Philadelphia Public Record

Vol. II No. 180 (340)

Keeping You Posted With The Politics Of Philadelphia

November 10, 2011

Philadelphia Daily Record

4 Winners

NEWLY ELECTED Phila. City Councilwoman Cindy Bass is pictured here celebrating with Councilwoman Marian Tasco, Anita M. Lewis, Shelia Vancey, Councilman Bill Green, Councilman Curtis Jones, State Rep. Cherelle Parker and Cindy & Scott Bass were all smiles today as they celebrated election wins for those office holders here. Photo by Martin Regusters, Leaping Lion Photography

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Nov. 10State Rep. Cherellew Parker hosts Veterans Workshop at Finley Recreation Ctr., 7701 Mansfield Ave., 10 a.m.-12 m. For info (215) 242-7300.

Many vendors. Snacks, beer, wine & soda. Free. For info Donna Giulian (215) 820-0865.

Nov. 17Community Conversation with State Rep. Rosita Youngblood at Nov. 10Indochinese American Council, Community Conversation with 4934 Old York Rd., 6-8 p.m.

State Rep. Rosita Youngblood at Germantown YMCA, 5722 Nov. 18Greene St., 6-8 p.m.

Bobbie Carter Foundation celebrates 10 years of service with Nov. 12Jazzin’ 4 Diabetes at Park Avenue Unions Fight For Life hosts Fight Banquet Hall, 4942 Parkside Night for Phila. Veterans Multi Ave., 7 p.m.-12 a.m. Festivities Service & Education Ctr. at Ar- include butler hors d’oeuvres, mory starting at 7 p.m. at Penna. silent auction, dinner, saxophonist Armory, Southampton Rd. & Roo- John Williams & band and a spesevelt Blvd. Tickets $20. For info cial awards ceremony. Tickets Doug Baron (267) 718-2472, Rich $20. For info Yanina (856) 228Mancini (610) 505-0842, Eric 5040, Crystal (215) 375-6267 or Howarth (215) 290-1370, Tom Norm (215) 588-7838.

Dooley (267) 246-5512 or Ed Shaw (267) 992-2600.

Nov. 21Phila. Tea Party Patriots invite all to meeting at Nov. 14Prudential Bank, 1834 W. Oregon Mayor Michael Nutter, State Reps. Ave., 7 p.m. Entrance and parking Louise Bishop & Vanessa Lowery in rear.

Brown host Economic Recovery Services & Job Fair at Hilton Phila. City Ave., 4200 City Line Ave., 10 a.m.-3:00 p.m.

Nov. 15Veterans Broad Street Ministry HomelessVeterans’ Outreach Program Fundraiser at Pub ’n Grub Restaurant, 2001 Hamilton St., 6-8 p.m. Donation $20. For info Joe Eastman (609) 290-8803.

Nov. 17FOP Auxiliary presents Ladies Night, holiday-shopping demos at 1336 Spring Garden St., 6-9 p.m.

THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY RECORD

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Computer Can Know Its User Public Policy Matters on line reports an ongoing effort to eventually enable the computer identify the user. Researchers are working to develop software that can verify the identity of a computer’s user

by sensing a human’s characteristic key stroking rhythms, biometrics and other methods.

The goal, says the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency, is to elimi-

nate hard-to-remember passwords that people write on sticky notes and attach to the bottoms of their keyboards.

Estonian Hackers Busted Your computer crash over and over, the victim of someone’s hacking? Rest a bit easier as the Federal Bureau of Investigation reports the arrest of six members of a

computer hacking gang in Estonia breaks up an Internet gang that infected millions of computers worldwide and hijacked click through by redirecting them from

legitimate commercial websites to the ring’s fraudulent websites. A seventh gang member is being pursued in Russia.

One Back-On-Our-Feet Plan Surfaces In Republican Debate It’s early in the presidential debate season, but at least one sensible economic plan has surfaced, according to some of those watching the Republican presidential debate on television last night.

It was the plan offered by former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.).

Hogan Gidley, Santorum’s national communications director, said, “Sen. Santorum showed he is the only candidate with a jobs plan that will actually create jobs and get our economy going again.

Some candidates are pushing flashy plans with catchy slogans but they ultimately won’t pass – because the other plans put huge tax increases on the middle class.

Sen. Santorum is the one candidate who has the proven conservative track record, whether on jobs, health care, of simply getting 10 NOVEMBER, 2011

things done.”

On manufacturing: “The government has made us uncompetitive.

We must repeal Obamacare, we must repeal Obama’s regulations that cost business over $100 million. We need to send a clear message to manufacturers in this country and all over the world.

“That’s why I’m talking about manufacturing. The unemployment rate for non-college educated workers is double digits, for college- educated workers it’s about 5%. I don’t just want products to say made in America, but I want an opportunity for everyone in America.”

On energy: “We need an energy policy that says we are going to produce energy. Everyone on this stage will agree with that, but where I am different is that I am THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY RECORD

going to cut all the subsidies and let the market work.”

On energy subsidies: “No, because we’ve done it in Pennsylvania with the Marcellus Shale (without subsidies). It took a little while to ramp up, but now we’re drilling 3,000-4,000 wells per year.”

On attaining the American Dream: “We need to talk about income mobility and rising in society, and supporting manufacturing does that.”

On replacing ObamaCare: “This is the difference between me and the other candidates: I haven’t seen a lot of consistency from them.

When it comes to health care, in 1992 I first introduced Health Savings Accounts – I was leading. I proposed a block grant for Medicaid with Sen. Phil Gramm – I was leading. I was always for having |

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the government out of the healthcare business and having a bottomup, consumer-driven system.”

On housing: “I was on Banking Committee and I was one of 24 Senators who wrote a letter to bring up a bill to put curbs on Fannie and Freddie. I was ahead of the curve.

On partisanship: “You create a platform everyone can buy into.

One of the reasons I’ve put forward my manufacturing plan is because Republicans and Democrats will vote for it. I was speaking to the New Hampshire state legislature and two Democrat state representatives came up to my state chairman Dan Tamburello afterwards and want me to come to their districts and talk about it.... If we’re (Republicans) just about tax cuts for the top bracket, we’re going to go nowhere. I don’t care if the Wall Street Journal likes my plan. I want to bring people together and you put a plan like mine together and we’ll bring people together.”

Sen. Washington Advises On New Junior Driver Law. A new law was recently signed by the Governor that would make changes to the Vehicle Code to help junior drives receive more comprehensive training, reduce young driver distractions through limiting the number of passengers they may carry and improve general highway safety through improvements to passenger-seatbelt laws.

State Sen LeAnna Washington (D4|

Northwest) explains the law specifically increased supervised, behind-the-wheel skill building for learner’s permit holders less than 18 years of age from 50 hours to 65 hours. Ten of the additional hours must consist of nighttime driving; the other additional five hours must be driven in poor weather conditions.

It also prohibits the junior driver, for the first six months after receiving their junior driver’s license, from having more than one passenger under the age of 18 who is not an immediate family member (brother, sister, stepbrother, stepsister) of the junior driver.

The law dictates the drivers and occupants in a vehicle who are under the age of 18 must wear a properly adjusted and fastened seatbelt, and children under the age of eight must be securely fastened in a child restraint system.

Failure to comply with this provision of the law is considered a primary offense and a driver can be pulled over and cited solely for that violation.

Washington urges interested parents to seek more information on the new law, “to go to www.dmv.state.pa.us and click on the button titled “New Teen Driver Law 2011.”

Farnese, Boyle Seek Sex-Crimes Legislation In the wake of the Penn State football scandal involving sexual abuse of minors, two Democratic state legislators are pressing differTHE PHILADELPHIA DAILY RECORD

ent bills to tighten the screws on sexual abuse of minors.

State Sen. Larry Farnese (D-S. Phila.) called on the Chairman of the Pennsylvania Senate’s Finance Committee to fast track his legislation that would keep state and municipal workers who are convicted of a sex crime against a minor from collecting their public pension.

SB 1290 was introduced on Oct. 18. It would amend the Public Employee Pension Forfeiture Act. “SB 1290 is an important piece of legislation that will protect our children and it needs to be called up for a vote when the Senate reconvenes,” said the Senator.

“The headlines out of Happy Valley are disgusting, and we need to get this legislation to the Governor’s desk as soon as possible so those convicted of sex crimes against minors know we are serious about protecting our children.”

Almost 19,000 Penn State employees participate in State-funded pension plans that could be covered under this law. Current Pennsylvania law contains provisions that bar public officials and employees who commit certain crimes related to their employment from receiving retirement and benefit payments. But there are no provisions that call for the same punishment if an employee commits a crime against a minor.

SB 1290 corrects that by prohibiting public employees from receiving retirement benefits if they commit crimes requiring them to register as a sex offender under Megan’s law. Megan’s Law is a 10 NOVEMBER, 2011

federal law that authorizes states to establish their own procedures for registering sex offenders. In Pennsylvania, information about registered sex offenders is available to the public through the internet.

The law was inspired by the case of seven-year-old Megan Kanka, a New Jersey girl who was raped and killed by a known child molester who moved across the street from her family.

SB 1290 is companion to legislation introduced by State Reps.

Brendan Boyle and Kevin Boyle (both D-Northeast).

Kevin Boyle also announced yesterday his plan to introduce legis-

lation aimed at ensuring that people who witness the abuse of a child report it to the proper authorities.

“In light of the alleged child sexabuse scandal at Pennsylvania State University, it is clear a loophole exists in our law,” Boyle said.

“My legislation would close that loophole by requiring those who are aware of the abuse to report it to law enforcement authorities, rather than simply following an inhouse chain of command.”

Boyle’s legislation would change current law so staff members of institutions must immediately notify a law-enforcement official.

Current law only requires that the abuse be reported to the person in charge of the institution, school, facility or agency or the designated agent of the person in charge.

“The current system, coupled with the inaction of various individuals has failed the alleged victims in the Jerry Sandusky case,” Boyle said. “What’s even worse is that those who stood by and said nothing about the allegations have been cleared of any wrongdoing. My bill will hold people accountable for reporting such future instances to the proper authorities.”

Roebuck Blasts Voucher Bill

by State Rep. James Roebuck, House Education Committee, Democratic Chairman While supporters of SB 1 are trying in vain to make the proposal acceptable enough to become law, the simple facts are that the legislation would create taxpayerfunded tuition vouchers that are unaffordable, unaccountable, unpopular, unproven and unconstitutional.

Unaffordable: The taxpayerfunded tuition-voucher program in SB 1 would cost taxpayers nearly $50 million in the first year and hundreds of millions of dollars annually when fully implemented. At a time when public schools received $860 million in Republican State funding cuts this budget year and taxpayers are facing property tax increases, now is not the time 10 NOVEMBER, 2011

to spend millions on an unproven and unaccountable program.

Unaccountable: SB 1 would allow private and religious schools to take State funding while picking and choosing only the students they prefer, excluding most students with disabilities and other significant educational challenges, and avoiding real State fiscal oversight and academic accountability for demonstrating student academic performance or achieving results.

Unpopular: An October survey from Terry Madonna Opinion Research found 65% of Pennsylvanians oppose giving taxpayer-funded tuition vouchers to parents so they can send their children to private schools.

Unproven: Tuition vouchers are an unproven education-reform scheme based on numerous indeTHE PHILADELPHIA DAILY RECORD

pendent studies of voucher initiatives in other states and cities, including a recent study on the longest running voucher program in the nation which found that students in the Milwaukee tuition voucher program performed worse than or about the same as students in Milwaukee public schools in math and reading on the latest statewide test.

Unconstitutional: Taxpayer-funded tuition vouchers created by SB 1 would violate the Pennsylvania Constitution including prohibitions against taxpayer money for sectarian schools and impermissible appropriations of taxpayer funding.

The real purpose of SB 1 is a taxpayer-funded giveaway to nonpublic schools. While initially providing vouchers in the first year only to a limited number of low-income children in some of the public schools struggling to |

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raise student achievement, the real intent of SB 1 is to give tens of thousands of students already in nonpublic schools millions of taxpayer dollars for tuition at private and religious schools. The Senate fiscal note on SB 1 estimates that after the program’s first year, 67%

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of school vouchers would be utilized by nonpublic-school students.

In short, SB 1 is a bait and switch.

If the real focus of SB 1 is only to help poor kids from struggling public schools, there would be a

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lot less interest among nonpublic schools. These nonpublic schools really see SB 1 as the way for more taxpayer money for the students they already enroll.

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