I heard an argument yesterday form a Pennsylvania legislator (Cohen, not sure where he is from) that the minimum wage was agood idea because it gave lower income people more money to spend, which they do in-state, and therefore it stimulates the economy. He claimed this was "proven" in New Jersey. I played a game in my head to try and come up with how many reasons there were that he was wrong in his logic and in his facts. I stopped at 22.
Thoughts?
He somehow stayed out of all this while Ron WHite did his bidding. If not for govt corruption, maybe Penn's landing would be a showplace. Give it to the developers no strings attached I say!
Example:
From today's local news:
Striking teachers in the Pennsbury (Bucks County) School District rallied outside the administration building on Monday morning, declaring an end to their walkout.
This means they didn't get what they wanted, so they wanted to say "Nya nya" one more time. Oh and by the way, no one cares.
Union president Nyla Houser (below right) thanked the several hundred teachers in attendance for their support and told them to go back to the classroom on Tuesday morning and give the students 100 percent
I guess that is supposed to impress us. "Now that youve ruined the flow of education leading into the holidays, irreperally, go back the day before Thanksgiving and dive right in" - what a joke!
"We have done what we set out to do, what we have had to do. We have done it legally, professionally, and with respect."
"I need to remain in the spotlight because someday I want to be a politician. I didnt expect the hapless taxpayers to stand up for themselves so strongly. Also unfortunate is the fact that we didnt load the school board with like-minded socialists. So Im hoping that if I use the word "professional" you will all forget that I put dollars before your kids, and my own greed before respect for the money we yank from you every year. We were very respectful while we were screwing your children out of their education."
But after 21 days they still don't have a contract.
The school board and the taxpayers nearly lit torches and didnt give in. Good for them.
By law, the stalemate goes to non-binding arbitration and the teachers could still walk out again in the spring if there’s no agreement.
Let em try it again! Losers.
Houser says she has no regrets about the last four weeks and believes the community will heal once a deal is finally reached.
Heal? Heal from what? This is a real scream. The teachers wage war on the taxpayer and lose - and now they say that once they find a way to get what they want, they will "heal". We don't need any healing - YOU DO now that we called your bluff and you were shown to be the greedy socialists that you really are. Shame on them! And three cheers to the Pennsbury School District and the Taxpayers!!!!
As evidenced here:
The Eagles provide the $80 end-zone seats to the DRPA as a thank-you for the agency's $12 million contribution in bridge tolls to help build Lincoln Financial Field. As chairman of the DRPA, Rendell decides who gets the eight tickets. Eagles president Joe Banner and Rendell spokeswoman Kate Philips said the arrangement was typical of deals with state and local governments that provide stadium financing. Banner said it "was all negotiated out in the open."
In other words, "Its typical of us, and our usual way of doing business, to bribe public officials to hand over to us hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars - and hey, for a bunch of tickets that cost us nothing, it was a great deal."
Some states ar epassing laws to reign it in. Listen to the opposition to those laws with fear!
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/13160672.htm
But the bills also have taken a drubbing, especially by redevelopment advocates, who call them "knee-jerk." They warn that the limitations on eminent domain would be so tight, and the process of condemning the most blighted properties so onerous, that hundreds of cities and struggling older communities might never be revitalized. Eminent domain "is a very, very important revitalization tool," said Herbert Wetzel, executive director of the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority. Without it, he said, more than 7,300 affordable housing units built in the city since 1992 would not exist.
In this, the final year we'll have to listen to "The Haircut", it seems we won't fall short of moronic statements. Here's a doozy:
Asked about his media criticism later, Santorum said U.S. combat deaths should be covered but were "not the whole story." The media ignore success stories in Iraq, such as the restoration of power and water service and progress in tamping down insurgents, he said. "All you get in the news every day is simply the body count," Santorum said. "When you only tell one side, you don't give a very balanced view."
Um, yeah Ricky, but see ... like, we're the ones that bombed the lights off, so we really dont get credit for that. He also goes on about the farcical need to battle in Iraq to combat Muslim fundamentalist terror - even though our action there has changed Iraq from a non-issue to a rallying cry. Its actually frightening to see someone so influential display a complete lack of logic, intelligence, or common sense.
I'll be very intested to see how this case is decided.
WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court announced today that it would hear a challenge to the Bush administration's plan to try accused foreign terrorists in special military courts, setting the stage for a ruling on whether the Geneva Convention trumps the president's go-it-alone policy in its anti-terrorism effort.
A deal based on employees paying 1% of their salary for health benefits. Sounds great. Except it translates into contributing 0.5% twoards the 30% increase in costs over the last 12 months. And with no fare increase guess who pays the rest? You guessed it, the taxpayer. Wretch as you watch Fast Eddie boast of how great the deal is as he shirks his duty to the Pennsylvania taxpayer. Arg!
The SEPTA Strike Is Over!
KYW Newsradio Team Covergae
SEPTA is back.
KYW's Mike DeNardo reports that striking union members are headed back to work, thanks to a tentative contract agreement reached early Monday morning, ending a seven-day walkout.
The tentative agreement came after an all-nighter in the governor's Philadelphia office (see related story).
The four-year deal gives members of the Transport Workers Union raises of three percent in each of the four years, and it has union members beginning to pay health premiums -- based on one percent of their salaries (see additional story).
Governor Rendell (right) says SEPTA board chair Pat Deon and the union members can be pleased:
"This is a very good contract. Significant stability with the four years, the four three’s is good. The increase in pension is significant. So it's a good contract for them. But the key for Pat and the SEPTA board is, this is affordable.”
TWU president Jeff Brooks says he expects his rank and file will ratify the deal.
The UTU, representing suburban SEPTA workers, also settled.
Here's a classic...
Rendell said it was "only fair that everyone should co-pay for his or her health-care benefits, and I believe a sliding scale, much like we have in state government, is appropriate." Asked to define "sliding scale," Rendell's spokeswoman Kate, Philips, said, "The guy making the big bucks should not be paying the same for health care as the guy not making the big bucks."
Why not Ed? Should they charge you more for plywood at Home Depot because you make more money? See Ed, its called "capitalism" - I suggest you get yourself a good dictionary.
From: http://www.philly.com/mld/dailynews/news/local/13078383.htm
