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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Today I momentarily forgot that the Court House in Easton was closed due to Veterans Day. (WEDNESDAY). lo and behold when I called I was surprised to hear the recorded voice of Alan Fowler, who has been deceased for at least a year. Perhaps someone might consider changing the voice message to that of someone alive in the County before his estate asks for royalties.
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Nearly every non-profit and quasi-government entity screws around with RFPs to benefit their buddies and board members. RFPs provide great leeway to award contracts to whomever they please. The RFP process is a mere illusion. You can hate on Mascaro but they are right. The process is a legitimate looking con.
Nearly every one of those boards also prefers holding meetings in private and sanitizing the meeting minutes if they decide to have any at all.
This is the way business is conducted in the Lehigh Valley. Allentown and Northampton County only got caught because somebody was paying attention. Most of these boards prefer you not to pay attention. It is complicated work. The average reporter does not have the skill to know the world of RFPs or contracts. They are too busy to regularly file RTK requests. Watchdogs with the attention spans of hyper cocker spaniels.
You might believe that there is one board out there that's legitimately interested in civic duty. You will find, however, the boards all have the same law firms, same development interests, same accountants, same engineers, same consultants, same pension and health insurance outfits all looking for business. If they couldn't make a buck, generate a business lead or pad their resume for political office from their involvement, they would not be there.
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"Enough already with all the Main St. complaining. How much more tax money does the rest of the city tax payers have to keep supporting them. There are other areas of the city that need work. Look at our roads in the West side Clearview area! We don't want more residents!!!!!! Why are main st merchants telling us what should be in our back yards. Bring in nice retail shops so I don't have to drive to Allentown and the Lehigh Valley Mall. Keep our tax dollars in Bethlehem.”
Bernie,
I would suggest to this commenter that businesses downtown pay a lot more than just real estate taxes. They must pay mercantile taxes and buy business privilege and other licenses. In addition they must collect state taxes and forward them to the Commonwealth, and collect federal income taxes and social security and forward those to Uncle Sam.
Interesting that some are denigrating shopping in the downtown when I can do much of my Christmas shopping there. Gift cards and unique personal/household gifts are plentiful, and I’m not real wealthy and can afford just about anything I want to purchase.
The argument of streets being improved is valid. But, they aren’t being improved at an acceptable rate because so many all over the city need work. Liquid fuels funding (state), CDBG funding (federal) and non utility capital borrowing are what pay these things, not local real estate taxes per se, although a case could be made that RE taxes are used to pay down debt. Why aren’t they bitching about the potential diversion of state taxes to the developer? That impacts their state tax obligations which in turn can influence how much of a tax burden the local school district can place on them.
Concerns about overburdening residential development are also legitimate, but age restricted housing and assisted living development would be much less impactful and the city could address that through zoning.
Too many concerns, not enough answers, and too little thought about what is best for this site and the city overall.
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From a fan: Three times today I drove through the former crosswalk recklessly, at a high rate of speed.
I plan on doing the same next week. If you would let me know when you'll be utilizing it, you could save me a considerable amount of time.
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, November 14, 2015
17 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.
"The history of complaining and moaning by Main Street merchants is long."
ReplyDeletePerhaps. But they have the nicest Main Street in the area and one of nicest in the country.
I deleted the comment bc the person who posed it has a personal agenda against me and does not care about the issue.
ReplyDeleteLVL banned me because of the interaction I had with Mezzacappa on the Graf article comments section. LOL.
ReplyDeleteHow do I know? I checked my profile page and nothing has been posted since 11/13, despite my commenting on 2 articles today.
I have had enough of this horseshit, both from her and the newspaper.
ReplyDeleteHere, here!
DeleteThe Blog Mentor received 11 write in votes for Lehigh Count D.A.? Either he and the robot when in 5 times or voter reg is allowing multiple personalities to vote. I didn't know he had even that many facebook friends ... WOW!!!
ReplyDeleteYour enemies are only yapping at the heels of their better, Bernie.
ReplyDelete-Jeffrey Anthony
Hey Robert Trotner, do you go both ways? I mean every post you post, is posted twice?
ReplyDeleteNazareth PD is protecting & serving it's citizens once again whilst seeking yet another lawsuit.
ReplyDeletePot leaf air freshener's are now reasonable search of your vehicle just don't have your weed visible to Barney Fief & company... I thought they fired Trachta already?
Panto's parking police hope you visit Easton in 2016, their budget indicates parking meters will be fed $1 million, parking fines will total $750,000 and towing charges 10,400.
ReplyDeletealways happy to feed a meter.....but the vodka gulping blogger would rather not.....umpteen parking violations , and , well, nuff said....keep drinkin the vodka, pussy face!
ReplyDeleteAnon @ 12:30 PM
ReplyDeleteIV/IM: 25 mg initially, followed PRN with 25-50 mg after 1-4 hours, then increased to maximum of 400 mg q4-6hr until patient is controlled; usual dosage 300-800 mg/day.
Deliver yourself to an Emergency Department. Once they begin trying to interact with you, they will hook you right up.
That would be for Thorazine, chlorpromazine Rx.
ReplyDeleteA few injections should takw care of most of your symptoms.
To the sadistic cretins who comprise O'Hate's "poison posse", a day of reckoning awaits all of you. Ever wonder why the target of your taunts has been silent for over a year? Could it because she would like to live a fruitful prosperous life free of agitation from cyber stalkers and members of the society for the perpetually aggrieved? Piling on this woman who had the courage to run for public office against a corrupt family cartel is a despicable display sure to land you in hot water with the creator.
ReplyDeleteMezzacappa has not identified herself and posts anonymously bc she knows she would be sued and/or prosecuted. But she has been stupid enough to continue using false names on LVL, which has banned her from posting under her own name. I have had enough if her nonsense there, and she wil be sued again in quite short order.
ReplyDeleteWouldn't it be funny is 1:36 were the blog mentor talking about being "perpetually aggrieved"? Almost as funny as a convicted drunk driver babbling on about how the DA is too easy on drunk drivers.
ReplyDeleteIt is Mezzacappa.
ReplyDelete