Mark Rauterkus & Running Mates ponder current events: April 2007

Monday, April 30, 2007

War, future, and Ron Paul's remarks

Getting Iraq War Funding Wrong Again
April 30, 2007

This week, Congress finalized the controversial $124 billion Iraq emergency supplemental spending bill, with the House and Senate both voting in favor of final passage. The majority of my Republican colleagues and I voted against this measure, and the president has vowed to veto the legislation.

In this final version, the House leadership retained billions of dollars in pork meant to attract skeptical votes, retained a watered-down version of the problematic “benchmarks” that seek to micromanage the war effort, and continued to play politics with the funding of critical veterans medical and other assistance. In other words, this final version was even worse than the original in almost all respects.

As I wrote when this measure first came before the House, we have to make a clear distinction between the Constitutional authority of Congress to make foreign policy, and the Constitutional authority of the president, as commander in chief, to direct the management of any military operation. We do no favor to the troops by micromanaging the war from Capitol Hill while continuing to fund it beyond the president’s request.

If one is unhappy with our progress in Iraq after four years of war, voting to de-fund the war makes sense. If one is unhappy with the manner in which we went to war, without a constitutional declaration, voting against funding for that war makes equally good sense. What occurred, however, was the worst of both. Democrats, dissatisfied with the way the war is being fought, gave the president all the money he asked for and more to keep fighting it, while demanding that he fight it in the manner they see fit. That is definitely not a recipe for success in Iraq and foreign policy in general.

What is the best way forward in Iraq? Where do we go from here? First, Congress should admit its mistake in unconstitutionally transferring war power to the president and in citing United Nations resolutions as justification for war against Iraq. We should never go to war because another nation has violated a United Nations resolution. Then we should repeal the authority given to the president in 2002 and disavow presidential discretion in starting wars. Then we should start bringing our troops home in the safest manner possible.

Though many will criticize the president for mis-steps in Iraq and at home, it is with the willing participation of Congress, through measures like this war funding bill, that our policy continues to veer off course. Additionally, it is with the complicity of Congress that we have become a nation of pre-emptive war, secret military tribunals, torture, rejection of habeas corpus, warrantless searches, undue government secrecy, extraordinary renditions, and uncontrolled spying on the American people. Fighting over there has nothing to do with preserving freedoms here at home. More likely the opposite is true.

Croc Coach Bios

Coach Mark Rauterkus
Coach Mark, dad of Erik, 12, and Grant, 9, has a long swim coaching history including six seasons at NCAA Division I Programs (Ohio U, Baylor U, Bradley U). He coached state-record breakers in PA, Ohio, Illinois and New England. Mark had been helping with Green Tree but joined the Crocs in 2006 to continue working throughout the year with Coach Mike and the Carlynton Swim Club. Before parenthood and politics, Mark published many sports books. In recent time, Mark and the family have enjoyed swim experiences in China, Canada and New Zealand. In 2007, Mark looks forward to organizing a biathlon (1K swim + 5K run) on the morning of July 4, 2007. Two water polo clinics are also planned. One in the evenings with Crafton Celebrates and the other in the mornings in August.

(Insight to other coaches in the comments.)

Friday, April 27, 2007

Just for the record, our cat and house sitter is a guy who ...

We've got people staying and even working in our house while we're away.

I'm going without a cell phone!

To reach me, send an email. Don't call. I'm not going to check my voice messages until June 11.

We could set up a telephone conversation via my private TalkCast area on http://www.TalkShoe.com. However that is going to need to be set up via email prior to the meeting.

Should we need to talk or have an interview, call: 724 444 7444 and my private group call room is with Talkcast ID: 901. I'll need to log into the system via voice over IP.

Rally to Stop the Bus Cuts: We need him to lead us...

We need Santa Claus to lead us in the fight to put religion back into holiday of Christmas.

We need Barry Bonds to lead us in the fight against the use of steroids in major league sports.

We need the Roman Catholic Pope to lead us in the fight for the women's right to choose to reproduce.

We need Dan Onorato to lead us in the fight against the drastic bus service cuts of the Allegheny County's Port Authority Transit.

Let's be careful with what we wish for in terms of our leadership.

PA's Governor, Fast Eddie Rendell, has his driver speed him around Pennsylvania. Today's news buzz spoke of his willingness and eagerness to zoom around at 90+ MPH on PA roads. In my opinion, Ed Rendell should NOT be the one to stand for safe driving, safe highways and responsibility.

Dan Onorato wants a free ride in his elections. But, Dan Onorato doesn't want to insure that the citizens of Allegheny County have the freedom to travel around the county on public transportation.

New bits on YouTube have been uploaded

Some content has been posted to my site on YouTube.com. Watch -- or better yet -- subscribe -- to my YouTube.com feed. http://www.YouTube.com/Rauterkus

This is one bit. The others are on my page.

Reactions welcomed. Feel free to forward what you wish to others.

Everyone, out of the pool. No swimming again at Carlynton High School

Yesterday, Thurs, April 26, 2007, there was another bomb threat at Carlynton High School. (Carnegie, Crafton, Rosslyn Farms) So, swim practice, swim lessons and even home and away sports events were nixed for then and today.

Sorta sux for the kids and programs.

Candidate forum set in advance of May 14 primary election

Candidate forum set in advance of May 14 primary election On May 10, Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato and challenger Rick Swartz will meet at 6 p.m. at Grace Memorial Presbyterian Church, 1000 Bryn Mawr Road., Hill District.

I would love to see this on YouTube from New Zealand. Help!

Group pressures Onorato on cuts by Port Authority - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Wow, 20,000 signatures. Wonder how many don't have 'middle initials' nor are from registered voters with signatures on file that match election department records?

Seriously, I signed. I'll be there. This effort was wonderful.

Group pressures Onorato on cuts by Port Authority - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "The Campaign to Stop the Bus Cuts wants Onorato to gain greater access to Port Authority of Allegheny County's financial records and specifics of service cuts that will start June 17.

Hundreds of group members plan to deliver the petition to Onorato's office at noon. The group includes members of several community organizations, including the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, The League of Young Voters, and Save Our Transit."

Imagine that -- Onorato doesn't have a good handle on the financial records. Onorato has been saying that the $25-million that the county pays into the PAT budget is the single largest line item within PAT's budget. But, that amount hasn't changed in years. Furthermore, it shouldn't be the biggest amount. Passenger fares should be greater.

Some are 'stealing' bus service, and I know right where these folks hang out. You'll find them on the bus. Not all, but some.

PAT's ridership needs to better pull its own weight. And, PAT's management hasn't done anything to fix this problem. Folks who get onto the bus in a park-and-ride in Marshall Township and ride into the city, avoiding car expenses and parking costs, are not paying enough.

Students, faculty and staff at Pitt who get on the bus without putting anything into the fare box are getting too much for too little.

Every area that can needs to do more. Onorato and Bland have not looked at the entire picture, yet. Raising fares isn't the first thing I'd have done. But, raising fares should have been done by now, especially for the institutional customers and those that live in the places of sprawl, beyond the central core.

Thursday, April 26, 2007

PIIN Banquet -- powerful statement from Dick Gregory

Well done PIIN. The banquet was tonight at Station Square.

Great talker. I saw a video camera. Perhaps they'll put part on the web?

State court blocks McKeesport directors from seeking second seat

There is inside baseball. Then there is inside inside baseball.

State court blocks McKeesport directors from seeking second seat: "The Harrisburg court's ruling April 13 affirmed an order by the county Common Pleas Court that resulted in board members Dave Donato and Lori Spando having their names removed from the election ballot because each member is halfway through a four-year term.

Act 45 of 2006, amending the Pennsylvania Election Code, prohibits candidates from running for an office they already hold if their terms do not expire in that election year. Both Mr. Donato and Ms. Spando, who had successfully run for re-election in 2005, with two years remaining on their terms, said in their appeal that Act 45 was unconstitutional.

I promise, if I ever get elected, I won't ever run for relection for my seat until the term expires.

Ron Morris' - The American Entrepreneur Newsletter publishes my article on accountability

Ron Morris' - The American Entrepreneur FREE Newsletter The new age 'Scarlet letter' by Mark Rauterkus

Frequent TAE contributor Mark Rauterkus puts a new spin on a concept that's centuries old in the name of political accountability. Mark's website is http://rauterkus.blogspot.com .

The talk of reform in Harrisburg is starting to buzz. Two ideas recently presented to lawmakers at a hearing in Pittsburgh have roots in a business mindset.

First, show us the money. Second, if you cheat, we'll never do business with you again.

(Continued at his site, Ron Morris' - The American Entrepreneur FREE Newsletter .)

Take your child to work day -- smashing

One of our guy's buddies has been at work, putting people on the phone on hold.

Another set of girl office workers now has my campaign info and DVD movies -- America: Freedom to Facsism.

A boy was on the roof helpnig his dad -- above my head most of the day. We are getting a new roof.

Was your day filled with little child labor law breakers too?

Some of Erik's middle school kids were very sleepy in the school day -- after working the night shift with either mom or dad. Others were absent from class. More news tomorrow.

I always loved the times I was able to go to work with my dad. He was a school teacher. But, I didn't go often -- just once in a while. And, it was generally for a social, musical or sporting visit.

Our address in New Zealand

We don't expect many visitors, but you are welcome to drop by. Many have been invited in the past year.

93 Clyde Road,
Ilam, Christchurch 8041
New Zealand

(Ilam is pronounced as "ai-lem").

You'll find the NZ very strange and hard to understand but you will get used to it by the end of your stay. You never know you might subconsciously pick up some kiwi words and use them regularly in a few weeks. It took me almost 3 months to get used to it (actually found it very annoying) although I have lived in Australia for 10 years. I am perfectly okay with it now.

If you are bringing any food items into NZ, I would advise you to pack them all in one bag to avoid food and biosecurity NZ opening up all of your bags for inspection. It is perfectly okay to bring food (dry food especially) but you MUST declare at the airport, When you declare, you will go through a different line (but this doesn't really slow you down a great deal so don't worry) . The upside of this is that the food doesn't get gamma-radiated if it gets personally inspected.

Golden Age of Pittsburgh Bloggers has just left the building

Pittsburgh's Golden Age of Blogging was fun while it lasted. It is behind us now. Perhaps I'll be proven wrong. I'd gladly be forced to eat these words -- along with the Booblehead Pierogie candidate for Mayor from Pgh's City Paper.

This period of calm could be the eye of the storm -- a rather big storm. But I doubt it.

Generally, I get to stand up and say -- "I'm not going anywhere." But, today -- I'm packing. I'm going somewhere. We're headed to New Zealand.

I've put out a call to some running mates to ask them to lace up their sneakers and carry the ball while I'm elsewhere. So, guys -- check in. Sound off. Others interested in running mate status on this blog, email me.

It was fun.

Let's hope things heat up again in September or October when my book hits the shelves. There is always the hope that Jim Motznik might re-start his blog.

Project Run Away and Young People

Hat tip to Antirust.

Project Run Away | The New York Observer: “I am completely and utterly against the idea of helping young people,” I told the gobsmacked crowd. I then ranted on about how I was sick of hearing about young people’s hopes, aspirations and career goals—how come nobody wants to help old people?—and that I had been driven so insane by the current generation of Eve Harrington–esque overachieving fashionistas (Mr. Baldwin would probably call them “ungrateful little pigs”) that I had reached the point where, instead of helping them fulfill their dreams, all I wanted to do was crush them. Just call me “the Dream-Crusher.”

Goofy Old Party: Local Republicans need to get their act together

Goofy Old Party: Local Republicans need to get their act together As a more common person than Lord Acton said, you got to be in it to win it. Republicans are too often not in it. The local party is pathetic. How pathetic? A liberal-leaning editorial board has to call for a conservative revival for the benefit of the local democratic system.

Reading newspapers in China happens in the park,
and other places where citizens gather. In Pittsburgh,
the newspapers are not worthy of attention in any setting
of note and nature. From planning-urban

Power is not an equal-opportunity despoiler when one comes from the perspective of liberty. Libertarians and Constitution lovers would cut me off at the knees after they cut my head off as soon as my perscription for civic leadership hinted at the same-old approach from the same-old problem parties.

Here is the example I like to explain. Consider Poland in 1937 and 1938 -- just before World War II. To the east was Stalin, to the west was Hitler. The people of Poland were stuck in the middle. They couldn't run east nor west. There wasn't a winning exit and winning action. They had to hunker down.

The people of Pittsburgh have been much like the people of Poland in those pre WWII months. They have no place to run and no place to hide. Many have left, of course. Many have died. Few remain with the capacity to fight.

But, there is an underground, with little ammo and little "wood behind the arrow." But, the voice of the "nay sayers" has been kept alive.

Part of our underground is nameless. We have bloggers who are out there that have online identities but not a matching voter record. We have friends in the D party that would clearly help in smuggling efforts. But, most of the others in this community is walking on egg shells.

The backlashes are not to be taken lightly. This is why I have said that I am standing for five offices. I can be a place holder for a few others who don't need to expose themselves for the pleasure of trying to get onto the ballot. People should not need to have their lives subject to anguish for the pleasure of marching onto the ballot. This is the inverse of the old adage of killing two birds with one stone. Not one, but five, and not killing -- but setting free.

With me running for five offices and with me running with other running mates, we're in the process of flight training for a flock of birds with one coop.

Our flight includes feathers to the left and to the right and tail. Our flight includes smart approaches where freedom and liberty matter greatly.

Goofy Old Party: Local Republicans need to get their act together

Goofy Old Party: Local Republicans need to get their act together As a more common person than Lord Acton said, you got to be in it to win it. Republicans are too often not in it. The local party is pathetic. How pathetic? A liberal-leaning editorial board has to call for a conservative revival for the benefit of the local democratic system.

The P-G hits hard against the local GOPers. However, they fail to make the distinction between the city GOP leadership and the county GOP leadership.

Why is it so bad to not have a mayor's race candidate and ignore the need for a candidate for the county-wide office for county executive?

The one that has really messed up so far and the one office that is more winnable is the Allegheny County Chief Executive post. Dan Onorato has not done anything good and has done many things poorly. Dan Onorato went into office with promises that didn't happen since. And, he followed a person who seems to have been a Republican, Jim Roddey.

The biggest problem for the Republicans is Bob Glancey and others like him, including Jim Roddey. Roddey has gone around for years saying that there isn't any chance of electing a Republican in the city because he figured out he could not be elected as the city's mayor.

The Republican in-fighting is that of legend. And, it has been undocumented.

This move to float a candidate for write-in who can't even swim (i.e., just hope for shallow water after you toss him overboard) is just another bone-headed move by Bob Glancy and the RCAC (Republican Committee of Allegheny County).

At least this ploy makes sense for one reason. The RCAC folks need some new scandal so as to cover up the outright stealing of major amounts of money from an older, wealthy, woman from Upper Saint Clair by a candidate. That poison gives the Republicans in Allegheny County a scorched earth policy that will linger for four or five election cycles.

The Republicans are zombies. They've got neo-cons in the White House. They've got poison in the pipeline of the county machine in many different flavors. A whole flock of leaders need to resign.

The only thing worse than the status of the Republicans is that of the MSM editorial boards.

Power is not an equal-opportunity despoiler when one comes from the perspective of liberty. Libertarians and Constitution lovers would cut me off at the knees after they cut my head off as soon as my perscription for civic leadership hinted at the same-old approach from the same-old problem parties.

Here is the example I like to explain. Consider Poland in 1937 and 1938 -- just before World War II. To the east was Stalin, to the west was Hitler. The people of Poland were stuck in the middle. They couldn't run east nor west. There wasn't a winning exit and winning action. They had to hunker down.

The people of Pittsburgh have been much like the people of Poland in those pre WWII months. They have no place to run and no place to hide. Many have left, of course. Many have died. Few remain with the capacity to fight.

But, there is an underground, with little ammo and little "wood behind the arrow." But, the voice of the "nay sayers" has been kept alive.

Part of our underground is nameless. We have bloggers who are out there that have online identities but not a matching voter record. We have friends in the D party that would clearly help in smuggling efforts. But, most of the others in this community is walking on egg shells.

The backlashes are not to be taken lightly. This is why I have said that I am standing for five offices. I can be a place holder for a few others who don't need to expose themselves for the pleasure of trying to get onto the ballot. People should not need to have their lives subject to anguish for the pleasure of marching onto the ballot. This is the inverse of the old adage of killing two birds with one stone. Not one, but five, and not killing -- but setting free.

With me running for five offices and with me running with other running mates, we're in the process of flight training for a flock of birds with one coop.

Our flight includes feathers to the left and to the right and tail. Our flight includes smart approaches where freedom and liberty matter greatly.

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Carnegie Mellon: New Swimming & Diving Coach Hired

New coach moves to town! Welcome to Pittsburgh!

Carnegie Mellon: Swimming & Diving Matthew Kinney Named Head Swimming Coach

Apr. 25 - (PITTSBURGH, Pa.) - Carnegie Mellon University’s Director of Athletics, Susan Bassett, has named Matthew Kinney the new head men’s and women’s swimming coach. Kinney joins the Tartans staff after serving twelve years as head men’s and women’s swimming coach at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Virginia.

Newsmaker: Audrey N. Glickman - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Another women after my own heart. She is more than a running mate -- as she thinks too!

Newsmaker: Audrey N. Glickman - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review 'Statewide we have major issues of ballot access. No one candidate should ever have to obtain 67,000 signatures just to get his name on the ballot. And no candidate should have to watch while half of the obtained signatures are thrown out just because the signatory wrote 'Punxy' instead of 'Punxsutawney.' As for this election, we'll be monitoring it as we have the last two elections with a diverse group of monitors.'

U.S. Steel to help Great Allegheny Passage - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Great news.

U.S. Steel to help Great Allegheny Passage - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review U.S. Steel is donating a 1.89-mile stretch located near Kennywood Park in West Mifflin, said company spokesman John Armstrong.

Thanks John.

4 Allegheny Common Pleas seats sought by 10 - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

4 Allegheny Common Pleas seats sought by 10 - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review The candidates are: Wrenna Watson, 53, of the Hill District; Shirley Novak, 49, of McCandless; Cathleen Bubash, 47, of the North Side; Joseph Williams, 55, of Penn Hills; Joe Weinroth, 48, of Squirrel Hill; Jack McVay, 50, of the North Side; Kelly Eileen Bigley, 42, of Upper St. Clair; Michael E. McCarthy, 57, of Ross; Arnie Klein, 45, of Upper St. Clair; and Kathleen Miskovich, 50, of Richland.

Common Pleas judges are elected to 10-year terms and paid $152,115 a year.

Is city of Pittsburgh running out of cash for vehicle repairs?

Is city of Pittsburgh running out of cash for vehicle repairs? Mr. Ravenstahl said his public works, law and budget aides are studying whether to continue the privatization effort, or reverse it.

'I voiced my concerns with the privatization from the very beginning,' he said, but there could be costs associated with bringing the work back in-house.

Sue!

Hearing about Tony's Trailblazer isn't really that motivational. Just a hunch. Such a downer, that tailight.

He's the truly independent

So, the P-G wants flamboyant and bombastic candidates who are NOT from the D party, perhaps.

Return Dawida: He's the truly independent choice for controller 'I'm not flamboyant and bombastic,' he said. 'I work under the radar.' Perhaps not what a city with one-party government needs.

Furthermore, Dwadia isn't independent. He's a democrat. True.

We don't need a controller to take the job further. It needs to be what it should be and not anything more. We don't have what we need now.

I don't want Dawadia to take the job further like he did with the stadium building when he was a part of county government. That's old-school, top-down, corporate welfare, big spending, low returns, cronie assistance.

Dawida is over reaching as he says he'll improve police, cut workers' comp, reform schools, elminate traffic jams, and get Doug Shields to talk less.

The P-G STRONGLY ENDORSES Mike Dawida. Go figure.

Pop City - Pittsburgh ranked as a "City of the Future"

Happy Hype:

Pop City - Pittsburgh ranked as a "City of the Future" In addition, it ranked as one of the five most “cost effective” cities for business and landed among the top five cities with the best infrastructure.

“The Cities of the Future is not your average list by your average publication,” notes Michael Langley, CEO of the Allegheny Conference on Community Development. “This recognition indicates the growing prominence of southwestern Pennsylvania as a key area for global investment.”

Our city infrastructure has landed alright. It landed in the toilet that doesn't flush and flows along a hillside that slides.

Our growing prominence comes as a shrinking city. What's worse -- our growing cluelessness from those who are in prominent offices.

Write-in candidate on fence as GOP hatches campaign - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Write-in candidate on fence as GOP hatches campaign - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review But in an e-mail message yesterday, DeSantis wrote, 'I love this city and am flattered that some of my fellow citizens think me worthy (of) being mayor of this great city. However, I have no formal plans at this time.'

I'm torn about this.

First of all, the guy doesn't want to run. Don't write him in.

Second, the effort is coming from the Allegheny County GOPers, not the city committee. Heck, the county guys could not find anyone for the County Executive Race, County Controller Race, County D.A. Race, County Treasurer Race, and a host of other offices where they have not fielded a candidate.

Perhaps the Republicans should focus on races where they have real candidates who want to enter the race and want to win. Put that phone calling efforts into the Sheriff's race. Put it into the county council at-large race. Heck, start calling all the old folks with money and see if they need new attorneys to manage their trust funds.

Seriously, there are some real school board races with real republicans, in the city and beyond. Help them get votes. They need the help.

The County GOPers should work on, rather than with a bogus race for mayor, getting Lynn Swann a phone that works and email that works so he can run against Jason Altmire in 2008. Or, talk with any of the other dozen candidates who want to go to congress in that district, from the GOP ranks.

But, on the other hand, a Republican in the mayor's race might help me in the mayor's race. The Republican and I could demand debates. The Republican and I could raise some issues. The Republican and I could hold our own debate. The Repubican and I could stress different themes. For example, he could call Luke a liar while I just call for a shift to honesty.

But most of all, a Republican in the Mayor's race could mean that I won't finish in last place.

The Republicans in the city could write in Les Ludwig. Or, they could write in Mark DeSantis, 47, who doesn't want the votes. Or, they could write in me, Mark Rauterkus, also 47. I'm actually out in the community and on the internet raising a voice of opposition to the status quo they've been offering on Grant Street.

I've been a candidate for mayor in 2001 -- as a Republican -- because I hated the leadership from Grant Street then. It hasn't changed much in the past six years, sadly. Some, but the city is still on the brink.

Mark DeSantis isn't serious. He hasn't returned my calls. Nor is the RCAC serious. They too don't return my phone calls.

There is a fourth and fifth option for Republicans in the May 2007 primary: Don't vote. And, write in the City Paper's Pierogie.

That fence sitting is a bad place to be.

Might as well just sign my petition and help me get onto the ballot and support a Libertarian.

Tuesday, April 24, 2007

May 10 school board forum

See the Google Calendar for details.

Honz Man hosted Rick Swartz from 2-3 pm. Where is the web archive?

I hope the producers at KDKA radio will post the one-hour interview and phone call from the 2-3 pm hour when Rick Swartz was with Fred, the Honz Man. Swartz is a candidate for Allegheny County Chief Executive in the D primary.

Presently, the KDKA Radio site, kdkaradio.com, has two major stories devoted to the 2008 election, not the 2007 elections.

Mystery of Downtown Job Growth and Total via A.I. concerning PDP hype

The Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership (PDP) acts as the administrative agency for the Downtown Improvement District and as a booster of the Downtown area and it’s attributes to workers, visitors, and residents. By all accounts, it is doing a good job in both roles.

But things might have become a bit overzealous in the booster department. The PDP recently released a study showing that the number of people working in Downtown Pittsburgh (considered as the Golden Triangle, the North Shore, South Shore, Strip District, and Uptown) has increased 23 percent between 1996 and 2006 to stand at 136,928. The study also notes that this number is a substantial portion of the region’s overall workforce and that much of the growth came from the sectors of finance (up 10,000 jobs) and services (up 5,000 jobs).

The study used a mixture of 2000 Census data and surveys conducted by private firms to build a model that estimates the counts in years before (1996) and after (2006) the latest Census information. It is interesting to note that for all of the fanfare and coverage surrounding the report, the job count is different from the number listed on the PDP’s website which places Downtown employment at 140,000. That number has been around for several years.

Nevertheless, there is a troubling aspect of the growth reported by the study: how are we to believe that there has been a 23 percent increase in Downtown employment when almost every economic indicator connected to Downtown as well as the County and region is moving in the opposite direction or holding flat?

For instance, let’s look at vacancy rates, transit trips, tax collections, regional job growth and population changes in the City and County.

* Downtown Vacancy rate—Our 2005 report showed that the vacancy rate for office space in the Golden Triangle (where there is 20 million square feet of office space, about 50 percent of the region’s total) was around 18 to 20 percent for Class A office space. The overall vacancy rate had increased 37 percent from the third quarter of 2001 through the third quarter of 2004. Recently released numbers show that the vacancy rate has risen to 20.7 percent at the end of March, 2007. Obviously, the rising office vacancy rate does not support the notion that jobs are growing let alone at a pace of over two percent per year.

* Public Transit Ridership—As measured by the National Transit Database indicator “average weekday unlinked trips”, it is hard to see how there could be such a significant uptick in Downtown employment. Since the majority of trips carried by the Port Authority are commuters (the study mentions that 4 in 10 Downtown workers use PAT), how do we reconcile the reported Downtown job growth with an 8 percent drop in trips during the ten-year period? The Database shows there were 253,000 weekday-unlinked trips in 1996. By 2006, daily trips had fallen to 233,000. Note that the peak year was 2001 when there were 258,000 daily trips, a modest rise from the 1996 level. Are substantially more people driving and parking in the City? Possibly. But it would seem highly unlikely given the big jump in gasoline prices since 2004 and the very high cost of parking Downtown.

* Tax Collections—A fairly good indicator of the number of people working in the City as a whole is to look at the collections of the $52 Emergency and Municipal Services Tax, which falls on every worker regardless of their place of residence. Collections from the tax and its predecessor, the occupation privilege tax ($52 now, $10 from 1996 through 2004), indicate that about 316,000 people are working in the City. That’s up 9 percent from the 1996 total of 289,000, but down since the peak year reading of 324,000 in 2000. In fact, 1996 and 1997 were the two lowest years of collections in the past thirteen years. It certainly does not seem reasonable to argue that Downtown employment would far outstrip the rate of job growth Citywide as measured by the revenues from this tax.

* Regional Growth Levels—The PDP study states that the 23 percent growth came in large part from just two sectors: finance, up by 10,890 (34%) jobs over the ten years, and services, up by 4,734 (12%). Compare these growth figures to the official data for the seven-county metropolitan area as reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics: A 7 percent growth rate in financial activities (4,700 jobs) and an 11 percent increase (33,000) in service jobs. In short, the study is essentially arguing that the increase in Downtown financial jobs has exceeded gains in the region as a whole. If true, that would mean that the region outside Downtown Pittsburgh has lost 6,000 financial jobs. Meanwhile, the study’s services job increase is fairly close to the regional gain and credible. Finally, bear in mind that there has been no net gain in private sector jobs in the Pittsburgh Metro area between February 2000 and February 2007.

* City and County Population Changes—Over the past 12 years or so Allegheny County has seen its labor force and number of jobholders shrink by 30,000. Meanwhile, the City of Pittsburgh’s population has shrunk by more than 30,000 since 1996 and its labor force has undoubtedly fallen, although proportionately less than the population. Since Allegheny County residents make up an overwhelming majority of jobholders in the City, it is hard to imagine that with the amount of County shrinkage we have seen that Downtown payrolls would have jumped 23 percent.

It could be that since the PDP study is only concerned with five Census tract neighborhoods at two points in time that a major portion of the Downtown job growth is the result of jobs moving from other parts of the City or region into Downtown. But there has been little in the way of news of such moves until the recent UPMC announcement. And those jobs were obviously not in Downtown in 2006.

The real problem is that we cannot be totally sure what the actual current job number is. We can, however, reasonably argue that in light of all the factors described above, there has not been a 23 percent gain in Downtown jobs since 1996. There was some growth between 1996 and 2001 from the 1996 low point. On the other hand, all signs point to a lower job total since 2001.

Source: April 24, 2007 Volume 7, Number 22 from Allegheny Institute.

[412] Your Autograph is desired. Collecting signatures from everyone in Allegheny County

Dear Eligible Voters of Allegheny County,

Your autograph and the autograph of your immediate family, friends, neighbors and co-workers is wanted on the attached form to insure that the democratic process lives for the November 2007 general election.

A concentration of power along with a lack of opposition is increasing our downward decline of both our population base and opportunities for other voices.

Your actions with this email and these forms will go a long way to insure voter choice and integrity in local elections in 2007 -- at a time when we need it most.

I've pulled together a slate of people to stand for office with me. Alternatives are needed as I don't want to give the ones in office now a "Free Pass" and further ignore accountability.

When you sign the petition, you agree we should be on the ballot and nothing more. You don't have to vote for me.

Money is not necessary. Just print the form (front and back) and just pay return postage -- or drop off to -- Mark Rauterkus, 108 South 12th Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15203.

The "official" election form is legal sized. Sadly, it only prints on paper that is 14-inches tall. Ouch. If you don't have paper like that loaded in your computer's printer, email me and I'll mail or drop of a form to your home or workplace. Provide your address. Furthermore, the form must be printed on front and back. Ouch again.

Directions: Sign the first box, P R I N T, the second box, so letters are apart. Include middle initials and Jr./Sr./etc. as registered on election department records. Otherwise, you are deemed less than human and your signature won't count. Ouch. Your street number and address plus boro and municipality is needed (i.e., Castle Shannon, NOT Pgh). Finally, the date.

One omission and the un-democratic lawyers will attack. Dragging me into court -- again is something I want to avoid. I hate that scene. The goal is to get 10,000 valid signatures to have a buffer against a legal challenge. More is better. Deadlines are in July.

Next hurdle (ouch) is to match signatures to the proper form. People in different voting areas need to sign different forms to make this more difficult.

I've limited this email to two choices:
+ voters in CITY OF PITTSBURGH (or) (petition-city.pdf)
+ voters in ALLEGHENY COUNTY. (petition-county.pdf)

If you can't print the form but would like to sign, send me an email with your address.

Return signed forms to:

Mark Rauterkus
108 South 12th Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15203

Thaks for your help.

Monday, April 23, 2007

Full County Smoking Ban Kicks In Next Week - News Story - WTAE Pittsburgh

Full County Smoking Ban Kicks In Next Week - News Story - WTAE Pittsburgh Until July 1, first-time offenders will get off with a warning.

Get out of jail free cards are available by ...

MSM insights. Bill Moyers on the selling of the war

Must see TV, it seems.

Best Practices in eDebates from MN - and Plans for 2008

Steven Clift, fellow netizen and hero of mine, has a wonderful web movie that covers some best-practices for online education for voters from various ventures he's helped to organize throughout the years. These efforts center upon web debates. I've loved being engaged in some of these past efforts as a citizen and consumer of the process.

His recent blog post.

Now Yahoo! et al are talking about holding Presidential online debates. How nice.

The press release from Yahoo! makes an important announcement. However, there have been plenty of online candidate debates. It is a bad practice to say that you are the 'first' in anything.

Web White & Blue hosted a debate in 2000. Check out this web movie,
http://www.e-democracy.org/movies/presidentialedebate.html

"Slugging it out" is the wrong theme. Internet formats should be designed to allow more in-depth answers and a substantive exchange and not to promote a flame fest. Cable television new political punditry can hurl insults there. Don't bring that shock and awe to the internet.

Nomination Papers to download, print, sign and return to us

These links to PDFs hold the keys to the necessary paperwork for the nomination papers so we can get onto the ballot in November 2007.

Any eligible voter in the county can sign. But, the right paperwork must be matched with the right location of the voter.

Those that live nearest to me, on the South Side, in district 3, sign this paper:
http://Elect.Rauterkus.com/papers/petition-cc-3.pdf (PDF, 112k)

Those that live in city council district 7, (Len vs. Patrict in D primary), sign this paper:
http://Elect.Rauterkus.com/papers/petition-cc-7-pdf.pdf (PDF, 719k)

Those that live in city council district 9, (home of Twanda), sign this paper: http://Elect.Rauterkus.com/papers/petition-cc-9.pdf (PDF, 110k)

Anyone in the city can sign this paper:
http://Elect.Rauterkus.com/papers/petition-city.pdf (PDF, 720k)

Anyone in the county can sign this paper:
http://Elect.Rauterkus.com/papers/petition-county.pdf (PDF, 720k)

Second page (flip side):
http://Elect.Rauterkus.com/papers/2nd-page-petition.pdf (PDF, 614k)

Summer Wardrobe

This t-shirt is now for sale.

We didn't have swim practice tonight. Sadly.

A link from the Carlynton School District web site reads as follows:

April 23, 2007

Dear Parent/Guardian:we

On Monday, April 23, 2007, a hand-written message was found on a bathroom partition of a boys’ restroom in the Carlynton Junior-Senior High School. The message suggested the author was going to ‘blow up’ the school on Tuesday, April 24, 2007. Unfortunately, this type of behavior is occurring on a regular basis in schools throughout Allegheny and the surrounding counties.

The police were immediately notified and are investigating this information.

While we may question the credibility of this threat, we always want to err on the side of caution. As a result, all activities occurring at the Junior-Senior High School for Monday evening are cancelled. The Allegheny County Police Department will complete a search of the building on Monday evening and the building will remain locked until 7:00 a.m. Tuesday morning.

No students are permitted to drive to school on Tuesday. An officer will monitor the driveway to ensure that only school personnel drive onto or near the school. All backpacks will be subject to search upon entrance to the school.

This message was specific to the Junior-Senior High School and no other building is involved. Still, we will continue to take our normal precautions in all of the buildings.

The search for the person(s) responsible for this behavior continues. Anyone with information regarding this matter is encouraged to contact the district at 412-429-8400 ext. 117 or the Robinson Township Police at 412-788-8115.

Thank you for your support and cooperation. School will be open and students are to report as usual.

Sincerely yours,
Michael A. Panza, Ed.D.
Superintendent

Steelers fear. Steelers are RENTERS. Buy Heinz Field and then let's talk

Steelers fear casino traffic on game days 'There's a whole different picture on the North Shore that needs to be looked at,' he said.

The Steelers rent Heinz Field. The team has no sway unless it buys Heinz Field.

I think we should sell Heinz Field to the Steelers. And, let's sell PNC Park to the Pirates. And, let's keep the Civic Arena too, while we're at it.

These teams rent. If they were owners, we'd have another discussion.

Don Barden is going to own his casino.

Sun Microsystems chair touts open-source education for K-12 kids

This is the Pittsburgh Promise that I've been talking about for years. Back in 2000 I was asking for Open Source Software for our schools.

Sun Microsystems chair touts open-source education for K-12 kids Sun Microsystems chair touts open-source education for K-12 kids

SUN is a great company. SUN has some great tools. You can help by taking the plunge and getting and using OpenOffice.org for your office productivity suite.

As I pass out CDs to the community members I see on the campaign trails, an installer of OpenOffice.org is generally contained.

Personal Democracy Forum – Technology Is Changing Politics

Running Mates and readers of this blog should not let this pass without putting your skin in the game.

Personal Democracy Forum – Technology Is Changing Politics: Google Personal Democracy Forum Scholarships: Free Registration for Politicos and Non-Profit Professionals

Are you a campaign staffer blazing a new trail in online politics? A non-profit professional trying new technologies with great results? An activist with ideas about the next big thing to change elections?

Then we want you to participate in the Personal Democracy Forum, where the nation's leading technologists, campaign organizers, politicos, bloggers, activists and journalists come together in New York City for a high-level conversation about the new tools, sites and practices that are transforming politics and democracy.

Take Your Father to School Day -- planning and event

I can't attend this meeting:

Committee Members:
Mr. Mark Brentley, Board Member would like to invite you to a Take a Father to School Day Planning Meeting on Friday, April 27, 2007 at 5:00 p.m. in the Board Office located at 341 S. Bellefield Avenue, Oakland on the 2nd floor. Please enter the Administration Building on the Bellefield side. Please RSVP at 412-622-3770 or via email at boardoffice@pghboe.net. We look forward to seeing you on Friday.

Robin Wenger, Board Executive Assistant, Pittsburgh Public Schools, Board of Directors - Room 245, 341 S. Bellefield Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213 -- rwenger1@pghboe.net - 412-622-3770 (Phone)

If you want to go, lend a hand, assist with the planning, take some action.

My reply:

I wish you all the best on Take Your Father To School Day. But..... I'm not going to be any help to you all. My family and I are going to go to New Zealand on April 28 -- and return around June 9.

We subscribe to the "leave no child behind theory" -- so we take our kids abroad when we go. :)

My wife is going to be teaching a course there and help them with some issues in her field. We'll explore, study, swim, play music and soak it in.

My advice:

I'd love to see a FALL version of Take Your Father To School. When the dads get into the school after the school year has finished, the impact isn't as great, I dare say. I'd love to see dad's get a leg up on knowing teachers, classmates, parents of classmates, and such. By May, the years is behind us.

Could we build upon the tradition and hold FALL take your father to school day as well as a spring session too?

Perhaps there can be a survey taken this year asking that question and some open-ended questions. We did that once, but it sorta got taken into the realm of the administration and out of the hands of the volunteers. Oh well.

Ohligarchy: Candidates At Large

Ohligarchy: Candidates At Large

Check out the bottom line of this post. One word.

New National Fatherhood PSA

City aide's cosmetics sales pitch rebuffed

City aide's cosmetics sales pitch rebuffed: P-G article.

This doesn't look good. When you put lipsick on a pig, you still have a pig.

Candidate disclosure rules in Pa. brew court battles

PennLive.com: NewsFlash - Candidate disclosure rules in Pa. brew court battles: "At the center of the ballot-access cases is disagreement over what must be reported on the one-page 'statement of financial interests' that candidates must file with the state Ethics Commission as a condition for having their names listed on the ballot. The other condition, imposed by the state Election Code, requires them to gather enough voters' signatures to qualify for the office they are seeking.

Candidates can be challenged for failing to meet either requirement — putting them at risk of being thrown off the ballot only weeks before an election.

The required disclosures on the financial statements are relatively superficial — only the names of companies or other sources of income, for example, not dollar amounts or other details."

Diaspora Developments

Mike M and others at Pittsblog.Blogspot.com and elsewhere are talking about a manifesto.

Diaspora - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Diaspora

Bridges are nice. But, the notion that I'd love to use as a story of Pittsburgh would be 'gang planks to Pittsburgh.'

From planning-urban

Think of a large ferry boat, pulling up to a pier and in about 30-seconds, 200 people spill, from two levels, into the city's streets.

I'm not talking about those dinky foot bridges that take 40-minutes to empty the Majestic before or after a ball game. I'm thinking big, wide, mulit-level gang-planks to transfer mobs of pedestrians.

Okay, here goes my mind dump to take the conversation to another level. All in all, part of the charm of being Pittsburgh is our attraction everywhere else. But, part of the harm is to only talk about and only focus upon ourselves. We need to look beyond our borders. But, we also need to look within and allow others that come to raise their colors from time to time. I think that this diaspora can and should go both ways.

I'd love to see Pittsburgh's "REUNION HALL." Or, better yet, five such "reunion halls."

From DHCC - mt-was...

I'd love to see a CMU club. We've got a HYP (Harvard, Yale, Princeton) Club. But this doesn't need to be 'stuffy' -- just a Tartan kinda-place. Build it in Hazelwood.

I'd love to see other cities and regions have Reunions Days here in Pittsburgh. Folks from Cinci, NY, Boston, Chicago, Canada, etc., could have a places and times to gather -- monthly. Of course these could be commercial venues. Folks with a St. Louis connection meet at Bar Louie on the first Saturday of the month, for example.

Every parade, festival, road race (i.e., Great Race, etc.), and event must cross the river in some shape or form.

Small city rivalry among small sports teams should occur. First, the city schools need to be a part of the WPIAL. Furthermore, sports teams, such as swimming, rugby, ultimate, golf, tennis, etc., etc. should have regional teams to battle on regular basis. This takes the sister-cities notions to new heights. Little leaguers in Brentwood could play against Youngstown. Divers in the South Hills should dive against Bowling Green. Footballers from West Mifflin should play against a squad from State College.

The largest event in the Convention Center each year should be a youth technology summit.

A new magazine, Teacher from Pittsburgh, should be created. We've been exporting teachers to the rest of the nation. They all have classrooms. They should get scholarships to travel back home.

Every college in PA should have a new scholarship to attract Pgh Public School grads to their campus -- Pittsburgh Promise like.

AND, every grad at every college in PA, if not the region in future years, should be given big-brother/big-sister/mentor opportunities and housing / home ownership options to move to Pittsburgh with their degree and perhaps for grad school / start of career.

Grads from Slippery Rock, Westminster, Nova, PSU-Johnstown, should all have clearly marked homes in The Burgh.

Pittsburgh needs urban campgrounds.

Pittsburgh needs a few new youth hostels.

Pittsburgh needs out-of-town newspaper deliveries - news stands.

Pittsburgh should open a "Metro High" that would be for transplants to Pittsburgh.

Time shares happen at the beach in N.C. I think that a few high rise time shares could flourish in the city. Many people from around the world would be happy to come to Pittsburgh for one week a year, if they had a nice place to stay. They'd take in ball games, shop, and visit.

Think urban time shares for Pgh. From planning-urban

Three or more of the area Pittsburgh Catholic High Schools should open dorms and present prep schools options. Resident students could be part of the mix at Bishop Canevan, Seton LaSalle, OLSH, Quigley, North Catholic, etc.

Pittsburgh should open all its schools to school choice so students and families can choose whatever school fits best with the person.

Pittsburgh's Westinghouse and Peabody should be turned into single gender schools, and open to the regional students. (Think Oakland & Central, but public.)

Every High School in Allegheny County should be encouraged to host reunions.

Venues on Grant Street and throughout Pittsburgh -- in quasi public settings -- should be made to be much more accessible for weddings, wedding anniversary celebrations and family reunions.

Activist planning education rally, May 17

Activist planning education rally An East Liberty activist yesterday said the Pittsburgh Public Schools' restructuring efforts aren't enough to lift black, poor students out of 'subservience' to white, higher-income peers, and he called on residents to join him in an education rights campaign.

Salvador Wilcox, chief executive officer of Education Innovations Inc., has planned an 'Education Crusader' rally for 11 a.m. May 17 outside school district offices in Oakland. 'Education Crusader' is the name of Mr. Wilcox's blog.

While he said students and teachers should consider walking out of their classrooms to take part, school district and union officials cautioned against that.

This would be a good time to rally against the broken promise of the Pittsburgh Promise. I won't be there.

2 strong women seek nomination to school board district 2

2 strong women seek nomination to school board district 2 Mrs. Tecza, 44, of Polish Hill, is an employment specialist at Achieva, an organization for people with disabilities. In her previous role there as an education advocate, she helped disabled students get instructional programs meeting their needs.

The Conversation: Vote for Rick

The Conversation: Vote for Rick

Fidelis of Sigmaringen - Happy Feast Day St Fidelis

Fidelis of Sigmaringen - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia His feast day in the Roman Catholic Church is April 24.

Michael Badnarik on internet radio

When Michael Badnarick was a candidate for US President, he came to an event I hosted in Mt. Washington. It was a busy night, and I didn't take video or photos, sadly.

Passion.

A powerful or compelling emotion or feeling.

Boundless enthusiasm.

As far back as I can remember, I have always loved Liberty. The first memories I have are of me wearing my navy blue Cub Scout uniform, marching in a Fourth of July parade. I remember being very proud, waving to my mother and father as they watched from the curb.

Since then, my passion for Liberty has grown exponentially, motivated in large part by the realization that most of what my government does is unconstitutional. I knew that somehow, some way, I was going do something about it. I ran for Texas State representative, and then surprised myself by running for President of the United States. My fellow Libertarians surprised me even more by making me their 2004 Libertarian nominee in a stunning "come from behind" victory. That success led me to devote two more years attempting to win a seat as the first Libertarian in Congress.

Today - disallusioned with "politics as usual" and the corrupt elections foisted upon us by the use of electronic voting machines - I have decided to attack the problem from a different angle. I am going to combine my freedom of speech with my burning desire to restore our Constitutional republic to its original standard of ethics. Tomorrow, April 23rd, I begin a new career as the host of a new radio talk show called Lighting the fires of Liberty!

The purpose of my program will be to share the love I have for freedom, and the ideals upon which the founders created this great nation. Naturally, I will talk about the Constitution and quote frequently from many of our early patriots, but I want my program to be different. I want to inspire people! I want to instill an all consuming and burning passion for Liberty! I want my listeners to experience the same level of patriotic fervor that Patrick Henry experienced when he exclaimed, "Give me Liberty, or give me death!"

I want you to laugh and share the joy I feel, knowing that we live in the greatest country the ever existed on the face of the earth. I want you to get angry when you realize that the Patriot Act, the Military Commissions Act, and the REAL ID Act are blatantly unconstitutional, and threaten the very lifestyle we love so much. I want you to be moved to tears when you listen to Ray Charles singing "America... America... God shed his grace on thee!"

I am very proud that I will soon be a member of the WE THE PEOPLE RADIO NETWORK, along with other Liberty activists such as Alex Jones, Dr. Katherine Albrecht, Jack Blood, Peymon Mottahedeh, Mark Koernke, Debbie Stevens, and others. Not only that, but I've been given the very prestigeous "morning drive time" slot every weekday from 7:00am until 9:00am, Central Time. I invite you to listen online at www.WTPRN.com, and call in to express your passionate views on the air. The call-in number is 512-646-6449.

The guest for my very first program will be my mother, Elaine Badnarik. She is the person who taught me to read, to love learning, and to pursue every adventure and activity with all of the passion I could muster. In all of the ways that are truly significant, I am the person I am because of the example that she set for me. Tomorrow is your opportunity to call in to speak with her personally on the air.

Finally, this is the very last time I will broadcast a message to every eMail address I have collected during my last two campaigns. I know that many of these address are now obsolete, however I haven't had any way to know which ones those are. Now that my website newsletter program has been modified to successfully distribute messages to the thousands of addresses I have collected, I will make this announcement - and then delete everyone from the list! Therefore, if you want to continue receiving my newsletter, you will have to visit www.ConstitutionPreservation.org and re-subscribe to the newsletter one last time.

Thank you for your past support of my political campaigns. I am honored that so many people thought I was worthy of their time and endorsement. I hope that many of you will now become avid listeners of my program. Fortunately people in the Pacific Time Zone will not be required to wake up at 5:00am to hear me because my program will automatically be archived on the website the moment my program goes off the air. I am no longer a candidate, however as long as I am able to breathe, I will continue...

Lighting the fires of Liberty, one heart at a time!

Michael Badnarik

Think Free Be Free - Welcome to ThinkFree.ca

Think Free Be Free - Welcome to ThinkFree.ca ThinkFREE is dedicated to helping achieve a freer and more just society, where authority is achieved without deception and exercised with restraint, understanding, accountability and compassion. We employ educational seminars, guerrilla videography, Notarial justice, advocacy, public action and dance. (Seriously, never doubt the power of dance)

Sunday, April 22, 2007

Film extras ad ruffles feathers in Christchurch

Film extras ad ruffles feathers in Christchurch - New Zealand's source for entertainment news, gossip & music, movie & book reviews on Stuff.co.nz Christchurch Public Domain Authority

Perhaps I'll announce that I'm a candidate for another office. I could run for the board of an authority: The Christchurch Public Domain Authority.

DVD handouts at BootCampPgh.org

At yesterday's event at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, I passed out some DVDs of a movie.

From ads - political

Hope you enjoy the film.

six days and counting

From family - travels

We're now in a panic.

Saturday, April 21, 2007

Concept map of the wiki of the platform on the blog

From maps

Luke pimps Les Ludwig's slogan again

Les Ludwig coined the slogan, "Do more with Les." Les ran against Bob O'Connor. Luke -- this quote rubs me the wrong way.

Health-care switch to save city millions 'It is a significant savings for us, as a city that continues to do more with less,' Mayor Luke Ravenstahl said while unveiling the arrangement yesterday.

How about if the city just does what it must with what it has. I don't really want Luke to do more. No more property tax abatement. No more boneheaded spending.

A single payer health system, as designed by people in Pittsburgh already, would do wonders to the city's budget. It could give PA a competitive adantage and it makes for a system-wide fix helping small business, large business, government workers and every citizen.

Getting all the health insurance from one provider also has the risk of sinking the city when the contract comes due in a couple of years.

There is some security in diversity.

Getting all the health insurance coverage from one provider is like a single, bigger band-aid.

A fitness program too!

City Ethics Board Still Can't Get Together - News Story - WTAE Pittsburgh

City Ethics Board Still Can't Get Together - News Story - WTAE Pittsburgh 'I think you look to what's important for this commission to do going forward,' said board member Kathy Beuchel.

Why We Think We’re Unhappy and What Not to Do About It

Cato Unbound � Blog Archive � Why We Think We’re Unhappy and What Not to Do About It One obvious reason for our willingness to believe in widespread malaise is the proliferation of books, movies, articles, and other media that tell us how horrible things are these days. Part of the story has to be that bad news sells better than good news. “If it bleeds, it leads,” as they say. University of California, Davis psychologist Michael Hagerty suggests that this is one reason most Americans think that their life has improved, while most other Americans’ lives haven’t.

Recent City Homicides Raise Public Safety Concerns

kdka.com - Recent City Homicides Raise Public Safety Concerns

Water Pork from Taxpayers for Common Sense

WATER PORK BILL FLOATS THROUGH CONGRESS
Volume XII No. 5 - April 30, 2007

Lawmakers this week passed a $16.5 billion water project bill (H.R. 1495), containing more than 800 parochial pork barrel projects for virtually every Congressional district in the nation. This bill has it all: from $1.8 billion to build seven unnecessary new navigation locks on the Upper Mississippi River (pdf) (Sec. 8003) to studying the navigation impacts of building the infamous “Don Young’s Way” bridge project in Alaska (Sec. 4005), to $55 million for pumping sand (pdf) to maintain Imperial Beach, CA for the next 50 years (Sec. 1001 (9)).

In a race to get this long stalled bill approved (they've been working on it since 2002), congressional leadership seemed to forget about the fundamental flaws that Hurricane Katrina exposed in the way the Corps of Engineers develops, designs and constructs this country’s water resource projects. In the starkest terms, Katrina showed us (pdf) that the time is long passed to end the political spoils system that has driven water project investment for more than a century. We need a modern, accountable and prioritized system to develop and award projects. It’s a message that Congress has failed to grasp.

Almost as an afterthought, lawmakers passed an amendment by Reps. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Tom Petri (R-WI), and Peter Welch (D-VT) that directs the Corps of Engineers to update archaic rules (pdf) that govern how water projects are developed and selected. The outdated current rules (Principles & Guidelines), for example, encourage the Corps to build levees that protect undeveloped low-lying areas to spur economic development rather than building higher and stronger levees where there are actually people and property to protect. Disco died, come back to life and died again since 1983, the last time these rules were updated.

The Senate will now consider its own bill, which includes an amendment by Sens. Russ Feingold (D-WI) and John McCain (R-AZ) that would make the Corps more accountable to the public through truly independent peer review for costly, controversial or critical projects. That’s the good news.

The bad news is that Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chair Barbara Boxer (D-CA) is looking to add to the $15 billion price tag by including more projects in the bill for “acute needs.” (pdf)

But there is no acute need for billions more in water projects. The Corps already has a whopping $58 billion backlog of projects they haven’t built yet, and will get only $2 billion in construction funding this year. To add more than $16 billion in new projects will just add more competition for the precious few construction dollars lying around. The acute need is for serious reform. Congress should require the Corps to prioritize projects and funnel money to the projects that will benefit the nation the most. Absent such a system, Congress and the Corps don’t even know which projects should be first on the list. When that happens, decisions are based on politics rather than need.

The Administration, which has rattled the veto saber recently, left it sheathed for this bill. Considering the well deserved public relations hit this Administration took for its Katrina response, you might think reforming the agency that built the New Orleans levees would be a top priority.

Breaking the nearly two-century old iron triangle of water pork in this country (we have a copy of an 1836 House Ways & Means Committee report documenting 25 wasteful Corps projects) is going to take a lot more. Katrina exposed the costly consequences of our existing parochial water project system. Now Congress needs to take the necessary steps make the Corps of Engineers more accountable.

Going on at Taxpayer.net This Week

The Senate this week introduced its own standards regarding how it will handle earmarks in appropriations bill.

Friday, April 20, 2007

Big Idea Book | Engage Pittsburgh

What happened to the promise of the funding of ideas from the fall of 2006? Spout Fund -- what's up?

Big Idea Book | Engage Pittsburgh
The Big Idea Book is an aggregation of the ideas and projects that were discussed at The Sprout Fund's September 9, 2006 Idea Round Up event and the online discussions that will continue on engagepittsburgh.org throughout the fall 2006.

Ideas are grouped in general topic areas like chapters in a book. Currently, the only features enabled for engagepittsburgh.org users are the abilities to view, comment and rate (vote) the ideas. Additional features to modify and add to the idea pages will be forthcoming.

The Movies of Campus MovieFest

An easy way to kill some time.

The Movies of Campus MovieFest The Campus MovieFest International Grand Finale, showed phenomenal short movies, music, and more. CMF provided Apple laptops, camcorders, and training to over 25,000 students this past year and on June 10th, hundreds experienced the best short movies of 2006 submitted by students at schools throughout Atlanta, Florida, Boston, California, and Scotland, plus a fascinating Q&A session with the top filmmakers.

New arena could displace synagogue in Hill District - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

New arena could displace synagogue in Hill District - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: The only synagogue that serves Downtown could be moving again to make way for a new arena, an official said Thursday.

The arena could be built around Beth Hamedrash Hagodol-Beth Jacob, but the city-county Sports & Exhibition Authority would prefer to relocate the synagogue to make more space, said Executive Director Mary Conturo.

'It would work much better, in terms of the loading dock and access to it, if the synagogue relocated,' Conturo said. 'Possibly we could design around it, but it's not preferable.'

This makes me mad. The congregation is going to move. Move out of the city.

They didn't think about this before? There is far to much that they didn't tell us.

The church buildings are going down now.

Duhh. Why didn't we build the new arena out by the airport. Then, perhaps, there would be a new development there. And, with the new development, new residents. And, furthermore, new places of worship.

We are tearing down and churning. We are not growing the region.

Make Internet TV

Make Internet TV: "Make Internet TV
You Make the News"

In ONE DAY: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - Events Calendar

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - Events Calendar: Boot Camp Pittsburgh
Art Institute of Pittsburgh
4/21/2007 9am

This is a free one-day introductory event for internet users comprised of 25 sessions that will cover the basics of blogging, podcasting, and 'social networking' (i.e. making social and business contacts using websites like MySpace).

Presenters include a wide range of experts, including popular podcasting musician Matthew Ebel, online entertainment guru and PodCamp co-founder Chris Brogan of Network2, the creator and cast of local web series 'Something To Be Desired', and Pittsburgh-based internet personality iJustine, runner-up in Yahoo's recent national Talent Search.

For more information and to register for free, go to www.bootcamppgh.org.

More Testimony from the Legislative Reform Hearing in Pittsburgh

Yesterday, I got to speak to the Harrisburg lawmakers about legislative reform. (scroll down). Here are the words from another (running mate).

Testimony on legislative reform in Pennsylvania, hearing in Pittsburgh, April 19, 2007.

My name is Al Bennett. I live in Representative Chelsa Wagner’s district at 956 Pine Avenue in Castle Shannon, located in the south hills of Pittsburgh. I retired here with my wife Linda after working for almost 20 years for the California State Library in Sacramento. My wife is from the south hills and missed Pittsburgh every day she was away. I spent my high school years in Beaver County and am also very glad to be back in this extraordinary area.

While leading the California Literacy Campaign throughout the state of California beginning in 1983, I interacted regularly with the California State legislature. Although reform was an ongoing agenda item during those years, one change that occurred in the 1990s led to positive change in a particularly profound way. That reform was the imposition of term limits on both the State Assembly and the Senate.

I have been surprised since we moved to Castle Shannon in 2001 at the extreme need for reform in the Pennsylvania legislature. It is clear that the present structure has made election to the legislature an opportunity for personal gain that greatly interferes with the objective of serving constituents’ needs. By the time a legislator has been reelected enough times to gain substantial power, the temptation to put his or her personal benefits above those of constituents has become very great.

I saw a similar pattern when I started working with the California state legislature in the early ‘80s. But when an initiative was introduced to limit the number of terms a legislature could serve, I felt the loss of experience and wisdom would make lobbyists’ and staffers’ power even greater and I voted against the measure.

I must report, however, that I was wrong. Within the very first year that legislators became “termed out”, a change for the good occurred. The most powerful member of the Assembly, speaker Willy Brown who would probably never have been voted out by voters in his district, had to step aside. An amazing breeze of fresh air started to blow into the Assembly. I saw the cynical attitudes of old pros replaced by the enthusiasm of new, frequently young and often children of immigrants, newly-elected legislators grab hold of the legislative process. Instead of “that’ll never work”, we began to get “let’s give it a try”, and changes that could never have happened before began to occur. And they are still going on.

There are many reforms that could be introduced in Pennsylvania, and many of them would undoubtedly be beneficial. But one that I believe would have profound benefits quickly is limiting numbers of terms that an individual can serve. I urge the legislature on behalf of the people of Pennsylvania to make term limits its highest reform priority.

Thank you for this opportunity to testify this morning.

He speaks of his experiences in California about term limits. My position on terms limits is the same. I'm okay with term limits.

I'd vote in favor of term limits. I even said in the past that I'd term limit myself. You can hear that pledge in my background audio from 2001 at TalkShoe.com. Give us term limits as they'd make for a remedial measure that would serve us well.

Most of all, we need term limits in the mayor's office and with other executive offices. We have it with the PA Governor, and that seems to work well.

I wonder: What do the ones in the Pgh Contoller's race -- and the Allegheny County Controller's race say about term limits?

Rutgers special event: Journalist David Z to visit campus

The event seems like it is well on its way and won't be nixed due to my blabbing about it. But, I'd love to see David take a few moments and talk about the cutting of men's swimming at Rutgers -- as he is oncampus.

CollegeSwimming.com :: View topic - Rutgers special event: Journalist David Z to visit campus: "A favorite journalist, author, sports-mind, netizen is due to go to Rutgers to speak at an event this week. Can Phil or others from NJ take the lead on this and be sure to get some from the swim community there to hear him -- and raise issues about the team's looming cut.

And, I've emailed David directly asking him to look into this before he steps on campus. A call or email from a swimmer at Rutgers directly to him might go far, before he arrives.

He just did a book on Ali. I love his social and sport insights.

Dave Zirin - edgeofsports@gmail.com

A Ho Ho no no - Homework for Mr. Zober. Well, it is really an in-class assignment. Don't take it home. All work should stay in the office.

From china - foods

A Ho Ho no no: "A Ho Ho no no" Friday's P-G business page article.

For Yarone's next homework assignement, tell us how many slices a pizza folks in Pittsburgh eat, on average, a day -- or a year.

Then, we want to know about pretzels.

Then, tell us about pierogies.

Then, do the research and math into the consumption of -- say -- iced tea and super-charged energy drinks.

Then, root bear. I think we've got more root beer drinkers than anywhere else.

We want real reasearch. We want press events, peer reviews, urban website coverage, and national and international talk-show interviews.

Take two or three weeks, if not months, on each topic area. Research a few other competing markets on each product too. Leave the wings, chili, sliders, fish and cones to others to research for now.

From china - foods

This will give you something meaningful to do. I know I'd rest better at night knowing that this mission was your top priority. And pull Mr. Skrinjer into this for three time a day meetings as well.

Finally, find out, again, as a follow-up, how much bottled water they are drinking on the other side of the all within City Council. That's always a very pressing concern.

From china - foods

Upper St. Clair citizen are rocking

We are very excited to be working to elect five members to the USC School Board who will make decisions for the benefit of our children and our community, protect the township's investment in its outstanding schools and Restore Unity, Sense and Civility to the USC School Board!

As you may know, we are publishing a weekly e-newsletter featuring one of our candidates each week, as well as campaign updates and issues. We have added your e-mail address to the list to receive the e-mail, and hope that it will keep you up to date and informed. If you have not received these newsletters, please check whether they are being delivered to your bulk/junk mail folder or being marked as spam. To ensure that you receive emails from RestoreUSC, please add newsletter@restoreusc.org to your address book today .

If you would rather not receive these occasional e-mails, you may unsubscribe at the bottom of any newsletter, or e-mail us via our web site at http://www.restoreusc.org .

We hope you will join us in our effort to Restore Unity, Sense and Civility to the governance of USC's finest asset - our schools.

Sincerely, Amy Billerbeck

May 1, 2007 - Important PUBLIC Hearing to combat Luke's tax give-a-way: City Council Meeting Schedule

Stay tuned. Save the date. Be there to speak. Call the City Clerk's office to get onto the agenda, 412 255 2138. Or, Call to get onto the agenda, either "in favor, AGAINST, or only with "statements." 412 255-2138.

I'm going to be in New Zealand. However, I expect to submit my statement to the city clerk for the record before I depart.

When you look on the city's web site, you notice these scant details.

This is a public hearing. So, folks will be given, if you call in advance, up to three minutes to speak. If you don't call, they still often allow you two minutes after all the speakers have gone.

City Council Meeting Schedule Tuesday, May 1, 2007
1:30 PM - Public Hearing - Bill No. 2007-1285
Ordinance amending and supplementing the Pittsburgh Code, Title Two, Fiscal; Article & IX, Property Taxes; Chapter 265, Exemptions for Residential Improvements: Section 265.01, Definitions; Section 265.03, Exemption for Improvements; and Section 265.04, Exemption for Residential Construction, so as to create a new ten-year exemption covering residential improvements and construction in areas defined as the Uptown District, the Downtown District and Targeted Growth Zones for exemption applications filed on or after July 1, 2007 and through June 30, 2012.

Also:
Public Hearing - Bill No. 2007-1286
Ordinance amending and supplementing the Pittsburgh Zoning Code, Title Two, Fiscal; Article IX, Property Taxes; Chapter 267, Exemptions for Industrial and Commercial Improvements; Section 267.01, Definitions; Section 267.03, Exemption Schedule; Section 267.04, Exemption Conditions; and Section 267.09, Participation by Allegheny County and Pittsburgh Board of Education, so as to create a new tax exemption for the conversion of industrial, commercial or other business property into owner-occupied residential use in deteriorated underutilized transition areas and also to increase the exemption for improvements constituting a qualified conversion to commercial residential use as to properties which are located in deteriorated underutilized transition areas for applications filed on or after July 1, 2007 through June 30, 2012.

This amounts to a tax give-a-way for ten years. People who speculate on property will benefit and the rest of the city will pay more.

This provides a benefit to those who have already been able to benefit by being around extensive public infrastructure investments. Those around the new arena are going to get a tax break. Those around the new tunnels under the rivers are going to get a tax break. Those around the new Point State Park are going to get a tax break. Those around the new Market Square are going to get a tax break. Those around the new Convention Center are going to get a tax break. Those around the new slots parlor are going to get a tax break. Those around the new PNC Park are going to get a tax break. Those around the new African American Cultural Center, the Grayhound Bus Station, the Garden Theater, PNC Plaza, etc., -- you get the idea -- get tax breaks. It is backwards thinking and backwards policy.

A massive amount of big-ticket spending has gone on with government money. They've been digging holes in the ground. These development projects are sinks themselves. Plus, these development projects are such that the areas around them need to be subsidized too -- so they think on Grant Street.

They are tossing good money after bad. They need to "Lay The Shovel Down." They need to stop digging the holes in the ground. Rather, they need to be finished with the hole digging and let everyone have a chance at a more level marketplace.

The great big sucking sound that Ross Perot talked about with Mexico is also known as this downtown area.

The new housing that will be squeezed into downtown spaces where it doesn't really belong needs to be subsidized for rich people to move there. That means that other neighborhoods will see valued residents depart for downtown. Other neigbhorhood see their taxes rise so tax breaks can be given to the rich that move to downtown. The poor get poorer and the rich get richer. The rest of the city gets punished for its years of hard work trying to sustain itself and the downtown cronies get rewarded for their political connections and sway.

Furthermore, this policy of putting upscale condos and rich people into homes in commercial spaces means it is going to be harder for commercial operations to come back into areas where they have the most chance of success. Downtown is our business brain center and our finance and law and government and board-room hub. Pittsburgh's rebound into a prosperous, vibrant, center of commerce and innovation is going to be more difficult to achieve in the years to come. Small business is getting elbowed out of places where they should be able to move to and sprout.

We don't want our business upstarts to need to move to Green Tree nor Hayes nor Troy Hill nor Betlzhoover. Green Tree is too finished and too expensive. That's a decent place for US Air expansion but not "Joe's High-Tech Widget Marvels" an early stage company. I want them in flex office space near downtown, on public transportation where the region's best and brightest can mingle. I don't want them to need to recuit the first 20 employees into a space that fits their needs in Hayes, Troy Hill or Betlzhoover -- but employees can't and won't want to work there as buses are impossible.

Summary: I want to have workers work downtown where access to services and capital is a stone's throw away. And, I want to have residents and workers live in Troy Hill, Betzhoover and Hayes.

Summary: I want to see tax breaks given to everyone, especially those who have lived a hard life keeping frail neighborhoods alive despite the shifting tides against them.

Summary: If downtown is such a hip place and is about to boom -- let it do so on its own. Don't subsidize what is already about to bloosom. Let them pull their own weight.

Monday, April 30, 2007

Friday, April 27, 2007

Thursday, April 26, 2007

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Tuesday, April 24, 2007

Monday, April 23, 2007

Sunday, April 22, 2007

Saturday, April 21, 2007

Friday, April 20, 2007

Important Links

Subscribe to this blog:

AddThis

Labels

Blog Archive

Odiogo Feed