Who would have thought that Allentown would be visited by both presidential candidates within the week before the election. Such is the case as Kamala Harris is scheduled to visit the Little A today. As a small town pizza blogger, presidential politics are not my usual fare.
To the outside world, Allentown looks like it's booming. How could you possibly explain the NIZ to anybody? Even here few people understand it. Thanks to state senator Jarrett Coleman there will finally be some light cast on that lucrative scheme. I give myself some credit for scrutinizing it on my pizza blog menu since its get-go.
The Supreme Court has affirmed that provisional ballots in Pennsylvania must be counted. Meanwhile, the district attorney is investigating a batch of fraudulent voter registrations. I suspect that Pennsylvania's final tally will be quite a controversial calculation.
Lets just hope that after all the mail-in ballots are counted, the number of registered voters is greater than the number of ballots counted.
ReplyDeleteYes, in the 2020 election, it was around 202,000 more votes were cast than voters voting in PA. Somehow that never was explained.
DeleteI’m recommending a change in the city’s motto from “The City Without Limits” to “It’s Not a Joke”.
ReplyDeleteJeez, the jokes on them.
Apparently the “limit” is 15 years minus a couple for good behavior.
DeleteSuddenly I’m thinking that Mayor Matt, with his bicycle and the PeeWee Herman gear and the carnival tattoos and all, is absolutely perfect for this farcical finale, staged right here in the NIZ. Imagine, the NIZ is actually the stage set for the penultimate election showpiece! It beggars the imagination, “literally”, as the contemporary lingo goes. This entire situation give new meaning to the shopworn phrase, “you couldn’t make this up.”
ReplyDeleteIt was finally announced that the location of the Allentown will be Muhlenberg College, so not the NIZ.
DeleteThat’s even more appropriate, since it’s a small, private college that few of the people in Allentown voting for Harris would ever be able to afford. Attending today’s rally is the closest Harris will ever get her supporters to actually attending there.
Hopefully they’ll enjoy seeing the ivory tower that their money is paying for, before going home to their deteriorating neighborhoods under Harris’ democrat policies in the city.
No doubt, the Morning Call / Muhlenberg College political polls ALWAYS go in favor of the Democrat liberal perspective. It’s almost to the point of absurdity.
DeleteSo what’s new? Polls always go the way of the persons paying for them. Maybe this is a bit of a payoff. Anyway, a facility half the size should be easier to fill! Hope the City helps to clean-up the litter at least.
I wonder if Mayor Turek will be out with his bullhorn protesting Ms Harris' visit as he did Mr Trump's ?
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, it’s another DAY OFF for the Allentown School District. Hmmmm.
ReplyDeleteOther school districts are only getting out early today (as they did for the Trump
Rally last week) and their kids are at least getting some teaching today.
Some other (non-district) schools are having a school day at home today, using their tablets to receive instruction and assignments.
Yet the ASD is totally closed for education today (and last week, and tomorrow for Election Day).
So where are all the tablets in ASD that purchased after Covid? I’m hearing that the district didn’t pursue students who didn’t return them and haven’t maintained and updated the others. So a big waste of money for District taxpayers who paid for the tablets and a big failure of ASD management to keep them ready for use.
Or is the school closure for today’s Harris rally political in nature? I would note that as of the time I’m writing this we still don’t know where Harris will appear in Allentown or exactly what time. Could it be that Harris needs school kids to swell the attendance figures at her rally, and ASD teacher union members are happy to help?
Will these Presidential 'days off' for ASD be 'waved' from the so-called mandatory 180? Or are the young scholars expected to be at their laptops today?
DeleteAt the risk of being ridiculed by your audience, I will offer that the Mayor's 24/7 enthusiasm and hard work promoting the potential of Allentown, such as procuring the 20 million Recompete grant, gave the D.C.politicos a peek of what Shairp, Casey and Wild attest. I await the bemoaning of how that has ruined what a great city it was in the past, and the parallel criticism of the school district.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't ridicule you unless your assumption about the ASD is that it is an outstanding example of scholarly achievement and community involvement.
Delete8:12 - If grants from the federal and PA government were the solution, Allentown would have no problems. But the grants received are too often the problem, forcing city policy to adopt federal and state priorities (and commit funding to them) instead of what Allentown actually needs.
ReplyDeleteWhen the Mayor brings home a grant that will lower property taxes for homeowners, lower the earned income tax to what non residents working in the city pay (imagine that) and lower business taxes, I will give him all the credit in the world.
Until then, all he is doing is accepting money that will end up costing taxpayers and lead to tax increases in the future.
Right now, Allentown is the municipal equivalent of a welfare recipient, with zero ability to stand on its own. So we shouldn’t celebrate when we receive our monthly check. That seems obvious, except those inside City Hall.
The Recompete Grant referred to in the 8:12 comment typifies bad Washington policy. Its premise is that low-come and unemployed are that way because of barriers in transportation to jobs. That of course is an insult to Lanta and all their early morning riders. We have created generations of unemployed by choice. If Allentown can manage to put that grant money to worthwhile use, now that would be impressive.
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