Another Delco Guy In South Jersey

Wordless Wednesday

9/11 - 11 Years Later and Still at War

It's 11 years since cowards took advantage of the open, free society that we enjoy and flew airplanes filled of innocent people into buildings filled with still more innocents. Nearly 3,000 people died. America had been attacked on her home soil and we reacted like the proud, wounded nation we are.

For all of my daughter Emma's life and 90% of my son John's life, America has been at war. But it's not a war that has really affected them in any way. Or me either. Or most folks.

It's a real war.  Ask those who are fighting it.  They are sacrificing , giving lives and limbs.  Months and year of their lives.  Losing jobs and houses, coming home bankrupt with PTSD and an indifferent public.

But there's no rationing.

No shortages.

No real significant protests.

No body counts on TV each night.

Would we have tolerated 11 years of war if we had personal sacrifices required of us?

If our tv shows and sports events had been disrupted?

If we had not been able to get strawberries in February?

If gas or chocolate or razor blades were only available on alternate weeks?

Or how about, if, god forbid, middle class, white people from northern states would be compelled to serve?

Not a chance.

There is no way 'The War on Terror' would still be going on if you and I had been forced to make the same sacrifices of the men and women serving today.  Or those of the generations who have been conscripted to protect this nation from evil (immediate or potential) in previous generations. Or even if the sacrifices expected of those on the home front in World War II were expected of us today.

There would have been massive protests, perhaps riots. Politicians would have been run out of office and pay and benefits for the military would have been seriously adjusted.

As sad as it is to note on this day of memorial, in some ways, I fear the terrorists have won this war.  Yes, we got Bin Laden and toppled Saddam Hussein. Yes, we drove the Taliban from power (sort of). No, there have not been any other Al-Quaeda  attacks on our home soil. These things all point to victory.

But the cost has been massive. 6,280 American have given their lives since 9/11 in service of our cause.  We have spent around $4 trillion to accomplish our war goals. At home, our freedoms and liberties have been curtailed or eliminated, infrastructure funds diverted to hardening targets and strengthening the homeland. 

While we may not feel the effects of a decade of war every day, they are there. 

Our 11 years of war have had their toll. And it's one not often thought of by most of us and that seems completely lost in today's presidential campaign. Today I remember all those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001, as well all the heroes who risked and gave so much to save lives that day.

But I also remember all the warriors who have fought on my proxy, going where I can - and would - not.  And their families, silently suffering so that Emma and John don't. 

So many heroes to whom we give so little.

Thank you and I am sorry I have not made your struggle part of my every day.

On Government and Health Care

If you are a Supreme Court junkie, as I am, it's been a pretty interesting week.  three days of oral arguments before the court over The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) has had NPR's Nina Totenberg breathless since Monday.  I followed closely the radio and print accounts of the arguments and all of the analysis that came afterwards.

There were three basic areas of dispute.  The first, seemingly dismissed by the Court, is that the an obscure federal tax law from 1867 called the Anti-Injunction Act (AIA) essentially bars bringing a case against Obamacare.  The law prohibits tax protesters from filing suit against a tax until the tax has actually been paid.  The Supremes seems dubious that there was even a tax involved here, even given that when the act is in force those who do not have health insurance will have to pay a penalty, which the IRS will collect.  It's a fine point I guess, but that's why lawyers are involved.

The second day was really where the fireworks were, with Obamacare opponents making the argument that the law is unconstitutional because it forces everyone in America to purchase health insurance.  Their essential argument was that the constitution does not permit the government to compel a citizen to purchase anything and that if the government could do this, it could compel people to buy anything at all, including broccoli.

The government's counter to this argument was that broccoli, no matter how much you like it, does not provide for a basic human need like access to health care does and that the government certainly has the right to regulate trade in such a huge area of the economy.  The government also argued that the only wa for health insurance to work was to have everyone in it all the time or else only sick people would buy it, making the whole system a horrendously expensive mess.

The final day's arguments were based around the complaint to the states governed by Republicans that the regulations that the act placed on Medicare were an unconstitutional violation of states rights by the federal government. The states also made the argument that the entire act must be struck down if any portion of it were deemed unconstitutional.

In the end, despite favoring universal care on a human rights basis, I found the arguments presented against Obamacare to be compelling.  I specifically agreed with the idea that individuals can't be told to buy a product, no matter how useful the product is or how much the product is needed to provide for the common good.  While we all agree that everyone should have access to comprehensive, affordable healthcare, we can't provide it by requiring everyone to buy personal coverage.  It's not who we are as a nation.  We don't solve our problems by mandating behavior.

So a government-funded, single-payer insurance system like Canada's must be the answer, right? 

I will surprise my libertarian and conservative friends (and my liberal friends too, I guess) by saying no, I think that government control of the healthcare system is not the answer either.  I work in higher education, where I have seen first-hand how the government can take over programs that have some problems but are working and regulate them into a costly, inefficient mess in a matter of years. Government can't even figure out how to collect trash efficiently and we want to entrust 1/6 of the economy and our health to its organizational ability?  I think not.

The real answer is that the solution is a lot harder than a health care bill. It will added efficiency such as a realization that not every hospital needs every new device. It will take philanthropy.  One of the reasons that health care has gotten so much more expensive is that non-profits and religious groups have been driven out as healthcare mega corps have been able to outbid them for top docs, leaving only charity care for the NPOs to provide. 

America has to invest in itself to get though what I consider a health care crisis.  That means those who have resources making a concerted effort to voluntarily provide for the less fortunate though philanthropy.  It's not good enough to buy proton guns for major research hospitals.  Someone has to be willing to subsidize mammograms and and infant care for folks who can't afford it on their own.

It also has to start with individual responsibility. One of the reasons that health care is so expensive is that we are so out of shape. Obesity, heart disease and diabetes are epidemics in the country, starting with toddlers. You don't have to join an expensive gym or hire a personal trainer, but it's time to get off our butts and go for a walk, to volunteer to clean up a park, or to coach a youth team.  We're lucky enough to live in a country with abundant access to clean, fresh water.  We should be drinking more of that and a lot less soda and juice.

I know I sound a lot like a small government conservative here, but I think that a regulated private healthcare system with significant philanthropic care is the best way to solve this problem. People also have to realize that their choices affect the community at large.  The Supreme Court is going to gut Obamacare when the justices rule in June. But that's not a bad thing.  It was a bad compromise on a grand idea.  Now it's time to more forward with a better plan.

Tax Time

I did my taxes yesterday and was left shaking my head at how screwed up the tax system is in the United States.  It takes a guy with a master's degree and 20 years of experience in finance 4 hours to do do a return, and it's now so hard to do a paper return that I paid $58 to file my state and federal returns electronically.  At least I didn't have to pay for the stamps and envelopes.

In the end, I paid about 15% of my income in Federal taxes, more than Mitt Romney.  That's insane, but the REALLY insane thing there is that if the roughly $18,000 I paid in rent had been a mortgage payment, I would have qualified for itemized deductions and paid about $2,000 less.  The system really is bent in favor of folks who have mortgages.  I know I benefited from that system when I had one, but now that I am a renter, it does seem to be rather unfair to give such a giant tax break to any one group.

I know the tax code is rife with other examples, from the capital gains tax rate being far lower than the rate on earned income to the solar tax credit to the hybrid cars credit to the investment costs credit.  After spending all afternoon entering all the stuff I gave away to charity last year only to be told that I don't qualify for that deduction, I've got to admit that I am a flat tax guy at this point. 

All the loopholes and thresholds and schedules and credits and alternatives, I have to say there has to be a better way.  The tax code has created its own $9 billion sector of the economy.  Imagine what Americans could do with that money if they weren't spending it on TurboTax or H&R Block.  That's 1.5 million week-long vacations to Disney World's Animal Kingdom Lodge, including flights, character meals and Park Hopper passes.  Or, for my right wing, gun-nut readers, roughly 536,000 Colt M16-A1 machine guns for 'home protection.'

Anyway, to look a bit closer at the numbers, I paid about 26% of my total income in taxes last year when you look at federal, state, local and social security taxes.  That's more than I paid for shelter or transportation last year.  In fact, when viewed as a single budget item, it's the largest.

Granted, my kids got a good education of that money.  Private school would have been more expensive. I had the protection of my local police and fire departments and the military to make sure that I am safe. That's worth something too. I also got free roads to drive on to work every day.  Oh wait. No. I pay another $1,000 a year to cross the bridge. I don't get free health care or child care or anything like that for my taxes, like I might in Europe.  Those things cost me me another $6,000 a year or so.

And these were only the taxes that were taken out of my check.  I have not even begun to total up the taxes on gasoline, clothes, dining out, services and the like that I paid last year.  I would have to guess that would add another few thousand dollars to my tally.

When it comes to government size and accountability, I am a conservative.  The Commerce Department?  Really? Rick Perry was right, even if he couldn't remember all the departments he wanted to cut.  We need a more basic approach to government and a more fair way for Americans to pay for it.  That we tax children's clothing in many states is simple insanity. 

I think it's time that there was a basic flat tax that exempted some base income for a single person or family and then taxed all income above that number at a flat rate.  Your basic minimum expenses would be exempt from taxation, but above that everyone would pay a fair share.  No more special exemptions for herding llamas or investing in proton accelerator heating plants. 

If you risk some money to make money, then the gains on that risk should still be taxed, but some allowance should be made for the risk.  Not the roughly 50% reduction that folks see now, but something.

I know.  Pretty boring topic for a Monday.  Imagine how worked up I would have been if I had OWED money!

Philly is Still Occupied - For Now

Dilworth Plaza is still an occupied camp as of lunch time today, with about half as many tents in evidence than there were 2 weeks ago. 

I took a walk on this beautiful late November Monday, enjoying the bright blue sky and what is probably the last day we will see with 60 degree temperatures until April.  There were throngs of people out walking the Center City Philadelphia sidewalks, and lots of them were headed over to Dilworth Plaza, site of the Occupy Philly encampment.

Since the group was supposed to be out by late yesterday, some of the Occupiers have moved on.  Others are very much  still there.  Signs up around the plaza note that the Occupy Philly group plans to move to a number of decentralzied locations once the inevitable forcible eviction begins.

The mix of hard-core homeless to hard-core activist is about 50-50 right now, with several dozen of each group milling around quietly.  Police and media are prominently present.  There is a much quieter air than I have seen before, no bullhorns or group chants, no music or any really signs of energy.

Warm food was being distributed, a few folks were packing up, and mostly people were sitting around, waiting to see what is going to happen next.  I didn't bring my Canon on my walk today, as the big camera attracted some unwanted attention on my last visit.  Instead, I snapped today's photos with my HTC Thunderbolt camera.  Many others were doing the same thing, documenting what it seems may be the final day that Occupy Philly calls Dilworth Plaza home.

Changes At Occupy Philly

Yesterday I took a bit of a walk at lunch and headed over to the Occupy Philly encampment at Dilworth Plaza, adjacent to Philadelphia City Hall.  I have visited four times since the occupiers took root there in September.

There has been some news lately, as just after the election, Mayor Nutter took to the airwaves to declare that the Occupy Philly group had changed, and that given the change he was going to have to start dealing with them differently.  Nutter noted issues with public health and safety as well as the group's refusal to move to an area across the street to allow a planned renovation of the Dilworth Plaza site to begin.

The Occupy Philly folks on the other hand have shot back that they have not changed, but rather it's Nutter that has been on the move.  Various Occupy Philly members made statements in stark contrast to the Mayor Nutter's allegations.  And, predictably, there were some folks in the middle, not sure who was right as the movement heads into the winter.

From my visit, I have to say that the encampment is distinctly different than it was in late summer.  Then it seemed like a large portion of the group were college students enjoying the warm nights and permissive atmosphere rather than having to stay in their dorm rooms.  When I visited during the day, the core group was a combination of aging hippies,  some homeless people, a group of hard-core activists and a sprinkling of young people.  All of those folks were there in the evening hours too, but there was also a night-time influx of vocal college aged-students, suspiciously clean for folks allegedly living outside.

Things have changed a lot in the last few weeks.  The population of hard-core homeless is much greater.  There are obviously people there up to no good.  Most of the college students are gone.  Many of the older folks have moved on as well.  The police presences is decidedly more edgy. The place has the look and smell of a homeless encampment; it does not feel like a political movement from my perspective. 

My photos don't show the change as much as they should.  I didnt take as many this time and I definitely was careful who I shot.  For the first time, I was subjected to open hostilty as I walked among the tents.  There were areas where I not only didn't feel welcome, but I didn't walk though because they did not appear safe.  It's also clear that there are concerns among those camping there about safety. 

I am not sure what the future is for Occupy Philly.  Will it be cleared away by force like Occupy Wall Street and Occupy Oakland?  Will they move across the street to the area suggested by the city?  With the movement continue to with as the temerature drop anonly those experienced with sleeping outside in a Philadelphia winter are willing to stay?

Whatever happens, I do feel like it will be happening soon.

Election Day Is Tomorrow

All across the county, Americans will go to the polls tomorrow to exercise our constitutional responsibility to voice our opinion and select our leaders.  For the most part, the general elections are local affairs, from my dad's first contested race in over 30 years of politics to town councils and state house elections that are the true grass roots of our political culture.

In my new home town, we have been consumed lately by allegations that our Republican mayor, Chris Myers has some skeletons in his closet and is now essentially being blackmailed by a man he paid for sex while on a business trip.  Signs like the one to the left have appeared all over town.  It's inflamed the community and the media, but really won't have much effect on politics here as no Democrat bothered to run for anything this year.  It's not as though there aren't some serious issues facing the community.  Sigh.

Due to the NJ politicos making deals to protect themselves, there are not really any serious races for the state house in Trenton.  Only three races are expected to be remotely close.  I love how Trneton really enpowered people with these new districts!

In Burlington County, the Freeholder election is the most important, but the Surrogate race is certainly the most colorful.  I have no idea what's going on with former Dem turned Republican George Kotch and Medford Lawyer Sander Friedman, who are vying for the Surrogate post, but I sure wish I had a third choice.  Just reading about this stuff makes me want to take a shower.  The race is a big ekough deal for the Republicans that I caught a TV attack ad against Friedman that ran this weekend on cable.  Pretty big spending for a seemingly useless post.

The Freeholder race pits the lone Democrat on the board, Mary Anne Reinhart and her running mate Machell Still-Pettis against the Burlington County GOP's slate of newcomers, Leah Arter and Joe Howarth in the heavily Republican-represented county.  While control of the Board is not at stake, the race is big enough that the county's big boys have bought TV time in this race too, really smacking Reinhart pretty hard. 

The Republicans have a lot of negative material to work with, as the Shamong Dem wrangled with the sheriff last week, while managing the most tepid newspaper endorsement I have ever seen. When people who are supporting you say that you 'need to try a different approach if re-elected,' I think there are some issues with your candidacy.  I've met Ms. Reinhart and found her violently confrontational approach distasteful and over the top.  I'll be voting the other way on this one.

Finally, in Cherry Hill, my friend and fellow Cabrini alum Steve Buividas is running for mayor.  I know very little of the issues or politics in this race, but I can tell you that I know Steve and he is a good person and will be an honest and strong mayor.

Whomever you support, I urge you to go to the polls tomorrow.  It's what our democracy is built on and it's the only direct way he have to make our choices known.  If you don't go out to vote tomorrow, I don't want to hear your complaining when things don't get done the way you want them to get done.

Friday Fantastic Four

I was fascinated this week but the outpouring af emotion over the death of Steve Jobs.  I had always considered him marketer, an organizer and not really a person of great substance.  On his death though, I found the sheer volume of his quotes from speeches and essays to be astounding.  My brother noted, "You have to wonder how he had the time."

Obviously, in retrospect, I was wrong on Jobs.  He was one of the most influential people of the last 50 years.  He made tech cool, revolutionized industrial design, was a game-change for the music industry and so much more.  The world will be a much duller, less beautiful, less classy place without him.

So, here's a Fantastic Four suggested by a loyal reader:

What Four People Accomplished More In The Last 50 years Than Steve Jobs?

1. Nelson Mandela - crushed apartheid, founded a new nation, changed the world.  A mega inspiration for Africa and the world.
2. Bill Gates - the anti-Jobs, created the operating system most of the world uses, uber geek now doing amazing work though his foundation.
3. Oprah - created a media empire, brought books to the masses, world is waiting for her next move
4. Mikhail Gorbachev - perestroika, glasnost, what more can you say? Had the courage to realize that the communist experiment was doomed and moved to free millions.

Jobs did a lot, but these folks did more.  Who are your four?

Tabernacle Teachers

My kids go to school where their mom lives in Tabernacle Township, one town over from where we live in Medford. It's a pretty good school district, perhaps not quite as technologically savvy as the Mount Laurel schools they used to attend, and not really very diverse, but just fine as public schools go.  The teachers are good people, the kind of folks who are active in their community, approachable and well-trained.

Tabernacle is a very small town and a pretty quiet place.  Everyone pretty much knows everyone else or at least knows someone who does.  News travels pretty quickly and sometimes it can be a bit like being in a fishbowl.  So I was pretty surprised when I began seeing singes like the one above on all of the teachers' cars in the parking lots in the morning when I drop the kids off.  I read the local newspapers every day (online of course) and there had not been a word mentioned about the the Tabernacle teachers not having a contract or their decision to work though the labor issues.

I have no idea what the contract status is, where the talks stand or what the potential is for a strike.  I am a firm believer in teacher unions and in their right to collectively bargain and in some cases, to strike.  Usually though, the issues are fairly publicly debated, sometimes quite heatedly.  It's kind of odd to see this quiet job action happening and not know what the issues are.

On one hand, I'd much rather have teachers working under contract.  Everyone - teachers, parents, students and taxpayers deserve the certainty that a contract brings to a school district.  On the other had, if talks are continuing and things will be settled soon, this kind of job action is really about the best you could hope for as a parent.  My kids aren't affected, there aren't 'informational pickets' in the morning, and presumably the contract will soon be worked out.

I hope.

I'm Confused

I don't talk politics much on this website.  While I was brought up in a house where politics was a regular part of the dinner table, the back yard and virtually every other discussion held, I have learned that talking about government and elections is not for the faint ot heart.  I guess it's also that I am somewhat of the political anomaly, that rare social liberal and economic conservative.  Since I don't run into many folks that agree with my flat-tax, pro-marriage rights platform, I tend to keep things to myself.

So I have been sitting on my thoughts about Tuesday's massacre election for a few days and I have finally been moved to write.  My apologies to those at work and at home that have already heard a condensed form of this diatribe, but here goes. 

Can some explain to me how it's possible that every Democrat running for everything from dog catcher to US Senate got sent home on Tuesday night unemployed except the guy running against the woman who went on TV to proclaim that she is not a witch?  How is it possible that a major political party can so badly screw up an election that they manage to lose the US House, virtually every governor's race, every contested state house and a vast majority of local elections as well?

To make it even worse, the Democrats lost all this ground from the majority position, taking no advantage of their incumbency or experience, but instead were content to have the fight taken to them on every front by candidates with less experience and frankly less compelling reason to be in government.

Let's look at things from this perspective.  How is it possible that a party that accomplished so much in less than two years was sent home early from the dance Tuesday night, without so much as a whimper?  Are you really going to tell me that the Majority Leader of the Senate barely holding his seat in Nevada is a big win? Are you frigging kidding me?!?  Come on!!!  How did you get into the position where your top legislative guy is scrambling for his political life?

It's not like the Democratic Congress and White House have been sitting around for the last few years!  They've actually accomplished a surprising amount.  Here are a few highlights:

• Ended the war in Iraq
• Created millions of jobs
• Averted global economic disaster by taking decisive action
• Passed important consumer protection reforms
• Took the war to the terrorist leader Osama Bin-Laden in Afghanistan
• Provided free health care for every single American citizen
• Created standards that save drivers money and improve air quality
• Pass $200 Billion in tax cuts

Seems like quite a list.  Even if you don't necessarily agree with the accomplishments, the Democrats got a lot done didn't they?  And the feats are made all the more impressive by the fact that they did it without the support of the Republicans, who tried to block nearly every accomplishment with partisan politics, just because they could.

So how did these guys lose?

It's pretty simple really.  They let the other team dictate the game. 

Instead of campaigning on how The Shrub Bush left them a mess that they are working hard to clean up, the Dems were content to get pounded by the Reps for "passing a $700 billion stimulus."  No matter that $200 billion of that money was tax cuts, the Republican's Holy Grail.  Obviously the cuts didn't go to the right people.

Instead of pointing out that they passed a program providing free health care for every American Citizen, the Dems sat back and let themselves get pounded for "Obamacare."  Did anyone in 2008 really think that the American health care system was working?  Nope.  These guys did something about it.

Everyone wanted us out of Iraq.  We're out.  Strangely, no one mentioned this.  Maybe because we really didn't really accomplish the mission and we're all kind of perplexed at how we didn't despite spending over $3 trillion and countless American lives.  Kind of makes the stimulus plan look small , huh?

Still, despite being left the biggest economic mess in history by the bush administration, fighting wars on two fronts, cleaning up a natural disaster created by a foreign company and having to do it solo, the Democrats somehow decided that they had not done enough to run a campaign.  Instead they let the campaign run them.

I was at a loss as to how this was possible until I saw Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine on national TV on Tuesday night trying to explain what the loss meant.  His meandering answer didn't mention a single issue.  Instead he talked about having to "look inside the numbers" and "see how things look in a few days."  It was like listening to Andy Reid after a loss.

In a few days it's going to look like Tim Kaine is the most ineffective campaign coordinator since King Phillip of Spain.  The numbers are going to tell him that he squandered an opportunity to attack a badly divided Republican party and has left his own party crippled for decades to come as a result.

My final question is this, "If some guy in his study in Mount Laurel, New Jersey can figure this out, how come all those highly paid Democratic strategists can't?"  I won't say that I thought that the Dems had all of the best candidates.  In fact, there were plenty of Republicans that I did vote for and would have voted for if I lived elsewhere.  What I will say is that I can't believe that one team decided just to sit this one out and see what happened. 

What happened?  Y'all got your ass handed to you.  The map is red from one side to the other.  California even voted down legal weed.

Something to Consider

There was an interesting story on NPR this morning discussing the importance of this year's state house and state senate races across the country.  One of the races that was detailed was the contest to replace State Rep. Bryan Lentz (D) in Pennsylvania's 161st Legislative District, covering Central Delaware County. (Yo DELCO!!!!) The race isn't important because of who is running.  In fact, I am not even sure the story mentions either of the forgettable candidates.   Instead it's important because this is a district that could 'flip,' meaning  a seat currently held by a Democrat could easily be won by a Republican.

And that matters in Pennsylvania, because that could mean that control of the state House of Representatives could flip with it from Democratic control to Republicans.

So what, you say.  Sounds pretty normal.  One seat can make the difference.  That's why every votes counts, right?

Right.  Or in this case, every dollar.

Because also riding on PA-161, and a handful of other local races around the nation, is really control of the entire legislative branch of the Federal government.  how is that possible?  Redistricting my friend.

Re-districting is the drawing of congressional districts done after every Census.  In most states (Arizona is a notable exception), the re-districting is controlled by the political party that hold contol of the State House.  Since PA-161 could flip control of the Pennsylvania House from Dems to Republicans, it's of huge interest to those who want to re-draw those lines to squeeze Democratic district out of the Pennsylvania delegation and create a safe Republican district.

Redistricting is a fascinating art, generally creating safe districts for the power party's incumbents while doing everything possible to minimize the number of safe districts for the opponent.  Districts are often odd shaped things, picking up pockets of solid red or blue folks and narrowly connecting them to other solid areas to create a safe district.  An extreme example is FL-3, which is spread over nearly 100 miles, stretching from inner city Jacksonville to central Orlando, connected only by a narrow stretch of uninhabited land. 

Republicans created this district ten years back to minimize the effect of solidly Democratic urban regions by placing the two cities in one district.  Thus, the Republicans kept the suburban districts safely red in each of the cities and tossed the Dems a bone with a blue district.

So the simple fact of the matter is that there are a handful of local races this year that will affect the maps of a dozen of the biggest states in the country.  With those maps swing perhaps a sixth of congress.  Which has the party brass and the special interests salivating.

And that is why Harold Ickes, veteran Democratic strategist on the national scene  is managing the show for the Dems in PA-161.  As he notes in the NPR story, since there are virtually no rules on local campaign finance, the big dogs are free to pour money into the race.  He's forecasting that over $14 million will be spent by the Dems in this election.  Almost $18 million will flow into the race from the Republican side.  Former RNC chief Ed Gillespie is runnin the GOP show.  These guys are going to spend over 10 times what was spent in the last election in this district.

Why?  Bang for the buck.  This one little district could have a major effect on 10 congressional districts.  Elections in th US congressional races have tough spending rules that will limit the impact of money on those races.  So the investment is going into this race to try to create influence on all the others that will be fought over the next 10 years. 

I'm here to say this has to change.  I think Federal election rules should apply in any election year that would decide control of re-districting.  The gerrymandering of districts, while steeped in history, and often hilarious to see on the map board, robs voters of the local representation that our nation's founders envisioned when creating the bicameral legislature.  Finally, while it seems impossible, there has to be a non-partisan way to create fair districts.

Ok - enough of the civics lesson.  Time to watch Roy go for his 20th!

Happy Birthday America!

Old Glory at CBP
Originally uploaded by Cavalier92

Today is the most American of our holidays. Each July 4th, we spend the day celebrating our nation by eating, drinking, watching baseball, playing in the pool and buying things. We cap the day off by watching things blow up. Here in the Philadelphia region, hundreds of thousands will gather on a plot of ground named for one of the greatest patriots in our history, Ben Franklin, and listen to music and watch fireworks.

Reflection is not a particularly American process. We fancy ourselves as "do-ers," the kind of folks who get things done, not the kind who sit around thinking about the past. This, in a sentence, explains a great deal about our foreign policy.

Today is a day that deserves some reflection. It was on this date. after a stifling late spring and early summer of political dealing in Philadelphia, that a group of white men announced that they had decided that the former American colonies of Great Britain were now a separate nation. In that most famous of American sentences, Thomas Jefferson wrote that:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

The document they published on this day in 1776 borrowed heavily from the work of French and English and French philosophers, but the process that took to creating a nation was American at its heart. Deals were cut in smoky back rooms and taverns. Those who disagreed were tossed out and arrested. What we celebrate today as a great time of national unity was in fact really a tipping point, a moment in time where the inertia of loyalism was overcome by the fervor of revolution and a new nation struggled into being. Thousands celebrated in the streets, but still others packed their things and shuttered their businesses, heading 'home' to England.

Noting the split that was in the air is important I think. Though all of the internal strife, we came together as a people and as a nation. Certainly it helped that there was tyranny to fight. A great enemy makes it easy to unite. It would take years to allow this nation to stand on its own, and even then, there would be problems. It would take nearly a century to begin to address the omissions of the founders.

Another war would be needed to give black Americans the beginnings of freedom in America. After fifty more years of complex social struggle, women would be recognized as more than property. 234 years after "all men" were declared "equal" we are still struggling with recognizing the right of any person to love and marry another.

America is imperfect. But she is the greatest imperfect nation ever created. And while we still struggle to rise to the high ideals the drafters of the Declaration of Independence set forth for us, there is an immense amount here that I am very proud to be a part of. The Declaration is an aspirational document, one that each of us has a responsibility to seek to work to each day.

Go forth ans enjoy the great beauty of this country today, gather freely and express your freedom as you see fit. And remember the struggles it took to ensure those rights for you. And especially those who do not yet enjoy them.

Happy 234th birthday America!

NJ is Too Close to Call

In the last three days, I have had two calls from President Obama and another from Bill Clinton.  I feel so lucky to live in NJ.  Can they do something about my property taxes?

Seriously, in case you have been under a rock for the last 3 months there is a nasty battle for governor going on in New Jersey and based on the calls Another Delco Guy is getting, the Dems are running scared.  We're registered Independents here, so if the Dems are calling us to come out, then they think we might be on the fence.

Since it's traditionally the Independent vote that gets anyone elected in a New Jersey statewide race, this means something.

It means the Dems are afraid that Jon Corzine and his special interest pals are going down tomorrow to Chris Christie and his corrupt machine politics brethren. 

You don't need to read between the lines there, I don't like either of these guys.  Jon Crozine inherited a mess and he's managed to make it worse.  It;s been gridlock in Trenton, but gridlock is better than where this administration has us headed.  There is no GM bailout coming for NJ, so it's time to cut the public employees benefit programs and get spending under control by consolidating services and the state workforce.

Chris Christie?  Please.  A classic republican insider who has no clue who to govern.  It's about power and jobs to this guy and he's going to be part of the problem, not part of the solution.  Troubling to me as well is his "Do as I say, not as I do" approach to law enforcement and taxes.  Yeah - those ads worked for me. 

Chris Daggett?  Well, I don't know if he's a republican in sheep's clothing or not.  I'm troubled by his recent conversion to the Independent faith, but he's the guy with an actual plan.  I have heard the "you're throwing your vote away" argument, but it just doesn't apply here.  Daggett is the best candidate with the best experience and ideas.  Voting Daggett is not wasting your vote.  It's sending a message to Trenton that it's time to change the way business is done in this state ans that the guy to do it is Chris Daggett.

Get out and vote tomorrow.  And vote for Chris Daggett.

A Point Of Clarification

In the wake of Monday's Memorial Day post, I've gotten a few questions this week about my politics.

In my post I noted my passionate thanks for all of those who have served.  Some have questioned how congruent this sentiment is with my thoughts on the War in Iraq.   don't really understand the question I guess.

I think this war is wrong.  I think the American public was systematically lied to in order to gain our support of the beginning of this mess.  I think the politicization of the high command led to a strategy that was doomed to failure.  I think that there were base economic motives for attacking a sovereign nation, regardless of the quality of its leader.  There have been many worse men propped up by the money and machine guns of the US.

And yet I fully support the men and women who are fighting this war.  And I thank them for every sacrifice they and their families have made in the service of this great nation.  For as wrong as we are at this moment, these folks in uniform represent all that is nor and has always been good about America.  They represent the valor of our people, the belief our nation has in our elected leaders and a willingness to put the common good ahead of the needs of an individual.

These men and women are heroes.  There should be no doubt about that.  And despite my complete opposition to this war, anone who says otherwise is a traitor.

Obama Closing In On Key Administration Appointment

Labradoodle Molly
Originally uploaded by Missus L

After a process that I think bodes poorly for the incoming Obama Administation, the Prez says he is narrowing his choices for First Dog. It's taken over two months, bu the Obama family has the choices down to a Labradoodle or a Portuguese water dog.

Now they're going to look at shelters. Yeah I'll bet tons of DC shelters have pure-bred dogs ready for the White House.

What I can't figure out is what is taking so long. These were the two breeds that dog experts recommended back in November due to Obama family allergy issues. They're just getting around to this now?

I mean it's not like there is important stuff to do like choose a Commerce Secretary or get a stimulus package together.

Some People Have No Shame

Now I guess that it goes without saying that people who pay other folks take their clothes off and umm uhh entertain have little shame, but this one takes the cake for me.

Hustler Magazine king and first amendment crusader Larry Flynt and the Girls Gone Wild founder Joe Francis want Congress to, in Flynt's words, "rejuvenate the sexual appetite of America."  I was unaware that the current bout of economic misery had affected sexual appetites.  Flynt seems to think it has and he has his hat in his hand in DC, asking for $5 billion in federal aid. 

I'm not sure it's any sillier than just writing a giant blank check for Wall Street moguls who then party it up at the St. Regis with our tax dollars. 

First Scandal Hits Obama White House

NBC News and others are reporting that New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson has notified Barack Obama that he is withdrawing as Secretary-designate of the Commerce Department.  The move comes as Richardson's administration is investigated for allegedly trading state contracts for campaign contributions.

Richardson's camp denies any impropriety, but says he has to back out because his name won't be cleared in time for him to face Senate confirmation hearings.  It's also important to note that the Obama folks are probably really interested in distancing themselves from any kind of activity that looks remotely like a Blagojovich problem.

I was an early supporter of Richardson for president last year.  Me and about 13 other voters.  Now it looks like his political career will end in disgrace.  It's a sad statement about a guy who has accomplished so much.

One Hell of A Year

This is a year people will talk about for a very long time, both locally, as well as nationally and globally.

On a local level, the major story is the Phils breaking the curse of Billy Penn and winning it all for the first time in 28 years.  What a season and what a parade!  Chase Utley said it best.  We also had the usual vultures circling Andy Reid, only to see him pull a rabbit out of the hat again and get the Eagles to an improbable playoff bid.

We lost Johnny Marzano and Ann d'Harnoncourt (the only time those names will ever be in the same sentence) and effectively lost Vince Fumo.  Killadelphia was still violent, though 15% fewer people lost their lives.  Michael Nutter slashed city spending and Willie Goode's squeeze got nailed by Jeff Cole.  In South Jersey, Wayne Bryant went from most powerful man in South Jersey to just another convicted felon.  The Fort Dix terror plotters will go to jail, but not for as long as Bryant.

Alicia Lane and Booker got fired, Larry Mendte was creepy, the Comcast Center opened and Striped Bass and Samson Street Oyster House closed.

Nationally the big story was the people doing the right thing and electing the best man regardless of skin color.  Tina Fey was better as a VP candidate than Sarah Palin and John McCain's campaign looked the same when he was running as it did when it was suspended.  One governor had a hooker take him down and another sold a US Senate seat. 

The economy collapsed, despite every effort to give billions of taxpayer dollars to wealthy people.  Gas prices rocketed to over $4 and then dropped back to $1.35 here in Moorestown.  More than 300 Americans died int Iraq War, a fact that is sadly well down the list of 2008 events.

Michael Phelps outswam everyone in Bejing, including tiny 14 year old Chinese gymnasts.  The big story in China for the year was the earthquake that killed 70,000 people in May.  Terrorists struck Mumbai in an bloody week of fighting that killed more than 300.  Israel began an assault on Gaza this week, preparing for an invasion.

While the economy has had an effect on me personally as well as the rest of the world, I have been lucky this year.  The kids are great, I got to travel to Albuquerque and Santa Fe on a great trip, as well as call the Division III Final Four, visit Sedona, Annapolis, Maine, Disney, DC, Maine again, Gettysburg, Toronto, NYC, Boston, State College and Southern California. 

I got to watch the Phils clinch with John and my princess walk in a parade the same day the Phils celebrated their second championship in my lifetime.  I've got a challenging job and work with great people.  My family made it through the year with no health crises and we see lots of the greatest friends in the world. 

And I made an important decision about my future that I will talk about another time.

In many ways 2008 was a rough year.  I feel very lucky to be able to be looking forward to 2009 while still being able to say that 2008 was a pretty good year here. 

From Another Delco Guy to you - Happy New Year.  Be safe and enjoy!

Another Governor Arrested

This story just blows me away.  I was pretty certain that there was no way anyone could be more corrupt than former Illinois governor George Ryan.  Ryan's current address is a federal medium security prison, so the bar's pretty darn high.

Then Rod Blagojevich decided to sell president-elect Barack Obama's former US senate seat to the highest bidder. 

What is basically boils down to is this.  The guy got elected governor for the sole reason to pimp out the office and make himself rich.  He's been under federal investigation and wiretap for months.  The US Attorney in the case actually hurried the indictment to quash the Guv's attempt to appoint to the senate whoever paid him the most.

That's just the highest profile of his crimes.  he also allegedly has been extorting huge contributions from companies with state contracts.  He's been bust doing this for the last few months because he's trying to get around campaign finance  reform slated to go into effect in Illinois in January.

In between those scams, he's been pressuring the Chicago Tribune to fire editors that write things about him like 'he's a dirty crooked scumbag.' 

This mess makes New Jersey's scandals look tame in comparison.

Lipstick On A Pig

So the stories about Sarah Palin just won't let up.  Turns out $150,000 was only the first installment of what it took to get her ready for prime time.  Well.  At least PHYSICALLY ready for prime time. 

From Bloomberg:

John McCain's campaign spent more than $95,000 on hair and makeup services for vice presidential running mate Sarah Palin in the final weeks of the campaign, according to Federal Election Commission records.

Talk about throwing good money after bad.

And the first shopping spree wasn't enough:

Separately, the Republican National Committee - which caused a ruckus when it spent more than $150,000 to clothe Palin and her family in September - spent about $23,000 in the final weeks at Macy's, Neiman Marcus and other stores for "campaign accessories."

I haven't spent that much on clothes in my life.  Of course I am not trying to go from backwoods GILF hockey mom to a heartbeat away from the presidency.  Goshdarnit!

I also can't see Russia from my house. 

Thank God America.  All I can say is THANK GOD you did the right thing!

Corzine to DC?

On a day where the Burlington County political landscape looks very different than it has for 33 years, things could be much much different state wide in January. 

Various sources are reporting that the Obama transition team is looking very hard at Gov. Jon Corzine to be the Treasury Secretary in the Obama administration.  A former US Senator and long-time Wall Street insider, Corzine seems a logical pick to help guide the corporate welfare trough bailout.

Corzine's administration seems to have stalled this year and his departure for the greener fields of a freshman presidential administration would leave the door open for Dick Codey to resume the gubernatorial duties for the 4th time.  Codey has done a workmanlike job in the post in the past but isn't likely to break up the Trenton logjam that he has been a central part of for 25 years.

Vetting is reportedly underway on Corzine, and that could take a while given the plethora of scandal-tinged behavior The Guv has been linked to.

It's History

America has voted ... and John McCain has made a phone call. 

Barack Obama is the 44th president of the United States.

Ohio

Another 'battleground' state goes into the Obama category.  That just about seals the deal on this election. 

John McCain is not going to win the White House.

Looking Good

Pennsylvania just went for Obama and that puts the Dems over the 100 electoral vote mark.  So far the story has been the mantra "It's the economy stupid."

Still a lot of states that are too close to call.  We will see how this goes, but things are looking really good so far.

Palin Bails From Sinking Ship

CNN has an interesting report today that criticizes John McCain's choice for VP, Sarah Palin.

The basics are that McCain insiders are 'increasingly frustrated" with Palin's frequent off-message remarks.  You may remember a few weeks back that McCain had to cover up for his running mate's mangling of his Pakistan Policy when someone actually asked her a question about it at what was supposed to be a feel-good event at Tony Luke's.

Now the GOP campaign is upset at what it sees as 'diva' behavior from Palin.  Several McCain aide suggest that the Alaska governor is looking out for herself to the detriment of the overall strategy. 

Palin's aide's defense of the frequent gaffes is damning in its own right, noting that the woman who would be next in line were the 82 year old McCain elected is 'not good' with process questions.  Uhh ok.  If there's a crisis in the Middle East we'll try to keep the process simple for yah Sarah.

The article goes so far as to quote several Palin and McCain aides saying that Palin was 'not ready' to face the press when she was picked to be the potential leader of the free world.

Great.  Just great. 

The guy who picked her really is the source of all this.  You have to question the judgment of a guy who picks some who isn't ready to face the press, let alone terrorists or Wall Street crooks.  McCain's campaign has been a series of embarrassing mis-steps after another and the only reason he's close in the polls is that he is running against a man of mixed race in a sadly still-racist America.

At least the Phils finally won early this morning.

Apparently Dumbo Was Unavailable

So the Flyers picked someone just as irrelevant and silly to drop the puck at this weekend's season opener at the Wachovia Center.

Sarah Palin.  Yup.  McCain's disastrous choice for veep will be in Philly again.  I can't say I understand what Ed Snider is thinking.  Why in the world would you pick this twit?  Maybe she's into rich old guys.  Ed Snider.  John McCain.  Both old and rich.  Hmmm.

Come on Flyers fans, show your true colors.  Boo your lungs out!!!

Reconsidering Michael Moore

You may remember that a while back I excoriated Michael Moore for his dimwitted comments about Hurricane Gustav.

Today I found Moore's ideas for fixing the economic disaster the country is in.  While it's clear that Moore is still a self-important windbag who desperately needs an editor, he's got some great ideas on how to get us out of this mess.  It's a pretty wordy 10 point plan, and much of it amounts to outright socialism, but there are some truly winning arguments like htis one:

4. IF YOUR BANK OR COMPANY GETS ANY OF OUR MONEY IN A "BAILOUT," THEN WE OWN YOU. Sorry, that's how it's done. If the bank gives me money so I can buy a house, the bank "owns" that house until I pay it all back -- with interest. Same deal for Wall Street. Whatever money you need to stay afloat, if our government considers you a safe risk -- and necessary for the good of the country -- then you can get a loan, but we will own you. If you default, we will sell you. This is how the Swedish government did it and it worked.

I like that idea and the logic behind it even more that I like the idea that the US government should just buy preferred stock in the bailout companies that would pay dividends and be a real investment in the future.  The government could sell the stock as it goes up and recover the bailout costs.  It;s the Warren Buffett plan writ large.

I can't say I really know how to get us out of this mess, but I agree with Moore that the blame can be laid squarely at the feet of the anti-big-government Republicans that deregulated Wall Street and then made government bigger once they got control of the purse strings.  We've got to tighten regulation, punish criminal behavior and eliminate the tax loopholes that are crushing the middle class with an unfair share of the tax burden.

The chickens in DC are now going to pass darn near the same program they voted down last week because ill-informed voters are clamoring for them to do something.  Anything.  So since Bush and his board room buddies are taking the hard line and refusing to negotiate, they're going to give away the treasury to a lame duck administration and the scum-sucking bottom feeders that caused this mess in the first place.

Pathetic.

Please Tell Me It's All A Joke

I got three things out of this video:

1. Palin can't be trusted to do an interview on her own.  She needs to bring help for the hard questions.
2. It's the journalists' fault for asking her questions she doesn't know the answers to.
3. McCain chose Palin to generate 'excitement' in his campaign.  Wonder if he and Bob Dole are going to do a joint ad for Viagra?

Please tell me this is all a joke and McCain will announce a real, qualified running mate this week.

Michael Moore is an Ass

Michael Moore was on Keith Olbermann's MSNBC show Friday night sticking his foot in his mouth.  In this clip, Moore calls Hurricane Gustav "proof that there is a God."



It's apparent that Moore is so ridiculously absorbed in his self-appointed role of attacker-in-chief on the Bush administration that he has failed to note that Gustav is poised to place millions of people in harms way, do billions in damage and potentially destroy a great American city.

It's time for Michael Moore to admit he's just as out of touch as those he has spent the last 20 years attacking.

Bush Spanks Misty May

Apparently President Bush is enjoying the Olympics.  He decided to motivate Olympic beach volleyballer Misty May Treanor the other day.  It worked, as Misty and her teammate Kerri Walsh won and moved on in defense of their Olympic gold medal.

What the heck.  The guy's got a high-stress job and he's on vacation in Chin.  I think it's good that he's cutting loose.  I mean it's not like he's shooting lawyers or anything!

Holy Crap!

In a rambling 20 mniute speech that sounds damn close to a concession speech, Hillary Clinton just announced on CNN that she is not making any decisions tonight about her candidacy.  Instead she asked her supporters to go to her website to give her advice about what to next.

As if the 30 states she lost weren't enough advice?

As if the stream of super delegates endorsing Obama wasn't good enough fo her?

As if the majority of delegates being in Obama's camp doesn't ensure she can't win.

I urge you to go to her website and tell her to shut it down.  Head home.  Stop pursuing the impossible and the damaging.

GIve it up.

McCain Tells Ellen: You Shouldn't Be Able To Get Married

Appearing on Ellen DeGeneres's show yesterday, McCain said, "I just believe in the unique status of marriage between man and woman." Ellen replied, "We are all the same people. All of us. You’re no different than I am. Our love is the same."

I have never seen a man look more uncomfortable than McCain.  He looks positively constipated when Ellen used logic to show him how silly his position is.  Also, in stark contrast to his comfortable discussion of the Iraq war policy, the presumptive Republican nominee wouldn't meet Ellen's eye when trying to explain his opposition to all people being able to marry as they please.

Props to loyal reader Patti for tipping me to this story.

Again I Say: Bring Them Home

This morning, on my way home from shopping at Wegman's for breakfast stuff, I was transfixed by a story on NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday.  Sipping my $1.49 caramel coffee with non-fat half and half driving down Moorestown's near-perfect Main Street, I was brought to tears by the story of a young mother whose son will grow up fatherless.

The story introduced us to Altoona, Pennsylvania's Suzie Fetterman, and her six month old son, Mason.  Mason's father and Suzie's fiance Michael Hook was a month from coming home when he was killed last August in a helicopter crash in northern Iraq.  He was 25.  Suzie and Mason are state-side casualties of this war, a woman who never intended to be a single mom and a boy who will have a community to support him, but no dad.

He'll never have his dad play catch with him.  He'll never feel his father's scratchy beard on his soft cheek when his father kisses him good night.  He'll never have dad carry him to bed after he fell asleep watching a Phils game.  He'll have a flag and a picture and a mom who loves him.  But he'll never have a dad.

Over 800 children will never know their mom or dad due to the ongoing conflict in Iraq.  We're over five years in, over 4000 Americans dead, and nothing accomplished that is worth their sacrifice.

It's time for the heroes to come home.

Spitzer Quits

In one of the most expected political moved in decades, New York governor Eliot Spitzer called it quits today.  The guv with the straight arrow image made attacking Wall Street and financial aid officers was ultimately shown to be a fraud.  His image was a sham, his reality was paying $4300 a pop to hookers.A guy who held all around him to the highest of moral, legal and ethical standards was himself a criminal.

And a stupid one at that.

This guy transferred as much as $80,000 to sham corporations that were refuges for high-priced prostitution rings.  He should have known better, as it was Spitzer's own 2001 investigations into mob-money laundering that set up the electronic safety net that ultimately snared him. Apparently the FBI had been checking him out since 2007.

This whole thing is a mess.  He regularly traveled to DC, checked into high-priced hotels,  slipped his security detail and then had to pay to hook up with Kristen.  I'm not saying he's a scumbag because he went to a hooker.  That's his business.  And his wife's.  And his daughters'.  I'm saying he's a scumbag because he made a career throwing prostitutes, financiers and everyone else he could think of into jail while he held himself above the law.

And yeah.  I guess humiliating your family is pretty freaking low too.  I wonder if Jim McGreevey's divorce lawyer is available?

No Wonder Nothing Ever Gets Done Here

  City Hall Enrobed 
  Originally uploaded by Cavalier92

Just when you thought Mayor Nutter could get things moving at City Hall, comes this story. 

Apparently Philadelphia City Councilors are evenly split 6-6 on the Clinton-Obama question.  Oh what's that you say?  There are 14 members of City Council?  That's true.  But two are so confused they can't even make up their mind.

And two of these stalwats of decision-making ability have actually changed their mind, abandoning  Hillary for Barack.

And we think this group is going to pass meaningful government reform measures and cut the immense waste in city government.  Yeah.  I never did either.

Clinton Onslaught Continues

Looking to press his wife's razor-thin margin of victory Tuesday, former intern-banger President Bill Clinton will visit Philadelphia Democratic ward leaders Friday.  I assume this meeting will take place in a smoke-filled back room of some South Philly grocery store.

I'm not sure what Bill hopes to accomplish here in Philly.  my guess is that the ward leaders are pretty set in their positions at this point.  The city's big D's, Nutter and Rendell, are behind Hillary already, so maybe it's just a maintain friends visit. 

Perhaps he's more 'street money' ready.  Whatever the case, it's unlikely that just TALKING will do much to sway this group.

Friggin' Lovely

Get used to it gang.  According to this article on Philly.com today, Chelsea Clinton will kick off her mother's campaign for Pennsylvania today at a 4:30 pm outdoor rally at The University of Pennsylvania.  Apparently Chelsea's mom is busy recovering from winning three of four primaries last night, staving off an Obama coronation at least for the moment.

The next six weeks will be excruciating as the two Democratic candidates left standing appear to have decided to maul each other until the last second, thus assuring a John McCain presidency.  I am currently looking at property in Canada warm island locales.

The Clinton camp is selling last night as a big win, as they stopped Obama's streak of 12 victories.  They also note that Clinton is winning the states that Democrats need to win in November.  The Obama folks are quick to note that their man kept his lead in delegates pledged at over 100, and closed Clinton's once formidable leads in Ohio and Texas to single-digit margins.

So on they stagger toward Pennsylvania, where they will saturate the states 'six major media markets' (is Altoona REALLY a major media market?) with campaign ads that each hope will deliver Pennsylvania and its key 188 delegates.  It's going to be a mess.  Both campaigns went negative in the last week, and it's hard to come back up out of the gutter once you have fallen there. 

Expect it to be ugly.

And I just don't get it.  I voted for Clinton, but she would have to win Pennsylvania by 25 points to narrow the delegate margin enough to make the last few primaries in North Carolina, Indiana, and even Puerto Rico meaningful.  That isn't happening.  And recent polls have Obama up big in the delegate rich states left after PA.

A Hillary Clinton presidency is fantasy at this point.  She is going to lose and her staying in the race and battering Obama further is only helping  McCain.  It's time for someone to talk some sense into her and tell her it's over.

Hillary

After a week or so of consideration, I finally made my decision on a presidential primary vote for today in New Jersey.  Since I am a registered Independent, I was required first to decide which party I wanted to choose.  This was pretty much a no-brainer, since all that is left on the Republican side are ultra right wing religious conservatives and John McCain.  Since I am afraid that Johnny Mac has aliens living in his cheeks from the Roswell landing, I went with the Democrats.

The Democrats have done their usual good job of eliminating all well-qualified candidates for president before I get a chance to vote for the,  I was supporting Bill Richardson, but since no one knew who he was let alone that he was running for president, he dropped out before 90% of the nation had a chance to vote for him.

So basically it came down to Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.  Some guy named Kucinich is allegedly running, but apparently his only support is based on that fact that his wife is hot.

In the end I voted for experience over enthusiasm, thoughtful over slick, traditional Democrat over neo-populist.  I pushed the Hillary Button and watched her name glow green for a moment.  Then I headed to work.

I'm not happy with my choice.  But it's the best one I had left.  I'd rather we had a national primary that de-emphasized local beauty contests and eliminated jockeying for dates, but that isn't happening soon.  I'd also rather the Democrats nominate someone who can win, but it's not looking good on that front either.

The Time Has Come

  Wachovia Spectrum 
  Originally uploaded by kevinmcguire

By now I am sure that you have seen the reports of the demise of Philadelphia's beloved Spectrum to make way for a mixed use commercial hotel and entertainment complex.   There's been much hand-wringing about it in the local press.  I just don't know why.

The Spectrum had its moment.  The moment is over.  It's time to bring the old brown hatbox of a building down and make way for the future of extreme South Broad Street.

I'm not going to say that it wasn't a great building in its time.  I had some great times there, whether they were shenanigans in the musty dimness of the upper level during concerts, cheering on Villanova against Big East foes, or taking my kids to the circus.  It was loud and you were close to the action and it seemed like you knew every third or fourth person there. 

But we all no no one pays to go Phantoms games - every ticket I have ever gotten was free.  And the building seems down at its heels,  smells like a urinal and suffers immensely in comparison to its younger cousin across the parking lot to the south.

Between the ice shows, the Phantons, the Wings and third tier concerts it's used about 125 nights a year.  That's pretty darn good for a second arena in a town, but honestly it's just not enough to get in the way of a project that promises to transform the experience of every sports fan in the region when they go to a game.

The Spectrum coming down will make way for a complex that would include a hotel, bars, restaurants, amusements, more parking and perhaps shopping and a museum.  Aside from the obvious need for a good hotel down there, a multi level garage and new street designs would go a long way to helping out on game days.

Where the proposed development really shines is on off-days down at the stadium park.  Right now the area is a ghost town.  Even McFadden's struggles to draw people when there isn't an event.  If you add shopping, more bars, a Dave and Buster's type place and some shops, you have a place that is viable 365 days a year not just 125.

I'd also like to see a Philadelphia Hall of Fame go into the thinking.  We're losing a big piece of our sports history when The Spectrum comes down, so let's preserve a bit of it by enshrining a few of the banners and some of the other memorabilia of the city ion a museum honoring all of the great sports moments for The City of Brotherly Love.  Granted a few more recent championships would help, but I think that a central location that can bring together all our heroes would be a good draw and could be fun if executed properly.

This kind of project has been done before.  The area around Camden Yards is not a perfect comparison since there is a beautiful harbor and it's in the middle of town rather than being stranded in between a superhighway and a million acres of parking lots.  The project that is going up in St. Louis is more like Philly's, but also has more proximity to down town. 

As with everything in this town, the project would be unique with a lot of hurdles to overcome before it happens.  It will also take careful planning and management to prevent another debacle like New Market, Disney Quest, or Penn's Landing.

Let the wrecking ball swing!

Sign of the Impending Apocalypse

I have stayed away from the presidential election primaries for the most part, but the Iowa caucuses are upon us and I guess it's time to begin thinking about the person who will succeed the moron-in-chief.

For the most part, I think that it's way too early, but the folks who want to be president have been bothering the good people of Iowa and New Hampshire since Labor Day, invading their diners and TV sets every day trying to dos something that will help them stick out from the crowd.   I think the best way to note how ridiculous it is to begin political television ads 16 months before the election is to review this actual TV spot running in Iowa for for Republican Mike Huckabee, former Arkansas governor.

Yup, friends, that's an actual TV ad. And he's serious.  You should vote for him because and actor playing a part says you should.  Or he will punch you or something.   Huckabee's plan for 'securing the borders' is Chuck Norris?  Give me a fucking break.  This is the front runner in the race for the Republican nomination?  How can I be expected to take this group seriously?

Philly Dangerous, Not as Bad as Detroit or Camden (WHEW)

Philly.com reports today that a private firm has analyzed FBI crime statistics for US cities and that Philadelphia came in as the 21st most dangerous city in the US.  Camden was the 5th.  Detroit, the most miserable place I have ever visited, was the worst.  Shockingly, instead of acknowledging that there is a crime problem in her fair city, the Detroit Police Chief, complained that the report is only available for purchase. 

Ella Bully-Cummings, Detroit's top cop apparently thought that was more egregious than the fact that Detroit had as many violent crimes as did Philly in 2006.  For the record, Philly is almost twice as large as Detroit and has a major tourist and night life industry that attracts non-residents.  Detroit, umm, doesn't.  By all means Ella, if you cant' argue with the facts, dispute the distribution method.

Last year, Philly had 406 murders to Detroit's 414.  1.5 million people live in The City of Brotherly Handgun Crimes, compared to 850,000 in the Motor City.  Over 300 people have been murdered in Philly this year, the worst pace since the high of 503 in 1990. 

Lost in all of these statistics, and the national attention they have brought, is the fact that gun violence in Philly has begun to creep out of 'the neighborhoods,'  and is now affecting Old City, Center City and other places tourists and business people frequent.   I work on The Avenue of the Arts and all of the high priced condo folks I talk to in restaurants and bars in the area are beginning to worry that crime is soon going to be more than something they see on the evening news.  They're afraid and Michael Nutter should be too.

Nutter is inheriting a city where there aren't enough cops, guns flow free and easy and cops have become targets.  His solution is 'stop and frisk' and Charles H. Ramsey.  You may remember Ramsey as DC's police boss actually had his patrol car stolen.  Philly's currently ineffective top cop, Sylvester Johnson says 'stop and frisk' risks urban unrest and amounts to racial profiling.  I'd argue that we're in the middle of a war here and arguing about what might happen while people die is rather like re-arranging deck chairs on the Titanic.

News stories aren't going to solve the violence problem.  More prisons wont either.  Stop and frisk might be a good start, but violent crime comes down to 2 things.  first, there are too many guns and it's time to make it tougher to buy and sell them.  One a month is a JOKE, and will still allow you to amass a personal armory, yet the NRA has it bottled up a year later.    Second, we need a plan to provide opportunity and jobs for the people in the city who can't afford to live away from the violence.  That's a big statement and it's easy to just say it, but we've know it for decades and need to get started.  It's time for a New New Deal.

it's easy to focus on Philly or Camden or Detroit and say , 'Oh god crime there is terrible!'  But the real story is that there has been a continuing increase in violent crime in most large US cities and it's a threat to national security.  Local anti-crime and education programs have fallen under the ax at every level as we have focused on 'The War On Terror.'  It's time to admit that the war on terror abroad has been an abject failure and start to focus on winning the war on terror in our neighborhoods.

Thanks Alberto!

  Liar Liar 
  Originally uploaded by drwhimsy

I jkust want to take this moment to thank Alberto Conzales for the WONDERFUL birthday present he has given me and the nation by his resignation today.  The Liar General had trouble remembering his name when called before Congress, let alone details of a super-secret program to spy on ordinary Americans or the political machinations that went into firing the US Attorneys.

CNN reports that Homeland Security Chief Michael Chertoff will be nominated by The Shrub to replace Gonzales. ANYONE will be better than AG as AG, but what about Chertoff should give us hope he acn do better?  His super-organized response to Hurricane Katrina? 

Still the cupboard in the Bush Administration is pretty bare of talent in the second half of a failed, lame-duck administration.  I guess a former jederal appelate judge and prosecutor is about the best we could hope for.  Let's hope he is too bust cleaning up AG's messes to make any of his own!

Town At A Crossroads

I live in Moorestown in South Jersey.  It's the kind of town with flags on the utility poles, parades down Main Street and older, dignified homes with wide green lawns.  According to a marker near my house,the town is named for Thomas Moore, the town's first tavern owner, but the Lenni-Lenape Indians lived here hundreds of years before.    Like many towns with traditional downtown districts or "Main Streets," Moorestown has been facing a number of interesting planning and development issues over the last several years.

There is much controversy and many varied opinions in town about the recent proposed plan for the future of the Main Street area, Lenola and the Route 38 corridor.  Several of the council member have even come up with a separate plan.

Clearly everyone realizes Moorestown is at a crossorads and that development and big-box retailers are pressuring the kind of life that Moorestown has always embraced.  The acme moved out of downtown.  The car dealer moved to Cherry Hill.  Subway and Starbucks took over the bank and the lumber yard is struggling.  There isn't much time left for talking.

Historical Influence

Since 1700, Moorestown has has a significantnt Quaker influence.  Moorestown Friends School is a major employer and downtown landowner as well as the area's premier prep school.  The Meeting House and burial ground are still landmarks in the central business district.  The Quaker influence is also still felt in the town's "dry" status.  Several recent proposals would allow alcoholic beverage licenses for restaurants, a move that some estimate could bring in up to $10 million in needed cash.

While some see liquor licenses are a cash windfall as well as an opportunity to re-invigorate the town's portion of the Moorestown Mall area on Route 38, others see it as an abandonment of one of the values that has made Moorestown a hot residential real estate market in recent years.  Personally, I can't understand how a town named for a tavern owner ever went dry and I am not sure that the period of time from Prohibition to the present trumps the 200+ years before that.

Lenola

And then there's Lenola.  You might call it the 'affordable' section of town.  You might also call it the part of town where the 7-11 is, where Milton Street lives, where the Section Eight housing is and where Micky D's has an outpost.  In other words, it's the part of town people say "Oh You live in Lenola," like they just stepped in something when they hear you are from there.  The houses are smaller, many of them are rental units and everything looks just a bit tired.  Plus, it's where the more industrial business have traditionally been centered, leaving a  gritty, tried feeling on this side of town.

Town Hall

In a plan to help both the downtown business district and to kick start the Lenola section, Moorestown council member Seth Broder has proposed moving the town hall from its current location in the center of town to a former industrial waste dump "on the other side of the tracks" in the Lenola section of town.  I agree that the downtown area needs a shot in the arm, and a large parcel of ground downtown could be just the thing the small businesses need to add the critical mass needed to combat Best Buy, Home Depot and Barnes and Noble out at the mall.   But I think this plan is ill-conceived. 

First, the library would stay put, limiting the value and size of any mixed-use development that could inhabit the current town hall location.  Second, you're talking about moving the town hall to a toxic waste dump? 

Surely there have to be some other ways to get things moving in Lenola.  How much will the town hall actually help Lenola if you are going to also keep some services downtown?  Re-hab the old town hall and find another use for the toxic waste dump.

Conclusion

I think that all of the ideas proposed have some merit and serve as a great place for a  properly emnpowered town governing board to make some substantial long-term planning decisions.  These decisions need to take into account he history of the town while acknowledging that even the best place to live in the nation must change to continue to be attractive in the future.

It's time for Moorestown to address that the affordable sections of town look run-down and forgotten in comparison to Vernon Hill's neighborhood and that it's going to be tough to get a decent restaurant in town without a liquor license.  While I will pay for great schools and safe, clean streets, most people have a financial limit that they are willing or able to pay in taxes.  Moorestown needs to attract commercial tax eatables to  provide long-term residential tax relief.  failing to do so will only serve to price the town out of reach of the folks who have lived there for decades.

media credits: Flickr member Guy Noir's photos "Second Street Flags" and "Second Street House." Thanks!!!

As If We Needed Further Proof

Former Deputy Attorney General James Comey testified yesterday on Capitol Hill that Alberto Gonzalez, then the White House Counsel, pressured a bed-ridden John Ashcroft to approve the now-infamous warrantless wiretapping program.

Ashcroft was Attorney General at the time, but had ceded responsibilities to Comey.  Comey and the FBI director went to the hospital to protect Ashcroft from Gonzalez. 

It's hard for me to feel sorry for the priggish trampler of civil rights Ashcroft.  I certainly never thought anyone would make him look good, but Gonzalez makes him look like frigging Alexander Hamilton.

In related news, Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel became the fifth Republican Senator to call on Gonzalez to resign.

Since we have not seen any evidence of it, it's unlikely G Dub 43 will do the right thing and can Gonzalez.

Thanks to Flickr member Daquella manera for today's image.

Corzine Speeds Away From Hospital

I am not sure if Jon Corzine doesn't get it or if the New Jersey State Police doesn't get it. 

Yesterday, just moments after New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine noted that he had set a 'very bad example' his motorcade sped up I-295 to Drumthwacket at about 15 miles per hour above the speed limit.  Granted, it wasn't the 91 miles an hour that Corzine's motorcade was doing when his Suburban practically flew off the road, breaking darn near every bone in his body, but jeez guys, this looks REALLY bad.

Just minutes after Corzine says this:

“I set a very bad example, I hope the state will forgive me. I will work very hard to set the right kind of example.”

The assorted vehicles (including his new transportation mode, a handicapped-equipped van) took off at speeds the rest of us would be ticketed at.  And it's not like he's got a big meeting scheduled.  Was he going to be late for his afternoon nap?  I get the fact that speeding happens.  I do it every day.  But come on! 

No word if the driver was text messaging his girlfriend's husband while driving the guv's van.

Thanks to Flickr member Iirraa for the image!

Michael Nutter for Mayor

A few months back, after meeting Michael Nutter at a social event, my girlfriend asked me what I thought of him.  I told her that I thought he was great and would make a near-perfect mayor, but that he couldn't win.  Today I am forced to consider the possibility that I was wrong. 

Not in that Nutter is great.  He is.  But in thinking he couldn't win, i was apparently selling him short.  And seriously overestimating Chaka Fattah.

Today Nutter is surging in the polls, in a statistical dead heat with the free-falling Tom Knox.  He picked up two endorsements today, including the only one that counts, The Inquirer.  He's looking like the horse to bet on.  Yeah, Knox could still spend his way into office and Brady still has the ward leaders which could help him slime his way to victory, but for once it seems like smart and hard-working might just be enough to make a Philadelphia mayor. 

It's not like anyone can be worse than the current clown.