Calendar: 4/10/05 -- I'll be there too. Hilton at 6:30 pm on Monday.

Business calendar: 4/10/05 Pittsburgh Downtown Neighbors Association, candidates forum, 6:30 p.m., Hilton Pittsburgh, Downtown. Participants include Michael Lamb, Bob O'Connor, William Peduto, Joe Weinroth, Sala Udin, Michael Diven and Wayne Fontana. Call John Valentine at 412-281-1160.

This event, Monday evening, is the first where all three candidates for PA Senate, 42nd district, share the same podium. Jon Delano of KDKA is going to be the moderator.

I am confirmed for the event. Come on out if you can.

Newsday.com: Hey, Mom, I'm famous (On the Internet)!

Interesting article about blogs and fame -- an at.

A fellow stay-at-home dad, but this bloke is from NY, has fun with his kid and photos. Don't worry, it's all clean.

Newsday.com: Hey, Mom, I'm famous (On the Internet)!: "
Others stumbled on cash for fame, including Jeremy Zorek, now 3 years old, whose fame may fund his college education.

His father, Michael Zorek, 44, a stay-at-home dad in Manhattan, snapped a photo of Jeremy when he was 4 months old, posing with the Barber brothers, Tiki and Ronde, twins and pro football players. Then Zorek snapped a photo of Jeremy with actress Jamie Lee Curtis.

A friend who received the photos via e-mail suggested posting them online. WhoIs ThatWithJeremy.com now has 119 photos of Jeremy with celebrities, including Madonna, Billy Joel and Ringo Starr. The Web site lists nearly a dozen shows that featured Jeremy. 'Not bad for 2 1/2!' the site says.

Jeremy has achieved fame 'to a certain extent,' Zorek said, but added, 'He has absolutely no idea what any of this means.'

But he will in 15 years, when income generated from the site will help pay for Jeremy's college costs, as Zorek usually charges for permission to publish photographs, bringing in several thousand dollars last year. (Zorek won't disclose the exact income figure.)

'We looked for a way to sort of make this something that could help him in the future,' Zorek said. 'And college, of course, is no cheap thing.'

Does he have a photo of his kid on The Great Wall?

What about with the Harlem Globetrotters? He's from NY after all.

What about with a panda bear on his lap?

How about on a boat in S.F. Bay with the Blue Angles about 50-yards over his head?

I don't go for the celeb shots. Rather, I'm more into the experiece.

Next mayor will face safety issues

My comments within the article:

Peduto: The COP program (Community Oriented Police) has a nice ring to it. However, I'm not convinced of its honest effectiveness. It might sound better than it performed. Putting officers into dinky mini-stations was not the same as putting them onto the street. Why did we need the mini-stations? Where the mini-stations a place to hang out? Were the mini-stations really a place to hang a big sign and not really serve much of any purpose?

I'm not going to lend support to the COPs program. At this time, I'd nix that as a position plank.

Next mayor will face safety issues Lamb would ask the Legislature for tighter gun restrictions within the city limits and work with the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency on drug prevention programs.

Tighter gun restrictions, and begging to Harrisburg some more. No thanks on both matters. We don't need to change the rules. We don't need to be in a begging position seeking changes to the rules. Furthermore, changes to the rules won't really help in the end.

Lamb: "... placing civilians in administrative Police Bureau jobs can get more uniforms on the streets."

Better use of technology could get more information out the the neighborhor and others on the street.

Better use of traffic police, or a traffic division -- like crossing guards, could get more help out on the street. Crossing guards were paid and part of the police force. They gave us a big bang for the buck. They could have been doing some more enforcement, but that could be part of the program when they are put back into serious operation.

Better use of civilians throughout the city and region can get more assistance and understanding for the police and the struggles we all face. The civilian police academy was cut by Mayor Murphy. Bad move. The Civilian Police Academy could have been made into a stand-alone department that pulled its own weight financially. Creative management lags in Pittsburgh.

The end of the drug wars, especially against grass, could help get a lot more done in terms of overall safety.

High marks for Lamb to Lamb encourage participation with the Citizens Police Review Board, which has been largely ineffective without city government's support. My stance is along the same lines, but much more advanced. I'd not only encourage participation, it would be demanded.

The voters put the citizens police review board to Pittsburgh. It has been a joke -- due to the miss-management of the administration and others. The city council appointment to the board has done nothing in the past 16 month (or more). Nothing.

The citizens police review board isn't perfect. But, it needs to operate as it could and should for the first few years. Then it can evolve into the tool we all need and voted to create.

In 2001, both Carmine and I took the citizens police review board seriously. Murphy and O'Connor didn't lift a wimper on this topic.

Strong nods to Lamb too for his mention of technology with the building inspection duties. An overhaul of all tech components of government is needed. These efforts need to be rooted in the realm of open-source solutions.

Mt. Oliver is kicking Pittsburgh's tail in terms of building inspection, enforcement, and governmental cooperation among all parties. Great for Mt. Oliver -- as they are trying. Pittsburgh doesn't even care.

There is a lot to do in terms of inspection and enforcement in the city. Things go to hell around here and there isn't any way to get anyone to even care. The iron curtin in the city is alive and well in this area with a contrast to what occurs in suburban Pittsburgh.

The color and geneder of the police force. Murphy hired a few classes of recruits and they were mostly white guys. I'm a white guy too. Come on. This city's diversity among its workforce needs some attention.

This is a point, (diversity among police force recruits) to Bob O'Connor's credit, that he yapped about four years ago. It isn't getting much attention now because it was only a gottcha with O'Connor in 2001. Murphy's policy and performace was so bad that it was painfully obvious. Furthermore, in recent years, the police force has been shrinking, not expanding with new hires. A couple of new classes have been in the works. What are those numbers Bob? Do you care? Continue that conversation.

Is the diversity among the men and women in blue a point that served its purpose, like the citizens review board? Time to move on? Time to let it rest?

Don Walko, D., North Side, State Rep, wants to change the rules, making it more difficult for bounty hunters. Peduto wants to put parole enforcement into police cars. Perhaps the two can be talked about in the same discussion. Peduto should issue a release saying he does NOT like the Walko suggested rules.

The college credit elements for the job application process for the police was not talked about. Jim Motznik has some strong opinions on that topic.

I have great respect to the professionals working in Pittsburgh with Fire, Police and EMS. I am not close to any service group. All have been dumped upon by the present mayor. I think that each group could do more to remove him from office sooner and help with the discussions among our public landscape. But, they all are jaded. All are burnt out. All are pushed past the max -- mostly.

One of the biggest jokes is the concpet of a merger among EMS and the hospitals. Dream on. It took a major miracle to get 911 services to merge in nine years. There is no way they are going to be able to even start the conversation with EMS and hospitals, yet alone Fire.

Wellness is very important to me and our region. We need to allow these topics to be our strengths in the future. Now they all are liabilities.

I'm a lifeguad at heart and in my history. I understand that these endeavors are important and time based. Support needs to be present. Too many are running on empty. The interactions among managers, performers, citizens, customers and even things like BILLING are disjointed.

New relationships and understandings need to be forged. This is going to take time and lots of effort.

I'd rather have a mayor care more about the public service elements and less about the convention center hotel, retaining the Pirates, knocking down the Civic Arena, new condos in town, or making a re-do of the Gateway Center T-stop.

Candidate survey from Pittsburgh Catholic

Not sure if this went via fax or was idle in the office and never sent.

Tom Murphy boasts of sandbagging the Legislature

Murphy didn't blink. I'll give him credit for not blinking. His head was in a hole, and still hasn't moved. But if he says he didn't blink, I'll not challenge that self-assessment.

No blink. Did stink.

Tom Murphy boasts of sandbagging the Legislature - PittsburghLIVE.com Recalling his conversation with Bloomberg, Murphy said in an interview, 'We had this conversation and he said, 'How did you win?' I said, 'Because I was willing to take the city into bankruptcy.' If I were (New York) mayor, I would probably have shut down the bridges coming in from Long Island. ... We just didn't blink and the Legislature blinked.'

Univ of Pittsburgh's School of Health and Rehab Sciences

Happy Anniversary. Its 35 years old. We're celebrating.

Supporting a loser. Onorato takes a LTE hit from Beechview

This is a letter to the editor from another person (Emily), just reposted here.

Supporting a loser - PittsburghLIVE.com Supporting a loser - Friday, April 8, 2005

I think Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato is making a huge mistake by endorsing Bob O'Connor for mayor of Pittsburgh (O'Connor picks up Onorato's support,' April 1).

Onorato is supposed to be a reform-minded politician, yet he's supporting someone who has been a key player in creating the problems that our city government is currently facing.

O'Connor is a politician of the old school, having supported Mayor Murphy's costly spending until it became convenient for him to do otherwise in election years. He's a two-time loser in the mayor's race for obvious reasons -- where was he all those years that the city was being irresponsible with our money?

I'm greatly disappointed by Onorato's decision. We have a chance to move this city forward by electing a new mayor, but he wants us to choose someone who represents everything we should be getting away from.

I guess he's not the kind of leader I thought he was.
Emily Waschak, Beechview

I'm not exactly sure what Onorato will do in the PA Senaate race, nor when. Dan has some political strength, of course. However, political strength isn't something that I'd put as his ace in the hole. What does Dan's Onorado blog tell us as to what he's projecting and thinking about? Then we'd know and he'd have more sway.

Lt. Governor Long List... 2006 from Politics PA

The site, PoliticsPA, has message boards that are vile harbors, and forced to disclose data to authorities for investigations.

Lt. Governor Long List... 2006

Auditor General Jack Wagner:  Fresh off an impressive victory, Jack Wagner provides an impressive resume, geographic balance and a good shot at 2010 Democratic gubernatorial nomination.

Wagner's former seat is still empty, and others are putting him on a list as a possible replacement for Lt. Governor.

Property Taxes Got You in a Pinch? Get a tent.

Eyes changes for appointments -- with a wink and a lobby group

Yesterday while walking on East Carson Street a young women walked by with a black t-shirt that displayed the words on the front, "Question authority."

We need shirts like that and on the sleves we'd be able to put Elect.Rauterkus.com and Platform.For-Pgh.org.

Peduto eyes changes for city appointments Democratic mayoral candidate William Peduto said yesterday that he wants to 'professionalize' appointments to city agencies such as the Urban Redevelopment Authority or the zoning board by choosing candidates from a list developed by a third-party panel.

The two other major mayoral candidates, Michael Lamb and Bob O'Connor, have also talked about the mayor's appointment powers on the campaign trail, saying they would use them to add more minorities and women to boards.

Peduto, a city councilman from Point Breeze, said if he were mayor, anyone could apply to be on the city agencies, and a third-party panel would study the candidates and issue recommendations on appointees to the mayor.

My solution is more democratic, more elegant, more effective.

Retention votes should be a regular part of our politcal landscape in terms of boards, authorities and voter participation.

Board members should face retention votes to remain in their positions.

Furthermore, term limits make sense in most situations.

The proposed measures insert accountability into the process and inject election opportunities. These are short and mid-term steps as overall evaluations occur for each and every authority. The best long-term solution is the outright elimination of all the authorities.

With the proposed plan, the appointment powers of council, mayor, county executive (and such) would continue. However, to stay in the job, the voters would need to certify the board members with positive votes for retention.

Peduto wants to appoint a new, third party pannel to pick the appointments. Who picks the pickers? Is the third-party pannel really made from those of a third party? (joke)

Peduto could be on to something if the Green Party and Libertarian Party got to pick all the people to the various authority boards. That is an idea that could energize this city. Sadly, I suspect, Bill's idea of third-party is really just more of the same hand-picked sillyness that chokes the region.

When the elected official makes appointments to boards, then the elected official is accountable. When the boards are picked by a picking authority, then nobody is accountable.

City council gets to pick a member to the Citizen Police Academy. That person, so goes the press reports, has NOT been to a meeting of the Citizen Police Acadmey for the past year-and-a-half. That board appointment is the responsibility of the city council. City council is fumbling. The others on the board have asked for a resignation. The city council members should toss out the culprit as soon as possible.

It is time to toss the bumbs out and make accountability a real part of our public landscape.

Tom G's Letter to Editor about the Pope's passing

The letter ran in the Trib but noticed online in the Libertarian discussion email list.

Friday, April 8, 2005

There is much in Pope John Paul II's thought, as expressed in both his writings and his life, for libertarians to admire:

a.. By his words and his example, he affirmed the dignity and rights of every person, regardless of country or creed.

b.. He did much to inspire the peaceful resistance that ended decades of Soviet tyranny in Eastern Europe.

c.. He spoke for peace and mutual respect among nations, and against aggressive wars, including the U.S. war against Iraq.

d.. He had a qualified but very real appreciation for the free market, proclaiming it morally as well as economically superior to socialism.

e.. He was skeptical of government attempts to solve social problems, preferring that they be addressed by the voluntary associations of civil society.
Pope John Paul II didn't propose a political blueprint, and his social thought can't be tagged with any ideological label. But he was a true friend of freedom, and he'll be badly missed.

Thomas Gillooly
Forest Hills

I owe, I owe, Its off to work I go.

Tip to those on Grant Street: Lay the Shovel Down!

You've dug a hole for the city. We are in over our heads with debt. Stop digging. Lay the shovel down.

Pittsburgh Laurels & Lances - PittsburghLIVE.com: "Lance: To Pittsburgh City Council. This week it adopted Mayor Tom Murphy's plan to refinance $200 million worth of bond debt in a usurious deal that will cost taxpayers about $3 million to net about $6.5 million. Worse, the only alternative offered was a plan proffered by Councilman Doug Shields that actually would have increased the city's already crushing debt load. And Mr. Murphy and these councilors wonder why the public has so little faith in their 'leadership.'

Pittsburgh Laurels & Lances - Trib editors catch on to "Don't Put Me in a Box" tune

Pittsburgh Laurels & Lances - PittsburghLIVE.com But it represents fresh thinking that's outside the normally closed 'Burgh box. In the least, it's worth exploring.

You don't even need to read between the lines to see the message that springs from this song.
If you have my campaign CD -- you'll hear Johnsmith's tune, "Don't Put Me in a Box."

Arts and Culture Observator

Arts and Culture Observatory Transcript: Intellectual Property Law and its Effect on the Creation and Presentation of Art

Last night, a night and time among many, we made music and media.

Your comments on the postion paper and panel are welcomed.

Stakes grow for state Senate seat

Stakes grow for state Senate seat PG article that stands like a two-legged stool.

Steaks?
Meat?
Fat Cats?
Gambling?

What is growing, really?

What is up for question, for goodness sakes, is clarity, honesty, democracy, stewardship, and the status quo.

Ohligarchy: Signs of the Season -- and the links keep flowing

Another blogger posted:

Ohligarchy: Signs of the Season The special election for the vacant 42nd District Pennsylvania Senate seat is scheduled for May 19, Primary Election Day in PA. Diven has a worthy opponent facing him in this race, Libertarian Mark Rauterkus.

See Stupid Statement #2 -- from another blog

By the way, I was at another board meeting. We're interviewing coaching candidates for a summer swim team. Sorry I was late. Since I had already spoken at two prior meetings, I didn't expect to address the audience.

Jeebas -- Music, Politics, and Other Jounx: "OK onto crazy stupid statement #2, someone said this regarding the PA Senate 42 race when the discussion of whether to endorse Mark Rauterkus (Lib.) or Wayne Fontana (Dem.) came up:

'Mark has a lot a great ideas, but that seat needs to stay Democratic'

It seemed like the point he was trying to get at was to only vote for a third party candidate when a seat is safe for a Democrat. That's about the most un-Democratic thing I have witnessed since PA state legislators filed suit against Ralph Nader petition gatherers in the summer of 2004 to force him off of the PA ballot. People should vote for who they agree with most on issues, not because it might screw up other people's shot. Anyone who discourages people to vote for who they believe in is despicable.

Thanks. Nice recap.

Time not ripe for merger - PittsburghLIVE.com

Nice general article.

Time not ripe for merger - PittsburghLIVE.com 'Everybody here is saying we're at the crossroads. I'm a mile up the road,' said Peduto, touting his work on City Council to map out feasible consolidations in the city, county and region.

Bill is a mile up the road -- and -- sadly -- he is alone.

To go the next step with this story, consider a bulk of the other candidates at the crossroads. The Peduto is a mile up the road. Meanwhile, I'm out of traffic resting in the park, playing with the kids, talking with the other citizens, kicking a stone.

Peduto is elected. He is up the road, and others are not following. A leader, as he is, needs to guide and lead policy. We're going to go to Bill for leadership and guidance. However, he is riding his ideas into the sunset and they zoomed beyond clear sight.

Bill is okay with consolidation. He would work hard to take the city apart by design.

Meanwhile, Tom Murphy took the city apart by default.

My plan for consolidation goes to the parks for the next step. We need to talk about a NEW PITTSBURGH PARK District. Peduto could come back home, slide over into the parks, and then sound off on what he wants to do with this position paper on the park district concept.

Then he should do something with it -- such as call a meeting, host a post-agenda, introduce a bill for a task force. Do something that elected people do -- beyond running for office.

Start reading the position paper at DSL.CLOH.Org/v1/

The dog wags back!: The Last Mayor

The dog wags back!: The Last Mayor Les has high entertainment value. If you only hear one candidate before the primary, be sure to give him a listen.

Nice review of the race. No mention of HOP.

Les does have a web page, Do More With Les dot com.

Great event last night at the community concert and rally for Rauterkus

Thanks!

We had a great gathering last night at a community concert and Rally for Rauterkus. It was our best ever. It is followed by our best bank depost ever as well.

Last night's event featured, among other things, great music from Johnsmith.

Plus, the event allowed for the "birthing of our buttons."

The campaign, Elect.Rauterkus.com, has campaign buttons now. If you missed the event and want one, and each is unique and special, we can deliver.

As an introductory special, this week only, for a $25. campaign donation you'll get five assorted buttons. Payments in person at our headquarters with a personal check or else via Pay Pay at Elect.Rauterkus.com.

You'll want five as you'll be able to give a couple away. And, you'll want more than one for yourself.