Rendell for Governor Event Tonight

Young Professionals for Rendell

32 Lounge - 16 S. 2nd Street - Old City

Wednesday, August 30th - 6 p.m. - 8 p.m.
Open Bar from 6 p.m. – 7 p.m.

No cover - drink specials

Friday Agricultural Factoid: Four Days Late

According to the PA Department of Agriculture, snap beans are a $6 million industry in the Commonwealth. In 2005, 9,500 acres of snap beans were planted in harvested. Snap beans rank 6th nationally in annual production at 27,380 tons.

Friday Agricultural Factoid: On Time!

According to the Commonwealth's Department of Agriculture, peaches contribute $19 million to Pennsylvania’s economy. In 2005, 4,500 acres of peaches were harvested and we rank 5th nationally in annual peach production at 23,000 tons.

Mike Nutter on Taxes

Candidate for Mayor Mike Nutter has an op-ed in the City Paper discussing his position on taxes that is worth reading. Here are two notable excerpts:

"The negative effects of Philadelphia's tax laws on job growth are about as scientifically certain as the effects of global warming, having been recently documented in studies from the Philadelphia Federal Reserve, the Pennsylvania Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority and the Philadelphia Tax Reform Commission."

"Because of our tax laws, we don't have enough good living-wage jobs in this city. Because of our uncompetitive tax system, we don't have enough money to invest in affordable housing, to provide more afterschool programs for our children, or to offer the hope of quality education and employment opportunities to the thousands of young men and women who drop out of school or don't go to college. Creating jobs, providing quality education and investing in our citizens would significantly reduce crime and violence in our city. That is why I care about tax policy."

Pennsylvania Becoming a Major Player in International Trade

Acccording to Governor Renell's Office, Pennsylvania jumped over five other states last year in the volume of goods exported to other countries. According to the federal government, Pennsylvania companies increased exports by $4 billion in 2005 to $22.3 billion, or a 20-percent increase in total exports. Further, since 2002, Pennsylvania has experienced the largest rise in exports among U.S. states at 41 percent. We now rank ninth among states in the total dollar value of exports, up from 14th last year.

Michael A. Nutter Denounces Drug Testing on Prison Inmates

August 14 - Philadelphia - Mayoral candidate Michael A. Nutter today denounced a recommendation by a Federal panel that would remove most limits on drug testing on prison inmates.

“We should be offering drug rehab to prisoners, not drug testing,” stated Nutter. “These recommendations, if implemented, could return us to the days when experiments were performed on prisoners at Holmesburg Prison, and the Tuskegee Experiments, which conducted syphilis testing on African American males in Alabama during the 1930s.” Nutter issued his statement in response to a front-page story in Sunday’s New York Times, which reported the recommendations by the Institute of Medicine at the National Academy of Sciences. The Times reports that the discussion occurs during a time in which the biomedical industry is facing a shortage of subjects. Current regulations, passed in 1978, prohibit testing of prisoners, except where the experiment poses “minimal” risks.

“This is about one thing, taking advantage of a vulnerable population – mostly black men,” stated Nutter. “The City should refuse to allow drug companies to use its citizens for this purpose. It is completely immoral.” Nutter suggested that “If drug companies really want to help prisoners, as they claim, they should provide funding for job training and medical services that the prisoners truly need.”

Prior to 1978, experiments were conducted at Holmesburg State Prison, a facility run by the City of Philadelphia. At least one former prisoner reached a settlement with the city after he sued for damages caused by these experiments.

Michael A. Nutter is a candidate for mayor of the City of Philadelphia. For more information about Michael, visit www.nutterformayor.com.

Rendell Way Ahead in Recent Poll

According to a Quinnipiac University poll released today, Governor Ed Rendell has a 57-38 percent lead among likely voters over Lynn Swann a political neophyte with no governmentmanagementt experience. 4 percent were undecided.

Housing Sales Price Growth Strong in the Northeast

According to the National Association of Realtors recently released report on home sale trends for the second quarter of 2006, the strongest increases were in the Northeast where the median resale single-family home price in the second quarter was $299,200, up 6.3 percent from a year ago. The Philadelphia metro area was at $235,100, up 11.4 percent. Calm down everybody, calm the heck down.

Philadelphia Office of Fleet Management Done Good

From yesterday's Philadelphia Inquirer:

Wireless Philadelphia isn't the only program giving the city some buzz these days. The city's Office of Fleet Management ought to be clinking champagne glasses, too.

Two years ago, there was a lot of griping when then-City Managing Director Phil Goldsmith started swiping cars from commissioners and lower-level bureaucrats as a way to save money. In all, 329 "underutilized" city vehicles were sold, saving taxpayers $1.7 million a year. But the officials at fleet management didn't stop there. Faced with budget pressures, they came up with a program in which the city now partners with nonprofit PhillyCarShare, enabling employees to "borrow" cars from nearby parking garages whenever they need them. It's more fuel efficient, more cost effective - and so creative that the vehicle-sharing program was named one of 18 national finalists for the Innovations in American Government Awards, which are overseen by the Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government. "To be honest with you, it was a little disappointing that we didn't win. I think we would have made a push for publicity if we had," said Robert Fox, the department's administrative-services director and one of the brains behind the program. Out of 1,000 entries, seven won $100,000 each. Philadelphia and the other finalists "got an 'attaboy' with a nice certificate," Fox said. But his office also got this: the distinction of making Philadelphia the first government in North America to reduce its fleet by partnering with a local car-sharing provider.

Friday Agricultural Factoid: Three Days Late

According to the Commonwealth's Dept. of Agriculture, Pennsylvania is home to more than 1,000 farmers markets. The local fruits and vegetables grown and sold at farmers markets across Pennsylvania generate over $50 million in annual revenues.

GPTMC Wins Awards

The Travel Industry of America has announced that the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation has won three of eight 2006 Odyssey Awards. Nobody has ever won multiple Odyssey Awards in the same year. Awards are presented to tourism agencies that have demonstrated originality, creativity and effectiveness, with notable, measurable results.

Rendell = Open Space Preservation

Governor Rendell recently announced that $212 million has been committed for more than 236 projects in the first year of the innovative Growing Greener II initiative, including projects that will clean up streams, expand open space, preserve farmland, invest in state and community park improvements and redevelop communities.

Friday Agricultural Factoid: Three Days Late

According to the PA Department of Agriculture, vegetables contribute more than $99 million to our state’s economy. Pennsylvania is home to 3,500 vegetable growers who manage 50,000 acres of crops and produce more than 240,000 tons of vegetables for fresh and processing use.

Smart Places to Live in PA

Pittsburgh is #9 on the list of "50 Smart Places to Live," a ranking of American cities released May 8, 2006 by Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine and published in the June 2006 issue. The magazine looked for places that combine affordability and livability. To make the list, a city had to score well in a number of areas, including housing prices, cost of living, economic vitality, education, health care, the local arts scene and recreational facilities. The Pennsylvania cities that made the list and their ranking are as follows: (9) Pittsburgh; (12) Harrisburg; (19) State College; (22) Philadelphia; (37) Lancaster.