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Bulletin Editor
Al Philpotts
Meeting Responsibilities
Greeter
Ulans, Connie
 
Introduction of Visitors & Guests
Fitzpatrick, Bill
 
Invocation
Schenkel, Bob
 
50/50 Draw
Dolak, Jr., Steve
 
Luncheon Treasurer
Jones, Buck
 
Music (Pledge if no music)
Fenstermacher, Dave
 
Tech Crew
McGovern, Mike
 
Sergeant-at-Arms
Hunter, Don
 
Speakers
Apr 12, 2017
Intersection of Politics & Religion
Apr 19, 2017
Apr 26, 2017
Local Heroin Epidemic
May 03, 2017
Rotary International Experiences
May 10, 2017
Street Medicine
May 17, 2017
May 24, 2017
Classification Talk
May 31, 2017
Greater Lehigh Valley YMCA
Jun 07, 2017
Charter School for the Arts
View entire list
Upcoming Events
District 7430 Conference
Eden Resort
May 05, 2017 – May 07, 2017
 
Rotary International Convention
Georgia World Congress Center
Jun 10, 2017 – Jun 14, 2017
 
Russell Hampton
National Awards Services Inc.
Sage
ClubRunner
Sunday, April 2, 2017
 
 
Greetings fellow Rotarians,
 
At our March 29th meeting, Mark Reed introduced our 2 distinguished speakers, Christopher Borick, PhD and our own Kamran Afshar, PhD, who spoke on Post-Election Economic and Political Impact.
 
Dr. Borick has conducted over 250 large scale public opinion surveys for such publications as Time Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, and the New York Times.  His analysis has been cited on BBC, NPR, PBS, CBS and NBC, and data from his analysis frequently appears on Fox, CNN and C-SPAN.  Kamran is a member of our Bethlehem Rotary Club, and is president of KAA Incorporated.  He publishes the Lehigh Valley Economic Review, and KAA provides marketing and analytical services to corporations and business organizations using a rigorous scientific framework.
 
Kamran began the presentation by reviewing economic data he compiled on the state of economy, and the level of economic growth in the US. This type of data is frequently cited as being predictive or illustrative of how the vote would go in a presidential election. The data he presented showed that none of the common narratives of the campaign, concerning the economy, were correct. That is, there has been job growth, and an increase in GDP which usually favors the incumbent party. This demonstrates that the vote in November cannot be explained by economic factors alone. He also presented data which showed that the US Debt to GDP ratio has historically gone up significantly when tax rates have declined. This calls into question the claim that decreasing government revenue can stimulate the economy enough to offset the loss of revenue created by a tax cut, or what is referred to as trickle-down.
 
Dr. Borick addressed the anomalous failure of polling to accurately predict election results. He explained that 2016 polling was accurate for all races except for the presidential race, and the impetus for change was much stronger in the presidential race, which overcame the indications of economic stability. Dr. Borick said that there is a strong inclination to change when one party holds the White House for eight consecutive years, and that the inclination for change is difficult to overcome.  In addition, candidate Trump was very resourceful in applying the information available on the desire for change to specific geographic areas, which enabled him to win the Electoral College.  He opined that the unorthodox approach that was used by candidate Trump will undoubtedly also be reflected in his administration’s policies.
 
Mike McGovern reported on the Installation Dinner for the new Whitehall Area Rotary Club, which was chartered on March 28th. Several of our Bethlehem Rotary members attended, and our club contributed $200 for travel flags for the new club. This is the first new club in our District since 2008, and has 26 members.
 
Mike also reported on the memorial service for our beloved member Bob Cohen. The service was well attended by Bethlehem Rotary members, who all agreed that, as well as we knew and appreciated Bob, his imprint on our community was much greater than most of us realized. We’ll miss you Bob, thanks for being one of us.
 
Announcements:
  1. Thanks to Lisa Jordan who served as Greeter, Charlie Walter who served as Treasurer, and Thea Phalon who conducted the 50-50 raffle.
  2. Don’t forget to send your input into our Strategic Plan.  You have until April 3rd to take the survey.
  3. The next session of our New Member Orientation is scheduled for April 5th at 11 am here at Moravian Village. 
  4. The Centennial Park Committee is meeting on April 5th at 11:30 pm. 
  5. Our next big event is the Rotary Charity Golf Tournament, chaired by Rob Littner and George Kurtz.  Be sure to mark May 15th on your calendar for a fun day at the Bethlehem Golf Club (Rain Date is May 22nd)
  6. Next week’s program is our Club Assembly, which will feature:
    1. A presentation by Dana Huber from BAVTS on the mural for our Centennial Park Project,
    2. Tracy Bozik acknowledging volunteers for the Dictionary Project,
    3. George Mowrer giving an update on the Foundation
    4. A presentation by Mike McGovern - NCC goes to the Middle East
 
Yours in Rotary Service,
 
 
Gerry Foran
President-Elect
Stories
Rotary Weekly Update
What does it feel like to be in an iron lung?

Dispatched to Ghana with a fellow British Rotarian to scout club service opportunities, Roger Frank hadn’t planned their visit to coincide with National Immunization Days. But the pair – Frank and Dr. Carl Hallam – jumped, unhesitating, into the thick of inoculations. Frank has built his own iron lung replica to teach a new generation about polio. Read more of the story.