Teacher. Wordsmith. Madman. TURNING YET ANOTHER PAGE
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
Teacher. Wordsmith. Madman. -- rips letter to editor from Tim Stevenson
Some great blogging is showing up in the neighborhood.
Monday, February 05, 2007
New blog: Campaign 2008
Here is a guy after my own heart. He is long winded too! And, he hits upon the P-G as well.
Campaign2008 In terms of our PA state legislators, they regularly bend or break the law. One former legislative power, Sen. Frank Gigliotti, was once asked if the main point of electoral politics was not to 'serve the public interest.' His famous response, recorded on tape, was, 'F--k the public.' There's evidence he was not alone in that view.
Compare and Contrast Health Care Plans
Here is another plan: Don't get sick. (Just joking.)A chart has been made that shows, in yes-or-no replies, the two major health care options now being floated in Pennsylvania. One is from Governor Ed Rendell. The other is called FAMILY & BUSINESS HEALTH CARE SECURITY ACT OF 2007.
Thanks to Molly Rush for sending along the chart. People in Pittsburgh have been working on the later plan for a couple of years.
http://docs.google.com/View?docid=ddznxj6h_25d6sc6xGet the details in the link above, a published Google Document.
Lanz Children Fund
Mom's gone. Kids are young. Here is how to give.
http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/news/10912186/detail.html
If you are local, please feel free to either send a donation to the address below, or go to your local PNC branch office. You will only need to know the name on the account to make a deposit. They will not give you the account number, but will find it by the name.
Donations can be sent to the following address:
Lanz Children Fund
c/o PNC Bank
US Steel Tower
600 Grant Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15219
Please, whether you send money or go to a branch office to make a donation, make sure you have the name on the account being "Lanz Children Fund", as that is the only way to make sure the money goes to the correct account. If you send a check, maybe just include a note that the check is a deposit to the "Lanz Children Fund".
National ID Card opposition from Libertarians
Opposition grows to the REAL ID driver’s licenseLibertarian Party of Pennsylvania - For Immediate Release - February 5, 2007Harrisburg, PA - The Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania (LPPa) applauds Maine's state legislature for its overwhelming rejection of the REAL ID. Their legislature cited the grave threat to individual liberty, the increased risk of identity theft and the enormous cost of this unfunded mandate. Eleven other states are considering similar bills. The LPPa urges Pennsylvania's legislature to do the same.
For more information contact: Doug Leard (Media Relations) or Michael Robertson (Chair) at 1-800-R-RIGHTS / chair@lppa.org
The REAL ID, passed by Congress in 2005 as an amendment to an appropriations bill, forces the states to standardize their driver licenses converting them into "smart cards" capable of linking to government and private databases. In theory, this connectivity permits a drivers license card to also function as: credit, debit, and banking cards; health, life, auto and property insurance cards; membership, admission and rental cards for private uses; and other applications still being devised.
The danger is that a distant computer or bureaucrat can disable the ID portion of your card and none of the functions will work. LPPa Media Relations Chair, Doug Leard, explained, "When the NICS [National InstaCheck System] system crashed, no one could be validated for a gun purchase. A computer error suspended the Second Amendment for gun purchasers. With the REAL ID system, a computer problem or government bureaucrat’s decision can shut down the day to day lives for millions of people. The Bill of Rights becomes just a list of suspendable privileges at the mercy of computer reliability and government bureaucrats."
The $12 billion dollar estimated cost of the REAL ID unfunded mandate will be passed to the states and then to the taxpayers via increased Department of Motor Vehicle fees, tolls and/or taxes.
Michael Robertson, LPPa Chair, added, "We urge the Pennsylvania legislature to adopt a resolution declining to comply with the REAL ID provisions and to call upon the Congress to repeal this mandate. The mandated concentration of personal information in the hands of a few poses a grave threat to individual liberty and should be viewed as unacceptable in any free society. Pennsylvanians should contact their state and federal elected officials with this message."
Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania, 3915 Union Deposit Road #223, Harrisburg, PA 17109
www.lppa.org, 1-800-R-RIGHTS, info@lppa.org
More.
Kansas City Star | 02/05/2007 | States rally against a national license States rally against a national license - Legislatures resist a federal effort that would standardize the driver’s ID and link databases.
WASHINGTON | A revolt against a national driver’s license, begun in Maine last month, is quickly spreading to other states.
China's Internet powerhouse crushes opposition, worrying government - International Herald Tribune
China's Internet powerhouse crushes opposition, worrying government - International Herald Tribune China's Internet powerhouse crushes opposition, worrying governmenthttp://qq.com
For three mayoral candidates in Phila., no B.A.
Philadelphia Inquirer | 02/04/2007 | For three mayoral candidates in Phila., no B.A. is no big deal 'Quite frankly, I can't remember a mayor of a big city who wasn't a college graduate, and I think I would,' said David Bositis, an expert in urban and minority politics at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies in Washington, when asked whether he could. 'It sounds like a question from the 1950s.'Bob O'Connor didn't have a degree, did he?
Campaign funds buy many things for politicians
Campaign funds buy many things for politicians 'In our opinion, that's flat-out wrong,' said Mr. Kauffman. 'I don't think that has anything to do with influencing the outcome of an election.'Flat-out wrong.
Shame on them all.
Speaking of suits, I've been waiting for the opportunity to reveal these photos of when we got suits in Hong Kong. They were not paid for by campiagn donations.
 |
| From markets |
Counting the beans & counting on pots of gold - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Political story pointer.
Of interest is the mention of the kid's story, Jack and the Beanstalk. I like parables.
The main character in that story made a bad decision and traded, (gambler), his precious asset (cow) for some magic beans. He was tricked.
Sounds like selling off the water authority for cash to help build a stadium to watch 'roid enhanced ball players (S.F. Giants).
But Jack in the fairy tale doesn't really count the beans. He chucks the investment out the window. A real controller might be a bit more tight fisted.
Stealing happens in the story with poor Jack going elsewhere, perhaps suburbia, to rip off the slumbering, and wealthy.
Bandit Jack returns to his senior citizen home after burning the bridge to prospertity with a bag of gold, magic hen and golden harp. Mistick says that those are the kinds of things that it will take to save Pittsburgh.
Humm...
Fe, Fi, Fo, Fum. Watch for would-be controllers on the run.
The story doesn't work for me. I'm not interested in promoting politicians who have a history of making bad decisions and think that they have to rip off others to get ahead. By that standard, Doug Shields and Mike Dawida are OUT.
As for Lamb, Pokora and Macklin -- well -- I've yet to see ANYTHING from them.
Perhaps the watch-dog media types in Pittsburgh can spin another yarn of another fairy tail soon. Weave the names of candidates into a saga of psuedo-news based on hype and smoke. Replay to the voters how the building blocks of democracy come from the bedrock found in the book of Mistick.
Joe, the golden harp might be out of tune.
Counting the beans & counting on pots of gold - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Counting the beans by Joe Sabino MistickJoe wrote of a slugfest of blog attacks, but neither Ravenstahl nor Peduto have opened any blogs. Go figure.
Of interest is the mention of the kid's story, Jack and the Beanstalk. I like parables.
The main character in that story made a bad decision and traded, (gambler), his precious asset (cow) for some magic beans. He was tricked.
Sounds like selling off the water authority for cash to help build a stadium to watch 'roid enhanced ball players (S.F. Giants).
But Jack in the fairy tale doesn't really count the beans. He chucks the investment out the window. A real controller might be a bit more tight fisted.
Stealing happens in the story with poor Jack going elsewhere, perhaps suburbia, to rip off the slumbering, and wealthy.
Bandit Jack returns to his senior citizen home after burning the bridge to prospertity with a bag of gold, magic hen and golden harp. Mistick says that those are the kinds of things that it will take to save Pittsburgh.
Humm...
Fe, Fi, Fo, Fum. Watch for would-be controllers on the run.
The story doesn't work for me. I'm not interested in promoting politicians who have a history of making bad decisions and think that they have to rip off others to get ahead. By that standard, Doug Shields and Mike Dawida are OUT.
As for Lamb, Pokora and Macklin -- well -- I've yet to see ANYTHING from them.
Perhaps the watch-dog media types in Pittsburgh can spin another yarn of another fairy tail soon. Weave the names of candidates into a saga of psuedo-news based on hype and smoke. Replay to the voters how the building blocks of democracy come from the bedrock found in the book of Mistick.
Joe, the golden harp might be out of tune.
OpenOffice.org is blistering ahead elsewhere -- what about in Pittsburgh?
If I was mayor or county executive, we'd be hosting a big open source software pow-wow such as this. And, we'd do it often. All the 'running mates' and everyone in the region should be using OpenOffice.org. Go get it. Put it on your computer. Give it a whirl. 
The official international OpenOffice.org Conference (OOoCon) brings together people who are interested in the development, promotion, and use of OpenOffice.org.
Last year, members of the OpenOffice.org community gathered at the official international OpenOffice.org Conference (OOoCon) in Lyon, France for a superb conference hosted by the local OpenOffice.org community.
This year's proposals reflect the growing importance of OpenOffice.org in the Asia Pacific area as well as Europe, with strong proposals from:
* Barcelona (Spain)
* Beijing (China)
* Dehradun (India)
Members of the OpenOffice.org community are invited to go to the following web page to submit a vote for their preferred location:
http://marketing.openoffice.org/ooocon2007/proposal.html
Voting will be open from 5th February - 18th February inclusive. Just two weeks - so please vote early.
Sunday, February 04, 2007
Early screening review of Pride
Early screening review - Lionsgate Forums I viewed a Feb. 2 screening of PRIDE in Kansas City. Jim Ellis attended and spoke briefly about his history on which PRIDE is based. Ellis makes a cameo appearance in the early part of the film itself.
UPDATE: Wishing for that 2-hour delay call, before kick-off
UPDATE 2: School is OFF. The Two Hour Delay came and then it was changed to NO SCHOOL for STUDENTS on MONDAY AM.
How about a 2-hour delay for Monday morning school, to be called before kickoff.
It's cold. The buses are going to need time to warm up.
We're wanting to watch football and not have grumpy guys all week.
How about a 2-hour delay for Monday morning school, to be called before kickoff.
It's cold. The buses are going to need time to warm up.
We're wanting to watch football and not have grumpy guys all week.
New bullet on my resume: Poet Laureate of Pennsylvania
We had a wonderful presenter at church today, author and poet, Sam Hazo. He had been the poet of Pennsylvania, until the arrival of Gov. Ed Rendell.
He told the story that Ed Rendell, who had been friendly to the arts, nixed the no-pay role of state poet. He got a letter saying that his services were no longer needed. Asking why, he was informed that Ed Rendell thought that every poet in Pennsylvania was a Pennsylvania Poet Laureate.
There was a women from Nantucket...
You too can be a poet laureate of the commonwealth.
He told the story that Ed Rendell, who had been friendly to the arts, nixed the no-pay role of state poet. He got a letter saying that his services were no longer needed. Asking why, he was informed that Ed Rendell thought that every poet in Pennsylvania was a Pennsylvania Poet Laureate.
There was a women from Nantucket...
You too can be a poet laureate of the commonwealth.
A heaping helping of handouts
Good feature article, also blogged about at AntiRust.
It is no wonder that they use slush funds so well. They are great at giving bonus pay to staffers in Harrisburg -- and hiding it.
My favorite reason for not doing give-a-ways is its toxic nature. The subsidy puts poison into the well of the free market place. A gift, bonus, grant or enhancement to one is sure to halt the development from those who would do so otherwise, without the aid.
Furthermore, the people vote with their feet. They will invest elsewhere, in a market that is NOT so crooked, so slanted, so full of favorites.
I've seen this in coaching plenty of times. When a coach plays favorites, the team is going to crumble. People won't buy into the system when some are being rewarded and others are not. When bribes are needed to jump start anything -- then nothing will happen without a bribe. Game over.
A business person that makes an investment into an area wants to protect that equity. High risk investments are not worthy. Capital should not be leveraged in areas where others don't do the same and where capital isn't even valued.
Questions from within the article:
Are these or any businesses worth such enormous public investments?
No.
If not, is it OK to sometimes make bad investments on behalf of the taxpayers if those same taxpayers also derive tangential benefit from the overpriced product?
No.
Is it even possible these days to get something built without offering a big carrot first?
No in Pittsburgh, these days. However, it could be not only possible but certain that a windfall of development would return to the city and the region as soon as we made a drastic change of course.
Once we say, 'enough is enough' and mark a new day -- and tell the world in no uncertain terms that all TIFs and tax-breaks for the favorites have ended, then we'll see a new dawn of prosperity.
When we respect the marketplace and prove it -- then the marketplace will respect us, again.
This is more than a politician, union, business leader (ha, ha) and campaign donor issue. The voters need to be a part of this chain of command. They are the citizens, the ones with the most money, and the ones that are hardest to mobilize -- but with the best clout.
The voters are going to need to speak with their votes -- and not just once. The voters are going to need to awaken -- like never before. Or else, the special interest groups will dominate into the future.
Condos are an option now in Downtown because Downtown is so poor, depressed and poisoned. Building condos in a downtown business area isn't a sign of prosperity.
Just as the arrival of flowers at a funeral home should not signal anything but death, so too goes condos for our downtown.
Downtown wasn't meant for subsidized condos, yet we're getting condos because downtown is dead. Downtown should have a density of economic activity, commerce, business. Wealth should be created and calculated in Downtown spaces. Widgets should have places to rest on balance sheets, in downtown offices -- not empty nesters.
It is fitting that 'empty nesters' are the ones flocking to occupy Downtown spaces now.
And if it's hard to prove public subsidies are ever a really good deal, then why do politicians keep forking over millions?
The proof of the value of subsidies is hard to get a handle upon because we've had controllers like Tom Flaherty and Dan Onorato. They are players in the rat race where spending government money is a career enhancement.
Think again! The economic theory of opportunity cost means money spent on one thing means opportunities foregone on other things. That is a lesson that is lost on many. I'd rather give money and provide services to veterans who have had limbs blown off in the war than build two tunnels under the Allegheny River for a modest expansion of light rail. But then again, I'd rather not send our loved ones into war, especially after the evil dictator of Iraq has been removed, stood trial and executed.
Sports venues are the biggest drain of all, most economists agree. Come on. The cost of war exceeds the cost of sports venues.
Here is another goofy comment in the article: And unlike skyscrapers that may be underwritten with public subsidies, public arenas and stadiums almost never go on the tax rolls, meaning the city or county won't recover the costs over time. I've called upon the Steelers, Pirates and even the Penguins to own their own venues. Even the Steelers practice field should be owned by the Steelers. And tax should be collected there.
I've also called for a net reduction in the amount of land that is owned and controlled by nonprofits, including the city, county and state. I'd build a plan where the region would shrink the overall property holdings held in non-tax deeds. That long-term evolution would allow for institutional growth upwards -- as in taller buildings.
However, the skyscraper buildings that, for example, sit upon three acres of land, should pay the same tax as the surface parking lot that also sits on three acres of land in an adjacent lot. If we got back to the point where we just tax the land, not the building's value above the dirt, then we'd be rewarding the developers who bring investment into the region.
Presently, we reward those who let property values drop. We give tax breaks to those who rip down affordable housing. We punish those that fix up their properties.
Skyscrapers should not be underwritten with public subsidies because we should only worry about the footprint of the land. Then everyone gets a tax break for fixing up their holdings. Market pressures would insure that those with blight and surface parking lots either sell or upgrade to get more value to their capital and the community's gain as well.
The value of being a 'big league city' is little next to the hurt of being a place of bigots, racists, special interests, complex corruption and machine politics. On the other hand, if Pittsburgh, as a region, was known the world over for being fair, square, direct, open, healthy, caring and honest -- then the world would notice. There are plenty of other traits that should go on either side of this formula: smart, inventive, hard-working, enterprising, just, trustworthy, creative, etc., etc.
When we pin our hopes of showing the passion of Pittsburgh on a few guys with pro-sports contracts, we fail.
The public good that the Penguins own needs to be matched with the public good that the citizens, fans and world. I would hope that the governmental leaders would dance with the Penguins owners, but in much different ways than what is unfolding here. Rendell, Onorato, Ravenstahl and even S&EA members Fontana and Koch are clueless. With a bigger vision, I feel that the Penguin Village concept could flourish in Pittsburgh. The new arena could come, with private money with new, long-term income streams to the team based upon the value that they bring to a new development -- where land is cheap and available.
I do not agree that the Pittsburgh's population is not too small for its residents to make up a new arena -- from private sources. Government is too frail to carry the weight of that type of investment, I dare insist. But, the private investors could make the deal occur to everyone's satisfaction. With the Penguins Village, people would receive enough "tangible" value from the team. And, they'd like a part of that action. The public buy in for a new public arena, new housing, new village and new lifestyle opportunities would be amazing.
Public transit is almost always a losing venture -- given the way it is a monopoly, managed, priced and held accountable. However, public transit could do more in a bottom line justification if there were new system-wide checks and trust. PAT does offer an incalculable societal value to providing subsidized transportation for the people who need it.
Then sewers are mentioned. The past Dem leaders in this town sold off the most necessary public assets for a quick cash fix. The sewer lines should be public. Meanwhile, the hockey venue should be private.
"You don't have places to park your construction vehicles," ... Humm. But we've given up many roads for construction vehicles. Jeepers.
I'm flat out against more incentives for Downtown. I do not favor the Downtown historic-zone tax credits. They want to steal from the kids. I say 'no.'
The status quo politicians love it when incentives are so, so tricky. My trick is to make them simple -- by not doing any of them. No tricks. They are like tricky-dicky Nixon. The other way is without smoke and mirrors -- without a trick -- without being a whore.
All subsidies end up being good deals for the special interests. These are good deals for some. "No matter how much forecasting you do, there's no way to know the end benefit unless you take the leap." Unless, of course, you stand firm and don't leap at all.
Take the South Side Works. My biggest objection to that project was the UPMC owned football facility. Those 40 acres proved to deliver a net gain of 2 jobs. That sucks. That can't be overlooked.
The bar bill is something that I'm not going to defend as it isn't going to come into being.
Rick Belloli, the executive director of the South Side Local Development Company, can't even get the neighborhood business district with ADA accessibility and handicapped ramps. The SSLDC is worthless and that is just the way I like it.
The project may not have created a net job gain for the state or even the region. PEROID. You said it. That's something to emulate?
"It isn't a subsidy," Mr. Belloli argued. "It's balancing the cost [of development] so that it's competitive" with cheaper-to-develop land in, say, Butler County. What about Pittsburgh Mills. Cheap land. Expensive to get customers there -- and to sustain itself.
I'm a critic and I understand that subsidies aren't distributed in an economic vacuum. Duhh. The spokesman for the Department of Community and Economic Development can save his breath. They don't want to compete. They want to grow their power. They want to be deal makers instead of guardians of freedom and justice.
Westinghouse Electric's nuclear expansion comes in-state so we can build NUKES for CHINA and our kids get less funding for our schools. China finances our bonds. China gets its needed electricity. China gets next generation technology. Meanwhile, American kids and schools get less. The Westinghouse was not a competition between North Carolina and Pennsylvania. In another generation, we'll see who has the upper hand, in a vast majority of categories.
A heaping helping of handouts from the P-G by Bill T.... Politicians are willing to do just about anything to create or preserve jobs.Right. They will steal from neighbors. They will undercut. They will lie.
It is no wonder that they use slush funds so well. They are great at giving bonus pay to staffers in Harrisburg -- and hiding it.
"Once you get in the subsidy game, everybody else gets in line," said Edward Lotterman, a Minnesota economist. "And some of the people in line would be building that project anyway."Some would call this OPM -- or Other Peoples Money. OPM is easy to spend.
My favorite reason for not doing give-a-ways is its toxic nature. The subsidy puts poison into the well of the free market place. A gift, bonus, grant or enhancement to one is sure to halt the development from those who would do so otherwise, without the aid.
Furthermore, the people vote with their feet. They will invest elsewhere, in a market that is NOT so crooked, so slanted, so full of favorites.
I've seen this in coaching plenty of times. When a coach plays favorites, the team is going to crumble. People won't buy into the system when some are being rewarded and others are not. When bribes are needed to jump start anything -- then nothing will happen without a bribe. Game over.
A business person that makes an investment into an area wants to protect that equity. High risk investments are not worthy. Capital should not be leveraged in areas where others don't do the same and where capital isn't even valued.
Questions from within the article:
No.
No.
No in Pittsburgh, these days. However, it could be not only possible but certain that a windfall of development would return to the city and the region as soon as we made a drastic change of course.
Once we say, 'enough is enough' and mark a new day -- and tell the world in no uncertain terms that all TIFs and tax-breaks for the favorites have ended, then we'll see a new dawn of prosperity.
When we respect the marketplace and prove it -- then the marketplace will respect us, again.
This is more than a politician, union, business leader (ha, ha) and campaign donor issue. The voters need to be a part of this chain of command. They are the citizens, the ones with the most money, and the ones that are hardest to mobilize -- but with the best clout.
The voters are going to need to speak with their votes -- and not just once. The voters are going to need to awaken -- like never before. Or else, the special interest groups will dominate into the future.
Condos are an option now in Downtown because Downtown is so poor, depressed and poisoned. Building condos in a downtown business area isn't a sign of prosperity.
Just as the arrival of flowers at a funeral home should not signal anything but death, so too goes condos for our downtown.
Downtown wasn't meant for subsidized condos, yet we're getting condos because downtown is dead. Downtown should have a density of economic activity, commerce, business. Wealth should be created and calculated in Downtown spaces. Widgets should have places to rest on balance sheets, in downtown offices -- not empty nesters.
It is fitting that 'empty nesters' are the ones flocking to occupy Downtown spaces now.
The proof of the value of subsidies is hard to get a handle upon because we've had controllers like Tom Flaherty and Dan Onorato. They are players in the rat race where spending government money is a career enhancement.
Think again! The economic theory of opportunity cost means money spent on one thing means opportunities foregone on other things. That is a lesson that is lost on many. I'd rather give money and provide services to veterans who have had limbs blown off in the war than build two tunnels under the Allegheny River for a modest expansion of light rail. But then again, I'd rather not send our loved ones into war, especially after the evil dictator of Iraq has been removed, stood trial and executed.
Sports venues are the biggest drain of all, most economists agree. Come on. The cost of war exceeds the cost of sports venues.
Here is another goofy comment in the article: And unlike skyscrapers that may be underwritten with public subsidies, public arenas and stadiums almost never go on the tax rolls, meaning the city or county won't recover the costs over time. I've called upon the Steelers, Pirates and even the Penguins to own their own venues. Even the Steelers practice field should be owned by the Steelers. And tax should be collected there.
I've also called for a net reduction in the amount of land that is owned and controlled by nonprofits, including the city, county and state. I'd build a plan where the region would shrink the overall property holdings held in non-tax deeds. That long-term evolution would allow for institutional growth upwards -- as in taller buildings.
However, the skyscraper buildings that, for example, sit upon three acres of land, should pay the same tax as the surface parking lot that also sits on three acres of land in an adjacent lot. If we got back to the point where we just tax the land, not the building's value above the dirt, then we'd be rewarding the developers who bring investment into the region.
Presently, we reward those who let property values drop. We give tax breaks to those who rip down affordable housing. We punish those that fix up their properties.
Skyscrapers should not be underwritten with public subsidies because we should only worry about the footprint of the land. Then everyone gets a tax break for fixing up their holdings. Market pressures would insure that those with blight and surface parking lots either sell or upgrade to get more value to their capital and the community's gain as well.
The value of being a 'big league city' is little next to the hurt of being a place of bigots, racists, special interests, complex corruption and machine politics. On the other hand, if Pittsburgh, as a region, was known the world over for being fair, square, direct, open, healthy, caring and honest -- then the world would notice. There are plenty of other traits that should go on either side of this formula: smart, inventive, hard-working, enterprising, just, trustworthy, creative, etc., etc.
When we pin our hopes of showing the passion of Pittsburgh on a few guys with pro-sports contracts, we fail.
The public good that the Penguins own needs to be matched with the public good that the citizens, fans and world. I would hope that the governmental leaders would dance with the Penguins owners, but in much different ways than what is unfolding here. Rendell, Onorato, Ravenstahl and even S&EA members Fontana and Koch are clueless. With a bigger vision, I feel that the Penguin Village concept could flourish in Pittsburgh. The new arena could come, with private money with new, long-term income streams to the team based upon the value that they bring to a new development -- where land is cheap and available.
I do not agree that the Pittsburgh's population is not too small for its residents to make up a new arena -- from private sources. Government is too frail to carry the weight of that type of investment, I dare insist. But, the private investors could make the deal occur to everyone's satisfaction. With the Penguins Village, people would receive enough "tangible" value from the team. And, they'd like a part of that action. The public buy in for a new public arena, new housing, new village and new lifestyle opportunities would be amazing.
Public transit is almost always a losing venture -- given the way it is a monopoly, managed, priced and held accountable. However, public transit could do more in a bottom line justification if there were new system-wide checks and trust. PAT does offer an incalculable societal value to providing subsidized transportation for the people who need it.
Then sewers are mentioned. The past Dem leaders in this town sold off the most necessary public assets for a quick cash fix. The sewer lines should be public. Meanwhile, the hockey venue should be private.
"You don't have places to park your construction vehicles," ... Humm. But we've given up many roads for construction vehicles. Jeepers.
I'm flat out against more incentives for Downtown. I do not favor the Downtown historic-zone tax credits. They want to steal from the kids. I say 'no.'
The status quo politicians love it when incentives are so, so tricky. My trick is to make them simple -- by not doing any of them. No tricks. They are like tricky-dicky Nixon. The other way is without smoke and mirrors -- without a trick -- without being a whore.
All subsidies end up being good deals for the special interests. These are good deals for some. "No matter how much forecasting you do, there's no way to know the end benefit unless you take the leap." Unless, of course, you stand firm and don't leap at all.
Take the South Side Works. My biggest objection to that project was the UPMC owned football facility. Those 40 acres proved to deliver a net gain of 2 jobs. That sucks. That can't be overlooked.
The bar bill is something that I'm not going to defend as it isn't going to come into being.
Rick Belloli, the executive director of the South Side Local Development Company, can't even get the neighborhood business district with ADA accessibility and handicapped ramps. The SSLDC is worthless and that is just the way I like it.
The project may not have created a net job gain for the state or even the region. PEROID. You said it. That's something to emulate?
"It isn't a subsidy," Mr. Belloli argued. "It's balancing the cost [of development] so that it's competitive" with cheaper-to-develop land in, say, Butler County. What about Pittsburgh Mills. Cheap land. Expensive to get customers there -- and to sustain itself.
I'm a critic and I understand that subsidies aren't distributed in an economic vacuum. Duhh. The spokesman for the Department of Community and Economic Development can save his breath. They don't want to compete. They want to grow their power. They want to be deal makers instead of guardians of freedom and justice.
Westinghouse Electric's nuclear expansion comes in-state so we can build NUKES for CHINA and our kids get less funding for our schools. China finances our bonds. China gets its needed electricity. China gets next generation technology. Meanwhile, American kids and schools get less. The Westinghouse was not a competition between North Carolina and Pennsylvania. In another generation, we'll see who has the upper hand, in a vast majority of categories.
"It's what in game theory is called 'the prisoner's dilemma'," said Mr. Lotterman, the economist. "If you think the other guy is going to do it, and if you're a Pittsburgh and you are desperate for some jobs and some development, you have to do it, too."Good name, prisoner's dilemma. Count me among those that choose to be free.
Ending a never- ending probe
Police behavior and this lingering investigation was a point of discussion at the Summit Against Racism in January.
Ending a never- ending probe - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
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