Jun 28, 2007

Tell the Lowlife

Yesterday Pawlowski had his weekly press conference with the police chief and district attorney, both honorable men who must by now be embarrassed by this ritual. I think yesterday they were telling the public what they want to hear about the gangs. There's only one problem, the lowlife doesn't know about all these innovations and they keep shooting each other, especially on 7th St. Channel 69, wanting desperately to emulate the big city stations, keeps broadcasting these announcements as if they are something new. If self-delusion was progress, Allentown would be in the 22nd. century.

Jun 26, 2007

No Dutchmen need Apply

Mildred and Milton are upset. They lived and worked their entire lives in Allentown. They both started working in sewing factories after high school and spend their working lives there. During the late 60's they owned their only car, and always lived in apartments. They never sought any help from the government, their culture taught them to make it do, use it up, wear it out and do without. When they heard about these new apartments overlooking the Lehigh, they thought that would be a nice reward for a life of hard work. They were told it would take years,years they don't have, to get on the list. Its hard for them to understand how brandnew comers to the area, who don't even speak English, go to the head of the line. They don't know about the poverty pimps, the social organizations, funded by grants; The professional advocates who know what buttons to push, who make a career out of political correctness. Maybe we need a Pennsylvania Dutch American Organization.

Jun 24, 2007

Pawlowski Heights

The new public housing project overlooking the river, Pawlowski Heights, leaves nothing to be desired. Garages, central air conditioning and a rent of $113.00 a month. Although the new tenants interviewed could not speak English, they were articulate enough to fill out the necessary applications. Mayor Pawlowski, as a board member of the Allentown Housing Authority, pushed for this new component of Allentown's poverty magnet. Pawlowski's liberal mentality doesn't realize the older Hanover Acres buildings didn't create a ghetto, it is a state of mind created by the handouts.

Jun 23, 2007


Certainly Maxwell Davison and Robert Wood had Allentown's best interest in mind when they recommended a raise for Mayor Pawlowski. The same gentleman also recommended a manager style city government. There are those complainers who say Pawlowski should be paid less ,because although the manager style was not adopted, he hired one anyway, effectively reducing his own job description. But his supporters, and there are many, feel the mayor is reorganizing the ship of city government to led us to better times. Here's an idea, why not let these cheerleaders form a collection to show their gratitude to the Mayor. Pawlowski will receive the compensation they feel he deserves, and us malcontents will feel less exploited.

Jun 22, 2007

Unaffiliated and Proud


Winston Churchill said that when your young, if your not a liberal, you have no heart; when your old, if your not a conservative, you have no brain. I've come to believe if your not an independent, you have no honesty. Being an independent candidate, I was exposed to activists in both parties, to them winning justifies any means. Certainly telling the truth for them is a gray area, that's why they call it spinning. There is no hesitation to pander, distort and resort to revisionism. These supporters belittle opponents and potential opponents. They egg each other on, blindly defend one another, and feel superior to the opposition. They blame problems on the other party, and think only they have the solutions. The only thing they have in common is a dislike for independents.

Jun 21, 2007

Zorro or Zero


The local, liberal dominated blogosphere, is mostly people who post signing anonymous or use some nomenciature such as urban fighter. In debating the merits of a local remodeling project recently, my adversary morphed into a sought after authority on urban renewal; one would think such a self employed professional would want to use his name for promotion. Another, although not working for the local government, claims he works in something related. The urban fighters are brave indeed, they call you liar, fake, and phony. They think their Zorro, but until they at least use their own name, they will never be more than zero.

Jun 19, 2007

Tough Crowd


Lately i've been thinking alot about my mother's cousin Abe Simon. After knocking out Jersey Joe Walcott he got a shot at Louis and the title in march of 41. Louis knocked him down in the first round and Abe took the 8 count grinning. He battled Louis for the next 12 rounds. All boxing fans know he didn't win, but he did earn another shot at the title. Its not easy for a conservative to be on the Lehigh Valley Blogosphere, i'll grin and bare it and hopefully make a point or two about really improving Allentown.

Jun 16, 2007

Muhlenberg and Peter Pan

The density ordinance in Allentown allows up to four unrelated people in any one dwelling, unless their Muhlenberg College students, in which case its two. (Actually its a zone around the college aimed against the students) Imagine substituting the sub group African Americans or Jews instead of Muhlenberg students, perhaps a bit of spot zoning and discrimination? The Muhlenberg Trustee's found a man worm enough to accept the restriction, Randy Helm. Now I do have my own ax to grind, I gave him an F in Democracy 101 when I was excluded from the Mayoral Debate at Muhlenberg. (but I fought against the Overlay Zoning District long before that) Pam Varkony and a couple fellow bloggers think they and Randy discovered the quaintness of 19th St. Actually it was that way before some of them were even born, and the older ones moved here. Hopefully they won't screw it up, but I wish they would leave it alone. Back to Randy, apparently Muhlenbergs using out of area labor on its latest project, qualifying them for the large inflated Rat.

Jun 15, 2007

The Hershman-Hoffman Affair

Clearly local democrats would have drank the kool-aid in Jonestown. How can one explain voting for a city auditor who is promoted and financed by the person he is supposed to watch. In the frenzy, outrages were accepted as reason. How could a person who was controller for 24 years be less qualified than anybody else? Who knows where to look, and what to look for, better than Lou Hershman. I think even if I was a straight lever puller, a real party man, a yellow dog, I would have voted for Hershman, just to keep the game honest. The controller makes no policy decisions, he only safeguards the budget. Of course, I suppose a town as prosperous as Allentown, need not concern itself with petty cash issues.

Jun 8, 2007

A suit that fits, or a fit that suits

What a difference a month or two makes. Allentown City Council's vote to support federal pro-labor legislation reverses the logic used to justify not enacting a local immigration rule. The same councilmen last month clearly stated that federal issues were not the proper province of a municipality. More ominous for taxpayers, city council is supposed to watchdog our interests in contracts with city unions. Considering the fiscal consequences of the recent police contract, one would expect city council to a least want to posture themselves as fair brokers. Union proponents claim this federal measure will create and maintain a middle class, but we are a region inflicted with the lost of major industries offshore, because of wages. Apparently, conflict of interest, is a term that no longer applies to local government; our elected officials openly pander for votes.

Jun 6, 2007

Save us from Solutions

Don Cunningham wonders what can be done by the county government to make homeowners out of those who cannot afford it. His first reaction is to suggest hiring a coordinator, one more position for the taxpayers to fund. My first reaction, is that those who cannot afford it, should get a second, and maybe third job. There was a time when becoming a homeowner was called the American dream; our local elected officials now think its just another entitlement. A number of years ago I opposed a project by Habitat to Humanity. After the hearing, their director told me, that they were such a sacred cow, that no one had ever questioned them before. Alan Jennings, professional advocate for the poor and Director of the Community Action Committee, is the most quoted man in the Lehigh Valley; he even has a division which makes entrepreneurs out of the unemployed. There was time, not that long ago, when our social-economic graph was a bell-curve. Now, through unsustainable good intentions, we have created a magnet for the underprivileged and made poverty a growth industry. We would be better off, if our elected officials concentrated on those issues on which they campaigned, and which can be solved, such as repairing the bridges.

Jun 2, 2007

The night they shot emma down

There was a time in Allentown's past, during the Heydt Administrations, when neighborhood groups had great influence. Special parochial interests prevailed; the neighbors of muhlenberg college got the city to past special restrictive zoning against student renting(unconstitutional,shame on the college for laying down), rental inspections law, in effect creating two classes of property owners, west park historic district, against the majority of homeowners wishes) etc... yes it was an effective machine which even resulted in the election of two members to city council, Pam Varkony and Tom Burke., everyone was happy, the mayor got support and the neighborhood associations got special considerations., there was only one fly in the ointment, the one and the only EMMA TROPIANO. She always voted for the "people" and what she considered fair. She delayed the passage of these measures, and was punished on Oct. 16, 2001. Invited to a candidates night, she was confronted with special "yes or no" questions designed to specifically humiliate her. She refused to acknowledge that she was delinquent in taxes and had a building declared unfit (two recent developments from property she inherited) The Morning Call reporter was more than glad to answer for her in the next mornings paper. That was the end of Emma's career. It was also the end of decency in Allentowns political arena. She served 16 years on city council, aided thousands of citizens, and earned my lasting respect.