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| Armstrong has long history at Whitehall |
Phillips is retired after 40 years as a social studies teacher at Whitehall High School. He also has a master's degree. While teaching, he was also a tour bus driver for 38 years "I totally enjoyed that," he has said. After retiring, he decided to continue public service in local government. He is currently the President of Whitehall Township's Board of Commissioners. He also is involved in CTC (Community that Cares). He wants to go to Harrisburg "to make a difference." "I don't want a job,. I don't want a career," he said. His campaign finance reveals heavy union support. The root of all evil in state government, according to him, is gerrymandering. "We don't vote for our representatives. They vote for themselves. We can't do that anymore."
Armstrong really distinguished himself in a primary debate, which you can see here. Mako looked like a deer in the headlights. It goes beyond poor debating skills. He claims to be a helicopter pilot, but I'd never get in one with him.
Mako's campaign is being funded by the power structure seeking another back bencher who will do as he's told. And right now, his marching orders are to avoid a debate at all costs.
Mako sidestepped a candidate forum arranged by PBS 39 the week of September 13th He is also refusing to respond to the Northampton and Lehigh County League of Women Voters. Armstrong, in contrast, is ready any date between now and the election.
“The public deserves the chance to make an educated decision about who will best represent them in Harrisburg for the next two years,"he stated. "They have the right to examine candidate qualifications and the candidates’ abilities to find solutions to the problems faced by the people of the district.”
Like Armstrong, I strongly believes in public accountability and transparency. I find it disrespectful and contemptuous of the voters to refuse to debate on the issues and trust the voters to make the best decision in choosing their next State Representative.
Even The Donald debates.
Good article - honest and informative. Only criticism is "Mako" comes into the article without proper introduction - he may be forgettable but what is his first name?
ReplyDeleteOh, it's in the tag - Zach. You should add it in the body.
ReplyDeleteJust did. Thanks very much.
ReplyDeleteJust what we need - another retired teacher telling us we don't spend enough for education in a state where spend well beyond our means already. No thanks.
ReplyDeleteApparently the education system failed in your case. Therefore I also assume you're for Trump.
DeleteMy district needs a Strong voice in Harrisburg, not a muppet. Phil Armstrong has my vote.
ReplyDeleteWe also support Justin Simmons. Ty Bernie :)
ReplyDeleteJust because Armstrong is good at debating doesn't mean that he will be a good representative.
ReplyDeleteZach mako and his cronies are a joke! the only way a debate will ever happen from Mako's camp woul be if his campaign manager could do it for him. Since he does all the talking for him anyway.
ReplyDelete"Just what we need - another retired teacher"
ReplyDeleteI find this guy more impressive than any state house candidate I have seen in the last five years. His opponent has got to be one of the most stupid. Don't take my word for it. Watch the video. So yes, Armstrong is just what we need.
The Mako Shark fears no man! Especially not a trough feeding life time teacher. Just what Harrisburg needs, another teacher.
ReplyDeleteWrong. If Harrisburg had more education minded reps, the state would properly and fairly fund our public schools and your property taxes would be lower.
DeleteIf you watch the debate, you'll see Zach Mako knows nothing about the issues. So skill in debating is not the issue: ignorance is. Because of that, the only way he'll be able to survive in Harrisburg is by doing exactly what his party leadership tells him to do. That was pretty much Julie Harhart's strategy, and he's her protege. I have little doubt that Julie and the rest of his advisor's are telling him to avoid debating at all costs, which is exactly what he's doing.
ReplyDeleteArmstrong has been an impressive, knowledgeable and fiscally responsible leader for Whitehall. He's just the kind of guy we need to represent us in Harrisburg.
Academia should be banned from any politics by law for at least two years after retirement.Historically as a group they are poor managment.
ReplyDelete"The Mako Shark fears no man!"
ReplyDeleteMore like He's a guppy in a shark tank! See you later Mako!
I see. Only dumb people allowed. Try reconciling that idiotic argument with the First Amendment. But even under your flawed argument, Armstrong can run.
ReplyDeleteWe need to get property tax off of our school budgets. Tax and spend EASTON AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT for example wants to spend 20 million on a building full of children that are from illegal residents and when TRUMP gets elected the parents are going back to South America and they have not thought of this angle. Trump will cause this to happen .My statement is not an endorsement but what i see as what will happen.
ReplyDeleteJustin is fair a just man ,honest and i have have conversations with him in the past. He is above the contingency attempting to unseat him . this representative cares about what happens to his district and he has been logical in thinking. his feet are wet already.
ReplyDeleteHe may be be a fair man, but he did term limit himself, no one asked him to commit to that, he felt he needed to do that to win so he did. Now he's convinced his inner circle, mostly KR and DB, to respond to every comment about term limits that his constituents begged him to run again. His network may have begged him to run again because they couldn't bear to witness the alternative. An under 30 politician kicked to the curb, isn't a pretty site when you contributed to his campaign and thought he'd be governor by now. Unfortunately he's no closer to moving ahead tHan he was 6 years ago because he doesn't accomplish anything. People that move ahead are doers.
DeleteMr Cochran The federal courts have ruled that illegal aliens need to have access to social services while their deportation cases are being reviewed. That included sending their children to public schools.
ReplyDeleteUnlike other nations, we simply don't just deport or kick out people that hare here illegally. They are entitled to a deportation hearing. Given the 16-20 million illegals here, that can take years, and no one tracks where they are.
The best that Trump could do is shut the borders down, but the ones that are here already are here until they get their day in court, and feed off our social services while they are.
Now on the other hand, there is no court ruling that illegals can't be detained in detention camps until they get their day in court. Theoretically, they could be rounded up and sent to detention facilities while they are awaiting their deportation hearing. They could be given government clothing and food and the children could attend classes while in detention.
ReplyDeleteThat would be in alignment with what we did with enemy aliens during World War II that the Supreme Court said was constitutional. However, the Progressives in this country would go crazy if Trump actually did that using the DHS.
JAMIE, and they receive benefits at a better rate than combat vets than at the VA for being an anchor on our tax dollar. Less than 1 percent of our 345,000,000 legal residents have an ID CARD, that means all the full time military and reserves and-all the National Guard -P.A. being the largest of any state with Air Guard and retired reserve.This is bullshit.
ReplyDeleteJamie, what your missing is they will be economically driven out because they will not have work . rules will change and they people that get citizenship here legally will be phased like we do from my Legion Post four times a year at our court house . Its unfair to THEM the LEGAL citizens to go through the process, Thus id not fair for them to do what they have done and some other character slides under a fence.
ReplyDeleteWhy did this turn into Justin Simmons and trump ? if you want to comment on them then do it on the post thwt Bernie wrote pertaining to them not this one.
ReplyDeleteAnon 607 - your right.
ReplyDelete430. If I had to guess, I suspect Mako is being told to wait until the last possible moment to debate to lessen any adverse impact with the hope that the local press does not cover it.
ReplyDeletePeter is a good guy and his comments here are always welcome. I do not know Jamie, but she never engages in personal attacks.
ReplyDeleteDoes Mako live with his parents or was he simply venue shopping? A quick search suggests he lived at different places in PA.
ReplyDeleteYou mention Armstrong's "campaign finance report reveals heavy Union financial support". Could you elaborate?
ReplyDeleteI am not writing about his campaign finance here, so I will not be elaborating until I cover his pre-election report. In the meantime, you can go to the state websiute and see for yourself. I am not your secretary.
ReplyDelete