Monthly Archives: December 2011

Hail Frank DiCicco!

Posted on December 29, 2011 by | Comments Off |

City governments across Pennsylvania need more pro-growth Democrats like Frank DiCicco.

Posted in Philadelphia and suburbs, The Economy Tagged ,

Carlisle Swears in First African American Tax Collector, Youngest in U.S.

Posted on December 28, 2011 by | 1 Comment |

Shortly after 5pm on Wednesday, the Borough of Carlisle made history — twice.  George T. Hicks Jr. (left) was sworn in as Borough Tax Collector, making him not only the first African American Tax Collector in Carlisle Borough history, but … More after the jump →

Posted in Budget/Taxes/Spending, Elections, Harrisburg / South Central, Miscellany

“Ready to Run” Aims to Get More Women in Office

Posted on December 28, 2011 by | 1 Comment |

Hillary Clinton. Sarah Palin. Nancy Pelosi. We all know their names, but these high-profile women obscure a sad truth: the percentage of American women holding public office remains dismally low. Today, women hold 24 percent of state legislative offices; 21 … More after the jump →

Posted in Elections

St. Luke’s Hospital Denies Benefits to Same-sex Partners

Posted on December 28, 2011 by | 10 Comments |

Carol Stevens and Beth Goudy were legally married in Iowa. St. Luke’s hospital in the Lehigh Valley has a non-discrimination policy that says it won’t deny benefits to those in protected groups, including “sexual preference, gender identity and expression.” So you’d think … More after the jump →

Posted in Civil Rights, Lehigh Valley, LGBT / Gay Rights

Anti-Muslim Bigotry Law Introduced in PA Legislature

Posted on December 27, 2011 by | 9 Comments |

Unsurprising but disgusting nonetheless. What you don’t know can most likely kill you. That’s at least the thought process behind a new bill that’ll be considered in the Legislature when it reconvenes next year. Rep. RoseMarie Swanger of Lebanon County … More after the jump →

Posted in Civil Rights Tagged

Nutty Ad Claims Bob Casey and Barack Obama Are Brothers

Posted on December 27, 2011 by | 1 Comment |

This 5-minute ad is just plain crazy. Enjoy!

Posted in 2012 - Election or End-of-days?, Elections Tagged

Following Redistricting Uproar, Harrisburg Will Probably Ignore Calls for Change

Posted on December 27, 2011 by | 2 Comments |

People are pissed about the new, unrecognizable Congressional maps, but politicians in Harrisburg have seen this before and are confident we’ll all forget their misdeeds by election time. The new map for the 2012 congressional elections , called “the worst … More after the jump →

Posted in 2012 - Election or End-of-days?, Elections Tagged ,

Just As Cell Phone Ban Starts to Work, Harrisburg Pols Rescind It

Posted on December 27, 2011 by | 1 Comment |

Two years ago, a study found that 1 in 7 drivers in Philadelphia were talking on mobile phones while driving; a recent update says that’s down to 1 in 10. But just as the law forbidding handheld usage is taking … More after the jump →

Posted in Business, Philadelphia and suburbs, Transportation

Land Value Tax Needed To Make Keystone Opportunity Zones Work

Posted on December 23, 2011 by | 3 Comments |

Stacy Brown at the conservative PA Independent site has a good piece on the bipartisan wonk opposition to the Keystone Opportunity Zone tax abatement program:

Posted in Miscellany

New Rules May Make Abortion Impossible in PA

Posted on December 23, 2011 by | 2 Comments |

A new law that regulates abortion clinics in the same way as outpatient surgery centers is poised to make legal abortions nearly impossible in Pennsylvania. The law also requires unannounced inspections of clinics, a mandate that abortion-rights supporters pressed as … More after the jump →

Posted in Health Tagged