Donald Trump was in Scranton yesterday afternoon for a campaign event. I walked over to the rally but watched it on the computer. In keeping with his promise to “Make America Great Again,” he went back to Scranton’s roots to remind us of the good times and how he is going to bring them back. Unfortunately, he jump on our coal history. As Trip Gabriel mentioned on Twitter
In Scranton, Pa., where coal mining peaked in 1917, Trump tell miners to “hang in there we’re going to put you back to work”— Trip Gabriel (@tripgabriel) July 27, 2016
Scranton is a much better place than when I arrived in 2006. Crime is still low. The cost of living is low. Housing is affordable. Out where I live, fifteen minutes outside the city, the public schools are very good. Great parks and outdoor areas. The downtown and surrounding areas continue to undergo revitalization.
That doesn’t mean that many people are not struggling. There are new jobs in the area, especially at the local colleges such as our medical school. There are also some in manufacturing plans in Scranton and Wilkes-Barre. There are (were?) limited natural jobs. However, there are no big employers on the horizon who are going to bring hundreds, or thousands, of jobs to the area. There are financial struggles for families and the city. We are definitely now bringing back the television, refrigerator, and compact disk industries that were here not that long ago.
Anyway, I spoke with Mr. Gabriel about Trump’s visit. And I said more nice things about Scranton. Check it out here.
