Mayors' Nutter and Pawlowski were recently taped for a Business Matters segment. Both mayors lamented the lack of pension reform as anchors around the neck of government. Neither gentleman bothered to mention that their party, which they fully support, failed to muster even one vote for pension reform in the state house. Although it's easy for me to point out that hypocrisy, many of the other issues I bring to light are painful. I normally support the Lehigh County Commissioners who are being obstructionists in keeping Cedarbrook viable. Although I criticize the South Whitehall Commissioners for allowing the Wildlands Conservancy to set the time table for the Wehr's Dam decision, I admire most of their other good decisions. I suppose that I might be less abrasive and more diplomatic championing these causes, or more
political as some would say. My problem then is that there would be one less voice speaking out, and there's so few already.
Activists have to act up, or else they're totally ignored..We can see for ourselves how much weight 7,000 signatures has carried when it comes to the South Whitehall Commissioners and the bag of money they're allowing to be spent on a "study" for the WC to destroy a public park. The apathy and malaise in this region is stunning, but it is symptomatic of people who have a number of competing needs. If a man can't pay the rent or buy groceries, what difference does it make to him whether or not there is a park, or for that matter why try and change the same old politics? People have to become outraged..and they're largely not. They groan about the ever-increasing college expenses, and school taxes, and in Slatington there are almost as many people on some form of long term disability as there are people with jobs. What kind of statement is that making..what sort of example is that setting to the young ones coming up? People are defeated, beaten down and have talked themselves out of being angry-they don't have the energy. This is called entrenchment..it is not a victory for whatever incumbent is still sitting at the State House. I thought after 13th street exploded and killed entire households of people (and leveled a city block) that there would be a mob with torches ready to run UGI out of state. A few years later nothing has changed..UGI got fined a half million dollars. That's probably less than the interest their insane profits make in a year. An enormous ugly arena was built on the rubble of ruined neighborhoods..we'll see what good that brings to the city and it's beaten up working poor. Still no grocery stores..still no improved green spaces..and the parks look like they have been abandoned. It would be easy to get disgusted and shrug it all off, and you are setting a great example for people by keeping these issues simmering on the stove.
ReplyDeleteYou forgot to mention jobs that pay a living wage. Great post otherwise
Deletedreaming@7:19, i fully agree, and that's why i act up, but, the commissioners that i must criticize for cedarbrook, are the same ones who supported me on saving the historic reading road bridge. although i cannot sacrifice or compromise one cause or another, i do regret when a mission offends someone personally, or hurts their feelings.
ReplyDeleteCedarbrook is deserving of a set-aside in the budget, since it is a refuge of last resort for the impoverished and infirm. There are more than elderly people housed there; there are those who have severe birth conditions or who have intellectual deficiencies who have out-lived parents and siblings; there are those who have been unable to recover from accidents who have never been able to return to independent life. Not all of these are elderly by any means, though the majority of residents are up in years and frail. I am not overly fond of a government that inserts itself into our lives unnecessarily, however this institution was set up for a good cause and just reason. It protects and shelters our community's extremely vulnerable citizens. As you have noted, the community recognizes the need for humane housing of incarcerated individuals. Civilized societies take care of people, whether or not those people are sympathetic figures or whether they are too aged or sick or enfeebled to even know what time of day it is. Create a business model that allows income to be established from rehabilitation..that's still well within the expertise of Cedarbrook. Rehab wings have saved many such facilities..it's the new way of doing the right thing. It works.
ReplyDeleteI wish you were as diplomatic as I.
ReplyDeleteI guess it all boils down to the funding. I agree with the need for cedarbrook and gracedale. The problem arises from the the cost of providing the service including labor costs in light of all the pressures from those that advocate spending cuts. As a county function its puts the burden on a local level. There are no easy answers here. In the 80s geraldo rivera made a name for himself exposing the deplorable conditions at willowbrook a NY state run mental institution. Talk about vulnerable citizens. Lack of funding for proper supervision and policies was the reason for such conditions. Public outrage since has caused a change closing many of those type of institutions. Even locally the allentown state hospital, a state function,has downsized.In my view state and federal funding has to increase to cedarbrook to lessen the county tax burden. Not a popular view im sure but believe we should direct our outrage in that direction.
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