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Civil liberties, sexual equality and Larry Craig

  By Sexual and gender equality, US

I’m sure we are all having fun over another example of Republican hypocripsy on gay issues. But is anyone else disturbed about Craig being arrested for merely propositioning someone–and doing it in a way that most straight men would hardly recognize it as such? I can see why laws against people actually having sex in a public restroom might be a good idea. But laws against a fairly subtle come-on? What is the point—except to harass gay men. After all,  straight men make sleazy come-ons, too. And in public. Craig’s actions were actually pretty subtle. I’ve seen a lot sleazier (and, sometimes, borderline violent) come-ons from straight men. But, of course, in our sexist and homophobic society lots of people laugh at sleazy straight come-ons and want to see much less sleazy gay ones prosecuted. It’s not just come-ons but public sex. I’ve seen women giving men head or a… Continue reading

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It's time to bring down the curtain on the transfer follies

  By Health Care

The transfer issue is becoming crazier and crazier. After the revelation at the end of the last week that SEPTA had not been following the Federal Transportation Administration’s requirement of studying the impact of its fare structure on racial minorities and the poor, I thought we had all the surprises we were going to have and we were just waiting for Judge DiVito to receive final briefs on Thursday and make his decision known by Monday or so. But the surprises have not stopped. Continue reading

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Feeling the pain of the MTA and SEPTA

  By Philadelphia, Transportation

I don’t often feel sorry for government agencies. But, in the aftermath of yesterday’s shutdown of parts of the New York City subway system after a major rainstorm flooded subway tunnels right before rush hour, I’m sharing the pain of the Metropolitan Transit Agency (MTA). We have very little tolerance for failure in the United States whether it be personal failures, the failures of corporations or—what is most intolerable—the failure of public agencies to do their jobs. Most of the time, we should have high standards. People should do their jobs and businesses and governments should provide the goods and services they are supposed to. I’m not here to make excuses for a Philadelphia Police Department that can’t get a handle on violent crime or a Department of Human Services that regularly loses tracks of children at risk. But accidents happen. And when those accidents are due to circumstances that… Continue reading

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Live blogging the SEPTA transfer hearing

  By Transportation

I’m going to try live blogging from the courtroom where the SEPTA hearing is going on. The highlight so far has been the introduction of a letter from the federal transportation administration to SEPTA telling it that it is inappropriate to raise fares without a study of the possible disparate impact on the poor and racial minorities. Chris Zearfoss, of the city’SEPTA strategic planning team, has been explaining why SEPTA’s estimates of the percentage of riders who use transfers is absurdly low (8%). SEPTA uses as the denominator in its calculations what the industry jargon calls “unlinked trips.” If you transfer twice to get to your destination, you take 3 unlinked trips. If you want to know how many PEOPLE are affected by the elimination of transfers the proper denominator is linked trips. By that calculation, Zearfoss concluded that 19% of riders use transfer. Last week SEPTA estimated the cost… Continue reading

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SEPTA Transfer Hearing Monday 10:00

  By Transportation

Another Hearing on SEPTA Transfers Last week, after a day-long hearing, Judge Gary DeVito issued a temporary injunction blocking SEPTA from eliminating transfers. (See stories in the Daily News and Philadelphia Inquirer.) Judge DeVito had planned to issue a final ruling tomorrow. But he now has called for another hearing on the transfer issue on Monday. It will be at 10:00 in his courtroom, City Hall, Room 232. Come join transit activists from around the city to express your support for transfers. You can join us for a few minutes or all day. Continue reading

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Transfers forever

  By Philadelphia, Transportation

The Confusion Over Transfers Conceptual confusion has marred the transfer debate ever since SEPTA wrongly justified eliminating transfers by saying that they would not be necessary once an electronic fare system was in place. I spent some time trying to correct the confusion in blogs and my emails. But the politics of saving transfers took precedence over the clarifying the difference senses of “transfers.” So now is a good time to get some clarity about the multiple meaning of “transfers” and, also, about what moving to an electronic fare system might mean for our fare structure. Two meanings of “transfers” We use the word “transfers” to talk about two different things. The first is what, from now on, I’m going to call “paper transfers” that is, the physical mechanism by which SEPTA implements a reduced fare for someone who takes two (or more) different buses or trains on one trip… Continue reading

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Save the SEPTA transfers

  By Transportation

This promises to be a good week for riders of public transit in our region and throughout the state. It appears that the predictable, dedicated funding that our transit agencies so badly need—and for which we transit advocates have been fighting for years—is to be part of the state budget for the fiscal year that started July 1. If that comes to pass—and if the amount of dedicated funding is sufficient to both keep SEPTA alive and to allow for some modernization and expansion of the system—we will have to thank Governor Rendell and the General Assembly and, in particular, the legislative leaders in this effort, Senator Vincent Fumo and Representative Dwight Evans. But, for all our happiness, one thing sticks in the craw of advocates for public transit, SEPTA’s short sighted and unfair decision to eliminate transfers. And, when that policy goes into effect on August 1, it should,… Continue reading

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SEPTA Board meeting today; Help save transfers

  By Transportation

Join us as the SEPTA Board meeting today, Thursday July 26 to protest SEPTA’s decision to eliminate transfer as of August 1. The SEPTA Board meets at 3:00 PM on the mezzanine level at 1234 Market Street. No one is exactly sure why SEPTA is so determined to eliminate transfers since, once we factor in the loss of ridership that will inevitably when transfers are eliminated, it is very hard to believe that they will save much money. After all, anyone who needs a transfer to travel on SEPTA to work five days a week and to take one other round trip on the weekend will find that it makes more sense to buy a pass. The only ones, in other words, for whom the pass makes no sense, are occasional SEPTA riders.  Their fares will rise by 36% if they use one transfer and 55% if they use two.… Continue reading

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Will Philadelphia home rule go up in smoke again?

  By Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Smoking

The General Assembly is moving forward with plans to enact a state wide smoking ban. But, in the process, it is likely to weaken the ban already in place in Philadelphia. And, even worse, it is likely that the General Assembly will prohibit Philadelphia and other cities and towns from making laws more stringent than the new state law. So, once again, teh state will override the right of Philadelphians to make laws that concern only ourselves. . The Senate passed smoking ban legislation a week and a half ago. It bans smoking in many public places but it exempts 25 percent of the space in casinos and private clubs. And it also allows smoking in businesses in which less than 20 percent of revenues come from food sales, which will allow smoking in many bars. What’s worse, the bill prohibits municipalities from enacting smoking laws that are tougher than… Continue reading

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The fire next time

  By Philadelphia, Progressive Politics

I sent this to a group of progressive activists who were meeting in Philadelphia in June 2007. I couldn’t attend because my daughter was graduating from middle school at that time. The May 2007 primary was disappointing for many of us. But I thought then, as I still do now, that good things would come out of the effort many of us had made during and before that primary. While I very much want to hear what you all have to say, I don’t think you will lose much from my absence as I’m still too close to the recent election to have had the time and energy to think through what it all means for the progressive movement in this city. Continue reading