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One of the things I like about social media is they make you think about things in a perspective you might not have considered before. Like the meaning of Thanksgiving. Usually, I do a Thanksgiving column that details all the stuff I’m thankful for. I admit last year’s probably wasn’t as nice a column, because I was writing it from my hospitalbed days before a piece of skin was taken from my left thigh and put on my left foot due to surgery; but I was still pretty thankful nonetheless. But what does Thanksgiving mean to a Native American? Immigration came up a lot in the presidential election. Mitt Romney talked about the concept of self-deportation, which relied on folks who were here illegally to send themselves home. President Barack Obama (whose name kind of tells you while he was born in Hawaii, one of his folks didn’t come from here) felt if you came here as a little kid with your parents, you shouldn’t be penalized when it came to such things as college admissions. But I can’t help but think that every time a Native American heard the phrase “illegal immigrant”, he or she laughed until they fell over. Let’s keep it real. Unless you’re a member of the Native American nations, you’ve got no business talkin’ ’bout “illegal immigrants”. If anything, you need to look over your shoulder to make sure they haven’t finally decided to get the “migra” (Immigration Service) after you. Which brings me to Thanksgiving. When the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock, they didn’t (Cont. Page 20)
CONGRESSMAN BOB BRADY once again demonstrated why he’s a master politician with few peers. Brady made a big splash this week with his casino idea. He wants the City to work with a private casino company to compete for a license. Basically, the City would provide land for the casino that a private company would develop and operate. The city would collect rent from the casino and use the money to fund financially distressed schools and pension funds. STATE SEN. ANTHONY WILLIAMS, who needs Brady’s support if he is to became Mayor, quickly endorsed the idea. It will be difficult for anyone from the City to be against his plan. LEO HOLT joined the Chilean Ambassador to the US FELIPE BULNES and his friends DON CALDWELL, of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Art’s Bacchanal Wine Committee, and DAVID SCHIRO. Both men were recognized for their work to foster economic trade between Chile and the United States. Schiro was introduced at the sold-out Friends of Chile Event at the Union League by Leo Holt. Leo and his brothers TOM HOLT, JR. and MICHAEL HOLT are the scions of port magnate TOM HOLT. Holt’s shipping services continue to be a successful job creator and economic force in the region. The master of ceremonies was BOB PALAIMA. Palaima heads Delaware River Stevedores and is the Chilean & American Chamber’s President STATE SEN. MIKE STACK was joined by COUNCILMAN BRIAN O’NEILL, STATE REP. MARK COHEN and STATE REP. BRENDAN BOYLE for the groundbreaking for Benjamin Rush State Park in Northeast Philadelphia. Efforts have been made for decades to redevelop the park. All good things take time. Several Philadelphia Judges have filed suit in Commonwealth Court to set aside the mandatory retirement age of 70. Among them are JUDGE SANDRA MAZER MOSS, the highly regarded “Queen of Torts”. The nickname is a compliment for her skill in managing the complex litigation court. Also participating in the suit are JUDGE JOHN HERRON, trial division administrator, and JUDGES JOE O’KEEFE and BEN LERNER. Philadelphia has excellent judges, but skill and wisdom take time, so asking judges to retire at 70 is counterproductive. City Hall Sam and many other sincerely believe 70 is the new 60, so hopefully the court will rule the mandatory retirement age is age discrimination.
www.phillyrecord.com • 215-755-2000
Can you make sense of the conundrum from City Hall over the Casino proposal advanced by Congressman BOB BRADY? This is a good deal. The City contributes the land, no money, and owns two-thirds of the casino. BETTER than bank interest. The daily press reported the problem was the Mayor was not told of the idea until recently. Maybe the plan was still in development? He knows of it now – are his feelings hurt? If so, he was elected for all people, and has to put his personal feelings aside. I am confused as to why the CITY SOLICITOR sent a letter stating the land is for other use. HUH? Use plans have been changed. Flexibility is the KEY. She says an open, public acquisition process is needed for a casino site. So DO IT. She wrote the School District and City Pension Fund have not been notified. So NOTIFY THEM. That should not bar an application. The Home Rule Charter prevents the City from having an equity interest – so CHANGE the Charter – or come up with an authority…. The BRADY feeling it is BETTER for schools, students and pensioners to benefit instead of millionaires would pass A VOTE OF THE PEOPLE. As a child, I remember a kid saying that he was taking his toys, and not playing with me anymore. This should NOT be like that. GOOD NEWS is Chairman of the City Trusts, Ron DONATUCCI, will explore ways to assist Girard College. The HUMMERS AND CENTRAL HIGH are happy!... THREE STRIKES: How about that article on improving S. Broad Street, where the writer likes the idea of taking two traffic lanes from Broad Street, and creating a wide-sidewalk, Parisiantype walking esplanade? This follows the earlier proposal to end I-95 at the Vine Street Expressway, and another to take two lanes from Columbus Boulevard. DUMB? The roads proposed are all GRIDLOCKED a lot of the time. Losing two lanes for an idea discussed over wine and cheese is sending motorists a message. You know what that message is! The Bureau of Administrative Adjudication holds hearing on parking tickets. It also hears APPEALS of the same tickets! This is done in the USA? A separate appellate court is required! Stop this!... NATIONAL: In rereading The Making of the President 1968 (T. White), Mitt’s dad, George, ran for President, but faltered when he would not offer specifics to his goals. What’s past is prologue? Election NAMES I want no more of: Eastwood, Nugent, Papa John, Rove, Schnatter, (Cont. Page 20)
Yo! Here we go again with this question – what are you thankful for on this Thanksgiving Day? There are lots of people who don’t realize what they have to be thankful for. Most of these things they take for granted and they don’t consider them as important things to be thankful – unless they lose them and don’t have them now or never had them in the first place. These are thoughts about the gifts that we have. I am thankful: for the wife who says it’s hot dogs and baked beans tonight, because she is home with me, and not out with someone else. For the husband who is on the sofa being a couch potato, because he is home and not out at the bars. For the teenager who is complaining about doing dishes, because it means he or she is at home, not on the streets. For the taxes I pay, because it means I am employed. For the mess to clean after a party, because it means I have been surrounded by friends. For the clothes that fit a little too snug, because it means I have enough to eat. For my shadow that watches me work, because it means I am out in the sunshine. For a lawn that needs mowing, windows that need cleaning, and gutters that need fixing, because it means I have a home. For all the complaining I hear about the government, because it means we have freedom of speech. For the parking spot I find at the far end of the parking lot, because it means I am capable of walking. For my huge heating bill, because it means I am warm. For the lady behind me in church who sings off key, because it means I can hear. For the pile of laundry and ironing, because it means I have clothes to wear. (Cont. Page 20)
The Public Record • November 22, 2012
Last week, COUNCILMAN KENYATTA JOHNSON sought the approval of City Council for his proposal that the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority build affordable housing in Point Breeze. In order to execute Johnson’s plan, the City, through its power of eminent domain, will need to force private homeowners and developers to sell two-thirds of properties designated for the project. The City owns the rest. This is an abuse of the City’s power of eminent domain. Condemning properties, in this elephant’s opinion, should be reserved for projects that benefit a very large group of people, like needed highway additions. Is Johnson really looking out for the working poor, or is he trying to stall the economic development of the neighborhood so that middle-class people, who may not be reliable votes for him, do not move into Point Breeze? Similar policies have been pursued by other politicians and have had unintended negative consequences referred to as the “Curley Effect”. Boston MAYOR JAMES CURLEY pursued policies that encouraged the middle- and upper-class Anglo-Saxon Protestants to move out of the city because they did not vote for him, the way the poorer Irish did. The upshot was the tax base moved out of the city, leaving fewer funds for city services and, perhaps more importantly, government jobs for Curley’s constituents. Similarly, building public housing in an increasingly attractive area will dampen real-estate values. This will not only take money out of the hands of middle-class homeowners and developers, but also from long-time and economically disadvantaged residents who could see real financial gain from the appreciation of their properties. Increasing subsidized housing in Point Breeze will slow down the development of housing and commercial space attractive to the middle class whose tax dollars are greatly needed by the City. The City owns abandoned (Cont. Page 20)