Who controls the city? Asking and telling in next breath

Trib ANALYSIS "But that's not really the issue. Pittsburgh voters will be answering a much more fundamental question: Do they want to break the grip unionized employees have had on the city's government for decades?

I love Jake Haulk's perspectives and work, most of the time. He is strongly against corporate welfare. He was timid a bit on the parking situations when I would instead move to remove the entire authority over time. But on this matter of democracy and the November referendum, he seems to be flat out wrong.

Some want us to think that the The Nov. 2 ballot question is about getting a fire truck to the flames in four minutes. Others think it is about Pittsburgh's future.

"We are speaking for the 88 communities" in Pittsburgh, King said. "If you're concerned about fire safety, about your children, about your home, about your property, this is the way to voice your opinion."

Exactly. Democracy is what is really at stake here. This is rather simple. Politics is complicated and full of weirdness. However, democracy is rather straight. Some people think that they know what's best for all the other people. Other people think that the general population, in America, gets to have a right to decide important issues for themselves at the polls.

I hate to see the Tom Murphy's administration take a legal ballot question to the judge to get it ruled invalid. Tom Murphy does not want real democracy. Tom Murphy is scared of the people's collective choice.

I hate to see other people twist democracy into something that it isn't. This isn't a complicated question about some control of the city. That's smoke of the highest order. Fear, uncertainty, doubt works for the analysis pushers.

David Miller's quote about people voting based on who they think their friends are is lame. The vote in a ballot question avoids a personality as it is a question, not a candidate.

This weekend I talked to a gentleman on the street who said he loves our city council president and wished he had him as a son-in-law. But, he also said that this politician was terrible and had to go. He is wrecking the city. There is no way that guy is ever going to vote for this councilman again. But, he'd call him a friend.

David Miller, perhaps the newspaper got the quote wrong. Otherwise, I'm red-faced for you.

Moreover, the firefighters union does not have an organized adversary, said Joseph Sabino Mistick, a Duquesne University law professor who worked in the administrations of mayors Richard Caliguiri and Sophie Masloff.

Wrong! The organized adversary is Tom Murphy and his administration. Other organized opponents might be the Act 47 coordinators, the I.C.A. (oversight board) and analysis writers such as the Trib's Andrew Conte, PG editors and Jake Haulk. That sounds like a potent team of loyal opponents. They buy ink by the barrel and control the purse strings.

"We know the firefighters are in a position to wage an effective public relations campaign," Mistick said. "Will the forces that support these cuts be in a position to do the same? Where do they get their money? They don't have any real constituency."

Joe. I know that the mayor doesn't have any real constituency left, but, he does have those oversight pals and Gov. Ed Rendell. And, he'll be calling up KDKA TV and others to get his message out as he so desires. Presently he is doing his best to hide in a hole with the "no comment comment." But, that will pass.

Head's up: Overcoming poverty is a religious and moral issue that must be addressed in this election year.

Call to Renewal's Rolling to Overcome Poverty Bus Tour will be coming to Pittsburgh Friday, October 15 and McKeesport, Saturday, October 16, 2004. See the comments for details.

Mrs. Edwards visited the South Side Market House

We caught a bit of the presentation. Photos to come.

As for the rest of the blog - you nail it.

A City Councilman's comments to me in an email:

I believe that Act 47 Recovery Plan will keep us from bankruptcy and will help to put us on a course where we can "survive" for the next few years. Forcing the Mayor to resign might make some feel better, but the problems will still be here. As for the rest of the blog - you nail it. Lots of talk about what we should do, but not 5 people to take action and do something.

This came in as a result of last week's rant called, "Resign Already" posted on the web, with blog pointer.

Note, my goal has not been so much to survive. I don't want band-aid solutions. My aim is for Pittsburgh to thrive. We need to soar in our actions, in our community life and in our decisions about public policy. To soar, it takes an extention of wings to both the right and left as well as tail feathers.

Those who have an aim to just survive, nobel as it is, are going to fail us all. We don't need any more turnips or survival food. If we only look at ways to survive, we'll never look at ways to prosper. Sadly, the survival seekers are not interested in looking into ways to thrive. They seem to wear blinders to the big picture.

If you think that there are but only five here to take action, let me first ask you to entertain these thoughts before I dispute the notion.

More people left the city of Pittsburgh since Tom Murphy was mayor than voted for him to continue his tenure in the last election. There are tens of thousands of people who are packing their bags, selling their homes, relocating elsewhere. They are uprooting from this city in large numbers and at fast rates. That is hard work. Those people are voting with their feet. That is called, "taking action."

So, we have plenty of folks around here that are taking action on these serious problems. However, that isn't the type of action that you'd like to see, nor I, but at least I've been aware of it and giving that movement the credit it deserves. We can't pat ourselves on the back because those folks are not here.

We need to get the flood-gates to open in the other directions. We have a polorized leadership that sends people to scramble the other way. As soon as the mayor's reach is seriously discounted, his forces are neutralized, his sway is made meaningless and these folks don't rush out of dodge.

I think that the call for the Mayor's resignation is a seed of hope.

I think that the threat of a 34-percent rise in property tax is a strong poke in the eye that tells the citizens to bail from the city as fast as possible. Tom Murphy's budget and personna is inflicting pain and worry to all of Pittsburgh's citizens.

Those that don't feel Tom Murphy is part of the problem are sure to join him in the parade of dispair.

The ones who are going to feel better upon hearing serious talk of the Mayor's resignation include the one's who have left already and all those who are still hunkered down. Not everyone, but a vast majority of people are going to be uplifted by the overthrowing of the Murphy Administration. The Rooney family might cry the blues, but at least they'll be in a new musical venue soon.

Furthermore, i understand that one citizen, one pack of citizens with "Fire Mayor Murphy and City Council" t-shirts, and even one newspaper nor one city council member can force the mayor to resign. We can't force his resignation. No way. But, we can make the public request. "He should resign." The times and these situations call for bold talk and bold leadership.

We watch. I've heard the grumbling and mumbling. I'm not okay to watch as others just kick the dirt and say, "Sucks, we just shrunk the city by half and took its public funds to nothing." Pittsburgh deserves better. Pittsburgh's mayor has lead the city poorly. Pittsburgh deserves a better mayor, ASAP. Its time to clean house.

Bi-partisan is not non-partisan

(update in comments)

The October 8, 2004 debate is to feature the second head to head between Bush and Kerry. And, as a sideshow, Michael Badnarik, the Libertarian Party's 2004 presidential nominee, pledges he'll either enter the debate, or else he'll be going to jail.

"A majority of Americans say that I should be included in the events sponsored by the Commission on Presidential Debates," says Badnarik, 50, of Austin, Texas. "And the CPD, as a non-profit, has received special treatment from government on the requirement that they be
non-partisan in their activities. Bi-partisan is not non-partisan.

"Unless I am allowed to participate, the debates become a massive campaign contribution to two of the candidates, illegal under the very campaign finance laws those two candidates have passed and signed as Senator and President."

At 8 p.m. on Friday evening, Badnarik, along with the demonstrators expected to assemble in protest against his exclusion, will proceed to the police line erected to keep himself and the other legitimate candidates out during broadcast of the "bi-partisan campaign commercial."

And then he will cross it.

"We'd have preferred to see John Kerry and George Bush stand up like men to debate the issues facing America," says Badnarik's communications director, Stephen Gordon. "However, they have interposed the machinery of government between the American people and the honest debate which must precede any honest election. Now it's up to patriots like Michael Badnarik to force the issue." In Arizona, the Libertarian Party is taking the state university to court to prevent the expenditure of state money on a similar event.

Badnarik has previously debated David Cobb, the Green Party's candidate; Michael Peroutka of the Constitution Party; and Walt Brown of the Socialist Party. Kerry and Bush, as well as Independent Ralph Nader, declined to participate in those debates. Tomorrow morning, he
will proceed from a New York taping with Bill Moyers to St. Louis, ready to take on the Republican and Democratic machines in defense of American democracy.

Voters in 48 states and the District of Columbia will be able to vote for Badnarik on November 2nd. More than 600 Libertarians currently serve in public office across the United States.

Ground Zero:

The protest will proceed from Northmoor Park on Big Bend Ave., just south of Washington University to the corner of Big Bend and Forsyth, where the police line is expected to be arrayed. Badnarik's crossing onto the Washington University campus will take place at that point,
some time between 8 and 8:15 p.m. Badnarik and Green Party presidential candidate David Cobb plan to cross the police line together.

Quote Thoreau, and intended to apply to the US occupation of Iraq:

"In other words, when ... a whole country is unjustly overrun and conquered by a foreign army, and subjected to military law, I think that it is not too soon for honest men to rebel and revolutionize. What makes this duty the more urgent is the fact that the country so
overrun is not our own, but ours is the invading army." -- Henry David Thoreau, On the Duty of Civil Disobedience

Bowyer call in

These debates in Cleveland and St. Louis are being held in cities much like Pittsburgh with swift population decline, corporate welfare, one-party domination.

Leg helmets

CMUer Rocks the House to Jeopardy Victory

Winning one for geeks everywhere, a Kentucky native and CMU student won at the Pete on Pitt's campus in a two-staged final of College Jeopardy.

A good time was had by all, especially Erik and buddy, Stuart.

A number of years ago, George Lindley, a PSU undergrad moved to study with Catherine and company at Pitt as a grad student. George earned his Masters and Ph.D. in Audiology here and was on Wheel of Fortune. He had tried out for the college game, but the game-show organized put him as a contestant for a regular show. George won, of course. But in the $25,000 round, he couldn't uncover "whirlpool." To this day his friends never let him forget it. George is now in eastern PA with a great job and family and the money he did earn on the show was spent to buy a pick-up truck. The truck is long gone too, but the memory remains, .... whirlpool, whirlpool, whirlpool.

No Sweatshops Bucco!

The Pittsburgh Anti-Sweatshop Community Alliance = PASCA

Saturday, Oct. 16, 2004
Duquesne U. - Pappert Hall - 2 to 4 pm (more in comments)

Voters' swell ranks

Allegheny County ACORN is taking credit for more than 25,000 new registered voters. Many wonderful groups were in a scramble and registered many new voters. Three cheers for the efforts to all.

See the comments area for more info on a number of different fronts.

Pittsburgh cutbacks don't cut into City Council's spending

PG coverage "The sessions always begin with the reading of nonbinding resolutions and proclamations, followed by speeches and photographs. Last week, for instance, council read proclamations for firefighters, Lincoln-Lemington Democratic Ward Chair Dock Fielder, deaf children and Squirrel Hill philanthropist Elsie Hillman. "

I ranted about the gift to band-aid philanthropist, Elsie Hillman. I think that the city was prudent in getting the two, framed, ring toss floaty gifts by nicking them off of one of the boats that dry-docked in Point State Park in the recent flood.

As for the books, my advice to Twanda, study more with Project Gutenberg.

Roddey's quote:

Former county Chief Executive Jim Roddey, a Republican appointee to the city's fiscal oversight board, has long criticized the all-Democratic council, and this spring wrote preliminary recommendations to the state to dissolve the council and replace it with a part-time body.

The miscellaneous spending "is unfortunately symbolic of the attitude of some council members, that they really have no intention of changing the way they operate, and have no appreciation for the crisis the city is under, and are not responding to it," Roddey said last week.

"They don't get it. They simply don't understand what it means to be frugal."

Roddey is both right and wrong. Sure, he knows and says council is overboard in its spending and clueless in its intentions. But, in terms of the solution, Roddey is off the mark. Cutting all of council is too radical. He floated that idea and it went over like a lead balloon.

Rather than change the rules and structure of our government, we need to change the people who are in government. With new people and new thinking on council, and in the mayor's office, we'd be much further along.

The mayor could cut those budget elements to the bone in his proposals. He doesn't. And, council, with its final authority on budget matters, could cut those budget items to the bone too, and they don't.

Those frames and books are not needed as expenses. And, the stroking and boosterism for the council proclamations are not needed either. But, the ploy is to be "ceremonial" and "build alliances" so as to make more friends and schmooze more votes.

But all in all, parchment paper and gold-leaf seals are cheap. The expenses for generic city-clerk duties where as the members of city council get to kiss up to the do-gooders among us are not the real issue and sticking point with me. Rather, I despise the grandure and patronage that wraps up the entire package.

To be knighted, photographed, and put into the inner walls, like the imperial city, is another way we make Pittsburgh a feudal city. The glass slipper ordeals are not going to fix this city. All the king's men and all the king's horses are of no help. Not in this age.

Link to this blog and use this digital yard sign as you wish

Might help protect your bike

Lord & Taylor's shut down

PittsburghLIVE.com The agreement to terminate May's obligation to keep the store open included a restriction that prohibits the use of the building for gambling.

URA Chairman Tom Cox said he is unaware of any interest in turning the former bank into a slots parlor.

'We wanted to put any speculation to bed,' he said. "

Say what???? I'm not understanding. What's in that "agreement" to terminate May's obligation? And, why would it have anything about a slots parlor?

URA officials who voted unanimously to allow May to close the store without penalty praised Gumberg's pending deal to buy the site.

This quote proves how some must look up to see the curb: "It's not the ideal situation," said city Councilman Sala Udin, a URA board member. "It's the best of all possible worlds."

Their game of musical chairs and corporate welfare needs to unravel. I sense a lot of back scratching of each other and pointing elsewhere for excuses. The bottom line on the deal is we shouldn't be doing deals like this. And, the next most important concept is that Tom Murphy, Sala Udin and their cronies shouldn't be in office any longer as they have always fumbled the interests of the public in their dealings.

I.D., cyber security with local, Ray Brannon

Super PittsburghLIVE.com article for low tech readers and parents

What's a 'blog?'

It stands for 'biographic web log,' and means a sort of online journal any Internet user can post.

Brannon said many teenagers post all sorts of sensitive, confidential information in their blogs, which then can be read by anyone in the world with Internet access--including potential sexual predators.

Such heedless use of blogs, along with unsupervised online instant messaging, is one of the most dangerous practices by kids on the Internet today, according to Brannon.

Classes and programs such as these are part of the vision for progams among 9x9.CLOH.Org and Summit.CLOH.Org.

Turning Ten on Ten Ten

Our oldest son, Erik, turns 10 on 10-10. Our happy birthday weekend is here.

Red Sox gave an early gift with their win last night. Erik loves the Sox. Cousins are over for a sleep over tonight. Then laser tag on Sunday followed by his trip to the Pete to see -- College Jeopardy. He's going there with another friend, but I'm very good at laser tag!

We played laser tag at Grant's birthday in an early snow storm last December. The owner came to my wife and talked to her asking if I would be interested in playing on their traveling team. I was so impressive in battle with the 6 year olds.

On 10-10-10 Erik turns 16!

Fiscal picture gets even worse

PG article: City of Pittsburgh's fiscal picture gets even worse

File under, "I told you so." The healing hasn't begun. The population bounce isn't happening. Ending the gloom and doom comes with the hindge of the doorway. Tom Murphy's tenure ends and the rays of hope will start to shine.

Frank Lloyd Wright's design all wrong

MSNBC & Biz Times- Frank Lloyd Wright's design all wrong for new Grandview When famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright was asked about how he'd go about improving Pittsburgh, he is known to have said, 'It would be cheaper to abandon it.'

Frank Lloyd Wright was right if you search for the reinforcement through the lives of many in suburban Pittsburgh. There have been scores and scores to vote with their feet and leave and/or abandon Pittsburgh.

One interesting challenge, and some might call it more of a pipe-dream, is to engage those in the burbs and get them to change the abandon it mentality. Folks are not going to flood back into the city. But, folks in the burbs can care to come to grips with what is really happening here.

One way to change the tide in this abandonment of Pittsburgh is to interject sports competitions among city and suburban kids, schools and communities. The WPIAL should absorb the Pgh Public Schools' city-league.

MSNBC - Grandview battles over bulk

MSNBC - Grandview battles over bulkZONING AND MOANING

Grandview Avenue resident Joyce Renne, who helped spearhead the restrictions with her husband, Paul, argues otherwise.

'What they did was listen to what the community wanted,' she said of the council members' vote. 'That's what it's all about.'

Another great quote that hits the nail on the head:

A brand-new mountain could probably be built at this point from the mud slung between the two opposing sides of the development debate on Mount Washington.

Volunteer Job Opportunities: Moodle master, Wiki masters

A platform wiki is brewing, but there is some heavy lifting to be done in the months to come. Moodle - A Free, Open Source Course Management System for Online Learning: "Moodle over other systems is a strong grounding in social constructionist pedagogy."

Pippy's bill exits PA Senate and heads to House

... the highest ethical and professional standards are applied to slot machine gambling in Pennsylvania.
Yeah, right.
Keep pushing onward.