Philadelphia Daily Record

Vol. II No. 198 (358)

Keeping You Posted With The Politics Of Philadelphia

December 12, 2011

Philadelphia Daily Record

High Pa. Society

THREE WINNERS in high-stakes games of Penna. politics shared a moment at Waldorf Astoria Sunday as Penna. Society’s annual get-together swung into high gear. Photo by Bonnie Squires. More pics beginning page 4

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The Philadelphia Public Record Calendar

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Dec. 15Berean Institute Christmas Open House at 1901 W. Girard Ave., 5-9 p.m. For info (215) 763-4833.

Dec. 15Christmas Celebration in 6300 block Germantown Ave., 6-7 p.m.

Corporate and community donations welcome! For more info, to make a donation, A. Neal (215) 438-1768 or A. Alexander (215) 844-9345.

Dec. 15Join Stephanie Singer for an evening of political comedy at “This Is the Week that Is”, 1812 Productions’ yearly political satire.

Tickets, $20, cover cost of theater ticket, plus a donation of any size (from $1 up to the legal individual maximum of $2,600). For info John Barber (484) 469-0633.

Dec. 17Volunteers needed to help wrap gifts for Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell’s Christmas Holiday Party for Homeless. Join her in City Hall Rm. 401, 9 a.m. Call to sign up (215) 686-3418.

Dec. 17Phila. Federation of Young Republicans hosts Christmas Party at Liberties, 705 N. 2nd St., 3-7 p.m.

Tickets $20.

Dec. 17Committee to Elect Brett Mandel hosts Auld Lang Syne cocktail reception at 2303 Lombard St., 6-8 p.m. Contributions $100 to $1,000. For info www.brettmandel.com.

Dec. 17Black Professionals Christmas Party at African American Museum, 7th & Arch Sts., 8 p.m.-1 a.m. $50 includes live music, entertainment. For info Earl Harvey (267) 244-3860.

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Dec. 17N.W. Futures PAC Christmas Bash at 5547 Germantown Ave., 9 p.m.1 a.m. $20. BYOB. For info Derek S. Green, Esq., (216) 205-4988.

Dec. 20Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell hosts City’s homeless at her annual Christmas Party at Pennsylvania Convention Ctr., 3-7 p.m.

Dec. 29Friends of Council Majority Leader-Elect Curtis Jones hosts “Black Out Party” at 4130 Main St., next to Manayunk Brewery, 8 p.m.-1 a.m. Dress in black. VIP Cocktail 6-8 p.m. $1,000 host, $500 sponsor, $250 VIP, $50 general admission, guest. For info Dorian Stanley (732) 642-2163.

Dec. 30Kwanzaa Dinner & Show fundraiser to send 50 students to Africa at Imhotep Charter HS, 6201 N. 21st St.,7-11 p.m. Tickets $40; seniors and children under 12, $30. For info Maisha Sullivan (215) 385-0214.

Jan. 2Inaugural celebration for Jewell Williams, Sheriff of Phila., at Horizons Rooftop Ballrm., Sheraton Hotel, 17th & Race Sts. Attire: boots and denim, and party gear.

RSVP JewellWilliams2011@gmail.com.

Jan. 3- S. Phila. Tea Party meeting at Prudential Savings Bank, entrance from parking lot in rear, 1834 Oregon Ave., 7 p.m. Guest speaker. All invited.

Apr. 262012 Centennial Pk. Celebration honoring Joseph Manko, Ryan Howard and Vanguard at Phila.

Horticultural Ctr., Montgomery Ave. & N. Horticultural Dr., 6 p.m.

For tickets, etc. Arthur (215) 9889341.

THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY RECORD

Gov. Corbett Comments On Mumia Gov. Tom Corbett issued the following statement convicted killer Mumia Abu-Jamal’s address to his supporters by telephone from prison Friday night.

marking the 30th anniversary of his brutal crime by trying to victimize the widow, family, friends and colleagues of Officer Daniel Faulkner,” Corbett said.

“Convicted cop-killer and selfpromoter Mumia Abu-Jamal is

“This is a telephone call AbuJamal makes every year. Under

prison rules, he has the right to make a phone call. Under the rules of decency, we have the right to ignore him. Having escaped the death penalty, let him now spend his remaining days in deserved obscurity.”

Casey To Apple: Shut Down App That Makes Fake Driver’s Licenses US Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) has called on Apple to shut down an application that allows people to create fake driver’s licenses. In a letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook, the Senator said this app could facilitate law-breaking by allowing criminals to create a new identity, steal someone else’s identity or permit underage youth to appear 18 or 21.

“Applications shouldn’t facilitate law-breaking, which is exactly what this app does. Apple should shut it down immediately,” Casey said. “Pennsylvania just took a major step toward making our licenses more secure and an applica-

tion like this undermines that effort. This app could allow criminals to deceive authorities or enable children to purchase tobacco or alcohol illegally.”

DriversEd.com’s “Driver’s License” application for Apple products is marketed as a game for users to create “realistic driver’s licenses from any state.” In his letter to Apple, Casey argued such an application could ease deception by criminals or underage teens.

Additionally, the ability to so easily create a fake driver’s license could contribute to the rising problem of identity theft. On the application’s reviews, several users

commented these fake driver’s licenses have worked for them.

“While identity fraud is not a new problem, the use of readily available technology to facilitate this crime is of particular concern,” wrote Casey. “By assisting in the creation of counterfeit driver’s licenses, ‘License’ threatens to ease deception by criminals and contribute to the rising problem of identity theft. Given these risks, I request that you remove this application from the App Store immediately, as well as any other available applications that allow users to create, steal or alter false identities.”

Toomey Enters Bill To Stop European Bailout US Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) cosponsored the No More IMF Bailouts Act Dec. 6 to end taxpayer-funded bailouts of European countries.

The legislation would rescind the $108 billion in additional bailout authority given to the IMF in the 2009 war supplemental appropria-

tions bill (HR 2346, Title XIV). It prohibits US loans to the IMF for EU countries until they meet a 60% debt-to-GDP ratio (their own former standard for fiscal discipline).

It also states the sense of Congress that it should not approve legislation to implement the 2010 IMF

decision doubling the US’ yearly contribution “With our out of control deficits and struggling economy, we need to focus on restoring fiscal responsibility in Washington,” Toomey said. “The last thing we should be doing is spending taxpayer dollars to bail out fiscally irresponsible

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THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY RECORD European countries. The No More IMF Bailouts Act is needed to help

protect taxpayer dollars from foreign bailouts.”

Pa. Society Movers & Shakers Skip From Party To Party

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PHILADELPHIADAILYRECORD.COM •

FRIDAY-NIGHT Blank Rome reception at InterContinental Hotel, across street from Waldorf, is always a jam-packed affair. Darrell Clarke, incoming President of Philadelphia City Council, beams as Controller Alan Butkovitz congratulates him. Photos by Bonnie Squires

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GOV. ED RENDELL is a fixture at Blank Rome event. Here he greets Comcast VP Karen Buchholz and Mary Dougherty of Nicole Miller fame.

CHOP CEO Dr. Steven Altschuler welcomes Wistar CEO Dr. Russel Kaufman and his wife Jane. • PHILADELPHIADAILYRECORD.COM

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THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY RECORD

Eleanor Dezzi, a founder of the Genevieve Society, Bonnie Squires, member and one of the event’s sponsors, Judith Mondre, and Rev. Bonnie Camarda, both members, were delighted with the attendance at their Waldorf reception.

Hughes: Marcellus Shale Plan Must Hold Industry Accountable NATURAL-GAS drilling regulations and revenues being considered by General Assembly Republicans are woefully inadequate, charges State Sen. Vincent Hughes DEMOCRATIC MEASURES to extract more revenues from Marcellus Shale production have been defeated so far. But rival Republican measures have not yet been reconciled. Sen. Hughes urges debate to continue.

by State Sen. Vincent Hughes For years, the General Assembly has struggled to pass a much-needed natural-gas drilling impact fee. We have discussed and debated an impact fee combined with critical environmental regulations for Marcellus Shale, only to come up short. The recently approved impact fee legislative plans that were passed in the state Senate and the House also fall woefully short, amounting to a missed opportunity, likely never to be seen again.

The overall product of the separate pieces of legislation (SB 1100 and HB 1950) approved in the Senate and the House were disappointing, to say the least.

The proposal my Senate Democratic colleagues and I recommended was far better than either bill approved in the Republican-controlled House and Senate. The Senate Democratic plan would have raised significantly 6|

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THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY RECORD

new job opportunities for infrastructure, energy and economic investments and instead adopts an embarrassingly low tax rate that falls far short of our needs.

While there are concepts in SB that are worthy of support,

1100

there are also many areas where the legislation is deficient. SB 1100 provides a paltry $14 million in the first year for environmental programs – well short of the minimum $75 million goal that was suggested by respected environmental groups. I fought to bolster funding by amending SB 1100, but was once again blocked by Senate Republicans.

Unfortunately, the minimal fee stipulated by SB 1100 and the totally inadequate fee proposal contained in the House plan (HB 1950) would leave us far short of the funding needed to make a real difference. In stark contrast, by 2014 our Senate Democratic alternative would have supported $750 million in additional infrastructure investment compared to the meager Republican plans.

HB 1950 would impose the 3rdlowest effective tax rate among all

more revenue and implemented stronger environmental protections while protecting local zoning authority. Unfortunately, this proposal was voted down. The Republican legislation squanders our best chance to create

31 shale producing states. SB 1100 would be the 5th-lowest tax rate.

The Senate Democrats proposal would put Pennsylvania at 7th lowest among all states.

The Republicans argued levying a more-robust fee on the industry would cause them to drill elsewhere. However, states frequently referenced as alternatives to Pennsylvania for drilling – Texas and West Virginia – have much-higher effective rates on natural-gas production than the rate proposed by Senate Democrats. Moreover, New York has a drilling moratorium in place until environmental studies are performed, while the Ohio legislature has two bills pending that would do likewise.

Senate Democrats had high hopes for a plan that would responsibly regulate and tax the shale industry.

We were reasonable and open minded in our negotiations and

tried to be balanced in our approach. Our efforts were rebuffed

by Senate Republicans.

However, this fight is not over. We will have other opportunities to improve the bill before it reaches the governor’s desk. The bottom line is we must ask more from this industry.

The Marcellus Shale plan should do three things: protect Pennsylvania’s environment and its people; generate adequate revenue; and give local government the ability to protect their communities. Anything less than that is unacceptable.

I urge you all to contact your local State Representative, Senator and the Governor to voice your concerns and displeasure regarding this industry-driven half measure.

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THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY RECORD

Williams Salutes Tuskegee Airman

STATE SEN. ANTHONY H. WILLIAMS presents Julius Jackson of Yeadon, an Army Air Corps veteran of World War II, with a Senate citation in gratitude for his service to our country prior to a Dec. 8 Senate panel discussion on workforce solutions for returning service members. Jackson was one of the trailblazing Tuskegee Airmen, first African American military aviators in US Armed Forces.

City Plan For Natural Hazards Begins To Form The Managing Director’s Office of Emergency Management invites the public to learn about the Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan being developed for Philadelphia. Phase One of the plan will be rolled out on Thursday, Dec. 15, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at The Salvation Army Corps’ Roxborough Community Center, 6730 Ridge Avenue. (Snow date will be Saturday, Dec. 17 at 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.)

Between 5:30 and 6:00 p.m., residents will view a series of poster displays featuring the natural hazards. OEM will provide a brief presentation about the development of the Hazard Mitigation 8|

Plan at 6:30 p.m. After the presentation, residents will have more time to review the poster displays and provide their feedback and concerns about natural hazards in their community.

Phase One of the Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan will address a comprehensive list of natural hazards – droughts, floods, extreme temperatures, earthquakes, wind storms and tornadoes, hurricanes and tropical storms, Nor’easters, and severe winter storms – that may impact Philadelphia. The purpose of the Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan is to reduce or eliminate long-term risks to human

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life or property from natural disasters through cost-effective and sustained mitigation actions.

“We welcome the public to join us on Dec. 15 to offer their thoughts about the natural hazards of concern to them and businesses in their community,” said Deputy Managing Director for Emergency Management Liam O’Keefe.

OEM will hold a series of meetings from mid-December through mid-February throughout Philadelphia to roll out the various phases of the Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan. Additional phases of the plan will focus on risk assessments of the natural hazards, as well as

THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY RECORD identifying short and long-term mitigation strategies for reducing risks associated with the natural hazards.

The public is encouraged to visit www.phila.gov/ready to: • Find more information about natural hazards that can affect Philadelphia; • Obtain a listing of future public meetings about the plan;

• Learn how to prepare for natural hazards; and • Sign up for emergency text alerts from ReadyNotifyPA The public can submit comments about the plan through several options:

sending an email to oem@phila.gov or calling 3-1-1 to request a copy of the Natural Hazards Plan Questionnaire.

Questionnaires must be completed and submitted to the Office of Emergency Management by Feb. 16, 2012.

The public can submit comments about the plan by attending a public meeting and completing a Natural Hazards Plan Questionnaire,

Santa’s Elves Are Laborers

GIVING BACK TO ALL members’ families every year, Laborers’ Local 57 arranges for Santa to visit union hall in Northern Liberties. Jolly fellow has a snug Laborers’ hoodie for every member and a toy for every member’s child. Joining Santa before tree are Secretary-Treasurer Mike Carfagno, 2nd from left; Business Mgr. Walt Higgins, 3rd from left; and President Stanley Sanders, right.

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