The Lehigh Valley, From Factory To Warehouse

I was born in late 1946. Growing up in the 1950's, the Lehigh Valley was teeming with factories. Near my home in South Allentown was Mack Trucks and General Electric. Lehigh Structural Steel was along the river, and just beyond was Western Electric. Dozens of sewing factories employed thousands of women. Up to 30,000 people once worked at Bethlehem Steel, which stretched from the Hill To Hill Bridge down to Hellertown.


The next generation of business, like Kraft Food, was less industrial, and located here because of location and the ethic of the residual work force. Yesterday, we learned of a proposal to tear down Kraft, and replace it with warehouses. If not for our central location in the dense northeast, I fear we would be in dire straights. We are now becoming a major distribution center. Too bad that almost of the products being distributed are made in China.

Lehigh Valley Sold Down The River

While Nestlé Water is finding resistance all across America, one locality sold it's residents out, and we be it. When Don Cunningham was County Executive, he welcomed this siphon of natural resources with open arms. Although Donny and his easy smile remains popular, he's the ultimate go to boy for corporate interests. He has been rewarded, being appointed executive of the regional development authority. Nestlé has been further legitimized in this locality by the Wildlands Conservancy. This bastion of hypocrisy hosts children education days, sponsored by Nestlé, where children are taught by the good environmentalists of the water corporation. Nothing says nature like water bottled in plastic.

You won't read these truths elsewhere in the local media.  While you have to be both independent, and a bastard, to tell it like it really is, truth is most people don't care.  Give them a free bottle of water and they're OK with it.  Give them some free music, BBQ, and beer, they'll dance in the street.

The NIZ and Affordable Housing

Ce-Ce Gerlach has been trying to wrestle some concessions from the ANIZDA concerning affordable housing, more less as a community benefit for the little people. After all, big bucks are piling up in Reilly's account. So far, she has gotten a little lip service, but I'm afraid that's all that's coming her way. As Sy Traub likes to point out, Allentown has a lot more gentrifying to do before it need concern itself with the little people. She should have have been at the Business Matters NIZ debate, when a NIZ spokesman called the former merchants and their customers a cancer. Sy Traub was on the show and didn't object. The only objector at the time was this blogger, and i don't even agree with Ce-Ce on the affordable housing. Allentown has an abundance of affordable housing, that's why poor people keep moving here. Besides, the little people will be living in Strata 1 and 2 soon enough. It's one thing to induce companies to locate downtown, but it's another thing for those office workers to want to live there. Ce-Ce need not worry about gentrification forcing lower income people out of center city. Reilly did dislocate some tenants with his failed attempt to build a mega project along Walnut Street, but even he knows that the revitalization has peaked.

NIZ Debate: l to r;  Tony Iannelli, Steve Thode, Sy Traub, Michael Molovinsky, Mike Fleck

Anti-Gun Rally At Allentown Gay Bar

Last night I went to what I thought would be a vigil for the Orlando shooting victims at Candida's. It turned out to be a anti-gun rally, and political speech opportunity for the valley politicians. Perhaps none took more advantage of the event than Ed Pawlowski. He kept asking if the crowd was with him and when is enough, enough? He hasn't been cheered like that lately. He was also one of the most ill-informed about firearms, referring to the AR-15 as an automatic weapon. I could tell that he thinks that the gun functions like a machine gun. However, needless to say, he was speaking to the choir. While every speaker addressed gun control, not one called the shooting what it actually was, Islamic terror at a gay club. I believe that if the gay club door was locked, the terrorist would have gone somewhere else,  and killed non-gay people.

Now, I understand that homophobia is a very real thing. I also understand that there has been mass shootings, unrelated to Islamic terrorism.  I even believe that gun regulations should be tightened,  and that it would not be a slippery slope against the 2nd Amendment.  However, we jeopardize our security without acknowledging that Islamic terrorism was the main factor in this mass shooting.

Among those in attendance and speaking last evening were Ed Pawlowski, Peter Schweyer, Mike Schlossberg, Pat Brown and Charlie Dent.

Allentown Begging For Startup Failures

After announcing the loan contest last fall, Allentown is now begging for applicants for the Shark-Tank type business loan program. As you can tell from the sponsors, this is essentially geared for minority applicants, although such a thing would never be actually printed in our politically correct era. Ed Pawlowski titled his facebook post, City Seeks Retail Entrepreneurs. Real entrepreneurs don't have to be sought. The next step will be actively recruiting people to apply. No non-profit bureaucrat worth his salt would ever let a gift horse get away unused. In the molovinsky world, if someone doesn't have the volition to get funding on their own, who needs them. Imagine a contest where nobody comes forward even for free money. Rather than say, OK, no worthwhile applicants, you now try and create them. Mayor Ed calls this program a fanastic use of CDBG funds. Actually, it's a colossal waste of our federal taxdollars. Welcome to Allentown. Welcome to Pennsylvania's premiere poverty magnet. Welcome to the place where even a $Billion dollars of taxpayer money hasn't really kick-started the town.

Toast Your Worms In Harrisburg

Our elected officials in Harrisburg are patting themselves on the back because they passed some legislation making it easier to buy beer and wine in Pennsylvania. While buying beer in Pennsylvania has never been difficult, expanding the sale of wine to select licensed grocery stores is new. The switch is expected to yield about $150million yearly in taxes.

It was difficult seeing the state house midgets not pass a budget for 18 months. It is difficult seeing useless commissions cost taxpayers $millions of dollars, decade after decade, administration after administration. It is difficult seeing the degree of cronyism is a state which can only be called corrupt, anything less is mincing words. Where else than Pennsylvania can you have an Attorney General's sister suing the state for equal pay from her sister's office. How is that for nepotism gone wild?

Although,  the new liquor bill seems to be win/win for both the state and residents, in Pennsylvania, the devil is always in the details.

Molovinsky's Sacred Mission

I must confess that it can be a little fatiguing fighting the politically correct sacred cows in this community. Now, that the new towers are up on Hamilton Street, the sanctioned activists are speaking out against gentrification. Four years ago, when I was defending the former merchants,  I was called a naysayer, trying to impede Allentown moving forward.

As my rage against the hypocrisy continues, I take note of the political landscape. While I point out how the Wildlands Conservancy blocks the creeks in Allentown Parks with their riparian buffers, the Trexler Trust bestows large grants upon them. While the Conservancy degrades the original park designs paid for by Harry Trexler himself, they are funded by his very trust. I continue the battle against these absurdities for two reasons; I know that my complaints don't go unheard. They do result in small repairs to the traditional park system. Secondly, if I don't speak out, who will?

Although I'm Jewish,  I wore a cross for dramatic effect in this photo.

Wildlands Conservancy Thrill of Hypocrisy

Yesterday, was the last day of the Conservancy's Annual Lehigh River Sojourn. The event was well covered by The Morning Call, with both a reporter and photographer on board one of the rafts. The three day event started with a talk by Chris Kocher, President of the Wildlands. The group gets grants during the winter to demolish dams, and grants during the summer to conduct this educational sojourn on the Lehigh river. Last year, Wildlands spend over $250,000 in grant money on just a study, promoting the removal of Wehr's Dam. Their website stated that the Lehigh Sojourn would take place rain or shine, but doesn't explain why. What Chris Kocher and The Morning Call fail to reveal is that their raft adventure is scheduled to coincide with the water release from the Francis E. Walter Dam in White Haven. It is only because of this dam that the Lehigh has a steady flow of water, and that these hypocrites can get their whitewater thrill.

photo of Wildlands Conservancy hypocrites enjoying dam release by Harry Fisher of The Morning Call

reprinted from June 30, 2015

ADDENDUM: This past Sunday, June 5, 2016,  Chris Kocher had an editorial in The Morning Call praising the accomplishments of his organization.  Although he mentions their upcoming river trip this summer, he doesn't use the word dam.  Additionally, although he mentions stream miles open for fish passage,  he still doesn't use the word "dam."  He doesn't mention demolishing a 10 inch high WPA dam, and dumping the ruble around the beautiful stone bridge piers.  He doesn't mention contributing to the largest fish kill in Lehigh Valley history, by demolishing the Fish Hatchery Dam, which regulated the water flow into the fish ponds during storm flooding.  He doesn't mention spending  $259,000 on  a taxpayer funded engineering study, to greatly inflate the cost of repairing Wehr's Dam.  He doesn't mention reneging on his own pledge to back away from trying to demolish Wehr's Dam.   The Wildlands Conservancy remains a sacred cow, allowing people to feel politically correct about the environment,  even if the Conservancy tells a few fibs along the way to pay their own salary.