Won't You Be My Neighbor?

After reading “Ala Stanford and Chris Rabb are trading accusations as AIPAC becomes a flash point in Philly’s U.S. House race“, it is shocking and saddening to me to see people run for office who refuse to recognize the death and suffering of children in Gaza. Especially a pediatric surgeon. UNICEF states that in the past 700 days over 64,000 children have been killed or maimed across the Gaza…

Having ANY Pennsylvania politicians and in New York City at the Pennsylvania Society looking for money for their local election adds a corrosive element to our elections.  This $1000-a-plate “money primary” at the Waldorf-Astoria drowns out the voices of people who are running without the backing of corporate interests and party bosses.  The entire point of it is for the wealthy to influence…

I read “New Pa. Democratic Chair discusses what’s needed to win back Black voters” and I am very confused.  Former Democratic Auditor General Eugene DePasquale served York County, which is only five percent Black.  Where is this expertise in courting black voters?  He says that the Democrats need to listen to black voters, then you see that Senator John Fetterman is giving $100,000 to the PA…

Eugene DePasquale is a reminder of how broken our current voting system is.  You may remember that he lost in the general election for PA Attorney General.  One reason he lost is that there was little consensus among Democrats for their candidate in the general election.  This is a problem that ranked choice voting (RCV) solves.  In RCV, voters get to rank up a number of candidates on their…

Harrisburg leaves defunded schools and public transportation systems in its wake as the budget is over two months overdue.  Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman (R., Indiana) hosted a fundraiser in Armstrong County where attendees spent up to $10,000.  State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta (D., Philadelphia) rightly stated that this is a “slap in the damn face of every Pennsylvanian.”  Our school…

Pass ‘real’ SEPTA funding

On Aug. 18, SEPTA riders from 215 People’s Alliance gathered at Sen. Joe Picozzi’s office. They want real funding for public transportation, not this ugly bait-and-switch sleight of hand that won’t help SEPTA riders in Northeast Philly. When I canvassed for SEPTA funding in Picozzi’s district at Regional Rail stops, several riders pointed out the shabby condition of the stations along the Trenton Line. Specifically, Holmesburg Junction Station at Rhawn and Tulip streets is dilapidated and is very inaccessible for folks who need assistance with stairs or are in a wheelchair. Like Lindsay Lohan, it needs rehab.

In Picozzi’s Ponzi scheme, the funding to fix things like Holmesburg Junction Station would be sacrificed in order to limp SEPTA along, just to delay the inevitable ask for a way for funding for emergency repairs. The senator is endangering the health and safety of his own constituents for a negative return for the Northeast and the rest of the five-county region. Philadelphia deserves this funding, and anything less is a defunding of not just the Philadelphia area, but Pennsylvania as a whole.