Running Mates, help. Input on eminent domain needed urgently!

I'm slated to make a presentation for up to 10-minutes (with 10-minutes of time for possible questions from the committee) to a PA State House Committee hearing slated for Thursday afternoon on Grant Street (City Council Chambers) on EMINENT DOMAIN.

HELP.

Got content? Insights? Tips? Pointers?

Want to offer your services as a reviewer of a draft of my prepared statements? Email me, Mark@Rauterkus.com, and watch your inbox for their arrival shortly.

Frankly, I'm not too worried. But, I do want to put out this call in advance to others who might like to have a meeting on the minds about this important issue. Thanks for the consideration.

Otherwise, I'll upload the statements to this blog in the next 48 hours or so.

Flex Your Rights (wallet card)

1. Officer, am I free to go?

2. Officer, I don't consent to any searches.

3. Officer, I want to speak with a lawyer.

The movie, Busted, from FlexYourRights.org, was shown at Pitt by the College Libertarians.

The Fourth Amendment: The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable causes, supported by Oath or affimation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons of things to be seized.

Alcosan Open House

Gratis events for the public from 9 am to 4 pm on Saturday, October 1, 2005. Call 412 732-8002, or www.alcosan.org.

Welcome to Pittsburgh, Mr. Roosevelt. My address to the Pgh Public School Board and Administration

My words: Welcome to Pittsburgh, a city where politics matters, as it should. But where what matters in politics isn't as it could be.

---

Statement before the Pittsburgh School District and its Administration, September 19, 2005

Statement before the Pittsburgh School District and Administration
September 19, 2005

From Mark Rauterkus, 108 South 12th Street, South Side, 15203
412 298 3432 Mark@Rauterkus.com

I'm a parent of two students at Phillips Elementary (PPS), a community activist, swim coach, former stay-at-home dad, and a ballot candidate:
-- for PA Senate (May 2005),
-- for mayor, city of Pittsburgh (May 2001), and
-- expected candidate for City Council, 2006.

Topic: POLITICS

Welcome to Pittsburgh, Mr. Roosevelt. (I too am Mark R.)

We both are self described non-traditionalists with shared interest in education and politics.

Politics is a part of life. Only the foolish choose to ignore it.

In my opinion, Dr. Thompson tried to ignore politics. Upon Dr. Thompson's arrival to Pittsburgh, like those before him, I wrote him a note saying we had a dysfunctional political landscape. In computer-speak one could say, “garbage in, garbage out.” I hinted that the life of a school superintendent would bound to be full of frustrations as long as this Pittsburgh political quagmire persisted. Dr. Thompson was not interested in actions in this realm. Suffering in our community continues.

Examples:
Three on city council formed an alliance to exert influence in school board elections. These were no friends of public education. (Diven, Motznik, Ricciardi)
A+ Schools is a resume builder for Michael Lamb and certain factions and special interests.
A wealthy gatekeeper for school board elections has been Elsie Hillman who can stroke $10,000 checks for lawn signs so as to win the day.
Religious leaders, such as Rev. John Monroe, are going to work themselves into a state of frenzy and protest – perhaps with another extended prayer in the public school's board room disruption's sake.
The teacher union leader, the late Mr. Fondy, never was known to speak to non-Democrats without an abundance of profanity.
Mayor Tom Murphy only came to the school administration when he was seeking a TIF (tax break for a new development). That robs the present incomes on the hope for the future – but they have not pulled their weight in the slightest.
Bob O'Connor spoke in all seriousness when he said, if he was mayor, every school student would have his homework completed by 6 pm. Yeah right. I guess he has an after school magic pixie dust.
The state situation is no better as Gov. Rendell can't understand why 80-percent of the school districts in the state didn't swallow his plan for gambling incomes.

Pittsburgh's dysfunctional political landscape comes from neglect.

The good news, with some attention, the potential for improvements exist. Great strides can be made with some time and energy investments – and a new attitude. Benefits are sure to touch the lives of the students and school performances – and city-wide wellness.

Politics and voting are significant elements of the American way. We need an open minded approach that is inclusive and educational. The decision logic for voting in Pittsburgh is frail. Sadly, ignorance rules.

A solution suggestion:
I would love to either lead or assist with a coordinated effort from the Superintendent's office to create an extensive position paper. Perhaps it should be called a “PINK PAPER on Pittsburgh Politics and Schools.”

Better policies on politics can be established after wide debate:
Where are:
- school assembly opportunities,
- TV debates (with cable and public TV),
- policy talks with web streamed delivery, and
- zones for politicians and issue discussions at and following PPS sporting events?

A handout from a suburban school district invites citizens to meet the candidates for school board at a school function. Those type of events are rare in Pittsburgh.

Furthermore, suburban districts have the distinct advantage of being smaller and more intimate in terms of knowing candidates. In the suburban districts, neighbors have better chances of knowing one another. Pittsburgh's larger, urban district has 10 times the schools and neighborhoods yet the same number of board members. City-wide, Pittsburgh needs many more opportunities to meet the candidates, but we have less.

Another problem stems from petitions. Petitions should be dealt with in a simple and direct manners – and not treated as if they were plans for the overthrow of a dictator.

Another larger solution suggestion for the political landscape of Pittsburgh and schools is to end the stepping-stone trend.

I'd love to see a rule/law/charter addition that is similar to the one in place with Allegheny County Council. Twice, the voters of the county upheld a charter provision that makes a resignation necessary before a member of county council can seek candidate status for another elected office.

If you are on county council and you want to run for state senate, you need to resign your seat on county council before you are a candidate for the other office.

People like this rule. It imposes a clean purpose. Those with ambitions elsewhere need to leave their present positions first.

The same would work wonders for Pgh Public School Board Members.

I think those on the Pittsburgh Public School Board should be IN-ELIGIBLE for any ballot position for two years from the concluding date of their tenure on the board.

We have a history of others using the school board as a way to increase in power and and personal influence. This career advancement uses the school board seat as a stepping stone to other jobs.

Valerie McDonald and Barbara Burns moved to City Council after being on the school board.

Once the elected school board members – and the public know that these positions were TERMINAL and not a pathway to advancement -- then a different flavor of behavior and different style of candidate for these seats for arrive.

We need politics in the schools, about school matters and beyond. We do not need to continue the flooding that rage from a litany of other political factors appearing in our school decisions. Now it is as if the tail (politics at large) wags the dog (our schools, educational efforts and children's best interest). This happens because of ignorance by design from the main body.

Education reform might work without any political process reform. However, education reform that occurs with political reform, in parallel, is what I desire.

Reform should be like a pitched fork – with multiple prongs, one being politics.
Or, the dog can be whole, tail and all. But each needs to be aware and engaged and grounded.

Welcome to Pittsburgh, a city where politics matters, as it should. But where what matters in politics isn't as it could be.

State reduces estimate on city's slots revenue

Pipedreams go poof!
State reduces estimate on city's slots revenue State reduces estimate on city's slots revenue
Who woulda thunk it.

The over-hyped gambling incomes are now not what was promised. Nor are the new incomes to arrive when they were expected.

Too little. Too late.

Mayoral candidates endorse bike trails

Mayoral candidates endorse bike trails 'I'm all in favor of expanding the bike trails and getting them to come together as a unit,' said Republican nominee Joseph Weinroth. 'Whether I would put that as a top priority? I don't think so.'

Joe does not think bike trails should be the top priority but fails to mention what would be a top priority.

Bikes should be a top priority in terms of city transportation. They are effective, economical, efficient.

But sadly, Mayor Murphy's view of bike trails is to go to DC -- and same for Bob O'Connor. When going to DC, bikes are NOT economical, effective nor efficient.

Bikes can be a lifeblood for the city in terms of getting people and goods to school and work.

Gas prices are up again. The gas prices went down -- for a week -- and then the went up on a rebound. Ouch.

Cars and toll roads are not the answer. Parking garages and parking taxes are sources of headaches.

We can't bike everywhere in this city. Going to Carrick on a bike is hard work and isn't happening. But, going from the South Side Works to Hazelwood to Station Square to Downtown to the North Side and to the Strip District makes for flat, easy bike transport.

People can use bikes well in Shadyside and Oakland too.

If we had a few simple road treatments -- bikes could go much farther in our city.

'Last Chance' casino by Dimitri

'Last Chance' casino - PittsburghLIVE.com Now that the City of Pittsburgh has mastered the nuances of urban redevelopment, retail merchandising -- and pretty soon rodent control -- it wants to own a casino.

Going to speak to the Pgh Public School Board tonight

I'm going to speak tonight and share some ideas with the Pgh Public School Board about politics. Mark R is in town and on the job now as the new boss of the schools. He's a man with a politcal background. I'll offer up a few of my suggestions -- formally.

School board members should not be permitted to enter the ballot for any other elected office for a two year period following their exit from the the Pgh Public School's board.

Once the elected postion as school board member was converted into a somewhat "terminal" position instead of a stepping-stone to other, higher elected office, then serious school advocates who want to better the schools would run for those offices rather than those who want to better their power-base at the expense of the school students.

Those who work in The White House know that they won't be able to leave their position as an employee in the White House and just pick up any other position they'd like (like with a lobby firm).

More to come, sortly.

Green Event with 2004 Presidential Candidate in Pittsburgh

David Cobb (Green Party Presidential Candidate, 2004) and Titus North (Green Party Candidate for Mayor of Pittsburgh) are slated for a House Party/Fundraiser at 2140 Wightman St., Pittsburgh, PA 15217 at 7:30 pm on Tuesday, September 20, 2005.

Suggested donation for the fundraiser $10.

David Cobb is billed as a true hero of Election Reform, a passionate speaker, and he is definitely one of the strongest National voices for fair and auditable elections.

Gipper, gadfly, or GOPer

Gipper or gadfly? - PittsburghLIVE.com: "Allegheny County's Republican Committee should not consider the coming mayoral election as an inevitable failure. Bob O'Connor, poised to snatch the Grant Street throne from Tom Murphy, began his political identity as a registered Republican.
Yes, a Republican.

Word on the street says Tom Murphy was a Republican as well. And, he went to the established Republicans early in his ramping up for elected office and put the cards on the table. He sold his soul to them in some early meetings and got into bed with the Allegeheny Conference.
To this day, many Pittsburgher folks are sure Tom Murphy isn't a Democrat. I was on a talk-show and this same noise came up. It is everywhere. Tom Murphy acts like a Republican comes from the Dems and the denial of Tom Murphy as a pawn of the Republicans is bold too.
Tom Murphy used to speak to Jim Roddey, R, County Executive, every day while both were in office. They were tight. They were reading from the same playbook until late 2001. Roddey wanted Murphy to win election in 2001.
Life here isn't so much about Rs and Ds. Salena might wish it was, because that is the national sizzle that makes smoke for the business model to scale up to bigger and different accounts in the political PR world.
Bob O'Connor is cut from the same cloth as Tom Murphy. Both are the leading Democrats in the city. Both are for status quo. Both are for corporate welfare.
The article says the sky has already fallen on Pittsburgh. Well, I'd say it fell, sure. But, today is a new day and it is falling again. The sky is still going to fall -- and further debt is sure to mount. There is still a valid reason for sounding the alarms when the city's budget for 2006 calls for an additional $25-million in new debt.

FreeMarkets founder Glen Meakem contemplates future in politics - PittsburghLIVE.com

Trib article Meakem said he doesn't have faith in the Pittsburgh electorate to put people in place that will make real change. He said he supported Bill Peduto and Michael Lamb in the Democratic primary, and urged that one of them pull out of the race and support the other in order to present a realistic chance against front-runner and eventual winner, Bob O'Connor, whom he doesn't view as a strong agent for radically transforming the way the city does business.

Both Lamb and Peduto are partly to blame for O'Connor winning the D's spring primary. I wish there was more teamwork among the challengers. Sadly, they fumbled those opportunities.

Dollar Bank Junior Great Race

I guess this can be the 10th annual -- but -- there was a time when the race was stopped in its tracks by Mayor Murphy. Refunds were given. A crisis was needed to waive in the face of residents of the city and suburbania and Harrisburg. Murphy's wisdom put a stop to the race despite the facts that The Great Race makes money.

WPXI.com - WPXI-TV - Dollar Bank Junior Great Race
The Great Race has Fun for the Entire Family, today, Sunday, September 18, 2005, at Point State Park.

Register your junior athletes in this non-competitive race for children 12 and younger. $5 for pre-registration; $7 on Sept. 18.

Start setting examples for your children while they are young. Encourage them to participate this exciting day of family fun that promotes health and fitness.

Parents can make this event more memorable for the kids by running with their children in the 1-Mile Fun Run.

Beginning at noon, Point State Park will be hopping. Children of all ages will enjoy meeting with favorite mascots, silly class and face painters.
www.rungreatrace.com.

Packet pick-up and late registration will begin at 10:30 a.m.

Recruiting grassroots leaders

Here is an interesting call for grassroots leaders from Alan Keyes. Grassroots leaders wanted for Renewamerica.us

RenewAmerica is looking for dedicated activists who would like to 'make a difference.'

The purpose of RenewAmerica is to inspire and develop grassroots leaders who are committed to advancing the principles of our nation's great Declaration of Independence and its framework for implementation, the U.S. Constitution.

We call this philosophy "Declarationism."

Our goal is to identify -- and prepare -- those individuals who believe enough in these uniquely-American ideals to DO SOMETHING, not just watch from the sidelines.

An appeal for leaders:

We're looking for self-motivated, patriotic Americans who are willing to lend their time, talents, and knowledge to building a nationwide grassroots movement of dedicated activists--activists who are willing to sacrifice for the cause of liberty in the tradition of their forbears.

Are you possibly such a self-motivated citizen-activist? If so, we'd like you to become an official member of RenewAmerica -- authorized to represent RenewAmerica in your sphere of influence (within guidelines set by the organization).

We'd also like you to consider organizing your own local chapter of RenewAmerica -- built upon Declarationist principles, but reflecting your own particular interests, perspective, and focus. Each chapter is meant to be fundamentally autonomous and distinctive, within guidelines created by RenewAmerica.

All chapters are local franchises of the RenewAmerica name and concept.

Are you interested? Do you have sufficient "moral heart" to lead out in reclaiming our republic? Are you willing to inspire and teach others to emulate your example--at least, are you willing to try?

What we have in mind is a unique organization that is built from the bottom up, and thus has much deeper roots and greater strength than any "top-down" political organization. We're absolutely serious about making this grassroots vision a reality.

We believe nothing else will work.

Please join us!

As our nation continues to show signs of increasingly-destructive erosion of the foundation our Founders gave us, there is great urgency to ACT in setting things right, within the parameters of basic decency, respect for law, and faith in God, through grassroots activism inspired by effective grassroots leaders.

If you've had enough disillusionment with our political process, with our government, and with powerful lobbies and special interests, consider becoming a recognized member of RenewAmerica--and also think about forming a franchised RenewAmerica chapter in your area.

Ultimately, our plan is to have over a million individual RenewAmerica activists in place throughout our country--and at least one RenewAmerica chapter in every county.

Visit the site and even see the CHAPTER FRANCHISE AGREEMENT, plus a Declarationists of America, Unite handbill. And as usual, reactions welcomed.

Tire clean-up nets nearly 600 from the landscape!

Bev of the South Side Slopes Neighborhood Assn posted a recap of the weekend efforts on a tire pick-up project.

We gathered 319 tires without rims and 70 tires with rims. Today's total is 389. From the same area we pulled out 150+ on April 17, 2004 and nearly 100 September 14, 2003 for a grand total of close to 600 tires! There might be ~10-15 left buried so deeply in mud that they cannot be removed. There is a great deal of trash that was bagged and piled for a later clean up. If you drive down Brosville, you will see the tires all piled for Monday pickup...

There will be photos in the Trib tomorrow and in the Reporter. The PG was also there sans photographer.

Thanks to the South Side Chamber of Commerce and Tier1 for the funding to pay the $0.75-$2.00 per tire fee for Proper Tire Disposal!

I am so very happy that we started cleaning this illegal dump area 2 years ago and have had such a great success, that new dumping has been curtailed with our surveillance! This is all due to the StepTrek calling attention to our public stairways. Thanks to all of you that will be very sore tomorrow!

We will be meeting at 9:00 am next Saturday to clean up the StepTrek routes. We will be at the UPMC SS Lot 21st & Josephine Streets. We will make our final pass on Saturday 10/1 for last minutes pick up. Then, the StepTrek is Sunday October 2 from noon to 4pm! We could use volunteers as early as 8 am.

Email Bev to help with the Step Trek. Or, just sign up and take the urban down and uphill hike!

Her Hopes Can Come True

Email from a pal in Pittsburgh's west end.

Mark--

Thank you for posting information about the eminent domain hearing on your blog. Incidentally, congratulations on your issue-oriented campaign for the Pa State enate. Your opponents waged one of the worst campaigns I have ever seen. Reading their ads, I felt embarrassed for both of them. I hope to see you in the running for City Council in the future.

Sincerely,

Kathleen

My Pet Goat: A cease and Desist letter sent to volunteers helping in the wake of Katrnia - OMG

My Pet Goat: "Cease and Desist

As background, our Katrina data project is a group of volunteers who are trying to aggregate data from numerous Katrina-related websites so that it's easier to search....

Read the rest there. I have much more to say about this, should I find the time.

Flashback: Any guess what these girls are doing? (Leave your ideas within the comments.)

New Climbing Wall to open -- we'll visit an older one in HK

We'll be missing the opening of the REI store on South Side Works. Harbor City in Hong Kong has a climbing wall too. Grant is giving it a whirl in this photo. Bike Pittsburgh was looking for some volunteers for bike parking duties on the opening days. Wonder if the union on strike will make a fuss with them as 'scabs?'

See ya soon. Tonight we are hosting a mini-party with two grad students and their buddies. In a couple of weeks, the two students join the four of us (photoed above) for a two week trip to Hong Kong.