From REASON: The New York Times has a story about the terrible menace of outsourcing the administration of public libraries. Just how horrifying is it all? A private company figures it can save Santa Clarita, California $1 million a year running the city’s three library branches. The sons of bitches! “There’s this American flag, apple pie […]
Month: September 2010
Profiles in Timidity
From the NEW YORK TIMES: We are starting to wonder whether Congressional Democrats lack the courage of their convictions, or simply lack convictions.
Last week, Senate Democrats did not even bother to schedule a debate, let alone a vote, on the expiring Bush tax cuts. This week, House Democrats appear poised to follow suit. The idea is to spare incumbents from having to vote before Nov. 2 on whether to let the rich go on paying less taxes than the nation needs them to pay.
PAM suits greeted with scorn, anger and frustration
Surely PAM’s leaders didn’t really believe that suing donors would be greeted with anything but scorn, anger and frustration from most people (not a “small but vocal” group). The letter to the editor indicates otherwise — an unrealistic attitude about public attitudes and PAM’s place in the larger community. No wonder they’re having difficulties. As […]
Corbett, Onorato square off on personal, shale gas taxes
From the TRIBUNE-REVIEW: In their first gubernatorial debate, Attorney General Tom Corbett described Dan Onorato, the Allegheny County executive, as a “career politician” who tells “you half the story.” Onorato, meanwhile, touted his record running Allegheny County and said he doesn’t need to take the “hokey” anti-tax pledge Corbett embraces… It’s the first governor’s race […]
No way for the little guy
Amazing!! Just read that our majority of elected DC politicians are proud to announce that we are paying less taxes than ever!!!! Guess what, we are making less than ever, they are correct, we are paying less taxes!!! Was at the Regency Square Subway today. It is across the entrance from a Dollar Store and […]
Some airline fees up 50%
From USATODAY: Airline fees are steadily increasing — some by more than 50% since a year ago, a USA TODAY analysis shows. The analysis, which compared 13 U.S. airlines’ fees today with those in effect in June 2009, also reveals that passengers are encountering new types of fees. The numerous fees are a sore subject […]
Let’s take Lancaster General public
In exchange for bloated health insurance payments, members of the Lancaster public fortunate to have full insurance coverage are obtaining excellent medical care. Furthermore, out of its average annual earnings of $100 million, non-profit “Public Charity” Lancaster General Health provides the public with an average of $4 million in grants each year.
Poll: Many Wish Healthcare Law Went Further
From NEWSMAX: President Barack Obama’s healthcare overhaul has divided the nation, and Republicans believe their call for repeal will help them win elections in November. But the picture’s not that clear cut. A new AP poll finds that Americans who think the law should have done more outnumber those who think the government should stay […]
EPILOGUE : Captive Minds by Tony Judt
From THE NEW YORK REVIEW: …Today, we can still hear sputtering echoes of the attempt to reignite the cold war around a crusade against “Islamo-fascism.” But the true mental captivity of our time lies elsewhere. Our contemporary faith in “the market” rigorously tracks its radical nineteenth-century doppelgänger—the unquestioning belief in necessity, progress, and History. Just […]
Ensure justice for juveniles
From the PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER: A state Senate measure that passed its first legislative hurdle this week could help thwart a repeat of the two upstate Pennsylvania judges accused of railroading hundreds of teens in a prison kickback scheme. Under legislation sponsored by Sen. Lisa Baker (R., Luzerne), teens would be required to have lawyers in […]
A produce stand or three families next door?
The Sunday News editorial “Exceptions to the rules” is sub-titled “In Manheim Township and Millersville borough, zoning violations were handled by the book. But what was missing was a chapter on the use of common sense.”
One issue had to do with setting up a produce stand in violation of the zoning code for a residential neighborhood. Another had to do with occupancy regulations of a zoning code.
SUNDAY NEWS
Dr. and Mrs. Holmes Morton, Chair and Vice Chair of PAM respectively, state in an article in the Sunday News: “It is not coincidental that those who are outspoken against our volunteer efforts to save PAM and rebuild the school’s finances are members of a small but vocal network of people who include some who […]
LETTER: Don’t blame PAM for reluctance to give elsewhere
SUNDAY NEWS: Dr. D. Holmes Morton is chairman of the board of the Pennsylvania Academy of Music. Caroline Morton is the board’s vice chairwoman. The article “A Chill in the (Nonprofit) Air” last Sunday did little to inform readers about the point of law being debated in Lancaster. To blame PAM for the public’s reluctance […]
Vehicle Thefts Post Sixth Consecutive Yearly Decline
17.1 Percent Drop is Largest Annual Decline in Decades DES PLAINES, Ill. – Hot Wheels 2010, the National Insurance Crime Bureau’s companion study to its popular Hot Spots auto theft report, examines data reported to the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) and determines the vehicle make, model, and model year most reported stolen in 2009. […]