Told ya. Come on people. Let's get together already.

I asked weeks ago for a decision about closing schools and the school district for the days and week of the G-20. Close the schools, throughout the district, for three days, W-Th-Fri. Let everyone know now. Get out of town.

I asked / told weeks ago that South Side's closed South Vo Tech High School be put into use for feeding the security workers. Allow all the police to go there for cafeteria food, around the clock. The G-20 folks can buy it. Overflow can go to the Market House too.

Furthermore, South Side's Stadium / Cupples Field, could be used as a detention site. Football games that week should be played on WPIAL sites.

Furthermore, it might make good sense to keep the Rodgers Middle School kids out of downtown, not only for this week -- but forever. It was always a bad idea to send dozens of yellow buses downtown twice a day to transport the middle school kids to CAPA as a 6-12 grade school.

Asked about the possibility of school closures, Mr. Berdnik said, "I don't think we have a firm answer on that yet." Ms. Fischetti said she'd heard no discussion of closing all district schools.

District officials confirmed that the first lady's office had inquired about the possibility of an event involving the district, but they declined to elaborate.

The school board Wednesday will vote on spending $10,000 to provide G-20 training to district security officers. Mr. Berdnik said the training will help the district enhance security at schools near the summit and anticipated protests.

"I would not underestimate the impact of this event," Mr. Berdnik said, noting summit planners might ask to use closed schools as dormitories for out-of-town police or for other purposes.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09197/984331-482.stm#ixzz0LQtkQlNW

Michelle Obama should speak at Schenley / Pittsburgh International High School. That's the place she is expected.

Folly of City Council

I posted at PghComet.blogspot.com this comment:

Just as Doug Shields did in his fight to pull the plug on the Curfew Center because it was NOT part of the 5 year plan and would have to cost too much, $.5M in 2009, -- so goes this chapter.

The Curfew Center should go away because the laws are discrimination. It should NEVER BE illegal to be alive and out.

Doug Shields should have moved to take the curfew laws off the books -- and then we'd have no need to have a $.5 M per year Curfew Center Boondoggle.

Likewise with the ZBA, Shade Tree Commission, Planning Goobers, and the other dozens of rubber stamps that are woven through the authorities and commissions and appointments in this town.

The Zoning Board is a huge problem. The board is stacked now. I'd move to NUKE it.

I like the older approach finally championed by Alan Hertzberg. He came around to the idea in his last seasons. ELIMINATE the URA.

But no. Bill Peduto wants to create a bigger government -- with the arrival of the stimulus overlords.

A family birthday ends in tragedy, when a little boy ends up in trouble.

Las Vegas: 4-year-old drowns during family pool party

The four-year-old ended up under the water at the Camden Bel Air apartment complex, near Gowan and Tenaya, on Saturday afternoon.

The little boy had been celebrating a sibling's birthday with family and friends, before he was found at the bottom of the complex's pool.

According to Metro, everybody had just got out of the pool for lunch, but nobody saw the 4-year-old go back into the pool.

"This is known as a silent death. We don't hear the splashes. We don't hear the screams. We don't hear the cries," said Lt. Ray Steiber, with Metro Police.

Adults by the poolside dialed 9-1-1 after the boy was found unconscious.

CPR was unsuccessful on the young child. He was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.

"It's really sad. This has gotta stop. Enough is enough, how many kids have gotta die before things change," said Cameron Azgar, who lives near the pool where the child drowned.

The 4-year-old is not being identified at this time.

Metro spent most of Saturday afternoon interviewing witnesses who were nearby at the time of the drowning.

This marks the seventh child drowning in Las Vegas so far this year. Last year's total was seven for the entire year.

Metro says the only way to stop this startling trend is constant supervision.

Constant supervision is necessary. But, same too, instructional swimming for everyone. Boys and girls age 4 can swim. That's young. But, it is possible. And, with the swim instruction comes the lessons of being safe, of screaming for help, of respect for the water.

Learning to swim is a public safety issue. And, getting those lessons to the kids is the duty of all of us.

Lance and Robin on Tour

robinandlance.AVI -- powered by http://www.livestrong.com

Hitler chimes in on recent trades of Pittsburgh Pirates

It just never ends.

Crippling. Who is crippling whom?

"The city rolls are replete with people who've done the same thing that Paul has," said Len Sweeney, his attorney. "If they suspended every city employee who was arrested, it would have a crippling effect on the workforce."

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09193/983409-53.stm#ixzz0L4gsTYNa&C

Does the work force cripple the city? Or, would a work force without legal hangups be so thin as to cripple the city? Or, do laws that punish without victims cripple society? Or, is the city work force and the sheer size of government so massive that the economy is crippled due to government sprawl?

Mike's big story on corruption in Western PA and with the Catholic Church

http://www.examiner.com/x-12613-Pittsburgh-Independent-Examiner~y2009m7d12-Citizen-investigator-wont-be-silenced

In 1985 or 1986, Sister Dorothy ventured to diocesan headquarters to voice her concerns about Wellinger who served as assistant pastor at St. Clare of Assisi Parish in Clairton, PA. Sister Dorothy served as the principal. Sister Dorothy reported to diocesan officials that Wellinger would inappropriately touch children. Diocesan leaders did nothing. It’s important to note that Archbishop Anthony Bevilacqua, now the leader of the Philadelphia Archdiocese, was bishop of the Pittsburgh Diocese at the time of Sister Dorothy’s complaint.

M

Some Brotherly Love

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/08/pool-boots-kids-who-might_n_228013.html

WQED announces layoffs

WQED announces layoffs: "WQED announces layoffs"

QED can go into nothingness for all I care. Too much cooking. Too much Do-Whop. Too little politics.

Not a single debate in the spring for the mayor's race. Nothing for other candidates. That is part of the charter of what public telivision should be doing.

I've been slamming QED since Jim Roddey was on the board there. That's why he wouldn't sign my petition to help me get onto the ballot in 2001. QED has been a major disappointment to Pittsburgh for the past decade or more.

US Serviceman departs Afgan, but leaves big waves behind

Afghanistan Water Polo: A Coach Leaves, Big Demands, and Delays: "A Coach Leaves, Big Demands, and Delays

Pittsburgh Penguins - News: Penguins Rank #3 in Professional Sports in Fan Relations - 07/06/2009

Pittsburgh Penguins - News: Penguins Rank #3 in Professional Sports in Fan Relations - 07/06/2009 The Pittsburgh Penguins rank No. 3 out of 122 professional sports teams in fan relations and No. 4 in ownership, according to an annual survey conducted by ESPN The Magazine.

Getting new arena helps?
Tearing down old arena hurts.

Interested in hockey? http://hockey.alltop.com/

How Bad Are Auto Sales? 10 Questions and Answers -- Printout -- TIME

How Bad Are Auto Sales? 10 Questions and Answers -- Printout -- TIME: "How Bad Are Auto Sales? 10 Questions and Answers"

I'm in the market for a new or used car.

ÜberTwitter - michaelsally - Some fun in the park with @Rauterkus

ÜberTwitter - michaelsally - Some fun in the park with @Rauterkus

New G-20 Logo

This is in the public domain.

Resumes of Hopeful New School Board Members

Resumes on the web as a Google Documents. Plus, links to their wiki pages, with photos too, at FixPA.wikia.com. As more info is obtained, the wiki pages can be freely updated.

• Kathy Fine Resume
• and full URL: http://docs.google.com/View?id=ddznxj6h_659cfd9m8dw
• http://fixpa.wikia.com/wiki/Kathy_Fine
  

• Stephanie Tecza Resume
• and full URL: http://docs.google.com/View?id=ddznxj6h_660c4tsqbpd
• http://fixpa.wikia.com/wiki/Stephanie_Tecza
  

Pick one Mayor Luke

Hey Mayor -- pick one.

As you all have probably heard, Heather Arnet is resigning from the school
board. The mayor will appoint a replacement that will hold the seat until the
next municipal election in November 2011. Two members of the PURE Reform
Steering Committee, Stephanie Tecza and me, Kathy Fine have submitted our names to the Mayor to be considered for this appointment. Please find attached the resumes of both candidates and I encourage all of to call, write or email the
mayor's office to voice support for one or both of these candidates:

Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, Mayor’s Office
Room 512, City-County Building
414 Grant Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15219
412-255-2626
pghschoolboard@city.pittsburgh.pa.us

Pirates rank . . . last. Surprised?

ESPN the Magazine ranks all 122 pro sports franchises. The Pirates ranked last (#122) in commitment to winning, 'nuff said.

There was a time when I was a Pirate season ticket holder. I have attended only 4 games in the past five years. This season I was going to make the commitment to attend more games, buying into management's latest "Five Year Plan."

SUCKER!!

My son, who use to go to the games with me, refuses to go. We have been bobble-headed, fireworked, and concerted out. What we would like to see is a competitive BASEBALL team, ideally the home team. ESPN has only confirmed what Pirate fans have known for seventeen years; you want to see a top class organization watch the Penguins or the Steelers, you want to watch a loser go to PNC Park.

7 Teenagers Shot Near Detroit School - NYTimes.com

Ugh.

7 Teenagers Shot Near Detroit School - NYTimes.com: "Gunmen in a green minivan opened fire on a group of teenagers waiting at a bus stop near a Detroit school on Tuesday, wounding at least seven including two who were in critical condition, authorities said.
At least five of the teens, including the two in critical condition, had just gotten out of summer classes at Cody Ninth Grade Academy when they were shot at the nearby bus stop, said Detroit Public Schools Police Chief Roderick Grimes.

Worst nightmare.

WDUQ News: G20 Marketing Efforts Underway

What in the world do they have to market, exactly?

WDUQNews: G20 Marketing Efforts Underway G20 Marketing Efforts Underway

With the leadership of the Allegheny Conference on Community Development the new group “Pittsburgh G-20 Partnership” has gathered a long list of participants and nearly half a million dollars.

The marketing, so conventional wisdom says, is to rebrand Pittsburgh. OMG.

We'd do better to give each member of the 4,000 extra police a free ticket and pass to return to Pittsburgh within the next year and bring their families. They could get admissions to Kennywood, Sandcastle and perhaps a pass for The Great Race or Marathon.

How about if we market to the 3,000 journalists that come and have them all bring their family members. We could set up day-care centers and day-trips for their spouse and kids and grandparents. Bingos, trips to Falling Water, Science Center Sub Rides, Bike rides along the trail on the Yough. We could keep some of the outdoor swim pools open, say at Highland Park and have a swim and zoo day camp. "Hey Zoo Campers!"

I don't think that the Allegheny Conference on Community Development and I shares the same branding vision.

Patrick Dowd voted No on the Amended Act 47 Plan. The Amended Plan fails on a number of accounts.

The Act 47 team calls for further tax and fee increases on City residents and businesses. Despite the history of a contentious and lengthy three-year tax debate to win legislative approval for broader based taxing authority (e.g. the payroll and municipal services tax), the Plan reverts back to the narrow definition of the City’s tax base by calling for tax and fee increases on local businesses only. The Act 47 team rejected Council’s request to remove this so-called “failsafe” option, raising taxes on city residents and businesses, from the Amended Plan.

This Plan provides no mandate to cap legacy liabilities such as pension and debt. In fact, this Plan opens the door to higher cost long-term pension bonds to fill gaps created by recent market declines. This is recommended without mandates to cap rising pension expenses. To further burden our residents and business with added liabilities is senseless. I question the timing of this recommendation particularly in light of the failed debt restructuring done in 2006 for the City and in 2007 and 2008 by the PWSA.

Finally, and most importantly, this Plan fails to resolve the City’s structural imbalance: annual revenues are not sufficient to meet annual expenses. The stated purpose of this Plan is to provide the City with a “blueprint to complete its financial recovery.” The failure to achieve this blueprint is best exemplified by the City’s debt service payments, which, in 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017, rise once again to $87 million resulting in annual operation deficits of $24 million.

As I have stated in the past, the Amended Act 47 Plan reflects the failures of oversight. Because of a lack of diligence in implementation, one third of the new initiatives are carry-overs from the original 2004 Plan. Moreover, many of the most significant initiatives in the original 2004 Plan were in place by 2005, including the merger of the City and County’s 911 Call Centers and the privatization of fleet maintenance. Most importantly, under the auspices of the Act 47 team, $125 million in additional debt was added to years 2012 through 2017. A 2006 bond restructuring created seven additional years of high debt payments. Without it, the City’s debt payments would have declined steadily to $40 million by 2018. Instead, annual debt payments will be $90 million today until 2018.

Since Pittsburgh entered Act 47 supervision, the City has generated year-end surpluses. This in itself is positive. However, the increasing size of surplus revenue is a serious concern, particularly given that the Act 47 Plan calls for tax increases. Either the City is over-budgeting expenses or does not account for the real cost of services delivered. Regardless, City residents and business appear to be over-taxed for the services they are actually receiving. The residents and businesses of the City deserve an honest budget, one that reflects the services they are, in fact, receiving.

The Plan sets the course for our budgetary and fiscal program for the next five years. Despite Council’s amendments, the Plan continues to lack a strategic and cohesive program to tackle legacy costs, measure and contain operating costs against services tackle legacy costs, measure and contain operating costs against services required and delivered, and do so without raising taxes. Just this week, the Pew Charitable Trusts reported that the City of Pittsburgh is the worst-funded of 10 pension plans it reviewed. To throw surpluses at uncapped pension liabilities, to allow the continuation of debt restructuring to further burden the budget, and to do all this without a vision for economic growth is short-sighted and fails the intent of Pittsburgh’s entrance into Act 47. This is not a Plan to restore financial health and sovereignty to Pittsburgh. It is, rather, another 5 years – with a near-certain 5-year extension beyond that – in which financial distress is prolonged and self governance surrendered. Our current and potentially indefinite status as a distressed City will hobble our efforts at regional dialogue and intergovernmental cooperation with the county and neighboring municipalities.

I did not vote for the amended Act 47 Plan because it perpetuates the very problems that have long caused the City’s financial distress. The Plan returns to the narrow definition of the City’s tax base and calls for tax and fee increases on local residents and businesses. Simultaneously, the Plan asks them to accept service cuts and expenditure reductions. The Act 47 team misunderstands that old saying: it is “do more with less,” not “pay more for less.” The Plan also fails to cap the long-term liabilities or to mandate the rigorous use of performance measures, thereby ensuring that Pittsburgh’s future generations will face exactly these same problems. Most importantly, the Plan likely returns the City to distressed municipality status in 2014. The goal of this Plan is to give Pittsburgh an “exit strategy” for its status as a distressed municipality, but because the structural imbalances continue well beyond 2013, the Plan fails to meet that goal.

Sincerely,
Patrick Dowd