Easton's "Democracy" March Consists of Walking in Circles

Though it's still a bit chilly and windy for a longish bike ride, I decided to ride to Easton's Circle on Sunday to watch and listen to an anti-Trump rally thinly disguised as a pro-democracy rally. Despite the gloomy weather, the opposite of just the day before, there was a decent crowd of about 150-200 people, many of whom were festooned in home-made anti-Trump signs. After listening to a group of mostly uninspired and forgettable speakers, they simply walked around in circles and pretended it was a march. That's exactly what most Trump opponents are doing these days. Walking in circles instead of taking meaningful actions that address where we Democrats went wrong and what really ails our democratic-ish government

I did like Lady Liberty on stilts. She even painted her face green. I thought her presence, by itself, meant more than what anyone had to say. I also appreciated like the idea of collecting food for people in need. That was thoughtful. I even got a free coffee at Dunkin' from the nice young ladies at the counter. I was dressed in my nicest velo gear, but no matter what I do, I tend to look like a homeless person. 

Speakers consisted of colonial re-enactor Christopher Black, former US Congressperson Susan Wild, State Rep. Bob Freeman, former TV journalist Melba Tolliver and local community activist Baron Vanderburg. 

Without question, our polity (we are a rule by the many, not a strict democracy) is in big trouble. One of its biggest weaknesses is the pernicious influence of money in politics. So guess who spoke the longest? Former Congress member and glorified telemarketer Susan Wild. Over $38 million was spent in her losing bid to remain in Washington last year. That's just obscene. She spent much of her time on the stage Sunday displaying her schadenfreude at Elsie Stefanik. That NY Congress member recently had to abandon her quest to become UN Ambassador so that the GOP could maintain its razor thin majority. Wild was just delighted. But she spent no time at all criticizing how millions of dollars injected into campaigns results in corrupt government officials. You could see that in Wild herself. She, like most members of Congress, spent most of her time on the phone, speaking to deep pockets. As a result, her office had terrible constituent services. 

Danny "Dog Park" Cohen

A second of the biggest problems in our polity is the lack of term limits for many elected offices, especially in state and federal government. Our politicians tend to get in office and stay there forever. Or until they look like a deer in the headlights during a Presidential debate. One Congress member from Texas actually lives in an assisted-living facility. So who addresses this problem with our democracy? Not Easton Mayor Sal Panto, who is now in his sixth term. Nor did State Representative Bob Freeman, who will be in office for 40 frickin' years at the end of his term in 2026.  Our elected leaders tend to be disproportionately old, white and male. They stay in office because they know how to cater to special interests instead of hard-working people. That's who spoke on behalf of more democracy? 

A former TV anchor, who got her big break by crossing a picket line during a strike by broadcasters and writers, also spoke. She's a scab. What better way for Democrats or Democratic Socialists or whatever we call ourselves these days to show our solidarity with the working class. But because she refused to cover her head with a scarf when Tricia Nixon was married, her sins are all forgiven, I guess. 

Baron Vanderburg spent his time discussing the five stages of grief he endured after Republicans and Trump prevailed. I'm not exactly sure what that has to do with democracy. 

Final, there was a colonial re-enactor, sporting his tri-corner hat and 1776 regalia, harkening us back to the time when only the landed male gentry could vote, and slaves were only 3/5 of a person. I'd rather not be reminded. 

Wild went on forever, and Panto shouted his remarks. I'm not quite sure why. I decided walk a few blocks back so my eardrums would remain intact, perilously close to a tempting bakery. A passerby was laughing as Panto shrieked. "Now he's talking about the beaches of Normandy," he shook his head. 

Were there Trump disruptors? Sure. One fellow kept shouting "Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump" as speakers delivered their obloquies. Another fellow, carrying a Mackenzie sign that he defiantly displayed from time to time, spoke of powerful American women like Aunt Jemima. Stupid comes in all flavors. 

Without question, this country is riven and our democracy is slowly but inexorably headed into a dictatorship, much like happened to the Roman Republic. But it's also indisputable that nearly all elected leaders on both sides of the aisle care very little about anything but their own ambition. Instead of walking around in circles or carrying "Impeach Trump" signs, we need to reform what is wrong in our government, including office holders who stay well beyond their expiration date and the corrupting influence of money. That would be a little more meaningful.

The Real Problem With Tuesday's Primary Election

According to the unofficial results of NorCo's election in a Presidential primary, turnout was an anemic 22%. Only one out of five registered voters bothered to cast a ballot. And I'm not picking on NorCo. Statewide, it was only 25%.  Now I understand that part of the reason for this is that independents are unable to participate in closed primaries. But there's another, even deeper, problem. Voters have little choice. Most candidates are incumbents who run unopposed. Even in the Presidential race, Republicans and Democrats had no realistic alternative to Trump or Biden. And this is democracy?  

You can say that people should vote as a matter of civic responsibility. But for what? The same ol' same ol'? There are few contested races. Yes, there were a few challengers to incumbents Zach Mako and Bob Freeman in Lehigh and Northampton, as there should be. But Mako's opponent looks like he's in fourth grade and Freeman's nemesis destroyed herself in so many ways that her career is hopefully over. Because there's no real choice, we are drifting from democracy to oligarchy.

I've argued before that we need open primaries. But we also need term limits. As nice a guy as Bob Freeman is, it's ridiculous that he has been a State Rep for 40 years. 

Ancient Rome, when it was still a republic, was very leery of seeing the same people in office over and over. Its highest office, Consul, could only be held for one year, and after that, a person had to wait five years before running again. Things began to change when populists like Gaius Marius bent the rules and got himself elected seven times. He ended up killing a number of his political enemies and started the devolution to one-man rule. I believe we are headed in that direction here.   

Two Ways To Revive Our Troubled Democracy

Donald Trump has done his very best to undermine democracy (yes, I know it is not a pure democracy) in America by assailing the free press and attacking the integrity of our elections. While I think his real goal is autocracy, I agree with conservatives and liberals who think we could really improve our democratic form of government with two simple changes. In an article entitled "Democracy Die in Primaries" and publishes in conservative Rael Clear Politics, Nick Troiano lists them. 

"The reason our elected leaders don’t seem to represent us is because, quite literally, most of us don’t elect them."

1) Open the Primaries Already. - In closed primary states like Pa, we see low turnouts that cater to party extremists. "So far in 2024, nearly a third of U.S. House seats have already been decided by only 3% of eligible votes in the eight states that have held primaries for offices other than the presidency. In 2022, 8% of voters elected 83% of Congress."

2) You Need a Majority to Win. - "Consider how the 2024 election might have been different had these principles been in effect. First, had the GOP required a majority winner in the 2016 primaries, Donald Trump might not have become the nominee with only a plurality (45%) of the vote. Second, without Trump’s victory that year, there would likely be no Biden rematch in 2024, and therefore no efforts to run candidates like Dean Phillips off primary ballots. Third, majority-winner elections using ranked choice voting would level the playing field for independent and third party candidates rather than dismissing them out of hand as spoilers."

Who Does the Urban Growth Regime Want to Buy?

In 2012, I told you that democracy is dead in Allentown. Sure, people still vote, but turn out is so bad that a scant minority makes decisions for everyone else. A scant five per cent of Allentown elected Edwin Pawlowski. Most people believe it does not matter anyway. Newspapers fail to inform, devoting far more attention to proms and restaurant reviews than in actually telling you what is happening. So over the years, democracy has been replaced by an urban growth regime in which politicians, select members of the business community and even the newspapers have co-opted each other. They might sincerely believe that they are working for the greater good. In reality, they are advancing their own business interests. They have even tried to expand control into Northampton County and Whitehall Township.

The chief architects of this urban growth regime are J.B. Reilly and Joe Topper, who are smart and successful businessmen. But when they contribute directly to candidates, that draws eyebrows and resentment. They've learned to hide their donations by funneling them through political parties and political action committees.

They did that during John Brown's Northampton County Executive campaign in 2013. His opponent, Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan, had angered the regime by making some remarks that were mildly critical of the NIZ. So they decided to prop up an unknown Bangor Mayor who they thought would do as he's told. Reilly and Topper contributed $50,000 to the state Republican party ($25,000 each), which in turn contributed $41,217.12 to Brown and $1,000 to Peg Ferraro. Because some reporter might write about a direct contribution and Northampton County residents would resent Lehigh County developers coming in and taking over, So they laundered the money via the state party.

But that's a problem, too. The party will always keep some of the money, depriving the money boys of the biggest bang for their buck. So being the astute businessmen they are, Reilly and Topper set up their own political action a=committee to make sure every penny they contribute goes directly to the candidate. They call it Citizens for Urban Renewal, though the only citizens involved are Reilly, Topper and Jeff Vaughn, who handles their communications. The initial $200 came from Vaughn, but Reilly and Topper have handled the rest. They have contributed $103,000 to this PAC since late 2013.

Who are they attempting to enlist as members of the urban growth regime? They give to Democrats and Republicans alike. To them, money is more important than party. Below are local Democratic legislative and executive candidates who have accepted donations from a two millionaires whose views might be called more of Ronald Reagan's trickle down economics.

Allentown Future Fund - $15,000. (This is a Pawlowski PAC).
Dan McCarthy - $4,000 (McCarthy, a Pawlowski ally, was running for judge).
Pete Schweyer - $4,000. (Pawlowski Democrat)
Ed Pawlowski - $15,000.
Mark Aurand - $1,000 (Pawlowski Democrat, was running for the state senate)
Mike Schlossberg - $2,500 (Pawlowski Democrat running unopposed)
Lisa Boscola - $1,000 (NIZ Democrat running unopposed).
Tom Wolf - $2,000 (reportedly unhappy about corporate handouts)
Tom Muller - $4,000 (NIZ Democrat)
Dan McNeill - $500 (Democrat).
Jeff Glazier - $3,000 (Pawlowski Dem).
Jerry Palagonia - $500 (Whitehall takeover)
Charlie Thiel - $1,000 (Pawlowski Dem)

John Brown, a Republican was given $5,000 in addition to the $41,217.12 that was laundered through state Republicans. He is now Northampton County's Executive. But the attempt to take over Whitehall Township failed.

But is this really trickle down economics? No. It's crony capitalism.

An economist explains the difference.

"Reagan's presumption was that the private sector was a better and more efficient allocator of wealth than the government. Indeed, the idea was to make government smaller and the private sector larger by reducing tax rates and eliminating government red tape, among other means. Reagan was deeply opposed to the government picking and choosing economic "winners" and "losers."

"The NIZ concept is antithetical to that belief system. The NIZ concept wants government to pick winners and losers. And, of course, the winners are those with the money, power and influence to steer government largesse their way. Reilly, et al, are "crony capitalists" - relying on their wealth, power and influence to suck as much money from government coffers (meaning, less wealthy, less powerful, and less influential taxpayers) as they possibly can."

Things To Ponder on Independence Day

Can we really claim to be independent when tyrants are allowed to conduct staged perp walks of litter suspects?  - I would say yes, because we have a judiciary that will uphold the Constitution

When a police officer can ask other police officers to "light this fucker up," as Eric Schwab did concerning me, can we claim to be free? - I would say yes, thanks to other police officers who made me aware of Schwab's bizarre remarks.

Is free speech dead in Nazareth? - I hope not. The stickergate trio was arrested and publicly paraded in chains for the content of their stickers, not for placing them on poles and benches. Others have posted mush larger messages without any interference. Though I can control what is posted here; the government has no such right. Yet Chief Thomas Trachta reportedly even asked a District Attorney to silence this blog. "If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.” (George Orwell)

Are we in trouble? I would say yes, because newspapers no longer have the resources to cover tiny boroughs or even some big townships. They have been the canaries in the coal mine, but there's only enough these days for the main veins.

Happy 4th!!

The Expansion of Allentown's Urban Growth Regime

Almost two years ago, I told you that democracy is dead in Allentown. Sure, there will always be a Don Quixote like Michael Donovan, who is willing to challenge the status quo. But Allentown's experiment in democracy is dead. Its people just don't know it. In the last Mayoral race, Edwin Pawlowski was re-elected by just 5,845 of the Queen City's population of 118,974. Less than five per cent of the people voted for him, and that's all he needed. Democracy has been replaced by an urban growth regime in which politicians and select members of the business community co-opt each other, not for the benefit of the community, but to advance their own interests. There is no Democratic or Republican party. Money is King, and everything else is illusion. This becomes abundantly clear when looking at campaign finance reports, especially the recently formed "Citizens for Urban Renewal."

Allentown is ruled, not by Ed Pawlowski or his rubber stamps on City Council. It's real Kings are developers J.B. Reilly and Joe Topper, the NIZ twins. Thanks to State Senator Pat Browne, they are using state tax money that should be funding better education for our children, to make themselves even more rich. They use this money to lure businesses from other parts of the Lehigh Valley into publicly subsidized office buildings. Once the public money runs out, they'll be gone.

The NIZ twins have gone out of their way to ensure their business interests are protected by public officials. The best way to do that is with legal bribes known as campaign donations. In addition to ensuring that the politicians who support their agenda are well-funded, Reilly and Topper have gone out of their way to fund anyone who stands in their way.

They did that last year to Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan, who at the time was running for Northampton County Executive. He had been mildly critical of the NIZ size and poaching tactics being used. So Reilly and Topper poured $50,000 into the campaign coffers of John Brown, Callahan's opponent in that race.

Instead of funding Brown directly, which would give him the appearance of being bought and paid for, they laundered this sum to the state Republican party. On October 14, Reilly and Topper each kicked in $25,000. They were the only individuals contributing to the Republican party that election cycle.

And lo and behold, in the waning days of the campaign, the Brown campaign flooded Northampton County with TV ads and mailers. That's because the state Republican party had provided $41,217.12 in last-minute, in-kind contributions to Brown.

But the NIZ twins did not stop there.

According to Brown's year-end report, he received another $5,000 from a PAC calling itself "Citizens for Urban Renewal." He lists no address for this PAC in violation of state campaign finance laws. He claims to have received this sum on December 16.

Who are "Citizens for Urban Renewal"?

No such PAC is registered in Northampton or Lehigh County. That's because it's registered with the state, where it can file paper reports that won't be seen for months after the contribution is made, totally defeating the purpose of campaign disclosure laws. This is exactly what Wayne Woodman and Scott Ott did when they formed a state PAC to run local races. It hides the money, at least temporarily.

According to Department of State records, this Urban Renewal PAC was formed on 10/28/13, right before November's election. It was formed by Jeff Vaughan, one of Reilly's cronies. And Reilly and Topper each kicked in $20,000 for starters. They then contributed $5,000 to Brown's campaign on November 19.

Brown failed to report this contribution in his post-election report. This might be an innocent book-keeping error, although it's certainly possible that he wanted to keep this information from the public, and tried to slip it in with his year-end report. In his year-end report, he "forgets" to list the address, making it hard for the casual observer to realize this is actually a NIZ-twin PAC.

In any event, the NIZ twins have invested $55,000 into Brown. Because they are businessmen, they will expect a return on that investment.

Who else is part of the urban growth regime?

Allentown Future Fund, $15,000, on 11/12/13. (This is obviously Pawlowski).
Dan McCarthy, $4,000, on 10/30/13.
Ryan Mackenzie, $3,000, on 10/30/13.
Jim Martin, $5,000, on 11/18/13.
Justin Simmons, $2,000, on 11/18/13.
Joe Emrick, $1,000, on 11/18/13.
Pete Schweyer, $2,000, on 12/6/13.

Democracy is dead in Allentown. NIZ twins Reilly and Topper are doing their best to kill it in the rest of the Lehigh Valley.

Will the 47% Ruin Our Democracy?

Mitt Romney's 47% remark, concerning segments of the American population who would never vote for him because they believe they are victims and are dependent on the government, caused an uproar. It probably didn't help that he made that remark to a room full of gazillionaires. But doesn't he have a point? Have we become a nation of  what Ron Angle calls the "gimmes," people who want something for nothing?

On Wednesday, one of my readers offered some interesting observations, attributed to Scottish lawyer and historian Alexander Fraser Tytler. Though the quotation itself might be inaccurate, this unusual condemnation of democracy is troubling. Not because it's wrong, but because it might be right.

"A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government. A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover that they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship. The average age of the world's greatest civilizations from the beginning of history has been about 200 years. During those 200 years, these nations always progressed through the following sequence:

From bondage to spiritual faith;
From spiritual faith to great courage;
From courage to liberty;
From liberty to abundance;
From abundance to selfishness;
From selfishness to complacency;
From complacency to apathy;
From apathy to dependence;
From dependence back into bondage."

Democracy is the Score at the Beginning of the Ninth

"We received a letter from the Writers’ War Board the other day asking for a statement on ‘The Meaning of Democracy.’ It is presumably our duty to comply with such a request, and it is certainly our pleasure. Surely the Board knows what democracy is. It is the line that forms on the right. It is the don’t in don’t shove. It is the hole in the stuffed shirt through which the sawdust slowly trickles, the dent in the high hat.

"Democracy is the recurrent suspicion that more than half of the people are right more than half the time. It is the feeling of privacy in the voting booths, the feeling of communion in the libraries, the feeling of vitality everywhere. Democracy is the letter to the editor. Democracy is the score at the beginning of the ninth. It is an idea which hasn’t been disproved yet, a song the words of which have not gone bad. It’s the mustard on the hot dog and the cream in the rationed coffee. Democracy is a request from a War Board, in the middle of the morning in the middle of a war, wanting to know what democracy is."

The above ditty, called The Meaning of Democracy, was read during Criag Dally's judicial induction ceremony on Friday. Bethlehem Attorney Tom Maloney told us that no less a personage than Winston Churchill, forwarded this little essay to FDR.

FDR's reply? "Them's my sentiments!"

Blogger's Note: This essay appeared in The New Yorker in 1943, and was written by E.B. White. He's known to most of us as the author of Charlotte's Web.