Living behind enemy lines.
For the past twelve years I have lived in a one party town, in a city complete controlled, top to bottom by the party of which I am not a member nor could ever be a member of, the Democratic Party.I have witnessed this party destroy the municipality I have called home for twenty five years. As a unit they removed, or tacitly approved of the removal of all those whom they suspected of intellectual independence from any and all positions of city power and influence. The media was of course allied with the controlling party and published propaganda instead of news, never questioning anything. Instead they consistently painted a rosy picture of constant improvement and happy faced news stories. As a Republican the Democratic voters made the mistake of electing me onto the school board some time back, this was possible because I could cross file as one of them. They made sure not to repeat the error next time. That was fine by me because the four long years I serve I was treated as a distinct and unwelcome minority. I was subjected to slanders, smears, and mocked routinely. The press routinely misquoted me, allowed hateful accusatory letters to the editor to be published, and the Morning Call editorial page made a special exception to their own rules against personal attacks in op-eds by printing one that claimed "I denigrated the poor" . (The excuse for this slur was I rallied the board to oppose a KOZ approval for a project that would have allowed the conversion of an old mill, in a high crime flood plain to be converted into medium high density residential units.)I could go on.
As "normal" working people we have become surrounded by people/renters who apparently don't work, yet have all the luxuries, plenty of leisure time, and no respect for themselves, their neighbors and/or the the neighborhood. This is what it is like to live behind the lines in a city controlled by the Democratic Party. Abuse and neglect are common and good luck trying to report it, same goes for reporting crime. Meanwhile the controlling forces in this town/elected officials are more concerned with furthering their own political careers( this involves being a good and faithful soldier to the Democratic machine). The end result is rubber stamp voting and government more concerned with virtue signaling.
Less experienced people will point to the current divides on city council and the lack of 100% percent support for the mayor and his initiatives. This is due to the departure of Ed Pawlowski and the resulting power vacuum. The Democrats are now fighting over the spoils and hatching plots to destroy their inner party competitors and cement power for their own Democratic faction. Folks it won't last, soon enough a victor in this mini civil war will emerge and the city will once again have a mayor who will never be questioned, a rubber stamp council, and a press that reports it all as progress.
Friends who visit from the areas outside the city, in places where government is civil, open, bi-partisan and yes...effective, wonder why we don't make an escape to freedom. Move to a surrounding community with a less disruptive environment,kinder neighbors,cleaner safer streets...
They have a right to wonder, after all why would anyone chose to stay captive in a city that doesn't work?
Scott Armstrong
Mike, it's really more of a rant than great writing. I whipped it out and posted it very quickly before I had to leave this morning. Please forgive the many errors.
ReplyDeleteWell stated!!! Thank you for some much needed common sense.
ReplyDeleteWhat a martyr.
ReplyDeleteAaron,
ReplyDeleteYour comment is typical of what is wrong with the city. Those who hold alternative opinions, or disagree with the imposed consensus are impugned. Thanks for demonstrating this.
It’s not your opinions I’m criticizing, it’s your crybaby tone.
ReplyDeleteTheodore Roosevelt said that complaining without offering a solution is called whining. And I don’t see any solutions in your rant.
I don’t even see an answer to the question you pose at the end.
Aaron, Crybaby sounds like the typical insult behavior of the left. If you had any knowledge of the city and it's recent past you would know better than to apply the Roosevelt quote to me.
ReplyDeleteSure, I don’t agree with you, so i must be clueless. Nice.
ReplyDeleteIf you want to get elected in this city, you need to be a registered Democrat. You can change your registration without changing your position.
People in Kentucky hate Obama and, therefore, ObamaCare. So the Republicans there changed the name to Kentucky Care, and all the toothless hayseeds signed up for it. It’s the same thing, they just changed the name to something that people thought they wanted.
Or, you can sit there and sulk on someone else’s blog. It’s a free country.
Aaron,
ReplyDeleteNice try to suggest I insulted you. I never wrote you were "clueless". In my response I did imply, based on your post, that you wrote on assumptions rather than insights and experience.As to your advice of changing parties to get elected and facilitate positive change sadly you again failed to comprehend the real message of my post; even elected Democrats must be loyal soldiers, follow orders, or be destroyed. Just ask the few who tried to go their own way.
Your last paragraph betrays a scornful elitism again typical of the left today. It isn't an attractive quality for a person or a party.
Aaron White must not know Scott Armstrong very well if he thinks Armstrong only whines without offering solutions. While I can't say I agree with Scott on all or even most issues, I can say that Armstrong has spent a good chunk of his life trying to make things better here in Allentown, and he puts his own skin in the game time and time again. Very few people have been as civically involved in the City as Armstrong, and it takes real courage for him to continually stare down the status quo, day after day, only to be rewarded with unfair accusations of being a racist. I don't think anyone who knows Armstrong would accept him as a Democrat. A party change like that would certainly be turned against him, as it would be an outrageous and ridiculous change for him, considering his long and outspoken history in Allentown. Sometimes, it is useful to present a problem, as Armstrong does here, and allow the reader to consider the problem and all its implications, without dictating a necessary solution. I like the rant. It's long overdue.
ReplyDeleteMonkey momma,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the very kind words, it would be easy to leave but the truth is we love our home and the West Park community. Those two things are frankly, in our thinking irreplaceable. We have the good fortune to own one of the many Allentown architectural treasures and enjoy it immensely. We also cherish the many good friends we have here.
That said, it is an inescapable fact that there really is no need for the city to be in its current the dire shape. Much of it is entirely self inflicted. I have written it many times before, when we allow others to discourage, punish, and drive out critical thinking and speech we are our own worst enemies.
Scott, a lot of people are in your same situation. Seems that once the Democrats get elected, the quality of life in the city tanks. Consider NYC, Philadelphia, Baltimore, St Louis, Chicago, LA, San Fran... all Democrat controlled, all circling the drain. Allentown isn't immune, it just took a little time to trickle down.
ReplyDeleteUsing identity politics, the Dem's quickly build an election proof constituency. The message is simple: you deserve more entitlements / services. There are more takers than makers, thus they will continue to rule. The makers have little choice except to leave their homes / jobs / families - therefore we stay and get robbed with endless taxes and fees - while getting nothing in return.
While agree with Money Mamma's views on Scott Armstrong what I take issue with is the way Scott always blames liberal democrats for all the woes with his harsh words. Of course I agree with much what he points out are the problems.
ReplyDeleteLook I was born here in 1948 and grew up in Allentown for some 70 years. I hate too seeing what Allentown has become. I too despise how the city has become filled with transients that have no long term commitments to the city. How I end up paying for schools and the city expenses for those who do not. The proliferation of crime. I'm entirely against the stealing NIZ handouts (including to the paper).
I probably have as much disgust for all of this as much as Scott does BUT this constant bashing of Democrats (liberals) ad nauseam for over 20 years resolves nothing. I said it before and I'll say it again. Republicans need to offer alternatives and run for office no matter how many times they lose. Rather then throw up their hands saying "what's the point" is not exactly a winning strategy. Neither is constantly blowing wind on a blog.
Give me someone to vote for that will make the changes I'm looking for. Otherwise keep on doing what you're doing-- wasting your time howling at the moon against your perceived enemies.
Republicans need to offer alternatives and run for office no matter how many times they lose.
ReplyDeleteRepublicans stand for less government, more personal responsibility, much less entitlements - that's not a winning message for the entitlement class that makes up the majority in cities like A-Town. Secondly, the 'party' just runs out of steam - after losing election after election, you can't find anyone to run.
That's what has happened in all the Democrat cities.
Doug,
ReplyDeleteThink of New York City 40 years ago versus NYC today. That city was on the ropes. Today, it has issues but is a worldbeating city and metro area.
The difference there is that parties continue to run. Doesn’t mean you party always win, but in NYC the presence of different voices in the debate has changed the terms of the debate, which means the winner won differently than would have if running alone.
I agree with above: I assume that Mr. A wants better outcomes for the people of Allentown., I agree that ad hominem attacks are an unfortunate and ever more present part of our political life. But not participating is quitting.
I don’t know who picked the “enemy lines” but, but that is a sad indication of views of the political system and citizens. This is the language Bolsheviks use.