Nearly every Tuesday, the Morning Call links to one or two independent local blogs with a fresh perspective on local issues. In this week's Valley Blogosphere, Pam Varkony advocates closing the Lehigh Valley Zoo. She should think again. This is an election year. If released, every one of those exotic animals will run for local office and probably win.
Michael Molovinsky, who is considering opening a School of Diplomacy, is also featured, with a short essay about Allentown's expected pension shortfall. Mayor Pawlowski, unlike most municipal leaders, is hoping that problem just goes away.
Just close your eyes and click your heels three times.
26 comments:
michael is very prescient about this pension issue. not since the 1970's, for those of you who can remember, have there been such pension shortfalls.
and when a city council or other local governmental board has to raise taxes so they can pay retirees . . . well those are not exactly pleasant hearings or votes.
generous pension obligations, made when times are good, often come back to bite you when the economy turns.
good job, michael. we need to be taking immediate corrective action now ...and for the next few years.
It's not just Allentown avoiding the pension issue - this impacts governmental entities all over the Lehigh Valley.
It's got the potential to be a massive hit to all of us.
The Banker
You know Banker. I'd take your musings much more credibly if you were to publicly announce who you were, but you can say the same about me.\
- Tom Terrific
Bernie, I'm afraid some of those animals escaped over the past decade and have managed to get elected to office. You may be too late...
We certainly have our fair share of baboons, horses, stuborn mules and weasles in this region. it's the citizens that manage to persist.
Tom, fair enough! I will eventually, and I should.
The Banker
the banker wants his bailout money right now... he was the first in line!
Boonie, get your space reserved at the Lehigh Valley Zoo.
Banker, I appreciate your commentary here. I have exchanged emails with you and really appreciate your insight. The obvious reason you can't reveal your identity is because you are, after all, a banker. It is foolish for most people in business to do so, but we all benefit from your comments, so don't let one or two
I'll remind some of the "anonymous" people out there that I reserve the right to delete anonymous personal attacks, especially when they are directed at a third party.
I love diverse opinions but don't like the personal snarks.
Allentown certainly has its woes, however, on the pension front a far wider issue approaching many schools districts in the next few years will be the shortfall facing the PSERS (PA School Employees Retirement System). Since, we all do not live in Allentown, but we all (property owners) do pay school property taxes, it may be worth watching.
However, before bashing the teachers, it is worth noting the below testimony of then PSEA VP James Testerman. It is from June, 2007, a year-plus before our current "economic crisis". In otherwords, the writing has been on the wall.
"Leading up to this stock market drop and actually during the initial year of decline, employers and the state were enjoying a virtual holiday from payments into PSERS. It is important to note that while the employers were taking a virtual pension holiday, employees never stopped contributing. From 1997 to 2006, employee contributions amounted to 13 percent of PSERS total funding. Most new PSERS participants contribute 7.5 percent of their income to pay their own pensions. During this same time employers only contributed payments worth 8 percent of PSERS total funding."
Lighthouse,
The "virtual holiday from payments into PSERS" was not the choice of school districts. PSERS sets the employer contribution rate (with much interference from the legislature). The legislature has also helped itself to extremely generous increases in their own pensions, covering them by giving more modest increases to other retirees. These benefit increases (virtually unheard of in private sector pensions) have been a massive liability (in spite of legislators' assurances that benefit increases would have no impact on taxpayers), and those chickens will soon be coming home to roost.
As is too often the case, this is a problem largely caused (and greatly exacerbated) by the legislature, and we'll all end up footing the bill.
No report on if after a week of no post Chris Casey came back out claiming he is no longer blogging for the third time?
Alan, it continually amazes me what school boards have to deal with. I talked often w/ George Ziolkowski (hope I spelled his name right, for those who don't know he was the prior superintendent for East Penn School District) - he told me horror stories about dealing with the state, unfunded mandates, etc. And here's another one.
There are times I disagree with decisions the school board makes, but I'll never challenge the people - you all deserve a ton of credit for serving.
And Bernie, thanks! We can all learn here, and I know I just did.
The Banker
i may be better served to ignore this, however as i write, bill villa bashes the morning call participating bloggers as contributing to the hate forum by not protesting the topix forum and it's anonymous comments. it's know that occasionally mr. villa has business in nyc. yesterday on villa's blog his last comment appeared at 6:04 am. then at 9:25 an anon comment bashing kranzley and the call. at 9;30 am. this comment appeared on the topix forum, signed "blumberg" from nyc;
"in the 2005 Allentown mayoral election, Mayor Pawlowski got a huge mandate by garnering a whopping 59% of the popular vote. Allentown mayoral hopeful, Mike Molovinsky, got 3%. Mike, when will you ease up on your vendetta with Mayor Pawlowski? It's not healthy. Please get the help you need to move on with your life."
no further comments appeared on the villa blog until 6:43pm, then this posted by villa
Anon Wed Jan 07, 01:31:00PM accurately predicted Allentown Mayoral Hopeful Mike (3%) "MM" Molovinsky who's in today's "newspaper" griping about (surprise surprise) Mayor Ed (59%) Pawlowski!
although this is not legal evidence, unless there's a blumberg in nyc obsessed with me, it strongly suggests bill villa posts himself anonymously on the topix
So Bill told me in person he posts under mulitple names.
One day I get a real nice email from this guy "Father Alex".
When I respond to the email, guess whose name comes up in my contact manager as the respondent?
You got it - Bill Villa. Kind of creppy if you ask me.
I thought "Father Alex" was an O'Hare alias/character (?)
You thought wrong.
"Father Alex" is no O'Hare alias or character.
Let me clear up a few things. I post as me and only as me. As the person who publishes this blog, I think it would be insulting to my readers, and dishonest, to comment anonymously or under an assumed name.
From time to time, Villa or Casey will either directly accuse me or insinuate that I am attempting to post something anonymously at their moderated blogs. Those accusations are false. I post only as myself.
Villa, on the other hand, comments anonympously, impersonates and uses all kinds of assumed names. He has bragged about it in emails to me, just as he apparently bragged in person to Politically Neutral.
In addition to his bragging, I and several other bloggers have tracked his comments. Whether posting as Villa, anonymously or under a psudonym, the comments have often been traced back to the same two IPs.
"Father Alex" is a friend, someone who used to work at the courthouse and who later became a barber. Currently, he is a Seminarian studying to be a Maranite priest. He is an ordained cantor, but has a few years to go before he is a full-fledged priest. I nevertheless call him Father.
"Father Alex" would never hurt a fly. He knows I'm nutz but is going after me just as any good shepherd goes after the sheep who stray.
He made the mistake of telling Villa, in a comment, that he would pray for him, as he has often said to me and many others. For that terrible offense, Villa began to impersonate him, as he does with many others such as the Banker and even me at times.
He has impersonated Alex on his own blog, at other sites and even at The Morning Call Reader Forum. Amazingly, he will post hateful comments as Fr. Alex and posing as other people. Now, he hypocritically calls on all of us to stop the hate there. The best way Villa can do that is by stopping himself, starting with his impersonations.
Wow. You guys figured out Villa's M.O.
What great detective work.
Dude,
I was responding to someone who had not.
In 10 paragraphs, no less. That's called a rant. Also, I was referring mainly to MM above.
Bernie's point is well taken.
He is correct and I believe he is upright in his assertations of his posting behavior.
Posing as someone else, in my book, is a form of identity theft.
I also consider it sociopathic.
As bad, are the Anon posts that try to egg the whole issue on.
Villa is like a little kid. People will get tired of his acting out and will start to ignore his idiotic rants.
You can have compassion for his losses to a point. That point comes when you realize he is using that sympathy to exploit others.
He seems to have honed that skill to a science. In many areas he has worn out his welcome.
You do not do what he does to people who supported you when times were tough. That is just downright abusive.
There are more important issues facing each of us and this community that take prescedence over his incredible neediness.
Let's discuss those issues.
Politically Neutral,
Well said and agreed in total.
The Banker
Perhaps "posing as someone else" is being done to make a point. I don't know first-hand why he does it, but given the context, you-all don't seriously believe he's doing it to try to get over or dupe anyone, do you? (I mean, really, Joe the banker?). But, I suspect, so long as you continue to react as above, ("identity theft"), he'll probably continue to do so to get a rise out of you. Ironically, that could point to you-all being "tools."
Villa,
The only point you are making is that you are a liar very often intent on deceiving your readers, as you are now attempting to do with mine.
Sorry to break the news to you, pal, that wasn't Villa making a point at 6:13. That was me. Jesus, my home service is AOL so you drew that conclusion? Now, what point did you make, Bernie, by assuming the above was Villa commenting? (I think it makes you look paranoid, and not very credible, cause I know you are wrong). Or do you assume that anyone on your blog whose comment is contrary to you must be Villa?
Villa,
I didn't even have to check my sitemeter. Nobody gives a rat's ass about the 20th comment to a blog that posted Tuesday except for your sorry ass and a very few people who are interested in watching as you continue to crash and burn.
Dude, I am glad that I missed all of that. Not to give credence to any wrong doing. But it takes many types of people to make the world go around.
Peace be with you, ~~Alex J.
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