So all of a sudden we matter. Crazy. Expect this blog to restart as I document my take on the next 7 weeks. For the most part, I’m not going to talk about the actual political news, as there are far better sources for that. But I’ll give you my experience. Yes We Can.
Candidates Bob Casey Jr., Chuck Pennacchio, and Alan Sandals will duke it out together for the first time 7 p.m. tonight Saturday, April 8, live from Slippery Rock University on the PCN cable channel. A rebroadcast is set for Sunday 3 p.m., and PCN will stream it online. Be an informed voter and fire up [...]
There’s good news from Harrisburg: In a lopsided 146-50 vote, Pennsylvania’s State Assembly passed HB 257, the long-stalled raise in the minimum wage. A large number of Republicans joined the solid Democrats on Wednesday to increase annual pay for the state’s lowest-wage workers by $4,000. Hourly pay would bump up to $6.15 starting July1 this [...]
Just back from the legislature’s February-March break, Pennsylvania’s Assembly Appropriations Committee unanamously approved sending the minimum wage bill (H.B. 2021) to the full House for a final vote. Then, after the Committee adjourned, Chairman Brett Feese pulled it back, using a maneuver to reconsider the bill. It’s now four consecutive legislative weeks that Committee Republicans [...]
Here comes Pennacchio: At its annual endorsement meeting Saturday in preparation for this spring’s primary election, the Bucks County Democratic Committee reflected a growing recognition of progressive U.S. Senate candidate Chuck Pennacchio. Pennacchio, a Bucks resident whose name has been unknown to most Pennsylvanians, garnered a surprising 47% of the vote, nearly edging out major [...]
Congratulations to Gov. Ed Rendell for standing up to the Republican-dominated state legislature in their attempt to limit voters’ rights! In a speech at the National Constitution Center, the Governor announced yesterday he would veto the bill passed by the state legislature that would make voting more cumbersome by requiring every voter to show an [...]
Remember the first time you voted and had to show your ID? There’s new legislation requiring voters to remember to bring proper ID at every election. The state Senate and Assembly passed House Bill 1318 on party-line votes– with Republicans in favor of cracking down on teens who haven’t gotten drivers’ licenses, little old ladies [...]
In a Valentine present to Pennsylvania’s low-wage employers, the Republican majority in the State Assembly yesterday voted for the third time in as many weeks to block a Democratic-backed bill to raise the minimum wage. The vote came just as the Assembly started its break for the rest of the month. The new rate, a [...]
Philadelphia’s long-time elections watchdog, the Committee of Seventy, is co-sponsoring two seminars for budding politicos: • Stand Up for a Seat – Running for Office in 2006 Panel discussion with elected local officials in their 20s and 30s Thursday, February 9, 6-7 p.m. National Constitution Center, 525 Arch St. • Winning a Political Office: Challenges [...]
Interested in local politics and community service? Are you ready to go beyond merely complaining about the system? A good place to start in Philadelphia is the position of Ward Committee Member– no experience is required, and there are almost 7,000 openings! Here’s how it works: The City has 66 Wards which are divided into [...]
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