Army's 'Debt Of Service' Leaves Vets Perplexed

First, the service men and women are paid too little when they are on duty. Next, they are sent back into another tour over and over again. Then, if they get injured, the quality of the healthcare able to be delivered is pinched for money and resources. Now comes this news. The bills for the lost and damaged equipment while in the service.

wcbstv.com - Army's 'Debt Of Service' Leaves Vets Perplexed: "Former Army Specialist Rodriguez started getting bills for $700 for lost or damaged government property this summer. Although he was discharged some four years ago, bills recently arrived demanding payment, but giving no details on what or why -- nor do they offer a way to dispute the charges.

'For doing my job you're going to bill me?' Rodriguez said.

And he's not alone. A 2006 government report found more than 1,000 soldiers being billed a total of $1.5 million. And while fighting overseas put their lives on the line, this battle on paper could cost them their future by ruining their credit. Rodriguez will be reported to credit agencies next month."

Teacher Magazine: Senior Year: A Teenage Wasteland

Teacher Magazine: Senior Year: A Teenage WastelandYhe U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley called the high school senior year a “wasteland.” Researchers studied data from the national High School Survey of Student Engagement and concluded that the majority of high school students were not challenged during their senior year in reading, writing, or math.

To many of us who work with high school seniors, these findings ring true. They best apply to the wide swath of 'average' students who travel the featureless landscape called senior year.

Picket Fences - Are home protests an effective expression of free speech — or neighborhood harassment? - News - News - Pittsburgh City Paper - Pittsbu

Picket Fences - Are home protests an effective expression of free speech — or neighborhood harassment? - News - Pittsburgh City Paper Where does free speech run afoul of the right to privacy?

In recent months, protests have moved from the street and the courthouse to local churches and homes, and have many asking that exact question. Some call the tactic “offensive,” while others say it is protected speech, and the only solace activists can find when all other attempts have been exhausted. Now the Citizen Police Review Board may ask Pittsburgh City Council to make it illegal in Pittsburgh.

I generally love what the executive director of the Citizens Police Review Board says and does. But, I'm not in favor of a limit on freedoms by making new laws that prohibit free speech.

Howard Dean visits Pittsburgh Dems - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Get this. A bit of reporting reveals that there is a Socialist Workers Party candidate in the Mayor's Race now. Who is Ryan Scott of Friendship?

Howard Dean visits Pittsburgh Dems - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Ravenstahl faces Republican candidate Mark DeSantis, of Downtown, and Socialist Workers candidate Ryan Scott, of Friendship, in the Nov. 6 election.

Scott, a meatpacker, filed candidacy papers yesterday, the last day for independent and third-party candidates to file for the general election.

The gulf between national and grass-roots campaigns

Got this off the RonPaulForums.com site

To ALL grassroots meetups and etc.

PLEASE read the excellant explanation that we are ALL up against!

Ya, it's just about what I figured from my history of campaigns and a little more.

This explanation will prep us for Friday and ANSWER a whole lot to the many! The RP advance team and Nat'l HQ has got to be tired answering the same questions & uncomfortable positions everywhere they go. So NOW we know!

BizmanUSA

National vs. Grassroots… The good, the bad, and…
August 1st, 2007 by theronpauladventure

On Sunday night, some of the members of the Des Moines and Ames meetups met with the national campaign HQ members to talk about the Straw poll. I must tell you that I went in there with a bit of an attitude, because I am one of those who has been questioning the chasm that I feel developing between the grassroots campaign and the national campaign. More than once, I’ve asked myself, “What are they doing?” and “Who are these people?”. To be fair, I also ask myself, “What am I doing?” and “Who the heck am I?” Equal time, you know.

The difference between national and grassroots is evident even to the most casual observer. As I looked around the room, I had to smile at the contrast. The meetup folk were slouching on the floor in casually reclined poses; most of us, if we cut our hair, look like we use a bowl for a template. We write with pencils and bics and snort when we laugh. The national team, on the other hand, wear clothes that are so nice they have their own birth certificates. They wear their sunglasses on top of their heads, have really nice haircuts, and as they sit leaning gracefully against the wall, they toy with cool electronic gizmos that the rest of us stare at in fascination. They use words like “touches” and “charm offensive”. We use words like “borg” and “duct tape”.

The meeting was started with a report on what the Campaign has accomplished in terms of reaching out to voters. National has started a campaign to connect with special segments of the Iowan population, and between this campaign, and the write and call Iowan programs, they expect to reach (or “touch”) over 200,000 potential voters by the end of this week.

One of the national team said, “We want to touch as many people as we can.” and another said, “Isn’t it better to touch someone several times?” I tried not to laugh, but I couldn’t help thinking, “Doesn’t it depend on where you touch them?”

The meeting continued at a good clip, and we covered the different areas of the Straw Poll that needed volunteer support. It was a pretty good meeting, but I still somehow was bothered by the chasm I felt between us.

So at an inopportune moment, which is the only time I seem capable of speaking out in a group, I told them that I was sensing a chasm between national and grass roots. I said that if we weren’t careful, we would end up with two campaigns. Two campaigns that didn’t like each other. Cats and Dogs, Hatfield and McCoys, Eileen and Sandy Burger (Eileen and Sandy were my next door neighbors when I was growing up and were always fighting over their “real live Lucy” doll who refused to eat spinach or raise taxes.) You get the picture.

I told them that the supporters for Ron Paul want to help. I said, “For example, if you’re doing a radio campaign in Iowa, why not make the ad available, and I know the supporters will run with it and play it all over Iowa! There’s so much we can do together. Can’t you just talk to us? We’re not from the government, we really are here to help!” Realizing that I was beginning to sound like a democrat , I trailed off with, “It’s just that we’re a little frustrated right now…”

It was about then that I noticed that one of the national guys was turning an odd shade of red. Suddenly, he jumped up and with clenched fists exclaimed, “You think you’re frustrated?! You have no idea!” It took me a while to understand what he was talking about, but when the light finally dawned, I realized there was another side to this whole thing that I hadn’t even been aware of.

Here’s the gist of it. The FEC (Federal Election Commission) has a code of rules and regulations that apparently makes the IRS codebook look like nursery rhymes. And, because other groups are not, shall we say, encouraging our campaign it is especially important that we follow the code to perfection. The code mostly deals with money - how it is received by the campaign, how it is used, etc. The tricky part for grassroots campaigns is that our activities must clearly be separate (in general) from the National campaign or someone is gonna end up in a little prison cell with a roommate named Bubba.

So, they can’t give us a radio ad, because then it isn’t an independent action, but a coordinated communication, which requires filing reams of reports, may exceed the allowed donation limit, etc. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

What they explained to us is this: They hate it, but they have to live by it. They want, they need for us to do what we’re doing and do more of it. They were as encouraging as they could be, but are very skittish about doing anything that can be misconstrued as incorrect. They don’t want to hear about the projects that we’re working on, and they can’t consult with us on the best way to do them. They went into some more detail, but you can see the general scheme of things, right?

When they were done talking about the restrictions on them, I blurted out, “Wow, I feel so free!”. And I do. Do you see what this means? It means we don’t have to wait on the national organization to make decisions. We don’t have to feel stymied because we don’t know what they want. The truth is this: they can’t tell us! It’s not that they don’t want to, it’s just that they aren’t allowed to. So, you and I can promote Dr. Paul with our best efforts. We can coordinate with each other and help each other as we have been doing. And we can do more of it. While we cannot and indeed must not depend on national, we can support them as best we can so that they can work fully within the limitations that exist, because the national campaign is also vital for success. But, we must move forward within the grassroots movement. The truth is that Dr. Paul’s message, our message, is simple and clear enough that once people hear it, it speaks to them. That’s the only direction we really need. All we have to do is let people know about him.

In the end, there are two campaigns - national and grassroots. But now, instead of thinking of us as two little kids fighting over our “Constitution Ron” doll, I see us more as Captain Navarre and Isabeau from Ladyhawke - two lovers under the spell of an evil wizard, unable to “touch” each other, but soon to be set free and return justice to the land. The only part I can’t decide is who’s the hawk and who’s the wolf.

Architect of Ohio U’s Sports Cuts Pleads Guilty to Embezzlement

Ohio U, shame, shame on you.

CollegeSwimming.com::Architect of Ohio U’s Sports Cuts Pleads Guilty to Embezzlement When the Ohio men’s swimming team was cut, finances, OU athletic director Kirby Hocutt cited finances as the reason. The decision, Hocutt explained, followed, “hundreds of hours of comprehensive research and study over an extended period of time, both by my staff and others within the University.' Now it has come out that a member of that staff helped contribute to the departments fiscal shortfall through the misuse of athletic department funds.

Equitable could bolt to Butler County - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

North Shore Revolving Door.

Equitable could bolt to Butler County - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "Two years after moving into its $35 million headquarters on the North Shore, Equitable Resources Inc. might move to Butler County."

blog.myspace.com/chrischandlerorg

blog.myspace.com/chrischandlerorg Is it me or have there just been scores of sports stories off the sports page lately?

He covers plenty of ground here. Dog fighting, Vick, Iraq, Soccer, Bonds, Roids, Detroit, Atlanta, and more.

Question and essay: What is the hardest thing about coaching

ASCAOnline - Your Coaching Resource 'Unrealized potential,' he wrote, 'is painful to watch.'

Yes, it is.

One of the worst things in sports and coaching is to live with false hope. But, that isn't 'hard' to do if you choose not to do it.

Balance matters greatly.

One of the hardest parts of coaching is to tell your charge that it is time to leave. When the goal and the process necessary to reach that goal are not able to be delivered in the local setting, then honesty is necessary.

It is very hard to uproot. It is perhaps the hardest part of growing up. It sucks when one needs to be replanted. It is ugly when you always need to re-plant.

To often in Pittsburgh we need to tell our talented youth the cold, hard truth. Often, those with ambitions, talents and drive need to be told that they can't get to where they want to go by staying here.

Western PA efforts are often invested into systems and assembly lines that are fine tuned for low-quality outputs. We have good production capacity for rinky-dink experiences. We often fail to deliver the high-quality opportunities, and don't even care.

Is it possible to coach and "have it all" as the saying goes? Let's face it, Keith Hammonds continues, "leadership [in a competitive environment] requires commitment, passion, and to be blunt, a lot of time (p.3)." Needless to say, coaching is leadership; and coaching certainly does require "commitment, passion, and ... a lot of time."

Heavy.

The hardest thing about coaching," writes Ira "is stepping aside and from the sidelines watching others do it.

Bridge collapses during rush hour - U.S. Life - MSNBC.com

Bridge collapses during rush hour - U.S. Life - MSNBC.com A busy highway bridge that spans the Mississippi River just northeast of Minneapolis collapsed during rush hour Wednesday, sending a school bus, other vehicles and tons of concrete crashing into the water.

Act 47 Recovery Team Warns Of Potential Budget Deficits - News Story - WTAE Pittsburgh

The Act 47 dog and pony show visited Pittsburgh's city council this afternoon. I went to hear some of what they had to say.

Yesterday on Grant Street I saw Bill Urbanic, a finance guy who works for the city. I told him one thing to prepare for the meeting with the Act 47 Overlords. "Bill, tell the Overlords that I'd be willing to help them pack their offices and leave town. They should call me if they need help. Otherwise, I have very little to say to them. One of my top goals is to get the OVERLORDS out of town."

I'm not fond of the OVERLORDS. We need to get rid of them. The best way to send them packing is to be responsible stewards of the city's public money.

Act 47 Recovery Team Warns Of Potential Budget Deficits - News Story - WTAE PittsburghThe Act 47 team predicts that the city is less than three years away from returning to budget deficits and warns of a $6.6 million deficit in 2010 and $18.1 million deficit in 2011.

In today's meeting Jim Motznik asked about the length of time the overlords are planning to stick around. He wanted a future timeline as to their departure. Good question.

The answer came and it was all over the place. There wasn't a real answer to the question. There was no follow-up. There was Jim listening -- shaking his head up and down.

Then came a tough question from Jeff Koch. He wanted to know about working with the city or against the city. It was a teamwork question.

So the OVERLORDS spoke about how the state can come into a school district situation and take them over. The reply, hardly an answer to the question, was about a different matter fully. It had nothing to do with Pittsburgh's situation.

The answers do not match the questions. And, the ones that ask the questions are okay with those answers.

Meanwhile, the room was filled with firefighters in the audience. There wasn't a fire. There wasn't even the smell of burning rubber from deep thoughts from those around the table.

I'll watch the painful event, in full, tonight on cable.

Act 47 Recovery Team Warns Of Potential Budget Deficits - News Story - WTAE PittsburghJim Roberts of the Act 47 team said, 'Again, most of the issues that you've raised have a resolution only on the state level.'

Figures.

City Council is GREAT at ignoring its own problems, adding to its own mess, failing to look inwards. City Council is not interested in pulling its own weight. City Council, Luke Ravenstahl, Dan Onorato and others that have come and gone in the past are eager for bailouts from elsewhere.

Three Rivers Fishing Report: All About Govt Efficiency....but shhh, it's a secret.

Three Rivers Fishing Report: All About Govt Efficiency....but shhh, it's a secret. We've been hearing about this committee for quite some time and each time I read about it I am confused about the justification for keeping its findings from the public.

The blog's author wonders if a leak to the press might come from a staffer. I don't care for that to happen.

Lead the whole darn thing -- warts and all. Open up the floodgates to ever converstation, all the minutes, all the phone logs, all the notes.

Ravenstahl and Onorato feel as if there is no debt for them to pay to the public. What they 'owe' is our (taxpayers) to pay. Pittsburgh always acts with interested parties in meeting behind closed doors. That is what I call our lingering 'smokey city legacy.'

The best thing to do to improving government efficiency is to turn the lights on. Shine a bright light into every corner and crack in our dealings, acts, people and meetings/commissions.

Of course public folks should be given prompt access to everything, including Advisory Committee's work. We shouldn't even need to ask as the data should be on the internet, warts and all.

They also might want to consider institutionalizing such an Advisory Committee to maintain a consistent source of well-reasoned recommendations for the city and county for administrations to come.

Don't hold your breath.

Just never vote for them again.

Voice of the Region Pop Survey

Voice of the Region Pop Survey What are the top 3 websites you could not live without?

Example: google.com

1) www.___

The survey assumes that the web site starts with 'www.'

WRONG, Wrong, wrong.

My platform.for-pgh.org is without WWW.

My Elect.Rauterkus.com is without WWW.

My blog, Rauterkus.blogspot.com is without WWW.

Neighbors Foil Pizza Deliveryman Robbery Plot

Highland Park -- you all rock! Way to go!

kdka.com - Neighbors Foil Pizza Deliveryman Robbery Plot: "Pittsburgh Police are crediting observant neighbors for foiling what they believe was a plot to rob a pizza deliveryman.

Peduto can knock himself out -- but don't call it a ''first' -- it isn't

I like the editorial spin, Peduto has a government in exile. Yet he is on city council. Go figure.

Barbs and Shields The creation of the first web-based, interactive, political action committee for policy.'

Bill can try (again) to launch a web-based, interactive, political action committee for policy -- but don't call it a 'first.' It won't be FIRST. It could be new to Bill. It could be built with recycled electrons, but it isn't going to be 'first.'

Bill, don't step into the trap. Don't call it 'first.'

If you want an interactive, web-based, policy area -- see the Platform.For-Pgh.org wiki. That has been around for years.

Barbs and Shields

This could be an ethical violation. The line, backed up by council staff, is very interesting. what does that mean? Perhaps that is something that the ethics hearing board should discover.

Barbs and Shields Behind the scenes, some of his council colleagues have been livid about a series of mid-month meetings he held with three successful Democratic primary challengers. According to insiders, Democratic nominees ... were in for orientations hosted by Mr. Shields, backed up by council staff, which some of the ousted officials viewed as presumptuous. They're the likely replacements for Jeff Koch, Len Bodack and Twanda Carlisle, respectively.

Allegheny Institute Blog: SEA is AWOL

Allegheny Institute Blog: SEA is AWOL The Sports and Exhibition Authority (SEA), the city-county agency that is the owner of Heinz Field, PNC Park, the Convention Center, and the soon to be civic/hockey arena, is apparently bored with its duties as the steward of all the cultural and recreational goodies that make our region the most livable (sarcasm intended). For the third month in a row, they had to cancel a meeting because they could not get a quorum.

Who showed up. Who didn't?

Invitation to visit with Ron Paul -- Aug 3

Invitations, eCards, Party Ideas, Party Themes from Evite Who's Coming?

Tally shows 30 as of Aug 1, 2007.

City Council looking at parking permit program, its costs

City Council looking at parking permit program, its costs City Council looking at parking permit program, its costs

Parking is the third rail of politics in Pittsburgh's South Side for some. Not me.

When a gathering occurs, parking becomes a topic. Whenever two or more should gather in the name of parking, you've got a situation of holy magnitude.

I am against the expansion of the parking permit program for the South Side because it is only a back-door tax. I was against the permit program in the past years because I knew that they would raise the rates.

The cost for every car was $20 then and there were promises that the rates would increase. Those promises can't be kept. Politicians around here can't make promises and stick to their word.

Even the Act 47 overlords could say that the parking permits for residents should increase to $50 or more and the city would have to follow along with the parking hike.

I'm sure the suburban member of the state house would be keen to have the parking tax drop from its recent high of 50% (now 45%) and shift the tax to residents. The parking tax is a burden to downtown office workers who live outside the city and commute to the city. They'd rather have city residents pay the high amounts, not the visitors.

Raising the ticket price to $35 rather than $25 is a another sure way to anger the suburban commuters too.

People are going to stop visiting the city with the constant waves of fees, tickets, red tape, fines, penalties, survailence, traffic jams, detours, high costs of parking and water main breaks.

One of the ways to fix the problem of a program that is not sustainable is not being talked about (in the article at least). The programs should be sustainable in that the costs should covered by the incomes. However, those on city council only look at the incomes. They wonder about how the city can make more and more money. None on council wonder and work to make the program less expensive. Drop costs. If necessary, drop the programs outright.

The program costs $562K to maintain in 2006, so they say. I'm not too confident of that amount. But, if that is the case, why does it cost so much? The program has not expanded in years. The signs are up. How much does a few stickers costs?

Enforcement is the big cost, I'm sure. That means pay checks. That means jobs.

I'd look into empowering the residents tp write the tickets on their own streets to those who are abusive to the parking zone.

I'd look into a wholesale elimination of the resident permit parking program.

I'd also look into getting "cronic parkers" and "multi-car residents" more parking off the streets. There are a lot of folks who own a lot of cars that sit constantly on city streets.

Parking on the street isn't 'ideal' for many reasons. It takes the parking away from visitors. It is bad for the car. It is a worry and bit of trouble.

I'm interested in starting serious conversations about a new program -- 'In-Fill Parking.'

The city has many properties that it owns. Some of these properties are abandoned lots. Many of those lots could be re-used for off-street parking. The cost would be next to nothing, if done with some adjusted policy efforts.

Tinkering with the zoning code is hard work. Too bad those on council are more interested in making new taxes, not finding new solutions that require heavy lifting, research and creativity.

I'm confident that the South Side's parking problems could be improved in dramatic ways with an "Libertarian In-Fill Parking Program" that looks at the grounds around us, the hunks of rusting metal that fills them, and the flow of traffic throughout our communities.

Be There to hear Dr. Ron Paul, 2008 Prsidential Candidate

Four Points Sheraton North
910 Sheraton Drive,
Mars, PA 16046
Phone: 724-776-6900

7 pm on Friday, August 3, 2007

I'll be there!