That was the conclusion of an enjoyable and enlightening meeting of community and civic leaders convened by the Great Expectations Project of the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Fels Institute. The goal of the meeting was to discuss the relationship between community and civic groups and the city and to determine whether a new deal needs to be struck among us. What we really want, it seems is a no deal. Continue reading
The Commonwealth Court ruled today against SEPTA in its appeal of Judge DiVito’s injunction against SEPTA’s decision to eliminate transfers. And, as I will explain below, it was not just the great legal work of Mark Zecca and Stella Tsai but also the opposition of citizens to the elimination of transfers that made the difference. Continue reading
Two weeks ago a high level summit meeting took place in East Falls, one that might determine the future of gaming in Philadelphia. This secret—and so far unreported—discussion took place between Governor Rendell’s left hand and his right hand. The result was that his right hand convinced his left hand to leave the casinos in their current location. Left hand: I promised the residents of Fishtown, Northern Liberties, Society Hill, Pennsport, Whitman and the other residential communities along the Delaware River that I would try to relocate the Sugar House and Foxwoods casinos. You are the one who has been pushing gambling on the waterfront for years and, I might add, the one that pulls the slot machine levers in Atlantic City and Las Vegas. What have you done to keep my promise? Right hand: I asked the casinos operators to move. I asked them nicely. I shook their hands.… Continue reading
This is the second of four posts on the health care issue. For an overview of the various posts click here. There are two basic problems with enacting a single payer system in Pennsylvania. The first is that it is pretty much politically impossible this year. The second is that for constitutional and other reasons, a single payer system enacted in Pennsylvania won’t be as progressive as we would like it to be. Let me start with the first problem, briefly sketch the second one, and then come back to the first. Continue reading
To the extent that people with progressives inclinations are focused on the health insurance issue in Pennsylvania—and, right now, too many of us are not focused enough on it—they find themselves torn between two different plans. One is Governor Rendell’s Prescription for Pennsylvania (RxPA). The other is a single payer plan, put forward by the Health Care for All coalition. It is a strange debate. For one thing, most of us, on both sides of the debate, would like to ultimately move to some kind of single payer system with the costs of health care provided by progressive taxation, not by employer sponsored plans paid for by employers and employees. We differ only about whether it makes sense to push for a single payer system in Pennsylvania right now. It is strange, also, in that the proponents of single payer seem to be focusing more on denouncing those who support… Continue reading
This is the first of four posts on the health care issue. For an overview of the various posts click here. Governor Rendell’s Prescription for PA has a number of elements. Some of them have already been enacted. The two critical pieces remain to be enacted are Cover All Pennsylvanians and Health Care Reform. Continue reading
For a long time it is has been obvious to anyone who pays attention to politics that the future of the Democratic Party in Pennsylvania rests on our ability to control the counties that surround Philadelphia. Here, and elsewhere in the country, suburban counties that have historically voted Republican are rapidly turning Democratic. Whether moved by liberal views on sexual and lifestyle issues or by an aversion to the Republican War Machine or, in some cases, by the liberal economic views of a large contingent of professionals and managers, suburban counties are voting Democratic. Indeed the position of these suburban counties is similar to that of white Southern counties in the 1970s. White Southern counties were already voting for Republicans in Presidential and Senatorial elections by the mid-seventies. They started voting for Republican Governors and US Representatives soon after. And then finally, they started voting for Republican local officials and… Continue reading
For the past nine years I have been a citizen-activist while holding down a full time job as a teacher at Temple University. But no more. Now I’m a paid political organizer. I recently took my first ever job doing politics, as the Health Care Campaign Manager for the State Council of SEIU. I’m really excited to be working with SEIU. Over the years, I’ve worked closely with both SEIU Local 32BJ and more recently SEIU Local 1199p on a number of projects: The Pennsylvania Transit Coalition, the Raise the Minimum Wage Coalition, the Philadelphia Campaign for Housing Justice and most recently, the Philadelphia Health Care Coalition. SEIU locally has been at the forefront of almost every progressive effort. And at the state and national level, SEIU has been leading the way to both health care reform and a reinvigoration of the labor movement. My primary aim at SEIU will… Continue reading
I did something unusual for a transit activist the other day. I didn’t protest SEPTA’s new fare increases for tokens and transfers. Instead, I said that while I had some doubts about whether fares needed to be increased as much as SEPTA claimed, I thought it was much better for transit agencies to have regular, small increases than to sock riders heavily every five or six years. And I also said that along with proposing small increases in tokens and transfers, SEPTA should drop its appeal of Judge DiVito’s decision blocking their plan to eliminate transfers. The new fare increases are meant to make up for the revenues lost due to Judge DiVito’s decision. Until the SEPTA Board Meeting last Thursday, SEPTA said that it would rescind these fare increases if the courts allow the elimination of transfers to proceed. At that meeting they adopted a proposal that brings the… Continue reading
Tom Cronin recently sent the following letter to some his friends and allies among community and labor leaders in the city. It is worthy of a wide readership among progressives. As a preface, let me just say that Tom has been one of the most important voices among labor leaders in favor of progressive public policy. And he has done more than anyone else in the labor movement to forge broad coalitions. I’ve worked closely with Tom on a number of issues–especially transit funding, raising the minimum wage, and most recently inclusionary housing. I’ve learned a great deal from him about coalition building and the importance of militancy. More than one one he has encourged us to push our politicians as hard as possible–to the extent of engagining in sit-ins in their offices. I would say that he will be greatly missed. But, while he won’t be leading DC 47,… Continue reading