PA House, Senate of Gov might pull another quickie on property tax reform

The House, Senate and Gov. Rendell are about to pull another fast one on us on Monday.

Background: It's reported that there is an agreement about the proposed law to reduce property taxes. The conference committee that has been working on the legislation will issue its report Monday morning at 10:30. Under current rules, this means Gov. Rendell could sign it into law Monday night.

Speculation – no one knows for sure – is that the House will pass the conference committee report Monday afternoon; the Senate Monday evening; and the governor sign it Monday night.

This is the same process used to pass the gambling law in 2004 and the pay raise in 2005 – no public hearings on the final bill and no opportunity for citizens to read it, understand it, hear different opinions about it, and express their own opinions to their lawmakers.

But until Monday morning, we won't know what the final conference committee report says. The original bill was 89 pages long. We don't know how long the conference committee report will be. It may have nothing new in it. Or it may have special provisions that we haven't seen before. We don't know, and we can't know until Monday morning when we can see it for ourselves.

This is a major piece of legislation that will have a profound impact on Pennsylvania. It is not something that should be rushed through the process, and there is no reason why citizens, the news media, and public interest groups from across the political spectrum should be prevented from commenting on it before
the vote.

So what's the rush? Lawmakers want to spend the next two weeks before the primary election telling voters that they cut property taxes. This is politics, not policy.

What To Do? Now's when we see whether lawmakers have learned anything from the citizens' anger over the pay raise. Whether you like the property tax bill or not, you deserve the chance to participate in its passage or defeat.

Democracy Rising PA believes in a process that looks like this:

1. The conference committee should issue the report.

2. The House and Senate should send it to the appropriate standing committees for at least one public hearing.

3. Then, after at least 14 calendar days, the bill should come up for a vote.

(edited slightly)

May 1 -- a day of celebration, or a week if you are in China

Worldwide, May 1, is a day to celebrate.

In China, the people now celebrate a seven day holiday. The factory workers get seven days off. Schools are closed. The break comes with encouragements to travel within China. Those in the city go to the country. Those in the country go to the city. Flags and banners are hung. Tourist places buzz.
A week of family time often means park time, water time and togetherness.

In the US, we don't celebrate May 1st, not so much. Protests are planned this year.

The Great American Boycott, “A Day Without Immigrants,” or “A Day Without Latinos,” is being pushed by some. It is a day where immigrant workers, and their allies, will remove their labor, purchasing power, and presence from the economic workings of the United States.

"Without Latinos baseball would be about as interesting as being trapped in an elevator with George Will."

Source: Dave Zirin, http://www.edgeofsports.com. He writes a great article and the bulk of facts and comments flowed from him. I subscribe to his email blasts, and you're encouraged to do so as well.

Six of the top ten hitters in the National League are from Latin America including MVP Albert Pujols. The AL has 5 out of 10 including batting leader and 2003 MVP Miguel Tejada. Latinos dominate baseball. Eight of the last 10 AL MVPs have been won by immigrants, seven by Latinos.

In the 2006 World Baseball Classic, Team USA got crushed. Currently 36% of Major League players were born in Latin America. Almost one third of all minor leaguers are from the Dominican Republic alone.

Pittsburgh Pirates : News : Pittsburgh Pirates News PITTSBURGH -- With the July 11 Midsummer Classic just 77 days away, the Pittsburgh Pirates, Major League Baseball and local officials are gearing up for what will be an exciting week of baseball in the Steel City.

Major League owners searching for talent on the cheap, setting up baseball academies south of the border where players can be signed in their early teens for pennies, and then discarded if they don’t make the cut. As one player said to me, “The options in the DR are jail, the army, the factory, or baseball.”

Many prospects make it to the United States for minor league ball and then stay, illegally, to chase the dream of never working to death in a factory. The outer boroughs of New York City are filled with semi-pro teams of men on the other side of
thirty still thirsting for that contract, hoping it comes before the INS comes knocking on their door.

Pittsburgh is gearing up for the All-Star Game in July. Humm.... We've also got some "No Sweatshop Bucco Protests" set to unfold too. No Major League player has come out publicly (yet) and said they are joining the national boycott on May 1.

Today I hope to go to a high school baseball game. Heck, we can't even have Rookie Ball any longer in our local park -- yet alone a Major League Academy to train young hopefulls. The Pirates and others of MLB would rather invest in talent south of the border and ignore those at home. So much for pulling for the home team. And, that's also where they'll get their baseballs and uniforms produced as well. Often in sweatshops.

And to tailgate for football games is soon going to be a thing of the past in Pittsburgh as they try to curtail the extra parking spaces to only those who have 'season passes.'

There isn't any baseball in the Olympics after 2008, when the Olympic Flame is put out in China. There is more talk about the "NEW China" in our newspapers.

We've got a lot of work to do. Better to NOT have a week long vacation. With the spike in gas prices, it makes one wonder.

Concert: Dave Nachmanoff and musical tidbits

AL STEWART & Dave Nachmanoff play Club Cafe on Sunday, May 6, 2006

$20 Advance / $22 Day of Show
Doors 6PM Show 7PM

"Past, Present and Future", his first USA release, was the first record Stewart made incorporating historical data, elements of film, literature and current affairs into his lyrics. It became a cult album which has now sold close to a million copies worldwide. His next album, "Modern times", cracked the US top 40 album chart which led to Al and his band touring the United States.

"Year Of The Cat", released in 1976, became Al's first platinum (one million units) album in the United States. It featured two top 20 singles, "Year Of The Cat" and "On The Border". Bouyed by this success, he moved to Los Angeles and released "Time Passages" in 1978 which also sold platinum and featured the singles "Time Passages" and "Song On The Radio". This period was followed by worldwide tours with his band "Shot In The Dark".

Our friend, Dave Nachmanoff, joins Al Stewart on tour in many venues. He played here with Al at Hartword at a wine festival a few years ago.

Dave played two shows for us in the past too. One was at Club Cafe on 9-11. Jim Roddey and Dan Onorato were both invited and came to speak that night as well. And, our new minister, Lynn, from Sunnyhill.org, made her first Pittsburgh event then too.

Dave also gave a concert and helped to open the new Musicians Hearing Center at UPMC, something that my wife started at Eye and Ear Institutue.

The musican's hearing center is doing well these days as well. The service provides no charge hearing protection for the musicans and teachers in Pgh Public Schools. Catherine, my wife, went to Langley High School to have a photo taken with musicians there for a UPMC publication. On Friday, Catherine worked with the kids at an Elementary School, Dillworth. They have an 'arts focus' and do morning assembly that includes drumming, loud drumming. Now the kids there have hearing protection -- just like they have at the PSO, Pgh Symphony Orchestra.

If you can, come to the show on Sunday at Club Cafe. You'll have a wonderful time.

PA HOUSE RESOLUTION 655 P.N. 3740 - Make Sept. 11 a holiday

HOUSE RESOLUTION 655 P.N. 3740 Designating September 11 as a State holiday in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

WHEREAS, There can be no greater tragedy than the intentional 4 taking of innocent lives; and ..."

Click to see the bill as it was introduced on March 17.

Today is May 1, a worldwide holiday. More on that in another posting.

I think we should celebrate 3.14, Pi Day. That would speak volumes in terms of science, technology and our history of eating, plus all things circular. But, to celebrate it and to make it a state holiday are not the same.
 

I'm not for 9-11 as a state holiday. I'm not for 3.14 as a state holiday either.

June 1 is Childrens' Day in China. Some might say that every day is kids' day. Plus, we've got Mothers Day, Fathers Day and in the city, take your dad to school day too.

Court tosses Mount Lebanon rule requiring canvassers to register

PennLive.com: NewsFlash - Court tosses Mount Lebanon rule requiring canvassers to register 'Requiring people to tell the police in advance that they want to discuss political and religious matters with their neighbors is offensive to the very essence of a democracy,' said Witold Walczak, the Pennsylvania Legal Director of the ACLU.

What does this mean for Rosslyn Farms? They have some strict laws too.

All Star Tickets -- gotta go ON LINE

All-Star Week tickets will be available only through this online system, and customers must purchase tickets in strips, which include the same number of tickets for both ballpark events and All-Star FanFest at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. There is a limit of two strips per customer. In addition, All-Star FanFest tickets are on sale now and can be purchased in individual or group packages.

Diamond for Governor charts at 16% -- and it is VERY early for him at this point

This comes, in part, from the campaign of Diamond, so it might be taken with that understanding.Russ Diamond for Governor Diamond attracts 16% of the vote if he is included in the poll at this time. Third party candidates often receive more support in early polls than they will actually receive on election day. However, the impact of Diamond's inclusion in the poll is dramatic--the overall poll results switches from a 3-point Swann lead to a 4-point Rendell lead.

Splash with new contruction -- and the splash comes with a real splash! 

SF Mayor Urges New Vision for Lagging US Broadband - Apr 21, 2006 - Digital Communities

This vision of a kayak, rope and inter-tube, gives a good representation of America's broadband connections and infrastructure. A fix that only caters to those on downtown sidewalks is no fix at all. 

America is losing ground in technology and with broadband. Being behind the times is hurting our region and nation -- and our kids -- in many economic ways.

SF Mayor Urges New Vision for Lagging US Broadband - Apr 21, 2006 - Digital Communities SF Mayor Urges New Vision for Lagging US Broadband

Think that fiber bringing gigabit bandwidth to the home is somewhere out in the distant technological future? Think again. This is today's technology that Japan's NTT Communications Corp. is already installing in homes.

Last year, according to Larry Smarr, director of California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology (Calit2), NTT had 1.6 million fiber customers. This year it is 4.6 million and the company is investing billions a year to aggressively achieve the goal of fiber based Internet service to 30 million homes by the end of 2010.

Smarr was speaking at a recent Big Broadband Conference organized by optical networking advocacy group FirstMile.US. Presentations from the conference have just now been made available online in streaming video, http://www.calit2.net/newsroom/article.php?id=831.

Mayor's search for Fifth-Forbes developer is winding down

Mayor's search for Fifth-Forbes developer is winding down 'We want to make sure that we have not only the best plan but the developer who can deliver,' he said.

The way to make sure we have the best plan and developer is not to hold a set of private meetings and hatch deals behind closed doors. The public process regarding this public land is absent. This, again, proves why Pittsburgh has a smokey city image full of cronie deals.

This isn't best for Pittsburgh. It might be BEST for O'Connor and his debt.

Bob O'Connor got into debt when he spent $1-million on a fruitless campaign in 2001. Now he has to pay off.

Network Neutrality needs to be legislated now

Something is fishy!

Dismantling the Internet, Reviewed by Zoe Hoffman

On June 27, 2005, the US Supreme Court ruled that giant cable companies like Comcast and Verizon are not required to share their cables with other Internet service providers. Federal government -- from the FCC to the White House --and the media have worked cooperatively to quietly block open access to cyberspace. Mainstream media have censored and covered up Federal moves to commandeer, monopolize, and turn the Internet into an extension of itself. From Fox News to CNN, there has been dead silence as the greatest bastion of democracy in history is being dismantled - and resurrected in the image of AOL.

"Web of Deceit: How Internet Freedom Got the Federal Ax, And Why Corporate News Censored the Story," Elliot D. Cohen, Ph.D, Buzzflash, 6/18/05
http://www.buzzflash.com/contributors/05/07/con05238.html

Downtown Wi-Fi plan hits City Council firewall

Of course the wi-fi deal needs to be sent back to the drawing table. Don't approve it! As it is, it stinks.

Downtown Wi-Fi plan hits City Council firewall A bid to bring wireless, outdoor Internet access Downtown ran into static before City Council yesterday, when members asked that the deal be reworked.

Just three council members voted for a proposal to allow the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership and its contractor, US Wireless Online, to post Wi-Fi antennae on 53 city light posts Downtown, around PNC Park, and near Mellon Arena. Three other council members abstained, and three were not present.

The contract for the wi-fi deal was delivered to City Council at 10:20 am on Wednesday. The city council meeting started at 10 am the same day. They asked for a vote on the day they delivered a contract.

I'd vote no on that alone.

I'd call for another public hearing because the contract wasn't available when we gathered to talk about the deal on Monday, at a public hearing.

Then at the meeting, the $40 per pole charge was pulled out of thin air by Mr. Peduto.

Table the bill. Call for another public hearing. Have the PDP bring enough copies of their handouts for the public as well.

Shreveport Times quotes Tom Murphy, "don't give it away." (ugh!)

Regionalism... Humm. In Pittsburgh, we've got too many cooks to spoil the soup. Yet Murphy was here!

The Shreveport Times A regional approach to economic development — rather than separate groups — can lead to greater prosperity in this region, according to the results of a study released today.

The five-day panel study was conducted recently by Urban Land Institute Advisory Services with the Northwest Louisiana Association of Realtors. The panel included experts in real estate, urban planning, economics, residential development, construction, economic development and municipal government from across the country.

The panel recommended preserving and exploiting area natural resources, beginning with Red River.

Older neighborhoods bordering Shreveport and Bossier City downtowns could then be clustered with growing art and culture offerings, as well as mixed-use zoning, to produce residential-retail-cultural urban villages, according to panelist Zane Segel, a Houston-based developer, marketing consultant and real estate broker.

“The beauty of the region is what you’re proudest of,” panelist and former Pittsburgh Mayor Tom Murphy told about 100 gathered at the Greater Shreveport Chamber of Commerce this morning to hear the results.

“It’s a tourist attraction, a community value and a regional asset. Don’t give it away.”

Also under the prescribed master plan, as the region would grow, it should take steps to ensure educational and economic parity so all of its members could benefit together.

The final report will be completed and finished in a couple of months, said Leigh Ferguson, director of Urban Living and executive vice president of Sloss Real Estate Group in Birmingham, Ala., who guided the panelists in their charge. The next stage, he added, would be to enroll the region’s grass-roots stakeholders into forming a committee to weigh the panel’s suggestions and ultimately implement them.
"

I'm scratching my head. What if you're most proud of your diversity. Then do you need to have a regional approach?

New Orleans is a city of diversity. Well, it used to be.

Then there is the 'don't give it away' quote. It was printed without attribution, but I think it might have come from Tom Murphy. ??? That's what I've been saying with this expression of 'picking our cherries.' Some in Pittsburgh are happy to give away our most valued assets in terms of tax breaks. I don't want tax breaks for downtown -- because downtown is a place where we should be proud.

Perhaps the Steelers are our proudest institution -- so we give them a stadium and this year upgrade it with more public funds to put in 700 seats. But, we are not to give it away? Say what?

Today we learn that the Library Report is out and really, it is the library that is our most valued asset for the community. But you can get books and computer time at the library for free. They give it away.

In the end, I think we need to be most proud and most protective our two very important things. On a macro level, we need to be certain to extend and defend our freedom. On a micro level, we need to be most proud of our children, our families, and perhaps our kids friends if not their peers and the next generations.

If those are what make drives us -- Freedom and Future (as in kids) -- then I think it makes sense to figure out if they are extended with 'central planning' and a 'regional approach.'

Being flexible seems to work better when it comes to families and individuals.
Give of ourselves to the young.

I like to talk about a system where there is a 'framework for freedom' -- and that generally means we don't do a regional approach.

Finally, I do agree that you need to 'give it away' -- as in our freedom. The comment about the asset, 'don't give it away' stinks when you talk about these values.

You can't put freedom in a bottle. You can't put freedom in a fence and protect it like a lump of coal. You can't guard that asset and NOT give it away and still have it. Freedom, by its very nature, needs to be given away. The more you give, the more you get. Freedom and love work that way. This is a bit of a self-less passion.

And the same holds true with our kids. We raise them, we teach them well, we are devoted to them -- but we don't own the kids. We can't control the kids. We need to set the kids free too. They grow up. They move out. They are set free to make the world theirs -- shape the world -- and with some preparation, make it FREE for their kids yet to come.

Pittsburgh is a place where we raise our kids, create community, celebrate freedom, and give of ourselves to those around us who we trust and respect. The assumption and hope is to trust and respect authority and everyone, in these parts.

Wiki Woes for U.S. Politicians

Main Page - PittsburghPlatform My Platform Wiki site, now reads, this page has been accessed 75,920 times. On the 16th of the month, it was 69,077 times. The front page of the platform wiki is getting more than 500 hits per day.

Source: http://www.politicsonline.com/

A Georgia gubernatorial candidate accepted the resignation of her campaign manager Wednesday after he was accused of changing the online Wikipedia biography of an opponent in the upcoming Democratic primary.

Secretary of State Cathy Cox's opponent, Lt. Gov. Mark Taylor, said campaign manager Morton Brilliant altered an online encyclopedia entry to include a reference to Taylor's son being arrested for DUI after an accident that killed his passenger. Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales confirmed these accusations. The Taylor for Governor campaign responded by accusing Cox of exploiting a family tragedy for political purposes and calling for her resignation, although Cox denied any knowledge of the addition.

This story is only the most highly publicized of a number of recent campaign scuffles involving Wikipedia. Brilliant has also been accused of editing the Wikipedia profile of current Governor Mark Sanford. Nearly twenty more changes have since been made to Sanford’s profile, presumably by both sides of the aisle.

Wikipedia has attempted to deal with problems concerning politically motivated revisions by tightening its submission guidelines and setting up alerts so that operators know when Capitol Hill staffers edit online profiles.

Go to the source, Politics Online, to get the links to Related Articles: Cox to 'Deal With' Wiki- Attack; Campaign Manager Resigns Amid Wikipedia Flap; South Carolina Politicos Get Tangled in Web Forum.

In other online, local news, Chris L of GrassRootsPA.com, is going to be a guest on with Ron Morris, TAEradio.com, this Saturday (tomorrow).

I'll be at a swim meet this weekend.

Gas-tax-plank-Martin - PittsburghPlatform

Gas-tax-plank-Martin - PittsburghPlatform Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania (LPPA) calls for tax break at the pumps

Sandals Offers Democrats an Alternative

On the podcast interview with the One Man Think Tank, I was asked a question of "buy, hold, or sell" in terms of Rick Santorum. My advice was "hold" as I don't think Casey can deliver much to the state nor the nation.

This is from the D's race.

Casey's Hypothetical Lead on Santorum Slips;

Says May 16th is the Final Opportunity for Democrats to Avert Disaster in November Election

PITTSBURGH, PA -- A new poll released today by the Allentown Morning Call shows Bob Casey’s lead in a hypothetical matchup against Rick Santorum has slipped to single digits. This decline has occurred six months before Election Day and well before the TV ad blitz expected by Rick Santorum. Throughout the Democratic primary, Alan Sandals has said that the more voters learn about Bob Casey’s positions, the less support he will enjoy. This explains the rationale behind Casey’s attempts to limit the number of debates, keep the debate footage out of the public domain, and avoid debating in the major population centers of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.
In a statement from Pittsburgh, Sandals said the following today:

“The erosion of support for Bob Casey in a hypothetical matchup against Rick Santorum is an unfortunate but predictable trend that underscores the great concern of mainstream Democrats about the vulnerability of the Casey candidacy. When he was recruited to run a year ago, the party leadership thought Democrats needed to imitate Republicans in order to win, but I have always disagreed with that strategy.

Democrats should stand for the principles we believe in, including women’s rights and the right to choose, an end to the military occupation of Iraq, support for stem cell research, and adequate controls to reduce handgun violence. Casey’s positions on these issues do not match the views of most Democrats and most moderate Republicans and Independents.

Voters in Pennsylvania need and want a U.S. Senate Candidate who will implement real change, but they won't find one in Bob Casey. May 16 is the final opportunity for Democrats to stand up and avert disaster in November.”

Not only is there Sandals, but the D's have Chuck Pennacchio as well.

Speaking up on wi-fi and technology

I just gave an interview to a media organization about the wi-fi deal and the rush to get an All-Star deal in place. They are rushing to launch a foolish plan. It seems to me that city hall wants an all-star strike out. They rush (haste makes waste) like there is no tomorrow. They want to swing three times at the same pitch.

Time and again, I speak up. I'm free to speak up. Others don't. Here is why....

This was snipped from comments at Pittsblog.

Regarding media coverage - I get the sense that they go as far as the community will allow. Most of these tech-focused organizations are all in the same game: self-protection. There seems to be an unspoken agreement to keep the bar low, disburse sizable grants to the same organizations again and again despite lackluster results, and not press for accountability of the millions of dollars spent annually on technology/R&D economic development initiatives in this region.

You'll hear people complain in private or off the record, but I think there's definitely a code of silence. Once you're in--on either the funder side or the recipient side, you keep your mouth shut, or your career options in this city are toast.

---

4/25/2006 9:13 PM

Anonymous said...

I agree the Pittsburgh Technology Council has become like the Allegheny Conference involved in tons of activities that no one really needs. Mike you should do an op-ed on them like you did on the Allegheny Conference.

Regarding the media - I agree no one speaks openly about these organizations and most of the boards are rubber stamps.

With this wi-fi deal before city council, the same truth holds. Those in the biz and on the various boards of other organizations don't want to rock the boat. Earthlink can't tell the city that the PDP plan is JUNK -- as if it goes into being, Earthlink will need to have a relationship with their customers over some of those poles (hot spots).

Same too with the Wireless Neighborhoods.

Deceased voter gets card from Diven - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Woops.

Deceased voter gets card from Diven - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review For a dead man, James J. Bradley Jr. has a lot of political pull.

First, his name appeared in March on a nominating petition for the re-election of state Rep. Michael Diven, R-Beechview -- more than three years after Bradley, of Baldwin Township, died of a heart attack.

Now Diven has sent Bradley a birthday card, wishing him good health.

The sending of cards is a political trick. The four-color card of the photo of the state capital is nice -- and we all pay for it. Newsletters are often an expression of PR for the candidate up for re-election and less to do about real 'news.' Those behaviors stink and people have had enough.

Keith is pushing Big Charlie K as an All-Star. Voting starts soon.

All this jazz about getting wi-fi in time for the All-Star game takes an interesting spin if this "player" gets elected to the team.


There is some questions out there about 'write-in votes' with the new voting machines. How do you write in a person to the All Star squad? See the comments for a report that came in via email.

One-Man Think Tank: INTERVIEW: Pittsburgh political blogger Mark Rauterkus

One-Man Think Tank: INTERVIEW: Pittsburgh political blogger Mark Rauterkus INTERVIEW: Pittsburgh political blogger Mark Rauterkus

Get to know Steel City political blogger and state Senate candidate Mark Rauterkus on this edition of One-Man Think Tank, the state's top alternative newscast.