Temple University with the help of 1199C/AFSCME, 32BJ SEIU, AFSCME DC 47, Action United, Fight for Philly, PA Working Families, PASNAP, PCAPS, POWER, and SEIU Healthcare PA put together a Democratic Gubernatorial forum this week. Check out the recording/live-stream here.
While there is still a great amount of time ahead of the election now is the time to get acquainted with the candidate. In the new year the election will begin in earnest and it is not enough to sit by and watch the show. Without your vocal, energetic support your candidate, and your issues, stand less of a chance.
Candidates Jo Ellen Litz and Cumberland County Minister Max Myers and Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski were not in attendance.
Saturday, November 23, 2013
Sunday, November 17, 2013
Raise That Wage Rep. Kim
State Rep. Patty Kim is making headlines advocating for a higher minimum wage.
While the odds of a first term Representative in a Republican controlled legislature are long Rep. Kim's efforts are commendable. She joins part of a larger state and nation-wide conversation about raising the minimum wage.
In Philadelphia State Senator Christine Tartaglione is pushing a bill to raise the minimum wage. Katie McGinty, the governor candidate who Rep. Kim supports, became the first candidate to advocate the measure as well.
It is no secret that there is a powerful opposition lobby to minimum wage increases. Not only companies who simply don't want to pay a higher rate for labor but serious economists, usually of the Chicago/Austrian schools and libertarian in their politics. These academics make an earnest argument that by raising the cost of labor, you will unemploy everyone who's skills the market determines are worth lower than the base rate of pay.
One institution you may find making such an argument in halls of the Pennsylvania State Capitol is the Commonwealth Foundation.
They are not wrong, there is no doubt that when the price of labor is too high consumption (employment) will drop, but there are many economists who would gladly debate that the minimum wage is not so high, or not going to be raised so much that it would truly slow demand for labor; Joseph Stiglitz, Jeffrey Sachs, Laura Tyson, Robert Reich and of course Paul Krugman.
In fact corporate profits and holdings are at an all time high, and wages have not kept pace with productivity for years.
Rep. Kim, Senator Tartaglione, Candidate McGinty, and many others, keep fighting to raise that wage!
At a news conference at the Harrisburg YWCA, the first-term Democrat said she is working on a bill to increase the minimum wage from $7.25 an hour in two steps.
She held a press conference at the Harrisburg YWCA last Thursday.The first step would bump the rate to $9 an hour 60 days after enactment. The wage would reset to $10.10 an hour one year later.
While the odds of a first term Representative in a Republican controlled legislature are long Rep. Kim's efforts are commendable. She joins part of a larger state and nation-wide conversation about raising the minimum wage.
In Philadelphia State Senator Christine Tartaglione is pushing a bill to raise the minimum wage. Katie McGinty, the governor candidate who Rep. Kim supports, became the first candidate to advocate the measure as well.
“One of the best ways to get the economy moving is to put money into the pockets of people who work,” McGinty said. “Too many wage earners, working moms in particular, are holding down full-time, 40-hour-a-week jobs and still finding it too hard to make ends meet and support families. That’s because the minimum wage hasn’t kept pace with the rising cost of living today. That needs to change.”On the national stage, most recently New Jersey raised their minimum wage through a ballot referendum that passed with a 20 point margin. The win is commensurate with nation wide attitudes about it being raised.
It is no secret that there is a powerful opposition lobby to minimum wage increases. Not only companies who simply don't want to pay a higher rate for labor but serious economists, usually of the Chicago/Austrian schools and libertarian in their politics. These academics make an earnest argument that by raising the cost of labor, you will unemploy everyone who's skills the market determines are worth lower than the base rate of pay.
One institution you may find making such an argument in halls of the Pennsylvania State Capitol is the Commonwealth Foundation.
They are not wrong, there is no doubt that when the price of labor is too high consumption (employment) will drop, but there are many economists who would gladly debate that the minimum wage is not so high, or not going to be raised so much that it would truly slow demand for labor; Joseph Stiglitz, Jeffrey Sachs, Laura Tyson, Robert Reich and of course Paul Krugman.
In fact corporate profits and holdings are at an all time high, and wages have not kept pace with productivity for years.
These economists and many others argue that stagnating wages may be one of the biggest contributors to the current and future economic downturns. You may say," Wait! The housing market caused the economy to crash in 2008, Did it not?"
It did, but because wages stagnated and consumption continued to grow, the consumption could only be fueled by one thing; credit.
The point is not of course that credit is bad, and a discussion about whether a consumer based economy is a problem can be saved for another day. The point is that people do not have enough money to get by, let alone spend frivolously.
Aside from the ethical imperative, estimates show that increasing the minimum wage positively benefits the economy as a whole:
Low wage workers need the money to get by, and the American people need them to have the money so they can spend it, creating demand, markets, and jobs to fill it.A 2011 study by the Chicago Federal Reserve Bank finds that minimum wage increases raise incomes and increase consumer spending, especially triggering car purchases. The authors examine 23 years of household spending data and find that for every dollar increase for a minimum wage worker results in $2,800 in new consumer spending by his or her household over the following year.A 2009 study by the Economic Policy Institute estimates that Obama’s campaign pledge to raise the minimum wage to $9.50 by 2011 would inject $60 billion in additional spending into the economy.
Rep. Kim, Senator Tartaglione, Candidate McGinty, and many others, keep fighting to raise that wage!
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Teaparty Congressman Scott Perry Talks ENDA
Scott Perry, talking with John Micek and Robert Vickers on PennLive's Politics as Usual podcast last week, tried to pull a bait and switch when asked about ENDA.
The bill, which was passed by the Senate to prohibit workplace discrimination against sexual preference and gender identity, has been doomed by House Speaker Boehner. John Micek still asked the question though, "Will you support it?"
Perry deferred and said he personally is opposed to all discrimination in the workplace. Good for you Congressman but not everyone works for you and would receive your gracious tolerance.
He followed up by stating,
This kind of Republican rhetoric is not at all uncommon. The worldview is many GOP Congressmen, women and leaders share is that racism and bigotry no longer exists. It is 2013 and we have a black president after all.
When they people at that premise every lived experience of anyone who has been discriminated against is immediately dismissed as a one-off. This rejection of the reality many Americans exist in validates Republican support for rejections of the need for further protection under the law.
The bill, which was passed by the Senate to prohibit workplace discrimination against sexual preference and gender identity, has been doomed by House Speaker Boehner. John Micek still asked the question though, "Will you support it?"
Perry deferred and said he personally is opposed to all discrimination in the workplace. Good for you Congressman but not everyone works for you and would receive your gracious tolerance.
He followed up by stating,
"I would also say though, sometimes some of this legislation seeks to give some groups of people a higher degree of equality. That is something that seems genuinely un-American."Good thing Congressman Perry was not around to prevent the un-American travesty that was the Equal Pay Act of 1963, Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and many, many other acts of congress advocating equity and equality.
This kind of Republican rhetoric is not at all uncommon. The worldview is many GOP Congressmen, women and leaders share is that racism and bigotry no longer exists. It is 2013 and we have a black president after all.
When they people at that premise every lived experience of anyone who has been discriminated against is immediately dismissed as a one-off. This rejection of the reality many Americans exist in validates Republican support for rejections of the need for further protection under the law.
Saturday, November 9, 2013
How Did Election 2013 Go For Us?
On November 5th you went out to the polls and voted. The results in Dauphin County show that we have a lot to be proud of.
Where did we win?
The party's biggest non-Harrisburg city wins were in Middletown and Susquehanna township.
In Middletown our candidate for Mayor, James Curry III, defeated his Republican opponent with a margin of close to 300 votes. On council there three out of the four contested seats were won by Dems as well. Ben Kapenstein, Anne Einhorn and Victoria Malone won in the 2nd and 3rd wards, respectively.
In the Susquehanna School District Democrats swept all four seats. Carol Karl, Helen Spence, Clifton Edwards, and Jesse Rawls Sr. were all winners. This means that there will be a governing majority of Democrats in the district.
The one contested seat for Susquehanna Township Commiser went to a Democrat as well. Justin Fleming bested his incumbent rival by 100 votes for the spot.
There were three contested spots for Swatara Township Supervisor. In Ward 2, Democrat Tom Connelly walked away as the winner. In the 4th ward candidate Megan Jones lost, but only by a narrow 25 vote margin. A similarly close margin for the Mayors races was lost as well.
On the Central Dauphin School board Democrat Eric Epstein defeated his republican incumbent opponent in region 2.
In an open seat race for Derry Township supervisor, Democrat Matthew Weir was one of two winners. The Sun though has a one Republican on the record already seeing a blue future for Derry.
It is great to know that we have strong Democratic bastions like the city of Harrisburg, where the party's candidate Eric Papenfuse won in his bid for mayor of our troubled capitol.
I think it is more telling though that even outside of our county seat Democrats are winning elections. Not long ago the moment you left Harrisburg proper, you were in solidly red territory. Wins this week go to show that our influence is spreading and our candidates' hard work is paying off.
Where we lost.
Democrat Anne Ginrich Cornick lost her bid for Judge of the County Court of Common pleas. She was defeated by a wide margin and this is an unfortunate loss for the county and the party. Currently the County's Court of Common pleas bench is made up of largely Republicans who live in the suburbs. Cornick is a Democrat who lives in the city itself. Kelly Summerford also lost his county-wide bid for prothonotary
What the loss clearly shows though is that a Democratic registration advantage does not mean anything if the opponent is better organized. The Young Dems, as I have said many times before, are working hard to change that old GOP organizational advantage to a Democratic ones. David Madsen, our President, was a driving force behind the parties big wins in Middletown. Brendan Murray also campaigned vigorously for Anne and the whole Democratic slate, as did many other YD's.
This energy is what it takes to win elections, especially in off years. Let us enjoy our victories but as we turn to 2014, start thinking about how you can get out an help your local candidate.
Where did we win?
The party's biggest non-Harrisburg city wins were in Middletown and Susquehanna township.
In Middletown our candidate for Mayor, James Curry III, defeated his Republican opponent with a margin of close to 300 votes. On council there three out of the four contested seats were won by Dems as well. Ben Kapenstein, Anne Einhorn and Victoria Malone won in the 2nd and 3rd wards, respectively.
In the Susquehanna School District Democrats swept all four seats. Carol Karl, Helen Spence, Clifton Edwards, and Jesse Rawls Sr. were all winners. This means that there will be a governing majority of Democrats in the district.
The one contested seat for Susquehanna Township Commiser went to a Democrat as well. Justin Fleming bested his incumbent rival by 100 votes for the spot.
There were three contested spots for Swatara Township Supervisor. In Ward 2, Democrat Tom Connelly walked away as the winner. In the 4th ward candidate Megan Jones lost, but only by a narrow 25 vote margin. A similarly close margin for the Mayors races was lost as well.
On the Central Dauphin School board Democrat Eric Epstein defeated his republican incumbent opponent in region 2.
In an open seat race for Derry Township supervisor, Democrat Matthew Weir was one of two winners. The Sun though has a one Republican on the record already seeing a blue future for Derry.
As one Republican leader put it, “Two years from now, a Ballard-Todd team could bring Democrats to control the Derry Township Supervisors.Maria Marcinko was the highest vote-getter by nearly 200 in the race for Steelton borough council.
It is great to know that we have strong Democratic bastions like the city of Harrisburg, where the party's candidate Eric Papenfuse won in his bid for mayor of our troubled capitol.
I think it is more telling though that even outside of our county seat Democrats are winning elections. Not long ago the moment you left Harrisburg proper, you were in solidly red territory. Wins this week go to show that our influence is spreading and our candidates' hard work is paying off.
Where we lost.
Democrat Anne Ginrich Cornick lost her bid for Judge of the County Court of Common pleas. She was defeated by a wide margin and this is an unfortunate loss for the county and the party. Currently the County's Court of Common pleas bench is made up of largely Republicans who live in the suburbs. Cornick is a Democrat who lives in the city itself. Kelly Summerford also lost his county-wide bid for prothonotary
What the loss clearly shows though is that a Democratic registration advantage does not mean anything if the opponent is better organized. The Young Dems, as I have said many times before, are working hard to change that old GOP organizational advantage to a Democratic ones. David Madsen, our President, was a driving force behind the parties big wins in Middletown. Brendan Murray also campaigned vigorously for Anne and the whole Democratic slate, as did many other YD's.
This energy is what it takes to win elections, especially in off years. Let us enjoy our victories but as we turn to 2014, start thinking about how you can get out an help your local candidate.
Sunday, November 3, 2013
GOP Carpet Baggers Putting Money into Local Races
Steve Todd and Matt Weir are both Democratic candidates running for Derry Township Supervisor. They have both made a public pledge to take no corporate or non-constituent funds and have even been successful in getting one of their Republican opponents to do the same.
Steve is following the money trail of his other opponent though. It leads to the organization "Moving Derry Forward".
The major source of all Moving Derry Forward funds – indeed, the only one reporting this cycle – is Mike Musser’s “Better Government for PA” (BGP). BGP tends to finance candidates who have views opposite my own on campaign finance, and on things like transparency, which would (ironically) make government better. For a local example, PennLive reported last week that BGP is currently funding Eric Epstein’s and Jay Purdy’s opponents for Central Dauphin School Board, to the tune of over $8,000.And who funds BGP? According to their 2013 finance reports, a combination of people and corporations from everywhere from Middletown to Pittsburg to Florida. Major donors include PA lobbyists McNees, Wallace and Nurick; Greenlee Associates and Eckert-Seamans, and our township engineer, HRG. HRG received 7 figures worth of no-bid, no peer oversight contracts from your tax dollars. Just last year.
Here is BPG's contribution to Linda Dallago, and Chris Judd respectively.
If you live in Derry Township or CD schools and favor proactive and progressive policies make sure you show Todd, Weir, Epstein and Purdy your support. This should only serve to reinforce why we need to get out there and do more than just vote. Great Democratic candidates need people knocking on doors, making phone calls and greeting for them at the polls. At the very least share this information with those who haven't come around to voting Dem yet.
Being a committed party member is about way more than voting and maybe helping out in a Presidential year.
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