENSTEIN John R. Moran, who is seeking the Democratic nomination for Congress in the 10th District, speaks Monday in Towanda.
TOWANDA - John R. Moran, a retired union representative who is seeking the Democratic nomination for Congress in the 10th Congressional District, spoke Monday in Towanda at a meeting of Bradford County Democrats.
Moran, who lives in Williamsport, said he got into the race because he doesn't think that Republican Tom Marino should get a free ride to another term.
Moran had worked 23 1/2 years as a union representative, and had also served as a foreman in a manufacturing plant.
Moran said Marino has lacked accomplishments in Congress and he criticized him for co-sponsoring a bill that would "end Medicare as we know it." Under the proposed legislation, those under 55 getting would "get ... something else" instead of Medicare when they retired, according to Moran.
And Moran predicted that if the legislations passed, those under 55 would be reluctant to preserve the existing Medicare program for those who are now senior citizens, since they themselves wouldn't be able to benefit from the program.
In fact, Moran said he thinks Medicare should be expanded, so that anyone who had the money to pay the premiums could participate in it. He said that to help save Medicare, he would give the Department of Defense the right to negotiate drug prices for Medicare Part D.
Moran said the first bill he would try to pass would be to increase education funding for the states.
"We have to (provide money) to hire teachers back," he said. "Or are you prepared to accept an under-educated workforce?"
He said that the standard of living rises with an educated workforce, and that he doesn't want to see additional technology-related jobs continue to move overseas.
Moran criticized Senate Bill 1950, which would establish an impact fee, saying the impact fee would not be large enough.
"Sixty-four-thousand dollars is the most you can get" as an impact fee from a well under the bill, whereas a gas company will make millions of dollars from the well, he said.
He said he wants money from impact fees to help fund education and other needs in Pennsylvania.
Money from impact fees is needed "so we can stop laying off school teachers," he said.
He said that less than 18 percent of residents in the 10th Congressional District have a college education, which he said is unattractive to many companies that are looking for a location for their operations.
Moran said he opposes giving private companies the power of eminent domain, which is occurring locally in the natural gas industry in the installation of gas transmission pipelines.
By allowing eminent domain in the gas industry, private property owners lose leverage to negotiate a fair price with a private company, he said.
He said that gas companies will make a pro forma effort to negotiate a settlement with a property owner, and then, the next day, file an eminent domain proceeding in the local courthouse.
And he said that voters share his views on eminent domain, which he said is different from many Republican lawmakers.
"I'm not Chris Carney," he said. "I won't run as a Republican."
Moran said that people should not confuse him with another John Moran, who happens to be Marino's campaign manager.
James Loewenstein can be reached at (570) 265-1633; or email: jloewenstein@thedailyreview.com.
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