Trump Trying To Fix What He Broke

Trump closed the border on day one, but from day two forward his administration has been a disaster.  An increasingly disturbed narcissist, surrounded by sycophants, responding to one problem after another that they have created. Now we'll subsidize the farmers, after devastating them with arbitrary tariffs with China.

He tries to tell the little people that affordability is a Democratic myth. While the low information MAGA and hardcore Republican acolytes cling to his dissolving allusions, the country is waking up, very quickly.

Here locally in the valley, Ryan Mackenzie is talking out of three sides of his mouth. Now that Trump did a 180 on health care, you would think that Ryan stood with the Democrats to keep the Affordable Care Act subsidies. Unless he really stands up, he'll be eaten alive during the midterms.

Every world leader understands that Trump is a deteriorating ego maniac, who must be flattered like a delusional old actress in a Hollywood rest home. They bring him crowns and ribbons, that he embarrassingly puts on, like they're really deserved.

I'm not here to be polite or popular

Water Runoff In Allentown Parks

I have been wrestling with the Allentown Park System for over twenty years about the weed walls, aka Riparian Buffers.The bout started in Keck Park, early in the Pawlowski Regime, when he allowed the Wildlands Conservancy to install their first buffer. 

The back stories are that Pawlowski's first of several park directors all had the same background in recreation from Penn State, and asked the Wildlands for advise about park issues. The Wildlands back story is that they get to keep 15% of all government grants that they apply for, as an administrative fee. Riparian Buffers are supposed to filter the lawn fertilizer in water runoff from entering the streams. The ignored reality in the Allentown Parks is that the storm system is piped directly into the streams, under any  buffer planted. Across Cedar Creek behind the Rose Garden, a large concrete structure discharges the entire runoff from the Hamilton Park neighborhood, directly into the creek. Likewise, several pipes empty the West End directly into the creek. So, for twenty years, we park devotees have been enduring weed walls all summer, blocking view and access to the creeks. Worse, this summer the city allowed the Wildlands to plant over a hundred tree saplings out from the creek, to expand the width of the masquerade. This area will soon also not be mowed, because mowing between closely planted trees is very labor intensive.

The current park director is asking the city for additional funds to study water runoff. The free answer is in the above paragraph. I would be happy to recommend needed repairs to various WPA structures within our parks, providing some value for that money.

Shown above is the weed wall in Cedar Park during the summer. 

I'm not here to be polite or popular

Real Estate Only For Trumps

 Trump tells us that bad news is fake news. With the economy not going his way, his explanations get more far fetched. I was particularly disillusioned to hear his 50 year mortgage plan.

I was never interested even in 30 year mortgages...that is a lot of interest to pay. With the average age of first time buyers approaching 40, with a 50 year mortgage, buyers won't obtain any equity until they're 70 years old.

While my former readers, who claim every post that it is their last visit to this blog, know that Trump knows real estate. For him to give such bad advice, speaks more to his obsession for administration approval, than his honesty. He knows that 50 year mortgages are candy for the bank, and sawdust for the public.

I'm not here to be polite or popular

Hegseth Will Resign

Pete will be gone soon... Attacking two survivors clinging to a damaged boat is hard to defend. He will resign, rather than face impeachment. I believe that with the approaching midterms, enough Republicans would vote against him in an attempt to keep their seats.

Trump put together a grossly unqualified cabinet, valuing ring kissing over experience and/or expertise. While this has demeaned our military, there have been worse consequences for the American public. Our health policy is being steered by supposition, rather than medical science.

As I ponder these federal issues, my reading base pouts. They accuse me of TDS, then censorship, when I limit them to one bite of the criticism apple. At the end of the day, I don't want to feel compromised, like the brass testifying yesterday.

I'm not here to be polite or popular

Josh Siegel And Donald Trump

 Josh Siegel has set up a very ambitious transition team for his coronation as County Executive. He has checked all the progressive boxes, such as affordable housing, which isn't usually in the county's purview. BUT, in fairness to Mr. Siegel, he the youngest person ever elected to the position in Pennsylvania. His appointees are a who's who of local Progressive politics. 

 The committee which warrants this blog post is Local Resilience and Response to Trump Administration:

Chair: Jon Iron, Lehigh County Commissioner

 Jasmine Rivera, Executive Director, Pennsylvania Immigrant Coalition 

 Mary Erdman, Immediate Past President, Lehigh County League of Women Voters 

 Adam Hosey, Policy and Political Director, Planned Parenthood Pennsylvania Advocates 

 Nicole Folino, Community Services Manager, Second Harvest Food Bank

While federal constraints, such as grants, have always concerned local government, I have no recollection of the county ever having a special committee to monitor and respond to a specified presidential administration.

Some readers of this blog, disturbed by my expansion out of Allentown, have accused me of TDS. I suppose my case at worse, is very, very mild compared to everyone mentioned above. BTW, I have not been invited to join any of the committees.

I'm not here to be polite or popular

Trump And Fake News

Up to very recently, I was fairly well accepted as a geniune independent conservative. When I ran as a independent in the 2005 mayoral race, I was shunned by the Morning Call for my appreciation of an older Allentown. They never even printed my picture, and excluded me from their debate. Move ahead nine years, and I ran again as an independent, for state representative. 

This blog was instrumental in pointing out shenanigans in the Pawlowski administration. This blog has been instrumental in pointing out the inequities of the NIZ. Local Republicans had been complimenting my efforts for two decades.

However, now that I began to ponder what I consider Trump's flawed administration, I am coco puffs, I am a victim of fake news. Actually, that term and concept is another Trump flaw. There has always been a wide menu of news, from the conservative Manchester Union, to the liberal NY Times. But Trump declared that anything critical of him is fake, and his minions now repeat it like a mantra. If you don't drink the cool-aid, you must have TDS. They justify it when he calls reporters fat or ugly, if he doesn't like their question. 

On day one he closed the border, and that was good. However, the problem has been since day two.

I'm not here to be polite or popular