technology + politics

Plutocracy in America

2010-01-22T09:57:00.001-05:00

America just moved one giant step away from a democratic republic and towards a plutrocracy, where corporations will once again rule the land and have influence over our government like they did back in the Gilded Age. Thank you conservative justices of the Supreme Court for one of the worst Supreme Court rulings I can recall. Corporations now share the same rights as you and I. A lot of conservatives bitch and moan about how health care reform is "unconstitutional" but how about the Supreme Court ruling that corporations should be allowed unrestricted spending on federal elections? The argument for this ruling is that corporations should have the same freedom of speech in the election process that is granted to individuals in our Constitution. Corporate American already has way too much influence over our legislative process (SEE HEALTH CARE REFORM BILL) and this ruling moves us in the wrong direction.

I guess I missed that part in our Constitution, and since this sets a precedent I suppose corporations now have the right to bear arms. How about voting rights - can they now vote too? If you're a true believer in the constitution, and "freedom", then I hope you're against this, and I hope you make more noise about something much more serious than the made up threat of socialism. I'm talking to you, tea party members.

http://www.scotusblog.com/2010/01/analysis-the-personhood-of-corporations/#more-15376

If you know of anyone who is unemployed, tell them to hang on and get their resumes ready. The lobbying industry is about to have a surge in job openings. Thank you for the ultimate job creation plan, SCOTUS!

Mayor Luke Declares War on College Students

2009-11-09T11:59:00.003-05:00

I've kept my mouth shut for a while, but after reading Luke Ravenstahl's comments about his proposed 1% tax on the tuition of college students, I couldn't help but think of the Pittsburgh budget and the places where they could start trimming the budgets. The first place that the mayor should offer to cut himself is his personal security detail. So how about it, Lukey? How about cutting at least one of your friggin bodyguards from the budget? I know you're a celebrity who needs to be protected from the masses, or your fans when you go out to the clubs, but do you really need a bodyguard with you at all times? When I saw Luke at a Steelers game back in fall of 2007 he had three bodyguards surrounding him while he hit on college chics. Earlier this year I saw County Exec and Gubernatorial candidate Dan Onorato walking with his son in the strip district on a Saturday morning. No security detail was present.

I guess that where I come from, when it comes down to having to ask others to make sacrifices, good leaders will do what they themselves have asked of others, such as cutting their own bonuses or salaries when their employees had to forgo bonuses or raises so that the company could afloat during difficult times. What city of Pittsburgh residents, business owners, and now students should ask the mayor "Aren't there some other areas you could first cut before raising my taxes?" You know, things like bodyguards, annual raises for the mayor and his chief of staff (who both now make more than six figures running a city that cannot even balance its budget), or, as Pittgirl pointed out, how about stopping the wasteful spending on things like gold plated garbage cans?

Onorato at Netroots?

2009-08-14T22:55:00.003-04:00

What the heck was Dan Onorato doing at a progressive blogger conference? There is nothing progressive about this guy. Pennsylvanians - if you want the keystone state to continue its slide towards being a no growth ultra high taxed state, elect Dan Onorato for Governor in 2010.

photo courtesy of 2PJ's.

The most overly scrutinized President in US History?

2009-08-07T10:59:00.003-04:00

The American Presidency is now officially on the same performance time line as corporate America. Remember the days when a President had an entire term to prove his effectiveness in both domestic and foreign policy? Remember when the President was judged on whether or not the country was better off when he left office than when he came into office? Now, with President Obama in office, the mainstream media can't help itself but over-analyze, rate, or grade each and every decision or word from this President. It's annoying, and I think the media's obsession with everything the President says or does makes him seem annoying to some Americans, even the ones who voted for him.

How can you rate Health Care reform when it is still a work in progress? Ditto for the environment. And don't even get me started on the stimulus, which some in the media were considering a failure even though not even one percent of the funds were spent. Good grief. There are already some signs that the stimulus has help increase the rate at which the economy bottomed out. That is a good thing, but it also shows that the items that were front loaded into the stimulus - mainly tax cuts, haven't had that much of an impact on the economy. Why is that? When people receive a tax rebate check they do one of three things - they save it, they pay down debt, or they spend it. I think that the people who receive the rebates are most likely to do the latter of the two, but even if only half of the tax rebate recipients paid down debt it would have a negative impact on the economy. Why? Because banks do better when Americans have more debt. They earn more interest revenue from me when my credit card balance is $1000 versus $500. When the stimulus money is used for roads and other infrastructure that money is pumped back into the economy. New Jobs are created in the region where the work is being done, leading to a real trickle down effect instead of a rhetorical trickle down, which is what you get with the Conservatives and their tax cutting obsession.

John Adams' work on Display in Raleigh

2009-07-27T17:25:00.005-04:00

The original copy of "Thoughts on Government", written by John Adams in 1775 and 1776, is now on display at the state capital building in Raleigh. Adams was one of the first, if not the first, of the founding fathers to put his ideas for an ideal republican government down on paper. Adams believed that the "happiness of the people was the purpose of government," and that the form of government that was best was the one that produced the "greatest amount of happiness for the largest number." It's a shame that our government today writes and passes laws that work in reverse of the order suggested by the great John Adams more than 230 years ago. Our legislation today is written to out for big business interests. Rarely does a bill get passed that actually works for the people. If I had my way we would start with a clean slate in both houses of Congress. I call this the "Mars Attacks Scenario." While this scenario is highly improbable, we at least have some great folks working on changing Congress. The great Lawrence Lessig has been focusing on reforming Congress from the ground up through his Change-Congress initiative. Please take a minute to check them out.

Mark DeSantis endorses Kevin Acklin for Mayor

2009-06-15T10:20:00.001-04:00

"It's not about political party. It's about making a difference."

A Message in Support of Kevin Acklin from Mark DeSantis on Vimeo.

Luke Ravenstahl is still the mayor, still a coward, and still a chump

2009-05-21T08:40:00.002-04:00

Pittsburgh has at least 4 more years of Luke Ravenstahl at the helm. I am not shocked that he won, although I was surprised that he did win by such a large margin. I can't give too much credit to the mayor or his campaign for the huge victory. He out fundraised his closest opponent, Patrick Dowd, by a ratio of 10 to 1, and let's face, with most of the nation's cities in the crapper economy wise, Pittsburgh is looking pretty good right now. The mayor will take credit for that, but he shouldn't, because that's just the nature of Pittsburgh - it's a city that doesn't see much fluctuation during housing booms and busts as it has a very stable economic base. To boot, I felt that while Dowd campaigned like a madman, all over town, his campaign's performance was just lousy. From communications to field operations to GOTV, his campaign did not perform up to the level of Patrick Dowd, the candidate. Dowd really needed a campaign staffed with folks who have worked on citywide campaigns in the past. He needed folks on his side who were not outsiders to the political establishment - like he is, because in order to win in this town a candidate must build bridges to the other community and political leaders. More on the Dowd campaign to come in a future post.

Now, I think a lot of people have accepted the fact that Luke Ravenstahl won. I'm over it, I think a lot of people are. It's not a shocker. The shocker is how someone with as my screw ups and embarrassments as Luke Ravenstahl could have the audacity to not thank and congratulate his opponent during his victory speech, and then, have the nerve to demand an apology. Boy Mayo has the transcript of his election night interview with the Mayor, as well as a link to the video:

"My mom always told me 'if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all', so that's what I chose to do tonight. I think Patrick crossed the line in this campaign. I asked for -- a couple of times -- an apology, he didn't want to offer it. Hopefully, in the very near future he will so that we can continue to work together, ideally, to move the city forward."

Do you folks out there, including those in the media, really believe that Luke has matured since his last election? He behaved much more like an adult this time around, but the Steelers parade fiasco was just a few months ago, and then this, refusing to even mention his opponents name, or, as Bob Mayo uncovered, refusing to accept or return Patrick Dowd's concession phone call. Once again, Bob Mayo has the rundown, including a Q and A with Councilman Patrick Dowd:

Dowd told me that he offered Mayor Ravenstahl a sincere congratulations on election night.

Q: Did you call him to concede?
A: "Oh, yeah, absolutely."

Q: You spoke with him?
A:" No, no. He's not returned my call."
What happened? Councilman Dowd says he'd previously proposed that he be given the mayor's cell phone number for an election night call -- but that the Ravenstahl's campaign did not provide it. Dowd says that on election night his campaign manager called Ravenstahl's campaign manager:
"We were told at that time that he wasn't available. They didn't know where he was."
The councilman says his campaign manager waited, then placed a second call to the mayor's campaign manager -- again with no results. Dowd says they eventually tried reaching the mayor's chief of staff, Yarone Zober, because they presumed he would know where the mayor was. Dowd says that Zober did not answer their first call.

Dowd says Zober did pick up their second call.
"He was obviously at the Hofbrauhaus. You could hear the music; it sounded like you were in Bavaria. He said he didn't know where the mayor was, and I said 'could you have him give me a call'. He said he would see."
The councilman says that Mayor Ravenstahl never returned his calls.

Not mentioning Dowd's name, or thanking him, or even saying he ran a good campaign, and then not accepting or returning his phone call, well, that's not only disrespectful, and unprofessional, it's cowardice. Luke Ravenstahl is a coward. As a person, he hasn't matured over the years, he's still not a man, or an adult yet, but as a politician, he has been able to pull the wool over a lot of people's eyes, and so I will concede that he has matured into a slimeball politician who is likely to fool a lot of people into thinking things are going well while in reality, the city is sitting on top of a ticking time bomb in not only pension liabilities but decaying infrastructure that is only going to saddle this region with more debt and taxes.

Unless that bomb blows up in the near future, the Luke Machine may be ever stronger come January of 2010, when the newest members of city council are a sworn in. Luke will have a city council made up of a majority of reform minded and solutions oriented council members. They will offer up ideas and solutions to the city's biggest problems - only to have the credit for them stolen by the mayor. Bill Peduto knows how this works all too well. To all of the Pittsburghers and burgh bloggers out there - it might be time to lay off the mayor for the time being, or at least once the general election is over. Without the scrutiny of the media, the citizens, and the burghosphere, and left to his own devices, Luke Ravenstahl is almost guaranteed to produce more screw ups and possible a screw up so big that it lands him in a courthouse, or prison, meaning that the majority of Pittsburgh's citizens may finally have a reason to elect a mayor that this great city deserves.

PG: Natalia Rudiak declares victory

2009-05-19T21:38:00.006-04:00

WOW! Talk about an upset. According to the Post-Gazette Carrick's Natalia Rudiak, who finished a distant 3rd place in the Democratic committee endorsement race, has just declared victory over Tony Coghill and Patrick Reilly in the district 4 city council race. Way to go Natalia!!!!

Here is Natalia's statement:

"I never doubted our victory. I always believed we would win, because I believed in all of you. I believed in the residents of District 4, I believed in our power and our voice, our work ethic and integrity, our love for our neighborhoods and our city, and our desire to bring the investment to our neighborhoods that we deserve.

As your City Councilmember I promise to be a bridge-builder, and fight for the investment that we deserve. But this isn't the end of a journey - this is just the beginning. In order to build a better Pittsburgh, I need your help. So please join me these next four years, as we strive to find creative solutions and recruit the talent and investment necessary to address the important issues in our community. We have a lot of work to do."

Note to Matt Hoagie: My $100 contribution did not go to the 3rd place candidate - YOURS DID!!!

"Give him some more time"

2009-05-19T16:23:00.002-04:00

I'm not going to say what I said after I worked the polls in the 2007 general election, but seriously, shouldn't only sane people be allowed to vote? This Post-Gazette video, which shows interviews with voters in neighborhoods across the city, clearly indicates that the majority of people coming out to vote are insane people who think that some clown named Steelerstahl is doing a good job, needs more time, and is even "honorable." Ha!

Dowd blasts Luke Ravenstahl's "Garbage Governance"

2009-05-11T14:04:00.004-04:00

Video courtesy of The Pittsburgh Comet

Patrick Dowd blasted the Ravenstahl administration for perpetuating a culture of corruption, pointing to several warning signs: thousands in “hush money” payments and an illegal billboard.

“Pittsburghers haven’t forgotten Pat Ford. Heck, we’re still paying the lucrative severance package that Ravenstahl used to buy his silence,” Dowd said standing in front of the illegally granted L.E.D. billboard at the corner of 11th Street and Liberty Ave. “Pittsburghers don’t have to settle for this kind of corruption. Next Tuesday, we have a choice. Together, we can turn the page on the waste and cronyism.”

“With one week to go until Election Day, I’m here to remind voters that Luke Ravenstahl used tax payer money to silence more allegations like these.”

Dowd renewed his call for wholesale reform standing in front of an oversized check made out to “Pat Ford – Hush Money Account” for $101,000. “Ravenstahl uses your tax dollars as a slush fund for his friends and a hush fund for his enemies, but the people of Pittsburgh can’t be fooled so easily. As the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review said, ‘This deal is putrid. Somebody's hiding something. Who? And what? Both are great questions for a grand jury.’”

Dowd urged voters to vote for reform on May 19, 2009. “As mayor, I will change the way business is done here in Pittsburgh. We’ve got to end the ‘culture of deception and corruption’ and we can’t do that without new leadership. On May 19, say ‘no’ to four more years of waste and cronyism. It’s time to put our government back to work for you.”

Link to Pat Ford Settlement Agreement here: http://tinyurl.com/ph4g3v

Pittsburgh Post Gazette Endorsement: "Dowd for mayor: The councilman has the drive to make the city work"

2009-05-10T22:04:00.003-04:00

I wasn't surprised when I read in today's paper that the PG editorial board endorsed City Councilman Patrick Dowd for mayor. I find myself almost always in agreement with the PG's endorsements, probably because they do a great job of selecting the best candidate rather than a candidate of a certain party or ideology - something I wish more voters did. Here is my favorite part of the endorsement write up:

With its shrinking population, impending contract negotiations with city unions and growing pension and debt problems, Pittsburgh doesn't have time to wait for Mr. Ravenstahl, 29, of Summer Hill, to gradually evolve toward more sound positions. The city needs a stronger, forward-looking mayor who can move Pittsburgh ahead now.

For Democrats in the May 19 primary, Patrick Dowd is ready, even though his tenure on City Council has not been long.

Peduto's Reform Pittsburgh Now PAC launches new and improved, and iJustine-less website

2009-05-06T10:18:00.003-04:00

Pittsburgh Councilman Bill Peduto launched his Reform Pittsburgh Now PAC back in 2007 with the goal of creating a groundswell of support for reforming many of the city's antiquated ways of governing. The old website was okay, but one huge mistake, and this is not just my opinion, was his inclusion of the annoying iJustine in the RPN videos. This time around, the RPN website not only includes Stuyvesant Van Veen's kick ass public works mural, Pittsburgh Panorama, but a scorecard that will grade the performance of the mayor and city council members on achieving each of the ten objectives listed on the Reform Pittsburgh Now Theses. This is great stuff.

It seems to me that with his sponsorship of green legislation, and his leadership on reforming the city's policies and practices so that they meet the highest standards of ethics and transparency, Councilman Peduto has really come into his own over the last two years. Up until his dropping out of the Democratic primary in the spring of 2007 Bill Peduto was seen as an antagonist, and an outsider, who was simply the opposition to the mayor and the Democratic party machine here in town. Nowadays that role seems to be played by mayoral candidate Patrick Dowd, who is essentially running the type of campaign that Bill Peduto did not want to run . Peduto dropped out because Luke Ravenstahl had very high approval ratings early in 2007, around 80 percent from what I recall, and so he would have had to wage a highly negative campaign in order to even have a chance at winning. This time around Luke's approval number is closer to 60%. That is still a high number, and so a challenger, Dowd in this case, who has great ideas that nobody outside of the east end or blogosphere seem to care about (Dowd in this case), has to go negative, as Dowd did in this ad his campaign just launched. I'm not saying that the ad wasn't warranted, or accurate, and the mayor actually went negative first, but it is interesting how Peduto's choice to not run in 2007 or this time around seems to be working out for him. He's got a great chief of staff in Dan Gilman, and when I see young old boy's like The Pittsburgh Hoagie starting to come around to supporting Bill Peduto and his initiatives, well, that looks to me like Peduto has begun to cross over from an East End candidate to the mainstream, meaning, he is finally winning over some yinzer voters who think East End liberal candidates are all over-educated tree hugging elitists.

Assuming the mayor wins re-election this year Peduto could emerge as the favorite to knock him off in 2013. City Controller Mike Lamb seems to have his eyes on a state or federal office. Who knows where Dowd will be in four years. Peduto should keep leading the way with the green, transit, and reform oriented legislation that he has been introducing over the past two years. The mayor may take credit for the things, he will take credit for things that Peduto spearheaded, like he did for the LED plan, but more and more Pittsburghers are beginning to realize that Bill Peduto is more than just the candidate who barely received any votes outside of the East End in the 2005 primary. They are beginning to realize that Councilman Bill Peduto isn't just holding press conferences and talking about things. This guy is really the one in city government who is "getting it done."

More about Peduto's Reform Pittsburgh Now PAC:

Reform Pittsburgh Now (RPN) was started in 2007 by Pittsburgh City Councilman William Peduto in order to create an organization focused strictly on the issues that build a better city. RPN is a registered Political Action Committee that does not advocate for candidates but instead works to bring about change in city hall through policy. It is not located in Harrisburg or on Grant Street. Its home is in cyberspace and it invites everyone to be a part of the Reformation.

RPN’s main purpose is to restore good government in Pittsburgh. It is focused on ending “pay-to-play” politics - the 21st century machine politics model that remains at the forefront of local decision making. RPN supporters believe that policy should outweigh politics and that the good of Pittsburgh should come before the benefit of special interests. Reform Pittsburgh Now is dedicated to establishing a new Progressive Era in Pittsburgh and dismantling the new political machine one bolt at a time.

Trash-Canistan

2009-05-06T09:39:00.003-04:00

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette recently published a hilarious Rob Rodgers cartoon on the Pittsburgh mayoral race.

In one word

2009-05-05T21:05:00.001-04:00

Embarrassment

The WSJ's Review of President Obama's First 100 Days: Required reading for liberals, conservatives, and everyone in between

2009-04-29T09:16:00.002-04:00

Gerald Sieb's "An Engaged, yet Elusive President" in today's Wall Street Journal is a fine summary and analysis of the 44th President's approach to governing during his first 100 days. I know some of you out there refuse to believe that Obama is more of a pragmatist, or realist, than this left wing socialist portrayed by the far right media, but if you consider yourself to be a pragmatist,and someone who doesn't necessary "cling" to an ideology, then I am sure you'll find yourself in agreement with much of this article.

Here are my favorite parts:

"Amidst the hundreds of billions of dollars he's proposed spending to try to conquer a deep recession, for example, he has done little to create make-work government jobs, as Franklin Roosevelt did during the Great Depression, or to add to welfare benefits, as Lyndon Johnson did during the Great Society. Instead, he's devoting billions in economic stimulus money to create specific kinds of jobs that will advance other social goals, such as staffing up a new alternative-energy industry and rewiring schools.

The president doesn't appear to want to save General Motors and Chrysler simply for the sake of saving the jobs there or keeping them out of bankruptcy. Indeed, under the rescue he's proposing, tens of thousands of those jobs still will be lost, tantamount to what would happen in bankruptcy.

Instead, he's more interested in using government intervention to force a change in the kinds of cars those companies make. His argument: Putting more environmentally friendly cars will both save the companies and help the country, its environment and its energy security in the long run."

and

Ultimately, what President Obama appears to want most is for his countrymen to see him as pragmatic. And indeed, that is likely what he will have to be now, for his presidency is shifting into a new stage. In the first 100 days, he's dealt with an economic crisis that compelled action, and with laying out proposals to fulfill campaign promises. Now comes the laborious work of sustaining political support for economic bailouts and seeing proposals through the congressional meat grinder.

Here are some of the other stories from the WSJ's 100 Days page:

Public Opinion: Obama remains popular, but a poll sends caution signs on some policies
Handling Business: Plunging into the private sector, with few corporate hands on board
Packed Agenda: Behind the scenes in a White House racing at full tilt on several fronts
View From Abroad: Allies cheer rhetoric but wait for actions and rebuff demands
Milestones: Highlights of an eventful 100 days in Washington
What's Next: Health care and cap-and-trade will dominate in Act II
Media Strategy: Pitching the person as the best way to sell the agenda
The Opposition: Republicans take long-term approach to making a comeback
Race: Polarizing issue continues to be downplayed in public
Old Pros: Past White House chiefs of staff analyze the new team in town
Capital Journal: Engaged yet elusive leader defies easy labeling thus far
History's Verdict: What the first lap can reveal about an administration

"Responsible Leadership in Tough Economic Times" - HA!

2009-04-22T22:15:00.004-04:00

If I was eating or drinking something the moment I watched the new Luke for Mayor commercial, I would have done one of two things - I would have yacked or spit up my food. The highlight of the commercial was the end when Mayor Luke, trying to look busy for the cameras, decided he had had enough of "time out" and then went back to working on his crossword puzzle. Or was he doodling?

The Pittsburgh Tea Party was nothing but a small Sarah Palin Rally

2009-04-13T21:46:00.005-04:00

IMG_0010
Originally uploaded by r0b0r0b

Okay, so there was some Ron Paulites at the Pittsburgh Tea Party on the 11th. The Trib was inflating the size of the crowd on hand, stating that "thousands" showed up for the rally on the north shore, but it was closer to hundreds. My favorite from this set of Flickr photos are the ones saying "no" to socialism, and the one with the yinzer lady holding an "Impeach Obama" sign. Are you kidding me yinzer lady? Impeach Obama for what exactly? I would bet you that many of these folks were the same xenophobes, racists, and idiots who attended Sarah Palin rallies here in and in Ohio. Back then they said Obama with being a Muslim. Now they equate government spending to socialism.

IMG_0012
Originally uploaded by r0b0r0b

Dowd Campaign: Ravenstahl is dodging debates

2009-04-13T15:26:00.007-04:00

After Challenger Patrick Dowd proposed rescheduling this week's KDKA mayoral debate, which was canceled yesterday, for a date in early to mid May, Mayor Luke Ravenstahl responded that his schedule was booked between now and the May 19th primary. Dowd responded with some heated words:

From the Patrick Dowd for Mayor Campaign:

That a mayor who has never run in a contested primary is using last week’s tragedies to avoid a discussion about public safety and other critical issues facing our city is an absolute outrage.

Since he became mayor, Luke Ravenstahl has been absent time and time again: absent from meetings on the Hill District, absent from discussions on critical policy issues, absent from important decisions about circumventions of the permitting and zoning processes, some of which have ended in death and others of which have cost the taxpayers. Yet, he has had time to meet with campaign contributors, ensuring that they will continue to procure no bid contracts.

Now, there is no time for the citizens?

I have pledged that as mayor I will make my schedule available to the public. Luke Ravenstahl should immediately show the citizens what meetings are more important than hearing him be held accountable for his record.

Amidst a citywide increase in gun violence, a national economic crisis, and serious questions about ethics in the mayor’s office, Luke Ravenstahl must make time to debate his mayoral challengers.

This is an absolute outrage.

Patrick, as the President would say, "look", the mayor doesn't believe that debating someone who has a PhD should be on his list of priorities. He realizes the public wants to hear the candidates debate on things like the city's financial woes, or, the aftermath of the Stanton Heights shootings, public safety, because, you see, the Pittsburgh Pirates season started today. The Pens are in the playoffs and are on a roll. The mayor cannot schedule any debates between now and May 19th, the day of the primary, because his evenings will be spoken for from here on out. Oh, and he better get some damn tickets to the Stanley Cup Finals if the Pens make it there again.

Mayoral Debates

2009-04-03T10:50:00.002-04:00

The PG reports that the three Democratic primary candidates have agreed to three debates, all to take place during the month of April:

Incumbent Luke Ravenstahl and his challengers, City Councilman Patrick Dowd and attorney Carmen Robinson, will debate live on April 6 on PCNC, the cable news channel affiliated with WPXI-TV, the city's NBC affiliate.

KDKA-TV, the CBS affiliate, will air a taped debate April 15. And ABC affiliate WTAE-TV will broadcast a live, in-studio debate April 20.

Natalia Rudiak for Council

2009-04-02T18:54:00.000-04:00

Carmen Robinson: The Populist Candidate

2009-04-01T10:23:00.008-04:00

Carmen Robinson was on Bill Toland's "The Conversation" and she gave an excellent interview and an indication that she is for real. Here is her opening statement:

"...My vision includes the other side of Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh has two faces. One face is the most livable city, and the city of champions. And while I agree with both of those notions, also there's another face. We have neighborhoods that are totally in distress. There are people who have been neglected, and forgotten, and I hear that a lot when I am out. I have a vision to bring our neighborhoods back to what they were 25 years ago. Instead of focusing on Grant Street I want to focus on main street. Main street being the business districts in the neighborhoods...."

Carmen spoke out against the mayor's focus on downtown development being the key to a Pittsburgh Renaissance. "Downtown is only 1.6% of the city's population. We need to do things for the other 98% of the city." She also spoke out against giving a 10 year tax abatement to individuals buying downtown housing since it is basically a tax break for the wealthier individuals buying million dollar condos tax breaks while some of the poorer neighborhoods "look like a bomb was dropped on them." Carmen also discussed some of her personal background, including her experience growing up in Pittsburgh with a father who was a city firefighter, as well as her own experience as a public servant when she served on the city's police force. Having served on the police force I think that she sounded much more knowledgeable about crime than any of the other candidates running for city office. Carmen also said she was in favor of stricter campaign finance limits ($2,000 max per individual) than what the mayor has proposed.

This is really the first interview I have seen of Carmen Robinson. I came away impressed, and I think Carmen and her populist message should be taken seriously.

Chart of the Day

2009-03-31T11:22:00.003-04:00

Source: Bloomberg, Detroit Free Press

$20,198,500

2009-03-30T20:53:00.001-04:00

Dowd exposes waste in the Ravenstahl administration - and puts a price tag on it.

Calls for an end to wasteful spending as he ties $1,010 price tag on infamous trashcans.

Monday, March 30, 2009 - After visiting with South Side business owners, Democrat Patrick Dowd put a price tag of $20,198,500* on the Ravenstahl administration's waste and mismanagement. “Sadly, millions of taxpayer dollars are being wasted by this administration," said Dowd, "Pittsburgh can do better. We certainly can’t afford another four years of this kind of mismanagement."

Surrounded by residents and business owners from the South Side, Patrick Dowd tied a $1,010 price tag on to one of the high-priced trash cans emblazoned with Mayor Luke Ravenstahl's name in gold. Ravenstahl drew criticism from far and wide earlier this year when he spent over a quarter of a million dollars on 250 trash cans bearing his name in large gold letters.

"This over-priced trash can is just one instance of the Mayor's wasteful spending," said Dowd, "and I'm afraid it's just the tip of the iceberg.”

Speaking to business owners and South Side residents, Dowd released documentation exposing the details of over $20 million in taxpayer dollars wasted by the Ravenstahl administration:

Type of spending	Amount	Dates

Ventilation system	$518,000[1]	March 14, 2009
Parking lot leases	$91,000[2]	September 8, 2008
Trash cans	$252,500[3]	February 17, 2009
Wasteful contracts	$861,500

Dennis Regan	$12,000[4]	December 2, 2006
Catherine McNeilly	$232,000[5]	October 22, 2007
Pat Ford	$93,000[6]	September 12, 2008
Avoidable settlements	$337,000

PWSA bond deal	$19,000,000[7]	June 2008
Wall Street fees	$19,000,000
Total Price Tag of Ravenstahl waste:		$20,198,500

*Citations attached.

“That’s a shocking amount of wasteful spending by the Ravenstahl administration in just two and half years,” said Dowd. “We can’t afford another day of this – never mind four years.” Dowd also noted that the figures are conservative estimates.

“On the School Board I put a stop to wasteful spending so we could direct resources into classrooms and give our children the tools they need to learn.” said Dowd, a long time teacher who served on the Pittsburgh School Board from 2003 to 2007.

“As mayor, I’ll continue to fight waste and mismanagement so the hard working tax payers of Pittsburgh can see their taxes at work in better roads, schools and policing.” The Dowd campaign plans to release details of its plan to bring accountability back to City Hall later this week.

Dowd also presented a number of alternative uses for the $20,198,500 siphoned away from taxpayers by the Administration’s reckless spending habits. He called for the creation of a dedicated fund to support start-up companies and create jobs, make major technological investments to put Pittsburgh on the cutting edge of the economy. That’s “only the beginning” of what a Dowd Administration will do after ending Ravenstahl’s wasteful spending habits.

###

[1] Pittsburgh will pay around $17,000 per vehicle for the Nederman ventilation system to be installed by Clean Air Systems, Inc. of Ohio. The Upper Yoder Volunteer fire department plans to spend $8,000 per vehicle for the same system. Based on the figures above, a bidding process could potentially have saved the city 53% of the cost or approximately $518,000. “Firetruck ventilation process sparks city debate,” Pittsburgh, Post-Gazette, March 14, 2009, Rich Lord. Online citation: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09073/955618-52.stm.

[2] “[T]he URA is forgoing $91,188 in rent over the terms of the three-year leases, compared to what it could have gotten by sticking with the highest bids.” Source: “URA ignored its own rules in parking lot contracts”, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, September 08, 2008, Rich Lord. Online citation: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08252/910293-53.stm.

[3] “$1,010 trash cans littered with mayor's moniker,” Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, February 17, 2009, Jeremy Boren. Online citation: http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/cityregion/s_611996.html.

[4] Cost of administrative leave paid to Dennis Regan in connection with investigation into improprieties as Mayor Ravenstahl’s Operations Director. “City clears Regan, who quits.” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, December 2, 2006, Rich Lord. Online Citation: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06336/742999-53.stm.

[5] Cost of settlement with Commander McNeilly in connection with her blowing the whistle on improper interference in police operations by the Mayor’s staff. “Pittsburgh police commander's lawsuit costs city more,” Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, October 22, 2007, Jeremy Boren. Online citation: http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/cityregion/s_534007.html.

[6] Cost of payment to maintain Mr. Ford’s silence with a “confidentiality and non-disparagement agreement.” “URA will pay Ford through June,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, September 12, 2008, Rich Lord. Online citation: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08256/911605-53.stm.

[7] “Municipal Market Regulator Regrets Enabling Losses,” Bloomberg.com, March 25, 2009, Darrell Preston. Online citation: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=alaFF2rs82lM&refer=news.

Chart of the Day

2009-03-30T13:19:00.004-04:00

Chad Hermann of The Radical Middle blogged about his review of Mayor Luke Ravenstahl's campaign website.

"....here are a few facts that spoke to me and for themselves this morning, when I decided to take a look at The Mayor’s spiffy new campaign web site and see if anything had changed in the past few weeks...
Total # of words in the campaign blog: 71

Total # of words in the Blueprint for Pittsburgh’s Renaissance: 80

Total # of words in the home page text: 184

Total # of words in The Mayor’s bio: 1,090"

Patrick Dowd candidato del Programa de Reforma:

2009-03-25T12:46:00.004-04:00

Candidate Patrick Dowd's Reform Agenda:

1) I will introduce comprehensive, common sense campaign finance legislation that is tied to federal contribution limits within the first 100 days;

2) I will end the practice of awarding no-bid contracts to campaign contributors;

3) I will ensure that every contract over $25,000 will be competitively bid;

4) As an incumbent Mayor, I will not solicit campaign contributions from any firm that does business with the City of Pittsburgh or its Authorities;

5) I will make all finance reports electronically available to the public on the state and county filing dates;

6) I will ensure the creation of and integrate searchable electronic databases of all city contracts and all campaign contributions of all city elected officials;

7) I will publish my public schedule on the city's website so that any Pittsburgher can see who I am meeting with.