NEPA Becoming a Safer Place to Live---Literally!

[FightinPhils]

This site does kind of serve as the "anti-DD." Sure, there's some Scranton criticism on here, but its realistic, honest, and civilized criticism, unlike the "Beavis and Butthead" intelligence level of DD: "huh huh huh Scranton sucks" "yeah, heh heh heh Doherty sucks heh heh" "uhhhh huh huh huh Janet rules huh huh huh."

Maybe we need to get the word out on this message board.

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by conorsdad

This site does kind of serve as the "anti-DD." Sure, there's some Scranton criticism on here, but its realistic, honest, and civilized criticism, unlike the "Beavis and Butthead" intelligence level of DD: "huh huh huh Scranton sucks" "yeah, heh heh heh Doherty sucks heh heh" "uhhhh huh huh huh Janet rules huh huh huh."

Maybe we need to get the word out on this message board.

Agreed. I'll be the first to admit that the 3.4% wage tax (only 2.4% of which the city can actually be blamed for since the other 1.0% was enacted by the school board) is a HUGE thorn in the side, and it is the sole reason why a few I have spoken to have opted to move to the suburbs. I think that enacting a new amusment tax, establishing a new 1.0% city sales tax, re-enacting the commuter tax, etc. will do a much better job of shifting some of the burden of providing city services onto the shoulders of suburbanites who still come to the city daily, and will generate enough revenue to start cutting that 2.4% figure down to a goal of 1.0%, which would make the city's overall wage tax just 2.0% and much more competitive with other surrounding communities.

My main gripe with DD is not only do they do a good job of highlighting the city's ills, but they also do a good job of hiding its benefits as well. Honestly, who is going to be willing to pay that 3.4% wage tax if they think there's nothing positive occurring in the city to show for it? Nobody! That wage tax is what it is, and until we can get some TRUE leadership in office that is NOT afraid of p*ssing off suburbanites with higher taxes for how they burden the city, then Scranton's residents will continue to bear 100% of the burden rather unfairly. Until we can reduce the wage tax, Scrantonians just need to make the best of things and try to show people that there ARE reasons to move to the city---walkable neighborhoods, mom-and-pop stores, block parties, front porches, neighborhood elementary schools, parks/playgrounds, sidewalks, low crime, a rebounding downtown, historic architecture, a professional police and fire department, etc. When was the last time you saw anyone on DD mention ANY of those amenities? Never. They'd rather sit, whine, and b*tch. I'm already getting the popcorn ready for 6 PM this evening, where I'm sure the same folks (Fay Franus, Ray Lyman, Les Spindler, Ozzie Quinn, Nancy Krake, Andy Sbaraglia, etc.) will be approaching the podium in the same order as last week to heap their SAME "I hate the city" complaints to deaf ears. Why can't any of them do as I did that one time I approached the podium and try to offer a CONSTRUCTIVE suggestion on how to FIX a problem in the city instead of just pointing fingers and foaming at the mouth? One good thing about Dan's rants at the podium is that he was able to substantiate them with a zoning book filled with post-it notes, indicating he HAD done some great research. How much research do people like Fay Franus or Les Spindler do before making fools out of themselves?

When it comes to Ms. Franus, I don't care how eloquent she thinks she is or how unpopular Mrs. Gatelli is, but there was NO reason why Judy had to break down into tears at the one meeting this past summer after she was accused of malfeasance. Most RATIONAL people would have backed off at that point to permit her to calm down, but these animals in the audience were just egged on by her tears, proud of what they had done. Where is the humanity?

[FightinPhils]

Les Spindler is a total joke. He makes an absolute horses' arse of himself every time he gets up to that podium. I cringe, because I know people from outside the city are laughing and thinking someone like Les and his uneducated spiteful rants, his "Legion of Doom" t-shirt, and his Napoleon Dynamite voice, represents the typical Scranton resident.....which is far from the truth.

Even Ray Lyman is not as bad for our image, because I think people realize that Ray is mentally slow, and kind of give him a break on that. Les, on the other hand, just sounds like an uneducated dolt with too much time on his hands, making an arse out of himself and the city.

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by conorsdad

Les Spindler is a total joke. He makes an absolute horses' arse of himself every time he gets up to that podium. I cringe, because I know people from outside the city are laughing and thinking someone like Les and his uneducated spiteful rants, his "Legion of Doom" t-shirt, and his Napoleon Dynamite voice, represents the typical Scranton resident.....which is far from the truth.

Even Ray Lyman is not as bad for our image, because I think people realize that Ray is mentally slow, and kind of give him a break on that. Les, on the other hand, just sounds like an uneducated dolt with too much time on his hands, making an arse out of himself and the city.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought Les Spindler was similar to Napoleon Dynamite.

P.S. We'd better be careful. DD has spies on this forum, and we might just become the subject of a new thread on there tonight to bash both of us.

[FightinPhils]

Originally Posted by ScrantonWilkesBarre

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought Les Spindler was similar to Napoleon Dynamite.

P.S. We'd better be careful. DD has spies on this forum, and we might just become the subject of a new thread on there tonight to bash both of us.

Maybe they'll get the serial plaintiff to file a lawsuit.....

[FightinPhils]

Originally Posted by ScrantonWilkesBarre

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought Les Spindler was similar to Napoleon Dynamite.

I'm waiting for him to get up to the podium to tell us to vote for Pedro....

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by conorsdad

I'm waiting for him to get up to the podium to tell us to vote for Pedro....

I can definitely see him saying "Vote for Janet" in 2009 to thunderous applause from the crowd.

[weluvpa]

Originally Posted by ScrantonWilkesBarre

I just read some promising news in this morning's Scranton Times-Tribune about how the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre/Hazleton metropolitan area's crime rate decreased to permit our region to become the 59th-safest metropolitan area in the nation, up from 86th out of 344 metropolitan areas last year.

Scranton Police Chief David Elliott was quoted as saying "In our area, I can't speak for other chiefs, but I think our officers do a good job. We're just not seeing the violent crime. You can walk in Downtown Scranton at 2 AM, and it's pretty much the same as 8 PM."

The FBI's statistics show that violent crimes were down 26% from 2005-2006, and aggravated assaults dropped by 34% during that same period.

I've said all along that there's really not much to fear about our local cities, and this just substantiates that. Perhaps the Legion of Doom would like to retract their previous whining about the "soaring crime" in Scranton?

What about the 18 yr old man that was just assaulted in front of the Steamtown mall the other day? He was jump by 10 kids that robbed and assaulted him. Safer really. When council was asked about the cameras that we spent $280,000 on they responded that cameras in front of the mall did not catch the act because NONE OF THE CAMERAS IN THE CITY ARE OPERATIONAL! Nice huh. Also lets remember that the chief is not union and just received a $13,000 a year raise while the officers have had their contract tied up in court by the mayor for 6 years. They have had no raises, no cost of living adjustments, nothing. They are the lowest paid PD in the state and they are also losing officers to surrounding communties and the PSP at a alarming rate. I should also say that the articles in the times hold no water since we only have one paper and its owned by the Lynetts, they have financed the mayors campaigns from the beginning. You should just get a scanner and listen to the Scranton police on any night of the week to see that the article was BS. If we have no crime then we don't need more police and they do not have to spend money on the real services when they can blow it on stupid downtown projects that benefit no one but the developers.

[weluvpa]

Originally Posted by to570717

you give them far too much credit. They don;t do one single thing but gossip on that site. They expose nothing. They are worthless. the only reason i know about them is they wrote stuff about some people I know personally and have harassed them at their homes. Notes on the door, phone calls and telling lies about cheating or other things that cause hurt on families.

They can say all they want, but when you bring children or family that have nothing to do with politics or law into the mix it just gets ugly. I place a ton of blame on Judy Gatelli simply because she gave them soo much attention. I dont know her well but I am very surprised she played into their game. You never will ever hear a peep from certain people because by showing them that you care validates them.

They hve proven to be nothing but hot air. Look at the last two elections. It seems like every politician they endorsed lost and everyone they hated won.

And it is sickening to think that one of our own council people is a regular poster on that site as well as her son who is a teacher in the SSD. On top of that, they are two of the most vile posters the site has. (15 posters tops)

Its funny how you from Fla seem to know so much about how the DD crowd works but yet you feel to leave out how the other side is. I know the Lynetts, Haggerty's, Casey's, Denaples. I grew up with them and went school with them, my mother grew up with their parents. Its funny how its the other side only, right! You want to talk about personal attacks on family, you have no idea what my son or wife and I have to go thru because I speak out against this admin and the families involved. I have gotten more phone calls from family friends asking me to take easy on the council members or cut the mayor a break and when I don't, what do I get? Hate mail and lots of it, my son gets harrassed at 9 yrs old and can't go outside without a two-way radio, notes on the windshield and phone calls at all hours of the night. I have had to meet with the FBI in regards to some of the mail. There have been people in my yard at night, moved stuff around just so I would know that they where there. I have been sued becasue I dared to ask questions. Your in Fla and you get your info second and third hand and yet seem to know what is going on here? They might be your friends but you have no idea what they are like or what they are capable of. They lie to their own mothers face and steal money out of purse at the same time just like they are doing to this city. You say that the Haggerty's and Lynett's are good people and do not want to hurt the city? How the hell can you make a statement like that? We are over $400,000,000 in debt in less than 6 years and there is nothing to show for it, the times keeps putting a good spin on it but its not working. Their circulation has dropped in record numbers and they had to move to WB and combine their numbers so that the circulation wouldn't look low. You have no idea whats going on here and no matter how many nights you spend at McMullens or Gannons it doesn't make it right. Even your family has a questionable political past and those in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.