Pittsburgh controller's personal woes grow - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Here is an example of "TRIB Math" -- or is it "Boren Math?"

Pittsburgh controller's personal woes grow - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review If Pokora wins the job, it would mean a pay cut. The post pays $76,837 a year. Pokora makes $86,629.

That is not how the rest of the world sees it. If Pokora wins the job as city treasurer, it would be a pay raise. He is about to get $0.

Pokora has been without any angle of a government job since mid-May.

With Boren's reporting, a number of other wives of ex-city hall employees just got a new number one task for the "Honey, Do" lists of their respected spouse.

Mrs. Koch, Mrs. Boadack and Mrs. Pokora are now wondering about the opinions of Mayor Ravenstahl and that $76k job.

Who will Luke hire? Will he do a NATIONAL SEARCH, again?

Would you hire Pokora for the Treasurer post?

Would Len Boadack, Jeff Koch be a 'good fit' for the job?

Since Luke is always seeking diversity in the administration, perhaps there are others who might be suggested? How about Melissa Hart? Or, what about Lynn Swann?

None need to crash this party as all are invited

Dear Friend:

Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato invites you and your family, friends and colleagues to attend his swearing-in ceremony and inaugural celebration on Wednesday, January 2, 2008. Both events are free and open to the public. For more information, please open the below invitations. We look forward to seeing you in the New Year!

• Inaugural Party Invite
• Swearing-in Ceremony Invite

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Help us support the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank by bringing a canned good or non-perishable food item to the inaugural celebration. Nice.

Dickheads of the Year : Photos : Rolling Stone

Dickheads of the Year : Photos : Rolling Stone His slogan should be 'Not on my watch . . . again.'

Newsmax.com - Huckabee: Romney Okayed $50 Abortions

These guys are getting down and dirty.

Newsmax.com - Huckabee: Romney Okayed $50 Abortions Huckabee: Romney Okayed $50 Abortions

You're hot! Skate this way.

The Steel City Derby Demons, Pittsburgh's only all-female, flat track roller derby league, is recruiting new skaters now!!

Tryouts will take place on Sunday, January 20th. Recruits must be female, at least 21 years of age, and have basic skating skills.

Email Alvilda Kil at skateyourfaceoff@hotmail.com to register or for more information.

Why is there no Socialism in the United States

From Dan Sullivan.

Werner Sombart, the most influential socialist of his time, came to America in the late 1800s to investigate why American workers had rejected the socialist approach. He published his findings in a series of essays called, "Why Is There is No Socialism In the United States?" and put them in book form in 1906.

I have written a critical synopsis of Sombart's findings, with extensive quotations. It is online at:

http://savingcommunities.org/docs/sombart.werner/nosocialismus.html

It is an important work, even for those who oppose socialism, for two
reasons. One is that it gives a pretty clear picture, from a socialist
perspective, of the American anti-socialist temperament.

Another is that Sombart accurately predicted that socialism would become more popular as American workers lost access to free and inexpensive land. His analysis will help anti-socialists understand why the land issue is the Achilles Heel of anti-socialist ideologies.

Socialists can also benefit from an understanding of how much more important the issue of land monopoly is than the issue of capital monopoly, and that Marx's confounding of capital with privilege was a critical flaw in Marxist thinking. They will not get a full understanding of that from Sombart, as he did not understand it
himself.

Although it is clearly indicated from his observations, he did not "connect the dots." This is understandable, as blaming capital was the core premise of Marx's departure from classical liberalism. The mind shift from blaming wealth back to blaming privilege creates "cognitive dissonance" in the mind of anyone steeped in Marxist ideology.

In any case, the portrait of the American temperament is fascinating. If you think Americans are libertarian individualists today, wait till you see how they were viewed back in the 1890s.

Also, for those who have not seen it, or saw it before the revisions of this last few days, I have a site showing why sales tax destroys commerce. I will soon be adding separate pages showing why it is a terribly regressive tax and why it promotes monopoly at the expense of new business. It is at:

http://savingcommunities.org/issues/taxes/sales/destroyscommerce.html

When and where are those polar bear swims?

When and where are those Pittsburgh polar bear swims? Last year I took the plunge on the Mon Wharf around 9:30 am -- It think.

Update: It happens at 9:30 am!

This year there is a bike ride getting some advance ink too. Nice.

Annual Icycle Bicycle Ride to be held Jan. 1 - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "Annual Icycle Bicycle Ride to be held Jan. 1

Saturday night football: Jags to Pittsburgh for a do-over

The last time the Jags played the Steelers, we were there. Grant and I had lots of fun. The game started at 1 pm in a blizzard of snow as they sang the National Anthem.

This week, the Steelers get a do-over. The first round of the playoffs are slated for Saturday evening at 8 pm-ish.

I expect that the results will be the same, sadly. This time, we'll be home and watching on TV.

Poll to the top left -- at 21 votes

Mark Rauterkus & Running Mates ponder current events Should Mark Rauterkus stand for public office, again, in 2008?

The question is clear -- but the voting results are not yet resolved.

With 21 votes, 12 (or about half) say that I should 'give it a break' and not run for public office in 2008. However, the other half (or so) say I should. Humm....

Your opinion is welcomed. Place your vote now!

The Free Market: A False Idol After All?

I'm a big fan of the free market place. We need more freedom, generally.

In this NY Times article the pros and cons of 'market place forces' are considered.

Peter S. Goodman | The Free Market: A False Idol After All? 'The way they justify it is that you've got to protect the stupid people who can't read a contract,' Mr. Henderson said. 'But they're treating everyone as stupid.'

But in Washington, and under the roofs of many homes now worth less than a year ago, there appears to be a shift in the nation's often-ambivalent attitude about regulation.

Back in the boom, banks made loans to homeowners who did not have to prove their ability to pay, then quickly sold the loans to other companies. By the time it emerged that a lot of homeowners could not pay, these loans had been pooled with other loans and chopped into strange new paper assets that were sold to unsuspecting buyers around the globe. The subsequent reckoning has forced major banks to write off vast sums of money.

"Here you had all these people who were supposed to be sophisticated investors, and it turns out they were buying billions of dollars worth of debt where they didn't even understand what they owned," said Dean Baker, co-director of the liberal Center for Economic and Policy Research. "There is going to be a willingness to re-regulate financial markets."

Liberal critics have long asserted that dogmatic devotion to market forces has skewed American society toward those of greatest means. More wealth is being concentrated in fewer hands, with rich people capturing the best housing, private education and health care services, and, as the argument goes, only crumbs left for everyone else.

What gets me is that there were lots of loans sold. These loans were paper transactions. The assets and/or debt were not valued as they should have been. Big time corporate folks didn't do their homework.

Now what????

Here is where we as a nation cave and do the 'corporate welfare' things. They do a 'bail-out for the bankers.' They do deals that help the heavy hitters.

If the US Gov had 'dogmatic devotion' to the market forces then there would not be any bailout options for the bankers and corporate entities.

The willingness should not be to re-regulate. The willingness should be to let some of them tank. Tough love!

More wealth is being concentrated in few hands, with rich people, because government comes to the rescue for the rich, the connected, the corporations, the elite.

The market needs less supervision than the politicians and their over-reaching promises.

When untethered market forces lead to bad things, and the governmental wonks try to fix them -- then the market is not 'untethered.' When the wonks try to make the bad things okay, they aid their buddies with corporate welfare.

You can't run an economy as complicated as ours today with only ideology and do nice things for your friends. Generally, those with influence hate those who are driven by ideology alone. Those with influence and special privileges who crave more of the same are the quickest to complicate situations to prove their points and justify their special handouts.

---

More to think about.

REPUBLIC MEDIA | THE MEDIA OF THE PATRIOT MOVEMENT - So you're a citizen journalist, are you?

Interesting web site.

REPUBLIC MEDIA | THE MEDIA OF THE PATRIOT MOVEMENT - So you're a citizen journalist, are you? This country needs more original news being generated by independent journalists to cause a flood of information that will seep into the mainstream. This is the entire purpose behind RepublicMedia.tv. We've established this site to be a connecting point between indy journalists who are focusing on freedom-based issues so that they can more easily collaborate and organize, and also to be a powerful distribution and syndication tool to get their works out to the masses!

I found this 10-minute video at the site.

KDKA-TV proves its lack of journalism with year in review slideshow � BurghBoy Blogs

KDKA-TV proves its lack of journalism with year in review slideshow � BurghBoy Blogs KDKA-TV proves its lack of journalism with year in review slideshow

Where Will You Be January 2nd?

Where Will You Be January 2nd? - Pennsylvania Ron Paul Meetup Alliance (Carlisle, PA) - Meetup.com I asked where you would be January 2nd. As for myself, I'll be in New Hampshire, hitting the pavement to spread the message of freedom, liberty, and Ron Paul until January 9th.

Did I mention I'm not spending any money to get there?

Have fun.

Comments from another blog as to a post from another person as to what Patrick may have written

Get a grip on this concept, that came from, so we are to think, Patrick Dowd, a new guy due to take the oath to uphold the consitution, on Jan 7, 2008.

HaloScan.com - CommentsI cannot, however, reach out to some folks without breaking confidences. Thus, I am stuck being silent and taking lumps for falsehoods. ...

Say what?

Here is a novel idea, speak for yourself.

Another idea, break confidences! Don't hold any secrets.

Furthermore, Dowd does offer a pie-in-the-sky approach for council. He wants a 'legislative agenda.' And, after that is detailed, in public, he'll decide who should get his vote for city council president.

How nice. But, it is also filled with irony. How can a member of council reveal something as important as a 'legislative agenda' -- yet be worried about 'breaking confidences' should he speak in public AND need another citizen to post his messages for him.

To tip-toe and then worry about 'secrets' gives two big steps in the wrong direction. And, he's not even on council yet. His last act as a school board member was very bad. And, his recent interview on KDKA about the Pgh Promise didn't wash either.

Since there is a shortage of public policy directions and leadership from members on council, and since they all have a hard time sharing those thoughts (if they exist at all), we might need some citizens to come foward and be front folks for members of council.

Jim Motznik is the chairman of the Citiparks and Youth Policy committee on city council. Motznik has held that role for a few years now. Motznik is bucking for the job as city council president in 2008. In my not so humble opinion, Motznik makes a great case for getting the nod for city council president by doing such a poor job in his role as chair of the committee on Citiparks. As far as I can tell, Motznik's big splash of leadership with his Citiparks duties is his willingness to hand out popcorn and huggies (drinks) at the movies in the park in his neighborhood.

What kind of 'legislative agenda' has Motznik advanced in recent years in his recent positions when he was a chair of a committee?

What have these other members of council done in their roles in council when they are 'at the wheel?'

Looking into the past is a good way to predict what to expect in the future. But it is also prudent to ask people what they hope to do in the future too. Politics is about the future.

What would Jim do?

What would Tonya do?

What would Doug do?

What does a 'legislative aganda' look like?

What was the promise of a 'legislative agenda' for city council in 2007? What there ever such a statement or set of objectives in the past?

DownsizeDC.org's script for the second Ron Paul American Freedom Agenda Act radio ad

DownsizeDC.org Blog | Second Ron Paul American Freedom Agenda Act radio ad No snowflake in an avalanche believes itself responsible ...

Sunday huddle with parents concerned about Pgh Public Schools

The parents are gathering at a meeting at 2 pm at Panera in Oakland on the Blvd of Allies. We'll talk about our Christmas breaks and gear up to write checks for the other hundred million dollars to fund the continual scholarship of our children.

There is a lot to do. High school reform is still ugly and not something I agree with in the slightest. Closing Schenley votes may come in next month. The engineers have taken another look at the historic building with new windows and exterior recently.

City Council fumbles historic building - abandon buildings rise

Glenn A. Walsh reported:

Thursday morning, Pittsburgh City Council approved a resolution which will allow The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh to abandon America's first publicly-funded Carnegie Library, the Allegheny Regional Branch of The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh (originally, the Carnegie Free Library of Allegheny).

The vote was 7 in favor, 1 opposed. City Councilwoman Darlene Harris, whose district the historic Allegheny Regional Branch is located within, was the lone dissenting vote. She stated that she had to vote against this bill, as the majority of her constituents oppose the abandonment of the historic library. Beyond this statement, she did not make much of a fuss. As a new councilwoman with limited influence, she could "read the political tea-leaves" and realize that the rest of City Council considered this a done-deal.

Bill number 2007-1944, now approved, allows the City's Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) to sell a vacant piece of land on Federal Street (which formerly held a gasoline station), three blocks north of the Allegheny Regional Library, to The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh for construction of a new library building. The groundbreaking for this structure, which was postponed from last Autumn, is now expected in the Spring of 2008.

In addition to Councilwoman Harris' comments, five members of the public also addressed City Council prior to the final vote, all opposing the abandonment of the Allegheny Regional Branch: Yvonne F. Brown, Mark Rauterkus, John Petrack, David Tessitor, and Glenn A. Walsh. Along with the printed statement I submitted to City Council, I included a letter from Heather Steed, who could not attend the meeting, also opposing the abandonment of the Allegheny Regional Library. I want to thank all of those people who have been supportive of retaining a library use for the historic Allegheny Regional Library.

Future action on this issue is indefinite. We are still evaluating the feasibility of a legal challenge to the City's action yesterday.

We still believe that, even if a new library is to be built, the Allegheny Regional Library should be reopened until such a new library is completed. So far, the Lower North Side has been without library service for more than a year and a-half. And, this is despite the fact that $2 million of insurance money was used to repair the damage from the lightning strike, and annual funding from the State and the Allegheny Regional Asset District (RAD) continues to be available for Lower North Side library service.

It is unknown what has become of the State and RAD subsidies, allocated for the Allegheny Regional Library, since the closure of the Library in April of 2006; library repairs were completed in May of this year. We do plan to address the RAD Board of Directors on this issue, next month.

You can read more about yesterday's City Council votes, including my public statement and Heather Steed's letter, at this link.

History and photos of the Allegheny Regional Library

Continue to use the following web site for updates on this issue.

Pew identifies social networking gender split - Social Marketing - BizReport

Time is still ripe for a YOUTH TECHNOLOGY SUMMIT.

Pew identifies social networking gender split - Social Marketing - BizReport Ninety-three percent of all teens are online, up from 73 percent in 2000 and 87 percent in 2004. And, in a culture where it’s increasingly the norm to create and share information, 64 percent of online teens have contributed to online content in one way or another, up from 57 percent in 2004.

watch for a new web site or two

Bruce Kraus - Democrat for City Council District 3
Bruce Kraus, 52 years old makes his home on Pittsburgh's Historic South Side. Raised along with his two brothers to have a strong work ethic through the ...

I don't know if it will be as good as the vanishing Motzinik blog or not. He hired a secret agent to do his site for the primary.

In real news, Dan Sullivan is building a site on sales tax policy. The sales tax drives commerce away.

http://savingcommunities.org/issues/taxes/sales/destroyscommerce.html


Another page shows that the sales tax is a regressive approach, even with Pennsylvania's exemptions for food and clothing. Additional insights show how the history of sales tax disasters.

Anyone who wants to work on this with Dan should let him know.

Dan Sullivan, director, Saving Communities, director - at - savingcommunities -dot- org.

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes - A local satirical news Web site is slowly being assimilated by mainstream media outlets - Main Feature - Main Feature Extra

Nice ink about media ink for a local blog via the City Paper.

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes - A local satirical news Web site is slowly being assimilated by mainstream media outlets - Main Feature - Main Feature Extra - Pittsburgh City Paper - PittsburghA local satirical news Web site is slowly being assimilated by mainstream media outlets

I only wish that the CSB was able to take comments within its blog postings. Perhaps they can run an 'open thread' once a week within the blog.

If comments were permitted, that would could prove to increase the humor ten-fold.