State House of Cowards

Pennsylvania is a State House of cowards. Rather than pass the Tobash Amendment, which would address the state's biggest problem, the underfunded pensions, they will instead sell off the liquor system for a quick one year fix. Simply put, the Tobash Amendment honors all existing pension agreements, but changes the formula to a 401 contribution style for new employees. Your cowards in Harrisburg would rather offend one union, the liquor store employees, than all the public unions. Your cowards in Harrisburg will find a few extra dollars for the public schools after their sellout, and once again be greeted as returning heroes at home. Your elected cowards, and their local partisan supporters, will once again put their talking points for November's election ahead of real solutions for Pennsylvania.

UPDATE: The Republican controlled State Assembly is seemingly cobbling together a budget more cowardly than I predicted, adapting neither of the options mentioned above. Watch them even find a few extra dollars to bring back to their local school districts, but much less than really needed.

Park Follies and Misappropriations

Over the years this blog and myself have established credibility and expertise on Allentown's traditional park system and the WPA. I must report what I consider to be a major shenanigan by the mayor. $1.3 million dollars was taken to purchase two heavy industrial areas, to supposedly add to the park system. This $million plus dollars was taken from the water/sewage lease, which is being used as the mayor's discretionary fund, instead of the dedicated pension relief,  promised at the time. $950,000.00 was used to buy the parcel at Union and Basin Streets, near the city sewage plant. This is one of the oldest industrial areas in the city, and certainly not needed for more park land. Allentown has not been able to maintain the existing park land, or the features within it. The Fountain Park Pool has been abandoned, and the WPA structures are crumbling. The other just purchased parcel is the old fertilizer plant location,  along Martin Luther King Dr., west of the crumbling Schreibers Bridge. We have an administration with no memory or knowledge of Allentown's past. Anybody who knew what went on at the fertilizer/rendering plant, would not want their grandchildren playing there. The city's rationale for these purchases is to expand the biking paths and connect the parks. That's the folly, and now the misappropriations. Allentown has supposedly allocated money to engineer the repair of the leaning WPA wall in Lehigh Parkway. I know why the wall leans. Years ago, the stone shoulder between the park entrance and wall was blacktoped. As cars and city trucks drive around the curve, pressure is exerted against the wall. That strip of asphalt needs to be removed, and the stone buffer restored. The problem with the engineering study is that it's the third time it has been appropriated. In the last two budgets money was actually budgeted to repair the wall, now the process begins again. What happen to the previous appropriations? Must molovinsky on allentown now also establish expertise in forensic accounting?

The Train of Lehigh Parkway

With the 15th Street Bridge closed, as people detour over the  Schreibers stone arch bridge,  few will be aware of the industrial past surrounding them. The Barber Quarry railroad branch line crossed the road, just south of the bridge. On the left was the Union Carbine's Linde plant, the concrete loading dock is still visible. Although the last train ran in the early 1980's, the wooden railroad trestle is still there, to the west and south of the bridge. The area is now used as part of the disc golf course. The photograph was taken by Dave Latshaw in 1976, and is part of the Mark Rabenold Collection.

reprinted from April 2013

UPDATE: Although the 15th Street Bridge reopened this past winter, long overdue repairs to Schreibers Bridge have not yet begun.

The Sabaean Mandeans Of Iraq

I'm glad that the plight of Christians in Iraq is starting to attract main stream media attention, but there is another persecuted group you may not hear about. The Mandeans predate Christianity, do not believe in Christ, and are believed to have been followers of John the Baptist. Accepting no converts, their numbers have always been small. Apparently, they migrated to the swamps south of current Baghdad after the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. Their writings are in Aramaic, the language of the Bible in the time of Jesus. Their rules and ethics are similar to Jewish tradition. Baptism is their central ritual; they call the water Jordan.

reprinted from March of 2013

Peanuts For The People

While the NIZ Tax Incentive will provide almost a $Billion dollars in paid for real estate for a few men, the potential neighborhood workers will get only peanuts, as made official on Friday. This blogger maintained, early on, that there would be no jobs of substance, beyond selling peanuts at the arena. The banking and health care jobs, associated with the new office buildings, are far too sophisticated for any training programs or local unemployed. Friday's job fair, the first of two, attracted hundreds of locals, never the less. The potential employer, the arena, was upfront about the offerings. All but a few dozen will be part time with no benefits and most will pay $8 to $10 per hour, including the food service, event staff, operations and even supervisor jobs. Our experience is that they're good jobs for young people just getting started and good second jobs for adults looking to supplement their first job," said Jacque Holowaty, PPL Center assistant general manager. So, while they're only offering peanuts, as I said last year, we have created a new task force and bureaucracy, to delude the desperate.

Molovinsky On State Store Privatization

Local State Representative Justin Simmons has recommended selling the State Stores to meet this year's budget shortfall. Although perhaps privatizing liquor sales 95 years ago wasn't the best idea, it now is a steady revenue flow for Pennsylvania. Over the last two decades the state's retail venues have been modernized, and match or exceed private retailers elsewhere in selection. At this point in time, to sell a dependable, inflation proof, producing asset for a very short term gain, makes no business sense, what-so-ever. Although Simmons is straight party line, and wrong on this topic, at least he takes a stand. That is much more than can be said for my opponent, Julie Harhart, who only offers smiles, handshakes and birthday cards. Think independently.

photograph from Pennlive

Presentation To South Whitehall Commissioners To Save Wehr Dam

In their full court  press campaign to demolish the dam, the Wildlands Conservancy stated that the dam is not aesthetically pleasing. This would be a big surprise to the photographers who regularly use the dam as a backdrop to photograph couples and families. It would also be a surprise to the many people who regularly visit the dam to enjoy it's beauty, as generations have done. The Wildlands Conservancy said demolishing the dam is their highest priority, because it's dangerous and detrimental to fish. It's no more dangerous or detrimental than it was 5 months ago, before it became their highest priority. There always have been fish, both above and below the dam. You (the commissioners) have authorized the Conservancy to present options concerning the dam, but their statements reveal that they cannot function as an honest broker in presenting such recommendations.

During the King George Inn controversy last year, the Commission acknowledged the need to protect private historic property. It goes without saying that historic public property deserves the same protection. The park and dam commemorate the history and beauty of the township. I believe that you're entrusted with preserving the traditions of South Whitehall, not facilitating the agenda of the Wildlands Conservancy.

remarks made by Michael Molovinsky to the South Whitehall Commissioners on June 18, 2014

coverage of presentation by The Morning Call

photograph by K Mary Hess

Molovinsky For State Representative