Blogger's Note: Opinions Online is a regular Saturday feature. If you'd like to express your opinion on any topic, click on the Opinions Online button on my left sidebar. You can also call 385-325-2564. In addition to these submissions, I am taking some comments from throughout the week and re-publishing them here.
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Did Abe secure himself a zoning variance for the parking lot at Building 21 while he was making deals with the city, to park all of those tractor trailers there? Assuming they're for the show at the PPL Center. Guess there wasn't enough room in the AOW parking lot for all of them this time (BTW, wonder what the zoning is for tractor trailer parking there as well?)
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I have been following the election a bit. I got a robo call about Hayden Phillips wanting to turn Gracedale into a corporation. Is this true. I know there was a resolution that talked about studying a possible sale of the home again! Mr. Barron has my vote if that is the case. I am disappointed that Mr. Phillips would go down this road.
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There is a Northampton county judge whose home, when searched on ncpub.org (assessment records), comes up as "Unknown Owner." I can certainly understand the judge's concerns for privacy in the event of a hostile losing litigant, etc. He also has the house's image blurred out on Google Earth, but anyone can have Google do that for them easily.
I work in a position in the private sector where I am frequently threatened with violence from angry members of the public. I have had a gun pulled on me. God forbid one of them decides to meet me at my house one night. Why can't my house be listed as "Unknown Owner"? I've never seen any home listed like that other than this judge's.
County policy or handshake deal with the assessment folks?
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I recently received my annual "Per Capital" $10 tax bill. I'm curious how much is spent to collect this measly $10. Would not surprise me if $5 is spent to collect $10. What is the purpose of this tax anyway?
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Why is there NO Lehigh County Commissioners debate?
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While people will often claim that people who don't vote are doing a disservice to democracy I think that people who blindly vote straight party line are far worse.
Hank_Hill
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Bethlehem City Council did the right thing in approving the rezoning of Martin Tower. The merchants are whiners who claim they are not scared or competition but yet clearly do not want to compete. Council made a decision that will ultimately position Bethlehem to be competitive for new businesses. As a resident I want to know what is wrong with new retail development in Bethlehem? If Main Street offered something people would want, people would go there. But they offer crafts and foo foo. Yeah. Good luck.
Today's one-liner: "The shortest way to the distinguishing excellence of any writer is through his hostile critics." Richard LeGallienne
Local Government TV
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Saturday, October 24, 2015
28 comments:
You own views are appreciated, especially if they differ from mine. But remember, commenting is a privilege, not a right. I will delete personal attacks or off-topic remarks at my discretion. Comments that play into the tribalism that has consumed this nation will be declined. So will comments alleging voter fraud unless backed up by concrete evidence. If you attack someone personally, I expect you to identify yourself. I will delete criticisms of my comment policy, vulgarities, cut-and-paste jobs from other sources and any suggestion of violence towards anyone. I will also delete sweeping generalizations about mainstream parties or ideologies, i.e. identity politics. My decisions on these matters are made on a case by case basis, and may be affected by my mood that day, my access to the blog at the time the comment was made or other information that isn’t readily apparent.
Hank tell that to the teabaggers. They claim to be non-partisan but even with the crap record their chosen candidates have, they will blindly pull the Republican lever.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the decision re. Martin Tower. One thing for sure, parking will be a whole lot easier at the Martin Tower complex than it is in downtown Bethlehem with those meter maids cruising the streets on a regular basis. What a way to welcome patrons to downtown Bethlehem.
ReplyDelete"The merchants are whiners who claim they are not scared or competition but yet clearly do not want to compete."
ReplyDeleteDumbest statement of the post and a testament to the idiocy that results from a lack of economics education. There's no competition when we give tax advantages to some and not others. Forget about crafts and foo foo. Bethlehem has decided that tower businesses couldn't sell a sandwich to a starving man without some help from taxpayers. Those who can't compete without government help are the whiners.
Develop Martin Towers and metered parking will follow. It's a natural progression that municipal looting follows commerce.
ReplyDeleteMr. Dietz and Mr. Phillips came to my door. I spoke to them about Gracedale and they both said they wanted Gracedale to become a 501c3. They did now realize I was a Gracedale employee. I was nice to them, listened to their speech and then have been telling all my friends and co-workers about this. Then Mr. Phillips calls the residents of the county in response to Mr. Barron's phone call and lied to them about not saying it. He was at my door saying he wants Gracedale to be a 501c3. I don't believe for a minute he will fight for Gracedale like Mr. Barron has. Mr. Barron has my vote and if you care about saving money and Gracedale he should have yours too!
ReplyDeleteGet rid of the $10.00 tax from the school district so I can save a postage stamp add $20.00 to my regular t school tax to cover the $10.00 it will cost.
ReplyDeleteTotally agree with you Hank. Those options should be removed from voting machines. If you're dumb enough to vote party rather than individual, you should at least be required to select each office.
ReplyDeleteThere is a Northampton county judge whose home, when searched on ncpub.org (assessment records), comes up as "Unknown Owner." I can certainly understand the judge's concerns for privacy in the event of a hostile losing litigant, etc. He also has the house's image blurred out on Google Earth, but anyone can have Google do that for them easily.
ReplyDeleteI work in a position in the private sector where I am frequently threatened with violence from angry members of the public. I have had a gun pulled on me. God forbid one of them decides to meet me at my house one night. Why can't my house be listed as "Unknown Owner"? I've never seen any home listed like that other than this judge's"
This is a very important issue. anyone can check Goggle and drive to a home's front yard. How can everyone get their home blurred?
Love the people that claim the merchants don't want any competition. That might be true. Wonder why the same people refuse to allow parents to choose excellent schools/education for their kids . It must be the teachers union doesn't want the competition as well? When I go to the store to buy a loaf of bread , I have numerous choices, but when I want my kid to have a choice in his education, I am limited in these same choices.
ReplyDelete11:24 AM- the real reason is that you and your families safety don't count. This attitude is often expressed by guys like Rahm Emmanuel, Mike Bloomberg, obamas, the Clintons, the Christies, and others who claim you don't need the same level of security as they are entitled to. These people, have 24-7-365 armed ex military protecting them as well as their kids , while they are at school. But heavens forbid, you ask for armed security at your kids school. You are not political elite aka hypocrites.
ReplyDeleteThe City of Easton needs to balance budget. OF-COARSE- Poster on express times had good point =Lafayette College get away with murder on taxes because they are -a school tax free institution. However poster said they buy properties without even transfer tax -before they are actually sold- I would have to side with that opinion. not sold yet pay they tax. BUT THE PART about the politicians having no ball's is a little over the top.
ReplyDeleteMcall report
ReplyDeletehttp://www.mcall.com/news/local/allentown/centercity/mc-pa-allentown-pawlowski-donor-commitments-20151023-story.html
Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski sought donations from Eliot Spitzer, Andre Reed, email shows
What do Eliot Spitzer and Andre Reed have in common? Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski was counting on both to help fund his U.S. Senate campaign.
By now we know that Pawlowski raised more than $400,000 toward his now suspended race for U.S. Senate, but what about would-be donors who did not contribute.
According to an email obtained by The Morning Call in a Right to Know request, more than five dozen people, businesses and entities in the Lehigh Valley and beyond pledged money to Pawlowski's campaign, but had not contributed by a June 30 campaign finance report deadline.
On the evening of July 1, just hours before the FBI raided Allentown City Hall, campaign consultant Mike Fleck emailed Pawlowski to update the three-term mayor on who owed the campaign money based on what he indicated were their earlier pledges.
The email, which has no body, is titled "outstanding commitments," and has an attached Excel spreadsheet by the same name. On that spreadsheet are dozens of names and Fleck's list of their campaign pledges, as well as the amount received from each.
Don Cunningham, head of the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation, was to give $1,000 to the campaign, according to the document, but nothing was received. Ditto for Tony Iannelli, CEO and president of the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, the list shows.
Several locals promised larger commitments, according to Fleck's list. Developer J.B. Reilly with City Center Investment Corp. was to give $50,000, but did not. Developer Rich Welkowitz was also named. His $50,000 pledge was not received.
Federal campaign finance rules prevent an individual from giving more than $5,400 to a campaign each election cycle, but donors sometimes pledge to recruit others to give.
Some notable names pop up among potential Pawlowski donors. NFL Hall of Famer and Allentown-native Andre Reed pledged $2,700, according to Fleck's list. As of July 1, he gave $0. Allentown recently named a street and park after Reed.
Eliot Spitzer, the disgraced former governor of New York, was slated to give. Spitzer's pledge of $5,400 was not received. Chad Taylor, a member of the rock band Live and an investor in United Fiber & Data, a tenant of the Butz Corporate Center, was expected to give $1,000; $250 was received.
Powerful Philadelphia labor leader John Dougherty appears on the list by his nickname "Johnny Doc." Dougherty pledged $50,000, but nothing was received, Fleck's list shows.
Check out the full list below.
https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/2461595/read-campaign-outstanding-commitment-list-sent.pdf
Jesus Figueroa has extended an olive branch to our olive skinned lothario via a generous deposit in the "White Tiger's" commissary account, February is not far off and now the time inbetween will be much more productive with a yin to Jim's yang.
ReplyDeleteRighteous anger awaits the poison posse and it's despicable main antagonist the bloated simian smeagol in the form of a new blogging empire which will supplant his influence by the end of 2016.
Jesus you made the right choice.
We knew he rec'd over $400k a few weeks ago bc I reported it soon after it appeared on the FEC site. The MC did NOT report that, nor did it report an inquiry from the FEC. His quarterly report was due 10-15, and is still not on the FEC site. How does the MC have it? Either they sent someone to go go get it or someone in the Pawlowski camp gave it to them with their spin. The story only explains some of the expenditures. I am very leery of the story and will wait until I see the FEC report.
ReplyDeleteRegarding Martin Towers, what will happen is a big government taxpayer CRIZ will go and benefit the redevelopment of Martin Towers. Retailers will flock to it and downtown will lose customers. Downtown becomes stagnant and some big government program will be hatched to save the downtown which will involve taxpayer dollars. Big government is ruining this country
ReplyDeleteJOHN M
"In the wake of the shootings in Ross Township, Pa., I feel compelled to speak out in support of an alleged criminal who was also a victim. I do not condone his actions. However, I understand them.
ReplyDeleteI also have been pushed to the brink by my local government for the last 15 years. I also have been a victim of constant government tyranny from my local government through its leader, West Easton Council President Kelly Gross.
It seems these two places have a lot in common. Bullying, lawyering up with taxpayer money, forcing oppressive action on law-abiding citizens and the destruction of one’s rights to keep and own property are very familiar themes.
Add in the desire for totalitarianism and this Hitler-type faction of political oppression in West Easton seems to mirror the exact predicament of Newell in Ross Township. I thank the Lord that I have had the patience to continue putting up with this tyranny.
As such, the Ross Township supervisors should resign, effective immediately. They stole the property of an indigent man with nowhere to go and nothing left to lose. Shame on them."
-Ridge St Stunner
Making Gracedale a non-profit changes nothing (501-c3). The place will still lose money unless reimbursements for Medical Assistance are increased...a non-likely scenario.
ReplyDeleteThat statement is inaccurate. In fact, two other nursing homes that converted to publicly held nonprofits have been able to get the higher reimbursement rate offered to private facilities. So this possibility should b studied, but not under the rubric of a resolution calling for a consideration or privatization.
ReplyDelete11:24, I will look into your issue next week.
ReplyDeleteThee people have no real understanding of Gracedale. Ron Angle must be coaching them.
ReplyDeleteI am the one who posted the comment about the judge's house. In case anyone wants to blur their home in Google Earth street view, it's easy:
ReplyDelete1. Open Google Earth, type in your address, and go to street view.
2. Click "Report a Problem" in the lower right corner of the image.
3. Follow the steps that appear on the screen from there.
4. If you have an alleyway to the rear of your home, make sure you repeat the process for that angle.
I'll add that when I called the assessment folks about having my house's record changed to unknown owner, they first claimed to have no idea what I was talking about, then they said it just was not possible.
A 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation is owned by the public at large, can take tax deductible cash and non-cash donations, is eligible for government and private grants, and can not be sold.
ReplyDelete%;43, aka Blog Mentor, you have no understanding of this or any NC issues, so leave this discussion to those who do. Stay off this blog as your promised your employer you would or you will soon find that you have no employer.
ReplyDelete11:24 --
ReplyDeleteWhy are you searching the judge's records?
Bernie, has Brown changed the Stoffa policy not to allow deputy sheriff's to keep county vehicles at their homes overnight? An NC Sheriff's vehicle has been spotted several times in a community in LEHIGH COUNTY. That doesn't seem right.
ReplyDeleteI hope they develop the Martin Tower site. The West side has nothing. Don't tell me to go to the Westgate Mall, It's terrible to shop there. Half the stores are closed and boarded up. When the demo crew is done at Martin Tower, send them over to Westgate!!!
ReplyDelete$5 million is being spent to revitalize the Westgate Mall, and without public subsidies. But in you short-sighted view, you want a publicly subsidized Promenade. Also , if you really give a shit about the West side, you'd want the CRIZ extended onto West Broad Street and not Martin Tower.
ReplyDeleteBernie
ReplyDeleteToday, I will try to mail a picture that depicts a bottle of snake oil from LVHN formally the great allentown hospital freeks and geeks of the back midway of years past currently epicentralized on the fifth floor of city hall¿!($
redd
patent pending