Two Interesting Notes from this Week's WSJ

Next time someone tells you college isn’t worth the money, keep this in mind.  The unemployment rate for men aged 25-34 with only a high school diploma is 14.4 %, for men, for those aged 20-24 with only a high school diploma it is 22.4% (“Young men suffer worst as economy staggers,” by Conor Dougherty, Wall Street Journal,  11/07/11

Fascinating article on a possible link between vehicle exhaust and cognitive development problems / autism in children, “The hidden toll of traffic jams,” by Robert Lee Hotz, Wall Street Journal 11/08/11

Shopping Suggestions for the Geeky

I was in a Williams Sonoma store this weekend and say some items that might make good holiday presents for the geeks on your list.  They have aprons, cake pans, cupcake papers, and spatulas in Star Wars and Marvel Comic themes.  Someone on my list might be getting a Capt. America apron, since he's a Cap fan and also likes to cook.  It took effort but I resisted buying a Darth Vader spatula for myself.  And I am getting low on cupcake papers .....

Schwartz Introduces Veteran Jobs Bill

from the inbox:

As Veterans Day approaches, U.S. Rep. Allyson Schwartz introduced legislation this week to help strengthen the economic climate for America’s veterans. Schwartz’s new bill, Hiring Our Veterans Act, increases the availability and size of tax credits for employers hiring veterans who match specific criteria.  This legislation builds on the Congresswoman’s earlier successful efforts to bolster employment opportunities for veterans.

 

“It is our duty to honor the sacrifice our veterans have made for our country,” Schwartz said. “We must continue our commitment to providing veterans with good, stable jobs when they return home so they can support their families and regain their footing in civilian life. These brave men and women bring a set of unique skills and training that will add value to American companies.”

 

As part of the American Jobs Act, President Obama has called on Congress to pass legislation that would accomplish the goals of Schwartz’s bill. Specifically, Schwartz’s bill increases the current maximum tax credit from $4,800 to $9,600 for employers that hire veterans with a service-connected disability who have been unemployed for six months or more. It also creates two new veterans hiring credits. The first provides a $2,400 credit for employers that hire veterans who have been unemployed for at least four weeks. The second is a $5,600 credit for veterans who have been unemployed for at least six months.   

 

“Employers need to step up their efforts to hire our unemployed veterans, not only in Philadelphia, but across the country,” said Raymond A. Bates, the Veterans Employment Representative of both the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry and Pennsylvania Careerlink Suburban Station, and also a disabled veteran of the 101^st Airborne Division. “I’ve worked with Rep. Schwartz for years on this issue and she has shown tremendous dedication to our nation’s veterans. This legislation will be instrumental in putting our veterans back to work.”

 

“Across the board it is very clear that employers are anxious to hire veterans, and Congresswoman Schwartz’s efforts have been critical in accomplishing that goal,” said Joseph Welsh, CEO of The Collegiate Consortium. “Through a program sponsored by Congresswoman Schwartz, the Consortium has been able to retrain over 500 veterans in the region so they could restart their careers, re-enter our regional workforce and be contributing members of our community and our economy.” 

 

“Congresswoman Schwartz’s legislation is another tool to connect eager- to-work veterans with regional employment opportunities,” said Jay Spector, President and CEO of JEVS Human Services. “We are really pleased to be that bridge between those that have served our country and employers who need skilled workers.”

 

As the daughter of a Korean War veteran, Schwartz has taken on a leadership role in Congress working on veteran’s issues. In her first term in Congress, Schwartz introduced legislation to provide tax credits to businesses that hire unemployed veterans.  This bill was signed into law in 2007 and later strengthened by President Obama in 2009. Schwartz has introduced the Hiring Our Veterans Act to build on the success of her earlier legislation.

Today's Sitemeter Nugget

Sitemeter tells me that today, especially late morning and early afternoon, a lot of people were searching for the difference between Penn State and the University of Pennsylvania.  U Penn is the ivy league school.  Penn State is state -related, U Penn is private.  Or something like that.  Websites:  www.psu.edu and www.upenn.edu.  Oddly enough Penn State is not the state university for Pennsylvania.  Penn State is the school a lot of our elected officials attended, U Penn is where a lot of their children go.  Penn State is the one currently in the news and not for happy reasons.

Save Mr. Blinky's Ties!!!!

My transit patterns were altered recently, a little more driving than usual (the city is beautiful at night) and some trains I don't usually ride.  There is a SEPTA regional rail conductor that I see now and then, a few times a year anyway.  He frequently wears light up ties or has strands of tiny lights on his tie.  He's one of the conductors that clearly enjoys his job.  I saw him this week and he was wearing a plain black tie.  I asked around and found out that, get this, some riders got together and started a petition against his illuminated ties.  Someone complained about his ties.  In response some riders started a petition for him to be able to keep the ties.  Seriously, that's what happened. 

In my years as a regional rail rider I've seen conductors quiz riders about current events (and on one occasion, horror, math!), read poetry over the intercom, and assorted other shows of personality.  One of my favorites, though, has been the light up tie guy.  I don't know his name or anything about him.  For the purposes of this post let's call him Mr. Blinky.

I've heard of riders complaining because a conductor had the temerity to step into a station coffee shop and buy a cup of coffee while the train was stopped, and assorted other innocuous behavior.  What's up with that?  And why pick on a guy who decorates his ties?  The lights aren't strobing so I don't think it would induce a seizure.  It's just a small string of lights on his tie.  I didn't hear any complaints about the conductor who playfully said anyone wearing Steelers gear would be put off the train.  It was a joke.  Mr. Blinky decorates his ties.  What's the problem with that? 

I don't know what happened that led to the petitions.  All I can say is that I always enjoyed seeing Mr. Blink's illuminated ties.  Pun intended, I think people need to lighten up.

Poplular Blog Searches Today

I don't keep as close a watch on sitemeter statistics as I used to, but it is always interesting on election day to monitor popular search topics.  Today the most common search topics that led people to this blog were, by far, Ann Covey and Kathryn Boockvar (candidates for state Commonwealth Court).  Distant 3rd and 4th place goes to Kendall Brown (Dem candidate for Delco DA) and Umar Farooq (Dem candidate for Bucks Co coroner).  Next up is Mark Levy (Montco Protonotary).

Election results are still trickling in.  I'm going to close up and wait until morning for the definitive results.  If readers want to stay up later, here are the sites to watch:

Montgomery County:  http://webapp.montcopa.org/election/2011%20General%20Election%20Result.htm
Bucks County:  http://www.buckscountyelections.org/ElectionSummary.aspx?id=12
Delaware County:  http://election.co.delaware.pa.us/eb/November_2011/22.html

John Nagle Questionnaire

John Nagle, who currently represents the 5th district on the Radnor Township board of commissioners is running for reelection.  The Radnor Patch has his reponses to their candidate questionnaire.  

Assorted Wall Street Journal Notes

Some notes from the past few weeks of the Wall Street Journal:

"Mergers Open 'Golden Parachutes'," by Scott Thurm (11/01)
Here's one reason why companies can't afford to hire new workers -- they are paying top executives gigantic severance packages when companies merge.  You know how companies save money when they merge?  Often by laying off workers, who don't get gigantic severance packages.  Here are some examples of executive severance payoffs (warning:  take your blood pressure medicine first):
Sanjay Jha of Motorola (acquired by Google):  $65.7 million
Michel Orsinger of Synthes (acquired by Johnson & Johnson):  $51.9 million
George Lindemann of Southern Union (acquired by Energy Transfer Equity): $53.8 million
Marshall Larsen of Goodrich (acquired by United Technologies): $34.9 million

Here's another article on the same topic, "A Very Rich Adieu for Nabors CEO," by Mark Maremont (10/31).  Eugene Isenbert of Nabors Industries is getting $100 million and he isn't even leaving the company; he's just stepping down as CEO.  Snarf up your coffee on that one.

"Shale Gas Fuels Legal Boom," by Daniel Gilbert and Kris Maher (10/31) on the legal issues of mineral rights in Pennsylvania.  This is cropping up in the courtroom and lawyer's offices lately because of the Marcellus Shale drilling.  Just because you own land does not mean you own the minerals underneath it.  Scary.

"Nearly Half of States Link Teacher Evaluations to Tests," by Stephanie Banchero (10/26).  Self-explanatory, no mention of PA.

"Why Companies Aren't Getting the Employees They Need," by Peter Cappelli (10/24).  Now this is interesting, especially given the corporate executive severance articles listed above.  Cappelli lists what he calls the "big myths" in hiring problems.  He writes that 52% of US employers in his survey said they couldn't find workers with the right skills.  However, he says "some of the complaints about skill shortages boil down to the fact that employers can't get candidates to accept jobs at the wages offered."  That's a big difference.  He also notes that American companies, unlike European companies, don't offer much on the job training, such as apprenticeships and paid internships.  Another point is only a third of the job openings in his study were filled from within.  Companies could find more of the skilled employees they want by hiring from within and offering training programs.  On a personal note, maybe they could take some of the money they are spending on executive severance and spend it on training and retention programs.  I think it would be cheaper in the long run, but that's just me.

There is a side article by Kris Maher, "A Tactical Recruiting Effort Pays Off" (10/24) on Range Resources hiring in Pennsylvania in the Marcellus Shale drilling industry.  Among their tactics are parade floats, cookouts and donating equipment to community colleges and technical schools.

Abington Bank in Money Magazine

It's been a busy few weeks so I'm catching up on some reading.

The November issue of Money Magazine had an interesting Pennsylvania note.  On page. 118, there is a short article called "Should you get a 2-in-1 card?" by Daniel Bortz.

I'll leave it to you to read about what a 2-in-1 card is (some sort of debit / credit card combined wherein you decide if you want it the purchase to come out of your bank account or go onto a traditional credit card charge).

In any event, he lists a number of types of cards and funds, with three or four options for each.  I was really surprised to see a Pennsylvania bank listed in two of them.  Abington Bank is the third listed under "cards with the lowest rates" and second under "no-fee cards with the lowest rates."  Keep in mind that this a a national publication, so that's kind of a big deal.  Also keep in mind that Abington Bank was recently purchased by Susquehanna Bank so I'm not sure this information is still current (see Jeff Blumenthal's article in the 10/03 Philadelphia Business Journal, "Abington Bank now Susquehanna as $273M deal closes").

For those of you considering joining the "Move your Money Project," this may be something to investigate.

Keystone Progress Voters' Guide

Our friends at Keystone Progress have compiled a voters' guide, showing what endorsements candidates have received.  There are links for most counties showing the same information for county wide candidates.

Worth a look.

Gerber Supports Haaz and Austin

from the inbox:

State Representative Mike Gerber (D-148th District) restated his endorsement of Richard Haaz and Cheryl Austin for Montgomery County Judge.

Yesterday, a mailer from Republican Dan Clifford -- who is not endorsed by Gerber -- was circulated to Democratic voters throughout Montgomery County. The mailer made it seem as though Gerber was endorsing Clifford's campaign, which he is not.

"I have been steadfast in my support of Richard Haaz and Cheryl Austin for Montgomery County Judge," said Rep. Mike Gerber. "Today, I want to unequivocally state that I am only endorsing Haaz and Austin for Montgomery County Judge and that is why I have supported them and I have contributed to their campaigns.

“I’m disappointed in these Republican tactics and I want to set the record straight where I stand in this election -- I did not endorse Dan Clifford and have only endorsed Richard Haaz and Cheryl Austin for Judge.”

The Clifford mailer in question shows a photo of Gerber and Clifford together with the headline "Unmatched Bipartisan Support." Under the headline is a quote from Gerber that was lifted from a 2010 press release discussing Clifford's efforts on behalf of the Montgomery County Bar Association. The quote, which was edited and distorted, had nothing to do with the judicial campaign and was solely focused on Clifford’s work with the Bar’s diversity committee.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and Veterans

Elizabeth Warren helped set up the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau but, realizing she would not be approved by Congress for the job permanently, decided to run for a Massachusetts Senate seat instead.  President Obama nominated former Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray instead, but his confirmation has been blocked by Senate Republicans, who want to prevent the agency from having a centralized organization.  I called Sen. Toomey's office last month asking that the Senator approve Mr. Cordray's nomination.  So far his office has not replied and it does not appear that Sen. Toomey is taking my input seriously. 

One reasons it is so important that this agency get up and running is that it includes an office devoted to protecting veterans and service members from fraudulent and misleading companies.  This office, the Office of Servicemember Affairs, is currently heading by Holly Knowlton Petraeus, the wife of CIA Director and former Gen. David Petraeus.  

Patrick Murphy, former congressman for Pennsylvania's 8th district and current candidate for Pennsylvania Attorney General, was the first Iraq War veteran elected to Congress, has long been an advocate of those who are or have served in the military.  He has repeatedly called on the Senate to confirm Cordray. 

Perhaps if a few more people called Sen. Toomey he would take the suggestion more seriously.  Just a thought.

Read more:

Treasury Dept. blog entry on how the blocked confirmation affects veterans

Note from Senate Banking Committee Chair, Sen. Tim Johnson, on financial protections for veterans

Statement from Patrick Murphy

Boockvar Endorsed by Law Enforcement Organizations

from the inbox:

Today, we are proud and honored to announce that Kathryn Boockvar has been formally endorsed by the four largest law enforcement and first responder organizations in the state: the Fraternal Order of Police PA State Lodge, the Pennsylvania Professional Fire Fighters Association, the Pennsylvania StateTroopers Association  and the Pennsylvania State Correctional Officers Association.

Boockvar is the Democratic candidate for the statewide judicial office, Commonwealth Court

Mary A. Whitesell, Clerk of Courts Candidate

Mary Whitesell is the Democratic candidate for Bucks County Clerk of Courts.  She was born in Hungary and came to America as a toddler with her family.  She became a US citizen when she was 18 (Bentman).

In 2010 she ran against State Rep. Paul Clymer to represent the 145th state house district.  Clymer maintained his seat, for a 16th term.
 
Whitesell has an associate's degree and is a paralegal and realtor.  She is the current county party treasurer.

The county party website lists her biography as:

Mary Whitesell is a certified Paralegal and holds an AAS in Legal Secretary. She who has provided administrative leadership to senior corporate officers, offices of corporate services, and general counsel. She has held responsibility for helping implement Total Quality Management (TQM) and ISO-9000 Certified work environments in multiple domestic and international cost centers. Her expertise includes the preparation of corporate records; various types of litigation and legal matters, the review and preparation of legal documents, and she has managed department financials and reporting. Ms. Whitesell lives with her family in Coopersburg and also holds a real estate license and is a notary public.

Other Sources

Bentman, Hilary, "4 candidates vie for 145th district," Intelligencer 10/25/2010

Donna Caracappa, Candidate for Bux Wills

The Bucks County office of the Register of Wills has been in turmoil lately.  There is no incumbent running and the office could certainly use a clean sweep.

Donna M. Caracappa is the Democratic candidate for the office.  The Bucks Democratic organization gives her biography as:

Donna Caracappa brings twenty-five years of municipal administrative and finance experience to the race for Registerr of Wills. She previously worked in the courthouse as Tax Administrator for the County of Bucks where she was responsible for the daily reconciliation of all Real Estate Tax Accounts and managed the county’s elected tax collectors. She is currently the elected tax collector in Penndel and previously was Penndel Borough’s Municipal Manager and Middletown Township’s Finance Director. She is also Branch Service Representative for the Police and Fire Federal Credit Union and a former Member of the Board of Directors of the Bucks County Employees’ Credit Union. Ms. Caracappa lives with her family in Penndel.

The job is described as: The principal duties of the register of wills, who also acts as the clerk of the Orphan’s Court division, is to probate wills and to accept for filing all documents necessary to complete the administration of a decedent’s estate.

A Quick Look at Umar Farooq

Dr. Umar Farooq is the Democratic candidate for Bucks County coroner.  He is interesting for a number of reasons.  One is that he enjoys playing the banjo.  Another is that he received medical degrees in Pakistan (Punjab University) and in England (National Heart and Lung Institute).  In 1991 he immigrated to the United States and completed his residency in internal medicine at Abington Memorial Hospital.  In 1999 he started his own practice in Bensalem. 

On the League of Women Voters questionnaire he answered the "why are you the best qualified" question in this way:

As a board certified doctor of internal medicine and also a certified
medical director of nursing home and rehabilitation facilities as well as a hospice, I bring a wide
range of experience to the office. Autopsy under suspicious circumstances is only one way for a
coroner to positively influence our community. By tracking health trends and causes of death the
coroner can be a vigilant proponent of public safety, proactively identifying disease and infectious
outbreaks.

The Bucks County Democrats site lists his credentials as:

Dr. Farooq is a board certified doctor of internal medicine and also a certified medical director. He is a primary care physician specializing in internal medicine with a private practice in Bensalem. Dr. Farooq is also a Clinical Adjunct Associate Professor at Philadelphia College of Textiles and Science as well as Preceptor for Medical Students and Medical Residents at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. He is a member of the American Medical Association and the American College of Physicians. Dr. Farooq and his family live in Bensalem.

His medical practice site says in his spare time he enjoys "spending time with his family, playing table tennis, traveling and playing banjo."

Sources:  Knights Medical Association (www.knightsmedical.com)
League of Women Voters questionnaire (http://palwv.org/bucksco/2011Municipal%20PrimaryFinal2.pdf)
Bucks Democrats candidate site (http://www.bucksdemocrats.org/2011candidates.asp)

Trivedi Launches Redesigned Website

Dr. Manan Trivedi, who is taking a second run at the 6th congressional district, has relaunched his campaign website.  Take a look at www.trivediforcongress.com.  The pictures and graphics are really impressive.  Kudos to whoever did the creative work.  Interesting logo also.  It has many of the standard features of a campaign logo but I haven't seen them put together in quite that way before.  Nice.

Watching the Redistricting Debacle

PCN broadcast the redistricting committee's meeting today.  I watched part of it.  Should  you ever want to drain the civic energy or political optimism out of someone, show them the tape of that meeting.  The bulk of what I watched consisted of two men arguing over the proposed map (which viewers did not get to see -- its supposed to be up on the redistricting site within 24 hours).  They referred to Republican districts and Democratic districts.  It sounded to me like districts were targeted for deletion based on whether or not the person representing that district was going to be running again, or on the relative seniority of the person representing the district now.  (It's a first in last out situation apparently).

During the time I watched there was no real mention of how all this might affect the people living in the district.  It's all based on protecting party and incumbency.  There is talk of ONE public meeting, to be held in Harrisburg during the work day, to discuss the proposed new districts.  So I guess the only people whose opinions matter are lobbyists and political employees.  People who have to be at work, at a job that is not politically motivated, would have to take a vacation day, and that can be tricky on short notice.

It is so discouraging, not to mention an embarrassment.

(update:  politicspa has the maps:  http://www.politicspa.com/redistricting-watch-preliminary-pa-legislative-maps/29065/ )

A Quick Look at Mark Levy

Montgomery County Prothonotary Mark Levy's reelection campaign does not have a website.  For those who are not familiar with the office of prothonotary, the staff there keeps records of civil actions.  Divorce, custody, medical malpractice, drivers license suspensions, and other civil cases are filed and recorded by the prothonotary and his staff. 

Levy is running for his second term.  How did his first term go?  This is the description from the Montgomery County Democrats site:

Prothonotary Levy has come under budget and has been a poster boy for doing more with less. He has been able to reduce the size of his office through attrition, and improve services, decrease expenses, and add efficiency through an updated system under the watch of the county judiciary and bar association. In the meantime he was voted Courthouse Employee of the year with the unanimous support of the Montgomery Bar Association-not to mention at the end of his first term will be able to have been able to return $8 million dollars in surplus to help relieve the burden on the taxpayer. His proudest accomplishment in office has been drastically reducing the wait time for victims of domestic abuse in obtaining a Protection from Abuse order.

Levy is an army veteran and Temple graduate.

A Quick Look at Jason Salus

Jason Salus is the Democratic candidate for Montgomery County treasurer.  He is currently a Borough Councilman in Conshohocken and before that served on the Conshohocken Planning Commission.  In 2010 the county commissioners appointed him to the Montgomery County Industrial Development Authority.  Salus has earned an MBA from Temple and a B.S. in Finance from Penn State.  In Conshohocken he supported an audit measure that collected $1 million in delinquent taxes.  He has six years experience in forensic accounting, uncovering millions of dollars of waste, fraud and abuse in the private and public sectors. 

For more information see his campaign website (www.jasonsalus.com) and the Montgomery Democrats site (http://mcdems.org/)