Weenie Wars Revisited

So just minutes after Bethlehem’s decision on the new vendor laws they granted their first exception.  The new ordinance allows vendors to operate from 6a to 6p Sunday through Wednesday and 6a to 4a on Thursday through Saturday. 

So what did they do right after they announced the passage of the new ordinance?  They granted the first exception to the ordinance, allowing the ONLY PERSON the ordinance applies to to operate from midnight to 4am every day but Sunday.

We discussed this issue at length in our previous op-ed, Weenie Wars.  With the exception of being allowed to roam around at-will, we agree point-by-point with fellow blogger Jon Geeting.  What’s the point of adopting an ordinance and then immediately after allowing an exception to the only person the law applies to?  It’s idiotic and a waste of time. 

And of course the Kowalskis (Funhouse owners), who would rather have all carts eliminated in a street food holocaust than allow them to vend and take away not a bit of their business, are still raising hell about Easy Weenies. 

Why can’t we be progressive?  It seems like so many people in this area are resistant to massive change.  We’re big fans of change.  Although we certainly do bitch about it and make it a point to make our thoughts known on this site, change is a good thing.  Rotting fields or casino/restaurants/music venue/shops?  That’s a no-brainer.  Why CAN’T we have lots of street food?  Why CAN’T we be like other big cities?  There’s a cocktail cart in Portland for chrissakes.  That’s right.  A cocktail cart.  Meaning one of Portlandia’s many hipsters can stroll up on their fixie and grab a martini.  Right there.  On the street.  Man, how much would that piss off the Funhouse owners?