Mitt the Flip, Both Sides Now 2

2 comments

1. George Smith

   July 6, 2011 at 6:41 pm

   I thought that was interesting, too, when I saw it. Allentown is pretty staid and generally suicidally Republican at odd times, so that was an exceptional reaction.
    
   However, the mayor does a little unwarranted cheerleading. Allentown is still a case of major fail. It never recovered from de-industrialization, while it’s sister city, Bethlehem — which was were steel went out of business, was able to convert to tourism and make itself over as a bedroom community for metro Jersey/NY. 
    
   The center of A-town is a slum, for the most part, centered around the Morning Call newspaper building, which still operates but is a shadow of its former self.
    
   The big development project in the Lehigh Valley — which is where Allentown is — was hope for a casino complex on the grounds where Beth Steel used to be. It stalled after one gambling joint, which is not that successful, went in.
    
   You wanna take care of old folks in nursing homes and hospices or work in fast food or hospitality, then maybe this corner of Pennsy is the place to be. But there ain’t no revival any more than it’s any of Obama’s fault.
    
    

    
2. Frank

   July 7, 2011 at 9:49 am

   I interpreted the mayor’s remarks as “it’s a lot better than Romney painted it,” not as  “it’s rosy.”  I guess that’s why we have horse races.

   As for the casinos, I am convinced that, if Big Ed Rendell didn’t like the gamble, he wouldn’t have wasted Pennsylvania’s time with them for his two terms.

   Nugget:  During Reconstruction, most Southern states instituted lotteries to raise money because they had no tax base left.  Each one turned out be corrupt.  

   Not a good precedent for gambling as state policy.