In a victory for Mayor Marvel-Less Tom McMahon and his tax pimping sidekick Al Boscov, Hershey is closing the reading plant putting 240 people in the unemployment line. I’m sure Mayor Marvel-Less Tom McMahon, and his tax pimping sidekick Al Boscov can’t wait to use that piece of real estate as The Goggle Works 69.
Bottom line this is what happens when you neglect your community like Mayor Marvel-Less Tom McMahon does. Honest companies are sick of seeing their taxpayer money go to Al Boscov and his ilk in stupid projects like The Goggle Works, and other moronic projects that don’t provide private sector jobs. Oh yes how we hear how wonderful hiring people outside the city are in the name of experience that we have to flush the residency rule down the shitter. If these guys are so perfect, then why are 240 jobs going away?
Better yet as Mike Case pointed out in his piece on his site regarding Mayor Marvel-Less Tom McMahon having to resort to putting campaign signs on vacant buildings, because regular citizens think he’s a piece of trash. That plant has plenty of space for Mayor Marvel-Less Tom McMahon’s propaganda to be spread along the massive brick walls. You can check Mike’s piece here.
http://readingfirsthand.com/readingfirsthand_008.htm
Now it’s your turn to have your say.
April 24, 2007 at 12:10 am
I don’t think anyone, inclusive of the incumbent mayor, is pleased to see any business within the city limits (or Berks for that matter) close.
(Another) 240 reasonably high-paying jobs with benefits vanishing is never good news. I can’t comment specifically on what motivated Hershey, here, but, in my humble opinion, the Mayor’s only real job should be working to promote and build the presence of businesses within the city.
I don’t think the Goggle Works impacted Hershey’s decision in any way, and I really wish rants (on almost every blog focused on Berks) would stop. The Goggle Works certainly isn’t a solution to any problems, but, I don’t believe it to be the cause of any, either.
The funding for the Goggle works was largely private, and, though some tax dollars were used, arguably, they couldn’t have easily been used for other things - based on Federal matching constraints.
Sadly, our fair city continues to mirror a real-life version of the NYC depicted in “Escape from New York”.
I am strongly concerned that none of the Mayoral candidates (from either party) have a real plan to stem the tides.
Thanks for continually providing “the real stories”.
Peace Out.
April 24, 2007 at 11:43 am
“240 reasonably high-paying jobs with benefits vanishing is never good news. I can’t comment specifically on what motivated Hershey, here, but, in my humble opinion, the Mayor’s only real job should be working to promote and build the presence of businesses within the city.”
The question you would have to ask yourself is did the high crime in Reading factor into this decision such as insurance costs, etc.? Most of it factored in their downsizing these jobs to Mexico. Reading was a scapegoat, because the people in Hershey were ready to kill over this, and Reading just became an offset so they don’t have to put as many Hershey jobs on the chopping block.
“The funding for the Goggle works was largely private, and, though some tax dollars were used, arguably, they couldn’t have easily been used for other things - based on Federal matching constraints.”
First off it was mainly taxpayer money. 9 million dollars of it, not including the 15 million for Al Boscov’s tax pimping pork projects such as the apartments, movie complex, etc.
“Sadly, our fair city continues to mirror a real-life version of the NYC depicted in “Escape from New York”.”
No argument there, though that was a good movie. Bottom line is Berks County is almost becoming a 3rd world shit hole to quote Mofo. While the surrounding counties continue to prosper economically, Berks County continues to live in the past, and refuses to move forward. Ever since I was a kid it has been this way. The people in Berks County do not want outside influence investing into the county, so they stonewalled the bypass extension for 30 years, they come up with plan for the Metro Rail project that they knew would never get the funding, and I can go on an on about it.
Peace out back at ya.
April 24, 2007 at 2:23 pm
Hershey is also cutting 500+ jobs at their main plant in Hershey PA and moving those facilities to Mexico as well.
It has nothing to do with Reading or Hershey and everything to do with exploiting cheap labor in Mexico, where they don’t have to pay Health Insurance (they have single payer for all the people), they don’t have to pay any FICA taxes (Social Security, Medicare, etc.), they don’t have any environmental restrictions, etc.
It is not possible to compete with this shit.
People who support “Free Trade” are stupid, because this is what always happens.
We were smart enough once to block trade with “Evil Empires” like the Soviet Union, but just love the Communists in Red China today and the Narco-state of Mexico.
Go figure…
April 24, 2007 at 3:16 pm
Take heart. I’m sure we’ll get some new WalMart or franchise restaurant jobs to pick up the slack. 240 union confectioner jobs “out”, 240 WalMart/Applebees jobs “in”. Who says we’re losing jobs? You can’t fault the city for this one; this is a Hershey decision. Time to rip down those 5th Avenue signs (if they’re still there) on 5th Street and mail them back to the Hershey execs with the suggestion they shove ‘em up their collective ass. Yet another thing gone that made Reading/Berks unique. We’re well on our way to a county filled with nothing but strip malls and housing developments for the Philadelphia/New York crowd. Oh joy.
April 24, 2007 at 4:26 pm
Matt is still partly right, for Christ’s sake, the McDonald’s at 5th and Penn went out of business.
How can a McDonald’s in the city’s downtown go out of business?
McMahon may not be directly responsible for this latest job loss, but he is leading us to more of the same. All he cares about is sucking Boscov dick by directing our tax dollars into his crumby little empire.
Well fuck McMahon, fuck Al Boscov, and fuck anyone who continues to support these bastards.
There… I said.
April 24, 2007 at 4:34 pm
SteveO,
You are correct. I’m shocked people did not notice I was throwing in shock value with Tom McMahon, but you have to agree to an extent that it seems like every time something like this happens, Mayor Marvel-Less, and Al Boscov are there to profit from it, especially Boscov.
Now I do understand that WalMart was looking to build in the city, and regardless it will more in likely be something along those lines, or a crack house with the heavy criminal element in that area already.
I for one would like to see a Kohls, Boscov’s (Al does not have the balls to do that with his own money), or better yet Bloomingdales, Macy’s, or something to attract the Mayor Marvel-Less Tom McMahon snob Wyomissing base of his to shop in the city.
There is tons of potential to replace those jobs with something as good or better in that building, but we have to see if our tax Pimp Al Boscov, will try to claim it for some stupid government subsided project that we will just have to pay higher taxes for.
I also agree with SteveO on the New York/Philadelphia crowd issue. Just look at Montgomery County and how that became a suburb of Philadelphia. Their housing costs increased, their taxes increased, their crime increased. They also used to be very rich in farmland back in the day as well which has since been developed into $500,000 + houses. In the end it will force people like you and me to mover either north toward Pottsville, South into Lancaster, or West into Lebanon where the cost of living is becoming cheaper compared to Berks County in general.
Plus keep in mind Mayor Marvel-Less supports Illegal Aliens, and this slave labor that has put us in this mess to begin with. He can not on one hand cry foul about Hershey doing what they are doing, and on the other hand go the the Latino rally last year saying it’s a good thing. Something for Jennaro or Keith to pick up on if you ask me.
April 24, 2007 at 4:36 pm
Oh SteveO,
We still have those 5th Avenue Signs along 5th St.? I only ever saw one that looked in one piece by 5th & Spring, and the rest I thought were stolen over the years.
Interesting.
April 24, 2007 at 7:50 pm
Yes indeed Berks County is a third world shit hole.
As for free trade Congressman Ron Paul said it best a couple of years ago that free trade is nothing but a smoke screen to advance the goal of a world government.
When you hear the global economy, free trade, United Nations, and so on, it all the same global government agenda. I for one am tire of Bill Gates and his stupid “Americans are to stupid, we need Illegals” tour.
When you bring these issues into conclusion, I have to admit it brings Stefan’s point about corporations pretty clear. They want one global government which will eventually lead to a totalitarian state that benefits nobody but the elite.
April 24, 2007 at 8:34 pm
There already is one world government and they meet in Davos, Switzerland every year.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Economic_Forum
This isn’t the United Nations, these are the “nation-less” elite who owe no alegience to anyone yet they include elected leaders from around the world.
April 24, 2007 at 10:54 pm
Just to clear the record…the 5th Avenue candy bar was named after 5th Ave. in West Reading (where one of the Ludens executives lived) and not 5th St. in Reading.
April 25, 2007 at 8:35 am
Why is it that the American jobs move to Mexico at the same time the Mexicans move to America? Why don’t they just stay down there and wait for us to send them a job.
I heard something amusing regarding this whole situation. It was on the 69 news Berks Edition. I’m not sure who said it because I had the broadcast on in my car. One guy said something to this effect: “The loss of these jobs is not all bad news. Now there are 240 highly skilled people available for work to other local companies”. What a dope. Where around here are those people going to find equally paying jobs? What companies around here are just waiting to snatch those workers up? Target? Wal-Mart? Burger King? Home Depot?
April 25, 2007 at 11:08 am
I remember listening to H. Ross Perot and Ralph Nader telling us how NAFTA and other so-called Free Trade Agreements would outsource highly skilled labor jobs to cheap markets and create poverty conditions in Mexico (part of NAFTA was the elimination of Mexican Corn tariffs) among their farmers, forcing them to move to America or starve.
Not every job can be outsourced, like construction, so they import these virtual slaves to drive down the wages. Adjusted for inflation, construction workers make less than half what they did in the 1970’s.
Then these bastards call us racist when we complain about our government not enforcing the patheticly weak laws that we do have concerning immigration.
How about the DEATH PENALTY for hiring an illegal alien?
I bet that would put a cramp in the border crossings!
April 25, 2007 at 11:27 am
SteveO,
You forgot Sheetz and Wawa.
April 25, 2007 at 12:40 pm
Steve O,
I heard a Republican friend of mine say sonething similar…that they aren’t going to be “downsized” but rather they are going to be given “a chance to explore new opportunities.” I like the Republicans on a lot of issues but on economics they are a pretty sad lot.
April 25, 2007 at 1:14 pm
Oh come on Jim Keller. This issue is not just a Republican issue. Democrats like Corzine running Goldman Nut Sacks, and even Al Boscov promote Illegal Aliens.
I will agree with the punch like you made Jim about not being downsized, but a chance to explore. Regardless of who says that, it is just as lame of a statement as Muhlenberg School District favoring the title of Communist China as “passionate socialists”.
April 25, 2007 at 11:39 pm
Since when does Muhlenberg have such a policy? My kids go there and I never heard that one.
April 26, 2007 at 1:21 pm
I would love to know where Tom has Signs on vacant buildings here in the city! You people constantly make things up to get off on them! You love to hear yourself and try and get a rise out of people. Look at Angel Figueroa’s signs and where they are planted 3/4 of them are in vacant row homes, properties with codes violations or they are put up illegally! Angel’s right hand man Dr. Pippin is the idiot Dr. who was just in the paper a few weeks ago for writing illegal scripts! Rumor has it that Angel is a transplant from the Hogar Craea drug rehab group. Someone was just telling me the other day that they knew Angel when he was so high on drugs he laid down in an alley and shit his pants. So lets look at some of these people that are running and lets really question who is the best canidate! Tom has done nothing but help this city. He has not gained anything personally for being mayor, just the satisfaction of knowing he has done one HELL of a job!!!!!!! I don’t know why some of you MUHLS worry so much about Reading. If you don’t like how things are handled here in reading than I challenge you to move here and fix the problems instead of bashing our government here in Reading. Come on you can by a great property here in the city for as little as 5 thousand dollars or as much as 600 hundred thousand! Come on I am challenging you!!!!!!!
EDITOR’S NOTE: THIS POSTER IS THE SAME PERSON THAT POSTED AS DANA HOFFMAN FROM THE READING EAGLE.
April 26, 2007 at 2:52 pm
Well It’s good to hear from The Established Elite in their latest attempt to spread the propaganda of Mayor Marvel-Less Tom McMahon.
1. Don’t come bitching to me about citing a story that was written by Michael Case. This is a prime example of why you fired him and attempted to smear him. God forbid he is not on the Mayor Marvel-Less Express. He cites his sources, and stop being a bitch of a coward and bring it up on his site.
2. Angel Figueroa. Boy you little established elite snobs are all of a sudden tough on crime, but I have one name for you. Jason Steif. After what you guys did at The Reading Eagle against this kid why should anybody give you established elite snobs any credibility, let alone take you seriously?
3. Mayor Marvel-Less Tom McMahon has done NOTHING to help this city. Lets see, he endorses Illegal Aliens to come to Reading for save haven, he took the side of a drug abuser who got shot by the owner of a store he as robbing, he wants to piss on the constitution with banning guns, and putting up cameras in the city, and don’t you think the temptation won’t come for him to use those cameras for political reasons. Oh and let’s not forget his childish temper at the marvel hence Mayor Marvel-Less, and in the process a trash bill that should have passed with the voters got defeated, because people began to question Mayor Marvel-Less Tom McMahon’s motives.
4. We are only getting involved because Berks County Commissioner Judy Skank said that Reading is important to everybody in Berk County. If Judy Skank wants to bundle us up in her oppressive blanket and call it “Greater Reading” then we in our respective townships will voice our concerns. If you want to play the game of you can’t comment about Reading unless you live in, the start with Tom McMahon since he lives in Wyomissing.
5. It’s not just people in Muhlenberg Township either, and oh I’d rather be a jackass then a cock sucker like you guys in The Established Elite.
I hope this clarifies things for you.
April 28, 2007 at 3:48 pm
McMahon is the best mayor Wyommissing could buy!
He greases their palms with our tax money for all the economic development scemes Al Boscov can devise.
Oh, and Tom McMahon already stole enough money from Reading in the past, when he convinced the city no to hire him as an engineer for the Water Dept at $130K per year, and ended up charging the city over $1 million per year in consulting fees.
Entech Engineering… that was McMahon’s firm, he sold it when he was elected to hide the inpropieties.
May 15, 2007 at 11:50 am
Hi Matt,
I didn’t make post # 14 above. Don’t forget to vote.
Jim