The Pennsylvania House of Representatives approved a state budget revenue plan late Friday night and sent that bill to the Republican-controlled Senate for concurrence.  The Senate is scheduled to vote on Monday.

While this budget is far from perfect, it is the best we can hope for this year.  It creates a more stable funding plan for most essential services for our state’s families, seniors and children. It includes a $300 million increase for basic education funding that will provide some relief for local school districts. 

Tell the Senate to pass the budget on Monday. 

http://www.keystoneprogress.org/page/speakout/pabudget2

The revenue plan also includes the following changes that shift the burden away from non-profit and community organizations, and on to polluters and tobacco products:

• Eliminates the proposed tax on the arts and museums.
• Eliminates the proposed tax on small games of chance run by non-profit groups like the American Legion, churches and other community groups.
• Imposes a severance tax on natural gas drilling.  This will bring in over $100 million a year from this highly risky, polluting industry.  The money will go to the general fund as well as to the counties and municipalities where the drilling occurs, and to low income heating and energy assistance, and to the Environmental Stewardship and the Hazardous Sites Cleanup Fund.
• Imposes a tax on cigars and smokeless tobacco that will bring in over $50 million a year.  PA is the only state that taxes cigarettes that doesn’t tax these products.

10 DOCTORS – 28 CITIES – 18 STATES – 30 DAYS

1 MESSAGE:

“SINGLE PAYER NOW!”

FROM  OREGON  TO  PITTSBURGH AND THEN ON TO

THE WHITE HOUSE!

THIS “CARE-A-VAN” OF DOCTORS IS TRAVELING ACROSS THE COUNTRY DEMANDING SINGLE-PAYER FROM THE PRESIDENT AND CONGRESS.“We’re mad as hell because our health care system is run by people who profit from illness”, says Dr. Paul Hochfeld, “The rest of the civilized world has test driven single payer and it works. But elected officials in America won’t even allow a discussion.”

THE “MAD AS HELL DOCTORS” WILL BE IN PITTSBURGH FOR A

 TOWN HALL MEETING      

 TUESDAY, SEPT. 29^TH, 7 PM  

At the Letter Carriers Union Hall, (Branch 84), 841 California Avenue, on the North Side.

(On California Ave. between Brighton Rd. and the large Post Office Facility, off-street parking available.)

REFRESHMENTS WILL BE SERVED

Get Mad.      Stay Mad.     Make History.

Photo: Protesters’ ‘Tent City’
Camp for G20 Events

Progressive Activists,
Big Business Converge
on Pittsburgh’s G20 Meet

Jeb Sprague
Inter Press Service

PITTSBURGH, Sep 20 (IPS) – As media and government delegates prepare for the G20 Summit to be held Sep. 24-25 in Pittsburgh, local business and activist groups are promoting clashing visions of days to come.

Hit hard over the last quarter of the twentieth century with a collapsing steel industry, recession and falling population, Pittsburgh is still a decent place to live – often highly rated because of low housing costs.

On one side, Pittsburgh government and business leaders say they have reshaped the city to connect with globalization as a hi-tech, financial and medical industry hub.

On the other side, labor, community, youth and environmental groups are fighting for green jobs and clean energy, while calling into question how government and corporate leaders have dealt with the global financial crisis and urban renewal. Continue reading Behind Pittsburgh’s Becoming the G20 Meeting Site →

Michael Moore’s
Labor Fans Hit
Pittsburgh’s Streets
For a Film Premiere

By Carl Davidson
Beaver County Blue

When we heard Michael Moore was going to do a surprise premiere of his new film, ‘Capitalism: A Love Story’ at the AFL-CIO convention Sept 14 and we were all invited, it was a no-brainer—how many names could we nail down in time and how many cars could we get for the drive to downtown Pittsburgh the next day?

We knew union delegates to the convention that could go. But Moore, the California Nurse’s Association, and Leo Girard, head of the United Steel Workers, wanted the area’s battleground fighters for HR 676 ‘Medicare for All’ to have a shot at the seats in the Golden Triangles’ Byham Theater. That qualification certainly fit the 4th CD’s Progressive Democrats of America and its ally, Beaver County Peace Links. They had been working of HR 676 for years at the grassroots, showing Moore’s ‘Sicko’ documentary on health care many times.

For a spur-of-the moment happening, the event was wildly successful. Thousands rallied at the David Lawrence Convention Center, then poured into the evening sunset-lit downtown streets with chants and banners, for a militant and spirited march to the cultural district. Michael Moore, appropriately clad in a bright red shirt and red ball cap, helped carry the front row banner, leading the chants. Continue reading Watching ‘Capitalism: A Love Story’ with Michael Moore →

go to next page for parts 2 and 3.

Continue reading Pres. Obama’s Speech on Healthcare to Joint Session of Congress →