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The most cost-effective path forward for where city offices are located

The ongoing debate regarding the fate of our current City Hall building has sparked fervent discussions among City Council members and the general public. Unfortunately, emotions and misinformation have clouded the discourse on this crucial matter. Our decision must be grounded in facts and a realistic assessment of our city’s financial condition. City Council has been, and will continue to be, fully informed of all the facts relating to this issue. In early 2020, an American with Disabilities Act (ADA) lawsuit was filed against the city in federal court. We hired a professional ADA ...

Workers — and updated e-verify law — deliver

Pennsylvania’s construction workers are some of the hardest working citizens in the nation. An excellent example came this summer when a stretch of I-95 collapsed in Philadelphia. In just 12 days, approximately 200 workers with the Philadelphia Building & Construction Trades Council had it repaired. For such an impressive workforce, our laws to protect that workforce need to be just as impressive. That is why I sponsored legislation that went into effect earlier this year – Act 141 of 2022, also known as the Public Works Employment Verification Act. The Public Works Employment ...

Labor fight in Pittsburgh exposes deep fissures within Democratic Party

PITTSBURGH — Last Monday, Philip Ameris, president of the Laborers’ District Council of Pennsylvania, was standing on Grant Street watching the members of his union march down the main thoroughfare of the annual Pittsburgh Labor Day Parade, the day’s largest such celebration anywhere in the country, when he said he saw Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey hop over the barriers and jump in to join his labor force. “So the union members march behind a truck that has a banner with our name on it, Mayor Gainey jumping in right behind our guys gives the impression that we support him and he ...

Paying too much in taxes in too convoluted of ways

We are literally taxed to death and it’s not just death taxes either. Consider the layers of taxation and the bureaucracy that goes along with it. We are taxed by the federal government on income and depending upon assets, we still have a death tax. There are import taxes, in spite of lopsided trade deals benefiting allies and enemies. Bill Clinton promised us peace and prosperity by letting China into the World Trade Organization, and all we ever see from that deal is a boat load of trouble along with cheap underwear. On the state level we have income taxes, sales taxes, inheritance ...

Big technology and little people

“Dad, what am I doing wrong?” My 16-year old daughter was flustered. She was trying to get the car the go uphill from a dead stop. She kept stalling the engine and embarrassing herself in front of other drivers. “Deep breath” is all I said. By the end of the week, she could make the car go without also making it chug and squeal. It may not appear logical. Should not the kids’ car have an automagical transmission? It would avoid lots of fuss. But that is not what my wife and I think. Kids should start on a manual transmission even as manufacturers make fewer and fewer of ...

Manmade climate change — from 97% sure to 99.9% certain

Chances are you did not hear this. Most folks still haven’t. But… MORE THAN 99.9% OF STUDIES DONE BY CLIMATE EXPERTS NOW AGREE: HUMANS ARE CAUSING CLIMATE CHANGE.” And yes,99.9% certainty is considered as close to a scientific fact as possible. This virtually universal agreement among climate scientists is based on wide-ranging research from various disciplines such as climatology, physics, chemistry, biology, and geology. Scientific climate specialists worldwide have gone from 97% to virtual unanimity that our current climate threats are caused by human beings and can be changed ...