President Obama is coming to town today

[AllentownJake]

The 44th President of the United States is coming to Allentown today. He's going to head to a Community College, if reports are to believed a diner, and a few local businesses. If he's coming to Allentown, I'd really like him to make one stop.

I'd like him to go up I-78 in his motorcade get off at exit 67 and make a Left onto 3rd Street in Bethlehem. Thank I'd like for his motorcade to pull into the parking lot of the Sands Casino and I'd like him to sit there for a few moments and reflect on the economic policies of his predecessors of the past 30 years.

The Sands Casino has been erected on the remains of Bethlehem Steel, the economic powerhouse of this nation from the 1900s to 1970s. Gambling has replaced production. A more fitting new monument could not have been built there.

See, it is fitting that the President comes to Allentown to begin his jobs listening tour, because after all Allentown is where the war on middle class Americans began by Washington and Wall Street. It is where all the Henry Potters (It's a wonderful life reference) up in New York conspired first with the Washington elites against the George Baileys of the world to turn a prosperous community of their own citizens into a Potterville. 30 years later, the entire country is Potterville.

I'd like the President to sit in his motorcade looking out at the devastation with a gaudy casino slapped in the middle and ask himself how the fuck did this happen. Than I'd like him to go home to Washington and start working to begin to reverse what 30 years of war on middle class Americans has wrought.

I'm not holding my breath, I expect the new democratic doctrine of free trade instead of fair trade and the new Wall Street alliance to win the day and for my fellow citizens to be told to pull themselves by their bootstraps, green economy (which China is developing parallel to our developments) and the need for everyone to be retrained.

It would just be nice though, for the President to make the economic pilgrimage to ground zero, and gaze upon the devastation with wonderment and confusion and question what his predecessors have wrought on the nation he has been elected to lead.

[saracat]

1. Powerful and well written post .K+R

[FrenchieCat]

2. I wish he would as well, if it would make a difference.

I do know that he saw extreme poverty both growing up in Indonesia,
as well as in the streets of Chicago.

A pilgrimage and photo Op may or may not be the answer....
as he would be criticized no matter what he chose to do.

I do question those who might want to paint an image of the man disconnected
sitting in an ivory tower, because it would be an inaccurate portrait,
but after Bush winning our hearts and minds (in reading everything that wrong
into any endeavor made by a politician from this point on if isn't what we
feel it should be).

But if you think that type of symbolistic stop would help,
then I hope he might at least think of doing it,
and if he doesn't, I'm sure it will be one more thing
that you could be disappointed about......

[AllentownJake]

3. I don't want a Photo-Op

I want him to look at the Casino in the middle of Bethlehem Steel go back to the White House that is reinforced with beams built in that plant, and think about what the past 30 years has wrought on his country before he signs his next Free Trade agreement.

[FrenchieCat]

4. That's how it would be perceived......

always the worse is perceived.
That's just the rule these days.

Bush's terror on us won. :(

[AllentownJake]

5. The political implications of gazing at economic ground zero?

You are a lost cause.

[FrenchieCat]

7. The political implication of scratching his ass the wrong way,

impairs the political agenda that I would like enacted.
Considering how everyone gets to demand and diss,
figure I'd look out for myself some from this point on....
if you don't mind.

Like I said,
I wish you could have everything you wanted and more,
but I can't make your dreams come true,
and perhaps, no one can.

[AllentownJake]

8. I once respected you

I can no longer say that, the unprincipled trite you are posting shows the lack of moral courage both political and spiritual that has destroyed this nation the past 30 years.

I'll give you a hint at what past Americans leader have done. Do the right things and others will follow you fuck what the press or your political opponents think.

They hate me, and I welcome their hate. - FDR.

[FrenchieCat]

9. You don't have to respect. me. That is not anything that I require to feel good about myself.

in fact, there is quite a large group here at DU
who cannot stand me; Call me names and shit; head cheerleader and other childish nonsense....
just like kids did back in when I was in school....
sometimes it was because I was too brown,
sometimes because I wasn't brown enough,
and at other times because I spoke with an accent....
or cause I was too poor, or because I talked too much,
etc., etc...

you can join them, and then you'll feel that much "righter"....
and thanks for the quote, cause yeah....They hate me, and I welcome their hate.

here, one of them has this nice long thread
over at GD!

White House holds photo-op “jobs summit” (can't post the url, but it's there).

You can jump in feet first, but just be careful,
and don't let the crowd of Kool Kids crush you.

[AllentownJake]

10. I'm not the one who is worried about the political implications of doing what is right.

and I have my own fan club. I laugh at mine, you take yours seriously.

[FrenchieCat]

11. Doing what's right is somewhat relative when it comes to gestures such as what you describe,

even if you believe it to be a real tangible
that's gonna make a difference beyond what people think.

As you know, some folks say that words are just words,
promise just more of the same,
and that even honesty on the campaign trail
can be interpreted as as tricking people,
so yeah, visits to a depressed area may be just regarded as just a photo op.
I'm not sure why everyone else is allowed to think in political terms
at a political site, except for me, when I dare post stuff that I guess
is not PC according to DU standards.

I don't take this stuff seriously,
you just think I do....and that's fine with me.
I enjoy blogging, and that's why I do it....
so if I were you, I wouldn't be trying to psychoanalyze me,
cause I do alright.

Again, I wish that President Obama could satisfy you a little bit,
and I'm sorry that he keeps on striking out.
Perhaps one day, you'll find something redeeming that he does,
and I do believe you are a fair person,
and so you might even start a thread on it.

:hi:

[AllentownJake]

12. It was a poetic post

I don't think you understood it. The fact you immediately went into "What would the media say" angers me about your thinking.

If you want to solve the nations ails, you are going to have to understand what caused them, and stop exacerbating them with your own behavior.

What do I know though, Free Trade agreements have brought us to this moment of awesome prosperity, I'm so glad the administration is looking at more of them.

Oh, and I knew what he did right out of college in Chicago...he really doesn't have to literally go to Bethlehem Steel, he knows better, and that is the thing that pisses me off the most.

[FrenchieCat]

14. I don't think that I can solve this nations' ails, I'm just not that gifted....

as for my behavior on a political board,
I think I've done enough good in my lifetime
to earn repreve from posts of mine that you didn't like,
so I'm gonna continue to be who I am,
and not feel like I'm not doing a good job of it.

Again, I didn't start posting here to please people,
but more to express myself......
Many people do it. I'm one of those.

[saracat]

34. And so far this Admin hasn't proevd itself "gifted' in solving the nations ills either

And it funny how you don't allow others the freedom to post as they see fit without attacking them as perhaps they are also "expressingthemselves" rather than pleasing people.

[saracat]

35. Playing the victim is really unattractive.And deflects from any positive message you may have.

[waterscalm]

6. If only that would happen. Thanks for the post.

[eridani]

13. Just about the right length for an LTE

Multitasking--its a good thing.

[AllentownJake]

15. I have to send one for a State Rep candidate today

That takes precedence, it will have more of a positive effect on my community, and they only print one every 30 days.

[old mark]

16. He met with mayors - including Allentown's mayor- and I think he is serious

about doing some job creation, infrastructure re-building and new green projects. I hope the people here will give the man some time to get this started.

Funny, the only people I see complaining about the economy getting worse are RW republcans and LW Democrats.

A plot to elect John McCain?

mark

[AllentownJake]

17. This post is about 30 years of economic policy

Of course, that would fly way over your head.

The John McCain remark was cute seeing he'll be 73 next time. The new accusation is Sarah Palin, get with the program.

[old mark]

20. Cause I'm so short. McCain seems to think he might ruin again.

I doubt Palin thinks much at all.

Say hello to Obama - I got an invite, but cannot make it today.

mark

[Starry Messenger]

18. I had to look that up.

They even boast about it on their website. How...American:
http://www.pasands.com/visit/theproperty.aspx

The legendary Bethlehem Steel Corporation was the second largest steel company in the United States. The company began in 1857 as the Saucona Iron Company, and through the years was known as The Bethlehem Rolling Mill and Iron Company, The Bethlehem Iron Company, and finally in 1899 assumed the name Bethlehem Steel Company. Construction on the first blast furnace in Southside Bethlehem began in 1861, and started operating in 1863. One of the first machine shops was completed in 1865, and a second blast furnace went into operation in 1867. During World War I and World War II, Bethlehem Steel produced armor plate and ordnance for the U.S. armed forces, and the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation’s 15 shipyards produced over 1,100 ships, more than any other builder during the war.
History

Major projects that Bethlehem Steel produced, manufactured and/or erected the steel include:

* Lincoln Tunnel
* George Washington Bridge
* Chrysler Building
* Rockefeller Center
* Waldorf Astoria Hotel
* Golden Gate Bridge
* Merchandise Mart
* U.S Supreme Court (Washington, D.C.)
* U.S. Congress’ Rayburn building (Washington D.C.)

As foreign firms began importing cheaper steel in the 1970s, Bethlehem Steel was forced to begin closing plants. New competition and less demand continued through the 1990s, and in 1995 Bethlehem Steel ceased steel making at the Bethlehem plant. The company filed for bankruptcy in 2001, and in 2003 all of Bethlehem Steel’s assets were sold to International Steel Group.
Today

In 2007, Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem purchased the Bethlehem property. Construction began that spring, and the casino opened on May 22, 2009. A hotel, event center and shopping mall will open in a later phase. Other plans to rejuvenate the Southside Bethlehem property include Steel Stacks, a community project led by ArtsQuest, PBS, and the National Museum of Industrial History.

[AllentownJake]

19. You can't make this shit up. nt

[Altoid_Cyclist]

21. Couldn't help but think of Billy Joel and "Allentown".

Allentown and Bethlehem had the mills and Altoona had the rail shops. Altoona still has some rail operations left, but it's a shadow of what it once was.

It went from a population of over 80,000 to around 46,000 as of 2008.
A large percentage of the jobs are now part time with little to nothing in the way of benefits.

A lot of the jobs that paid well and actually gave you enough to live on were relocated to Mexico & China. This is now a town with nothing but enclosed malls, strip malls, shopping centers and every fast food place known to man. And our local politicians call this "progress".


Well we're living here in Allentown
And they're closing all the factories down
Out in Bethlehem they're killing time
Filling out forms
Standing in line.

Well our fathers fought the Second World War
Spent their weekends on the Jersey Shore
Met our mothers at the USO
Asked them to dance
Danced with them slow
And we're living here in Allentown.

But the restlessness was handed down
And it's getting very hard to staaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay
aaaaaaah aaahhhhh ooooooooh ooooooh ohhhhhhh.

Well we're waiting here in Allentown
For the Pennsylvania we never found
For the promises our teachers gave
If we worked hard
If we behaved.

So the graduations hang on the wall
But they never really helped us at all
No they never taught us what was real
Iron or coke,
Chromium steel.

And we're waiting here in Allentown.
But they've taken all the coal from the ground
And the union people crawled awaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah aaaaaaaaaaah aaaaaah.

Every child had a pretty good shot
To get at least as far as their old man got.
If something happened on the way to that place
They threw an American flag in our face, oh oh oh.

Well I'm living here in Allentown
And it's hard to keep a good man down.
But I won't be getting up todaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyy
aaaaaaaaaaah aaaaaaaaaaah aaaaaaaaah.

aaaaaaah aaaaaaah aaaaaaah oh oh oh.

And it's getting very hard to staaaaaaaaaaaaaay.
And we're living here in Allentown.

[AllentownJake]

22. It is written about Bethlehem Steel

So it is appropriate.

[Altoid_Cyclist]

23. I was going to include a link as to the meaning behind the song but I forgot.

Allentown (the song) was written at the same time as the rapid decline of this area. We also had the A & P grocery chain close all the local stores at the same time. A lot of that was because the unions and A & P couldn't agree on a deal. At least that was the reason given.

When all else fails, blame the unions for being greedy.

[AllentownJake]

24. Yes the labor movement is almost dead in this country

because people stopped saying that guy is making X more than me, so I should be making that; to that guy is making X more than me he needs a pay cut.

Well almost, Executive management is still doing that and given the people who decide their pay raises are other executive managers, they aren't going to be stopping anytime soon.

[natrat]

25. get out the rotten fruit to throw

[natrat]

26. bring rotten fruit to throw at the freak

[AllentownJake]

27. I don't think I'm that upset with him

:rofl:

[PA Democrat]

28. Hey Jake, I was born in the city of McKeesport in western PA

and have witnessed the same heartbreaking decay of that once-thriving city. The last time I drove through McKeesport I was reduced to tears at the devastation. National Tube was shut down in the 1980s, G.C. Murphy was bought out and the McKeesport headquarters was closed in 1989. The only major new source of jobs, a call center for the Dish Network will soon be shutting down. McKeesport is a casualty of cheap foreign labor, and corporate takeovers.

[AllentownJake]

29. The only thing that has enabled Allentown to survive

Is it's proximity to New York City and Philadelphia and it's easy access to both via the Interstate Highway network.

We have evolved to a distribution network for that corridor of the North East, of course with the economic downturn the way it is, you can guess how the distribution centers are doing.

[quaker bill]

30. well said

thanks

[proudohioan]

31. I wish he'd do the same in East Cleveland.

Drive down Euclid Ave.....place looks like Beruit. What happened to the economic stimulus for the destitute?

[asdjrocky]

32. After that he should come take a look at Stockton Ca.

Once we had people here that worked actual jobs.

[Javaman]

33. I wish that as well.

Bethlehem Steel always had this mythic sense to it for me. Several years ago, I began research into a documentary regarding the old plant. I was stone walled by the local authorities when I tried to gain access for a tour.

So I went on my own. Went up to the cyclone fences and began filming. I security guard, not with in his jurisdiction, threaten to call the cops on me. I ask why? His answer, "terrorists". I said, "what? it's an abandoned plant and I'm not on your property". He gave me the stink eye and told to get lost if I know what was good for me".

I think they didn't want me to show how our infrastructure was being replaced by cotton candy.

So sad, so incredibly amazingly sad what has happened to this nation.

To me, being the history geek than I am. Bethlehem Steel represented magnificence. The apex of our industrial might. From the buildings we work in, the vehicles our military used to the image we once projected across the world of incredible production.

We have fallen so far, so very far. And it was done purposely, without thought for the future.

And here we are in that future; a hollow shell of what we once were.

Like I said once before, I no longer weep for our future, there is plenty to weep for today.