Blue Pennsylvania: The New Website

Hi folks,

Hope everyone's recovered from the No Kings rallies throughout our community.  Now it's back to work.  

As always, each spring there are two annual occurrences that descend upon us like clockwork: Campaigning for the fall, and the state budget.

As always, these emails make the case that these two occurrences are inextricably intertwined.  Politicians argue why their "Yea" or "Nay" votes are a benefit to their constituents, often in an attempt to maintain their incumbency.  Voters, however, often act on incomplete or erroneous information and vote for legislators who support policies that will ultimately raise taxes and utility rates, and diminish services such as transportation and education.

As just one example, consider the following graph:

This graph compares four underfunded school districts - Allentown, Bensalem Township, Bristol Township, and Pottstown - with the 148 fully funded districts in Pennsylvania.  The PSSA test measures proficiency in English language arts, math, and science in the elementary and middle school grades, while the Keystone exam measures proficiency in algebra, biology, and literature in high school.  In each subject, the percentage of students in fully funded school districts who are performing at least proficiently is far greater than the percentages in the underfunded districts.

One would think that the legislators who represent these underfunded districts would do everything that they could to assure full state funding for their students.  Yet Frank Farry, who represents both the Bensalem and Bristol Township school districts, and Tracy Pennycuick, who represents Pottstown, voted twice for no new adequacy increases in the budget last year for their districts.  Jarrett Coleman, who represents Allentown, voted three times against such increases.

To see just how detrimentally these lawmakers have represented their districts, you are cordially invited to check out Philly Neighborhood Networks' new website.  From there you can click on the "Politics" tab, and then on "Blue Pennsylvania", or you can just click on this link.  Toward the bottom of the page you will find videos showing how little they care about their constituents.  Please share this information with friends and family who may live in these areas.

And while you're on the Blue Pennsylvania page, please check out our joint venture with March on Harrisburg to support HB 123 - the bill that would bring rank choice voting in Pennsylvania.  Rank Choice Voting assures that those candidates who have values most in line with your own have a better chance of winning an election.  As you already know, rank choice voting helped Zohran Mamdani to ultimately win New York City's mayoral race.  If you follow the links, you will be able to write to your state representative to demand hearings on the bill.

Thanks,

Coleman