Gotta admit... this is ballsy (The Next Mayor)

Chaka Fattah's latest press release.

During Monday's debate, Fattah said that he is so committed to expanding funding for after school programs that he would be willing to cut in other areas of the city's budget or consider raising taxes to do so.

Philadelphia Safe and Sound estimates that 100,000 Philadelphia young people have no place to after school. According to FBI statistics, 47 percent of violent juvenile crimes take place on weekdays between the hours of 2:00 P.M. and 8:00 P.M.

"My opponents want fiscally irresponsible tax cuts for wealthy businesses. I want after school programs for every child. The choice is clear," Fattah said.

You gotta give Fattah credit. He's sticking to his plan, even in the face of what is, politically, the very dangerous territory of dicussing tax increases in the nation's highest (or 2nd highest depending on what measure you look at) taxed city. I can admire it. In many ways I can even agree with it but as a campaign strategy... I don't know if I'd do the same.

Thoughts?

Comments (11)

Anonymous:

Fattah must live in Seinfeld's bizzaro world if he thinks RAISING taxes is the remedy Philly needs. I'm all for fair and adequate taxation, but let's get real. We already have enough trouble keeping businesses and citizens here. The last thing we need is even more incentives for incomes and jobs to leave. I work in the suburbs and could save a lot of money if I moved out of the city. If Fattah raises my taxes even more, I'd be a fool to stay. It's amazing how that concept escapes Fattah.

Posted by Anonymous | May 9, 2007 5:12 PM

Aardhart

Sticking to his plan? Not!

Which plan is he sticking to? Staying positive? Nope. Stop and Frisk? Who knows. Cutting Taxes? Nope.

Fattah spoke of the need to lower taxes at several of the debates. He was sounding more tax-cutting than any of the other candidates. Now, he derides the notion of cutting taxes that he said we needed.

He is trying to play both sides of the tax issue and both sides of stop and frisk. Fattah is showing pathetic, random, desperate attempts to pander to voters by saying anything that might appeal to any of them

Posted by Aardhart | May 9, 2007 6:04 PM

Jill:

Fattah would empty the City's checking account in a nanosecond. The types of problems that we experienced at the end of the Wilson Goode administration would revisit the City on a much larger scale.

Good intentions with no plan to reduce taxes and create growth will ruin Philadelphia.

Once again, it is clear that Chaka just doesn't get it.

Posted by Jill | May 9, 2007 6:24 PM

fran9480:

This has been my issue with Fattah throughout the campaign. The statistic is compelling, why what are the underlying facts? Why do they have no place to go? I would even ask, what is the definition of "no place to go?"

Fattah seems to want to skip over the difficult questions in favor of more funding. I don't dispute that more funding may be necessary, but make the case.

Posted by fran9480 | May 9, 2007 8:04 PM

Catherine:

Well…Fattah’s statistic is interesting, and gee…okay raise taxes fix schools, or lower taxes and fix them, or uh, yeah, just fix schools. Fattah wants to “expand funding for school programs” and provide places for youth to go during those problem times…but I don’t see real clarity on what programs will be expanded, or what places will be created. Or how he intends to do this without increasing the City’s tax burden, which is already high. Hell - we almost lost Tastykake, and if it wasn’t for tax breaks at the Navy Yard, they would be headed to Delaware or Montgomery County. How many more businesses have to leave before the facts start to penetrate Mr. Fattah's brain.

Brady’s initiative for schools can be summed up in four words, “Safety, Accountability, Smaller Classes”. Another plan, After School Education: Better Students, Safer Neighborhoods has statistics similar to what Fattah presented, stats which were at least looked up and delved in to. Brady outlines facts regarding youth having large amounts of unsupervised time. Brady’s plans include:

$5,000,000 increase in after school funds within the Philadelphia Department of Recreation;
Serve an additional 15,000 children;
Offer after school education at all 150 City recreation center, currently 90 offer ;
Partner with private organizations and businesses to sponsor City recreation centers.

Brady also recognizes the importance of appropriately policing our schools as is demonstrated in his School Police Deployment plan In this plan, Brady lays out how as mayor his office would

Restore the Philadelphia School Police to a minimum of 525 officers;
Require that all new full-time School Police Officers receive better training and are held to higher standards than “per-diem” officers;
Immediately redeploy the most experienced officers to schools with a documented history of violence;
Guarantee that there is at least one full-time School Police Officer deployed at every Philadelphia Public School; and
Coordinate School Police Officer and Philadelphia Police Department deployments so that every school campus provides a safe environment before the openings and closings of the school day.

Brady’s ideas I can understand and get behind. Fattah’s plan is a recipe for fiscal disaster, raise taxes / fix things / go bankrupt. We’ve been through this once before, remember Wilson Goode?

Nutter’s got his Stop and Frisk idea which, in theory, is useful. But I simply do not understand how stop and frisk tactics create a positive relationship with the community. It appears to me the “Stop and Frisk” environment would worsen the lack of communication and trust. We need to view “stop and frisk” through the lens of “stop snitchin”, and see how it could hinder more than it helps.

Brady wants to reinvest in community policing, so officers are no longer seen as outsiders to be shunned, but welcome, known, friends of the community. Relationships would improve police intel, and prosecutions would be more effective. Evidence would be less likely to be tossed out given the higher standards needed to search. I’d rather continue living somewhere I can talk to my police and not have to fear them. I’d rather an officer who approaches me, says “hi” and talks to me, even if I am goofy lookin.

Posted by Catherine | May 9, 2007 9:38 PM

karen:

If Fattah is considering raising taxes if his airport scheme falls through, doesn’t he have a responsibility to let the voters know which taxes he will raise?

Posted by karen | May 9, 2007 9:56 PM

sj:

Fattah is becoming a master flip flopper on the issues. He is totally contradicting his policy papers.

Posted by sj | May 10, 2007 8:58 AM

seand:

Expanding our economy is the most reliable way to expand our tax base to support social services. The Philadelphia region as a whole is growing jobs, the city of Philly by most accounts is either losing jobs or flatlining. Attacking Nutter's record on carefully aimed business tax cuts ultimately hurts job growth and the city's ability to fund future social services - i.e. it is anti-poor.

There is reason why there are lots of coporate offices on one side of City Ave. (Montco) and mostly tax exempt non-profits on the other (Philly).

Posted by seand | May 10, 2007 9:38 AM

Ugh, when did Fattah start smokin' the pixie dust?

Posted by Anonymous | May 10, 2007 10:06 AM

DJ:

His press person might want to proofread his press releases before making them public. Forgot the word "go" in second paragraph, first sentence.

Posted by DJ | May 10, 2007 2:42 PM

Bill:

Only a liberal would call Fattah considering a tax increase "gutsy" or "ballsy." I call it ridiculous.

Posted by Bill | May 13, 2007 1:10 AM

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