Author: Marc Stier

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Housing trust fund shenanigans

  By Housing, Philadelphia

 A Jannie Blackwell amendment was added to the Fiscal Year 2007 budget which had its first reading last Thursday. The amendment transfers all of the Housing Trust Fund dollars from the “Purchase of Services” (class 200) account to the “Personal Services” (class 100) account. The transfer means that the $9.8 million in the Housing Trust Fund will not be available for the creation or rehabilitation of affordable housing or for homelessness prevention. This amendment is, in multiples sense, an abuse of trust. Continue reading

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Bob Casey for Senate

  By Pennsylvania, US

The Case Against Casey in the Primary I have long thought that the mahoffs of the Democratic Party were making moral, strategic, and tactical mistakes in supporting Bob Casey for Senate. The moral issue is clear. I do not subscribe to the view that lifestyle and liberties issues like feminism, abortion, civil liberties, civil rights for African Americans, gay rights, stem cell research and gun control are distractions from the economic concerns that animated the New Deal coalition. While I would agree that our focus on these issues in the last thirty years has cost us politically, I would argue that the cost has been worth it. When historians look back at the last third of the twentieth century the will be impressed by the incredible strides we have made in making this country more tolerant and inclusive. And they will note that feminism has brought about the most incredible,… Continue reading

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A Republican utopia: the future of progressive politics, part 4

  By Health Care, Politics, Progressive Politics

I have, in parts two and three of this series, lambasted Governor Rendell and progressives like myself for, among other things, not defending a liberal / progressive vision of a good political community So it seems incumbent on me to present a vision for our politics. I am going to try to do that—in the next post in this series. I will do it in a very tentative way, as I really don’t have anything all that new to present or an especially good way of presenting it. Before I present a positive vision, I want to do something a little different. Sometimes, the best way to identify—and fight for—your own agenda is to look at what your opponents want to create and figure out why you oppose it. So, let’s begin by imagining the kind of country right-wing Republicans are in the process of creating right now. A day… Continue reading

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Improving transit

  By Philadelphia, Transportation

Two weeks ago, the front page of the Inquirer’s Sunday Currents section published a piece by Randall O’Toole entitled “SEPTA out of loop on transit needs.” A copy of the article is available on my website. The article starts out reasonably enough by pointing out that SEPTA is not serving suburban commuters very well. It continues by pointing out that because the Philadelphia suburbs have been developing in a sprawling low-density fashion, it will be difficult for public transit to meet the needs of those commuters. These are reasonable points that any serious transit planner and advocate should consider. But the piece goes downhill from here. Even if you don’t know the author and his history, the article quickly reveals his ideological biases. It soon becomes evident that it is an analysis of public transit and urban planning from the standpoint of someone for whom sprawling suburban development and the… Continue reading

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Public campaign finance hearings

  By Campaign Finance Reform

As I reported in one of my first blog posts in September, there is some movement toward enacting public financing of campaigns in Philadelphia. As they had promised, Council members Verna and Tasco submitted a resolution to hold informational hearings on the subject. The first one took place last Wednesday. A number of people testified, all of them in favor of public campaign financing. I have posted a page that contains my testimony, which gives three reasons why we public financing of campaigns. My conclusions sums it up: Continue reading

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Why We Need Public Financing of Campaigns

  By Campaign Finance Reform, Elections and Voting

Testimony of Marc Stier City Council Committee of the Whole Hearingon the Public Financing of Political Campaigns April 26, 2006 President Verna, Members of Council, I want to first thank Councilmembers Verna and Tasco for introducing the resolution that created this hearing on a subject very important to the future of Philadelphia. And I also thank you for the opportunity to testify today. I am speaking today in part as a political activist and one-time political candidate but more so as a political scientist who has studied and written about the theory and practice of democracy for thirty years. (You will thus excuse me if I write at a little longer length—as it is an occupational hazard of being an academic.) I will testify today about why I think it would be desirable for Philadelphia to adopt some system of public financing of election campaigns. At a future hearing, I… Continue reading

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For Anne Dicker in the 175th

  By Pennsylvania, Philadelphia

The race for the Democratic nomination in the 175th district has some progressives in the city torn. Two candidates with progressive credentials are in the race, Anne Dicker and Terry Graboyes. While I think Terry would make a good state representative, I am supporting Anne. The issue for me is not just who will serve the district or who will vote the right way in Harrisburg. Anne and Terry will both do that. My concern is how best to build the progressive citizen’s movement we so badly need in Philadelphia and Pennsylvania. Continue reading

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We won in the house – $7.15. The Senate is next.

  By Pennsylvania, Progressive Politics, Social Justice

The State House passed HB 257 today by a vote of 146-50!! Congratulations to everyone who have worked so hard on this issue. A delegation from the Raise the Minimum Wage Coalition was in Harrisburg yesterday lobbying swing Republicans on the bill. The amendment to raise the increase to $7.15 passed 130-66. The bill will increase the minimum wage to $6.25 on July 1, 2006 and to $7.15 on July 1, 2007. Unfortunately, a $5.15 training wage, for 60 days for workers under age 20 was also included. The Senate is next. Continue reading

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Is civil disobedience justified?

  By Pennsylvania, Social Justice

Rep. Mark Cohen has commented on my last entry on the minimum wage issue, criticizing my call for civil disobedience on this issue. As much as I admire his leadership on the minimum wage issue, I have to disagree with Representative Cohen about some matters. And I want to elevate this disagreement to a separate blog entry because it illustrates many of the arguments I have been making in my not yet complete series of posts on the future of progressive politics in Pennsylvania. Continue reading

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Stand up (or sit down) for a minimum wage increase

  By Health Care

The Situation in the House The fight for a minimum wage of $7.15 continues. The latest word from Harrisburg is that there will be a vote in the House of Representatives the week of April 5th. Of course, we have been misled before, so no one is holding their breath. I will report here if the votes look likely and urge you to contact Republican members of the House to ask them to support an increase to $7.15 rather than the $6.25 most House Republicans support. The situation is different in the Senate where more drastic action may well be necessary. Rally and Direct Action on Wednesday, April 26 Right now, there is no indication that Senate President Robert Jubelirer or Senate Majority Leader David Brightbill have any intention of allowing a vote on the Senator floor, where we are very confident that we have the votes to raise the… Continue reading