Keep the names: Assessment Web site doesn't need a fix

Keep the names: Assessment Web site doesn't need a fix The Post-Gazette Editorial Review Board is in agreement with me. The names should be posted on the website.

Wonder if the Editorial Review Board is watching what I have said about technology.

My value added mini series, chapter 4, is out today. It includes the campaign song as well. Watch for the next post.

Pennsylvania Political Landscape -- presidential votes

An article from 2000 about the way PA operates in undemocratic ways. http://www.fandm.edu/x2320.xml

2000 Pennsylvania GOP Primary

Land of the Blind, February 2000

(author attribution at the end)

No one has cared about the Pennsylvania presidential primary for decades. Coming as late as it does, so late on a national front-loaded primary calendar, presidential nominations in both parties have been resolved long before Pennsylvania’s primary. The Bush/McCain contest, however, holds out the promise, slim though it be, that Pennsylvania might become important in the Republican nomination race.

That’s the good news. The bad news is that thousands of state Republican primary voters cannot be sure their vote will matter. They might not matter because of an essentially anti-democratic and somewhat cynical political anachronism known as the “blind primary.”

Blind primaries are aptly named. In these primaries delegate candidates are listed on the ballot without any information regarding which presidential candidate they support. Voters are asked to vote for convention delegates--often popular and well-known public and party figures--while literally kept in the dark about delegate intentions.

Blind primaries make it difficult or impossible for GOP voters to express their presidential preferences. On April 4th Republican rank-and-file voters will select convention delegates out of congressional districts. Voters will have a choice of electing either three or four delegates, depending on the congressional district. The
delegate candidates include many of Pennsylvania’s most important political, public, and economic leaders, who happen to be the choices of Republican organizations throughout the state. The implications for Senator McCain and his insurgency are ominous, since many Republican organizations have already thrown their support behind Governor George W. Bush.

Many voters, in fact, won’t have the foggiest notion of whom the presidential delegates are supporting, and even if they did, there is no guarantee or pledge that the delegates elected to the convention will support the desires of the voters of the congressional districts. More typically, voters end up casting ballots for names they recognize, which usually are the better known political and public figures in their communities.

If all of this seems troubling enough, it is not the only problem. Pennsylvania Republicans combine blind primaries with non-binding “preferential primaries,” better known as “beauty contests.” Beauty contests are top of the ticket presidential elections in the state, but the outcome of the presidential election is not linked to the selection of convention delegates

Voters participating in these beauty contests have the opportunity to express their candidate preferences by voting for a presidential nominee--but these preferences don’t determine the selection of delegates. They are merely “advisory.” In other words, they don’t count.

Presidential beauty contests coupled with blind primaries can produce the electoral perversion in which one candidate wins the popular vote, but loses the delegate vote. This is not merely an unlikely possibility. It happened in Pennsylvania in 1980 when George Bush won the popular vote convincingly over Ronald Reagan, but lost 80 percent of the delegates because voters had little clue as to the presidential choice of the delegates they elected. Amazingly, it could happen again. It is conceivable in 2000 that Senator John McCain could win the popular vote of Pennsylvania Republicans, but actually win few convention delegates.

Defenders of blind primaries argue that rank-and-file voters should contact party officials or consult “slate cards” on primary day to discover the presidential choice of delegate candidates. The other defense made for blind primaries is that Republican candidates run technically uncommitted. So once elected, they are free to support any candidate they wish at the convention.

Neither of these arguments in defense of blind primaries is convincing. Expecting voters independently to track down information about whom a delegate really supports is wildly unrealistic. Why not simply list delegate intentions on the ballot rather than burden the electorate with that task. Moreover if delegates were really uncommitted, information about whom they support wouldn’t be available anyway. John McCain might discover how really uncommitted these delegates happen to be.

These specious arguments in defense of blind primaries are really just smokescreens covering the real reason blind primaries remain a part of Pennsylvania politics. The real reason has to do with power. Blind primaries allow powerful party insiders to control the selection of delegates--while keeping rank-and-file voters in the dark. Keeping voters dumb as well as blind is what these primaries are all about.

By themselves, blind primaries amount to little more than a cynical fraud perpetrated upon Pennsylvania’s rank-and-file Republicans. Combining blind primaries with presidential “beauty contests” adds insult to the injury. First, voters are asked to cast ballots for convention delegates, but are not told whom the delegates support. Then these same voters are asked to vote in a presidential primary election that doesn’t count. It would be hard to conjure up a system that treats the electorate with more arrogant disdain than this one.

G. Terry Madonna, Director, Center for Politics & Public Affairs, Millersville University

Dr. Michael Young, Director, Survey Research Center, Penn State Harrisburg

The Real ID Act is NOTHING that I support, either

I do not like the Real ID. That fight is brewing in PA now. Some great work is being done by a few experts in recent weeks.

Pennsylvania,

Are you in favor of the federal government collecting, maintaining and sharing your personal and sensitive information both domestically and internationally?

This should be a rhetorical question, but unfortunately, it is not. The Real ID act would require that sensitive information be transmitted to a centralized database, and even shared with MEXICO and Canada as part of a new treaty! This information is not simply numbers and letters. Real ID paves the technology way for personal, financial, medical, and even biometric (retina scans, high resolution photography, DNA, etc.) information to be attached to this new federalized driver's license!

How many times in the recent past have there been stories telling us how a government agency allowed sensitive, personal information to be stolen?

This is being billed as an effort to stop terrorism. Let me ask you this. How many times have criminals made sure to follow the letter of the law before committing a crime?

Real ID can only serve to codify and control the citizens of this nation. Speaking as a Pennsylvanian , it should be the sworn duty of all Pennsylvania legislators, in upholding the oath they swore to Pennsylvania Constitution, to oppose this legislation to the utmost. Speaking as an American and a Veteran, this bill is an affront to everyone who shed even a drop of blood for this country and is a direct violation of the Bill of Rights.

Rep. Sam Rohrer introduced a bill, HB1351, that says, in no uncertain terms, that Pennsylvania will not abide by such draconian federal tactics and will take no part in Real ID.

Now the Chairman of the Intergovernmental Affairs Committee does not feel that the House is intelligent enough to decide this for themselves and will not release the bill to the floor . In fact, Rep. Thomas issued a memorandum asking for co-sponsorship of "a resolution urging the federal government to make changes to the Real ID act in order to reduce the cost of this unfunded mandate on the Commonwealth and all other states required to implement the act."

Frankly, I am disgusted with the thought that this man could stab Pennsylvania in the back by reducing our rights and our privacy to dollars and cents.

Every legislator in the House and Senate of this state should bring every effort to bear in forcing Rep. Thomas to allow HB1351 to the floor so that we can live freely as our Founding Fathers intended.

If they are to live up to their oath of office, every legislator, (including Rep. Thomas), must oppose any measure that will pave the way for Real ID, such as Mr. Thomas' 'just make it cheaper' option.

This is not about money; it is not about whining over 'unfunded mandates'. This is about preserving the shred of liberty that we have left as Americans and as Pennsylvanians.

Our legislators are supposed to be servants of the people. We need to let them know that "We The People" need them now.

Jim Comptonm AFTF Pennsylvania State Coordinator
http://freedomtofascism.com

Chapter 3 of the mini series

More about the person and the family.

Click To Play

Same video but posted on YouTube.

Marty Griffin on KDKA Radio gives a teaser about the FOP endorsement

My message to Marty on Instant Access:

The FOP endorsed Bob O'Connor -- and O'Connor was NOT a "sitting mayor."

The 'sitting mayor' statement for 70 years is wrong.

The valid question for him to investigate and talk about is how much MONEY from the FOP came to Mark DeSantis with the endorsement. When the Pgh Firefighters endorsed Joe Weinroth and gave $0 to his campaign it makes people wonder. The Firefighters endorsement was a 'gottcha endorsement' to snub O'Connor.

Payback.

Count "payback" with MEASURED DOLLARS from those institutions.

Mcall.com: Capitol Ideas with John L. Micek Blog

Mcall.com: Capitol Ideas with John L. Micek Blog: "Rep. Mike 'Wants To Be Governor So Badly It Makes His Hair Hurt' Turzai, R-Allegheny, holds a press conference on unemployment compensation reform. He'll be joined by members of the PA Chamber of Business and Industry."

Look at the new nickname given by a blogger/journalist to North Hills State Rep, Republican, Turzai.

Co-constructing politics - wikis and politics | BlogSchmog

My wiki gets talked about in the context of historic wikis dealing with politics by a researcher in Bloomington, Indiana.

Co-constructing politics - wikis and politics | BlogSchmog: "Platform for Pittsburgh—aids local politician (and former PoliticWiki participants) Mark Rauterkus in crafting policies and priorities for his city, region and state."

Inaccessible ballot - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Inaccessible ballot - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "Inaccessible ballot"

Great editorial in the Trib today. This ballot access point is a real jug of poison for Pennsylvania's political landscape.

When the U.S. Supreme Court declined to consider a case from the Third Circuit Court of Appeals this term challenging Pennsylvania's grossly unfair ballot-access rules, it accepted the premise that voters are incapable of exercising their constitutionally protected franchise.

In Rogers v. Cortes, parties such as the Greens, Libertarians and Constitutionalists rightly claimed that the state plays political favorites. There is one set of rules for Republicans and Democrats -- and much tougher rules for everybody else.

A duopoly candidate running statewide only needed 2,000 signatures on a nominating petition in 2006. For other statewide candidates, it's 60,070 signatures -- and a small fortune to hire lawyers for a likely court challenge by Democrats or Republicans questioning the validity of the signatures.

And, if a court decrees, to reimburse the costs of those challenging the signatures.

story continues below



The circuit court concluded that Pennsylvania, controlled for decades by the two-party system, has a legitimate interest to limit competition. If voters have too many choices, it might "clutter" the ballot.

Presumably more than two choices would befuddle commonwealth voters. Heaven forbid they should have more choices of viable candidates instead of the status quo.

Article 1, Section 5. of the state Constitution is clear: "Elections shall be free and equal; and no power, civil or military, shall at any time interfere to prevent the free exercise of the right of suffrage."

Free? Equal? Please.

Jason finished the Columbus Marathon

It is sad that Pittsburgh doesn't have a marathon. Akron has two. Columbus has one. Jason ran in the Columbus Marathon today. Here is his report:

Columbus Marathon 10/21/07 Beautiful weather-- blue skies and a high of 75.

4:25:05 overall (new PR by 20min) 10:07 ave. pace

first half in 1:58:38 20 mile in 1:58:38 (new PR for the 20mi.)

2398th Place of 3636 finishers (who wouldn't finish after paying to run?)

and boy are my legs hurting!

Pittsburgh should have a marathon. I've got some strong opinions about it too.

If the city does a marathon, do a marathon. No need to do a 5K and 10K. Do the marathon, and if necessary, allow for the Mario-thon too. Remember that? In the Mariothon, the runners start the Marathon and finish at Mario's on the South Side and get refreshments and brunch. I think it was 13 miles or so into the race.

Furthermore, and I always get certain people nagging me on this suggestion, I think the course does NOT need to go AROUND the entire blasted city so as to tie up traffic in as many neighborhoods as possible -- by design. Out and back courses, busways and other pathways could provide for a splendid experience and not choke quality of life issues for those of us who still live here.

Peak oil, and Pittsburgh's transportation revival

Hello Mark and everybody!
James Kunstler has long been writing about the effects that high energy costs would have on our society, and a recent article about restructuring our transportation system has some implications for Pittsburgh's (re)development.

I don't want to get into the issue of "Peak Oil" itself, but I do think that we will have to deal with substantial increases in energy prices over the next several decades, barring some radical change in our technological or economic trends. Kunstler has been predicting that increased fuel prices will shift our transportation system away from cars and trucks and towards boats and trains. Luckily for Pittsburgh, we are much better suited for train and ship traffic than we are for highway traffic. Correct me if you know of data showing otherwise, but it seems like Pittsburgh really lost out when America shifted towards using highways for long-distance shipping.

Anyway, if trucking becomes expensive, shippers may no longer send goods to the middle of the USA via west coast ports (California or Mexico), but instead will send boats through the Panama canal and then up the Mississippi and Ohio rivers. With this in mind, we may want to think twice before we tear down all of our riverfront warehouses and piers for retail and recreation.

Enough with the introduction, here's Kunstler:

We have to move things and people differently. This is the sunset of Happy Motoring (including the entire US trucking system). Get used to it. Don't waste your society's remaining resources trying to prop up car-and-truck dependency. Moving things and people by water and rail is vastly more energy-efficient. Need something to do? Get involved in restoring public transit. Let's start with railroads, and let's make sure we electrify them so they will run on things other than fossil fuel or, if we have to run them partly on coal-fired power plants, at least scrub the emissions and sequester the CO2 at as few source-points as possible. We also have to prepare our society for moving people and things much more by water. This implies the rebuilding of infrastructure for our harbors, and also for our inland river and canal systems - including the towns associated with them. The great harbor towns, like Baltimore, Boston, and New York, can no longer devote their waterfronts to condo sites and bikeways. We actually have to put the piers and warehouses back in place (not to mention the sleazy accommodations for sailors). Right now, programs are underway to restore maritime shipping based on wind - yes, sailing ships. It's for real. Lots to do here. Put down your Ipod and get busy.

David C. Adams is talking about crime -- to all who will listen

Campaign 2007: Ravenstahl's rapid rise has been tempered by hard lessons

Campaign 2007: Ravenstahl's rapid rise has been tempered by hard lessons Mayor Luke Ravenstahl meets the Post-Gazette's editorial panel. At right is Ryan Scott, candidate for the Socialist Workers Party.

They had to do this just to yank my chain.

Where's Waldo?

Tony's nose is in the frame. First his ear. Now his nose.

This is a follow-up from the Trib's photo of the back of Tony Norman's bald head. The P-G has equal merit now, proving the point that there often is not a dime's worth of difference.

One choice is egg shell white. The other choice becomes mother of peal white.

Ballot machines up for court review - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Ballot machines up for court review - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review 'I don't see how they can say the machines are reliable when they have no way of showing whether the machines are reliable,' said Chester County attorney Marian K. Schneider, who took state officials to court last year to ban use of iVotronics and other machines.

Here is another reason why we have Tony Oliva, Libertarian, running for mayor.

It has nothing to do with Tony. But, I don't trust the blasted voting machines and the entire election process. I'm a technocrat. I still don't trust them. Dan Onorato really screwed up when he went against the advice of others.

The voting machines are what they are, so might say. Well for me, that just is NOT good enough.

Allegheny County executive seeks to limit property info (phillyBurbs.com) | Pennsylvania News

I stand for open records and do NOT want Onorato to turn the clock back on access to info.

Allegheny County executive seeks to limit property info (phillyBurbs.com) | Pennsylvania News Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato wants to restrict the county's online real estate assessment Web site so people cannot search by owner name.

Onorato said he has been made aware of instances in which people have searched for law enforcement officials, teachers, judges and crime victims.

Sunshine is the best disinfectant. If he is able to turn off the lights, the corruption can spread more easily.

How will we know what streets to pave if we don't know where the ward bosses live?

Law enforcement officials have guns, badges, and peers who can pick up those that would be a threat to them.

Judges only need to worry about a retention vote every ten years -- and that's very peaceful democracy in action.

Taking info off the web site will not prevent crime victims from those crimes. Onorato would need a real "turn back the clock machine" for that to occur -- not simply his flash-back taxing metric.

If people don't want to have their name in a property ownership database, then they should form a corporation and hold the property by that name. They won't need the homestead exemption either.

Does Dan Onorato want to limit the access to the voter database too?

The killing of a judge in an Atlanta courthouse is sad news, indeed. However, it happened in the courthouse, not at his home. How can that be justifications for removal of the data from citizens.

Judges who are fearful of the 'boogie man' should hang up their black robes and retire. Judges can always buy another property in another part of town and rent out. Then they can rent where they live. There are hundreds of ways rich people can hide themselves from the property database already.

Heck, sometimes those with influence are able to hide whole properties from the tax database so tax bills are never sent nor paid nor missed.

I'd much rather have everything in the open.

Atlantic City Sands casino demolished - Yahoo! News

Atlantic City Sands casino demolished - Yahoo! News In about the same time it takes for a roulette ball to fall and settle on a number, the Sands Casino Hotel was demolished Thursday night.

It took less than 20 seconds for the 21-story, 500-room tower where Frank Sinatra once held court to come crashing to the ground shortly after 9:30 p.m. in the first implosion of an East Coast casino.

The demolition makes way for a mega-casino to be built on the Sands site by Pinnacle Entertainment at an estimated cost of $1.5 billion to $2 billion. The as-yet unnamed complex is to open in late 2011 or early 2012.

In Pittsburgh, we talked a great deal about Atlantic City in recent times. Pittsburgh is still ramping up to its first slots parlor.

Meanwhile, table games have hit West Virginia.

Pittsburgh's slots parlor "blowback" is yet to take root, mostly. The mega "gentlemem's club" is still just a 'fantasy' for the local landscape -- err -- nightmare. Poker machines are still in action in the 'back rooms.' Tour buses are not parking by the river's edge either.

As they plan the Slots Parlor for Pittsburgh, are they making it so it "implodes" in a straight down fashion?

We'd hate to see it come down and bring with it the nearby parking garage. Our parking garages are already on weak legs. The airport parking garage crumbles. The South Hills Village garage is ghostly. The Second Ave garages need double TIFs (tax breaks).

Yummy. I eat crow. I was wrong. Weinroth only got the firefighters endorsement.

I just talked to City GOP Chair, Bob Hillen. I stand corrected. Joe Weinroth, R, candidate for mayor in 2005, did NOT get the FOP endorsement then. He only got the endorsement of the Firefighters.

I had it wrong. Sorry.

Bob O'Connor was not the incumbent in 2005, still.

Endorsements are what they are. Sometimes those that make endorsements play power games and have been even known to put on blinders. Sometimes those that make endorements do serious research and investigation.

I'd love to see more open endorsement debates where more democratic priorities and processes were leveraged in the decisions.

FOP Endorsement Of DeSantis Meaningless

Pittsburgh's police union on Friday endorsed Mark DeSantis for Mayor, but the real impact of such a move remains sketchy at best.

First and foremost, the Fraternal Order of Police needs to make a SIGNIFICANT financial contribution to DeSantis immediately for the "endorsement" to mean anything other than news-cycle hyperbole.

The official line is the FOP prefers DeSantis because of a need for more equipment and a secure pension fund. Most notably is the "right" to live outside of the city.

According to regulations, every police officer employed by Pittsburgh needs to live within the city limits. For years, officers have complained that they must run into perps they've collared while enjoying time with their families at ice cream parlors, movie houses and the neighborhood watering hole. Apparently, every criminal lives within city limits and doesn't take in the latest Hollywood has to offer at Homestead's waterfront, Southland's dingy cinemas or whatever the name is for the primary movie theater in the North Hills.

Oddly, many local conservative pundits, like who-knows-what-he-really-does Bill Green think that having the choice to live outside the city is blissful.

Fact of the matter is, largely because of 70-years of Democrats in power, most city neighborhoods have deteriorated to the point that even the highly-paid police officers want out.

Real estate listings would explode to the tune of nearly 1,000 homes if officers were permitted to live outside Pittsburgh borders. Neighborhoods like Brookline, Crafton, Carrick and Bon Air, among others, would lose the "lots of police officers live here" selling points. Who would purchase these homes that police officers would abandon in mass?

Some officers do own uninhabitable shacks or other "shadow addresses" and commute to far away lands. However, this isn't the norm. Many live in their communities and gripe endlessly instead of making their neighborhoods a better place to live "off the clock." Some are active in their communities. Those "leaders" would hopefully stay.

Sure, police officers should be allowed to live outside the city. They just don't have to be employed by the city of Pittsburgh. Good police officers who live in outlying areas or suburbs can either remain good police officers and make $9 an hour, or they could be fantastic leaders for the city of Pittsburgh and move here.

Likewise, Pittsburgh's police officers are more than welcome to move to crime-free suburbs like Ross Township, Monroeville and Wilkinsburg and make vastly less than their "enormous compared to their average neighbor" salaries.

More oddly, I agree with Interim Mayor Luke Ravenstahl who supports the requirement that all city employees should live within its borders. Otherwise, nothing should be able to stop Diana Irey, the cutest Washington County Commissioner ever, from being Pittsburgh's next Mayor (after DeSantis wins on November 6th).

Pittsburgh's teacher's union somehow got their residency requirement lifted a few years ago. Now, the vast majority of those employees trod into town from Cranberry, Butler County, well before the usual rush hour traffic begins. They spend their "tremendously high compared to their former Pittsburgh neighbor" salaries in bistros and outlet malls that are now closer to their yuppie cul-de-sacs.

DeSantis said that the police department should be able to hire anyone they want into the department. That's absolutely true.

They should just have to follow the law and reside in the city.

Suprise! One thousand dollars richer. Can you still hear me now?

Photo shows Donna Westbrook, head of Speech-Language Pathology for the Pittsburgh Public Schools, Emily Crow, award winner, speech language pathologist in the schools, and Catherine Palmer, Ph.D. Professor at Pitt and Director of Audiology at UPMC Eye and Ear. Both PPS employees are Pitt alumni.

UPMC Musicians’ Hearing Center Recognizes the accomplishments of Emily Crow in the promotion of hearing protection.

This work has impacted the health and quality of life of individuals in Southwestern Pennsylvania.

Sponsored by the UPMC Musicians’ Hearing Center of the Department of Otolaryngology, the Department of Communication Science and Disorders University of Pittsburgh, and Etymotic Research, Inc.

October 2007 marked the second time this award has been given. The band director at Langley High School, Nancy Addy, got the award last year.

Click and see the 'presentation' of the award at Friday's in-service.

(OFFICIALLY ENDORSED) NOTES FROM A FRIDAY AFTERNOON

(OFFICIALLY ENDORSED) NOTES FROM A FRIDAY AFTERNOON First, the huge -- as in historic, as in unprecedented, as in unbelievably great -- news: The Pittsburgh Fraternal Order of Police today endorsed Mark DeSantis for Mayor. Not the incumbent Democrat who happens to be their boss, but the Republican challenger who, with each passing day, looks more and more like he could be their boss.

• And how's this for adding honest insult to mayoral injury? FOP Secretary Chuck Hanlon, noting that DeSantis has got clear, concise answers to how to fix the pension and how to fix the budget. He has business savvy. We see a lot of the same things in him that we saw in Bob O'Connor. Might be something worth mentioning the next time Master Ravenstahl wants to wrap himself in his predecessor's burial shroud.

In 2005, Joe Weinroth, R, attorney, candidate for mayor, got the endorsement of the FOP over Bob O'Connor.

The FOP gave Weinroth the endorsement and then didn't do anything.

Let's not re-write history.

Meanwhile, also in 2005, Mark DeSantis donated more money to Michael Lamb's race for mayor than he gave to Joe Weinroth.

Meanwhile, DeSantis, in 2007, is running without any other running mate. Ravenstahl has five city council candidates as running mates in 2007. Well, to be really honest, DeSantis could look to share a running mate status with the Republican who is running for Allegheny County Council At-Large. He is guy who was spreading around $10,000 checks to other political campaigns from the estate of a women who hardly voted.

Which brings us to the 'Reform Party' candidate, David Tessitor. David will have a big week soon. He launched a transit plan this week. Next week he'll be in the Post-Gazette endorsement meeting on Wednesday at 2 pm. That should be a wild meeting.

Update: Speaking of Joe Weinroth, he was a guest on the Friday night show -- Nightalk. It was a round-table discussion on everything political under the sun. Nothing of great importance on the show. Dan Deasey was on as a guest too.

Nebraska fires AD, citing lack of progress - College Football

ESPN - Nebraska fires AD, citing lack of progress - College Football: "Nebraska athletic director Steve Pederson was fired"

Steve Pederson was the former AD at Pitt. I hated what he did at Pitt.

Honz Man and Steve Pederson are equals in my book.