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City/County Archive
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Capitalism: The Cure Not The Problem
The political climate of this country is full of tension and anger. Whether one considers themselves to be on the left, right, or something else altogether, they are undoubtedly fed up with this current system. There is no better display of these emotions than the current Occupy movement, now spreading across the country and the [...] -
Free Speech Rights Under Constant Threat
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” Considering our audience, perhaps it seems unnecessary to quote what is [...] -
Letter to the Editor: “Government Initiates Force”
Whether or not the famous aphorism “Government is not reason, it is not eloquence – it is force” has been correctly attributed to George Washington, it may be a good thing to keep in mind, in the aftermath of the charges and countercharges about incivility in political discourse. Virtually everything the government does requires the [...] -
Mayor Seeks to Reach Young People Through Defunct Commission
Last semester, I took in a Student Government Board meeting at the University of Pittsburgh to see what all the outgoing members were doing. Not covered in The Pitt News, former SGB President Charlie Shull touched on his goings-on with the Pittsburgh Student Government Council, the year-old confederation of area college student governments that meet to [...] -
New Pension Plan An Affront to City Residents
In December, the Publius Foundation released a briefing outlining our position on the City of Pittsburgh pension fund issue. At the time, our position focused on the proposal to use a long term lease of city-controlled parking assets to secure the required funds to avoid a state takeover of the pension fund. The Publius Foundation [...] -
Requiring Referendum on Property Tax Increases a Good Idea
Pittsburgh City Councilman Ricky Burgess introduced a bill yesterday requiring that city voters approve future property tax increases, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported. With city property taxes in 2010 estimated at $127,118,000 or 28 percent of Pittsburgh’s 2010 operating budget, Burgess’s proposal targets the City’s main method of raising revenue and would, if enacted, give city [...] -
True Privatization of Parking Assets Could Benefit City and Residents
As the City of Pittsburgh has discussed a solution to its underfunded pension fund, both Mayor Luke Ravenstahl and City Council continue to cite the plan to lease city controlled parking assets. Despite offering different methods, the end result is often the plan being relayed to the public as a “privatization” of those parking assets. [...] -
Pittsburgh Considering Bailout of Luxury Retailer
In order to keep retailer Saks Fifth Avenue Downtown, Pittsburgh is preparing to offer the store low-interest loans and free “façade funding,” the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported. Calling Saks Fifth Avenue “an important business for our Downtown,” the Urban Redevelopment Authority is in negotiations to offer Saks Fifth Avenue what amounts to free money. Indeed, the façade [...] -
Anti-Abortion Group Strikes Blow Against Property Rights
Anti-abortion activists sought and received an injunction last week against a 2008 city ordinance making it illegal to attach leaflets or other literature to unattended cars, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported. Councilman Bruce Kraus said he sponsored the ordinance in response to the significant amount of litter created, especially along East Carson Street, by businesses and [...] -
Local News In Brief
State Funds Used to Revitalize Upper-Middle Class Neighborhood “Last night, officials cut the ribbon on a $737,000 revitalization project along Washington Road [in Mt. Lebanon], designed to add a touch of parkland and performance space to the businesses, offices and residences Uptown.” (PG, 10-2-10) The Commonwealth contributed $341,809 in Department of Community and Economic Development grants to [...]