Two Steps Back

Where is all of this bad luck coming from?

That question in itself is a bunch of crap. Over and over again the people in the EUniverse talk about the issues, direct blame, and demand accountability. And the themes are always the same. The incestuous business practices of the city’s stewards, the abhorrent propensity to skirt the intent and letter of rules and laws, and the lazy administration of the people’s day to day business.

Yeah, I know exactly what some of you are thinking… “Who the hell are you to sit behind your keyboard and point fingers.” While that may have been enough of a defense in the past; today it is neither a barrier to criticism nor true. This whole EU movement was born out of sitting around pointing fingers. We got tired of speculation without any validation. Now we are in the business of validation by way of investigation.

Now, do not for an instant be so quick to think that our agenda (Oh yes, we wholeheartedly subscribe to an agenda¹) is to be an electronic tabloid. This, the EUniverse (the blog, podcast, forums, etc), is the information served up in the most entertaining and thought provoking ways we can think of. We would hope that the embarrassment of exposure would make some people reevaluate what they do and how they do things with our (the people’s) resources, but life is seldom that simple. So the EUniverse has an action wing. And the action wing will set the example. So for right now just sit back and enjoy the show.

OK, back to this bad luck… Any of you remember reading these words before?

“As anxious as we are for good news, we also have the distinct tendency of being
victimized by bad luck, bad decisions, and a strange combination of bad luck
spawned from bad decisions.”

Just this past week the city’s oldest building, the Bachmann Publick House, financially folded. And it did so in what has become known as “the truest Eastonian fashion”—in a veil of mystery, sprinkled with generous portions of ethical controversy, slathered in mismanagement, and garnished with the same old names. Mmm Mmm, if that don’t make for some delicious tabloid entertainment, just give us a couple of days (something else is bound to happen).

That’s enough fluff; here’s the point. People are talking. And just like always the key players are not talking. This statement perplexes the mind in many ways:

''It does come as a major surprise even to me. But perhaps it's a blessing in
disguise. This may actually bring other Lehigh Valley support out of the
woodwork for some reasons that are unbeknownst to me.''

Anyone’s guess is as good as mine. It’s like he has a magic eight ball that was manufactured in a fortune cookie factory. He may as well have not said anything. Wait, did he say anything… Perplexing isn’t it? Oh and there is a companion statement:

“I'm afraid I'm not going to be of much help”

Have there ever been truer words? People that we all suspect and expect answers from once again insult us and dare us to seek the facts.

The Bachmann is crap, nothing; it is just another building. The things that led up to this past week's happenings though are not inconsequential and should be looked into. There are rumors of contract cronyism and board room bullying. One thing looks to be certain, someone did something wrong. Morally? Ethically? Legally? We are pretty sure no one will be held accountable in any substantial way, but I can’t help to think of the phrase, “You’ll never work in this town again.”

It makes us uncomfortable knowing that the administration and its confidants are patrons of this embarrassing failure. What are we in for next?

¹Our Mission: To provide a clean, crime-free, and safe environment with competitive services that allows residents to enjoy a high quality of life, while providing commerce an environment to thrive.