For Kinij, a immigrant from Croatia, it is injustice. For Foster, a Germantown resident, it is corruption. For Hart, a Socialist, it is workers’ safety and the minimum wage.
In fairness, all three have about as much of a shot as winning as the GOP candidate Melissa Murray Bailey. Democrat Jim Kenney is almost certainly going to be the next mayor.
The Newsworks article reveals that there are as many independents registered to vote in Philly — about 100,000 — as Republicans. There are 800,000 registered Democrat voters.
While we do not advise people to register as independents in a close primary state like Pennsylvania, that fact that so many are insisting to do so is a strong argument to end closed primaries.
Pennsylvania law currently exempts union members and management from prosecution under the laws governing stalking, harassment and threatening to use weapons of mass destruction. The legislation closing these loopholes, HB 874, was approved by the House and Senate. It now heads to the Governor’s desk for a signature.
It is absurd for anyone to be exempt from prosecution for these types of serious crimes. As noted by the PA Independent, this exemption impacts real people:
Sarina Rose, vice president of development for Post Brothers Apartments, said union-affiliated contractors also photographed her children at the bus stop and taped them at their sporting events. The legal loophole gave them a pass, she said.
“‘If there was a pedophile photographing my children or if I had an ex-husband who threatened to shoot me with a gun, I could certainly implore law enforcement to do something about it,’ Rose told the House Judiciary Committee. ‘But because there are certain trades in this self-proclaimed active labor dispute with my company, the DA’s Office self-admittedly treats these cases differently.'”
Is it true, the Montgomery Country Republican Party is trying to stop one of its own from being elected?
Is the Montgomery County GOP opposing its own endorsed candidate for county commissioner?
The Montco commissioners are a three-person board with the minority party being guaranteed one seat. On the ballot are Democrat incumbents Josh Shapiro and Val Arkoosh, and Republicans Steve Tolbert, Jr. and Joe Gale. The GOP incumbent, Bruce Castor, has stepped down to run for District Attorney.
Gale beat party-endorsed Scott Zelov in the May primary to the expressed displeasure of the party bosses. Apparently, the party bosses are holding a grudge.
Gale has sent out a press release saying the Republican establishment is actively opposing his race. If true, shame on them and it explains why the party brand is really starting to be an anchor among the voters upon whom they depend.
Here is Gale’s statement.
The Montgomery County Republican Committee (MCRC) has been working against Joe Gale, their own party’s nominee for Montgomery County Commissioner, since he won the May Republican Primary without the GOP establishment’s endorsement.
The Republican Committee has not contributed financial support to Gale’s campaign. However, the other Republican Commissioner candidate, Steve Tolbert, received an in-kind contribution of over $2 thousand from the Montgomery County Republican Committee.[1]
In June, MCRC’s political director, Catie Scott, contacted one of Joe Gale’s campaign vendors under false identity to covertly and secretly extract information about Gale’s campaign.[2] In a meeting with Republican candidates and area leaders on September 30th at the County Republican’s Headquarters, Joe Gale’s campaign chairman, Sean Gale, raised the issue of campaign supporters and potential donors being contacted with instructions not to support Gale’s candidacy. MCRC Chairman, Mike Vereb, admitted to contacting supporters yet still wanted Gale’s campaign to contribute $7,500 in exchange for Gale’s name to appear on the Republican Party’s green colored sample ballots (“Green Ballots”). At the Montgomery County Republican Committee’s Fall Dinner held on October 1st, in the presence of party leaders at the VIP reception, Gale was verbally assaulted by the Whitemarsh Republican Committee Secretary, who shouted: “I’d like to slice your throat open and rip your esophagus out.” A subsequent email sent by the same insider to committeepeople and a party municipal leader references and confirms the confrontation: “THEN it got personal and I ripped into him. I must admit, it REALLY felt good.”(sic)[3] The same email, ends with instructions to solicit “every voter you know to ‘cut’ Joe Gale on Election Day and ‘bullet vote’…Steve Tolbert.[4] Traditionally, the “green ballot” issued by the Montgomery County Republican Committee lists all the party’s candidates, is mailed to voters prior to the November election, and is handed out by committeepeople at the polls. However, green colored Republican sample ballots were recently mailed out to Republican voters listing every GOP candidate except for Gale in an obvious effort to stop Joe Gale from winning a position on the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners.[5] Although Tolbert has his own campaign account, the Republican Party of Pennsylvania pays for and distributes his campaign mailers. Gale has received no support, financial or otherwise from the State GOP.[6]
Among those seeking the presidency of whom most Americans may not be aware is Zoltan Istvan. He is running on the Transhumanist platform, which is to increase life expectancy to 10,000 years.
Zoltan is a former reporter for National Geographic. For more about him go here.
Temple University’s minor league NFL franchise is surging and the “state related” university wants a $100 million stadium. Twenty million of the cost is coming from a state grant with the rest coming from donations.
Tuition, at the non-profit institution that now has eight other campuses throughout the world apart from the main one in North Philly, starts at $14,398.
Can you just imagine if the Temple rulers took that $100 million and use it for scholarships for neighborhood children? Why, 6,945.4 poor minority kids would learn how to be teachers and lawyers and dentists, and wouldn’t have to sacrifice their bodies and minds for the entertainment of soft and hedonistic academic progressives and other rich, powerful types.
Can you say “Hunger Games”?
If the academic honchos really want to keep getting their vicarious gladiatorial thrills, there is an publicly -owned $512 million stadium just a short subway ride down Broad Street that isn’t used on Saturdays. What’s wrong with continuing to use that? The football team’s fans aren’t adverse to using environmentally responsible public transportation are they?
Sunlight Foundation is doing yeoman’s work to ensure transparency in the political process.
Stephen Larrick of the Foundation has an article that explains how a written policy is more than just a symbolic document but a practical tool.
Larrick noted that a written policy codifies and advances existing practice, builds internal buy-in, invites public engagement, and builds a legal framework for accountability and enforcement.
Saturday Night Live banned Frank Zappa because the innovative musician didn’t use drugs. OK, it was because he didn’t let the other cast members use drugs during his one appearance.
Philadelphia has three candidates in Tuesday’s (Nov. 3) mayoral race who are mounting the first significant independent campaigns since 1983.
