Alright people, you have one evening to present to me why Katz will help me, and why it won't hurt the Democratic Party nationally. As a resident of a neighborhood WITH a police presence, and as someone who has to go into the sketchy Kensington to take the train, I have an interest in seeing my neighborhood come up. While a tax cut will surely help some people, will it be able to be accomplished with the city council composition of Democrats? What is Katz's plan for poor neighborhoods?

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Resident of Fishtown, Moderator of Fish/No. Libs/Kenzo forum, Real Estate Agent-Prudential Fox & Roach

Here are Sam Katz's positions and plans on the issues:

http://www.sam2003.com/issues.asp

Sam Katz will work with businesses, unions, and Harrisburg to bring businesses, good jobs, and support to Philadelphia and this will help the working poor the most. Sam Katz will run a clean, open, and honest government which serves everyone, especially the poor and disadvantaged.

A window of opportunity will open, bringing in fresh air and fresh ideas so that we will become a competitive, world-class, 21st century city which you will be proud to call home, where city services and quality of life improves because City Hall is managed well.

Your vote is critical for Philadelphia's future. By voting for Sam Katz, you are chosing a better and brigher future for Philadelphia and yourself. A vote for Sam Katz is a vote for change, progress, and reform. A vote for Sam Katz is a vote for unity, diversity, and inclusiveness.

Vote on the relevant local issues. Don't fall for the lies, excuses, and spin from those who want to hold you down. Be bold, be courageous, and be strong and vote for a better and brighter future for Philadelphia; VOTE SAM KATZ FOR MAYOR!

katz's plan, aside from the tax cut, is making gov. more responsive. the way i understand it, right now if you call city hall with a problem you better be on fumo or doc's list. if anything actually does get done, it takes a long time and a lot fo layers of bureaucracy. if you own a small biz like a corner store you ahve to go through layers of regulations. katz wants to streamline this. you could probably stip weeks if no months off various permit applications just by introudincg information tech to city hall. not to mention he may even be willing to revise the plumbing code so that people can use PVC pipes which break less and cost less than cast iron, for which there is only one supplier. these things help the working poor as well as poor. if the city runs subsidized housing it too has to pay more for cast iron pipe. i think what gets overshadowed here is that katz is pitching to make city government more responsive to the citizens instead of us just scambling for crumbs. the tax plan itself is worth considering. it's not just a wage tax cut but plans to eliminate th ebix privilege tax and replace it with a less loathesome income tax. right now you pay the same tax on say $100k of income regardless of whether your costs were$120k or 60k. whether you make money or lose it. there is a reason why philly metro has high tech firms but most are not in philly. in philly the tax structure benefits very few. big co's get sweet deals while smaller companies pay out the wazoo. rich people move to gladwyne while poor people are stuck with 4.5%.

Nik--no offense, but I don't think Katz has a good record for clean business transactions either.

El--I agree with some of your points as positives...but how will he accomplish this with Dems in the majority? My goal is to see new and innovative Dems in office--Republicans are not the answer.

Right now I'm leaning towards Katz...but a LOT is going to have to push me into voting Republican for the first time in my life. I am sure, by the looks of the polls, that I am not alone. It's just weird being a swing voter for the first time.

One of the things that made me question my Katz support...and is now giving me pause...is the Philadelphia Weekly's endorsement statement re: Street...and they pointed out the positive things he's done for poor neighborhoods...and the fact that Katz's tax cut plan will play out just like Bush's...or any Reaganomics trickle down pipe dream. That Street helped the people who need it most: poor people. Got me thinking that it's really more important that the shot at saving my employer $250K a year (allegedly a "one time tax"--but when are taxes ever one time?) and me a measely 1%...

But PW also said that we should give him 4 more years to change--to show he doesn't support the idea of "pay to play" that he has subscribed to...

Four more years? And then there's my boyfriend Bill Clinton who is backing Street. I love Bill and think he is a stellar politician, however, Bill doesn't know Philly, and obviously is a party man. However, the same was said about Hillary in NY and I think she's doing a bang-up job.

Ugh. Gotta find out where I cast this darn vote tomorrow.

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Resident of Fishtown, Moderator of Fish/No. Libs/Kenzo forum, Real Estate Agent-Prudential Fox & Roach

Funny, we always are in wonder if zebras change their stripes. Yet, they just never do.

Four more years of complacency could kill any business momentum our City has left.

Sam brings fresh ideas, not just for business, but also treating citizens as customers.

It's really a very easy choice tomorrow, when you consider the big picture; isn't it?

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[ PHILLYTIM.NET ]
ROCK AND ROLL HAS ARRIVED & THE STREET SHACKLES ON THIS CITY ARE GONE!

Um no, it's not easy. People always told me that when I get my first "real" job (ie. good paying) that I would become more conservative. Want to make sure that's not happening. This is, in my mind, a lesser of two evils election. Let's be realistic--while Street doesn't have anything new to offer, Katz isn't going to accomplish half of what he sets out to do, and could undo some of what Street has done--whether you view that as good or not.

But...at this late hour, I'm tending to think a protest vote is in order. I just wish it didn't mean cutting off my nose despite my face. I wish I had a third party...

...Which brings me to wonder with all of this celebrity-come-politician, why doesn't Cosby or Carville run themselves?

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Resident of Fishtown, Moderator of Fish/No. Libs/Kenzo forum, Real Estate Agent-Prudential Fox & Roach

i read the PW a lot and i was extremely disappointed with their article. not only did they endorse street but they were like his son, hopefule even when he gave them no hope. street has never given any indication he would even want to change the "pay to play" system.
without getting into economics, katz tax cuts will help people. one time? he plans on cutting th ebusiness privilege tax. that's not a one time cut but an ongoing structural change. reaganomics is a democrat way of criticizing something but means little. in theory it's a giveaway to the rich but unfortunately it does nto hold true. okay, i said i wouldn't get into economics. what may make you feel better, or not, is that i am considering voting democrat in next year's presidential election, for the first time ever. to me democrats have always been the party that takes form the poor and gives it back to them, form an economic perspective. of course they take from the rich too. my feeling is that safe street is a gamble, and a big one, that spending all ths money now to knock down abandoned homes and make neighborhoods safer will attract residents and help revitalize philadelphia. at its core i don't agree. philadelphia didn't become abandoned and crime ridden b/c of lack of police but lack of jobs and high taxes with poor city services. we pay more than anyone else and get less than most. we have to vote for change. I try not to htink in terms of Rep's and Democrats. I'm not a R either but I have voted for them before. some i regret and some not. what i have issue with is anyone who can say that katz's plan is risky but not say the same about street's. they both involve similar types of plans but different approaches. if reagan's plan didn't work, how did we end up with so many years of economic growth? i've gotten very irritated with all these big name politicians coming to plug for th party with no regard for people who live here. they don't know a damned hting about philly and don't really care either. don't know anything about hillary but i'm sure rudy wouldn;t have done a bad job either. we cold use him for mayor here. for me, pulling th D lever will be an act of freedom. free from constraints. that i am in control of who i choose and not my parents teachings, my environment, or the talking heads on tv. sam katz may not do a great job but he has an idea that is different and may work. form an econ background, if reviving the city's neighborhoods and job base is in your goals, sam offers a better vision. street's intents, ifnot methods, are somewhat admirable. i just think they ignore the harsh realities that are the world we live in. katzis not bush, his tax plan is not bush's. thanksfully states and municipalities have to balance their budgets which means theymust make tough choices form time to time. our federal gov. shoudl do the same. we all have to make tough chocies sometimes. that's my take, for what it's worth. obviously i am not a lifelon democrat. not really a lifelong anything, though i do love beer. if nothing else, a katz election would shakeup the democratic party. we've had a one party system for too long. two isn't even good enough. i hope tomorrow you choose sam katz but we can still be friends if not...maybe. :wink:
good luck with your decision.
oh yes, pleas bear in mind all the new renovations and outdoor cafes sprouting in philly are r esult of rendell's policies not street's.
to me it's a choice bet/ "we're doing just fine"
and "I want to the city of philadelphia to grow and add residents and jobs and I don't think we are able to do this."
the last boom passed us by, I want to see strawberry mansion a beautiful place again in my lifetime.

then i really would have to leave the city. jello pops for everyone!!

Okay El, you made some good points. Good call on Street not saying he will change. Actually under Reagan the welfare state grew more than it did under Clinton...I'm just not of the belief that putting money at the top will do what people think--versus giving money to poor people goes right back into the economy. (Sort of like giving money to me now that I think about it...) I'm not an economic genius or anything but that's my take.

Right now I'm *thinking* I will vote Katz. Hard to say. Just noticed my voter reg card doesn't tell me where to vote. What's up with THAT?! So maybe if I find my voting place before I change my mind...

Actually, once I voted for a former Republican--that was a big step. SHe was uberpro-choice...Hey, for the record, Guilani dropped out of the that Senate race in NY against Hillary Clinton and was replaced by pukey and sexist Rick Lazio. I'm not a fan of Guilani either--but in my mind, he was far more likeable than Lazio.

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Resident of Fishtown, Moderator of Fish/No. Libs/Kenzo forum, Real Estate Agent-Prudential Fox & Roach

I noticed that, too. In NY, when you get your voter's reg card, you also get a list of voting places. In this city, what? You have to just figure it out? Wander around until you find the right one? Why make people have to look it up? When you mail the damned thing, how hard would it be to put in a xeroxed sheet of paper telling people where to vote?

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- We must be the change we wish to see in the world -
Mahatma Gandhi