Philadelphia Daily Record

Vol. III No. 88 (453)

Keeping You Posted With The Politics Of Philadelphia

May 17, 2012

Philadelphia Daily Record

A Way Out?

ALTHOUGH IT FELL SHORT of passage, US Sen. Pat. Toomey’s 10-year budget proposal received strong Republican support. His plan would have balanced the budget within 10 years – and increased tax revenues in many areas, he asserted. Story page 3

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May 17Robert Palaima hosts Fundraiser for State Sen. Mike Stack at Spasso Italian Grill, 34 S. Front St., 5:30-7 p.m. Donation: Gold $1,000, Silver $500, Bronze $250. For info Kevin (717) 213-4300.

May 19 Delaware River Day at Penn’s Landing, Market St. & Columbus Blvd, 12-6 p.m.

Ship inspections, boat shows, free rides. Complimentary admission for active-duty military and families with ID.

May 17Spring Social for Chapel of Four Chaplains, 1201 Constitution Ave., Bldg. 649 in Navy Yard, 5:30-7:30 p.m. $20 Early Bird, by May 16. At door, $25. For info (215) 218-1943 or Events@Fourchaplains.org.

May 19City Council sponsors 2nd annual Senior Citizen Prom at Penna. Convention Ctr., starting 6 p.m. Tickets available through local adult centers. Hosting are Council President Darrell L. Clarke, Majority Whip William K. Greenlee and 1st Dist. Councilman Mark Squilla. For info Verna Tyner (215) 686-3446.

May 17Celebrity Bartender Night with former Sheriff Barbara Deeley, at La Casa Di Lucia, 14425 Bustleton Ave., 710 p.m.

May 18Republican Women’s Club meets at Vesper Club, 223 S. Sydenham St., 12 m. Guest speaker: Lt. Gov. Jim Cawley. For reservations Karen Brown (267) 246-6437.

May 19Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz and State Sen. LeAnna Washington on agenda at Women’s Christian Alliance 2012 gala at National Constitution Ctr., 7-11 p.m. For info Evelyn Jones Busby (267) 4712495.

May 19 Delaware River Day at Olde Ft. Mifflin, Ft. Mifflin & Hog Island Rds., 10 a.m.4 p.m. Complimentary admission for active duty military and families with ID.

May 19May Fair honoring fallen hero firefighter Joe Konrad at Ryan & Sackett, kicks off 7:30 p.m. Other activities around Cottman & Frankford.

Family fun.

May 19State Rep. Louise Williams Bishop hosts annual Spring Fling Kids Health Fair at Shepard Rec Ctr., 57th & Haverford Ave., 12-4 p.m. Children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.

May 23Korean War Veterans salute police, firemen, and service personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan at Korean War Memorial, Front & Spruce Sts., 2 p.m. Sgt. Richard Pinter speaks on meaning of Memorial Day.

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Toomey’s Budget Reached For Balance In 10 Years US Sen. Pat Toomey’s (R-Pa.) 10-year budget proposal received broad support from his Senate Republican colleagues, garnering 42 votes, the most votes received by any budget yesterday.

“I am grateful to have the support of my Senate Republican colleagues for my budget proposal,” the Senator said. “Their support for balancing the budget in eight years and solving our debt crisis now is heartening, and I will continue fighting for fiscal responsibility here in Washington.

the challenge that we face,” Toomey said on the Senate floor. “We have a full-blown crisis that awaits us. It could arrive at any moment, virtually, if we don’t change the course we’re on. The deficit that we have in 2012, $1.3 trillion, fourth consecutive year with the deficit of over a trillion dollars.

We are now routinely running deficits that are 7%, 8%, 9% of GDP, and, of course, every year you run a deficit, the excess of spending over the tax revenue has to be funded by more borrowing.

“At the same time, I am disappointed that my colleagues on the other side refuse even to debate our fiscal crisis, let alone introduce a fiscal blueprint for solving our country’s problems. Instead of lobbing political attacks at the ideas I and my Republican colleagues have put forward, it is incumbent upon the majority party to put forward ideas of its own. Anything less is a flagrant abdication of its governing responsibility.

“And so we have the mounting debt that is now at really stunning levels for much of the post-war era, after the big repayment of debt after World War II, the national debt fluctuated somewhere around 40% of our total economic output. Today our total – our actual debt held by the public is 73% of our total economic output. And that’s just the publiclyheld debt. That does not include the liabilities within the government which, if you add that, it’s up to 100% of our total economic output.

“I want to start with underscoring the magnitude of

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CHILDREN'S HOUR - was sponsored by the Horn & Hardart Restaurants. It was a talent show for children that was televised live on Sunday Mornings. The M.C. was Stan Lee Brosa. Children's Hour was enjoyed by kids of all ages. By the way, Horn & Hardart's theme was, Less Work for Mother Dear.

To buy a copy of this book E-Mail Dwaffleman@aol.com

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THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY RECORD The Senator warned, “This has never ended well for a country that has chosen to run up massive deficits and massive debt. He cited the economies of Europe as examples of where the USA will wind up if this trend is not curbed.

Toomey’s plan focuses on reining in entitlement programs, in part by expanding means-testing of Medicare – a view Toomey said he shares with President Barack Obama.

“Medicaid is growing arguably at least two times as fast as the economy. Other mandatory health care programs, if President Obama gets his way, will grow even faster than that. This is all completely unsustainable, and we’re going to fix this problem; the question is whether we fix it while we have this window of time when we’re still able to borrow the massive sums that we’re routinely borrowing, or will we wait until we have a fullblown crisis, the bond markets shuts this down, and then we have sudden, draconian and really very disruptive and painful decisions to make?” said Toomey.

Toomey aims to bring federal spending down to 18.3% of GDP, which is around its historic postwar range.

“In 2013, spending in my budget is 2.9% below what it is in 2012, which means the federal government will spend, under my budget, it would spend 97.1% of everything it spent the previous year. People can decide whether that constitutes draconian cuts,” he explained.

“Now, here’s the amazing thing. After that, on average over the 10-year window, my budget calls for federal spending to increase. And, in fact, to increase at about a rate of about 3% per year nominally,” Toomey continued. “See, this is my point.

This is an eminently solvable problem. All we need to do is cut out some of the excess, restructure certain programs and allow the government – spending can go grow, it just can’t grow quite as rapidly as it’s currently projected to do.”

Toomey’s budget plan would not raise tax rates. It assumes, however, a broad tax-code reform that would increase tax bills for many by eliminating deductions and other tax breaks.

Toomey stressed his plan has changed since its earlier version which he introduced last year. “Last year there was a criticism that any premium-support model that establishes the amount of money given to seniors to purchase health care at a fixed dollar amount was a flawed approach, because what if health-care costs rose more rapidly than that amount that they could afford to pay for?

That’s a valid concern. And so there is a different dynamic, a whole different mechanism in this proposal … and I think it is part of the reason why the Democratic Senator Rob Wyden (D-Ore.) has embraced this and Alice Rivlin, a former senior member of the Clinton administration has proposed this.”

Toomey’s vision is that Medicare would see “competition among competing insurance plans and you’d set the premium based on the second-lowest bid for the health-care services we want to provide, thereby ensuring that a senior citizen would have enough money to purchase that plan. Not only that but we go further, and we include the traditional fee-for-service Medicare system to which seniors are currently accustomed.

“So it is absolutely the case that any senior citizen that wanted to stay with the traditional fee-for-service Medicare program could do so under the reform plans.”

“Toomey scored his Democrat colleagues for failing to produce a budget proposal of their own.

“I don’t know how we’re ever going to reach the compromise that we’re going to need to reach to put us on a sustainable path, if one party is consistently putting out a whole range of ideas and the other party refuses. How do you negotiate with somebody that doesn’t have a position?” he complained.

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Casey Assails Banks For Trick Overdraft Coverage US Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) called on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau yesterday to close a loophole that has left consumers vulnerable to overdraft fees.

Two years ago the Federal Reserve required banks to get customers’ permission before enrolling them in overdraft protection, but a new study by Pew has shown banks are finding a way around the rule. Pew’s study found banks are using confusing language to fool consumers into signing up for overdraft protection, and that half of all those hit with the fee are unaware they were signed up for overdraft protection.

In his letter to Richard Cordray, director of the CFPB, Casey called for a simple, standard notification that all banks would use so consumers could 6|

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understand what they’re signing up for.

“Consumers shouldn’t be tricked into signing up for a service they don’t want or feel they need,” Casey said. “The CFPB should come up with one, commonsense phrase that consumers can recognize so they don’t end up paying outrageous fees.”

Overdraft fees, which the economic-research firm Moebs Services says generated close to $30 billion last year, are charged to consumers when they over-draw from their bank account. Two years ago, the Federal Reserve issued consumer protections which require banks to get a customer’s permission before enrolling them in overdraft protection, but now banks are using confusing language to enroll consumers into the program unbeknownst to them.

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State House Dems Explore Lifelong Learning The House Democratic Policy Committee heard from education advocates and employment experts at a public hearing Wednesday to look at the role of lifelong learning in Pennsylvania’s workforce development, said Committee Chairman Mike Sturla (D-Lancaster).

State Rep. Pam DeLissio (D-Northwest) requested the hearing and served as co-chairman. The testimony centered on the changing skill sets needed throughout a person’s career, and the best way for workers to transition and improve their competencies; as well as new demands on the state’s workforce.

“Rapid advancements in technology are placing higher demands on our workforce to keep their skills current in order to be competitive,” Sturla said. “Rep. DeLissio continues to be a leader in helping her constituents acquire the tools needed to meet those demands no matter their age or industry.”

“The days of graduating high school or college with skills that will be sufficient for an entire career have passed,” DeLissio said. “It’s critical that employers encourage workers to expand their skill sets, that communities strengthen learning centers, and that institutions aid and accommodate workers in their new role as students.”

Those testifying at the hearing included: Meg Shope Koppel, interim CEO, Philadelphia Workforce Investment Board; Suzanne Holloman, dean of workforce and continuing education, Montgomery Co. Community College; Dr. Judith Gay, associate VP for academic affairs, Community College of Philadelphia; Mattie Harrigan, associate director of employment services, Philadelphia Developmental Disabilities Corp.; Arlene Solomon, director of employment and education services, Education Plus; and Bernard Dagenais, president and CEO, Main Line Chamber of Commerce.

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Butkovitz Joins In Teaching Financial Literacy Philadelphia City Controller Alan Butkovitz joined with NASDAQ OMX PHLX and Operation HOPE to promote financial literacy with high-school students this morning at NASDAQ OMX’s Philadelphia location, 1900 Market Street.

the NASDAQ OMX career-day event, which will include a financial-literacy session at the trading floor and financial workshops with NASDAQ OMX employees. One of the activities will be a mock trading session using Apple as the stock.

Students from Olney Charter HS will be attending

New Leasing Provisions Go Into Play At PHA The Philadelphia Housing Authority has updated the terms of its leasing agreements for public housing residents. Over 13,000 households that rent housing owned and operated by the agency now face a greater penalty for late rent payments and a swifter eviction process for nonpayment and other lease violations.

The terms of the new agreement went into effect on Apr. 1. All affected residents met with their managers before that date and signed the new lease agreement, which PHA has been working on since the middle of last year. The lease was last revised 20 years ago and did not reflect the best practices of the market as it exists today.

“The lease is the foundation for the relationship between PHA and its residents and it details the rights and responsibilities of both parties. I want to thank our residents for coming in to sign the new lease and for cooperating with the terms.” said Michael P. Kelly, the agency’s administrative receiver/executive director. “The housing authority and our residents have to work together so we can 8|

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maintain our properties at the highest level and ensure a safe environment for all.”

Keith Caldwell, executive general manager of housing operations for PHA, said the lease revisions were made after consulting with residents, resident leadership, and Community Legal Services. The agency held 16 community meetings to inform residents of the changes and receive their feedback.

“We got complete buy-in,” he said. “The lease is very important. We have staff. We have maintenance. We have repairs. We have to sustain the property and to do that, you have to make sure folks are doing the right thing and that they are being held accountable.”

Rent collection is especially important in light of federal funding cuts. PHA collects an estimated $25 million in rent from its residents annually. The fee for late payment of rent was increased from $10 to $20. Caldwell said on-time payment of rent helps a resident’s credit record, something that’s

THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY RECORD important if they want to become self-sufficient and graduate to homeownership. Residents who are experiencing financial hardship or other issues are strongly encouraged to work with their managers.

Some of the other provisions of the new lease allow PHA to: • Give less than 30 days’ notice to vacate for health and safety reasons, drug-related or violent criminal activity, or if a member of the household is convicted of a felony • Terminate the lease of a family absent from a unit for more than 30 calendar days in a calendar year, unless they have notified the agency

• Take family members off the lease if they are absent for more than 30 calendar days in the calendar year, down from the old limit of 180 days.

The new lease also reduces the time limits for guests to 15 consecutive days or 30 cumulative days within a 12 month period. The old limitation was 30 consecutive days and 90 cumulative days.

Changes in family composition have to be reported within 15 days of the date of the change, a reduction of one-half.

The lease changes do not affect Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) recipients or those who live at PHA’s newer, tax-credit sites, which are privately managed and have different leases.

Attorneys Show Trial Techniques At Temple Philadelphia trial lawyers John M. Dodig and Mark W. Tanner, of Feldman Shepherd Wohlgelernter Tanner Weinstock & Dodig LLP, recently presented “Trial Strategy: Building Blocks of Persuasion” to students of Temple University Beasley School of Law LL.M. Trial Advocacy program.

The course, presented in April, addressed techniques for building a persuasive case, beginning prior to trial and continuing through closing arguments.

“My colleagues and I are always pleased to help our fellow trial attorneys hone their craft,” said Dodig, who holds an LLM in Trial Advocacy from Temple. “Fine-tuning one’s litigation tactics and techniques is an ongoing process for all trial lawyers, regardless of experience.”

“Continuing education is a key component of the sound practice of law,” said Tanner, a graduate of Temple Law. “I am always honored to serve as a faculty member for Temple programs.”

Dodig is an experienced trial attorney representing plaintiffs in complex litigation matters, including medical negligence, product liability, construction accidents, consumer class actions, motor vehicle accidents and civil rights claims. He has successfully obtained multiple seven- and eight-figure verdicts and settlements on behalf of his clients including a $31 million jury verdict for an individual injured as a result of a dangerous highway. Dodig has served as president of the Philadelphia Trial Lawyers Association and on the Board of Governors of the Pennsylvania Association for Justice.

Tanner is an accomplished trial attorney with a wide ranging practice in complex litigation. In addition to securing one of the largest medical malpractice verdicts in the courts of Pennsylvania, he has also secured what is believed to be the largest jury verdict in the state in a bad faith case against an insurance company. His practice includes medical negligence, disability insurance claims, insur• PHILADELPHIADAILYRECORD.COM

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THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY RECORD ance bad faith, product liability and class action litigation. He often serves as a faculty member in programs devoted to the development of trial-advocacy skills, and teaches at Temple University’s Academy of Advocacy.

Feldman Shepherd has handled cases producing some of the largest verdicts and settlements in

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Pennsylvania. The firm represents plaintiffs in significant personal injury, class action, and other complex civil litigation. Clients include victims of medical malpractice, defective products, unsafe workplaces, motor-vehicle accidents, legal malpractice and insurer misconduct.