Saturday, October 30, 2010

Acts of Desperation

It's amazing how one person can get away with so much, for so long, before he begins to believe he is invincible. Mr. Angle your not invincible, and it's beginning to show. We can see the sweat coming down as you act like a desperate man.

The public meetings you are now proposing, were actually a good idea four or five months ago. Now, they're just an act of desperation. You can bring all your pals to these meetings, as well as plant all the folks you want to, it's not going to make one ounce of difference, other than waste every one's time. Something that has become apparent you are good at, wasting time, oh, and wasting money.

Tell the people the truth Angle, they need to know. Tell them about your 18.5 million dollar mistake. And then accept what the Express Times poll has revealed to you. It was conducted independently by a worthy newspaper.
Tell the people that on the first question:
"Who should decide whether Northampton County sells or leases Gracedale?" The readers said:
91% - the voters should, 
9% - said the officials should.
On the second question:
"What should Northampton do with the Gracedale nursing home?" The readers said:
Lease it - 10%
Sell it: -12.5%
Continue to operate it - 77.5%

These numbers  are staggering, and they don't lie Mr. Angle. Now all you can do is act like the desperate man you are, one who's world is beginning to collapse all around him.

You can call the Coalition anything that you want to sir, but the truth always remains the truth. And the truth is that COAF has said from the beginning...let the tax payers have a say in this decision. That's all they have respectfully requested of you and CC. Your stubborn refusal will in the end be your downfall sir, and you will have no one to blame but yourself. Sadly, you will take down some potentially good Council members with you.

A mule with blinders are you sir, all you can see is $$$ and "sell Gracedale". And while that you may do sir, you will answer for it in May, we assure you of that. The residents of NorCo are tired of being coerced and abused by you sir, we're not going to take it anymore. No one likes what you are doing Mr. Angle, absolutely no one, not even the republicans. Guess how I know that.

Angle is Desperate...We Need Your Help

The Coalition wants to give Gracedale enough life to get back on it's own...and Angle accuses us of harming Gracedale. This man may just be insane. He is quoted in Mcall as saying that "the majority of council is not willing to raise taxes to cover next years shortfall", meaning they will force Gracedale to close down. In that event, we the people will know who the majority are, and we will not be willing to vote for them when their terms are up. How can we in good conscious reelect the tyrants who close down nursing homes?

Please come out and help us save Gracedale, do the right thing on election day...the morally right thing. We need you, and Gracedale needs you.

Friday, October 29, 2010

Power Of The Purse

Today Mr. Angle was quoted in the Morning Call as saying "the Charter gives council the power of the purse." Such arrogance. Is that's what this is really all about Mr. Angle, power?

Mr. Angle wants his way...or no way. Clearly what the people want does not matter to him or to County Council. "We the People" don't seem to count to them. It seems they missed the Express Times Poll which shows that 91.22 % of NorCo residents want a say on this issue. That's pretty close to 100% wouldn't you say?

Mr. Angle and the County Council should tell the people the truth about why they really want to sell Gracedale. Perhaps the reason is that they involved themselves in a Swaption, which turn out to be a poor decision, and in 2012 when the swaption comes due they will have to pay back 18.5 million dollars. Yes, your eyes read right. Residents of NorCo don't be fooled, be informed. Please have Mr. Angle and CC explain this to you during their public meetings.

As we understand it, they don't have the funds to cover the cost. So, instead of saying that CC will need to increase taxes to cover the swaption, its easier to say "sell Gracedale", but please do not disclose that CC will use 18.5 million of the sale to pay for the swaption.

Definition taken from the Internet - A swaption is an option granting its owner the right but not the obligation to enter into an underlying swap. Although options can be traded on a variety of swaps, the term "swaption" typically refers to options on interest rate swaps. We're not sure what this means either, let's ask CC.

They continue to say they will have to raise taxes to keep Gracedale, what happened to the 5.5 million that Gracedale made? Perhaps what they should be saying is that they need to raise taxes to pay the swaption.

What's worse is they are now threatening to retaliate by not funding Gracedale should the petition "of the people, for the people" succeed. Mr. Dietrich can be heard on County Council video use the word "retaliatory". They are threatening to de-fund Gracedale to get even with us, the residents of NorCo, "We The People" for legally exercising our rights. There needs to be an investigation!

We shall be there to ask some questions too, we just hope that we are given the proper opportunity, without interruptions, and we hope civilly, which has not been the case in the past.

Reminder - Sunday Volunteer Meeting

Good morning,

Just want to remind everyone that on Sunday, 10/31/10, we will be meeting at 4:30 in the Steelworkers Hall in Bethlehem.

The purpose of the meeting is to discuss logistics, and strategies relating to who will be where, and at what time(s). Please call 800-478-4944 for directions, or if you can't make the meeting, to inform us where you can be, and at what time(s).

Thank you all for your assistance.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Time To Dispel Some Rumors

There is a rumor circulating that COAF was recently formed by the Union to push their own agenda and effort, and that we are nothing more than a puppet for the Union. Well , this is far from true. In fact, it is an outright LIE.

The Coalition of Alzheimer's Families formed approximately two and a half years ago, and we have documentation that substantiates this claim. Or ask any employee of the facility employed for that period or longer, they will inform you of the truth.

Mr. Ross Marcus, and Mr. Granda can also attest to that fact as they attended meetings with the group approximately two years ago, long before there was public talk of selling Gracedale.

Who else? Well Mr. Bruce Gilbert can attest to the fact that the Coalition existed before he was elected, because he attended a private campaign meeting at a COAF members home to discuss concerns the Coalition had before his election.

Also, all on CC present during a plaque presentation made by the Coalition to Diane Neiper know that we existed before, Mr. Angle himself accepted the plaque on behalf of  Mrs. Neiper, (former council woman who assisted us with some concerns).

We find it very intriguing that we are seen by our opposition as being used by the Union, and not as using the Union. Interesting, perhaps those of you who are spreading these rumors should stop underestimating us.

We feel that what all should know as truth is that the Union and COAF have similar goals, and so working together toward our goals seems to us at least, to be a good idea.

Express Times Poll

Who should decide whether Northampton County sells or leases Gracedale?








Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Calling Gracedale Employees

The Coalition has been doing what it can to put the referendum on the spring ballot...now we’re asking Gracedale employees to please call 800-478-4944 and schedule yourself to work the polls on November 2, 2010. We understand that some of you feel like this is possibly a lost cause, well, we're here to tell you that is not the case. If we get your support, then, as was stated during the meeting on Sunday, we will make history on 11/02 by getting the amount of signatures we need, and possibly more. But we cannot accomplish that  great task without the employees of Gracdedale. You will be the ones that make the difference. You will be the ones that send Mr. Angle and the CC the message that "We the People" are their bosses; they answer to us, not the other way around.

Please remember that this is not about being vindictive as CC appears to be, it is about exercising our rights according to the laws of the land. It is about sending a signal to all governing bodies nationwide that while we have elected them to serve us; we will use the avenues of redress available to us if they don’t serve our needs. This is not about getting even, it is about helping our elected officials understand that when we address them with concerns, they should do what most of them promised to do during their campaigns, they should listen, and then act accordingly.

The message must be clear; we want a voice in this matter. If the CC fights the people on this endeavor, they will be exposed as being against the people they are supposed to serve. They will be brought out of the shadows of darkness and into the light where they cannot hide. Fully exposed they will serve out their terms and fade in their political careers, for we the people will elect new officials that will indeed serve our needs.

Employees of Gracedale, we can’t do it without you…call and schedule yourself to take part in this historic event. Give what time you can. Be part of the solution, and with American pride, take the necessary action to inform the ploiticians across the county...across the state...across the nation that "We the People" will not be ignored .
.............................................................................................................................

On the Express Times question "Who should decide whether Northampton County sells or leases Gracedale?"

82 DL

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Monday, October 25, 2010

Great Volunteers

On Sunday, October 31, 2010, at 4:30 p.m., Justus James has established a closed meeting for volunteers only to coordinate the election date petition push. The meeting will be held at the Steelworkers Hall in Bethlehem located at 53 E Lehigh St, Bethlehem, PA - Please call: 800-478-4944 for further volunteer information. Please help us, we can't do it alone. On behalf of the present and future residents of Gracedale we thank you.

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&expIds=17259,24472,26095,26562,26637,26992,27147,27182,27270&sugexp=ldymls&xhr=t&cp=28&wrapid=tljp1288053107648028&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=steelworkers+union+bethlehem&fb=1&gl=us&hq=steelworkers+union&hnear=Bethlehem,+PA&view=text&ei=kyHGTNzlK4G78gbY2uQb&sa=X&oi=local_group&ct=more-results&resnum=1&sqi=2&ved=0CB4QtQMwAA#

View this

http://www.mcall.com/news/breaking/mc-nazareth-gracedale-rally-20101024,0,5477544.story

Express Times Poll - Democracy at Work

Volunteers Needed

Please volunteer to help us on election day. We are planning to have petitions at as many polls as possible. We are not asking anyone to volunteer the entire day, but any time you can give will be greatly appreciated. Please remember, this is about doing what is morally right. For further info, or to volunteer call: 800-478-4944.

Save Gracedale Meeting Went Well

Thank all of you who came out, and to you who could not make it because you had to work. Many that came to sign the petition, also took petitions. Currently, we have approximately 350 or so petitions in circulation. Please get your petitions completed as soon as you possibly can. The sooner we know we have the numbers we need, the better off the cause will be. What has surprised the Coalition is that there are people who support this cause, which we believed did not. Why is that? Because this is a noble cause.

The opposition would like us to believe their untruths, but the people are not foolish. The truth is that if privatized, anything is possible at Gracedale. As Rev. Martinez said during the meeting, Gracedale could be turned into the next hotel casino in PA. He did not say that would actually happen, but that it could happen.

We spoke to some on the grounds who also expressed a fear that if privatized, they could loose their right to make complaints, because as is the case with other private care facilities, when you make complaints you are told to take your loved one else where if you don't like the treatment, or lack of provided. The Coalition understands this concern because they formed a year and a half ago due to issues they individually experienced, and then council woman Diane Naiper assisted them in resolving the issues, which remain resolved.

At this point, the Coalition has expressed that they are not suggesting to anyone how to vote on this matter, simply to Vote Your Hearts. They are not trying to sway any one's opinion, they just believe that an item of this magnitude should consider the opinions of those that truly pay the bills, the Tax Payers.

They also believe that if the CC had put this question on the ballot themselves, this would not be a problem today. The people would have said "keep Gracedale, raise taxes" - the CC would have been off the hook on raising taxes. And if they said "sell Gracedale, don't raise taxes," again they would have been off the hook. The Coalition is not suggesting that the CC should pass all their obligations onto the people, by no means. But items of this magnitude and emotion should at the very least consider the voice of the people.

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Approxamately 300 petitions are in circulation

We had a pretty good meeting this afternoon. Look back here for more details tomorrow.

Thank you all for turning out.

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Does it have to be like this?

Absolutely not.

If the CC would have just put this matter to the taxpayers of NorCo right from the beginning, the TP could have said raise taxes if need be, or sell, and the CC would have been off the hook, so to speak. Which is why it is probable that something else is going on behind the scenes, perhaps the swaption mistake. Just like the survey that was quoted as taken by Mr. Angle during the Upper Naz Meeting, but no evidence has ever  been provided. How exactly can that be explained? How do we know that it was ever actually conducted? We don't. Mr. Angle said " it is proprietary, and we, who know nothing, should just take his word for it...wow, imagine  Prez Obama saying some thing like that. Do you think that would go over well with the people of the nation? Safe to say probably not. And if you consider that by saying something that he cannot substantiate, it appears as if he is deceptive, meaning he is intentionally not telling the truth...hmmm, ground for removal, yes. But the polls will open for him in the spring, and we can all vote our hearts, closing them on him, as well as the new "one term" members he is coaching in the wrong direction, and they are foolish enough to follow him.

Mr. Angle we appeal to you, work with the Coalition to fix the mess you have created, or face certain derailment in the spring regardless of what happens with Gracedale...Does it really have to be like this? No, not really. But as with many things in life, it's a choice. The question now is can it be corrected? The answer of course is yes, but that is another choice...can you choose it? No, it doesn't have to be like this!

Initiative Petition

You can pick up a petition during the meeting if you would like to circulate one.

See you at the 2 pm meeting tomorrow.

Sunday Meeting - 2pm

Please join us tomorrow at 2 pm for an informational meeting relating to the Gracedale Initiative Petitions.

86 days

Among The Greatest Of Words - We The People

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

http://www.constitution.org/constit_.htm

The Constitution, beginning with the words above, framed by our forefathers, who had the foresight to pen this document with inalienable rights, did so because they themselves had lived tyranny. Never again they said, let us make certain of that, never again. America was born.

We have to ask - why is it that politicians in NorCo today, who took an oath and promised to serve us, are not willing to do so now? "We The People" have done absolutely nothing wrong. All we have done is exercise our inalienable rights using the avenues our forefather provided. We plead with CC not to feel offended, there is no offense intended. The people just do not agree with your sale consideration. We tried to voice our opinions and views yielding no result. As Mr. Gilbert said - this is America. We ask CC respectfully to honor America by honoring the system that serves all of the people of our great country. If you cannot honor our great America by honoring her system, then "We The People" will except your resignation should you offer it, if not we will continue to exercise our rights at the polls.

Friday, October 22, 2010

Express Times Poll

Who should decide whether Northampton County sells or leases Gracedale?
Voters 89.06%
Officials 10.94%
Time - 1625
Voters 90%  
Officials 10%
Time - 1650
Voters 90.41%
Officials 9.59%
Time - 1721

Voters 88.57%
Officials 11.43%
Time - 2221




Time - 0856 





















Inportant ******** Poll - Question

Please click on the link below to express your opinion regarding who should decided the fate of Gracedale. At the bottom of the article on the righthand side is the poll question.
http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/today/index.ssf/2010/10/opinion_county_budget_calls_fo.html

Alternately, go to lehighvalleylive.com/news - on the menu bar select  opinion - the select the article that has a picture of Stoffa with Angal in the background. When the article opens up - scroll to the bottom where you will find on the righthand side the question "Who should decide whether Northampton County sells or leases Gracedale?" Voters or Officials - Vote your heart

Easton Express Poll - Proposed Dentention Center

Please go to lehighvalleylive.com/news - on the left hand side there is a poll as you scroll down relating to the proposed detention center - currently there are more oppositions than favors - vote your heart.

Great Meeting

At the NorCo council meeting last night, the Coalition read a powerful letter that took aim at the injustices of the CC, especially the chair. It appears the Coalition will send there correspondences to the ACLU to discover if their rights have been violated. (it surely apperars they have)

The great news came at the end of the meeting when the CC chair began to question the Executive Solicitor Department. The questions related directly to the new Coalition petition which is currently in circulation. The chair wanted to know ultimately if the petition is successful, and it came before CC, what will the CC options be? They were informed that they will be able to approve it, or disapprove it. The chair then asked what will happen if they disapprove it? And he was informed that it will go back to the Election Commission. The chair asked, what then? He was informed that the question will then be put on the ballot.

As this viewer understood it, if the Coalition is successful in getting the required signatures, after some probable legal maneuver's, there really is nothing that the CC can do to prevent it from being placed on the spring ballot. Which, in our great country, is they way that democracy is intended to work.

Please attend the upcoming Sunday meeting at 2 p.m. The Coalition, as well as other dignitaries of the county and state will be present to discuss this matter further.

God Bless America...and God bless the Coalition
Count down - 87 days

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Discuss Gracedale

On Sunday, October 24th, 2010 - There will be an informational meeting held on the grounds of Gracedale presented by the union to address concerns, and discuss the petition initiative. Hope to see you there.

Please don't forget the meeting at 6:30 p.m. this evening.

Council Meeting This Evening

An important council meeting will take place this evening - 6:30 pm at the courthouse. Two topics of conversation will be the budget, and Gracedale.

Remember that if you sit back waiting for someone else to attend, they may be sitting back waiting for you to attend. Involvement by all is vital to the mission, so please, support the cause, join us at the meeting this evening if you can.
As many of you may already know, the Coalition petition is in circulation and moving forward. We ask everyone who is in agreement with this movement, to refrain from being negative. We ask that you think positive, and behave as such. While there are many attacks being launched at those spearheading this cause, it is important to understand that stooping to the lows of those attackers discredits the whole process.

The framers of the Home Rule Charter had the foresight to place checks and balances in the document for situations just like the existing one relating to the sale of Gracedale, and indeed we are glad they did. But we the people must not become like, or act like those with who we disagree. Let them talk, let them continue their attacks. The Coalition suggests that we walk the walk of the people we would like council to be, and possibly, by our example they will see and understand our position. If they don't, then we continue using the law to move forward and allow our great democracy to work as intended.

The COAF mission in this matter is to assist residents of NorCo who are not familiar with the processes available to voice their views, become familiar. But please, let us not become the people we disagree with.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Never Done Before

Well ladies and gentlemen of Northampton County, the Coalition has taken on a tremendous task, and while they are confident that they will succeed, they probably cannot accomplish the undertaken without our help. As I understand it, the Coalition of Alzheimer's families is a volunteer group that is not benefiting in any way for what they are doing. They need us to help if they are to succeed. Understand that if they succeed, we the people succeed. If however, they fail, we can not blame them, we can only blame ourselves. The time to work is NOW, not later, not tomorrow...NOW. Enlist to help NOW.

While Rev. Martinez believes strongly that the Lord will deliver on His promises, he stated yesterday that we all must do our parts. Enlist now to help the voice of those of us who believe in this cause.

Send contact info to savegracedale@gmail.com
Require
  • Name
  • Address
  • telephone
  • email

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Petition is Ready

COAF has prepared the petition necessary to begin circulation, however, they will verify it is in conformance with requirements set forth by the home rule charter and the election commission later this morning. Circulation will then begin. Their going to need your help, so please, if you believe in this cause, provide your assistance.

Send contact info to savegracedale@gmail.com
Require
  • Name
  • Address
  • tele
  • email

GREAAAAAT NEWS

Below is a quote from the 10/19/10 morning call:
_____________________________________________________________
"Now that the Election Commission has accepted the application, council solicitor Phil Lauer said, the advocates can begin collecting signatures on a petition. They must gather enough signatures to equal 10 percent of the number of voters registered for the last election. That works out to 19,896 signatures, Department of State data show.

Once the signatures are gathered, Lauer said, the Election Commission must decide whether to certify the petition. Only then does County Council get 60 days to weigh in. If the time elapses and council does nothing, the question goes on the ballot. The voters' decision is binding, he said, citing language in the charter.
The citizens group behind the move, the Gracedale Coalition for Alzheimer's Families, has experience canvassing the public; the group collected about 4,000 signatures on an informal appeal.

Mario Martinez, one of 15 residents calling for the ballot initiative, said preventing a sale or lease agreement for five years would give the nursing home time to correct its problems.
"If they can't fix the problems that exist within that time frame," he said, "and it was considered to be for sale then, we wouldn't have anything to say about it."
_____________________________________________________________

It appears that Rev. Martinez was right...God has answered all of our prayers. However, it is now up to all us in favor of "Saving Private Gracedale" to do the necessary leg work. Rev. Martinez said last night that Jesus always delivers if we truly believe and stay faithful, but He expects us to work, not just standby and watch. The time has come to mobilize and complete this noble task.

Please note that as new developments occur, they will be posted on this blog to keep you abreast. Stay tuned.

Monday, October 18, 2010

The Initiative Passes

The Coalition of Alzheimer's Families attended an open meeting this afternoon which took place at the voter registration building in Easton, where the Northampton County Election Commission voted unanimously to approve the petition application submitted by COAF to place the question of selling or keeping Gracedale on the spring 2011 ballot, better known as a referendum. While there were minor questions, the commission found that the application was in order, all processes were followed correctly, and there was no reason not to approve it. HIP HIP HOORAY - it was APPROVED. The application having the approval of the solicitor, and now the commission, goes to County Council where I'm sure Mr. Angle, and possibly a few others will not be so happy, but then again, when is Mr. Angle ever happy? COAF will wait to see what happens during the Thursday CC meeting before commencing there petition process.

As far as the people are concerned, a referendum was the answer to this delemma, and should have been the process followed by the CC right from the start. Had that been the case, no trouble - this would not have been an issue. I guess a referendum was too simple for the power to be, who seems to greatly enjoy complicating matters.

A Day Of Expectations

Today, the Coalition of Alzheimer's Families (COAF), who has become the greatest thorn the County Council has ever endured, will have a very important meeting. And if successful, this meeting will produce the finest of fruit to date that the Coalition could bear. TBP will report the outcome of the meeting as soon as it is made available. So please stay tuned throughout the day for a report that hopefully will make every one's day. Well...everyone except the notorious chair and some of county council.

As it is understood, if COAF is successful, the CC will not be able to make any decision relating to the status of Gracedale for a period of at least ninety days. This means that Gracedale - the home of the "widows and orphans" will be safe for at least that time.

The Rev. Martinez was heard saying "prayer is what is needed now...the Lord will hear them and not forsake his servants". So, TPB says, if the Rev. is right, it's time to pray hard people. And if God does deliver, perhaps it's time for the nation to turn back to Him.

Saturday, October 16, 2010

The beginning of the end for the Northampton County Council Chair.

The time has come to begin...may the people launch an all out campaign using a strategy that will derail the NCC chair from his current path to destroy part of the history of our great Northampton County - Gracedale. "We the People" will no longer accept the stench of superiority that has manifested itself in a manner that only dictators like Hitler have demonstrated throughout history.

Yes, the arrogance of power always leads to abuse, and sadly, condenscension and abuse are evident during the Northampton County Council Meetings regularly these days. It is an enviorment where good folks fundamental 1st amendment rights are first stripped and then trampled on. But please take notice county council that we the people are saying - enough is enough. We will not stand for the unprofessional behavior as presented by several members of your body, mistakenly believing that you are untouchable, when in fact, even Capone was touchable.

The people of Northampton County are sick and tired of you Mr. Angle, and of the company you keep. And rest assured that we will no longer allow one elected official, or a governing body like the current one to dictate their will on the very people they were elected to serve.

Mr. Angle has displayed an overbearing level of pride, a lack of humility, and so much self importance that the only word that truly fits his character is arrogance. He believes in his legendary mind that he can do what he wants, when he wants, and dares the people to try and stop him. Well, "We the People" will stop him, not by our bitterness, but by the power of our VOTE.

People of Northampton County, in order to effect the positive changes necessary on county council that you desire, we need your help.

We are asking all concerned county voting residents to send email to savegracedale@gmail.com which includes your:
Name
Address
Tele #
email
and any other form of communication you can provide.
Please indicate if you wish to be added to the email group who receive blogs a soon as they are posted.

We require this information to keep you abreast of new developments relating to Gracedale, and County Council. All information will be kept strictly confidential, and will not be shared outside of this blog.

Soon, we can have an established voting block, and some members on the council can begin to count their days. Yes, this is the message that they will certainly come to understand, or as Donald Trump would say - You're fired. Take notice council, for the people are speaking. And remember this: We're not going away!

By TBP