It was a hot Friday night in August. It's when most people wind down at the end of a hard week. Not exactly the kind of weather or time to encourage political debate. But over 100 people crammed into Unitarian Universalist Church's hot basement to hear perhaps the best political forum I've ever witnessed. It inspired me to produce the four-part series you saw last week. More importantly, it attracted four cosponsors to State Representative Dave Parker's reform bill to establish an independent commission devoid of politicos to draw the boundary lines in legislative and congressional districts.
Two of the cosponsors - Steve Samuelson and Bob Freeman - have supported redistricting reform for sometime. In fact, Samuelson was at the forum. But another two - Mike Schlossberg and Justin Simmons - were totally unexpected.
Kudos to them both.
FairDistrictPa plans to hold additional forums in other parts of the state. I suggested Cumberland or Dauphin County, where many communities have enacted a resolution calling on the state legislature to enact redistricting reform. I would invite State Representatives and State Senators to attend.
To the partisans who argue that they don't want to give up an advantage to the "enemy," that's just dumb thinking. Pennsylvania now has a Democratic Supreme Court, and they can effectively undermine any redistricting plan, for good reason or bad.
Democrats can and most certainly will play the game, too, if given half a chance.
Updated 10:40 am: Make That Five New Cosponsors! - State Rep.Dan McNeill has now signed on to Dave Parker's gerrymander reform bill, bringing the total number of new cosponsors to five since the forum last Friday.
18 comments:
"...Democrats can and most certainly will play the game, too, if given half a chance..."
Then the Democrats can wait their turn when they control the legislature. Sorry.
Seeing there are no less than TWO Bill White columns in The Morning Call today about this subject, and you blogged all last week about his topic, there seems to be a coordinated Democratic Agenda with regards to Redistricting "reform".
I wonder how much we'd hear about this if the Democrats controlled the legislature ?
Mcall.com website on my mobile phone, is the only website site I get pop-up Ad's and not able to get out of unless I go into settings history and clear, pain in the ass. So what does Bill white have to say outside of what boh has to say?
Just stop with the whole Democrats can wait/Shoe on the other foot/Me first thinking. If you end the process now, you end it, and no party will ever have "the advantage" of building and selecting a political map that tilts things in their favor.
The political pendulum swings both ways and there will always be ebbs and flows in the population and related importance of many social and economic issues. We have a two party system and that system works best when they are in balance. Think long term, 25, 50, 100 years down the line and the favor we'll be doing for our children, grand children and generations to come.
Scott of Nazareth
Bill White might still be a Republican, and I am not exactly a darling of the Democratic party, but you got me. You're right. We did coordinate, but your reasons reasons are all wrong. We're actually aliens, and the next story from either one of us is a signal to our Overlords from Krepta that the invasion may commence.
It works best when the democrats get their way, they have had the momentum on their agenda since WW2, the republicans hold the line while they are in office, then dems get in and advance their Marxist, socialist agenda, this pattern has been repeated for years. the republicans in Pa. have not changed anything, but they have held the line. So this is now unacceptable, they want to keep pushing the country and the state to the left, without even a pause. I for one will vote against any republican that would vote for this. Republicans are always willing to compromise, Democrats have not really given up anything in decades. There have been no cuts to the spending in Pa., the budget has expanded every year under both parties, What more do you want?
It is like the robber, who says "Give me all of your money", and you say no way, then the robber say ok, I will compromise, just give me half your money and I will let you alone forever. This is the kind of compromise we see from democrats, next year they will be back for the other half and maybe let you keep half of that, this applies to your money, your guns, you freedom to do most anything.It is always one side that needs to be giving. Have any democrats cut taxes or regulation since Kennedy, enough, no more compromise on anything.
Ray, There you go with the "us v. them" mentality again. Last week, we were at war, and you warned against giving in to the "enemy." Now you claim you are always willing to compromise. You mention compromise. I'd trade you voterID for an independent commission. Deal?
Sorry, I missed your second comment, in which you take back your pledge to compromise.
All you have to do is look at Wolf. It's his way or no way. There is no compromise with Democrats. Now they are pissed because they can't reapportion districts so they can pack the legislature with members of their party.
You want to control the process? then the solution is to become popular with the voters and then they'll elect you.
Bill White, btw is hardly a Republican. He's a blue Democrat through and through. He's as bias as anyone at the Morning Call.
Sorry, I was not clear, I said Republicans are willing to compromise, that is the problem, no compromise on any is what I believe is necessary, Yes it is, us vs them, anyone who thinks otherwise, is either a fool or not paying attention. Democrats have never given anything ,all they do is take.
Yes to voter ID, no to the commission, this is how that would work, voter id would be voted in, and some Democratic judge would declare it unconstitutional, the commission would stand forever and be packed with liberal members. I am very cynical at this point.
10.42
"Have any democrats cut taxes or regulation since Kennedy"
the Obama stimulus package was one third tax cuts.
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2010/feb/10/jon-stewart/stewart-claims-stimulus-bill-one-third-tax-cuts/
and voiced on fox no less.
@11:42 Tax cuts on whom? I didn't see any.
Come to think of it. What happened to all that "shovel ready" money ?
12.05
try
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Recovery_and_Reinvestment_Act_of_2009
Tax incentives for individuals[edit]
Total: $237 billion
$116 billion: New payroll tax credit of $400 per worker and $800 per couple in 2009 and 2010. Phaseout begins at $75,000 for individuals and $150,000 for joint filers.[25]
$70 billion: Alternative minimum tax: a one-year increase in AMT floor to $70,950 for joint filers for 2009.[25]
$15 billion: Expansion of child tax credit: A $1,000 credit to more families (even those that do not make enough money to pay income taxes).
$14 billion: Expanded college credit to provide a $2,500 expanded tax credit for college tuition and related expenses for 2009 and 2010. The credit is phased out for couples making more than $160,000.
$6.6 billion: Homebuyer credit: $8,000 refundable credit for all homes bought between January 1, 2009, and December 1, 2009, and repayment provision repealed for homes purchased in 2009 and held more than three years. This only applies to first-time homebuyers.[38]
$4.7 billion: Excluding from taxation the first $2,400 a person receives in unemployment compensation benefits in 2009.
$4.7 billion: Expanded earned income tax credit to increase the earned income tax credit — which provides money to low income workers – for families with at least three children.
$4.3 billion: Home energy credit to provide an expanded credit to homeowners who make their homes more energy-efficient in 2009 and 2010. Homeowners could recoup 30 percent of the cost up to $1,500 of numerous projects, such as installing energy-efficient windows, doors, furnaces and air conditioners.
$1.7 billion: for deduction of sales tax from car purchases, not interest payments phased out for incomes above $250,000.
I for one welcome our Krepta overlords
Justin Simmons is my representative and I just love him. I truly believe that whenever Dent or Browne retire, he should run for their spots. No other elected officials can hold a candle to him in the Lehigh Valley.
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