Mar 22, 2013

Lehigh Valley Bureau Of Nonsense

When I comment on a story in The Morning Call, I like to do it in a timely way, so that my readers can find it before their parakeet messes it too much. Sometimes things must be put off. A candidate gets disenfranchised, so this little blog must produce an afternoon story. That story gets a bigger treatment on a bigger blog, and before long, our trusted press assigns space on the parakeet mat. Do people still have parakeets? I'm also restricted by having the hours of a three year old. While I'm blog blabbering here, someone recently asked if I don't want comments? My moderation system and baby naps certainly don't allow for immediate gratification. I also would rather reject a comment, then print it, and have to insult it's sender. So, let's just say that I do appreciate your readership, and that your insightful comments are always welcome, even if printed in a delayed fashion. With all that out of the way, lets move on to today's topic, those taxpayer funded development agencies. An article in The Morning Call last week quoted some official from the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation, we also have one here in Allentown. They get federal grants to study each other. The  quotes from the golfer who works there;  He pointed to housing developments like The Townes at Trexler Square on Walnut Street in downtown Allentown as being attractive to incoming families. (According to its website, the $200,000-plus town houses by Nic Zawarski & Sons are sold out.) In all due respect to the golfer and the Parakeet Mat, here's the reality. Most of the units were purchased by investors, not yuppies wanting the urban dream. The last batch of units were sold by auction, at fifty cents on the dollar. The last section of townhouses were never completed, the foundations filled in with stone. Never the less, the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation gets millions of dollars in grants, to gather and dispense nonsense.

3 comments:

  1. Michael, you have a good point. The economic development agencies are in the business of doling out corporate welfare. Some, to good results, some not so good.

    We should keep the leadership of these agencies on the hot seat regarding employment. The Lehigh Valley needs good paying jobs, not warehouse jobs. We have experienced years of employment cut backs and layoffs. Now the companies are doing well. They should be hiring back the seasoned employees.

    ReplyDelete
  2. One should not only ask if we have too many economic development agencies, but if we need any at all.

    Somehow we had economic development before these agencies existed.

    ReplyDelete
  3. A tale of two cities.

    http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/03/24/large-california-city-heads-to-bankruptcy-court/?intcmp=trending

    Good day my friend.

    ReplyDelete

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