Last spring, we replaced our leased 2006 Toyota Sienna with a new-but-left-over 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan, purchased from Family Dodge at the Philadelphia Automall.
New Jersey
12
Mar 10
Getting more from less with the Census?
I’ve been wondering how red states, which are typically conservative, have amassed so much political power while presumably being under-counted in the Census due to lower participation rates. They seem to control the national agenda (wondering what middle-America thinks), are essentially welfare states, and are frequently home to the biggest legislative obstructionists.
The strategy of the Republicans has been to target the Senate races in smaller states since media is far less expensive, there are smaller populations to win over, ideological alignment with their constituents, and the simple fact that 1 Senator from Vermont is equal to 1 Senator from Texas, regardless of the size of population represented.
9
Mar 10
Resigned to GOP Dominance in Delco and Pennsylvania Politics
Table of contents for A Way forward for Local Democrats
- Resigned to GOP Dominance in Delco and Pennsylvania Politics
This is normally the sort of post that I would write and post as a “draft” until my prediction would come to fruition, running late Election evening or the following morning. I feel that it might be most useful to write it now, so anyone stumbling across it will look at political events in the near-term future through the frame of a likely-outcome that I’ve defined, hopefully reaching the same conclusions.
1
Mar 10
Real-Time 2010 Census Participation Data
Starting on March 1st, you can visit this page and view the 2010 Census Participation results in real-time.
4
Jan 10
Education Policy Disagreements in My Household
My wife – a special education school teacher – and I have a bit of a policy disagreement regarding teacher merit pay.
Most can agree that our Education System is broken (see anything by John Taylor Gatto) and some sort of reform is necessary (even if it rankles some of the President’s core constituents). Sometimes that change can only be motivated through monetary incentives. On the macro-level, I can see the potential benefits. On the micro-level, it’s likely that her students may not ever achieve sufficiently for her to earn said bonuses.
11
Dec 07
Delco, the FAA, PHL, and Robert Moses’ Traffic Paradox
Come 12/17, my life is going to get considerably more noisy.
It is on this date that the FAA will change flight plans allowing departing aircraft from Philadelphia International by flying west over residential Delaware County as opposed to flight plans that take flights north or south over the Delaware River and largely industrial areas.
The FAA is stating that this aerial land grab (remember, the county may own the majority of the land the airport sits on, but does not own the skies) is necessary to avert gridlock on the tarmac.
31
Oct 07
Clear Channel Boots the Boss? [Updated]
Updated again on 11/6: Blink notes that this conspiracy, courtesy of FOXNEWS, is false. It appears that a Cumulus Media did 'something', but Clear Channel, at least on this issue, is in the clear.
Updated Again: I'd be remiss not to point out that the starting point for these allegations came the paragon of Fair and Balanced Reporting, FOXNEWS, as reported by Roger Friedman:
Alas, there’s a hitch: Radio will not play "Magic." In fact, sources tell me that Clear Channel has sent an edict to its classic rock stations not to play tracks from "Magic." But it’s OK to play old Springsteen tracks such as "Dancing in the Dark," "Born to Run" and "Born in the USA."
[...]
Clear Channel seems to have sent a clear message to other radio outlets that at age 58, Springsteen simply is too old to be played on rock stations. This completely absurd notion is one of many ways Clear Channel has done more to destroy the music business than downloading over the last 10 years. It’s certainly what’s helped create satellite radio, where Springsteen is a staple and even has his own channel on Sirius.
It’s not just Springsteen. There is no sign at major radio stations of new albums by John Fogerty or Annie Lennox, either. The same stations that should be playing Santana’s new singles with Chad Kroeger or Tina Turner are avoiding them, too.
Updated: I've recently received an email from 104.5 management stating that this is most-definitely NOT-TRUE and that they have even been offering downloads of Springsteen.
I saw this at Down with Tyranny last night and again via Attytood this morning. Pro GOP-radio outlet Clear Channel has allegedly blacklisted Bruce Springsteen as being "too old" for their demographics. Much like with the Dixie Chicks in 2004, this probably has more to do with pleasing the Strong Daddies of the GOP who will continue to allow more media consolidation than it is out-and-out corporate censorship. Of course, if you're a wingnut who has deeply internalized the conservative ideology and are reacting to your lizard-brain's fight, flight, or flee instinct to everyone of the failures of the last six-years, I can certainly see how you wouldn't want a mainstream guitar-slinger pointing out the obvious, with lyrics like these, from azlyrics:
Who'll be the last to die for a mistake
The last to die for a mistake
Whose blood will spill, whose heart will break
Who'll be the last to die for a mistakeThe wise men were all fools
What to doThe sun sets in flames as the city burns
Another day gone down as the night turns
And I hold you here in my heart
As things fall apart
The local Clear Channel owned stations are WDAS (105.3), WIOQ (102.1), WISX (106.1), WRFF (104.5), WUBA (1480 AM), and WUSL (99.0). The only station that would conceivably play Springsteen is 104.5 FM.
An email sent to their request line (email) and to General Manager Manuel Rodriguez (email) has not been returned or replied to as of yet.
And as a privately-owned, publicly-traded entity, Clear Channel is well within their right to program as they see fit. You, as a listener and consumer, also have the right to listen to someone else and inform their advertisers of your displeasure.
7
Nov 06
Voting Help and Election Coverage…
Here's voters guides from Ask.com for Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. SmartVoter has some wizard-based guides as well.
Here is a list of links from the Resource Shelf. beSpacific also has some resources to watch after the polls close. PhillyFuture has more of the same from a local perspective.
If you are going to participate in VideotheVote.org or the Polling Place Photo Project, it'd be a good idea to check what the state laws are regarding photo-place photography (via BoingBoing).
6
Nov 06
GOP GOTV = STFU!!1!
And so it begins…
You've seen the earlier voter suppression efforts here, and I've also covered a little 2004 incident regarding a caging incident.
Perrspectives has a pretty good roundup of the GOP's "72-Hour Operation", alternatively called the 25% strategy:
But none of that may matter on Tuesday. That's because Republicans only care about the "half of the half" that actually vote in mid-term elections. (While analysts predict heightened voter interest in 2006, it is worth remembering actual midterm turnout in 2002 was a dismal 39.5%; in 1998, a pathetic 38.1%.) That's where the GOP's 25% Strategy comes in.
The Republican 25% Strategy of divide, suppress and conquer is simple. First, fire up the base with red meat issues, while using the proven conservative "distribution" channel of churches and single issue advocacy groups to get them to the polls. Second, drive down the participation of potential Democratic and independent voters through curbs on registration, onerous new ID requirements, and polling place eligibility challenges. Last but certainly not least for the Republican party of Karl Rove and Ken Mehlman, when in doubt, just cheat.
Every year, like clockwork, strange occurences occur…
- Flyers on doors and car windows in poor neighborhoods stating the election is cancelled, or that warrants, late-rent, and back-due childsupport will be verified prior to voting (an example from 2002 in Baltimore, or a letter sent to legal hispanic immigrants via this NYTimes article).
- Purging of voter rolls to remove potential Democratic (ie. minority) voters.
- Attempts to keep out-of-state yet legally registered college students from voting on campus (as happened on upenn's campus in 2004).
- "Robocalls" meant to harass and annoy voters away from Democratic candidates(plenty on this from TPMmuckraker).
- Poll workers demand ID from voters (like the Secretary of State for Missouri) despite court orders not to do so.
- Phone calls threatening arrest if the voter shows up at the polls.
- Robocalls with the intent to mis-inform voters that their polling place has been relocated.
- Repeated insistence that voters need to "show their papers" despite legislation explicitly forbidding it.
- GOP candidates us the (radio) Emergency Warning System to broadcast a commercial.
- Misleading ballots and voterguides, identifying black Republicans as Democrats.
This is Democracy? Fight back! Vote.
