PHILADELPHIA BUDGET CRISIS
The City Council approved $3.4 million budget
(Free Registration is required) on Monday and it now sits on Mayor John Street's desk awaiting his signature or veto. He has until June 30 to do so.
Why? First, because the new fiscal year starts on July 1, for which there is no budget, and without a budget, things will start getting pretty ugly in the City of Brotherly Love real quick. By Friday, I will be wearing those paper masks as I walk through the city.
Second, June 30 is 10 days after the budget and tax bills were approved. City rules require a minimum 10-day waiting period from the time bills are passed before the mayor can veto them. If the mayor chooses not to veto any or all of the measures, they will become law Wednesday. That is because city rules mandate that bills that go unsigned become law at the first Council session scheduled at least 10 days later than the bills' passage. If Mayor Street does veto the measure, the City Council might be able to override it since the budget passed with veto proof margins.
THE GREAT SLOT WARS
Governor Rendell has most likely delivered on his central campaign promise: to balance the budget and increase state revenue on the basis of slot machines.
From the Philly Daily News: Rendell and the Republicans have an agreement in principle to pass a bill that will add 14 venues across the state.
From the WaPo: Maryland Gov. Ehrlich is increasing pressure on his Democratically controlled state legislature to pass its own slots measure to keep pace with PA.
From Wilmington, DE NewsJournal: Delaware to face huge losses in revenue from competition with PA and MD slots, looking to turn state into Vegas East.
Your thoughts on state sponsored gambling?
CONTINUED REACTION FROM PHILLY DAILY NEWS ENDORSEMENT OF KERRY.
I find the reaction to Kerry's endorsement from liberals like myself, normal everyday people, wingnuts and the comically disinterested entertaining. Here are a few from today, reprinted in their entirety:
*Kudos for being the first major paper to endorse Sen. Kerry for president. Your reasons are powerfully stated and absolutely correct.
We must defeat President Bush, who has been a disaster at home and abroad, but Sen. Kerry deserves election because of his own strong credentials and personal qualities as a leader and as a man of character. We can't afford another four years of Bush, literally and otherwise.
As a veteran of the U.S. Army, I am deeply offended by Bush's lack of character in avoiding service in Viet Nam and the absence of any real military leadership ability whatsoever. After 67 years, most of them as an attorney and university professor, I can also tell when someone is lying, and George Bush isn't telling us the truth about Iraq, the outing of Valerie Plame, his military "service," or his questionable business dealings.
Jack H. Archer
Santa Fe, N.M.
*This old Idaho hillbilly for one is delighted to welcome your paper to the fight to remove the "bushes" from the whole landscape of D.C., not just the White House. I hope that Penn's state will send enough Democrats to Congress to help take back our government from the right-wing extremists.
Thanks for joining up!
Sidney S. Keith
Eagle, Idaho
*Greetings from Houston. I can't thank you enough for printing that you think Kerry will win. At the rate you predict things, Bush is a sure-fire winner in November, and I couldn't be happier. In picking Kerry to win, just remember that you also:
- Picked the Eagles to win the NFC championship the last three years.
- Picked the Flyers to beat the Lightning this year.
- Picked Smarty to win the Triple Crown.
Michael Friel
Houston, TX
*Thank you for endorsing John Kerry for President.
Just reading the shamelessly shrill rants of the right wing responses made it worth it.
Though it is hard to believe that some believe that Catholic John Kerry is anti-Catholic because he disagrees with the church on outlawing abortion in all cases.
Non-Catholic George Bush and a so-called devoted Catholic Rick Santorum both disagree with the Catholic Church's stance on the death penalty, not to mention the Iraqi War or aid to the poor.
I can only imagine the torturous justification for this hypocritical free ride our right-wing friends from Idaho and DC will think of. Maybe it'll be as laughable as painting a certified (medals & testimony) war hero like John Kerry as un-patriotic when party boy George Bush couldn't even make it to weekend drills for the reserves.
In 3 ½ short years Bush has dug this country in a deep ugly hole. Hopefully in 4 ½ short months we will elect John Kerry to repair the damage.
Mike Marsico
Philadelphia
*Your front-page cover on June 16, 2004 was just another example of your clueless mindset about the future of our country. How in the world can you endorse a Presidential candidate when the Democrat Party's convention has even taken place yet? He is not "officially" their candidate until then. How can you back John Kerry without having heard a single debate between the President and John Kerry?
You are not the "people's paper!" You're not my paper! You need to take that statement off your cover because it is a bold face lie!
Don Davies
Downingtown
*Ah yes, the Daily News, first in the nation ...to show partisan stupidity.
Neither national party has held a convention, the Democrats have no VP candidate and there has not been a single debate to see how the candidates handle the issues in an open forum. Yet, the Philadelphia Daily News throws journalism in the toilet with an endorsement and battle plan to elect John Kerry. Kind of makes you think that Mrs. Kerry is on the Board of Directors.
So much for editorial integrity. So much for helping to prepare voters with fair and unbiased coverage of a vitally important presidential election. So much for reporting the news and not making the news.
You've lost my business but more importantly, you've lost my respect. I look forward to seeing your liberal, Democrat editorial "staff" eating crow on Nov. 3.
Fran Zimniuch
Sicklerville, N.J.
*I find it amazing that the opinions of your loyal readers from the very-far-flung Philadelphia suburbs such as Houston, Texas; Nampa, Idaho; Baton Rouge, La., and Cincinnati, Ohio, are published on your "Letters" pages. I wonder if they read the paper daily as do so many of us who live and work a little closer to Broad and Market, and I wonder why we should be concerned with what they think.
I, for one, applaud your very intelligent endorsement and hope that it will have an impact on the election.
Maxine Schwartz
Cheltenham