After 20 months, this part of our campaign for quality, affordable health care for all is coming to an end. We are fairly sure the critical vote in the House of Representatives will take place by Saturday.

The vote will be very close, and health care reform won't be enacted without an outpouring of grassroots energy that can overcome the powerful insurance company interests that are trying to block it.

So many of you in Pennsylvania have been doing so much for so long. Over the last three weeks, Pennsylvanians have led the way at two events in Washington. Hundreds of you joined us for the end of Melanie's March and for the exciting anti- health insurance company rally last week.

But whether you have been an active participant in the campaign or not, I must ask you to do everything you can in this crucial last week to make our dream a reality. Most importantly, I need you to do some

Phone banking

ITVS Community Cinema Premiere
FREE and Open to the Public

Dirt! The Movie

by Bill Benenson and Eugene Rosow

Presented by WHYY and ITVS, in partnership with Mill Creek Farm, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society and Weavers Way Coop Community Programs.

Wednesday March 24th, 2010
7:00PM (doors open 6:30 pm)
WHYY Civic Space, 150 N 6th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106
Click here for directions, parking and public transit information.
Wheelchair accessible venue

This film is closed-captioned and audio description is available

To reserve seats call 215-351-0511 or go to www.whyy.org/memberexperience. When you RSVP, please indicate if you will need audio description, wheelchair seating or would like an ASL interpreted or sighted guide for the exhibits and demonstrations following the program.

If you want to get a stomach ache, I would encourage you to read the Inquirer's article on the money heavy, astroturf campaign on behalf of that most aggrieved product: Soda.

The food and beverage industry is mobilizing against Mayor Nutter's proposed tax on sweet drinks, with a rush of activity that has City Hall bracing for a "madhouse."

Lobbyists are buttonholing City Council members. Trade groups and the unions have locked arms. Industry ads are sprouting on the air and in print extolling the good corporate citizenship of soft-drink companies. The public has weighed in with hundreds of calls and e-mails.

The Inquirer neatly sums up the arguments lobbyists are making against the tax:

The tax will cost jobs. Working families can't afford it. It's a "money grab" by Nutter. Soft drinks alone don't cause obesity.

Let's take this one by one:

1. The tax will cost jobs.

What jobs will this hurt? The bottling plants? Sorry, I doubt it. Coca Cola bottles in Philadelphia, and sells to the region. People in Philly pay the tax, people outside don't. It is not as if Coke would have an incentive to move out of the city- the same consumption tax would still exist.

Futher, Philadelphia itself is only a small part of the region's market. You would also have to assume that people will not substitute their sugary drinks for other non-sugary, coke-bottled ones. If there is one thing I trust, it is that if they need to, American corporations will figure out how to make sure people buy other drinks.

2. Working families can't afford it.

If this tax is done right, this is the worst argument of them all. All sin taxes, like all sales taxes, are regressive. Does that mean we should eliminate cigarette taxes? Of course not.

3. It's a "money grab" by Nutter.

Money grab? Ha ha ha ha. I really hope the lobbyists make this their center piece. We do all understand there is a deficit, right? And we either raise money or we can shut libraries, lay-off people, close after school programs and pools, and a lot of other stuff. We can argue about whether this is a good tax or well designed or whatever, but, the money has to come from somewhere.

4. Soft drinks alone don't cause obesity.

And Eddie Jordan didn't alone ruin the Sixers. Who cares?

Now, there is a legitimate argument that the way the tax is designed, as a BPT add-on, is not smart. I get that. But does that mean it will not work at all? I don't think so. I would expect that almost instantly, the price in vending machines would go up, the price in gas stations would go up, etc. But, I do get the argument, and I wonder if there is a better way to do this?

The article, however, is most focused on what is about to happen in the city. Lobbyists will write checks to Councilpeople, the teamsters will pack a hearing, letters will come in (and they have, many supposedly not from city addresses), and we will see commercials about poor, poor, poor soda:

Poor soda. I just want to go give you a hug and protect you, you aggrieved individual!

And hey, the ad has a point. As it says, "taxes never made anyone healthy." Right?

Several studies have examined the effects of state cigarette tax increases on youth substance use over the 1990s, with most -- but not all -- finding that higher taxes reduce youth consumption of tobacco... Our most consistent finding is that -- contrary to some recent research -- the large state tobacco tax increases of the past 15 years were associated with significant reductions in smoking participation and frequent smoking by youths.

Oh, right.

We don't often see such clear floods of money into the city, at least on such a short-term, blast basis. But rather than every lobbyist with their hand out, and rather than an ex-Mayor waiving around an empty soda bottle, let's deal with reality:

1) Soda is really bad for you, and
2) We need money, so...
3) We are taxing soda.

The flood of money that is about to rain down on our city is not proof that this is a bad idea, but simply a clear display of the festering toothache of our political system.

LaGreta Brown made her first public appearance before the SRC since the violence at South Philadelphia HS, joining ten other individuals to denounce, er, a cartoon.

The cartoon by Tony Auth showed a woman inside the principal’s office at her desk with her head down, phone off the hook, and a shattered window next to her.

Brown said it was an unfair characterization. "I'm rarely at my desk during the day," she said. "Most days, I'm located in the halls and in the classrooms. How dare anyone portray me as sleeping . . .

"I'm not tired. I'm not clueless. I'm not knocked out," she continued. "I come to serve and I'm not going anywhere."

Meanwhile, the SRC continued with the extreme literal interpretation and disregarded the entreaties of its Superintendent Arlene Ackerman who had appealed publicly to "let it go" around South Philadelphia High School. Chairman Robert Archie said the SRC - which has made no public statement on the violence at South Philadelphia High School in the past three months - said it would confer about whether to issue its own condemnation of, er, a cartoon - supposedly on the basis that Ms. Brown was actually awake and cognizant throughout the chaos of the school day.

Once again, Ms. Brown escorted about 20 "student ambassadors" from the school to accompany her. None of the Asian immigrant students who had boycotted the school were invited.

With an overwhelmingly successful ballot petition initiative behind us, and an impassioned ground game under way, my campaign to become the next State Representative in the 181st has moved to establish our web presence. At www.lewisforstaterep.com, you can learn about my personal history, read about my vision for North Philadelphia, sign up to volunteer and contribute electronically. I sincerely hope you take a few minutes to visit the website, and join us in our fight for progress in North Philadelphia.

Onward and Upward!

Lewis Thomas III
Democratic Candidate for State Representative in the 181st District
www.lewisforstaterep.com
info@lewisforstaterep.com

While most eyes are focused on the HCR debate right now, there is another high-stakes legislative issue waiting in the wings. For those whose families and communities are impacted by the problematic immigration system, immigration reform is as crucial as anything else on the Democratic agenda.

But right now, immigrants and advocates are wondering whether immigration reform is even on the agenda of Democrats in Congress and the White House, notwithstanding Candidate Obama’s promise to make immigration reform a top priority during his first year in office.

That’s why I was happy to see the Inquirer’s editorial about the DREAM Act over the weekend.

On Sunday, Monica Yant Kinney wrote a shocking story about the locals who make Bucks County's Parx Casino so "profitable." According to Parx, most of their clients live within a 20 mile radius of Street Road and come 3-4 times a week, losing $25-$30 a trip.

Today we get to meet one of Parx's regulars: a former construction worker who was sidelined due to injury but now has found his new profession as a casino player.

Anderson lives five minutes from the Bensalem slots box, which raked in $400 million in profit last year in a recession. Proximity, plus free valet parking, has turned the unemployed cement mason into a casino operator's dream.

Anderson, 31, pops in for 90 minutes here, three hours there. He plays to relax and to kill time when his kids are in school. He plays late at night when he can't sleep or at dawn while his wife dozes.

Anderson views playing the slots as a profession, a flextime job he can do in sweats while smoking.

"I treat it like a business," he tells me after we meet at the casino. "If this is what I have to do to make money, this is what I have to do."

Problem is that Anderson doesn't realize Steve Wynn's favorite quote: The only way to beat the house is to be the house.

http://voicesweb.org/node/3822

Joe Hoeffel, Candidate for Pennsylvania Governor speaks to Voices
Submitted by voicesweb on March 9, 2010 - 3:37pm
by Jordan Toronto

In mid-February, Voices had an exclusive interview with Joe Hoeffel, a Democratic candidate running for Governor of Pennsylvania. Hoeffel has served three terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Pennsylvania’s 13th district, and is currently vice-chair for the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners.

The paragraphs summarize the views expressed by Hoeffel in portions of the interview that are not directly quoted. They are not the options of Voices or of the writer.

Joe Hoeffel can see why voters are scared, in this unstable economy, but believes that makes it all the more important for the democrats in office to step up to the challenge.

where President Obama is speaking. Meet at 443 Rices Mill Road at 9 am and walk to Arcadia.

We are pretty sure the room will be filled with activists. But we need some help to overwhelm the right wingers expected to be outside the room. Come join us if you can.

From Warren Bloom, Candidate for the PA House of Representatives 195th District, 2010.

Why the 195th District Section of Philly is in Poverty, and How Bloom’s Going to Fix It.

The local Democratic Party has been satisfied with a poverty-stricken Philadelphia in 3 areas of the city for the last 33 years. Philadelphia ’s 195th District, which is parts of West, North, and University City Philly, has been stricken with the highest rate of poverty in Philadelphia ’s history. As always, local political representation, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives that is, has done little or next to nothing to help solve the city’s problems.

1. Today’s front page Inquirer story on the chaos at South Philly High School on Dec. 3: The chaos and trauma that gripped South Philly High is front and center - as is the leadership of SPHS principal LaGreta Brown. From before 9 a.m. and continuing throughout the school day, Brown knew of multiple attacks on Asian immigrant students and a school in crisis and largely failed to act.

   What the story missed: The day after the violence on Dec. 3rd, the Principal sent home a letter to parents that began: "As you may have heard in the news, an incident occurred at dismissal, outside of South Philadelphia High School on Thursday, December 3, 2009." The letter not only brings into question the principal's judgement that day but in the days following when Brown engaged in questionable conduct as public scrutiny increased. LaGreta Brown may have entered a challenging situation at SPHS when she arrived, but her lack of leadership, action and subsequent acceptance of responsibility has resulted in a challenging school becoming a dangerous and fractious place for all students there - Asian immigrant students in particular - and a national embarassment for the School District.

2. Where’s the apology?: The claim that Asian students attacked a disabled African American child was an explosive allegation first uttered by Supt. Arlene Ackerman in her first remarks on the S. Philly incident almost a week after the attacks:
   

   "What began as an unwarranted off-campus attack on a disabled African American student, quickly escalated into a retaliatory multi-racial attack on primarily Chinese students at the school the following day." (School Reform Commission hearing, Dec. 9, 2009)

   This allegation generated confusion, heightened racial tension, and fueled suspicion citywide. And it was completely unsubstantiated, according to a recent District investigation. In fact, the report raised the likelihood that there’s a totally different version of events than the one Dr. Ackerman put out – that it was in fact Asian immigrant kids who were beaten. It would seem imperative to call for a response from the superintendent who uttered the accusation in the first place. Thus far, Dr.Ackerman has taken a convenient "case closed, move forward" approach. It’s convenient because it doesn’t accept her role in fanning the flames and heightening confusion and suspicion through hearsay and rumor rather than encouraging a thorough inquiry into what led up to the attacks.

   The high road would be to apologize. Instead, there is a deafening silence.

3. Predatory gambling and the call to revoke Foxwoods license: Today Buzz Bissinger joined the call to revoke Foxwoods’ license. The problem is that while fed-up with the mess, the author, like others, simply says rebid the license at another location to foist the miserable process and even more miserable outcome on other neighborhoods – missing the point that it’s the larger city that suffers.

   Just read Monica Yant Kinney’s column today on the gambling at Parx casino:

   Inside the smoke-filled slots box, much of what casino bosses took for granted has changed. Gone are the days of wooing "whales" and dissing grannies in fanny packs. Parx president Dave Jonas says his revenue comes almost exclusively from local low rollers.

   "We underestimated significantly how many trips our customers were going to make," Jonas said at last month's Pennsylvania Gaming Congress in Valley Forge.

   "When I was in Atlantic City, to have 12 to 15 trips out of customers, they were VIPs," Jonas said. At Parx, "it's not uncommon for us to have 150 to 200 trips."

   Moderator Michael Pollock, a well-regarded casino analyst, paused to digest the statistic.

   "You said 150 to 200 times a year," he repeated. "That's three to four times a week, essentially."

   "Yes," Jonas confirmed, most of his players fit that profile. In fact, because Parx players tend to live within 20 miles of Street Road, many go even more frequently.

   "We have customers," Jonas boasted, "who give us $25, $30 five times a week."

   Is there any question that localized gambling is anything less than predatory? The message around Foxwoods is not to revoke the license so we can surround Philadelphia with yet another of these bottom feeding industries. The message is to revoke the license period and rethink gambling in this city and the Commonwealth. Anything less is just playing power politics rather than protecting the real needs of communities and people throughout our region.

4. Steve Wynn: There’s no doubt that the Foxwoods fiasco continues on its downhill slide with Steve Wynn angling to gain his way in. As anti-Philadelphia as he is, Wynn is correct on this end – with predatory gambling we have struck a pact with the "dark side" so to speak – a dark side that’s on full display below (thanks to Roxbury News). And as long as city leaders keep that pact, they’ll reap what they sow.
   

   Steve Wynn Reveals Shocking Ignorance from Ron Stanford on Vimeo.

And not to be a complete sourpuss, I have to say it’s pretty darn cool that Vincent Chin – whose murder politicized a generation of Asian American activists around anti-Asian violence – made the front page of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Right after his appearance at the Gaming Control Board in Harrisburg last week (March 3), Steve Wynn found himself in the position of having to answer some really basic questions from reporter Jennifer Lin about the venue where he wants to build his casino. His ignorance of the issues is stunning. Some powerful people apparently felt that this sleaze is the right person to revive Foxwoods.
Video by Roxbury News. roxburynews.com

“We have completed our underwriting review and are sorry to advise that we must decline your request for insurance coverage…We regret that we are unable to consider based on medical history as noted in your medical records”

I received this letter in the mail from Independence Blue Cross nearly 9 weeks after applying for coverage. As I roll over in bed, nearly two feet of snow lie on the ground and lying on my side trying to fall back asleep, my hand brushes over my chest and I feel it flutter and stop. Thud, thud, th-thud, stop…thud. My heart erratically beats on as my mind scrambles with anxiety. “Jesus, why is this happening to me” I lament, as I wonder if this will be the day that it does not restart.

Mayor Nutter's "Keep Philly Clean" program is a noble attempt to plug Philadelphia's gaping budget deficit, but it doesn't fit the bill of a City striving to become the "Greenest City in America" - a title Philadelphia's Sustainability Office is eager to earn. As Nutter outlined in a public address yesterday, Philadelphia seeks to fix the deficit problem by charging residents a weekly $5.77 trash fee and offering discounts at area stores to residents who recycle.