No More Strawberry Pie

A letter from the blogger LVCI

I couldn't be more cranked with AllentownAfterThoughts blog today- "Lamenting Hess's"

Same goes with this hockey arena’s "pie in the sky" dream. Is this not the same exact urban plan that was already implemented in Detroit and Camden, NJ? Did the stadiums or casinos in Atlantic City, Bethlehem, Las Vegas or any other town solvent? Can not we examine what these cities have done already and see if it has paid off for them? Will it not cost taxpayers nearly million$ to tread this the same path that has yielded so little to those other cities?

In a very intellectual way the post is saying neither we (people my age) nor our ancestors know squat. Rather then reviewing local history as to how the city’s leading founders and business people like the Leh's, Zoillinger's, Bennioffs, Stangels, etc. created local wealth.. Pooley is basically calling both them and us a bunch of old whining fools who’s time and methods to success are of bygone historical unimportance. He (and others) should learn from these formers their business methods and contributions to local history rather then dismiss them in-so-much as if they are yesterday rubbish!

The Industrialization age in America (created by the old farts) is what made America a wealthy super power. W/O industrialization (manufacturing) we're sinking faster then a rock. The only reason we're surviving this long is because of the remnants of what these former industrialists had created. Remnants that are fading (wire mills, textiles, steel, cars, etc.) and along with it our entire country. Not because our peoples aren’t hard workers, but rather because we have have been stripped of the tools we need to succeed by foolish trade policies

What pissses me off the most is when the blogger says, "For many of us—younger, more recently arrived—Hess’s is merely an irritating verbal tic. Long past time to move on."

Gee I hope Pooley's visit to the new "Burrito Works" will deter Allentown from looking like Detroit a few short years from now. It seems to me the more "educated", the less common sense is retained.

The hot talk this month from both the school superintendent and RenewLV is "urban manufacturing." Unless states and city's band together and pressure the federal legislators to review trade agreements this isn't going to happen and is nothing more then a pipe dream.

Why should a company spend 10's of millions to build a plant, hire workers and try and market a product when all they have to do is set up a warehouse, call China to send them the products they wish to sell? Unless and until it is more advantageous to make and market here.. nothing will change. Not for Detroit, Camden, Allentown nor any other city.

There is an underlying tone that "older experienced folks" are holding this nation and city back. I see a ever rising amount of cynicism against anyone over 50. And this is what some who are charged with teaching are imparting to these kids in college? Scary stuff!

This form of age discrimination results in the kind of crap we're beginning to see...
Getting rid of the low cost non profit senior homes. Cutting Social Security and Medicare. Fifty and out. The 50 and older crowd is now accused of screwing the younger generation even though it was we who bought them their video games, cellphones and paid for their college. Our generation brought the end of the military draft for them. Fought like hell against all kinds of discrimination. Built the biggest industrialized nation on Earth (until a few years ago). Brought technology and medicine where it is today. Built most of the aging infrastructure you see around us today. Died in the Jungles of Vietnam. Fought for the few limited worker protection laws under the federal government and state’s currently you enjoy today. (Which under the new budget cut proposals amongst other things will strip nearly 60% of the NLRB’s funding).

You should consider yourselves fortunate that we are here to remind you of what it was like when Hess’s, Bethlehem Steel, the textiles and manufacturing were around. That there are those of us who are still alive who remember how we accomplished it and live to tell.

If we were able to FIX these trade agreements, these folks would be the very first ones that would embrace the return of these icons with their current “urbanism” aspirations. We already had everything you theorists are planning to try and replicate with your “urbanism”. Yet at the very same time fault our generation when we point this stuff out.

Hell have you folks even thought about why one organization calls themselves “Renew Lehigh Valley”?

What is it about RENEW you don’t understand?

This is a condensed version of an email sent to me yesterday from the blogger LVCI. The post title was inspired from a recent comment which informed me that I should get over the fact that there is no more strawberry pie at Hess's.