Lehigh Valley conservative and Allentown Commentator publisher, Scott Armstrong, is at it again. In an Independence Day mini-essay, he shares his iconoclastic views.Is Allentown a microcosm of the nation? Consider this; Mayor Ed Pawlowski’s fiscal shenanigans of reckless spending, increased debt and bureaucratic expansion have driven Allentown to the point of fiscal insolvency; now, President Barack Obama in a short eighteen months threatens to do the same to the nation through similar actions. Both leaders have exhibited a similar penchant for dismissing criticism and discrediting critics, and both also share the calamitous combination of hubris and incompetence. Now, in the heat of the summer we see Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski and President Barack Obama attempting to deceive their electorates by spinning the canard that the dire circumstances confronting the city and the nation would be worse if it were not for them. The audacity of these claims serves to demonstrate Ed and Barack’s contempt for the public’s intellect. While plebeians are left to stare nervously into the abyss of another economic downturn many are coming to the realization that their emperors wear no clothes.
Both leaders, however, continue to maintain a supreme belief in themselves in spite of economic forecasts that show little reason for confidence. They and their dwindling number of true believers are the only ones who would believe the deception of “HOPE.” Ed Pawlowski has in all likelihood damaged Allentown past the point of any real salvation; now, the other politician who hails from the windy city is doing the same to the nation. Proud of their achievement and accumulated power both men expect the public to buy the bilge of a “Recovery Summer.”
27 comments:
Careful Bernie. As a newly minted cadre of the proletariat party, you can get in a lot of trouble criticizing the Great Leader and his minions. ;)
How does Armstrong fit his family in the house along with his ego. this guy is unbelievable.
Reality
Pip the mouse named official mouse of Allentown:
http://www.mcall.com/news/breaking/mc-allentown-celebration-pip-20100704,0,4630208.story
I was wondering who the official mouse of Allentown was. I thought it was Mickey.
Dean Browning is going to be upset. Browning tries to cut off Pip's funding every year, and Pip has gone to extremes, making threatening little mouse calls and planting little mouse bombs in Dean's car. Dean had been a dog breeder, but he has a few nasty-looking cats now. I don't know that Pip will make it trhough the month.
Doesn't Armstrong understand the importance of faith here? People like him hurt the recovery.
Allentown Democrat Voter
What kind of a man takes so many words to say absolutely nothing? Can anyone actually find a point in here anywhere? Is it that both are in debt and run by politicians Scott Armstrong doesn't like? Allentown is in debt because of low tax receipts due to the recession, but it can't run a deficit so it's in trouble. The US is in debt, but can continue to print it's own currency and borrow at historically low rates, so it doesn't have the same problem.
Agree with EVERYTHING Armstrong says. It is the truth. Allentown is wrecked beyond repair and the nation is close. Spend, spend, spend when there are less and less tax dollars coming in. Sounds like a plan to me. Can you say GREECE! It is time for change this November at the Federal, State and local levels.
Jon, you continue to show a complete lack of understanding of basic economic principles. I am very glad the rest of the G20 didn't want to follow Obama down the path to oblivion. This madness has to stop.
Also, Allentown was running budget deficits for years prior to the downturn. Pawlowski talked about his 'surplus' which was only becasue he counted bond issues as operating revenue. In the private sector people get fired for crap like that.
Scott is right, great article. Democrat Voter, faith in God is the only kind of faith that is ever worth following blindly.
Great job Scott. Could have just as easily included Rendell in there as well. Micek's feed today shows the state is following the gameplan to the letter.
$20 million to honor Specter and Murtha? I suppose that is OK since the budget is getting passed without delay, right? Why worry about money when you've got the process working so smoothly?
Maybe someone here can tell us if the following is true. Heard the feds will (if cap n trade passes) have the "right" to control our
Internet time on our own home computers and be able to turn off our private access. Is this true?
And who is the official RAT of Allentown? It isn't Willard.
We all need Pip's handlers as our
personal income agents. We too could live the life...
Bernie,
We too remember that Browning attack on a little tiny sweet mouse who does nothing but greet folks and act nice. Guess it got under
Browning's skin.
"And who is the official RAT of Allentown?"
That's worthy of a separate post.
Anon 11:00 AM, I am relatively certain that is untrue. I have googled your claim and am unable to find anything to it. There is a lot of confusion about net neutrality, and the big telecom companies may be promoting this myth.
So next year when we have a Republican Governor and many more Republican office holders and the same endemic social and economic problems plague us, what will you say?
I'm sorry I forgot, damn that Bill Clinton!!
Reality
Nah - Jimmy Carter.
ANON 11:00am,
You are thinking of the proposed legislation to allow the President of the United States to, in the time of global cyber attack, to essentially shut the internet down. The US Government would be working in conjunction with the big internet providers in the name of national security.
This is a real issue and my understanding is there is bipartisan support. And although it should go without saying, this would be for whomever the President is, Democrat or Republican.
Good for you Scott ... all kinds of talking points and never any specifics. Here's an idea Scott, stop talking smack and tell us what should actually be done. And be specific, "cutting taxes" and "spend less" are not acceptable answers.
Of course I don't expect a response because, if the truth be told, Scott has not a clue what to do. He is just a partisan Republican who doesn't like the fact that his guys got us into this place and lost an election.
Anon 8:14,
Talking points? From the Republican Party? Really? Do better than that.
What I would cut? Let’s begin with all the Czars, then what is left of the stimulus package, that would be around half of the original trillion dollars right? Then let’s preclude any more stimulus spending and any annual increase in government spending above the rate of inflation.
BTW, I would be ashamed to be a Democrat presently; your team doesn’t even have the guts to write a budget before the fall election. How cowardly is that? Answer…completely.
Scott Armstrong
Scott,
First, don't assume I am a registered Democrat, because I am not. And maybe it is cowardly to wait to write a budget, but it is disingenuous to imply that Republicans are any better than the Democrats. While I concede that the Dems should have some balls and bring forth their ideas/budget, the Republicans are void of ideas and have no grasp of economics. Remember when VP Dick Cheney said that deficits don't matter? I do.
Second, Allentown is a mess, but not all Pawlowski's doing. This is a problem that goes back many years and, in part, is a result of people fleeing urban areas for the suburbs.
I would also get rid of the Czars. They do little good, cost more than they should (although not a lot big picture), and I assume that you understand that they were not a result of anything that Obama did, and many came from guys names Bush.
Stimulus is/was needed, but it was done wrong. Half the stimulus was tax cuts (which you surely have not complained about), and a portion was political payback. Stimulus should go to building infrastructure - things like roads, bridges, and money to move forward the new business of the future. And like it or not, these are in the areas of biotechnology and alternative energy.
And in theory, cutting spending to only the rate of inflation is tempting, but economically nonsensical. Sounds good though. Of course, when we hit the bottom of an economic cycle it doesn't work. Apparently you have enough knowledge of economics to think you know something.
Here's a little Econ 101 for you: GDP = consumption (business & personal) + Investments + Government spending + (exports - imports). Your solution - big cuts in Government spending - would send GDP into a massive downward spiral, induce a massive recession, lower tax receipts, cause greater deficits, and destroy the economy. You are asking for a sustain recession. Be careful what you wish for.
Nothing will change until the underlying habits that caused the debt crisis are changed. This means we need to stop buying cheap good produced in the East (China, India, etc.) and the East needs to build home grown consumption.
When the economy becomes more stable, we can then reign in spending get deficits to grow below nominal growth rates (inflation + growth).
In sum, Government needs to continue to spend until we are on better economic footing. At that point, deficits can be reduced, with Government tightening it's own fiscal belt. I would include pensions, social security and defense department spending all ripe for the ax. Yes, I said it, we have way too many soldiers in way too many places, including Iraq and Afghanistan. There was no reason to go into Iraq and we should have taken out Bin Laden with special forces.
The President also needs to work globally to get every nation we trade with to stabilize exchange rate policies and give companies balanced access to all markets. Isolation doesn't work (see The Great Depression) and, before you make the argument, this is not giving up our sovereignty. It is arrogant to think that we (USA) can/should be above the rest of the world.
And FYI, while I think you are dead wrong, I appreciate that, for once, you have decided to respond to criticism by giving a response, as opposed to simply blowing off legitimate criticism by an anon as cowardly.
I'm signing off now, so, if you decide to respond, I won't be able to respond until tomorrow.
Anon 8:14
Anon,
Try to be briefer. We don’t have time to read tomes here. You asked me what I would do and I told you, then you say you sort of agree but I shouldn’t assume you are a Democrat. Why the mystery? Why not sign your name? Are you a staffer? Sort of a yawner.
Scott Armstrong
Scott, what do you do for a living? Seriously, are you a kept man that just sits and writes this stuff everyday?
Charles
I’m not writing posts at 3 am in the morning.
Scott Armstrong
Geeting,
You do a great job of using A LOT of words to say absolutely NOTHING.
In fact, you have a whole blog full of words to say absolutely nothing.
You really should be a comedian, not an Obama hack.
Scott,
I guess you didn't like the complete answer, so let me give it to you in sound bite clips.
1. I am not a Dem or a Rep, and yes, I think that you have one good idea. Even a broken clock is right once a day.
2. Government needs to continue to spend until private sector spending (consumers) can support the economy. To suggest that we just cut Government spending makes no economic sense. Cut spending now and you will lower tax revenues and thus increase the deficit. Sorry, but that is just how economics works.
3. The USA needs to work with our trading partners to get every nation we trade with to stabilize exchange rate policies and give companies balanced access to all markets. Isolation doesn't work (see The Great Depression). This is not giving up our sovereignty but working within the global economic system.
4. We need politicians who tell the people the truth and that sacrifice is necessary. This means social security and pensions to public sector employees cannot be what they may expect; This means higher taxes and lower services going forward; This means we all have to sacrifice, not just the people at the bottom; This means we need to change habits and stop buying cheap goods made in Asia.
5. Cut Defense Department spending. Spending $1 trillion on "preemptive war" in Iraq (read: attacking) was economically devastating, unnecessary and immoral. There is no reason for us to be the world's police force. Let's get our troops out of the far too many places they are currently located, and stop paying for unnecessary weaponry.
I am not a staffer and, while I don't know what you do for a living, my position in life does not allow me to post my name. Not really a mystery, just protecting myself. Besides, who I am should not matter. Ideas are what count.
Anon 8:14
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