Rarely Pure and Never Simple: A Local Rant

This comes from another site. Talks about the battles among Ds and Rs.

Rarely Pure and Never Simple: A Local Rant: "One more reason why I hate republicans is because they buy democrats.

IT spending on the increase among Fed budgets -- especially for VA efforts

Government spending on technology efforts allow for better services and efficient operations.

Bush wants 7 percent IT increase President Bush's proposed budget for fiscal 2006 calls for a 7 percent increase in information technology spending governmentwide to $65.1 billion, including significant increases for the Homeland Security Department and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The proposal, to be sent to Capitol Hill Feb. 7, represents a modest 4.9 percent increase for the Defense Department and a 9 percent increase for civilian agencies. Overall, it seeks a 7.1 percent, or $4.3 billion, for IT governmentwide.

Budget documents obtained by Federal Computer Week include proposed IT cuts for other agencies. Among the losers are the Social Security Administration, the Office of Personnel Management and NASA.

But the biggest winners in the proposal, which is expected to be altered significantly before it becomes law, are DHS, which would get a 24.7 percent increase; the VA, which would get a 29.2 percent increase; the Justice Department, which would get a 20.2 percent increase; and the National Science Foundation, which would get a 25.6 percent increase.

Wired: ponderings about new music with technology changing the landscape

Music matters for me for three different reasons. First, I enjoy and support it as a consumer, audience member, and fan. Second, the digial landscape is important as we build the campaign. We'll inject music and have done so already. Third comes the challenge of being one who governs. The lawmaker in me is going to be able to put my insights into action in the state house and among other law-making bodies.

Wired 13.02: VIEW Record labels are threatened by technologies that give fans access to music in ways no one ever planned. They plead with Congress for more laws to control the fans. Activist organizations such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Public Knowledge (on whose boards this columnist sits) are fighting back. They (we) demand an end to the war, and the attack on innovation that it represents.

I am a friend of the open-source ways. And, I'm much more than a friend of those styles when I'm elected. We need to look out for the public domain. We can't just cave to the corporate lawyers.

These issues are in quick evolution in education, publishing, industry and the global culture. We need to have an understanding of the various forms and a strong sense of responsibility to the public at large.

Re-Wiring the Future of Community Organizing

Interestng article for civic folks and the internet. Rosen, a Pittsburgh guy, gets nice ink for his work in the early cycles with Howard Dean.

DDN Articles - Re-Wiring the Future of Community Organizing

One of the saddest bit of internet news came last weekend when it was announced that D-Net was dead. That was a project of the League of Women Voters.

New thorn in the side of the NO-We-HAV efforts in west end.

See the comments to see Paul Senter's latest email. The refunds due some months ago have not yet materialized.

Get out of town. Downtown roadblocks = URA and Tom Murphy

Heavy handed Grant Street actions are going to kills this region. The recovery and healing can't occur while those folks are in charge.

Broker: City is blocking Lazarus-Macy's deal A local broker for a New York City developer who once had an agreement to buy the vacant Lazarus-Macy's building Downtown claims the city's Urban Redevelopment Authority and mayor's office have been trying to scuttle a sale ...

City Paper Letter:

pghcitypaper.com

Our leadership doesn’t “suck,” but rather needs to become a more vigorous competition of ideas and direction for our city.

Well said John Fetterman of Braddock.

Mayor Tom Murphy and Michael Diven have been holding hands for a decade

It is my strong belief that Michael Diven is much like Tom Murphy. I've been fighting the good fight against Tom Murphy at every turn for the past seven or eight years. I'm not excited to see Diven rise in stature in the public realm. Diven and Murphy are close buddies. Their policies have hurt our region in a number of ways.

City Council to ask PennDOT to fix I-376 'bathtub' - PittsburghLIVE.com State Rep. Michael Diven, D-Brookline, was appointed by Mayor Tom Murphy to a seat on the Allegheny County Sanitary Authority. His term will expire Dec. 31, 2009.

PG letter to editor about the defection of Diven

Letters to the editor: 2/10/05: "We are Democrats

With Michael Diven's recent move to the Republican Party, he has in effect decided for me and thousands of other devoted Democrats who voted him into office that our vote should have instead gone to boost the Republican majority in the Pennsylvania House and Senate ('Brookline Democrat Diven Switches to GOP,' Jan. 30). What? As once said by Helen Keller: 'Our democracy is but a name. We vote? What does that mean? It means that we choose between two bodies of real, though not avowed, autocrats. We choose between Tweedledum and Tweedledee.' But in voting for Michael Diven, I in fact voted for both Tweedledum and Tweedledee, and now see that I did in fact choose a real and avowed autocrat.

Apparently it does not matter to Michael Diven that we who elected him are loyal Democrats, committed to the ideals for which the party stands, and that to us, the designation of 'Democrat' is far more than a name. Mr. Diven is an ingrate to believe himself to be bigger than the vote of the little folk who elected him. He is a fool to believe himself above the values for which the Democratic Party stands, and for which I faithfully place my vote.

He has no concept that he was elected to a public service position and has showed his complete disregard for the will of the voters.

When my street is not paved in the summer or cleaned in the winter, when our local businesses and schools are shutting down, when my neighborhood is overrun with crime, when I cannot afford my public transportation or when I cannot sell my house because my property value is decreasing, I am certain that the Republican majority will stand up and fight for me, since the avowed autocrat-elect, Michael 'Tweedledee-Tweedledum' Diven, upon his personal volition, has decided that I and my fellow lifelong Democrats would be better served by Republicans.

KAREN WAIGHT
Democratic Committeewoman
22nd Legislative District
Beechview

Meet Wilburn Hayden, Ph.D., Director for Social Policy and Research

As a member of Elect.Rauterkus.com commitee in the role of Director for Social Policy and Research, Wilburn Hayden, Ph.D., bring many skills and experiences to the campaign.

Home owner: 91 South 24th Street (South Side) – Not in 42nd District.

Wilburn is an experienced social worker educator. He is a Full Professor and Director of the Masters of Social Work Program at California University of Pennsylvania.

He has been active in mostly Democratic political campaigns and politics for more than thirty years in North Carolina, Ontario, Canada, and Pennsylvania. Wilburn currently chairs Pennsylvania's social workers political action committee. Wilburn has had major responsibilities in more than 10 political campaigns.

Calliope Legends Concert, 8 pm on February 19, 2005

From Wilburn: This is NOT an event associated with Elect.Rauterkus.com.

An Evening with Kreg Viesselman: Rusty voice of a classic singer/songwriter/straggle hell-bent on raking the dregs with his six string while showering souls with humorous and humane lyrics; Heart wrenching, warm, poignant…yet laced with acrid wit…the road-worn voice and country blues-steeped guitar of Kreg Viesselman echo the long gone tradition of the rambling singer/songwriter. This guy is good… he's writing some great stuff! ”-Taj Mahal. It's no surprise that Kreg's songwriting is fetching such praise, as his wanderlust has taken him from the small Midwestern town in which he was born and placed him beside some of the most bizarre and intriguing characters in America.

www.kregviesselman.com

8 pm on Feb. 19, First Unitarian Church of Pittsburgh, 605 Morewood Avenue, Shadyside (at the intersection of Morewood & Ellsworth Avenues). Admission for the Evening is $15.00 at the Door. Students $5.00.

Please pass this on to others interested in acoustic music and folk singer\songwriters.

Calliope still has tickets for Feb. 12 8:00 PM - Alvin Youngblood Hart; Brad Yoder – opening artist Tickets: 412-394-3353 or www.proartstickets.org. Alvin Youngblood Hart … a 2003 Best Traditional Blues Album Grammy Award nominee
www.mojomusic.com/alvin

touch screen voting

See the eVote blog for a re-post of a discusion / announcement about a future endorsement vote.

Another mention in the press -- and I'm 45 years old.

The line up of candidates in the PA Senate's special election is getting confusing. Let's use ages like jersey numbers as the buzzer sounds at a basketball game to call for subsitutions: Now entering the game for the Democrats,...

Eileen Wager = #60
Mark Rauterkus = #45
Michael Diven = #34
David Jayson = #36 (recently elbowed out of the game)
Joe Scioscia = #48

Another Wagner - PittsburghLIVE.com Mark Rauterkus, of the South Side, is running as a Libertarian.

Beechview: forming a new group to pick up from the mess we're in now.

Beechview groups working to join together Diven said the redevelopment of Beechview is in its infancy, but that 'it is my belief that in four or five years, you will see Beechview be transformed from a pass-through community to a destination neighborhood.'

Playing well with others is great. But, what we have brewing in Beechview is a new group of pigs getting ready to find a new feed source.

Michael Diven is going to try to get elected by going around from neighborhood to neighborhood. Going around is great -- but going around with WAM (walking around money) isn't great.

These areas are depressed neighborhoods in terms of the physical decay and neglect from public attention. These areas have been in a steep decline while Diven was the state rep and while Diven was in City Council. The mayor didn't help either.

Beechview should look at what the BIDs are doing and think again. BIDs are "Business Improvement Districts." There are two types of BIDs. There is a lot of slight of hand too. Be on your guard.

Taxes in the downtown area just increased, again, because of the improvement districts sur-charge for the property owners. The values of the properties are in decline. So, the five year organization needs to raise rates so it can get the money it wants to operate.

The BIDs come so as to increase property values, but they don't.

Most of all, if you really wanted to play well with others, you'd not make a new umbrella organization. Rather, one would pull the plug on a couple of the organization and roll them together.

Diven needs to buy votes and new 501(c)(3) oranizations are going to spring up around here like wildfire. In the end, nothing good is going to happen except a few nonprofit types are going to have jobs. Rather than city union jobs, these are nonprofit jobs where the accountability is slim.

So, do you want a nonprofit that is formed to "fix up the streets?" Think again. How about if the city did its job and fixed up the streets? But, the city is broke as its leaders gave all the money away and didn't watch the incomes. We built stadiums and convention centers -- and didn't take care of what we have.

A nonprofit shoudn't help with building facades. A building is a piece of property. The owner should take care of the property. I don't want nonprofit groups doing real estate speculation. I don't want to worry about facades when we have kids who can't read. We need nonprofit groups to take care of the elderly, the sick, the mentally ill and the spiritual elements of life. Not bricks, not mortar, not peeling paint.

Nonprofits are at their worst when it comes to hardware solutions and good when it comes to the software elements.

If Broadway wants to be more attractive -- then the people around the area need to get rid of the wrongheaded politicians who caused the area to slide into dispair. The mayor (and I imagine Diven too) cheered when Pittsburgh got its distressed status from the state. The uncertainty caused the ones in power to deflect the poor results from the past.

This is how Bloomfield and Brookline came together," she said. "Why can't we do this in Beechview?

If Beechview holds Bloomfield and Brookline up as the gold standard -- then we are in serious trouble. Bloomfield and Brookline are also under Act 47 and with distressed status. They too are short police officers. Beechview might be jelious because no roads are going to be repaved in Beechview. But, no roads are being paved in any area that isn't in poverty. Only four miles of new roads are to be repaved in 2005. We're broke. We all are broke.

Today's Beechview can't live with the same formula that the Bloomfield and Brooklines operated with in the past. The well is dry. The money is gone. The rules are different. The old ways of pork and no accountability is behind us.

The best way to fix our mess is not to do more of the same. The best way to get new teamwork is to not form another new organization and go begging for new money. Let's end the shell game. Let's end the begging.

Things like MAP Pittsburgh have taken a decade to complete and it still isn't done. And, it isn't open to inspection, review and input from the people in the city.

Four years ago the mayor repaved a lot of streets, because it was an election year. Then some of those streets got new sewer lines -- after the new blacktop was applied. That is the type of miss-managment Pittsburgh has had to suffer with for the past decade. Diven and O'Connor were part of the problems.

To fix Beechview -- and the rest of the city -- let's come to understand the deed transfer tax. Then let's take it away. Then let's take apart the URA. The URA takes from one and gives to another. All in all, those programs hurt our chances of prosperity.

Beechview can and should be a destination neighborhood. We need to have more than a fresh coat of paint. Real tough love is needed. We need to get to the roots of the problems. WAM is exactly the wrong way to proceed.

Brochure text for campaign - draft 2 - comments welcomed.

Different pannels:

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A final word:

"Although unpleasant, Act 47 is the medicine that can help Pittsburgh move away from the neglect of the past toward a positive, self-reliant future. What kind of fellow citizen do you want as your elected servant to insure we don’t move backward, but move forward?"

Help Mark:

Make a financial contribution to:
Elect.Rauterkus.com
108 South 12th Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15203

Volunteer and get the word out:
Put up a window sign
Get signatures on petitions
Host a "meet and greet"
Distribute flyers or CDs
Call voters in your area
Attend a rally and concert
Work the polls

Call 412-298-3432 (Mark's cell)
or 412-481-2497 (message center).

Paid for by Elect.Rauterkus.com.

---

Mark Rauterkus
for
Pennsylvania Senate

(photo)

Fiscally prudent with libertarian tolerance and independent spirit

---

Chooses to live in the historic South Side with his wife, Catherine V. Palmer, Ph.D., and two children. Home-owners since 1990.
Catherine is a Pitt professor (School of Health & Rehab Sciences) and Director of Audiology for UPMC Eye & Ear.

Family history includes his being a stay-at-home-dad. Has perspectives of both an outside-the-home working parent and an at-home working parent.
Mark's dad is a retired PPS teacher. His grandfather started Duquesne Univ. School of Music.

Worked in recreational sports for children for nearly 30 years. Enjoys coaching swimmers at all levels. An advocate of private solutions to recreational needs.

Sought the 2001 Republican nomination for Mayor because he saw where Pittsburgh was headed.

---

Mark's platform:

Think Again
"After years of machine politics and fiscal irresponsibility, we're under Act 47. As dawn approaches, who do we trust? The same old broken machine or the dreams and hard work of Pittsburghers?"

End corporate welfare
"Corporate welfare bought us debt and sold out small business. Lower taxes will do more to stimulate job creation and attract new Pittsburghers than all the failed attempts to engineer your life, your liberty and your property."

Question Authority
"Stadium, Housing and Parking to name a few. I will not sneak around below radar using Authorities to operate against the interests of Pittsburghers. Sometimes having government do nothing is better than unleashing it to grow and entrench itself."

City-County Consolidation
"Some politicians say regional government is Pittsburgh’s answer. Cautious consolidation using public and private providers, not municipality mergers, must be seriously considered."

Public Hearing: 11 am on Thursday, Feb 10, 2005

The citizens of Pittsburgh called for a public hearing about Sala's and Twanda's bill to limit and refine public comment before city council.

I think that the bill was attempting to split hairs. It is hard to say you can talk on issues that come before the city but you can't do an "self promotion" or can't address any "politics."

Come to the public hearing if you value the Sunshine Laws and the First Amendment.

Sala Udin has stated that the bill he introduced originally is changing. Great. He also made a mention at the end of today's meeting (Feb 9) that caused me to send him this email.

Dear Sala,

I heard your comment at the end of today's city council meeting about the
public hearing I helped to call for tomorrow. By the way, that public
hearing isn't going to be on tv, so it seems. Fine.

You have a suite of changes to make to the proposed bill before city council
now about limits to public hearings.

I would like to know what's to come.

Can you send me an email of what you are going to do with amendments?

I asked for the update last week. You sent me to the City Clerk's office. I
know what's in the city clerk's office now. I know that there have been
suggestions from the city's lawyers. I'd love to see those too.

I think it is silly to hold a public hearing on something that isn't going
to happen. Let's not talk about something that is dead.

If you hold back substantial changes until after the public hearing, your
choosing our city, our citizens' voices, our hope of getting a better law
crafted.

Post the changes on your own blog, if you want. If you don't have a blog,
I'll do it. Or, better yet, post the possible changes on my blog after this
mention. My blog allows comments from anyone. Same too with the wiki. Post
changes (pending) at the Platform.For-Pgh.org/wiki.

---

Sala's reply via email:

There is no "suite" of changes anticipated at this time. The only change
I intend to make, so far, is the modification or deletion of "personal
attacks." I will await the input from public hearing and feedback from
colleagues, to determine if there are additional changes.

Caring Habits to gets some deserved props -- and a challenge for the proclaimation!

Tracy reported in an email about an interesting project. Great idea. Great outreach effort.

To achieve the message of February that "EVERYONE COUNTS" we have created a challange for ourselves. We have an application to the Guiness Book of Records to acquire the most signatures on one proclaimation.

On Tuesday, Feb. 15 at 9:15 am, Alan Hertzberg will initiate this proclaimation at City Council. EVERYONE, and ANYONE IS INVITED TO ATTEND THIS SIGNING! But I need to know asap by Thursday AM, latest on whom will be in attendence at this initiation. We will then open it to our community throughout MW/DH and encourage signatures of all students and residents. We would like to acquire as many as we can by February 28.

I thank you for your support, hope to see you there.

RSVP by Thursday Feb 10, Noon to 412-481-3220 (Mt.Washington CDC), 412-922-6121 (Tracy's phone).

A number of populations are on edge with the neighborhoods, and this one is like the others. The mayor issued a veto to deny the request for a zoning change -- supporting lots of people, fighting the local council member, and hurting the proposed builder who was behind in his taxes at one point. An economic boycot was considered by some. Council had a 5-4 vote.

The Duquesne Heights Community Center is functional, but they need to have an armed guard at all their events now.

The city council seat is open, so a number of others are starting to line up for the job.

Others are doing some negative campaign work to make sure that the county knows the background of a candidate for the judge race.

The best part of the new effort with the Caring Habits effort is the healing. Tracy is very keen to the soft-side of life endeavors.

Wagner to elbow out Fontana, perhaps?

Grassroots PA: "BRING IN THE WAGNERS! In 42nd, Eileen To Defend Brother-In-Law's Dem Seat Against Diven and Rauterkus?

The story here is not the possible arrival of Eileen Wagner, sister-in-law to the new PA Auditor General, Jack Wagner, former PA Senator in the 42nd. Nope.

The real story is the slide of County Councilman Wayne Fontana, D. Fontana is in favor of TIFs. I'm against the concept of TIFs. I went to the County Council meetings, spoke against TIFs. The corporate welfare in TIFs are not popular with the citizens of the 42nd. Fontana is NAILED on this issue. Deer Creek Crossing is all that is needed to explain why I should get every vote from all the Democrats.

Meanwhile, Eileen Wagner is silent on the issue.

The other important part of the Fontana slide it the fact that I'm raising the question of his resignation, as per the rules of the Charter of Allegheny County. This charter rule was put before the voters of the county on two recent occasions. The voters like the rule. The politicians hate the rule. The politicians don't want to follow it, even after being an endorsed candidate.

If Fontana was serious about the State Senate race, he would hav e already resigned his county council seat.

Wayne Fontana might be toast at this time. He has a long career ahead of him, but, the smart Dems see the writting on this blog.

Again, my personal view is that I'd love to be in a race with Diven and Fontana. That would be good for my personal career. The Libertarian party could see a ten-fold increase in its ranks, for the two weeks leading up to the election. People are not going to be happy to switch out of the old parties before the deadline for the primary switch. But, after that deadline passes, we'll be making registration switches like hotcakes.

PITY, no more. Letters to the editor, 05/31/02

Letters to the editor, 05/31/02: "Feudal and futile

I'm totally bored with all the editorials, letters to the editor and pseudo-political babble concerning the cost of operating our schools. So long as this area continues to live in the Dark Ages and maintains all the various fiefdoms -- with separate school systems, separate police and fire departments, and all its various political positions -- our county will never achieve 'megalopolis status.' It will remain the 'one-horse town' image it reflects. When I lived in the Far East 50 years ago, if I had a dollar for every time I was asked about the magnificent city called Pittsburgh, I'd be a millionaire. Pity, no more.

CHUCK NOGAL
South Side

Pippy hails Playbook for Progress

(My $.02 below.)

Plan helps state government respond to needs of families, communities

Calling it a “good framework” for the 2005-06 Session, State Senator John Pippy lauded the detailed legislative agenda for Pennsylvania General Assembly recently unveiled by Republican leaders.

Senator Pippy said the “Playbook for Progress” provides a good plan for developing legislative action to cut taxes, control state spending and improve the state’s economic climate as a way to foster job growth.

“This is a comprehensive proposal that addresses many areas of concern in the Commonwealth,” Senator Pippy said. “Through the proposed tax cuts and spending controls we will reshape Pennsylvania’s government to better respond to the needs of families, communities and job creators.”

The Playbook for Progress calls for:

· Election reforms designed to ensure that Pennsylvanians serving overseas in the military are allowed to vote, improve Election Day operations, and complete the implementation of a statewide voter registration system.

· Reforms to the state’s gambling law, including addressing the controversial ownership provisions that would allow an elected official to have an ownership interest in gambling-related companies, along with RICO provisions and giving the attorney general greater oversight powers.

· An emphasis on access to quality health care by encouraging use of Health Savings Accounts, developing a health care tax credit program for small businesses, and developing a collaborative approach in determining how to best utilize and direct any excess funds that may be held by the Blue Cross plans as they meet their social mission in Pennsylvania.

· A plan to make college more affordable for Pennsylvania families and working to build a program that would enable high school students to earn college credits while still in high school.

· The Keystone Manufacturing Initiative and a renewed commitment to cutting taxes on job creators -- both designed to create a better atmosphere for good jobs in Pennsylvania.

· Improvements to public safety, including increasing the state police complement – which the governor agreed to as he signed the budget but has since refused to implement – homeland security issues, and how Pennsylvania is spending money earmarked to fight bioterrorism.

· Protecting the environment by enhancing Growing Greener, the successful Republican-led environmental initiative, ensuring that Pennsylvania remains a leader in farmland preservation, securing a stream of funding for the Hazardous Sites Cleanup Fund, and improving flood mitigation efforts.

Reaction from Mark Rauterkus:

Where can I get a full copy, online, of the playbook for progress?

Where are there discussions about the crafting of the playbook?

What parts of the playbook did the Pippy office champion?

What kind of progress does Pippy find in the move to put Michael Diven, recent dem, up for election on the GOP side for a seat in the PA Senate?

Okay to call or leave comments below. I would have loved to have seen some URLs in the message sent out by the Senator's staffers.