Bloggin' on WGPA 1100 AM with Ron Angle

I'll be bloggin' on WGPA Sunny 1000 AM between 8 and 10 AM this morning with the Emperor, Ron Angle. Any and all insults are welcome. I haven't been called an asshole for a few days. You can call in at 610-866-8074, livestream the show, or post comments here, and I'll try to read them on the air.

I'll be talking about Northampton County elections problems, and I have a little surprise to unveil about Advanced Voting Solutions.

Barron to Oppose Schimmel in Norco Controller Race

Every now and then, I check out Above Average Jane. She describes her blog as "the mostly political ramblings of a small-time, big-mouth community activist." Sound familiar?

But even Jane pleads ignorance when it comes to most county offices. "Every four years those of us in the suburbs vote for county row offices and, by and large, we have no idea what these offices are or what the people in them do." In that respect, Jane and I are different. I have a passionate interest in county government, which increasingly is becoming more important as areas regionalize to deal with police protection, open space and disaster planning.

1. What is a county controller?

The Northampton County Controller's function is described on the county website.

Our purpose is to audit County departments and entities receiving County funds in accordance with the Home Rule Charter and to make recommendations to County management that will improve the economy and efficiency of County operations, ensure compliance with laws and regulations, and strengthen internal controls safeguarding County assets.

The County's Home Rule Charter established the Controller's office as the internal audit function of the county in 1978. The Controller is elected and is independent of the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government. The Controllers Office conducts financial and performance audits of agencies receiving, disbursing or authorizing the disbursement of County funds, as well as the records of contracted service providers. Office activities and accomplishments are summarized in the Controller's Annual Report to County Council.

Audit projects are determined by state statute, internal risk assessment and requests. The County Executive, County Council members, department heads, employees and residents may request an audit.

2. Who is the county controller?

Northampton County's current controller, John T. Schimmel, has come under attack because a criminal division employee, whose office had miraculously escaped an controller's audit since 1992, embezzled around $120,000. But Schimmel can also take credit for recently discovering that the county had wasted nearly $200,000 on bogus health insurance claims and credit card abuse. He's seeking a fourth term to this part-time, $39,000 per year, position. Schimmel is also the accountant for Easton Area Joint Sewer Authority and maintains a private practice as a public accountant.

Although nominally a Republican, party leaders will tell you Schimmel's no politician. A few years ago, they got all worked up over Schimmel's decision to support family friend Mike Koury, a Democrat, for judge. Party boss Mark Hoffman huffed, "He's a great accountant, but not very politically astute."

Frankly, that's something I like about Schimmel. Party affiliation should be pretty much irrelevant to a controller.

3. Steve Barron Thinks He Can Do Better

Steve Barron, a lifelong Northampton County resident, thinks he can do better. Tuesday, he announced his candidacy, declaring he would be a "true fiscal watchdog." He has pledged to audit every office, no matter how small, at least once during his four-year term. "I am calling for open and accountable county government for each and every tax payer. ... During my tenure, the Controller will conduct fair and professional audits of every county office."

Steve's campaign kindly provided me with an announcement. Here's an excerpt.

The Bethlehem Democrat’s first bid for public office comes just months after the District Attorney launched an investigation into whether a deputy clerk embezzled nearly $100,000 in bail money. The county office was last audited in 1992.

Barron's strong academic record and professional experience make him an excellent choice for Controller. After completing his undergraduate work in government and politics at Widener University, Barron immediately entered the school’s law program and received his J.D. in May 2002.

Barron is currently the program director for Whitehall’s Impact Systems, Inc. The company runs assisted living homes for developmentally disabled adults. As director, Barron oversees the operation and staffing of four different homes, ensuring the residents an optimal quality of life.

Barron has been active in the Democratic Party as a volunteer since his late teens. Last year he earned high marks for his work when he was appointed Treasurer of the Northampton County Democratic Committee.

Barron, his wife Erin, daughter Emma, and dog Charles are lifelong residents of Northampton County, with strong ties across the community.

What doesn't come across in a press release, unfortunately, is the personality. For someone seeking public office and who has such credentials, Steve comes across as a very organized, level-headed and humble man. He's got a nifty website so the dude must be serious. I'd like to see how these guys campaign before I decide. But I'll support Barron immediately if he tells me his dog "Charles" is named after Charles Dertinger.

Deputy Sheriff Running For Magistrate in Nazareth

Living as I do, along Nazareth's busy Main Street, I get hammered by parking tickets. Unlike responsible people, I almost always ignore them until a constable comes knocking. When I was younger, I'd jump out the window with a disguise, but Constable Smith always nailed me. These days, he just calls and tells me it's time.

Over the years, I got to Nazareth's magistrate, Elmo Frey, quite well. He would patiently listen to my entreaties, and always had this one word response - GUILTY. He's one of the best magistrates I've ever seen, a quiet guy with a great sense of humor and common sense. He was forced to retire last year, and his wisdom will be hard to duplicate.

Who will be his successor? That's the million dollar question. It's a crowded field. Candidates include Bangor lawyer Yvonne Falcone, Norco Corrections Director Todd Buskirk, teacher Mark Franczk and Upper Nazareth police chief Alan Siegfried. Last night, that field got a little more crowded. Northampton County Deputy Sheriff John Capobianco has entered the fray. He's the one who most reminds me of Elmo Frey, and that's why I'll be voting for him.

Unlike many other candidates, who view this as a part-time job that improves their financial portfolio, Capobianco will be a full-time magistrate. He won't be collecting a government pension while working as a magistrate, and told me he intends to be a proactive magistrate, one who reaches out to the community. As an exxample, he said he'd like to visit schools regularly to explain how the system works. His campaign gave me this announcement.

In December, 2005, Capobianco was certified by the Minor Judiciary Education Board and thereby meets the stringent standards and necessary qualifications required in Pennsylvania. Capobianco attended the required classes and passed the exam, which covered all areas of the law under the jurisdiction of a Magisterial District Judge.

Capobianco is a lifelong resident of Northampton County and has lived in Nazareth since 1995. He is a Lieutenant with the Northampton County Sheriff’s Department where he is responsible for supervising Deputy Sheriffs in the Criminal Division. He has served with the Sheriff’s Deparment since 1991. Prior to that, he as a Detention Officer with the Northampton County Juvenile Detention Center.

Capobianco is the current CLEAN/NCIC Terminal Agency Coordinator for the Northampton County Sheriff’s Department. He also currently serves as the Pennsylvania Justice Network Terminal Agency Coordinator for all Northampton County criminal justice agencies and police departments. Until 2006, Capobianco also served as Team Leader for the Northampton County Sheriff’s Tactical Emergency Response Team.

John Capobianco holds a Bachelors Degree in Criminal Justice from Kutztown University. He graduated from Bangor Area High School.

"I am seeking the office of Magisterial District Judge to use my criminal justice and law enforcement experience to help make our community a safer place to live, and to continue a fair forum for justice for all the citizens of our district," Capobianco said.

Capobianco is married to Andrea Capobianco, former Nazareth Borough Tax Collector. They have three children.

The court's district covers Nazareth, Bath and Stockertown and the townships of Upper Nazareth and East Allen. The position of Magisterial District Judge, formerly held by Elmo Frey, is currently vacant.

Norco SPCA: It Stinks!

I was only there once. Once was enough. Last fall, I was looking for a dog. I first visited the Lehigh County Humane Society, which is very clean and well-maintained. Then I went to the SPCA in Williams Township. What a disgrace!

The smell is lethal. They should bottle that air and sell it to the military. The people who accompanied me were gone in minutes, physically ill. One started vomiting, and remained sick the rest of the day.

Yet charges were just tossed against SPCA exec director Sandra Loch. She had faced safety and cleanliness infractions, but the dog warden screwed up by charging her instead of charging the SPCA directly.

So there you have it. The supposed protectors of animal welfare are its biggest violators.

I'll bet GreenDog is pissed.

BlackBox Voting Backs Up Charge That Advanced Voting Pulled Fast One in Pa.

On Monday, I told you about a claim made by BlackBox Voting's Brad Spencer. The charge? Advanced Voting Solutions provided Northampton County with electronic voting machines different from those certified by Pennsylvania's Department of State. The result? We voted with machines that the state never approved.

Today, BlackBox Voting substantiated these accusations with documentary evidence that includes a bill of materials, technical drawings as well as Pennsylvania's own examination.

If you look at the WinVote machines above, you'll see two black boxes that look pretty much identical. But pop open the hood, and you'll see two completely different animals, as illustrated on the right. One of these is what was delivered to Pennsylvania and the other is what was approved. I'm no rocket scientist, but even I can see there's a huge difference. I don't want to rush to judgment without hearing from AVS, but these are serious questions that need answers.

Norco Citizens' Elections Committee Minutes Available Online

Minutes for the January 31 meeting Northampton County's citizens advisory committee, are now available online. This is the committee reviewing Northampton County elections. I'll keep a link to the minutes for each meeting on my left sidebar.

Are You a Commie Pinko or a Goosestepper?

PaProgressive is a commie pinko. GreenDog is, well, a GreenDog. I took PaPro's stupid test. He "liberated" the poll from Blue State, just like a socialist. My results are below. Hope you do better!

You are a Social Liberal (81% permissive) and an... Economic Liberal (18% permissive) You are best described as a: WingNut with a strange sexual attraction to parakeets! Socialist Link: The Politics Test on OkCupid Free Online Dating Also: The OkCupid Dating Persona Test

Why We Could Use a Few More Gene Stilps

Last week, the entertaining Gene Stilps cast a public spotlight on more than $3 million in "meritorious bonus payments" that House and Senate leaders handed to staff over the past two years. He sued the bastards.

Now, thanks to publicity prompted by that lawsuit and VoicePA, we know "at least $44,000 in contributions to three Democratic campaign accounts came from those who got unreported bonuses in 2006."

This vindicates our American system, in which citizens have a constitutional right to challenge unresponsive government.

And so the battle rages.

Learn How to Become a Northampton County Candidate This Thursday

I've got good news and bad news. First, the good news. Nazareth has a great blogger. The bad news? It's not me.

Ross Nunamaker has received accolades from Morning Call columnist Bill Rutherford White and Express Times editor Joe Owens. They both salute Ross' NewsOverCoffee blog. It's well-deserved praise. Ross dedicates hours daily to informing the Nazareth community about what is going on, and in detail. Newspapers must appeal to a much larger audience, and Ross supplies details you won't find in your daily. For someone who's had no training as a journalist, he's remarkably objective. Just the facts, ma'am.

Ross recently organized an event for folks considering a run at public office. I'll let him tell you about it.

To help people better understand how to become a candidate for local office, there will be a free, one hour, non-partisan program at the Nazareth News Agency, on Thursday, February 8 beginning at 7:00 p.m.

This will be a nuts and bolts discussion addressing what you have to do, when you have to do it, and what you can expect as a candidate and office holder. It will feature current office holder and party official panels and Q & A. This will not be a discussion of politics or issues, but instead it is intended to help people learn what to do to become a candidate for local office in the 2007 elections.

Program Agenda:

Welcome and Intro
Basic Steps - What the Elections Office wants you to know
Perspective of Current Office Holders - Panel
Cindy Werner, Borough Council
Jack Herbst, Borough Council
School Board members representing Borough invited
Role of the Party - Panel
Joe Long, Democratic Party Chairperson, Northampton County
Roy Shuman, Republican Party Chairperson, Northampton County
Wrap-up and Thank You

Information will be provided by the Northampton County Department of Voter Registration and Elections Office, candidates will help you understand what to expect, and the party officials will help you understand what role they can play for your campaign. Questions will be welcomed from the audience throughout.

If you want to learn more about how to become a candidate for local office and what to expect once you do, attend this event.

This little forum will take place right next to my palatial estate, located atop the Army Navy Store. I think Ill drop in and pretend I'm Joe Long.

Did Advanced Voting Solutions Pull a Fast One in Pa.?

Northampton, Lackawanna and Wayne Counties are the three Pennylvania counties using touchscreen voting machines supplied by Advanced Voting Solutions (AVS), a Texas vendor. Perhaps that relationship should be re-evaluated. BlackBox Voting charges that AVS shipped Pennsylvania different machines from those certified by the Department of State. What's worse, at least in my mind, is the allegation that elections officials knew, but did nothing.

1. Who is Advanced Voting Solutions?

AVS is a Frisco, Texas company established in 2001 by CEO Howard Van Pelt. Some in the industry laud its "great ideas." But GOTV is a bit more suspicious.

"Advanced Voting Solutions is the new name of another voting company, Shoup Voting Solutions. Their current top management, Howard Van Pelt and Larry Ensminger, were executives for Diebold-Global until last year. Officers of Shoup Voting Machine Co. were indicted for allegedly bribing politicians in Tampa, Florida in 1971, according to the San Francisco Business Times. Ransom Shoup was convicted in 1979 of conspiracy and obstruction of justice related to an FBI inquiry into a lever machine-counted election in Philadelphia. Shoup got a three-year suspended sentence. Meanwhile, Philadelphia has bought new voting machines from Danaher-Guardian, which appears to only sell voting machines formerly known as the 'Shouptronic.' "

When the "Velvet Revolution" demanded verifiable paper ballots as well as a paper trail, AVS top dog Van Pelt snorted, "What in the hell are these people talking about? ... They think we’re all crooks, and I resent that! ... The reason we got rid of paper ballots was to ensure the accuracy of elections."

2. Did AVS Pull a Fast One in Pa?

BlackBox Voting is one of many grassroots movements engaged in a noble effort - ensuring that our votes are counted honestly and accurately. Recently, a BBV member accused AVS of knowingly selling uncertified hardware and software to Pennsylvania. Here's an excerpt of the report, which contains links to statements from two former AVS employees.

Advanced Voting Solutions have recently in 2006 sold and delivered electronic voting equipment (DRE) and software to jurisdictions in PA.

The voting hardware that has been delivered in PA is not the voting hardware that was certified for these sales. (Please refer to the testimony of Ex AVS employee #2 as stated below)

An older version of hardware was certified at Wyle Labs in Huntsville, and then a new and completely different voting machine has been delivered to PA.

The only resemblance between the old hardware and the new hardware is the exterior case which is the same. What’s under the hood is completely different and was not certified. Different hardware components were used to build the new hardware.

This can easily be verified by comparing a voting unit as delivered to PA against the "Technical Documentation Pack" at Wyle Labs in Huntsville, which lists the "Bill Of Materials" used to build the hardware that was certified. (Wyle Labs contact details can be found towards the end of this document).

(The "Bill Of Materials" is basically a full list and description of every component used in the voting machine, mother board, processor, wireless card etc etc)

Advanced Voting Solutions hoped to certify the old hardware, deliver the new un-certified different voting machine hardware, and then attempt to certify the new hardware that they had delivered, at a later stage before anyone in PA noticed.

These un-certified voting machines were used to run the May 2006 Primaries in PA.

Advanced Voting Solutions has not only defrauded the state of PA and its tax paying voters, it also gained an unfair advantage on its primary competitor in the state, which is ES&S.

If Advanced Voting Solutions had acted within the rules and the law, then they would not have been able to gain certification of the new version of hardware that they were planning to sell to PA, in time to win the business from jurisdictions in PA. Therefore they put forward the old version of hardware which looks identical to the new version of hardware from the outside.

AVS has been asked to send a rep to Northampton County's citizens' advisory committee on February 7. These serious accusations should not go unanswered.

3. Elections' officials circle the wagons.

After Sarah Cassi's report describing the wide discrepancy between unofficial (Dent loses by 127) and official (Dent wins by over 3,000) totals in last November's election, a BlackBox Voting activist had this reaction.

Perhaps PA might start to wake up a little ?

Just about everyone in the elections departments of the counties who have purchased from Advanced Voting Solutions were sent concrete information just prior to the Nov 06 election, about the lack of, or rather the fraudulent manner in which Advanced Voting Solutions sold them the un-tested, un-certified voting units, in place of a totally different voting unit that they had agreed to purchase.

Guess how many responses were received back ?

That's right.....ZERO !

As encountered over and over again, the election departments appear to do everything in their power to sweep everything under the carpet in an attempt to keep this type of information out of the voting public's view, and by doing this, they are protecting criminal behavior by election vendors in my opinion.

Problems with Advanced Voting Solutions Winvote voting unit in PA ???

Of course there is !......the voting unit you guys in PA bought is not tested, not certified, and is not the voting unit you agreed to buy. It just looks the same from the outside, but as shown on photos posted on BBV, whats under the hood is not what was tested, or what you thought you were buying !

So WHAT did you expect??

Ironically, the biggest obstacles to meaningful elections have been elections officials and machine manufacturers, who want to be able to certify the tally that appears on the machine, even if it is inaccurate. Northampton County Elections Commission Chair Walt Garvin will tell us things like this. "The staff at the elections office and the chief registrar are all hard-working, caring and dedicated. They take their responsibilities very seriously and work tirelessly." Really? Then why such a high turn over, Walt?

Garvin disparages concerns like mine as "groundless accusations by a few county politicos." His reaction reflects the attitude of most elections officials, who have consistently opposed public input because it interferes with their control.

4. Grassroots reform efforts.

Grassroots efforts like the citizens advisory committee in Northampton County, are beginning to make a difference. One group of citizens has sued in Commonwealth Court. Congress is closer than ever to adopting a bill requiring a verified paper trail.It's about time.

The Buddha of Blogging! - Chris Casey

I thought I was prolific, but I've got nothing on Chris Casey. He's the Buddha of Blogging! You often read Chris' comments here and at other Lehigh Valley blogs like LVDem, GreenDog, LVCurmudgeon and LVCrackAddict. And of course, he's the originator at True Dems and is even working on a very good political novel.

Because Chris is the Buddha of Blogging, I know he already forgives me. But I've been remiss for failing to list his individual blog, The Casey Post, on my sidebar. Like me, he rambles from subjects like Parkland to the15th congressional district. But unlike me, he's very pleasant.

I'm a miserable bastard.

NorCo Council Gives Bethlehem Knights of Ni . . . A SHRUBBERY!!!

"Every time it rains, it rains . . . pennies from heaven.
Don't you know each cloud contains . . . pennies from heaven."

That's not exactly how Gracedale residents feel. Every time it rains, they get soaked. Leaking windows have been a problem for years. And last night, a Cowan Associates engineer told Northampton County Council it will cost the county $2.7 million to fix that problem. This is in addition to the $2 0r $3 million in cost overruns for the judges' new palace. And the $482,000 that council wants to spend, just to renovate their own crib. And the millions that have to be spent, and soon, for another prison expansion because the prison expansion we're still building is already near capacity. And the millions the county intends to spend for yet another real estate acquisition. And let's not forget that new contract for county employees, which should cost another $3 0r $4 million.

Do you get the idea that Gracedale's windows aren't the only things leaking? The county is bleeding money, and there's no end in sight.

Last night, county council had an opportunity to get some of that money back. Get this. Five years ago, the county gave Bethlehem $13 million to build a frickin' road. The county didn't really have $13 million. It borrowed the money and has actually indebted itself to the tune of $26 million so that Bethlehem could build a road. But even Bethlehem was unable to blow $13 million on a 4,000 foot road. It spent under $11 million. And guess what? Bethlehem wanted to use the remaining money to build another road! It turns out the city can't do that legally, So now, the knights of Ni in Bethlehem insist on that dough for shrubbery and signs. They demand . . . a SHRUBBERY!

Knight of Ni: One that looks nice.
King Wayne: Of course!
Knight of Ni: And not too expensive.
King Wayne: Yes!
Knight of Ni: Noowwwww.... GO!

Sounds silly, doesn't it? Wait, this gets better.

Council members Ron Angle, John Cusick and Tony Branco sponsored an ordinance to get $2.2 million of that money back. The ordinance was drafted so that Bethlehem could keep $200,000 for . . . A SHRUBBERY! But the knights of Ni had their hearts set on something else.

Knight of Ni: ANOTHER SHRUBBERY!
King Wayne: Oh not another shrubbery!!
Knight of Ni: Then, when you have found the shrubbery, you must cut down the mightiest tree in the forest... Wiiiiiithh.... A HERRING!

That's right, bippy. Bethlehem wants about $700,000 so it can plant shrubs and stop signs along a road it previously claimed was done.

County Executive Stoffa wanted that money for the prison. He previously told Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan that the county must "identify all the funds it can find to address our Prison overcrowding issue." And last night, he told council, "I'm not King Midas." So what did King Wayne and his Knights of the Obtuse Table decide? They refused to take back a dime. In the end, only Cusick, Angle and Dowd voted for the ordinance. Even Tony Branco, who had sponsored the ordinance, ended up voting against it.

Councilperson Ann McHale called this shrubbery "the icing on the cake." I'm sure county workers who've seen no payraises for nearly four years will be thrilled at this waste of public money. So will cold and wet Gracedale residents. But council members know that Bethlehem has more votes than a bunch of senior citizens in Gracedale.

Getting elected is far more important than good government to most politicians, and last night was a perfect illustration.

Dems Find Someone to Run Against Angle in Northampton County

Slate Belt Concerned Citizens, an unregistered group partially funded by retail unions, was a vocal opponent of the Wal-Mart and Lowes proposed in Wind Gap. One of its organizers, spokesperson John F Maher, is a tireless worker who poured his own money into the effort as well.

Northampton County had unbelievably donated $3 million from its $111 million megabond to develop a road for this project. It had resisted numerous efforts by Ron Angle to kill the project. Last June, Maher's group had enough. It sued.

Just a few weeks ago, Wal-Mart's developer, National Realty and Development Corporation, packed up its tent and returned to New York. It was a terrific and rare victory for the little guy. Maher withdrew the lawsuit, quitting while he was ahead, something that never stopped me.

Today, Maher told me he intends to run for county council. "Yep Bernie, I'm running as a Democrat for the 4th district of Northampton County Council. I 1st need to win the primary, then I'll oppose Ron!"

I admire John, but wish he were running for an at large seat instead of facing Angle. Maher would easily defeat Tony Branco. Branco is an appointed councilman who has failed to distinguish himself, to put it charitably.

It's one thing to go after Wal-Mart. But going after Ron Angle in his own district? That's just nuts.

Norco Citizens Elections Committee Follow That Paper Trail

Last night, Northampton County's Citizens Election Committee had its second meeting. Chairman Peg Ferraro had suggested an evening meeting to accommodate working people, and it paid off. Elections Commission chair Walt Garvin attended, and so did commission members Ralph Stampone and Joan Rosenthal. Even Diane Neiper, VP of county council, was in the peanut gallery. It was a small but passionate group, concerned about the most important function of any county government - our elections.

Democrat Walt Garvin was complimented on a "terrific op-ed" concerning the elections process by Republican Jack Bradt. Everyone was very civil, excepting me. I'm a miserable bastard.

This advisory group struggled much of the evening, trying to understand what exactly went wrong with the Advanced Voting Solutions touchscreen machines in our last two elections. Although the machines themselves were described as very user friendly by elections chair Walt Garvin, he listed a litany of difficulties encountered along every step of the way, from acquisition to results. He acknowledged his commission only meets four times a year, a practice criticized by fellow commission member Joan Rosenthal. "We don't have a handle on what goes on."

Although the committee had a lot of questions about paper trails and hacking, there's little that one county can do about that. Fortunately, state and federal officials have seen the light. Twenty-seven states now require a voter-verified paper trail, and a new Democratic Congress is poised to do the same thing on a federal level.

Committee members also heard about other problems in the elections office, and these have nothing to do with the machines: A registrar who publicly labels voters seeking absentee ballots as lazy; high office turnover; poorly trained elections workers who won't offer provisional ballots to voters they turn away; an elections office that doesn't answer the phone when a poll worker has questions; a party chair whose daughter worked in the elections office; an elections commission chair who hosts a highly partisan radio talk show; and a ballot designed to encourage straight party voting.

Dick Benner, who supervised 45 elections before he retired, put his finger on the real problem. The office must become more receptive to the public and candidates. It's not voting machines, but elections workers, who need to become more user friendly.

This advisory group will be meeting again at the courthouse on the following dates: February 7 (7 PM), February 13 (4 PM), February 21 (7 PM) and February 28 (7 PM). If you can't attend, you can contact this committee with your concerns at voter.info@northamptoncounty.org. When minutes are available, I'll post them on the left sidebar.

My First Ever Back Room Meeting

Northampton County's citizens' election committee met last night, and I'll be writing about that meeting in a separate post. After the meeting was over, elections commissioner Ralph Stampone invited me to join him at the Tic Toc diner for a slice of pie. "Thirty minutes, Bernie. Tops!"

I wanted to get home so I could write up the damn meeting, but I'm not one to turn down free food. I figured I could gobble the pie and stick Ralph with the bill pretty easily. He's a fat guy, too, and lacks my lightning speed.

I met my date Ralph at Tic Toc, and was waiting for my pie when these two white collar skinny guys came in and sat right next to us. One of them was Russ Shade, who looked like he hadn't eaten for several days. The other thin man was about 18 feet tall and wearing a ridiculous Sherlock Holmes hat. That was John Stoffa.

We fat guys ordered one small slice of blueberry pie. That was my frickin' dinner. The skinny guys ate like there was no tomorrow. Stoffa, who kept saying, "Elementary, my dear O'Hare," scarfed down a mega omelet. Shade gobbled at tuna melt, fries, onion rings and then started drinking all those half and half creamers that diner waitresses toss at you when you order coffee.

I figured I should stick around because I might get some inside info for a good blog post. But after about an hour, all these bastards were talking about was chocolate pie. So I said my goodbyes and was getting ready to leave when the bill came. I ended up spending $5 for one slice of blueberry pie and coffee, and I think Shade was licking my plate as I left.

So now I'm out $5, hungry, behind in my writing and all I have to show for my efforts is this lousy post.

That's OK. Ralph now has a flat tire.

Northampton County's C-Span?

Al Jordan, Northampton County's Director of Information Services, has a terrible weakness. He smokes. If he wants to light up, he has to step outside the courthouse. And when he does, I can nail him and find out what's going on.

He's working on a proposal to livestream county council meetings. He envisions a system in which we can see and hear what's going on in real time, and is even considering some interactive features that might make it possible for the public to make comments. He'd also like to be able to archive meetings. I'm telling you right now the Nielsens on this will go right through the cupola. If the county sells this as a series, it might avoid a tax increase for a few years.

You, too, might soon be able to watch the council circus. Of course, they must approve this plan. It certainly will put them in the public eye, where you can watch the most dysfunctional government in the Lehigh Valley.

Maybe I can get a job doing Angle's make up.

The Lehigh Valley Has a Mass Transit Crisis

Yesterday, in Easton's City Council Chambers, LANTA conducted the first of three public hearings before it raises fares and cuts our bus service. It's simply amazing. Just a few weeks ago, at least 170 of the Lehigh Valley's movers and shakers nibbled on brie and sipped chardonnay as the Brookings' Robert Puentes talked about rail. He made clear that no form of transportation, including buses, should be ignored.

Our local Congressman, Charlie Dent, is a co-founder of the House Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Caucus, and actually wants to convert Route 78 into a hydrogen highway. Even the prez wants us to reduce gasoline consumption, and is proposing, for the first time in twenty years, that we improve mileage standards for our cars, SUVs and trucks.

In addition to this increasing interest in alternative transportation, LANTA's bus ridership is up 60% since '97. Alternative transportation is finally in, bippy.

And this is where the land of midnight payraises enters this story. Incredibly, the state legislature has no solution for a transportation funding crisis. LANTA may have to raise fares and cut service while Harrisburg drones on about property tax reform for another year.

Public hearings on LANTA's proposal will be held again today at Noon at the Lehigh County Government Center in Allentown, and tomorrow at Noon in Bethlehem's City Hall. If you can't attend a noon meeting like most of us, you can let LANTA know how you feel on its website.

Steve Schmitt, the local director of our coalition for alternative transportation, claims he can't write. But he summed things up nicely in an email being circulated everywhere. "This is a crisis. If our region can find the money to rebuild a $12 million dollar bridge on Route 33 that falls into a sinkhole; if we can find the tens of millions of dollars it is going to take to redo the surface of Route 78 that needs unusual repair right now, if we can find $1.5 million to run a constant emergency service on Route 22 for people that run out of gas, if we can find the $750,000 to replace the lights on cemetery curve, then we can find the $1.6 million to prevent a deficit at LANTA."

And how about a bike rack at the judges' $46 (and climbing) million Taj Mahal in Easton!

Foreclosure Rates on Rise in Northampton County

What do Pennsylvania's Northampton County and California's Marin County have in common? They've both seen a sharp increase in foreclosures. In Northampton County, an average of 46 properties was listed monthly for sheriff sale in 2005. That figure remained steady last year. But this year, where sheriff sales are already scheduled through April, 57 properties per month are listed. That's a twenty-three per cent increase over the last two years.

Reason? Damned if I know. Obviously, people aren't making enough money to pay for increasingly expensive homes. I don't have access to monthly sheriff sales in Lehigh County. But folks are struggling there, too. RealtyTrac lists 675 properties in various forms of foreclosure in Lehigh County, compared to a mere 359 in Northampton County.

Never Be Afraid To Say What You Feel

Express Times Editor Joe Owens cautions that "This world of blogging, posting, chatting, etc., can ... be scary. Anonymity gives people encouragement to say anything, which is very easy if you don’t have to put your name behind it." The Morning Call's Bill White says much the same thing. "[Y]ou're getting one person's take on things, often posted anonymously. It can make for irresponsible, even destructive misstatements or invasion of privacy, with no accountability. There's no editor, no professional constraints."

So?

OK, these are valid criticisms. But when any form of media restrains comment, there's a very real danger we'll only be exposed to their truths. Some blogs, especially those on the dark side, frequently moderate comments. And guess what? My comments are never published. These bloggers manipulate public opinion. They're deciding what you see and what you don't.

Others play comment cop and delete anything that might insult someone, including mild humor. They fret that a lively and sometimes irreverent exchange will lessen the value of their site. I disagree. I may be wrong. But in my view, deleting these comments is just another, if less offensive, way to manipulate public opinion.

My approach has evolved (or perhaps devolved) to mirror the practice of most other bloggers. I let it all in. Anonymous, pseudonym and blogger comments are all welcome. I won't even use word verification, because it sometimes makes it hard to post a remark. I hand delete the spam.

Most comments are intelligent, well-written and entertaining. But there is the occasional personal attack or some scurrilous allegation, so what do I do about that?

Here's the way I look at it. We bloggers may be idiots, but most of our readers are not knuckleheads. They tend to be very well-read, and are looking for additional information and differing perspectives. Sometimes, they'll find that in one of the local blogs. And just like me or anyone else, they can spot horseshit. They already have enough information spoonfed to them.

I already know what I think. I'm interested in what YOU think, and enjoy the commentary on this blog more than my own posts. And some folks need to preserve their anonymity because of their employment. So here's my comment policy: I will delete spam or any comment that advocates physical harm against any individual, even a government official. Other than that, most of you have pretty good bullshit detectors. You spot it in me every time.

It's half the fun.

Is Bethlehem Dreaming of a White Christmas?

Before the decision to award a gambling license to Bethworks, there was no real gentrification in south side Bethlehem. Its rentals were similar to rates elsewhere in the Lehigh Valley. But the "imminent slots-and-lofts redevelopment" will certainly change that picture, along with the demographic make up of Bethlehem's south side. It's the new apartheid, bippy. Bethlehem, the Christmas City, will certainly morph into Bethlehem, the White Christmas City. Jersey transplants will be insulated from the Lehigh Valley's riff raff by tinseltowns like The Promenade Shops at Upper Saucon.

Bethlehem is delighted at the inevitable increased tax revenues. But forgotten are the poor, mostly Hispanic, who have little political or economic clout. I don't see any effort to expand affordable housing for those who will be displaced. They'll be nudged aside for latte-sipping yuppies, a process that occurs regularly in several U.S. cities.

So just as the original Bethlehem had no room for Jesus, neither does its Pennsylvania namesake.