Vol. II No. 65 (225)
Keeping You Posted With The Politics Of Philadelphia
May 17, 2011
Philadelphia Daily Record
DO IT PHILADELPHIANS head
MORNING reports indicated
for their polling places today
a light turnout overall – but
amid intermittent light rain
with patches of higher turnout,
to cast primary ballots which
perhaps motivated by several
will shape the future of the
lively District Council races.
city in many important offices.
These sections of the city may
It’s not too late for you
wind up with disproportionate
to play your role in
weight in deciding citywide
democracy and vote!
races, therefore.
NOW!
Casey Opposes Palestinian Efforts to Seek Unilateral UN Recognition US Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa) yesterday joined a bipartisan group of Senate colleagues in introducing a resolution opposing Palestinian efforts to seek unilateral recognition at the United Nations and expressing firm belief that any Palestinian unity government must publicly and formally forswear terrorism, accept Israel’s right to exist, and reaffirm previous agreements made with Israel. The resolution also supports the position taken by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in April 2009 that the United States “will not deal with or in any way fund a Palestinian government that includes Hamas unless and until Hamas has renounced violence, recognized Israel and agreed to follow the previous obligations of the Palestinian Authority.”
Casey, along with five colleagues, introduced the resolution following the recent announcement the Palestinian Authority and Hamas have reached a unity agreement. The resolution firmly states the UN is not the right forum for a declaration of Palestinian statehood. Instead, this should be done in direct peace negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis. The resolution declares Palestinian efforts to gain recognition of a state outside direct negotiations demonstrates absence of a good-faith commitment to peace negotiations, and will have implications for continued US aid.
Toomey: Get Serious About Debt, Cut Spending As the United States hit its debt limit yesterday, US Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) called on the administration to get serious about cutting spending, reducing our deficits and putting our country on a fiscally responsible path. “Instead of offering ideas for cutting spending and enacting serious spending reforms,” the Senator said, “the administration has been engaging in scare tactics in an attempt to convince Congress to raise the debt limit without significant conditions attached. But the most irresponsible thing we can do is simply kick the can down the road and continue with business in usual in Washington. “I have introduced legislation to make sure the United States will not default on our national debt. If the administration was truly concerned about defaulting on our debt, it would support the Full Faith & Credit Act, which prioritizes paying the interest on our debt to avoid default. Now is the time for the administration 2|
and Congress to put aside the hyperbole and have an adult conversation about putting our country on a sustainable fiscal path.”
Group Moves To Bag Seniority In Teacher Layoffs Pennsylvania could become the latest state to address “first in, last out” union layoff policy. LA band of lawmakers want to allow school districts to keep the best teachers during tough economic times. Pennsylvania school districts struggling to keep pace with rising labor costs may soon be able to better manage their teaching staffs by retaining educators based on ability, rather than seniority, during layoffs.
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State Senators overwhelmingly passed a bill that would allow administrators to use teacher performance as a factor in layoffs. The bill is an effort to maintain the highest level of instruction possible for Pennsylvania students during the economic downturn. The measure now heads to the State House. The country’s economic crisis has forced school districts to seek contract concessions from school-employee unions that could prevent budget cuts from reaching the classroom. But union leaders have largely refused to accept the same sacrifices made by private-sector workers to keep their employers afloat. The result has put school administrators in a financial pinch, because school-employee contracts — which dictate most of a typical district’s labor budget — cannot be altered without the union’s consent, leaving school leaders with few options but to lay off educators or cut student programs to balance their budgets.
Union policies mandate administrators dismiss teachers based on the number of years spent in a classroom, instead of their ability to inspire student learning. These legislators claim seniority-based layoffs have also contributed to the decline in the academic performance of American students in comparison to their counterparts in other developed countries. “Lawmakers working to incorporate teacher performance into the layoff equation realize students deserve to have the best possible teachers and instruction, regardless of seniority status,” said Kyle Olson, founder and CEO of Education Action Group, a conservative national lobby. “The only question that remains is if union leaders in Pennsylvania and elsewhere will come to the same conclusion, or continue to fight for policies that put employee interests ahead of student success.”
Sen. Williams’ Conference Offers Succor To Grandparents Parenting Estella Hyde understands the stigmas grandparents and other family members raising younger relatives sometimes face, intimately. She’s raising her teenaged granddaughter. But people like her can find strength – as well as expertise and advice – in numbers, and it’s why she joined the aunts, uncles, cousins, older siblings and fellow grandparents who converged on the University of the Sciences for the 2011 Helping Hands Intergenerational Resource and Information Conference. And in those numbers, they can also find a voice to advocate for their cause, said Hyde, president of AARP Pennsylvania. She led a workshop on the topic, one of several offerings at the conference presented by the office of State Sen. Anthony Hardy Williams (D-W. Phila.), Turning Points for Children and Grands as Parents. The event allowed attendees to bolster their knowledge of not just legal, but also educational, financial 16 MAY, 2011
and behavioral issues connected to raising a younger relative, for the child and caregiver. “Sometimes, they’re afraid to admit that they are in fact raising a younger relative, because that would mean that there is some problem in the family,” Hyde said. “Sometimes they are embarrassed to move forward. But it is difficult if you stay isolated. When they talk with someone else, they can assist each other and draw strength from each other, even if it’s just emotional strength.” Elmer Smith, a featured columnist and editorial board member at the Philadelphia Daily News, offered a moving lunchtime address about the sacrifice and appreciation he had for his aunt, who stepped in to raise him after his mother died. “Facing a host of circumstances, these caregivers willingly step into the breach and do the important job of raising a new generation,” Williams said. “This is not just something that happened way back when.
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Citizens Crime Commission Law Enforcement Appreciation Day Luncheon, Grand Ballroom., Park Hyatt at Bellevue, 200 SD. Broad St. Gov. Thomas Corbett to speak. Philadelphia FIGHT opens its pulic computing centeper for young adults at 112 N. Broad Street, 9th floor at 3 p.m. Councilman Darrell Clarke will attend. Stanley Sanders, Business Manager, of Local 57 hosts annual dinner/scholarship Dance honoring Mike Daniels from 7 to 12 midnight, at 500-506 N. 6th St. For Information call 215-768-3856 ACPS Church hosts Health Fair at 28th & Girard, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. For info Eileen Mitchell (302) 4385593. Free admission. Phoenix Salon & Spa hosts Women Empowering Women benefit for Project H.O.M.E., 1600 Arch St., 6-9 p.m. Tickets $60 advance, $75 at door. For info Lauren Millner (215) 2327272, ext. 3045. Free Clothing and Items Giveaway at Mt. Hebron Baptist
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Jun. 16-
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Ch., 1415-19 Wharton St. Bring your own shopping bags/carts. Items for men, kids, babies, ladies, home. For info (215) 336-8163. Rev. R. Johnson Waller, Jr., Pastor, Sister CP Love, Missionaries Director. Fundraising Banquet to purchase Asian Service Bldg. at Ocean City Restaurant, 234 N. 9th St., 6:30 p.m. For info Chairman Mohan Parmer (215) 3178262. American Diabetes Ass’n honors Michael A. Rashid, president of AmeriHealth Mercy Family of Cos., as 2011 Father of the Year honoree at 1200 Awards Dinner at Loews Hotel, cocktail reception 5:30 p.m., dinner 6:30 p.m. Benefit for Women Veterans hosted by Cathy Santos at Mom’s Kitchen Table Garden Courtyard, 2317 Ridge Av. from 4 to 9 .m. For info. call Cathy Santos 215-834-4228.
16 MAY, 2011
This is a contemporary issue. Even since 2007, there has been a sharp upward trend in the number of children being raised by relatives. We must do a better job of educating and supporting their caregivers.”
households and development and improvement of intergenerational housing. The bill has bipartisan support and sits in the Public Health & Welfare committee in the State Senate.
According to census data, about 1 in 5 American grandparent caregivers live at or below the poverty line; locally, it’s about 2 in 5. And most of these caregivers struggle disproportionately to tame housing costs, with upwards of a third of their income going to such expenses.
Details can be found on his web site. AARP is a supporter of the bill.
Recognizing this need, Williams helped to organize the conference and is championing caregivers legislatively. His SB 119, the Intergenerational Family Care Act, assists families in which children are being raised by their grandparents or other generation-skipping older relatives. If enacted, it would address critical needs identified at the conference, such as rental assistance, day-care assistance for working heads of
On average, it costs more than $1,100 every month to care for one child in foster care, according to the State Dept. of Public Welfare. SB 119 is a cost-effective, socially corrective remedy, Williams said. “By investing a little in intergenerational families now, we stand to save the Commonwealth millions, while allowing children to grow up in loving and stable family homes that put them on the path to being responsible citizens,” said Williams. “And that’s something we all want.”
A Larger-Than-Life Candidate
TRACEY GORDON, who is embroiled in a lively three-way race for Democrat 2nd Dist. Council nomination in today’s primary, took quite a shine to a billboard her supporters had erected to boost her cause. 16 MAY, 2011
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Fox Rothschild’s August Presents At Tax Law Symposium Jerald David August, partner in the Philadelphia and West Palm Beach offices of Fox Rothschild LLP and co-chair of the firm’s Taxation & Wealth Planning Dept., was the keynote speaker at the Annual Tax Conference of the Tax Section of the New Jersey Bar Association on May 13 in Edison, N.J. August presented “Standards of FederalTax Practice; Tax and Financial Transparency in the Global Economy,” which covered the recent developments in standards of tax practices from around the globe.
and administrative changes and issues faced by tax practitioners and provided attendees with timely tax planning information and tips. August is nationally recognized for his taxation experience in federal tax matters, federal transfer taxation, tax litigation and tax controversy, corporate and partnership taxation, estate planning for owners of closely- held businesses and international taxation (inbound and outbound). August has published extensively on federal taxation and lectured at leading tax institutes.
The symposium featured presentations on legislative
Prep Brings Home Statewide Gold In Rugby Unbridled joy is the best way to describe the St. Joseph’s Prep sideline as the final whistle sounded in the Pennsylvania State Rugby Championship, which concluded Sunday in Chadds Ford, Pa.
nium. Burrell had several chances inside the Prep 22, but each time the defense stopped them. Each side put up a converted try in the second half, resulting in a 22-17 final score.
Burrell HS, the defending state champs, jumped out to an early 5-3 advantage. Prep hung tough, however, fighting back to earn a 15-10 halftime lead.
St. Joe’s Dillon Phillips notched 5 points, with teammate Pat Kardish adding 7.
The second half can only be described as pandemo-
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THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY RECORD
16 MAY, 2011