Did not include a bake sale, for the first time I can remember (in response to the comment thread yesterday).
Instead, there was a gift basket auction.
Couple items for everyone today. Urbanophile profiled Pittsburgh. We’ve heard it all before (the Steel bust, our revival, rest of the country claims we don’t matter that much, check the comments for that one), so it’s becoming a bit cliche. I was alerted to it from The Daily Dish (a British blog that mostly talks about American politics), so it’s getting some traction. Anyway, take a look, and make sure to check out the comments.
Waffle Shop is looking for a manager. If you have experience in restaurant management and want to work in one of the most unique restaurants in the country, check it out.
And finally today, writing has been a bit slow on the site due to my annual, crazy dive into National Novel Writing Month. Pittsburgh has an awesome group writing this year, and you’re more than welcome to join in. If you’re not up for writing the book that’s been bouncing around you head this year, you can still help out.
We’re collecting books (new or used) in support of creative writing programs that The Office of Letters and Light (NaNoWriMo’s parent organization) offers free in schools around the world. You can drop off books at any of the events listed on our forum (or just see what we’re talking about), and learn more about the book drive here.
Leave a comment if you need help finding a time/place to donate books, I’ll make sure you get hooked up with someone in your area.
I think I have some awesome posts in the works, and maybe even a give-away, so stay tuned!
It’s not Light Up Night (don’t sue me!), it’s not the sales, it’s not even the ridiculous lead up to ABC Family’s 25 Days of Christmas (now we’re counting down until they awkwardly try to justify non-holiday movies in their lineup).
You know the holidays are staring when you see this on tv (and there have been sightings already, as reported to me by my Facebook Feed):
If you can see this, then you might need a Flash Player upgrade or you need to install Flash Player if it’s missing. Get Flash Player from Adobe.
At the 61st annual Eagle Scout Recognition Dinner last night, Pitt Chancellor Mark Nordenberg and Admiral Jay Cohen spoke to a crowd of over 600, including the 344 Eagle Scouts of the 2010 class.
Also, we got cake and chocolate that celebrated Scouting’s 100th anniversary. Pretty cool (and tasty).
To anyone to works in the Steel Building, or walks past it, quick question. Is this the first year there is music? I don’t seem to remember Christmas carols the last three years being played. Each day when I walk past I pause my Zune (I know, I know, but I love it) and try to hear it over the noise of traffic.
I was going to save this post for Tuesday, but I figured better to get it out there and maybe someone can show me the error of my ways. I really hope there is something that I am just not understanding or seeing. Please correct me! Settle in folks, this is a long one:
First, raise your hand if you thought the drink tax was going to be used for the Port Authority? [Raises hand]. So were we duped? Here’s what we were greeted by yesterday
Since their enactment in 2008, Allegheny County’s taxes on alcoholic drinks and car rentals have done virtually nothing to ease the Port Authority’s chronic financial problems.
Here’s why: The new taxes were intended to help the county’s budget, not the Port Authority’s.
The taxes are generating less than $2 million per year in extra revenue for the authority while producing $30 million to $40 million windfalls that county government has used to avoid raising property taxes.
Well now. Then what about all of these:
Example one:
The Republican from Upper St. Clair said today the current levy is bringing in more revenue than the county needs to provide local matching funds to help support Port Authority buses and light-rail trains.
Example two:
The tax has brought in $80 million for Port Authority operations.
Example three:
He proposed the drink tax and a $2-a-day tax on car rentals last year to fund the county’s $30 million subsidy of the Port Authority
Example four:
Given a choice between Allegheny County’s 10 percent drink tax or higher property taxes to fund Port Authority, Chris Pfefferman will choose the former. “Keep the drink tax,” said Pfefferman, 43, a Baldwin Borough homeowner who runs a Downtown newsstand.
Example five:
This morning Common Pleas Judge Judith F. Olson set the date for arguments over an injunction that would prevent the county from spending its drink and car rental tax receipts on anything other than transit.
Example six:
In what Allegheny County officials said was a massive blow to this year’s budget, a judge ruled yesterday that excess receipts from the county’s drink and car rental taxes can only be spent on the Port Authority.
Example seven:
County Chief Executive Dan Onorato, in the meantime, pledged to oppose efforts to defeat the tax, which was enacted along with a $2-per-day rental car tax Jan. 1 to raise about $30 million for the Port Authority.
Example eight:
In Act 44, they said you can have a drink tax and a car rental tax,” Onorato said. He said he faced the prospect of raising $30 million to $40 million more in property taxes for transit, and “I campaigned on not raising property taxes.”
Said Wagner, whose family owns a tavern: “There is no correlation between getting a drink and paying for the Port Authority.”
That is just what I quickly found. Were we all confused? Was the entire county lied to? Was there some kind of crazy math going on? Are we all suckers?
I was thinking it might have been the wording that the tax was used to fund the county’s contribution, but then there are quotes from judges saying excess money had to be given to the Port Authority, so that kind of cancels that out.
Well, maybe we are all suckers. We know that the math was all kinds of messed up. After all, it brought in so much money to begin with, they apparently didn’t know what to do with it all, hence the court battles saying that the money had to go to the Port Authority. The difference between 10% and 6% is a lot more than even the accountants thought it was! Imagine that!
Now, believe it or not, that is actually not the main focus of the article, just a quick aside into the crazy math that has been plaguing us, and continues to haunt us.
Yesterday, we were greeted with the news (which also apparently surprised even Steve Bland), that the Governor found $45 million that he wants to give to the Port Authority. Awesome! PAT has a $47 million hole to fill, so only having to find an additional $2 million really should not be too bad, or could at least be manageable.
Wrong! See, $47 million fixes everything for the year. $45 million, on the other hand, only fixes everything until June.
Wait…what?
Yes, there is overhead, and I’m sure running a huge transit agency is tough work, much beyond my brain to be able to do it. But really? Something seems way off about this. I’m calling it Voodoo Math.
And I think we’re all being suckered again.
Bedford Avenue (downhill side) between Crawford and Mario Lemieux Drive is closed, Mario Lemieux Drive is closed and tons of busses are parked all over the place.
Drive elsewhere if you can!
For as long as I can remember, drivers on the parkway east were greeted each December by a Christmas tree. Last year it was announced that the tree would not be up this year however the center pole remains, which I am now declaring to be Pittsburgh’s Festivus pole!
The state came through and is going to give PAT money! Hooray! And (even though I didn’t realize they needed to vote to accept it), they voted to accept that money! Hooray!
Let’s stop that smile right there, mister.
In their latest blog post, PAT lays out what will happen, which of course, they don’t know many details of. However, lest you think it would change, the fares will increase January 1.
Now, I’m actually not that upset about the fare increase. It isn’t as big as I thought it would be, and really, prices go up. Cost of living goes up. Yeah, it sucks, but I can’t fault PAT for it.
However, before you think that their blog post is all kittens and rainbows, never fear, they are back and as mopey as always. Some layoffs and service reductions are coming. No details yet (they are being reworked in light of the new money), and no clues either. And of course, don’t forget, this is the state’s fault, not PAT’s.
And again, I’m venting. But when I’m constantly faced with sad, pessimistic writing of their blog posts/press releases (not to give them more work but the people that run @pghtransit, they get social media. Maybe they could do some writing for the blog, make it more conversational, help riders interact with PAT more. You know, since it’s social media), it gets tiring.
So at the end of the day, we’re back up in the air, but there is still lots of time before the service reductions and layoffs, so I’m not too worried about it. There will most likely be a public comment time (isn’t there always?), before anything goes into affect, so we have that to look forward to.
A new app was released today to help people downtown find a space to park. Park Pittsburgh shows how many spaces are available in each lot, as well as showing the prices and nearby attractions to each parking garage.
I love that it came into existence out of the need of one man, and will now (hopefully as it spreads), benefit the entire city.
iPhone users can download the app, other smartphone users can go to a mobile site, or view the information via text message, call a number to listen to availability or view it through a web browser. I’m guessing Mr. Benter uses an iPhone, but I am anxiously waiting for the Android app as well.
I went to the mobile site, and it’s pretty awesome. The only addition I could think of, would be to add driving directions to the garage entrance using your phone’s GPS, although that may be a feature of the app, I don’t know.
Anyway, thanks, Mr. Benter (and your team of engineers and the Cultural Trust), for making it a little bit easier to park downtown, I can’t wait to see how this expands!
