SNL Just Made Fun of Scranton!!! (salary, budget, best)

[blip]

Originally Posted by weluvpa

No no I am the only one...According to Paul and the sheeple(you know who you are) I'm the only one that doesn't see Scranton as the picture perfect Norman Rockwell painting that it is.

Well, I don't know who you mean by sheeple, and I have to say, the whole sheeple thing seems rather juvenile, even for my often juvenile tastes.

Can you define it, and say who you mean? Be direct.

Is it blind followers of Doherty? Honestly, you seem like the only one here obsessed with the persona of the mayor.

[weluvpa]

I seem to be the only one out of what thesame 5 posters???? Blip no offense but didn't you just move here? You have no idea what has been done to this city over the last 7 years.....If you don't believe me read the commenst under the times article....People have had it with the mayor and his "blind" supporters in the city.. This city is in far worse shape then it was 7 years ago...It might look prettier but that lipstick job is going to cost my great grand kids money.

The sheeple know who they are.........You thinks its juvenile.....I thinks it childish to blindly follow someone when you know that they have ruined the city financially and buried us under generations of debt because they build a bridge to no where and a treehouse....

[ScranBarre]

Oh give it a rest already! You're just angry because Councilwoman Gatelli's law suit has succeeded in revealing the identities of six members of your beloved juvenile-oriented political message board. You can't just post anything and everything you feel like about specific people on the Internet for all to see. If people were posting en masse that I was giving oral sex in order to remain in political power, I too would seek to put a stop to that, just as she has. There's a fine line to be crossed between criticism and libel, and your Legion of Doom friends never know where to tread along that line. Classless, if you ask me. Why don't I just start ranting and raving that Joe Pilchesky has a severe bowel infection that makes him bleed when he pees, and that it was caused by having sexual contact with Fay Franus? I'll tell you why, Dan. It's untrue and could be VERY damaging to a person's reputation and character.

[LusOnlyVoice]

Originally Posted by ScranBarre

Well, the more and more people tell me "Scranton is a hell hole," the more and more it's finally sinking in for me as well.

Paul, I am very sad to see you post this ... I would hope that you only judge Scranton on your very own experience and not what the experience of others happens to be. I like it here ... I overall have had a good experience living in this city ... now I don't expect Dan and Ed for example to jump on my bandwagon ... I like it here ... I don't think the Mayor is the Devil and the root of all of Scranton's problems ... They have different opinions ... I respect their right to feel the way they feel ... I respect the fact that they think Scranton is a "hellhole" that is the experience that they have had ... but Please Paul remain a free thinker and don't let the bad experiences of others shape your experience.

And to the skit on SNL ... take it for what it was ... a comedy skit ... it was meant to be funny ... I don't think for one minute that they sat around that table looking for ways to write a skit that would intentionally insult us here in Scranton ... we are not the first to be made fun of on SNL and we will not be the last ... we sometimes need to learn to laugh at ourselves. Somehow nobody seems to care the show "The Office" basically makes fun of life in Scranton ... so why should we feel differently about this skit?

[ScranBarre]

Originally Posted by LusOnlyVoice

Paul, I am very sad to see you post this ... I would hope that you only judge Scranton on your very own experience and not what the experience of others happens to be. I like it here ... I overall have had a good experience living in this city ... now I don't expect Dan and Ed for example to jump on my bandwagon ... I like it here ... I don't think the Mayor is the Devil and the root of all of Scranton's problems ... They have different opinions ... I respect their right to feel the way they feel ... I respect the fact that they think Scranton is a "hellhole" that is the experience that they have had ... but Please Paul remain a free thinker and don't let the bad experiences of others shape your experience.

And to the skit on SNL ... take it for what it was ... a comedy skit ... it was meant to be funny ... I don't think for one minute that they sat around that table looking for ways to write a skit that would intentionally insult us here in Scranton ... we are not the first to be made fun of on SNL and we will not be the last ... we sometimes need to learn to laugh at ourselves. Somehow nobody seems to care the show "The Office" basically makes fun of life in Scranton ... so why should we feel differently about this skit?

What worries me though is how I'm going to be perceived by others in the business community when they learn I'm from the Scranton area. We're not exactly a beacon of positive press lately, are we? I can't ever remember Scranton being as well-known throughout the nation as it is now at any other point during my brief lifetime. Forbes mentioned us. Money mentioned us. CNN mentions us frequently. "The Office" is set here, as are a few upcoming movies. Saturday Night Live crucified us the other evening. Hell, even the Weather Channel mentions Scranton much more frequently than it ever used to. Our population (at least the metro area) is growing again for the first time in many decades. People know we exist now, for better or in most cases, for worse I'm sad to say.

Usually I take this stuff all very tongue-in-cheek, but I must say that after reading all of the comments on the web site of the Times-Tribune which largely SUPPORT and AGREE with the skit, I'm realizing the pessimists in Scranton outnumber the optimists by a 10:1 margin.

I need to do what's best for me and my future family. Would I rather be one of a scarce few of upbeat young professional movers and shakers drowning in a tempestuous sea of Debbie Downers (another SNL reference), or would I rather move to a place like Minneapolis, Pittsburgh, Boston, etc.---cities where there is solidarity amongst the residents in trying to reinvent themselves. It's been working for those communities, especially for the Twin Cities, which is by far the most literate metro area in the nation. I don't know if Scranton will ever become what I want it to be---a vibrant 18-hour downtown with shops, restaurants, galleries, nightlife, and teeming with young professionals surrounded by tight-knit and well-kept working-class neighborhoods with children riding bicycles, grandmothers toting grandchildren around in little red wagons, and American flags, flowers, etc. accentuating the facade of every older home. I want Norman Rockwell. I don't want David Spade.

Contrary to what Dan says I've seen tremendous improvements in the city since the 1980s and 1990s. We may have had 10,000-15,000 more tax paying bodies back then, but downtown was also heavily-blighted and crime was much higher. I'm considering these past several months of intense crime to be an anomaly blamed upon the poor national economy, as even the famed Garden Village of West Pittston, where people leave their front doors open on warm days without fear, was the site of a brutal mugging last week. Overall Scranton is still a SAFE place in which to reside. Scranton has too many armchair quarterbacks---the types who will show up at every city council meeting to complain about the same storm drain being clogged at the corner near their homes for months instead of just doing what those in most other communities around our area would do and just pitch in for five minutes to clear it themselves. I don't want to live in a city like that. Wilkes-Barre is a city I'm still considering, but unless the MENTALITY of most Scrantonians changes then I'm NOT going to subject myself to a city replete with Dan Hubbards, Les Spindlers, Fay Franuses, Joe Pilcheskys, etc. The city needs more people like you, blip, loveinbloom, Go Phillies, and others who don't think the city "sucks."

I'm much more enamored by the incredible resurgence in positive energies I've been getting lately in Wilkes-Barre. People are genuinely happy there with the state of their city. Crime is decreasing, revitalization is occurring more quickly now than it ever has since the 1972 flood, Mayor Leighton's approval rating is generally high, council meeting debacles are rare, and I'm seeing homes being renovated throughout town as I'm commuting. People have adopted the "I Believe" slogan. People like W-B Proud, Chefkey, Karnak, and other "movers and shakers" seem to be more common in Wilkes-Barre than they are in Scranton (or at least more "visible"). Dan can reply all he wants with his "you know nothing and live in mommy's basement---wahhh, wahhh, wahhh," but the truth of the matter is Scrantonians as an aggregate are indeed very, very BITTER. You never see any uplifting letters to the editor in the paper about the city (I haven't seen ANY since the ones I used to submit before I stopped due to being harassed about them by even MORE of the "Scranton sucks" crowd). Why is that? Why would any rational young person want to subject their future children to a lifetime of hearing neighbors spout out vinegar and vitriol?

The coal mining days are over with, folks. Corner bars are NOT "nightly hang outs." If you're 45 with no children and go to every high school football game to yell at the opposing team's players, then you're a loser! DUIs are not "not a big deal." Do NOT complain about your property taxes while smoking at the slots parlor. Grow into the 21st Century already! Can you believe I still have numerous customers at work who have never used a computer? That's unconscionable.

At this rate I just don't think Scranton will ever evolve into something beyond that last paragraph. It's hard to say that you're losing hope, but I've already wasted my teenaged years and ages 20-21 hoping for something that's just not materializing. Commuter rail to NYC? Where? Wall Street West? Where? Widening of I-81? Where? Clean Susquehanna River? Where? They've been talking about doing the SAME projects since the 1970s and 1980s. What are the odds they will get accomplished NOW?!

[LusOnlyVoice]

[

QUOTE=ScranBarre;5568997]What worries me though is how I'm going to be perceived by others in the business community when they learn I'm from the Scranton area. We're not exactly a beacon of positive press lately, are we? I can't ever remember Scranton being as well-known throughout the nation as it is now at any other point during my brief lifetime. Forbes mentioned us. Money mentioned us. CNN mentions us frequently. "The Office" is set here, as are a few upcoming movies. Saturday Night Live crucified us the other evening. Hell, even the Weather Channel mentions Scranton much more frequently than it ever used to. Our population (at least the metro area) is growing again for the first time in many decades. People know we exist now, for better or in most cases, for worse I'm sad to say.

I think that you are worrying about this more than you have to ... I don't think that a potential employer in Boston is not going to hire you based soley on the fact that you are from the Scranton/Wilke-Barre Area ... do you?

I think that they will hire you ... or possibly not hire you based on your experience/education in your chosen field ... if you are the best and most qualified for the position.

Usually I take this stuff all very tongue-in-cheek, but I must say that after reading all of the comments on the web site of the Times-Tribune which largely SUPPORT and AGREE with the skit, I'm realizing the pessimists in Scranton outnumber the optimists by a 10:1 margin.

As far as "The Office" ... they are not the first ones to pick on Scranton ... you more likely than not are not old enough to remember the shows "Maude" and "All in the Family" ... they mentioned Scranton ... and not in a flattering light back in the 70's ... this is not something new ... it has been going on for years ... and do you know what ... still some people from Scranton have gone on to some very successful careers all over the country ... you being from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre will not change that ... if you are good at what you do ... strive to be the best in your field and the sky is the limit for you. It does not matter what your chosen field ... if you are a teacher ... be the best teacher ... if you are an accountant then make sure you are the best accountant. Does not matter where you came from ... what matters is where you are going and how you go about getting where you go. It's really all about the road on which you choose to travel ... and the journey that you make.

I need to do what's best for me and my future family. Would I rather be one of a scarce few of upbeat young professional movers and shakers drowning in a tempestuous sea of Debbie Downers (another SNL reference), or would I rather move to a place like Minneapolis, Pittsburgh, Boston, etc.---cities where there is solidarity amongst the residents in trying to reinvent themselves. It's been working for those communities, especially for the Twin Cities, which is by far the most literate metro area in the nation.

I think that we are all striving to do what is best for our familes and our futures ...

I don't know if Scranton will ever become what I want it to be---a vibrant 18-hour downtown with shops, restaurants, galleries, nightlife, and teeming with young professionals surrounded by tight-knit and well-kept working-class neighborhoods with children riding bicycles, grandmothers toting grandchildren around in little red wagons, and American flags, flowers, etc. accentuating the facade of every older home. I want Norman Rockwell. I don't want David Spade.

I do not know that Scranton will become what you need it to be ... when you need it to be ... but with hope and a lot of work it could happen ... who knows ... but it will never happen if we all have a defeatist attitude.

Contrary to what Dan says I've seen tremendous improvements in the city since the 1980s and 1990s. We may have had 10,000-15,000 more tax paying bodies back then, but downtown was also heavily-blighted and crime was much higher. I'm considering these past several months of intense crime to be an anomaly blamed upon the poor national economy, as even the famed Garden Village of West Pittston, where people leave their front doors open on warm days without fear, was the site of a brutal mugging last week. Overall Scranton is still a SAFE place in which to reside. Scranton has too many armchair quarterbacks---the types who will show up at every city council meeting to complain about the same storm drain being clogged at the corner near their homes for months instead of just doing what those in most other communities around our area would do and just pitch in for five minutes to clear it themselves. I don't want to live in a city like that.

I understand this statement ... and what it is you are trying to say ... Council meetings are what they are ... and although I am not a fan of them ... people do have the right to go and speak their peace ... tell council what they feel is wrong with the city ... my objection comes into play when these people show a lack of respect not only for council members but for other speakers who they may not agree with ... I do agree that sometimes it would just be easier to clear the drain ourselves ... but in the same light I see the point that they are trying to make as they are paying taxes for this service to be performed ...

Wilkes-Barre is a city I'm still considering, but unless the MENTALITY of most Scrantonians changes then I'm NOT going to subject myself to a city replete with Dan Hubbards, Les Spindlers, Fay Franuses, Joe Pilcheskys, etc. The city needs more people like you, blip, loveinbloom, Go Phillies, and others who don't think the city "sucks."

As I said before ... everyone makes their own experiences ... I love Scranton ... I look forward to changes ... I want to see it revived ... to become a vibrante city ... but the Dan Hubbards ... Les Spindlers etc ... in my opinion are very much needed ... for if I didn't have the people like these to tell of their bad experiences I would never even think about my good experiences ... so they do serve a purpose ... at least for me they do ... even Joe Pilchesky serves a purpose believe it or not, and I can't even believe I of all people just said that ... but it's true.

I'm much more enamored by the incredible resurgence in positive energies I've been getting lately in Wilkes-Barre. People are genuinely happy there with the state of their city. Crime is decreasing, revitalization is occurring more quickly now than it ever has since the 1972 flood, Mayor Leighton's approval rating is generally high, council meeting debacles are rare, and I'm seeing homes being renovated throughout town as I'm commuting. People have adopted the "I Believe" slogan. People like W-B Proud, Chefkey, Karnak, and other "movers and shakers" seem to be more common in Wilkes-Barre than they are in Scranton (or at least more "visible"). Dan can reply all he wants with his "you know nothing and live in mommy's basement---wahhh, wahhh, wahhh," but the truth of the matter is Scrantonians as an aggregate are indeed very, very BITTER. You never see any uplifting letters to the editor in the paper about the city (I haven't seen ANY since the ones I used to submit before I stopped due to being harassed about them by even MORE of the "Scranton sucks" crowd). Why is that? Why would any rational young person want to subject their future children to a lifetime of hearing neighbors spout out vinegar and vitriol?

I must ask you this ... what was it about Scranton that made you think that you would like to make this your future home?

The coal mining days are over with, folks. Corner bars are NOT "nightly hang outs." If you're 45 with no children and go to every high school football game to yell at the opposing team's players, then you're a loser! DUIs are not "not a big deal." Do NOT complain about your property taxes while smoking at the slots parlor. Grow into the 21st Century already! Can you believe I still have numerous customers at work who have never used a computer? That's unconscionable.

I have to say that it is my opinion that if you go to a corner bar there is nothing wrong with that ... if you go nightly well I think that you may perhaps need a stint in Marworth ... depending on how much you drink on a daily basis ... There is nothing wrong with going to a High School Football game ... if you are a fan of the sport ... what is wrong with attending the local game? I don't feel that makes you a loser ...

DUI's ... in my opinion ... are quite a big deal. I do occassionally take in a football game ... and I usually meet a few friends for a couple drinks at a corner bar on payday ... I don't think that I'm a loser ... in fact I know that I'm not a loser.

I think that you are young and you still have much learning ahead of you ... and not learning that comes from a school or a book ... not that there is anything wrong with being young ... so please don't take it wrong ... Hell when I was young there were so many things I wanted to do ... and be ... and I thought I knew it all ... and then one day I woke up and I didn't do half of these things that I thought I needed to do in order to be happy in life. And the funny thing was ... I was happy ... I just until then didn't know what it was that made me happy ... I enjoy my family ... I work hard ... I enjoy my friends ... what more does it really take to make one happy ...

At this rate I just don't think Scranton will ever evolve into something beyond that last paragraph. It's hard to say that you're losing hope, but I've already wasted my teenaged years and ages 20-21 hoping for something that's just not materializing. Commuter rail to NYC? Where? Wall Street West? Where? Widening of I-81? Where? Clean Susquehanna River? Where? They've been talking about doing the SAME projects since the 1970s and 1980s. What are the odds they will get accomplished NOW?!

[/quote]

Well, I remember thinking the same thing about the East Market St. Bridge in North Scranton ... never thought that temporary bridge would ever be replaced ... they had been talking about a new bridge for 30+ years ... from the day it was first in place. I was a youngchild then ... and low and behold more than 30 years pass and a new bridge is in place ...

You have not wasted your years ... you hopefully have so many more ahead of you ... God willing ... Just remember your time and your years are never wasted if you learn from them ... take all of you life experiences and learn from them.

Don't take what Dan says to you to heart ... I made that mistake ... and you know what ...when I think about it ... in the Grand Scheme of your life ... does Dan's opinion of you really matter? Is it in anyway going to change the person that you are? No ... it's just that ... his opinion ... Until he walks a mile in my shoes ... until he knows my life experiences ... and how I have come to be the person I am today ... his opinion does not reall change me or who I am ... so I would hope that you don't let his hurtful words hurt you to the core ... You are young yes ... but I have no idea what you have been through in your 21 years walking this earth ...

Always know that you should treat people the way you would want to be treated ... speak the truth because the truth is a powerful tool ... and lies will only exhaust you.

[blip]

Originally Posted by weluvpa

I seem to be the only one out of what thesame 5 posters???? Blip no offense but didn't you just move here? You have no idea what has been done to this city over the last 7 years.....If you don't believe me read the commenst under the times article....People have had it with the mayor and his "blind" supporters in the city.. This city is in far worse shape then it was 7 years ago...It might look prettier but that lipstick job is going to cost my great grand kids money.

The sheeple know who they are.........You thinks its juvenile.....I thinks it childish to blindly follow someone when you know that they have ruined the city financially and buried us under generations of debt because they build a bridge to no where and a treehouse....

No offense taken. I did just move here, and I don't presume to know much about the politics or finances of the city. Sounds like there's more to your story then what I've seen on these boards, but I can only speak to what I've seen here.

I haven't seen one person here showing anything close to blind following of the mayor. I haven't even heard one person say they like him, for god's sake.

I have seen plenty of posters here who dislike the mayor, but you're the only one for whom it seems like an unhealthy personal obsession. And, as far as I can tell, your posts here are counter-productive to your goals. Aside from the antagonism and vague "sheep" insults, the debt figure you keep throwing around seems nothing but suspect. I'm concerned about the debt of the city, but the one time I've seen people inquire about your figure, your answer was pretty lackluster, and you left a bunch of follow-up questions left unanswered.

I still don't get why you stay. No offense either, but jeez, you might suffer mental collapse from this stance you're so heavily vested in. If you're wrong, you lose. If you're right, you lose.

[mm_mary73]

Now, now children!
I was impressed that they didn't mispronounce Scra - in! And for the record, that's Wilmington DELAWARE not North Carolina

[mm_mary73]

Originally Posted by ScranBarre

What worries me though is how I'm going to be perceived by others in the business community when they learn I'm from the Scranton area.?!

Well, since you came lookin' in the NC forum, you'll find many who know your pain should you relo to the great North State and they will think you're wise!

[nocturnal rooster]

Originally Posted by ScranBarre

Well, the more and more people tell me "Scranton is a hell hole," the more and more it's finally sinking in for me as well.

Really? That's good. Because denial is not a river in Egypt.