The Bombshell

I've gone back and forth on whether to write about the Ravenstahl split, but now that we've all gotten over the initial shock, here's my take.

With Luke coming out and saying he considered dropping out of the race, it's clear to me that he chose his own ambition over his family. That's ultimately a choice that only he could make, and I'm not going to speculate on what anyone else - especially his advisors - might have had to say about it.

But I reserve the right to judge him for it. There are some things that need to take priority over just about everything else, and family is one of them. This episode shows us yet another way that the mayor doesn't share our (at least my) priorities.

Had this come out a month ago, would it have changed anything? Probably not, unless Luke had made the opposite choice. (Though as much as I respect Jon Delano and his reporting, I think that the Pittsburgh electorate - especially the 'babushka' vote - would probably look a little more critically at a divorcee than he thinks.)

The announcement's timing certainly raises questions, especially given that we are in the middle of a contentious budget battle. Perhaps he's angling for sympathy, to try to soften opposition to his boneheaded student tax. We may never know.

Why Pittsburgh?

It's a question I hear a good deal from people I meet, after I explain how I came to live here. I never really have a good answer, because the reason is pretty intangible. That said, this letter from today's P-G does a pretty good job of shedding light on that reason:

He refused to let me give him any money and wouldn't even give me his name. He told me that I reminded him of his daughter and that it was his pleasure to help a fellow Pens fan.

I was touched beyond words by his generosity. ... Although memories of the Stanley Cup finals make me smile, nothing meant more than the kindness I was shown by my fellow Pittsburghers.

Come to think of it, the other letter on the page -- which makes sense, considering the page is entitled "Random Acts of Kindness" -- lends more support to it.

There's a "Pittsburgh nice," if you will, that I have never experienced anywhere else. For all the insularity and provinciality that many ascribe to Pittsburghers, they're awfully welcoming. I suppose that this is the best way to answer the question: Pittsburgh feels like home, even though I (relatively) just got here.

Lessons from the Campaign Trail

Well, in case you didn't know before, I've been on Kevin Acklin's campaign staff since the end of June. Before I say anything else, I must say that it has been an absolute honor and privilege, not just to work for Acklin, but with every single member of his staff.

And now, without further ado, things I've learned in the last four months (in no particular order):

• I once believed, if I didn't say it outright, that what was good for the Democratic Party was good for the country. At least in the case of Pittsburgh, that sentiment couldn't be further from the truth.
• In that vein, the ability to cast a straight-party ballot with one touch is poisonous to democracy. At the same time that it allows many voters to be intellectually lazy, it confuses others (at least the way it works here). The sooner it gets completely removed from the lexicon, the better.
• There are, in fact, a few rational, open-minded Republicans out there. There are also many incredibly closed-minded Democrats.

In short, this campaign has been one where many preconceptions have gone to die. That is definitely not a bad thing.

It's also taught me, though, that the campaign trail is not really a place I belong right now. It's time for me to do something else.

Another ramification of lacking health insurance?

I recently helped an elderly woman fill out an absentee ballot request form. Here in PA, you need a reason to vote absentee -- unless you are sick, disabled or have to be out of the area, you are required to vote in person on Election Day. The form [which you can find and print here, in case you need it] includes space for a doctor's contact info, in the case of an illness or disability.

Looking at that line raised a question in my mind: What if you don't have a doctor?

Someone on the Republican health plan, who doesn't have a doctor, would then be forced to choose between voting in person -- if it's even possible -- or not voting at all.

In short, America's joke of a health insurance system isn't just bankrupting us. It's potentially disenfranchising us as well.

Closing libraries kills communities

Thanks to Bram for pointing this out earlier today. In fact, it almost seems like Brian O'Neill of the P-G was reading this same piece. Let's see, from the first:

... [L]ong-term community success and vitality is built around business growth and opportunities and, yes, job creation; but, quality of life is also fundamental to the process. Put another way, people must be able to earn a good living, but they also need livable communities.

It's a good point, and one that often gets ignored by regional leaders everywhere. It's also something we need to consider very seriously, knowing that the Carnegie Library plans to close five branches. Cue O'Neill:

... Pittsburgh is not a green city if it's not walkable. It's not a green city if parents have to drive their kids across town to find an open library. And this vaunted city of neighborhoods can't be a desirable place to live and raise children if we allow our community centers to whither and die.

Beechview, Hazelwood, Carrick, Knoxville, the West End. These libraries are the closest thing that these neighborhoods have to community centers. Dead or declining business districts. Rising or already-rampant crime. Shuttered pools. With closed libraries, these neighborhoods will have nothing left.

At the same time, the city provides a mere $40,000 to the entire CLP system each year. That's the same dollar amount (not inflation adjusted) allocated to the libraries in 1895. It's also only 15% of the contribution that the city of Cleveland makes to its own libraries.

And what of Lukey the Cable Guy's request for an audit of the library before considering more city funding? He ought to try an audit of his own budget -- and priorities -- first. There have to be ways to get more from the tax dollars we already send Grant Street's way. Let's start by ending the "business-friendly" sweetheart deals that have proven disastrous for the people of Pittsburgh.

Memo to Congressional Democrats

Most of you need an injection of vitamin S, for "spine." Ask Florida's Alan Grayson where he got his.

His "apology" from the following day is even better.

The study he cites estimates that the annual death toll due to a lack of insurance in America is actually closer to 45 000. The actual number, 44 789, means that one American dies every 12 minutes because they don't have health insurance. This is the way proponents of health care reform should frame this statistic, as it's much easier for people to wrap their heads around.

That all aside, the real roadblock to reform isn't really the Republicans, who by and large oppose everything that President Obama supports. The problem here is a few Senate Democrats, who have been bought off by the murderers-by-spreadsheet (who want you to know them as "health insurers"), and are doing everything possible to protect them.

So thank you, Rep. Grayson, for having the chutzpah to call a spade a spade when it comes to your colleagues across the aisle. We need you to take it to the other chamber now.

Warzone: Pittsburgh

Humvees block all the streets leading into the Golden Triangle.

Downtown is practically a ghost town.

Even Carson Street in the South Side feels empty.

And Oakland has exploded.

Meanwhile, Pittsburghers suffer because they can't get the attention of the police when they need it.

Luke Ravenstahl, if you don't think you're going to take a beating for this in 40 days, I want some of what you're smoking.