Category: Public Policy

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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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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

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Casey tilts further to the right

  By Health Care

 Buried on an inside page of the Inquirer today is an interesting tidbit about Bob Casey. He, of course, will not endorse Russ Feingold’s censure resolution. But he went further and would not even criticize Bush’s domestic spying program. Asked whether it is illegal, he responded “Well, that is a judgment that lawyers are going to make,” said Casey, a lawyer. “And that is an important answer.” Continue reading

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Defend marriage–defeat HB2381

  By Pennsylvania, Sexual and gender equality

The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is expected to vote as early as today on HB 2381, a proposed amendment to the Pennsylvania Constitution that not only limits marriage to a heterosexual couple but could also take away existing legal protection, under local laws, for committed long-term couples and their children, such as hospital visitation rights, inheritance rights, pension benefits and health insurance coverage among others. It is likely to undermine the domestic partnership laws that have been created in many localities, such as Philadelphia. I urge you to contact your state legislators to tell them that you oppose HB 2381. Contact information for state legislators can be found on the Neighborhood Networks website. Continue reading

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Keep up the pressure against HB 1467

  By Consumer protection, Pennsylvania

The fight over HB 1467—the bill that will make it more difficult for consumers to use the courts to get compensation for shoddy work by contractors—is heating up. Today the Inquirer reports that the Attorney General Tom Corbett, a Republican no less, has advised Governor Rendell that the bill is unconstitutional. Yesterday Jeff Gelles wrote another powerfu column and blog entry about it. The Inquirer also reports that the City’s Director of Consumer Affairs, Lance Hvaer, and Councilman Jim Kenney, wrote a joint letter asking the Governor to veto the bill. You can join them. Contact Governor Rendell by email at governor@state.pa.us by fax with the Hallwatch Faxbank Service , call him at 717-787-2500 or write to him at Governor Edward G. Rendell, 225 Main Capitol Building, Harrisburg, PA 17120. Over the last few years we have seen one bad bill after another sneak through the legislature when no one… Continue reading

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Protect consumers: stop HB 1467

  By Consumer protection, Pennsylvania

Good editorial today in the Inquirer urging Governor Rendell to veto a HB 1467, a bill that would put homeowners fighting contractors who have done shoddy work at an even greater disadvantage than they are today. The justification for the bill is that it would avoid litigation by giving contractors 2 ½ months repair bad work. But the bill creates procedural barriers that will make it more difficult for homeowners to sue contractors who fail to make the repairs. The editorial follows on an excellent column Jeff Gelles wrote about the bill a few days ago. By the way, if you don’t read Jeff Gelles regularly you should. Not only does he have good personal advice, he regularly takes on political issues from a consumer perspective. He is one of the few reporters willing to take on Comcast, for example, criticizing them for their anti-competitive refusal to allow Direct TV… Continue reading

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Alternate Paths to Economic Growth

  By Economic Development, Philadelphia, Public Policy, Social Justice, Taxation, Urbanism

Last week there was another go round about the Business Privilege Tax (BPT) at a City Council hearing at which I testified on behalf of One Philadelphia. Most of the people who testified had done so before. They, and the council members who were there, seemed to know each other’s lines so well that they could repeat them in their sleep. But it has taken me a while to get my head around the various issues concerning taxation and it was my first time attending this particular circus. I thought it might be enlightening. After all, as the ad goes, if you haven’t seen it before, it is new to you. Unfortunately, it wasn’t really new to me or terribly enlightening. The problem with these hearings about the BPT, and with the whole debate about taxes in the city, is that it is terribly one dimensional. Taxes after all are… Continue reading

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Help protect tenants

  By Housing, Philadelphia

We tend to think of Philadelphia as a city of homeowners, but there are hundreds of thousands of renters as well. To protect them City Council recently enacted the Certificate of Rental Suitability Bill (#060010). It would improve the lives of tenants in this city, especially those who are poor. Unfortunately, Mayor Street may veto this bill. Continue reading