DAILY GRINDER: British, Keno, Online Games May Help Gov. Corbett Privatize Lottery
Gov. Tom Corbett wants to privatize the lottery—and what could possibly go wrong? Especially when a British Firm, called Camelot Global Services, wants in, and the governor seems ready to outsource in the name of killing union jobs. That company is guaranteeing nearly $34 billion to the state over the next 20 years if we allow them to invade Pennsylvania (as...
Continue ReadingDAILY GRINDER: Philadelphians Uglier Than Ever, Apparently
They’re at it again: Travel and Leisure Magazine has a new ranking out that says, without a doubt, according to, like, science or some shit, Philadelphians’ combined attractiveness ranks 33rd of the country’s 35 largest cities. The good news is that we’re not as hideous and twisted as Baltimore and Anchorage, Alaska, whose freak populations came in...
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DAILY GRINDER: Gov. Corbett Trails ‘Generic Democrat’ in Re-Election Bid
Gov. Tom Corbett has announced—surprise!—he will seek re-election in 2014. According to a PPP poll, the governor trails a “generic Democrat” by 10 points today. That might make many of you libs giddy, but know this: it’s hard to put faith in “generic” anything, because candidates are almost never generic. They have a personality, a face, a voice...
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DAILY GRINDER: Judge Says He May Block Voter ID Law
Commonwealth Court Judge Robert E. Simpson “hints” he may block the Pennsylvania voter ID law this time around. And by hints, I of course mean he flat-out said it. “I’m giving you a heads-up,” he told lawyers after yesterday’s testimony, according to the Inquirer, “I think it’s a possibility there could be an injunction here.” Gov....
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DAILY GRINDER: Voter ID Continues Today; Rally at Community College of Philadelphia
The Rock the Vote Bus is stopping today at the Community College of Philadelphia, encouraging students to register to vote. The stop will feature performances by Talib Kweli and Dice Raw. They’re going to be there from 12-4 p.m. and the event is open to the public. This is awesome, but I personally miss the “Vote or Die”/cake or death campaign...
Continue ReadingCorbett Admin. Invokes New Black Panthers in Voter ID Letter to Justice Dept.
In late July, the U.S. Justice Department sent a letter to Acting Secretary of the Commonwealth Carol Aichele noting it would be probing the state’s Voter ID laws—including the state’s erroneous claim that “99 percent of Pennsylvania’s eligible voters already have acceptable photo ID.” Yesterday, the state responded and sunk to new lows when it accused...
Continue ReadingDAILY GRINDER: Philly Black Republicans Slam Biden Over ‘Chains’ Comment
A newish local group called the Philadelphia Republicans of Color held a press conference yesterday in which they derided Joe Biden’s newest gaffe, in which he said Republicans want to put the audience he was speaking to back in chains. The comments are similar to some used by Republicans (Romney has said he wants to “unshackle” the economy, or something)...
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DAILY GRINDER: Over 1,000 Black Philadelphians Get Funds From Wells Fargo Predatory Lending Settlement
Fer Gregory / Shutterstock An investigation stemming from July 2010 found that Wells Fargo Mortgage and Wells Fargo Financial Pa. Inc. violated the Pa. Human Relations Act when they discriminated by race, targeting African American borrowers for high interest loans regardless of their ability to pay. This, of course, sent many African American families throughout...
Continue ReadingDAILY GRINDER: 9.2 Percent of PA Voters Lack ID
New figures of those lacking valid voter ID in Pennsylvania: 758,000, or, about 9.2 percent of the state’s voters, which is much higher than the Corbett Administration’s original estimates of 1 percent. The new numbers are based on a comparison of voter registration rolls with PennDOT databases. There simply aren’t enough electronic monitoring ankle...
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DAILY GRINDER: Corbett Signs Budget—15 Minutes Before Deadline
So, on Saturday, Governor Tom Corbett signed that pesky $27.65 billion budget after it was passed at a quarter-to-midnight on Saturday, satisfying exactly no one. Or rather, almost exactly no one. Take Royal Dutch Shell. The tax breaks for that company to build an ethane cracker plant in the commonwealth have been called Corbett’s “crown jewel” of the budget,...
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