Grammy wining artist Rodney Whittenberg has written the theme song for Mary Patel's new documentary Electile Dysfunction which debuts this Wednesday April 9 at the Prince Theater, Broad and Chestnut at 7:00 PM. Order tickets at www.phillyfests.com/pff/home.cfm
Sunday, April 6, 2008
The American
End Jersey Madness!
The New Jersey League of Municipalities recently compiled an extensive report on the state's property taxes which confirmed that New Jersey has the nation's highest real estate taxes. But there's more: Of the top ten counties in the nation with the highest real estate taxes, seven are from New Jersey. Of the top 20, 12 are from New Jersey. Of the top 25, 14 are from New Jersey. Real estate taxes in Camden County New Jersey rank in the top 25 nationally. Burlington County ranks in the top 30, nationally. Gloucester County ranks in the top 30, nationally. The average annual property tax nationally is $1,742. In New Jersey it's $5,773.
Right now, Governor Corzine and the legislators in Trenton are playing the same old shell game with spending and taxes: threatening cuts to vulnerable and "showcase" services to intimidate the public while continuing to pad their own pork barrel programs; proposing draconian cuts to selected municipalities to alarm local officials and local citizens; suggesting huge increases in other taxes (such as the gasoline tax) to avoid discussing or considering real cuts in state spending and suggesting new taxes (such as local income and/or property taxes) as a way around the issue. All of these are schemes are diversions, pure and simple.
New Jersey must drastically cut the state payroll (68,000+ employees) and cut it now. Three thousand employees cut from 68,430 is a cut of barely more than four percent from a bloated workforce that needs to be cut by at least 15 or 20 percent.
Here are some other ideas:
1) Bring in leaders of private industry to find, cut and eliminate waste and mismanagement.
2) Eliminate all overtime for state workers.
3) Cut patronage jobs and multiple lifetime pensions for government jobs.
4) Eliminate all dual office holding and dual job holding in government.
5) Mandate that the state budget for the new fiscal year be fixed at a point at least 10 percent below last year's budget.
6) Penalize small towns that refuse to merge, consolidate or share services.
7) Consider privatizing some state services (such as parks) where necessary.
10) Rescind recent pay increases given to judges and other government employees.
11) Subject state workers to independent "productivity auditing." If they're not being productive, fire them.
12) Eliminate unfunded state mandates to schools and municipalities.
14) Slash state regulations and eliminate regulatory boards, wherever possible.
15) Reject expensive new programs and mandates such as the proposed family leave plan.
Right now, Governor Corzine and the legislators in Trenton are playing the same old shell game with spending and taxes: threatening cuts to vulnerable and "showcase" services to intimidate the public while continuing to pad their own pork barrel programs; proposing draconian cuts to selected municipalities to alarm local officials and local citizens; suggesting huge increases in other taxes (such as the gasoline tax) to avoid discussing or considering real cuts in state spending and suggesting new taxes (such as local income and/or property taxes) as a way around the issue. All of these are schemes are diversions, pure and simple.
New Jersey must drastically cut the state payroll (68,000+ employees) and cut it now. Three thousand employees cut from 68,430 is a cut of barely more than four percent from a bloated workforce that needs to be cut by at least 15 or 20 percent.
Here are some other ideas:
1) Bring in leaders of private industry to find, cut and eliminate waste and mismanagement.
2) Eliminate all overtime for state workers.
3) Cut patronage jobs and multiple lifetime pensions for government jobs.
4) Eliminate all dual office holding and dual job holding in government.
5) Mandate that the state budget for the new fiscal year be fixed at a point at least 10 percent below last year's budget.
6) Penalize small towns that refuse to merge, consolidate or share services.
7) Consider privatizing some state services (such as parks) where necessary.
10) Rescind recent pay increases given to judges and other government employees.
11) Subject state workers to independent "productivity auditing." If they're not being productive, fire them.
12) Eliminate unfunded state mandates to schools and municipalities.
14) Slash state regulations and eliminate regulatory boards, wherever possible.
15) Reject expensive new programs and mandates such as the proposed family leave plan.
Jewish Delegates Pivotal
A disproportionately large number of Democratic superdelegates are Jewish, and they could prove crucial in deciding whether Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama wins the party’s nomination.
Thus far 36 Jewish superdelegates have declared for Clinton, while Obama has 12 Jewish superdelegates. But 26 Jewish superdelegates are among those who are still undeclared.
“If the Democratic presidential primary comes down to a photo finish, these Jewish insiders could play an outsized role in anointing a nominee at the party’s August convention,” according to the Forward, a Jewish publication that has conducted a new survey of Jewish superdelegates.
Superdelegates are largely elected officials and party officials, and the number of Jewish politicians has grown significantly in the past half-century. In 2006, 33 Jewish candidates were elected to Congress, up from 13 in 1950, the Forward reports.
And over the past 15 years, the Democratic National Committee has had three Jewish chairs.
One of those chairs, Massachusetts-based activist Steve Grossman, is now a Clinton fundraiser. And with Obama ahead of Hillary in pledged delegates and the popular vote, Grossman has sent out an open letter to DNC members urging them not to fall in behind Obama until all state contests are concluded.
Grossman told the Forward that if the result from the disputed Florida primary is counted, and Hillary does well in upcoming primaries, the overall results would be inconclusive and it would be the responsibility of superdelegates to vote their conscience.
The Forward also notes that Hillary has personally been doing some “heavy arm-twisting” in an effort to secure Jewish superdelegates.
Thus far 36 Jewish superdelegates have declared for Clinton, while Obama has 12 Jewish superdelegates. But 26 Jewish superdelegates are among those who are still undeclared.
“If the Democratic presidential primary comes down to a photo finish, these Jewish insiders could play an outsized role in anointing a nominee at the party’s August convention,” according to the Forward, a Jewish publication that has conducted a new survey of Jewish superdelegates.
Superdelegates are largely elected officials and party officials, and the number of Jewish politicians has grown significantly in the past half-century. In 2006, 33 Jewish candidates were elected to Congress, up from 13 in 1950, the Forward reports.
And over the past 15 years, the Democratic National Committee has had three Jewish chairs.
One of those chairs, Massachusetts-based activist Steve Grossman, is now a Clinton fundraiser. And with Obama ahead of Hillary in pledged delegates and the popular vote, Grossman has sent out an open letter to DNC members urging them not to fall in behind Obama until all state contests are concluded.
Grossman told the Forward that if the result from the disputed Florida primary is counted, and Hillary does well in upcoming primaries, the overall results would be inconclusive and it would be the responsibility of superdelegates to vote their conscience.
The Forward also notes that Hillary has personally been doing some “heavy arm-twisting” in an effort to secure Jewish superdelegates.
Bigger Than Life
There was a time when Hollywood stars really were, literally and figuratively, bigger than life.Charleton Heston was of that time.
Of course he is best known for his starring roles in epics such as Ben Hur and The Ten Commandments. But few realize that his career actually began on the stage, on Broadway. In 1947, Heston got his first big break, landing the role of Caesar’s lieutenant in a Broadway production of Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra staged by Guthrie McClintick and starring Katharine Cornell.
Still, Heston's physical stature, deep, penetrating eyes, chiseled features and sheer manliness made it inevitable that Hollywood would beckon. And those of us who saw Cecil B. DeMille's The Greatest Show On Earth in 1952 knew that Heston's portrayal of a hard-driving circus boss had "star" written all over it. From that point on it was pretty much one Big Role after another. The man and the times merged as Hollywood embraced wide-screen epic drama as an answer to the power of the small screen which had come to inhabit everyone's living room.
For me, The Greatest Show On Earth started a lifelong love affair with the circus.
In the 1950s and early 60s Heston championed liberal causes and even marched with Dr. King and stood on the platform with the late civil rights leader at the historic 1963 March On Washington which culminated in the landmark "I Have A Dream" speech.
But like many of us Heston saw the Democrat Party moving further and further to the left and he eventually embraced conservative causes and the candidacy of his good friend and colleague Ronald Reagan.
Charleton Heston was a man of his times - a fully engaged artist, active citizen, leader and patriot who was never afraid to be who he was, to change his mind and to speak out and fight for what he believed in. On the Today Show this morning George Clooney and Brad Pitt were cited as modern day Charleton Hestons. But the truth is that Clooney, Pitt and Affleck together are hardly fit to polish Heston's tombstone.
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Only One
I never liked Richard M. Nixon and I never voted for him.
But the fact remains that Nixon was the last President to charge nothing for his public speaking appearances after he left the White House.
From the time he left the White House in 1974 until the time of his death in 1994, Nixon never charged a cent for his various speeches and lectures in all parts of the nation and throughout the world. And Nixon was a prolific speaker who always kept up with the issues of the day and was recognized by all as a foreign policy expert.
Nixon remains the only former President over the past 24 years to refuse to profit from his speaking engagements.
I mention this because the Clintons' just-released tax returns show that former President Bill Clinton has racked in $51 million from his speaking engagements since he left the White House in 2001. That's $51 million in little more than seven years - nearly 7.3 million per year or nearly $600,000 per month!
Bill Clinton can be a compelling speaker and goodness knows -- he LOVES to talk (especially about himself). But this is a helluva lot of money by anyone's standards.
But the fact remains that Nixon was the last President to charge nothing for his public speaking appearances after he left the White House.
From the time he left the White House in 1974 until the time of his death in 1994, Nixon never charged a cent for his various speeches and lectures in all parts of the nation and throughout the world. And Nixon was a prolific speaker who always kept up with the issues of the day and was recognized by all as a foreign policy expert.
Nixon remains the only former President over the past 24 years to refuse to profit from his speaking engagements.
I mention this because the Clintons' just-released tax returns show that former President Bill Clinton has racked in $51 million from his speaking engagements since he left the White House in 2001. That's $51 million in little more than seven years - nearly 7.3 million per year or nearly $600,000 per month!
Bill Clinton can be a compelling speaker and goodness knows -- he LOVES to talk (especially about himself). But this is a helluva lot of money by anyone's standards.
Democrats Not democratic
It turns out the democrat Party is not very democratic.
For ample evidence of this you need look no further than the unelected superdelegates who are likely to decide the Democrat Party nominee for President this year.
The RNC has created a clever, informative (and funny) site all about the superdelegates and how they can and will be manipulated in a most UNdemocratic fashion.
Of course one of those superdelegates is Joisey's own wacky Governor Jon Corzine. It seems Corzine is pledged (well, sort of pledged) to Clinto but now says he could wind switching his delegate vote to Obama. Forget that Clinton easily carried Joisey. Ya see, Joisey's Governor don't care about that, hon. He's gonna vote in what he perceives to be HIS best interest and to hell with the state.
My, my -- it must be fun to be a superdelegate: sort of like a potentate, only a bit more powerful.
For ample evidence of this you need look no further than the unelected superdelegates who are likely to decide the Democrat Party nominee for President this year.
The RNC has created a clever, informative (and funny) site all about the superdelegates and how they can and will be manipulated in a most UNdemocratic fashion.
Of course one of those superdelegates is Joisey's own wacky Governor Jon Corzine. It seems Corzine is pledged (well, sort of pledged) to Clinto but now says he could wind switching his delegate vote to Obama. Forget that Clinton easily carried Joisey. Ya see, Joisey's Governor don't care about that, hon. He's gonna vote in what he perceives to be HIS best interest and to hell with the state.
My, my -- it must be fun to be a superdelegate: sort of like a potentate, only a bit more powerful.
Friday, April 4, 2008
BetteFest!
On Saturday (4/5) in honor of the Centennial of Bette Davis' birth Turner Classic Movies will present a Davis film retrospective as follows:11:00 AM- The Bride Came C.O.D (1941)
12:45 PM - The Letter (1940)
2:30 PM- The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939)
4:30 PM - Now, Voyager (1942)
Stardust: The Bette Davis Story (2005) TCM original documentary
12:45 PM - The Letter (1940)
2:30 PM- The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939)
4:30 PM - Now, Voyager (1942)
Stardust: The Bette Davis Story (2005) TCM original documentary
8:00 PM- All About Eve (1950)
10:30 PM - Jezebel (1938)
12:30 AM - Dark Victory (1939)
2:30 AM - Dangerous (1935)
4:00 AM - Pocketful Of Miracles (1961)
10:30 PM - Jezebel (1938)
12:30 AM - Dark Victory (1939)
2:30 AM - Dangerous (1935)
4:00 AM - Pocketful Of Miracles (1961)
Tune up your video recorder and get ready for this BetteFest!
Thanks, Dale!
Yeah, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. is NASCAR Royalty.And yeah, Dale Junior's a McCain guy, too.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. has spent nearly a decade on the NASCAR circuit, where he was Busch Series champion in 1998 and 1999, before advancing to the Winston Series in 2000. He's had over 15 wins and finished in the Top 10 in 90 other races. In 2004, he won stock car racing's most famous contest, the Daytona 500.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. is a major talent. Even people who know nothing about NASCAR beyond the movie Days of Thunder have heard the name Dale Earnhardt, especially since Junior's namesake is a legend in the sport. But the younger Earnhardt is more of a rock 'n' roller than his father, and thanks to appearances in the Sheryl Crow video "Steve McQueen" and the MTV show Cribs, he's recognizable to the MTV generation.
Yep, both Dale Jr. and John McCain come from a long line of winners!
Julie To Philly
The great Julie Andrews will come to Macy's in Center City Philly on Saturday (4/5) to promote her new book, titled Home: A Memoir of My Early Years, and to receive a musical tribute from the Philadelphia Boys Choir and Choral and Peter Richard Conte at the Wanamaker Organ in Macy's Grand Court.Is there a greater Broadway star that Julie Andrews? Is there a classier star anywhere? Has any other entertainer given more joy to more people in movies, theatre, on recordings and in live performances? If you can name one, please let me know.
We last saw Julie on Broadway when she starred in Victor Victoria and she was wonderful, as always. She is a pro who understands that she always owes the audience her very best and she always delivers. But beyond all that, she's a gracious person who proves that you can be a truly Big Star and still be kind, still care about others and still know who you are and from whence you came.
Julie's memoir recreates her years before the movies, artfully revealing the story of her childhood and upbringing.
The concert salute begins at 11:30 AM and then Andrews signs her book beginning at noon. You must buy the book in advance and only the first 150 purchasers will have their copies signed by Andrews. So, hurry on over to Macy's!
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
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