Muse You Can Use -- City Paper Cover Story

City Paper's cover story was called, Muse You Can Use. Why the arts must make the case for their continued existence by Bill O'Driscoll.

My son, Grant, 7, had his photo within the story. it is in the print edition, not online. He is the one holding the book at the center of attention. I had taken our boys to a class to learn about the OPERA. They both went to the opera a week or so later.

Erik, my oldest son, loves the opera. Grant fell asleep at the opera. Erik did too, for a spell.

We support the arts.

Another Letter to the Editor that won't get seen in Pgh Papers.

Send to: letters@post-gazette.com
Subject: Letter to the Editor

Dear Editor:

I take exception to the unstated assertion in the PG's endorsement for State Senate District 42 ("Fontana for Senate", 5/1/2005).

The editorial states that Libertarian candidate and community activist Mark Rauterkus can't match his opponents' knowledge of Harrisburg. Turn that coin over and it follows that career-oriented Harrisburg politicians can't match the community-oriented knowledge of local activists like Mark Rauterkus.

The mess in Harrisburg is made worse when well-intentioned media unknowingly promote the unspoken assertion that public service must be considered in strictly career terms that value titles and out-of-town mailing addresses over local activities and accessibility.

Volunteers from all walks of life become citizen soldiers and make our military the world's best. Volunteers from all walks of life, not career politicians, should be able to do the same for Pennsylvania's legislature.

That's why we should never dismiss a swim coach and community activist from consideration for the position of citizen legislator.

Growing Greener -- or Growing Greedier

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/tribune-review/opinion/letters/s_331385.html

Growing greedier, Friday, May 6, 2005

Just a reminder. The May 17 primary includes the following Growing Greener bond question:

"Do you favor authorizing the Commonwealth to borrow up to $625,000,000, for the maintenance and protection of the environment, open space and farmland preservation, watershed protection, abandoned mine reclamation, acid mine drainage remediation and other environmental initiatives?"

Is it just me, or does anyone else get suspicious when such nonspecific words as "maintenance," "protection," "open space," "preservation" and "initiatives" appear in the same sentence with "$625,000,000"?

Here's my specific answer to that bond question: "No!"

Mark Crowley
Plum

Letter to editor you'll never see -- except here about endorsement of PG

Dear Editor -

A few notes on the PA 42nd Senatorial election:

* Thank you for noting that there is a third candidate in this Special Election. (Fontana, Diven trading punches, May 7, 2005). This is more than some organizations, such as the AARP, are willing to acknowledge. Elaboration below.

* Michael Diven denies that a mailer's front-page photograph of his fiancee and nephews is misleading? Please. Then he further justifies this deceit by comparing this photo of his unidentified "family" to seniors with whom he has posed and brings in his deceased grandparents? What am I missing here?

Mr. Diven's denial of deceit should ring alarm bells as to his representation.

*The Post-Gazette's endorsement of Mr. Fontana (Fontana for Senate, May 1, 2005) notes that "In this case, picking between two dedicated public officials, and one quixotic candidate, almost demands a judgment on which party will best serve the district.."

Really? Does it demand that? Based on the publications, advertising and attitudes of the "two dedicated public officials" who are "trading punches," and by your own admission that, "two things are certain about the state Senate race featuring Republican Michael Diven and Democrat Wayne Fontana -- it's expensive and it's nasty" - I would feel compelled to demand an alternate candidate, not a "judgement" on which *party* will serve the district. That simply serves to continue a broken system.

But that's right, we *DO* have a third candidate - Mark Rauterkus, Libertarian.

Would that the voters had the opportunity to know this. But the money stream does not drip into any non-celebrity, third tributary. And money drives recognition. Unless the public has the opportunity to see all of the candidates. Such as in public debates.

But organizations sponsoring these debates, such as the AARP noted above, rely on out-of-date, discriminatory rules which define participation in electoral debates by the past performance of party affiliation.

Perhaps that makes sense in a 16-horse race. By why impose it on a three-horse race if not to perpetuate a two-party system?

The voters of the Western PA region need to accept the fact that our electoral system is broken ... and that campaign finance reform is simply the first step.

Why should third party candidates (a definition in-and-unto itself) be penalized by past performance of affiliated party members?

Big week -- and today's my birthday!

Big week.

Today, Monday, May 16 -- its my birthday. Born in the Year of the Rooster. And this year is also the Year of the Rooster!

Tomorrow, May 17 -- Election Day! Vote for the third option in the Senate Special Election.

May 18 -- My wife, kids and I get on a plane with passports! Housesitters move in -- by the way.

May 19 -- The new Star Wars Movie!

FYI, my blogging is going to slow a great deal in the next four weeks. Feel free to chat among yourselves. Drop me a note if to alert me of important happenings.

On Q sends good messages my way

The OnQ show had a call in segment with Chris Moore, Jim Roddey and a Dem. They talked about my "clean campaign" in a very positive way -- so I hear from a loyal caller to me. I'll tape it tonight after midnight. It runs again at 12:30 -- mid-day election day as well.

Predictions: Go ahead and leave a comment. Any race, any vote total, any percentage.

Okay wise guys. Time to leave a prediction or three. Use the comment form. And, don't do it namelessly.

Victory Parties!

I just called to wish "good luck" to my opponents, Fontana and Diven.

Diven's victory party is on The Boardwalk in the strip. Fontana's is at the Dormont Recreation Center.

My victory party -- 108 South 12th Street, South Side. My home office is where I'm gathering with others.

I hope to bounce to some other events on election night. Something is cooking with the media too. Gene R is having a party at Goodwill on the South Side. Sam is meeting at his home in Sheridan.

It's never too late. Never give up. Nice note from a citizen -- Encouragement like this is priceless.

Tonight's email included this gem. Thanks!

Hello Mr. Rauterkus, my name is Clement Ferguson and I wanted to thank you for running for Senate. I'm a young voter disenfrachised with the two-party system. I voted for Badnarik last year but my disillusionment had become so great since then that I unfortunately stopped following up on politics. Lately I noticed the various signs in people's yards and didn't think that there'd be a Libertarian candidate (although I did search lp.org and I don't recall finding anything about you). A friend of mine is working for Diven's campaign, so I decided to look into the elections a bit more. I had read through Fontana's and Diven's web sites and they had nothing to say but the usual vague, empty promises designed to secure their careers. I don't watch television often, but the ads that I saw on there were absurd. I really felt that I had no real person to vote for.

However, at work I saw a flyer that a student had received from you earlier today. I was blown away by your wiki and the huge platform that you had made available (with more real content on a single page than on the whole websites of the other guys), along with your blog -- and equally impressed by your use and advocation of open source software. While there are probably some points that I don't agree with you on, I have tremendous respect for you as a person of integrity who really cares about the future of Pittsburgh, and as someone who seems to be very open to discussion in the political process.

There's a great amount of people discontent with the situation in Pittsburgh, and many of them either 1) simply aren't going to vote or 2) are voting for one guy because they don't realize that there is a third who has something authentic and important to say. I know that there's probably not much that I can do at this point, but including myself I may have gotten you seven or more votes from talking with my friends and family tonight. I really wish that I could do more for you, and I regret not getting involved earlier in the process. I guess the best tool of those in power to stay in power is to make those beneath them think that there's no viable alternative, and I'm ashamed that I bought into that. I wish you the best of luck in the special election! I myself am going to reconsider my involvement in the political process and see if I can help out with local Libertarians. Reading about your accomplishments and initiatives has inspired me to do what I can for our community. If ever you need volunteers in the future, please let me know and I will assist you as best as I can.

Respectfully yours,
Clement

KDKA's Delano, a staunch Dem, gives tingling endorsmen to the "L"

Diven v. Fontana v. Rauterkus:

I never knew that Michael Diven and Wayne Fontana were such horrible human beings until the Harrisburg aparatchiks for both political parties descended on this region to tell us all their faults. Voters in the 42nd senatorial district have been flooded with reams of ugly literature and all of us have been subjected to negative TV ads that depict these two nice guys (yes, they are both nice gentlemen) as the devil incarnate. It's the battle for a Senate seat between Diven, the Republican, and Fontana, the Democrat (and Mark Rauterkus, the Libertarian), and both political parties are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to win.

Fontana should win tomorrow, but Diven is the kind of Republican who can pull an upset. The Rs think their man is up by two points, while the Dems think Fontana is ahead by double digits. Sadly, the race has come down to trivial accusations that sometimes border on the laughable. Diven shows a picture with his fiancee and some kids (not his own), and somehow he's committed some campaign fraud. Fontana, one of 15 members of county council and the most outspoken against reassessments and former Allegheny County chief executive Jim Roddey (R), is somehow the author of every action in the county that raised property assessments. It's almost enough to make you vote Libertarian!

Behind the scenes, the battle is between Republican and Democratic state operatives. Having won a special state senate election back in Allentown on April 5, the GOP would like nothing better than to pick up another one, especially in a city-suburban district like this one. The Dems are throwing everything at it to keep that from happening. And one guy who has a lot riding on this race is Allegheny County chief executive Dan Onorato, the Democrat who does not need a political loss in his own neighborhood. Onorato has raised more than a $100,000 for the Fontana camp and tossed in some dollars of his own. If nothing else, after the rather bland mayor's race, this battle has been entertaining.

Jon Delano, always the gentlemen, tip toes around the race coverage in his email blast today. I could never hope for anything better than the above posting from Delano. To me, that is like hitting a grand-slam in the bottom of the ninth, with the other team ahead.

The entire posting, PSF, is in the comment section.

Yes, Delano is right in that there has been a lot of "operative" action in the race with Diven and Fontana. The opponents are close to puppet status, sadly. There are a lot of issues that I still don't understand, (like why the Ds would put so much money into a guy like Fontana who is so anti-choice), but I'm not going to air them out on the eve of the election. I'll get to the head-scratching elements later.

Finally, to the last word of his post, "entertaining." I wish that this race of ours was entertaining. We had ONE debate that was put on TV. One. I needed five, then the race would have been entertaining, really.

I was the clear victor in the lone TV debate. If we had a handful of public opportunities, such as should have happened with PUMP, AIA, Urban League, PIIN, within the Trib, Courier, The Front, CMU/Pitt/Carlow/Point Park/RMU, UJF, and on with WPTT, KDKA, TV 11, QED, DUQ, WTAE, PCTV and KQV -- then -- we'd ALL would be buying advertising. Furthermore, the race would be a three-way deadlock.

I know. I know. I shouldn't pick battles with those who buy ink by the barrel, nor with those who have big bandwidth, like Comcast. But, the journalist in me is again frustrated with the global efforts of voter education and media play in certain times in certain races.

This time, globally, I have little but praise for the Mayor's race coverage. Les, Hop, and Dan got enough buzz and got their message out. People and instituions went out of their way to be much more inclusive than in 2001 when I saw Josh, Leroy and Earl get skunked.

In the PA Senate race, I didn't get skunked everwhere. But, our race (and coverage from all three of us) did get zippo in certain quarters.

Finally, it is not like I'd never be satisfied. I am easy to please. I live in the city afterall. My driving theme, I want things to be better. They have improved in some sectors. More improvement is welcomed.

BALLOT ACCESS COALITION LAUDS RECOMMENDATIONS OF ELECTION TASK FORCE

3863 Union Deposit Road #223
Harrisburg, PA 17109
1-800-774-4487
www.lppa.org

For Immediate Release:
Date: 5/15/2005
For more information contact:
Ken Krawchuk (Past Chair) at 267-496-3332
David Jahn (Chair) at 610-461-7755

BALLOT ACCESS COALITION LAUDS RECOMMENDATIONS OF ELECTION TASK FORCE

The Pennsylvania Ballot Access Coalition praised the Governor's Election Reform Task Force for their final report which was released today. Among the recommendations made by the 13-member Task Force was the proposal that the election laws "should be amended to provide greater access to the ballot for minor political parties and political bodies." The final vote on the recommendation was twelve in favor and none against, with one abstention.

"The members of the Governor's Election Reform Task Force are to be commended for their fine work", said Ken Krawchuk, a Libertarian member of the Coalition. "Their recommendations validate a sad fact that we Libertarians have known for many years: that our current ballot access laws are horrendous. But with their final report now in hand, we can immediately begin to focus on the next phase of our historic Coalition's mission, which is to line up sponsors in the Legislature and follow
through to finally enact fair and honest ballot access laws in Pennsylvania which are equitable to all citizens."

"The Green Party applauds the Governor's Election Reform Task Force for voting 12-0 to recommend making it easier for independent and minor party candidates to get on the ballot in Pennsylvania", said Kevin Murphy, a Green Party member of the Coalition. "The Green Party agrees with this balanced panel of experts from across the political spectrum that the current ballot access laws do injury to the voters by depriving them of choice on Election Day and reducing the electoral competition
that is crucial to a healthy democracy. When the Pennsylvania Legislature puts this recommendation into action, it will benefit all voters by giving independent and minor party candidates the same fair and equal access to the ballot that only major party candidates currently enjoy."

"Governor Rendell's Task Force on Election Reform is to be congratulated for its swift and decisive action in voting overwhelmingly to amend the ballot access laws in Pennsylvania", said John Murphy, a Coalition member representing the Ralph Nader campaign. "Their recommendation will make running for office more equitable for independent and minor party candidates and expand the democratic process for the citizens of the commonwealth."

The members of the Pennsylvania Ballot Access Coalition believe that the right of citizens to run for political office is supreme in a free society, as is their right to support and vote for the candidates of their choice. Toward that end, the mission of the PBAC is fourfold:

1) To define a minor political party based upon statewide voter registrations (0.05%) rather than based upon the current district-by-district electoral formula (2% of the winner's vote total);

2) To allow minor political parties to nominate candidates for all offices directly according to their party rules, and at their own expense, rather than by the existing nomination papers process;

3) To allow independents and political bodies to nominate candidates for all offices via the current nomination papers process, but using the signature requirements outlined in 25 C.S. 2872.1 rather than the current district-by-district electoral formula (2% of the winner's vote total); and;

4) To otherwise reform Pennsylvania's laws to make the ballot more equitable and accessible to all citizens.

The goal of the PBAC is to implement these changes effective with the 2006 gubernatorial election. More information about the PBAC can be found on the Web at www.PaBallotAccess.org.

Another Endorsement: This in from Paul Sentner from his blast list.

Paul sends out his email blasts and it includes a plug on me in the middle. He displays his logic on various matters voters are to face at the polls.

Within the Platform.For-Pgh.org there is mention and support of the creation of ombudsman positions in local, county and state government. That role is one that is absent in our political landscape. I think we'll hear more about the ombudsman in the seasons to come and it would make for a great voter driven ballot question, perhaps as soon as this fall.

15 May 2005
My personal perspective on the upcoming elections.

I expect there may be confusion regarding the District 2 City Council elections, because there are two elections, and all the mailings I've seen have made no clear effort to inform voters of the distinctions:

A. The Special Election to complete the term until November 2005, for the seat vacated by Mr. Hertzberg when he was appointed a judge by Gov.Rendell.

There are only two candidates, each selected by the committees of the recognized political parties:

Samuel Berninger of Sheraden = the Republican committee candidate

Daniel Deasy of Westwood = the Democratic committee candidate

---

B. The Primary Election to select candidates for the November General Election
6 Democratic candidates
1 Republican candidate (Samuel Berninger)

---

Samuel Berninger of Sheraden is the only one of the six City Council District 2 Candidates and the three District 42 State Senate Candidate who responded to my request for written commitments for the few simple concrete actions noted on the website at www.pauljsentner.com/no_wehav

Additionally, Samuel Berninger of Sheraden also indicated YES to all three commitments should he be elected in the Special Election.

Thererfore he is my choice in Tuesday's City Council Special Election.

In no way do I support the national Republican agenda, nor the gang of nazis in Washington, but if ethical behavior is to ever become inherent in our political parties, those individuals who seem to be so, should be given the chance to participate, and perhaps change the Parties from within, while others may work to establish additional national USA political parties as alternatives to the two major parties which now seem to be far too often mirror-images of each other.

My reasoning is to give Samuel the chance to keep to his stated intentions, if he's elected and does so, then I will vote for him again in November.

---

The others had the same opportunity to accept the challenge to go on the public record with these few specific actions; there has been much braying of generalities, none of which a candidate can be held to. Because of their non-response and absence of specific accountable-for commitments, I'm not going for anyone in the Democratic Primary. Too bad we don't have open primaries.

---

Incidentally, I do not support cutting Council members to 5 - heck, why not 3? -- or how about none, and then we can designate the Mayor to be Feudal Lord?

I'm for MORE representation, not less;
-- guess who would be under-represented if there were only 5 Council members?
-- there's too much of a buddy-system going on among the present members of Council, let alone cutting the club down to 5;
-- and that's too much power to concentrate, rather than expand.

I do think that some Districts might be re-configured, decided by referendum of the residents.

For instance, -- it seems to me that Mt.Washington (with the possible exception of Duquesne Heights?), Arlington and Mt. Oliver might have more in common than Mt. Washington has with the present southwestern neighborhoods;

-- and that Banksville might have more in common with Beechview?

I believe the area encompassed by Mt. Washington-Banksville-East Carnegie-Esplen-Temperanceville is -- too vast an area to be responsibly and knowledgeably represented by one person,
-- too easy for one representative to be unaccountable to the residents,
-- too vast to permit residents to exert their cohesive influence upon a
representative.

I have friends and relatives in Mt. Washington, but local community-wise, Mt. Washington may as well be on the Northside.

---

Given the deluge of bad-mouthing political junk-mail from the Parties, the absence of any assistance with the WE-HAV scheme, and conversations with Mark Ruterkus, I am going for Rauterkus for State Senator, I'd like to give him a chance and see how he does for two years.

---

As for the Mayoral Primary, their WE-HAV actions render it impossible for me to accept O'Connor or Peduto, and so I am going for Lamb; to see how he might do, given the chance.

---

I prefer to have some public control via election of officials, rather than patronage-ridden appointed officials, and thus I do not support the Row-Office reform question.

I do accept the "Greening" question for State funding of environmental matters, etc.

Best Regards,

PG calls it vicious

Editorial: A mayor and more State Senate Special Election

Jack Wagner's election last year to auditor general created a vacancy for his Senate seat in the 42nd District, which includes Downtown, Oakland, the Strip District, North Side, South Side, plus southern and western neighborhoods in the city and a large swath of suburbs to the south and west.

Since this is no primary but an election to fill the seat immediately, it's been a vicious contest into which both parties have poured barrels of money.

Since!

Say what?

Watchdogs that give a free pass are not really watchdogs at all.

In the lead of the article, the PG editors wrote:

... some kind of Senate race in Allegheny County where two guys are saying the most nasty things about each other. ...

That's officially some kind of description for some kind of senate race. It all makes sense now.

PennLive.com: NewsFlash - Election action in Tuesday's primary mainly local

AP ink:

PennLive.com: NewsFlash - Election action in Tuesday's primary mainly local In Wagner's former Pittsburgh district, former Allegheny County councilman Wayne Fontana, a Democrat, is competing with Democrat-turned-Republican Rep. Michael Diven and Libertarian Mark Rauterkus.

NY Times gives ink for mayor's race

The NY Times gave some coverage to the Pittsburgh mayor's race.

Same too with Boston Globe. See comments.

Rauterkus got some ink in the latest Diven Mailer

If you look close, my name is on the latest Diven mailer, twice. The mailer zooms in onto the voting machine levers.

1-SP = Wayne D. Fontana, Democratic
2-SP = Michael Diven, Republican
3-SP = Mark Rauterkus, Libertarian

Then the middle of the mailer says, The Choice is Clear. But, the presentation isn't so clear as the contrast is only between Diven and Fontana.

The text talks of Diven's reputation for being independent. Diven's I-like behaviors should have materialized in an INDIE race for PA Senate. He thought about that option but went to the Republicans. Diven knew he could not win as an Indie. The third party folks are sure to look close and see my name within the same mailer and get more excited than picking a "R".

If Diven spent his career doing what is in the best interest of the community -- why is he so blasted negative now? Why are we seeing Jack Wagner come to the defense of his buddie, Fontana, while Diven says he is putting people above politics. The claim doesn't fit.

But to voters, May 17 is a SPECIAL ELECTION -- AND -- a primary election.

Then the line, "The winner will represent us n Harrisburg immediately." But Michael is already a representative in Harrisburg now. Poor word choice, again. Diven is a state rep. If he gets second or third in this race, Diven stays a state rep. And, Diven stays as a Republican.

But, if Diven wins -- then a new special election chain of events is to unfold. We'll have to live through this again with another special election. The date will be set in 60-days after Diven drops out of his present office.

OMG = Oh my gosh. That alone is reason to not vote for Diven. Who would the Republican's run? I doubt a new switching Dem be found?

The flip side of the mailer has "Attention Independent Voters" with uncle same pointing and one eye closed.

To bad Diven didn't do what I would have done -- make mention of the special election in City Council District 2. I've talked at city council on that race and that special election on twice already.

Yes, May 17 isn't just a primary. It is a 'dual election."

The ballot questions also give others beyond the old parties additional reasons to vote.

The Diven braintrust gets additional thanks, today, again, for increased help with the lastest mailer.

Ghost voting and ghost calling

So far, we've seen slams from Fontana about Diven's ghost voting. But, we've also seen the ghost of Ronald Reagan, J.F.K,, 1960 Pirates, Magician, and Uncle Sam come into our mailboxes.

If Diven's win becomes as exciting as the '60 Pirates World Championship, then what would my victory match?

But the headline on the front of Diven's mailer is wrong too. It reads, "For the first time since the Pirates played at Forbes Field, we have the chance to elect a Republican State Senator." It seems to me that Diven is saying that the Republicans never even ran a candidate for State Senator. Perhaps the real story is the fact that we've had lots of opportunities to elect Republicans for State Senate since the closure of Forbes Field -- but they never won!

Now I wonder if we ever had the chance to elect a LIBERTARIAN State Senator?

That could be factually correct. Did a Libertarian ever run for State Senate in the city or in the county?

So, Diven's headline is not truthful. And, Diven's headline fits me like a glove -- if you swap out the Republican word and insert Libertarian.

Council race really hits close to home - with more negativity

Council race really hits close to home - PittsburghLIVE.com: "Printed next to the photo, fliers mock Payne's campaign slogan -- 'Let's get our house in order' -- with the slogan, 'On May 17 tell her, 'No Tonya, you get your house in order!'

See the comments for the entire article.

Internal polls -- reported in other sites

The skinny from elesewhere:

Fontana, the negative D, 44%
Diven, the new and negative R, 31%
Rauterkus, L, 25%

The internal poll numbers from the Fontana camp -- mentioned on the front page of PoliticsPA and GrassrootsPa, were reportedly from mid-weed, this week.

This is why neither Diven nor Fontana wanted the participation from a charging, popular, citizen candidate in the AARP debate.

Furthermore, the old-party candidates with negative campaign operations knew that I was the clear victor in the lone debate of the campaign, hosted in Mt. Washington on April 21.

The numbers above leave a lot to be desired.

What isn't being shown in the numbers above is the voter apathy to both Diven and Fontana. They are sapping out any energy from the race with their constant, negative mudslinging. Turnout is going to be much less than expected on this election because loyalist Dems and loyalist Republicans won't vote. They'll hold their noses and move onto another part of the voting machine, such as row-office reform or a local friend in a municipal race, school race or judge race.

Up to 90% of the voters who are still undecided are the ones who don't read junk mailers and don't watch TV. The final wave of undecided voters are breaking for the third party option. These are active and engaged citizens. These are the "do-ers" in the communities, and they have little faith in the status quo. Those who appreciate real grassroots campaigns have no confidence in what is being promised by Diven and Fontana.

This weekend's schedule is geared to connect with the busy community people who might still be undecided: Brighton Heights road race, a house tour, Pedal Pittsburgh on Sunday morning, a number of church visits in between, and a science presentation with elementary school kids in a local library (South Side), plus musical lessons (Carnegie) and a swim team function (Green Tree). Yesterday we watched a high school baseball game in Crafton with Langley.

I would love to stand next to one or both of the other candidates at Pedal Pittsburgh on Sunday morning. The contrast is dramatic.

The polling numbers also help to explain by a Diven operative approched us with enticements for pulling out of the race.

The Diven base crumbled. The personal friends that are clearly part of the Diven camp do not stretch to a district with more than 200,000 voters. Furthermore, the Diven approach does not work well with traditional Republicans. These people are principled voters who care about the big picture details such as message, freedom, and integrity. Diven's name ID is a factor. But, to the GOP core, the Diven name hinders. Diven has been part of Pittsburgh's city council and tied with close relationships with Mayor Tom Murphy. Diven has been a "self-proclaimed back bencher" and that does not build a viable resume to seek senate status.

Both Diven and Fontana have made a habit of putting up lawn signs in public right of ways and at empty / for-sale properties. Often two of the largest signs go at either end of the property line -- one for Diven and the other for Fontana. The foolishness is evident to the locals, some who even had signs appear in their yards without consent. At least the two heavyweights give themselves shelter from the folly.

Think again.

The Elect.Rauterkus.com campaign is doing much better than expected, in part because the heavyweights are doing their best to repeatedly harm themselves. Thankfully this is only a 19-month term.

Onorato's PAC (political action committee) gave $80,000 to Fontana recently. It was Fontana who co-sponsored the 0-1-2-3-4 property tax plan, pushed by Onorato. That bogus plan for taxing Allegheny County residents got tossed out by the judge for not being constitutional, and rightly so. That $80K can do plenty to whitewash the bill's memory from voters, but not so near to the election day.

Base Closures - hold on. Let's not fight among ourselves in expensive ways.

Pennsylvania survived with less damage than was widely anticipated. Facilities widely considered at risk are slated for expansion. Carlisle Army War College is to stay open and Dickinson Law School stay operational in Carlisle for 20 more years.

The Naval Air Station in Willow Grove, Montgomery County, is slated for closure, with a potential loss of 1,200 jobs.

The Air Reserve Support Unit in Pittsburgh is to close.

Pennsylvania will lose 429 civilian jobs out of the 18,223 civilian positions being cut - 2 percent of the total. We're losing 1,435 military positions of the total 10,728 cut or about 13 percent of the military jobs lost.

Rendell is doubling efforts to defend the jobs with a fund in excess of $1 million dedicate to fund local defense groups and Chambers of Commerce to persuade the DEFENSE from the removal of Pennsylvania installations from the closure list.

I don't want EXPENSIVE fights between two entities both funded with taxpayer money -- because then we all loose. A spending match between the two hands of the same body is a sure way to stay poor if not become poorer.

We need to present ideas. We need to think it through. Wise solutions are not held with the thickest wallets.