Re: (erielack) ex Lackawanna Scranton station bought

["Jim Guthrie" <jguthrie_@_pipeline.com>]

Chuck write:

> The problem with Scranton boils down to politics, in my opinion.  I don't
> know if the right word to use here is "corrupt", but there are a few
> influential businessmen in and around Scranton that seem to be able to
> tweak the political process in their favor, and the public be damned.  As

Well, that's something of a longtime tradition in Scranton, in good times 
and bad alike.

> much as I detest NIMBYs, I can empathize with them because most of these
> rich clowns (the businessmen) think they are the next best thing to God.

Well, NIMBY's are people who have their life savings invested in their home 
rather than something that generates wealth and jobs. It clouds vision and 
prevents the civic good. In the long run, it not only means more jobs go 
abroad, but also stops progress in ways that in the long run, diminishes 
everyone's wealth. .

But there are plenty of places that are corrupt that have done a pretty good 
job of keeping things up and making improvements.

> The Mall at Steamtown is a classic example.  And Steamtown itself is
> another classic example.  Granted, the idea of Steamtown in concept was
> great; in practice it has been more or less a failure...in my 
> opinion...and
> I'm very sad to say that.  The good news is that Steamtown doesn't have to
> justify itself.  The bad news is that should it ever be put in that
> position, it will be in deep trouble.  It all goes back to Rep. McDade who
> helped establish the National Historic Site, and he was only a creature of
> Scranton politics.  Unfortunately, many American cities are run in more or
> less the same fashion.

Local Congressional representation has always seemed to be aimed at shooting 
the region in the foot.  I often think that federal pork projects tend to 
distort the local economy so much that it clouds clear thinking. Whether it 
was McDade or Francis Walter with the handlebar, the region has been 
ill-served by its representatives in Congress.

On the other hand, I believe one has to consider that unlike most geographic 
areas victimized by a rapacious extractive industry, northeast Pennsylvania 
is about the only one I can think of that has really tried to keep its 
population rather than become a ghost town, like some of the dried-up oil 
patches or Colorado Silver mining areas. And that we see so much and benefit 
so greatly from the wealth extracted from the anthracite district -- from 
NJT's infrastructure to gems like Nicholson Viaduct and the track-emtied 
Cut-Off  -- that at least there are reminders of an important legacy.

Cheers,
Jim



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