caseyhasabat

2006-06-14T17:23:00.000-07:00

We are putting the Bats in the Rack

Mrs at the bat and I are getting separate Blogs,( but we are still sharing the same bed )

Some of you may have noticed some perspective issues in this blog, so now the Mrs. and I are giving this one up. She has moved on to Lehigh County Redneck, I will be moving on to Musings from Mudville. This way, she can do her "Ann Coulter, Hillary Clinton" thing, and I can do my "James Carville, Paul Begala" thing. It will still be fun, just different names, and no more arguments over content! See you real soon!!!!

2006-06-11T09:56:00.000-07:00

The New Lehigh County Democratic chair is:

Rick Daugherty!!!!
This is the result of some brilliant, tactical behind the scenes maneuvering by three of Lehigh county's elected Democratic officials, County Exec Don Cunningham, State rep Jen Mann, and A-town Mayor Ed Pawloski.
This deflated an attempt by the wizard of Northampton county, Joe Long (AKA, the Lord of the Rings) to reach his tendrils into Lehigh and influence the local vote. Joe Long attempted with his surrogate, and our Congressional write in nominee, Charles Dertinger, to inflate support for Sam Bennett. Some members of the Lehigh Valley Democratic coalition also played along, sending out a letter to all committe members listing the 30 or so "true" Democrats who supported Sam, and inviting them to call and get put on the list.
Let me make this very clear: Sam Bennett would have made an outstanding party chair, and still might some day, but some of her supporters became overly aggressive in demanding support, even labeling some who refused to support Sam as "Not true Democrats". It was getting out of hand, and getting nasty, and Don Cunningham, excellent leader that he is, stepped in and made the players see the whole board.
Making Rick Chair, Sam 1st chair, and Matt Croslis 2nd chair, gives Lehich County Dems 3 1st team starters in positions that lets them play off of their strengths.
With Local Republicans reeling on their heels following the 2005 general elections, it was absolutely imperative that Democrats put forth a united front and mobilize behind their candidates at all levels. Now it can be donewith no useless bloodshed.

The only questions in the back of my mind are these: Joe Long's dream of a greater Lehigh Valley Democratic party with him at the helm has been thwarted for now, and will this failed attempt to insinuate himself into Lehigh County Politics embolden more folks in his home Northampton county, like John Stoffa, to challenge his authority? What about Charles Dertinger, will Lehigh Dems really put their heart and souls into helping him defeat the hated Charlie Dent, now that Mr Dertingers
"Patron" has been cut off at the pass?
Finally, what does this bode for the liberal "Impeach Bush" wing of the Lehigh Dems? Has the Lehigh Valley Democratic coalition, in getting into bed with Joe Long, damaged their credibility, and will they mute themselves, so the party can recruit and register in Lehigh, or will they keep diverting important resources and effort into their fruitless, yet I do agree worthwhile to some extent radical causes?
One Thing to remember, Howard Dean is our party leader, and he has us on a good track, but his image is one of "Yeeeehawwww!!!!," and it is tough for many prospective Dems and Rinos to get past that. Whether we win in November depends on this choice: Will Dems put ourselves forward as a party of fairness, reason, and fiscal responsibility, or will we allow the lesser Angels of our being (I.E.those who vow revenge on Republicans) to be our public face, a face that when seen by those we wish to convert, comes across as a choice between the devil you know and the devil you don't? It's gonna be a long hot summer, so come Labor Day, I can't wait to see who is still standing.

2006-06-03T13:49:00.000-07:00

Allentown PD Blue
This weeks episode is titled: Guns and golden parachutes

When is a gun a toy, and when is it a dangerous weapon? According to Allentown Police investigators and Lehigh County D.A Jim Martin, A pellet gun is a dangerous weapon in the hands of a teenager, but in the hands of a trained Law enforcement officer, who accidently shoots another officer with it, it is just a toy.
Lets play a little game I like to call: What If?
What if I had accidentally shot a police officer with a pellet gun? What charges would I be facing? Lets see, after calling the S.W.A.T. team and negotiating my surrender for a bowl of spicy chili, the D.A would probably charge me with numerous counts of inciting a riot, disrupting public safety, assaulting a police officer, not to mention the attempted murder charges, and no bail while awaiting trial.
Now, if I am a member of the Allentown P.D.,and I accidently shoot a fellow officer, I get to retire with my overly generous pension plan, and an apology from the D.A. for putting me through the unfair scrutiny of an investigation.
And I thought Northampton county was the home of the Ernie Preate Memorial School of Law Enforcement!!!! Now there is a branch in Lehigh County as well

Golden parachutes!!!
These aren't just for CEOs of big companies, they are for Allentown Police Officers as well! Some of the figures of what these folks are making in retirement are staggering, and projections of a $150 million dollar liability for Allentown are mind boggling. This is all thanks to Mr. power point, "smoke and mirrors" presentation himself, former mayor Roy Awful bach.
Now a retired Federal judge from Philly is going to mediate the dispute between the city and the cops. Good luck to Ed Pawlowski on this one. I am a strong supporter of Union Rights, but even I think they might have went a little too far in taking advantage of someone as feeble minded as Roy apparently was.

2006-05-31T13:02:00.000-07:00

There's Good News....and there's Bad News....
and they are one and the same......

The Morning Call confirmed today that Charles Dertinger has indeed, in all likelihood, successfully executed a write-in campaign to be the Democratic Candidate for Congress in the 15th District.
The good news is Charlie Dent will have to publicly defend his record as a "Rubber Stamp" for Bush. He will also have to spend that vast war chest, courtesy of his corporate friends, on himself, instead of helping local and state level Republicans in their races.
The Bad news is Charles Dertinger is the best the Dems could find willingto take him on. I want to give credit here, to those who made the best of a bad situation, executed a "Mission Impossible", overcame tremendous obstacles, and got a candidate on the ballot. I have to give a shout out to Sam Bennett in Allentown, for organizing and pushing a program that got 2000 write in votes in Lehigh County alone. That's the kind of effort that wins races in November. Joe Long, for all the griping about him, took action, and got a candidate while others sat on their hands.
Mr. Dertinger is going to take a lot of hits for being a party man, but what about Dent? He lives in a glass house on that issue as well. This race will boil down to turnout and voter mood on election day, with a side order of Economic reality, as in, "Is the Valley job situation as rosy as today's Morning Call says?"
I don't think so. Good, Union wage paying skilled jobs declined, while hotels and servant sector jobs exploded. I don't know of too many parents who are hoping that their kids grow up to clean rooms, work at Wal-mart, or deal Blackjack at a Casino.

Paradise Lost?

That's the issue people, the Loss of The American Dream.
For the many former Lucent, Bethlehem Steel, Agere, and now Tyler Pipe folks who have watched their jobs, benefits, and the long term promises made to them in seemingly unbreakable Union wage contracts shrivel up and blow away, maybe the promise of a secure future was all just a dream. The fact is, right now, for many, working twice as hard for half the money in one of many new Servant sector Jobs isn't just the reality of their day to day life, it is their walking nightmare. Then they have to watch as their promised Medical benefits are erased by a faceless judge in a Corporate court, and get insult added to injury as a CEO gets a Hundred million Dollar bonus for doing such a good job of dismantling their company. Then they turn on the news and see the Economy in Southeast Asia is Booming, It ought to be, that's where the corporations are outsourcing their old jobs to.
Meanwhile, their elected officials give theselves raises and increase THEIR pensions. Talk about not being in touch with your constituents!!!!
This is what the policies of the Republican Party has given us in the past twelve years, at both the Federal and State level. I know some Dem candidates might not be that great, but do we really want to sit on our hands and let the Republican greedmeisters have two more years? I don't.

2006-05-24T13:49:00.000-07:00

As Deep Throat told Woodward and Bernstein:
"Just follow the money"

The Morning Call published another article this morning concerning unethical activities by Republican party hacks. This time concerning an Upper Macungie Engineering firm operated by Barry Isetts. County Commissioners must approve nonbid professional services agreements of more than $10,000. They did approve contracts with Isett's firm, in 2004, when none other than TOM GORR, Upper Macungie Supervisor, was also holding a job as the county's director of General services. Barry Isett said: "We've never had any quid pro quo in anything we've done." Here's a helpful hint for all those would be investigative reporters out there: Go down to the Lehigh County board of elections and ask to see the campaign finance reports of Jane Ervin and Tom Gorr for their respective election campaigns in 2005.
Isn't it interesting how everybody who gives to them either had a job, got a job, got contracts with the respective municipality where Tom or Jane worked, or has business pending to a board where they might rule. NO Quid Pro Quo?!!! Yeah, right.
Tom Gorr is not having a very good May, first he gets exposed for misusing a Township credit card, then the Morning Call Editorial board chastises him for succumbing to "Too much Temptation", and now he's entangled in this. Tom has been making a lot of enemies in the last few years, and his opponent made him sweat to get re-elected last November. A cat has Nine Lives Mr. Gorr, as Satchel Paige titled his biography, "Don't Look Back", I think there is a Tractor Trailer full of Fogelsville Residents bearing down on you, and they've got their foot on the gas, not the break.

Rich Grucela's great idea!

It is called H.B. 2250, and would allow school districts to charge impact fees to developers for all the homes they build. It would be measured at $2500.00 per bedroom, with the first one being free, but if you build a 4 bedroom house, the fee would be $7500.00. fees would be reduced or eliminated for developments that include only homes for adults without children, low income housing, energy efficient homes, projects that preserve open space, Tepees and Igloos.(Just Joking on the last two)
Grucela is trying really hard to squeeze just a little of the developers profits out of them, to help pay for the corollary costs they inflict on some local school districts with their home construction Gold Rush.
Even if this were to pass, developers would just pass this cost onto the buyer of these Mc Mansions, who would willingly, yes gullibly, pay it.
Yet Doug, "Dudley-do wrongly" Reichley, can't or won't say he supports it, probably because he has to check back with his masters, both in Harrisburg and the land of developer Oz, to see how they want him to play it.
The end result is, this bill is a good idea, it is fair, it is reasonable, and it puts some of the burden of ever bulging school costs directly on the prime cause, ergo,
IT IS DOOMED.

2006-05-19T21:01:00.000-07:00

It's Time to reform, Stupid.
I have been reading many of the opinions posted by professionals about how the inner party war between moderate republicans and their conservative far right is leaving the door open for Democrat gains in PA come November. I think they are wrong. The Republican right, by ousting so many involved with the pay raise, are making the case that they are the ones who are serious about reform in the State house. They are truly cleaning out the R.I.N.O.s. Meanwhile, Dems like Mike Veon and Bill Deweese breathe a huge sigh of relief as they survive by stroking their base.
The Republicans can now portray themselves as a party willing to reform, while painting we Dems as just spouting the same old political rhetoric.
If I were the Dems, my main campaign issue would be reform, period. Voters are tired of the same old Harrisburg blow-off, Dems can be portrayed by Republicans as protecting the status quo, they will be seen as part of the problem by the voters. Ed Rendell will be re-elected Governor, but unless Democratic candidates are willing to take a stance for items such as lobbying reform and a true realistic and tough realignment of how PA funds schools, Fast Eddie's coattails won't be very long. Ed Rendell needs a Democratic controlled house. Is he willing to expend the political capital in individual House races to get it? I don't know, but I know one thing I would Love to see: Bob Freeman, Speaker of the House. Then Everyone would know that Democrats are serious about reform.

2006-05-17T15:03:00.000-07:00

Don't Cry for Me Lehigh Valley
Paul Semmel gets his walking papers. and that is not a bad thing, at least not for Paul.
Besides getting a full pension and free medical care for life, Paul can relax and enjoy a new career after a while. The profession is LOBBYIST, and it sure beats the hell out of milking cows on the old dairy farm, now doesn't it?!
The true bloodbath will be waged in the fall by Archie Follweiler and Carl Mantz. Kutztown hasn't been big enough for these two hombres, and it will be interesting to see if Arch can make waves in Lehigh county. I hope so, because I plan to vote for him.

I was shocked
That Jubelirer and Brightbill both went down by wide margins. Looks like folks in the Berks Lancaster region want their conservatives to actually walk the walk, not just talk it. It will be interesting to see if moderate and conservative Republicans can unite behind the newcomers.
Opportunity is knocking at the Dems door, will we answer it?

Biggest Loser: Anthony Ryback
The green of his name is for the envy he must be feeling for Jose Rosado, who was a class act in defeat, and Joe Brennan, who punished him in the polls. That thud you heard at * PM last night was your political career dropping dead. Goodbye! I suggest cremation, there has to be some way to rid the 133rd district of the stench from your campaign.

Last but not least....
The new voting Machines worked pretty well, but I still think human error factors into this just as much, otherwise how do you explain the following?: In Lower Mac 8, approximately 60 Democrats voted, and Bob Casey got 45 votes, Chuckie P got 10 votes, but Alan Sandals got.... 70?!!!!
Mrs. at the bat had no problem with the machine, but came out talking how easy it was to write in Charle Dent for Congress. She truly got confused, and I have forgiven her, but if that one vote costs us,... we might have to move!!!

2006-05-13T07:00:00.001-07:00

Sorry, Charlie, but..
I only support Democracy in IRAQ, not in my Congressional district.

I can only imagine this being the response of Charlie Dent, if Charlies Dertinger were to ask out loud why Mr. Dent is investing time and effort in denying all voters a REAL choice in November. Money-wise, it is brilliant, because if he wins both nominations, he can spread his vast corporate, HMO and oil company endowed war chest around to needy, challenged Republicans at the state level , like that lovable couple in the state house, Karen Beyer and Doug Reichley.
However, politically, the damage could ripple into the very near future. This is typical Republican planning, don't worry about the future, we want OUR friends and family to be fat and happy NOW.
How angry do you think Democratic powers will be if Dent undermines them and pulls this off? In 2004/05, Democrats starting getting their act together in Lehigh county. Despite the Legacy of Roy Awfulbach, we got Ed Pawloski elected mayor. We recruited Don Cunningham and took, for the first time, the County Executive's post. Next year we will mobilize to take the board of County Commissioners. That leaves 2008, and the Congressional seat. Shakespeare wrote that "revenge is a dish that is best served cold", and Democrats will not forget, this skullduggery, this undermining of the political process, for no reason other than personal financial gain. The Dems will most certainly attempt to serve Charle a very cold dish of revenge. Then again, it is becoming painfully obvious to most voters that personal financial gain is what most Republican politicians are all about.
So Much for the Democracy, if you can buy a nomination for a few thousand dollars in May to save several hundred thousand come November, why let a little thing like integrity, and the Democratic process get in the way?
Sorry Charlie, you may be the biggest Tuna in the fishbowl here locally right now, but when the water gets dirty with poop, all the inhabitants suffer, especially the ones putting out the most poop. The water looks clean right now, but give it two years, you never know who the Democrats might nominate to clean the tank, and they are going to let everyone know just how bad you stink.
And following the Fish theme, Greta Browne is a clueless baby goldfish who willingly jumped into a tank full of hungry piranha. I put the over under on her write in vote total from Democrats at about twelve, the same people who would vote for perennial loser Drake (out of his) Minder. She is a distraction, not a threat. Unfortunately, there is no "Idiot" party in PA for her to join, and most Green's remember her betrayal from 2004. The only way she could get votes would be to go on American Idol, which is how too many young people think this whole voting thing works anyway. So I've got a suggestion, how about after the primary, Drake and Greta
get together and decide to run for governor/lietenant governor on the newly formed Moron party ticket. Doesn't matter who is on top or bottom, but it is obvious to me these two deserve each other. Overall, The Lehigh Valley deserves so much better than what we are getting in congressional candidates, but I am asking everyone to vote for Charlie Dertinger, as he had the courage to step up when many others failed.
I know I will. Lets keep Democracy alive!!!

2006-05-11T14:00:00.000-07:00

An Apology is due...
To Chris Casey
I received an email Thursday PM from Chris Casey sharing some concerns he and his wife had concerning the content, and title of, this blog.
I need to let everyone know that Chris Casey, candidate for state rep in 134th, is not the author of this blog. I named this blog in honor of one of my favorite stories, Casey AT the bat. Infering that I would like to use a bat to clean up politics in the Lehigh Valley. Chris and I share common interests in baseball and dogs, and also various opinions on local politics. I value my anonymity, as revealing who I am and my role as an employee of local government would have negative repercussions for all. I use this as a vent, and will continue to do so in the future. I will start a new blog, with a new name, in the next week. I'm truly sorry Chris, It really never occured to me that this could negatively hurt your campaign.
I will have postings tommorrow on Charlie Dent, Greta Brown, and what is now a crowded Democratic write in field for the 15th district of congress.

2006-05-10T16:38:00.000-07:00

Doug Reichley: District Attorney
No, It's not a movie of the week, or even a proposed sitcom on that Network bastion of right wing propaganda called Fox News (Then again, Maybe...?!!)

A few posts back I mentioned that Doug might be running for Jim Martin's job in '07, should Jim choose to retire. My sources tell me that this is pretty much a sure thing. The Statehouse is just something for Doug to pass the time, and he can use his incumbency, and his so called "tough on crime" legacy to boost his chances, in addition to holding onto his seat. Doug thought he should have gotten the job last time around, the statehouse was second prize after the Jane Baker fiasco.
( You remember Jane, in Spring of 2000 she got ran over by a lady "friend" after a "spat" and some heavy drinking at what is now the Stoned Crab on Brookside road, and after two years in the Legislature, sued her friend, saying the accident had left her, "Unemployable".)
This will give area Republicans time to search out a suitable pseudo-Hitler Youth member to replace him. The problem with that scenario is voters are not all that thrilled with Doug. He has not yet returned all the unvouchered pay raise he took but did not vote for, and no public mea culpa has been forthcoming, but at this stage, it would be seen as insincere anyway. There was talk of a Republican challenging Doug, but either the party couldn't find someone with the stones, or they just don't respect Chris Casey enough to see him as a threat. Either way, Doug Reichley knows his days in Harrisburg might be numbered one way or another, so if he easily gets by Casey,(as he should, but it might be close) it wouldn't be bad form to get out of the legislature while the getting is good. Doug still thinks he is the smartest guy in any room, so having an escape plan is not a bad idea. I just hope that he loses in November, before he gets 5 years in as a legislator and can get a good chunk of pension. I hate the idea of giving someone who has done so much to erode the rights of working men and women a pension paid for by taxes from their sweat and blood.

2006-05-09T16:58:00.000-07:00

London Bridge is falling down
Or would be if it were in PA

An American Engineering group today released a Report card on the condition of Pennsylvania's infrastructure, and if I had gave a report card this bad to my parents to sign, I would have got one good dose of butt whippin', and it probably would have been a tag team affair.
My favorite part of all this is the ignorant hypocrisy of several Republicans in Lehigh County, who keep pushing to build a BIGGER, WIDER, Route 22 to handle all the traffic so they can build more homes, make more money, and afford to move even farther away when the problems of overdevelopment become more than they can handle. We don't have money to fix a simple bridge over a creek, (Unless it is near Paul Semmels house, then $3.5 million will be found so 3 homeowners can get to their estates.) but they want millions to facilitate their profiteering.
So I propose this, why don't Snelling, Semmel, and yes, even JAINDL, et al do us all a favor and move farther away, NOW?! Let's just cut to the end result, but leave out the part where you use your riches to keep all the Republican Municipality kings like Gorr, De'Angelis, and even Marge Szulborski, (OOPS, sorry, I forgot she's been busy building her own retirement account the past five years) in power, and let those of us living in the communities you are trying to choke every last dollar out of run our own government for once. We can't do any worse than you guys, and your developer friends might learn a new word in their vocabulary, one they haven't heard since childhood: NO!
NO!, as in you can't pave over every corn field, and NO!, we will not rezone that flood plain so you can build another 500 McMansions to sell to some poor suckers from New Jersey at $800,000. a pop.

Okay I'm done, but the point is, more reckless development means more stress on infrastructure, and we are not maintaining OLD ROADS, we are just building new ones onto them. The same with our overextended sewer system, especially along Route 100 and Spring Creek road in Upper Mac 4 and Lower Mac 4. Sinkholes are popping up all over, but they keep building!
There are also many bridges over US22 that have had pieces fall off onto the road below, and PennDot says they are fine. On that note, Rumsfeld says he never lied about WMD's, President W says gas prices will go back under a dollar a gallon, and Bill Clinton never met Monica Lewinsky.
Who the Hell do they think they are fooling!!!

Now onto the Wonderful World of the 133rd Democratic Primary

Anthony Ryback has come out with a mailer that is just about the ugliest ,meanest broadside of Joe Brennan that was possible. Talk about twisting the facts! If Mr. Ryback were to win this primary,(and I doubt it) he better hope to God that Republicans are half as stupid as he is.
Mr Ryback's, "Look who's in jail again!" mailer brings up two of the less than flattering events in Joe Brennan's life, but I come from the "We all did stupid things when we were young " school, and it would do well for Tony to remember the saying , "People who live in glass houses.."
Tony and his wife sat alone at a table at the labor council dinner, and I sort of felt pity for him, appearing as an outcast in a crowded room. I wished him well. Now I'm not thinking the same way.
Actions speak louder than words. His actions speak of desperation, and the saddest part is, he didn't just damage Joe Brennan, he showed a lack of character that damages himself. Hey Tony, what do you think your Dad would say?

2006-05-07T08:17:00.000-07:00

Stick a fork in Paul Semmel-He is Done

I have many Republican friends in Upper Macungie, and in talking to them over the past few days, one thing is very clear: They will not vote for Paul Semmel.
This changes the dynamic of the November race in the 187th drastically.
I first thought that Semmel's two challengers may split the vote, enabling him to win the nomination, but now I think it is a two horse race, with Carl Mantz of Kutztown and Alan Cerullo of Lehigh county both getting more than 35% of the vote, and Semmel might be lucky to get 25%. If the number of campaign signs is any indication, it could be even lower. As one Charlie Dent supporter told me, "Even the Republicans think it is time for him to go".
This is a smart strategy on the Republican's part, as Semmel would have a hard time defeating Archie Follweiler in November, and require a lot of Republican investment in keeping a seat they should win easily with their registration advantage in the district. Mantz or Cerullo would enable the Republicans to campaign as a party willing to change, and bring their natural strength to bear, at a lot less cost. Semmel losing the primary, in my estimate, lowers the chance of Democrats winning that seat from highly possible, to maybe on a cold day in hell. I like Archie, I think he would do a great job, but in this case, the Republican party is doing what it has to to hold the seat. In an election where Democrats need a ten seat swing to get control of the House, every seat that is up for grabs is vital. This is one I think the Republicans have taken out of play.

2006-05-05T12:19:00.000-07:00

Tax Relief????......NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Republicans: "We can do better".

I am just absolutely amazed at how clueless the Republican leadership is, but I am not surprised that Doug Reichley of our own 134th district did the right wing leaderships bidding and was one of three representatives to start the push on the floor to kill the tax deal. Dougie is running unopposed in the primary, but November is a whole different deal. Everybody knows that any tax deal would have been far from perfect, and it would have needed further work. (A Lot of Work, as in starting with a uniform, statewide formula for how properties are accessed). Unfortunately, that is politically dangerous, and with the pay raise debacle already having many an incumbent soaking in boiling pots of water, the republicans grabbed at what they thought was a lifeline, and caught an anchor instead. Glub, Glub, Glub.

What really ticks me off, is the reasoning from my rep," ol' Dougie", is that Republicans are holding out to give the people a better overall deal. This from a guy who tried to get the Martin Towers property in Bethlehem declared a "Keystone Opportunity Zone", so a wealthy developer (and campaign contributor) could skip on paying several million in taxes to the Bethlehem area School District in the next ten years. "Ol Dougie's" regularly mailed letter to all his constituents (at Taxpayer's expense) ends with "Doug Reichley, Working for you!"

I think that might be a missprint, he should change it to "Doug Reichley,working for Doug Reichley, and a few good friends", at least then it would be honest. Folks have waited decades for some kind of tax reform, so what's a few more terms in office, er... weeks before they get around to it?

2006-04-30T10:45:00.000-07:00

So Many Topics, So little Time....
The Labor Council dinner was held Saturday the 29th of April at the Northampton Community Center hall. Governor Rendell and future U.S. Senator Bob Casey were the keynote speakers. I won't bore you with such inane details as the menu, but their speeches were nothing more than the usual stump, and as they were in friendly confines, preaching to the choir sufficed for their purpose. I support both men whole heartedly, but I also feel that Bob Casey having primary challengers helps him greatly.
Rick Santorum is already deploying the Republican hate machine in an all out smear fest, subscribing to the idea, "they may hate me, but I'll make them hate Bob Casey more." That will take an incredible amount of mudslinging, unfortunately, they are capable of doing it.
Having credible Democrats like Sandals and Pennachio test Bob now is like getting a flu shot.You know you are going to get exposed to it sooner or later, at least this way it won't be as bad.

Also at the dinner, Northampton Dem chairman Joe Long and County Executive John Stoffa sat as far apart as possible, which was no big surprise, and Congressman Charle Dent showed some stones in just attending. I don't know if he and Charles Dertinger, our Write in candidate, had any words for each other, but the Sunday Morning Call speculated that Dent might be considering his own Democratic Write in Campaign.
On one hand, I would despise Dent for doing it, on the other, I think Dent, in trying such a thing, would help Dertinger galvanize his forces, to get the deed done. A success by Dertinger and a failure by Dent would be comparable to giving Lehigh Dems a shock from a defibrillator, just the jumpstart they need.

So go ahead Mr. Dent, run a Democratic Write in campaign. The Labor unions are really behind Dertinger, and while you might have big enough stones to come to their dinner, how big will those same stones be after they take a well placed kick from the steel toed boot of labor?

On a more Local front, This past Friday many local news media reported another proposal from that legislative Tasmanian Devil, the 134th's own, Doug "Third" Reichley. Doug has been criss crossing his district begging forgiveness for taking the pay raise, by proposing laws to satisfy every possible constituency. This time he has proposed making it illegal for teen drivers to drive after 9 PM on weekends.
Obviously, he has forgotten that many teens have jobs in those hours, or the burden that would put on their parents, but when you are like Doug, and don't have kids, you wouldn't be able to relate to that. Perhaps he wishes to open up those jobs for the illegal immigrants of the area, and help lower labor costs for some businesses.

Here is a suggestion for dealing with teen drivers: Educate, don't Legislate.
We have enough laws that we can't and don't enforce, kids will be kids, and studies show that Senior citizen drivers are even more dangerous than teens after dark. However, Senior drivers vote, teens don't, so you won't see him suggesting we restrict Seniors. Further, the parents of some of those teens vote, and they might not be thrilled with anyone espousing they need to be told how to control their kids.

There is a lot of speculation that Doug is planning to run for Lehigh County District Attorney next year, hence this sudden rush to pass all kinds of meaningless crime legislation to show he is "tougher" on criminals.
How many criminals have you heard of that have checked the crime laws before committing a crime? Think Charles Cullen did? Do you really think child molesters are deterred by longer sentences? It is just political posturing.
Some of you might ask why Doug is running for re-election to the Statehouse when he is going to run for D.A. next year?
Another Column, another day.

2006-04-25T08:32:00.000-07:00

Elmer Gantry..er, Elmer Gates
does his impression of the warden in the mavie, Cool Hand Luke
"Some People (Republican County Commissioners) you just can't reach!"

Mr Gates asked in his column, "just what don't they understand about the outcome of the last three county elections?" I looked outside this morning to see if Hell had frozen over, because longtime Republican party activist Elmer Gates took the Republican majority of Lehigh county commissioners to task in an op-ed piece to the Morning Call for their lack of fiscal restraint concerning the courthouse controversy. This is comparable to Billy Graham calling for one of his crusades. I won't be surprised to see a tent going up somewhere with signs popping up at every intersection "Come fallen away Republicans!, repent here!" Unfortunately Some Sinners you just can't reach, be they a Township Supervisor, a County Commissioner, or even a State Rep or Senator. (Hint: Paul Semmel) All the RINOs who voted for Rendell and Casey in 04' and any Democrat who has seen the error of their ways is welcome too.
This is primetime for Democrats to point out how far out of touch the Republican leadership is at all levels, from the Township that wants a new office building they don't need(Upper Mac), extravagance of a new Courthouse(Lehigh County), to state legislators who put their own welfare above their constituents(Semmel,Reichley,Beyer), if anyone should be extolling the virtues of reform and good government, it should be Democrats. It is not that often that the devil deals you a winning hand, so lets go all in and play it, and in the process, convert a few souls to our side.
Being a Democrat, to me, does not mean Liberal, it means Responsible, it means Practical, it means being Fair. The Republicans in local and state government have practiced none of those three traits, and those are traits worth speaking about.

2006-04-24T08:15:00.000-07:00

Paul Semmel: Martyr for the Republicans

Last week, Paul Semmel of the 187th sent a letter to Republicans admitting that last years "payjacking" was a mistake he deeply regrets.
No mention of whether he regretted voting to raise his pension, or any of the votes he cast helping other republican constituents in Harrisburg or Philly, while ignoring his actual district in the Lehigh Valley.
This is as close to anyone falling on their sword as we can expect to see from some of our most pathetic incumbents in the statehouse.
This year, Semmel has two Republican primary challengers, Lehigh County resident and Attorney Allen Cerullo, and Berks county resident and Kutztown borough councilman Carl Mantz, who has been endorsed by the Berks Republicans. The natives are restless, and Mr. Semmel has slowly come to realize, nine months after the fact, that re-election isn't a given. Henceforth, he gets down on his knees in the confessional of the non-denominational Church of the Holy Voter, and proselytizes himself, begging for mercy, and pointing at a questionable list of accomplishments as a reason to forgive and forget his trangressions.
As Roger Daltrey once sang, "We won't get fooled again".

Come the morning of May 17th, we may have a new song, with apologies to the author of Bye Bye Love:

Bye, Bye, Paul,
Bye, Bye, laziness,
Bye Bye, do nothingness
We're not gonna cry!

Bye Bye Paul,
Bye Bye, payjacker
Hello, a real rep,
We'll get someone who cares!

I was going to do a rendition of that great 50's favorite, "Get a Job" but that was just too easy!!!

2006-04-23T15:42:00.000-07:00

Don't Drink the Water....
If you are a police officer in Northampton County.

It's not just a classic piece of theater, it is something to consider, if you really think about it. The Dust has barely settled from the Jesse Sollman "accident" in Easton, and now we have new reports of another incident, this time in Bethlehem, and another coverup by authorities. In the Morning Call of Sunday, April 23rd, columnist Paul Carpenter published parts of his extensive interview with Northampton DA John Morganelli, and while both men made many valid points for their points of view, I had to agree with Paul Carpenter's view that police officers have less to worry about when breaking the law than we regular folks.
Here's a list of a few acts of police misconduct in Northampton County in the last few years, in no particular order:

A) Easton police subjected themselves to several civil rights lawsuits following a "disturbance" on the P'burg bridge following a Thanksgiving Day H.S. football game.
Excessive use of force, and police dogs, was approved.

B)The city of Bethlehem settled the John Hirko suit last year, involving just a slight over use of force during a raid by their S.W.A.T. team.

C)Jesse Sollman is killed by a fellow officer under what can best be described as dubious circumstances inside Easton police headquarters.

D)The above incident is still being investigated, and over in Bethlehem, in their headquarters, a captain playfully puts a loaded pistol to the back of the head of an officer under his command.

I could go on and on, with incidents in just about every municipality, but this speaks to a higher question:Is there no discipline for Police Officers in Northampton county? It sounds to me like they are reading from the Ernie Preate manual of how to determine individual rights. One set of rules for those with guns, another set for the rest of us.

John Morganelli is proud that he has prosecuted 21 police officers, of which only four ever went to jail, and 6 were acquitted.(From the Morning Call article) But I have a question, isn't 21 officers a lot in 12 years? and how many weren't prosecuted or disciplined? I find this track record of police misconduct particularly damning.

2006-04-23T12:14:00.000-07:00

It's a Three horse race...
for Chairman of the Lehigh County Democratic Party

So far three intelligent, well meaning candidates have stepped forward, Matt Croslis, Rick Daugherty, and current Allentown chair, Sam Bennett. So Why is this important?
Leading the Democrats who live in Allentown is one thing, organizing and leading the other 60%+ who don't live in the city is another. The goal should be to unify them with common goals.
The Democrats need a leader willing to organize and mobilize the rest of the Dems in the county. Don Cunningham is a great county executive, but when Republicans control the county commisioners 7-2, when Democrats have only one true seat in the statehouse for a county with a Dem majority, and a Republican rep in Congress, it says something about what our party's weak spots are.
Croslis and Daugherty both want to build the party infrastructure across the entire county. Sam Bennett sent out a nice letter touting her accomplishments in teamwork building and in getting Ed Pawlowski elected mayor... in Allentown.
When the Dems meet in June to organize after the May elections, who wins this struggle for control of the direction of the local party could make or break the growth of power for Democrats in Lehigh, through 2010, and the next redistricting. It is a lot more important than many of us realize.

2006-04-06T18:58:00.000-07:00

Failure To Launch

I am at an absolute loss for why the Dems of the Lehigh Valley don't have a Congressional candidate in the 15th district. There are so many places I could start with this argument, but we are past finding a qualified candidate, because Don Cunningham is not running. The two would be candidates, Bob Dodge and Justin Behrens, got confused about how to gather signatures. Meanwhile, the ground troops were being urged to help Governor Rendell break a record for submitted signatures. Anybody else see a problem with that picture? It would have been a greater help to the Dem Party at large to serve up a full menu of candidates, but through our own incompetence, there are Republicans running unopposed, who should be running scared.
Instead of concentrating on getting Ed 3000 sigs in Lehigh, maybe we should have worked on getting one of those other two a few? The Democrats should be ruling Lehigh, instead we have Bush boy Dent. I have always considered myself a team player, but when I see ineptitude of this magnitude, I have to question if we have our act together

Write In Campaigns...
The write in for Congress is not impossible, with an organized commitment, it can be done.
So we need a candidate, the simpler the name the better. I have seen the new voting machines, and I have some suggestions.
1. Notify the respective board of elections in Lehigh and Northampton counties that you are running.
2. Tell them that you will be instructing people to punch your name in on the screen keyboards as e.g. ( John A. Smith). Trust me, using your middle initial will help differentiate you from others with the same name, and make the Elections officials job easier.
3. You need 1000 unchallengeable votes, so shoot for as many as you can get. Look at voting records and see which predominantly Democratic districts have the best turnout, and send volunteers to stand outside them on election day. Allentown and Bethlehem should be easy.
4. On election day, have your volunteers hand out easy to read instructions telling them exactly how to cast a write in vote.

This is not as hard as people think, I know, I helped Chris Casey pull this off in Upper Macungie and he got on the ballot last year by standing outside precincts, handing out pre printed stick on labels bearing his name with instructions for the old lever machines.
We Can not give up! We just need to cover 50 precincts, and get the word out to the media and the press. We have to get past how bad not getting enough signatures makes us, and dwell on how good we will look if we can recover and get someone on the ballot.
All I need is a candidate, I will do my share. Do you hear me Democrats?
Hey, you people over in 183rd, there's no reason you can't do it for Russ Shade!!!
Come on! Republicans take women for granted, we need to do our thing!