Murders are up, but Philly PD’s website states they are down --- because they’re comparing this year’s killings to those from 2007!

If the CEO of a Wall Street firm announced that revenues were up 22 percent, he would be lauded for his leadership and undoubtedly receive a hefty raise.

By contrast, if it was revealed that the CEO was playing games with the books and basing his figures not on a year-to-date comparison from the prior year, but from four years ago, he would probably be shown the door.

But that’s precisely the situation with Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey, the city’s highest-paid employee.  The argument can be made that Commissioner Ramsey is deliberately misleading the public on the city’s murder rate.

                                                                                  *****

A visit to the Philadelphia Police website Crime Stats page (http://phillypolice.com/about/crime-statistics) verifies what we already know: shootings, violence and murder are out of control throughout the city.  As of this writing, there have been 259 murders since January 1, as one can plainly see from the highlighted 2011 figure on the webpage.  Beside that is a number with a down arrow.  Currently, it’s 18 percent, but last week it stood at 22.  It purports to represent the percentage that murders have decreased.

And therein lies the problem. A big one.

Murders aren’t down 18 or 22 percent.  As a matter of fact, they’re up. Comparing year-to-date statistics, they’ve increased ten from last year, a whopping 24 from 2009 (a ten percent jump), and eight from 2008.  
But Chief Ramsey has decided to hide these numbers and instead compare today’s murder rate with that of 2007, the high-water mark for killings.  That’s like the Phillies claiming a playoff victory because they beat the Cardinals half a decade ago.

It’s interesting to note that Ramsey was hired at the end of 2007, which perhaps explains why he is using that blood-soaked year as his benchmark--- all the easier to pass the buck and make himself look better.

Maybe the Chief, and Mayor Nutter, who hired him and remains his boss, missed their callings. They seem better suited for Wall Street firms that rely on misleading investors (in this case, the citizens) for their own personal gain (re-election, job security and bloated pensions). 

So residents get the screws two ways: they walk away with a false sense of security, mistakenly believing that murders are down.  And when they realize the truth --- that their leaders are deliberately misleading them --- they feel betrayed.

Unlike the Wall Street CEO, Nutter and Ramsey get away scott-free.  And like some robber baron execs, they each make a pile of money, courtesy of a duped public, with little accountability and oversight.

In fact, Chief Ramsey is rolling in it, to the tune of $255,000/year.

You may recall that earlier this year, the Commissioner was actively courted for the top police job in his hometown of Chicago.  Despite pleas that he stay, it was almost a done deal, but for one small sticking point: his $400,000 per year total compensation asking price, according to press reports.  You know it’s greedy when even a liberal Democrat like Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel balks at such an obscene amount, which, by the way, is the salary of the President of the United States.

Ramsey’s reason for ultimately staying in Philadelphia? “…the support I got here at home from the business community — and the media, even — and, of course, Mayor Nutter, made the difference.”

Well, that, and the $60,000 pay raise he was promised from the Mayor as a reward for not leaving the city, courtesy of the taxpayers.  That increase makes the Commissioner the highest --- repeat, highest --- paid city employee.  Even more than the Mayor himself.

Ramsey was right about one thing. He did get quite a bit of support, from city councilmen (“we won the big prize” by retaining Ramsey) to the gushing, sycophant media.  Notably, neither entity bothered asking the right questions before, or after, the lavish pay hike was doled out to the Chief.

Questions such as:

1) How can the city afford to shell out a $60,000/year salary increase to anyone when it can’t even pay its current bills, has an insolvent pension, and continues to see its tax base --- what’s left of it --- flee? In fact, it was just reported that there is yet another tax revenue shortfall, adding to the budget deficit.  What a surprise.

And for the record, there are plenty of qualified people who would have gladly accepted the Commissioner’s previous salary of $195,000 had he chosen to leave. 

2) When will Philadelphia realize that paying exorbitant salaries to government officials is not just financially foolhardy, but doesn’t guarantee results?  Just look at Arlene Ackerman, the now former School Superintendent who made $325,000/year (with incentives allowing for a half-million dollar payday) to preside over an ever-worsening school district.  For the privilege of leaving her post, she banked $905,000, all footed by the public. 

And don’t forget scandal-plagued former Housing Authority chief Carl Greene, who, with his bonus, was making $350,000.  In addition, residents are still paying sky-high legal bills related to the mess he left behind.

3) Was any quantitative, or better yet, common sense analysis done to see if Ramsey merited such a large salary bump?  Murders are increasing, out-of-control flash mobs have led to curfews, police corruption is rampant, and there is growing fear on the streets, leading many suburbanites to stay away. 

According to the Chief’s 2008 “Crime Fighting Strategy,” the big goal that year was to “reduce homicides by twenty-five percent,” yet the Department was way short, overseeing only a 15 percent drop from 2007 to 2008.  And what of the stated overall plan of reducing homicides by 30 to 50 percent, as outlined in a public letter from Ramsey to Nutter? Not even in the ballpark. As noted above, homicides have been rising, not falling.

While certainly not all these things can be attributable to the Chief, the buck stops with him.  He is responsible.  Just like a CEO often receives no bonus when numbers are down, the Chief of Police should have pay raises tied to performance.  But since the Mayor deals in Other People’s Money, that isn’t the case.

                                                                             *****

Is the city is safer? You can play with statistics to bolster any desired conclusion.  Yet ask those in Philadelphia whether they truly feel secure, and most would simply laugh. And that’s the only statistic that matters.

Is the Chief doing a good job? In some respects, yes.  But so stellar that he commands a raise three times more than the city’s per capita income?  Not even close.  The fact that the city can’t afford the money is just salt in the wound.

OK, fine. Ramsey got his money.  It is what it is, and he isn’t relinquishing it.  But that bolsters the point all the more.

The leader of the Police Department should epitomize transparency and honesty.

Instead, in what can only be assumed to be a deliberate attempt to deceive Philadelphians, games are being played with the city’s increasing murder rate.  And there is no excuse for that. None.

The culture of any organization is established by the conduct of its top leaders. In the Philadelphia Police Department’s case, its culture of honor, values and integrity has taken a hit.  And when the rank and file --- the guys on the street chasing down the murderers --- see their top brass skirting the truth for political gain, perhaps they too cut a corner where they shouldn’t be.  They take on the persona of their leadership.

It’s time for the Mayor and Chief to do the right thing by telling the truth, no matter how difficult that may be. Let’s see more honesty in the most trusted institution in Philadelphia --- its police department.

Only when the city’s leaders regain the trust of the people will Philadelphia begin its journey back to respectability.

An accredited member of the media, Chris Freind is an independent columnist, television/radio commentator, and investigative reporter who operates his own news bureau, www.FreindlyFireZone.com  His self-syndicated model has earned him the largest cumulative media voice in Pennsylvania.

Freind's column, "Freindly Fire," appears nationally in Newsmax and regionally in
Philadelphia Magazine's Philly Post.  It is also published regularly in a number
of the state's largest newspapers, including The Delaware County Daily Times, Chester
County Daily Local, Norristown Times Herald, Pottstown Mercury and Bucks County Courier
Post. Readers of his column, “Freindly Fire,” hail from six continents, thirty countries
and all fifty states.

His work has been referenced in numerous other publications including The Wall Street
Journal, National Review Online, foreign newspapers, and in Dick Morris' bestseller
"Catastrophe."

The televised images of violence and looting triggered one recurring thought in many people--- that this isn’t supposed to happen in our civilized cities.

No, we’re not just talking about London, but right here in Philadelphia, as flash mobs have grown more frequent --- and more violent.

To deal with mobs --- which keep residents barricaded in their homes and visitors out of the city --- Mayor Michael Nutter has instituted a citywide curfew.  Areas around Center City have been targeted with an extra police presence. 

Common sense tells us there will be a drop in flash mobs with the curfew, although violent incidents have still been occurring just outside the targeted zones.

In and of itself, the curfew isn’t a bad idea, but that seems to be the Mayor’s only answer, and that’s the real problem.

It should be obvious that a curfew can’t solve the underlying reasons as to why the uprisings are taking place.  But given the fact that flash mobs have been plaguing the city since early 2010, the Mayor has shown himself to be unable or unwilling to address the root causes.

So the problem only worsens.

                                                                         *****

Curfews Aren’t A Panacea

Curfews are short term, reactive tools of government, a tactic rather than a strategy.  While people feel safer --- which is important to keep society functioning --- the false sense of security that a curfew provides often evaporates when the situation doesn’t stabilize or the curfew is lifted.

They are simply too expensive and resource-intensive to be permanently maintained. Police become bogged down in the menial work of processing curfew violators and contacting their parents (who will be hit with fines they can’t afford), instead of focusing on the real criminals prowling the city.

And that is simply not the most effective use of our crime-fighting resources.

The other downside is that curfews create resentment among those affected --- most of whom are law abiding citizens --- because an entire group now becomes classified as criminals for doing something that two weeks ago was perfectly legal.  The majority are punished for the actions of very few.

Measures which are perceived to unfairly target people based on age, skin color and gender will only enflame tensions, not soothe them. And as a result, people take on the persona of that which they are accused of being.

Curfew aside, perhaps the focus should be on targeting actual crime, and concentrate on arresting actual criminals, (not curfew violators).  If the police catch the bad guys, the prosecutors gain convictions, and judges hand down tough sentences, we’d be light years ahead of where we are today.

Here’s the bottom line: you don’t solve a crime problem by making something a crime that is now not a crime.

So why do we do these things? Because they’re easy and make good 30-second sound bites.  While the Mayor wants us to believe that the curfew will make everything right, in reality we are left with a city that is no safer in the long run.

Beyond the curfew, what does the Mayor suggest to solve the problem? That parents and children need to “get their act together” and that there will be a “zero tolerance” for this type of behavior.

Some parents absolutely need to get to get their act together, but for many, they are doing all the right things yet are still swimming against the tide. Things that would improve their situation are out of their control, and the person who could fix the problems --- the Mayor --- chooses not to.

Too bad Michael Nutter doesn’t employ a zero-tolerance policy where it’s needed most: educational failure and businesses fleeing the city.

Solve the Problem

Sure, there is an element in every society that is violent and lawless, and nothing can ever change that. The only solution for those thugs is a life in prison.

But for the majority of others, crime doesn’t have to be a way of life, but often is because of the lack of opportunities, both educationally and professionally. That’s where bold leadership comes into play, the ability to reverse years of decline with real solutions to the toughest problems.
Unfortunately, this Mayor is totally lacking in that category.

As Freindly Fire has repeatedly noted, the core reason for our situation is the horrendously bad educational system, which directly results in the lack of hope for young people.

There is simply no possibility of receiving a quality education in Philadelphia, despite taxpayers spending more than $17,000 per student, per year.  Some schools are deathtraps and, incomprehensibly, many sport graduation rates in the 20’s and 30’s --- and that’s after a huge number have already dropped out. Despite all the rhetoric promising to turn things around, they have only gotten worse.

When the most basic life skills are lacking, the prospects for a decent job are virtually nonexistent, so many of our youth see the dream of a stable and prosperous life as nothing more than an illusion. Faith is lost.

If young people feel they have nothing to live for, they resort to criminal activity. The youths committing these crimes figure that, before they are thirty, they’ll either be dead or in jail. The “I’ve got nothing to lose” attitude turns them into predators, and law-abiding citizens become their prey.

When education is trumped by survival, everybody loses. But no one wants to fix the problem, instead pretending that more money is the solution. Wrong --- it isn’t.  Only educational competition --- school choice ---can turn things around. But it isn’t happening, so another generation will be lost while gutless politicians continue their inane babble which accomplishes nothing.

And speaking of competition, is it any wonder why Philadelphia can’t compete with the nation’s cities that are growing? Could it have something to do with the fact that, cumulatively, it’s the highest taxed city in the country? And that the situation is only worsening?

Under the Mayor’s watch, property taxes have gone through the roof, the city portion of the sales tax has increased 100 percent, pension payments have been deferred, and numerous other taxes and fees have been instituted or proposed. And that’s in addition to what was already a crushing tax load.

It’s a simple cause and effect.  Businesses flee the city or refuse to relocate here. The resulting lack of opportunities in turn triggers despair and increased crime.

As the recently released Pew survey showed, residents who can depart Philadelphia do, leaving behind an underclass with scant opportunities and even less hope.

You wouldn’t treat a heart attack victim by giving him an aspirin, since that would only be treating a symptom. In Philadelphia, curfews and feel-good fairy tale rhetoric have become the “cure” but do nothing other than speed up the city’s deathspiral.

                                                                       *****
Until leaders with a true understanding of the problems --- and how to solve them --- take control, citizens will continue to be held hostage to terrorizing thugs, and brazen crime sprees will increase.

Whether its flash mobs, riots, brutal subway attacks, or cops in the crosshairs, it’s clear that respect for authority is waning, and no one is off-limits to the predators.

Create opportunity, and you create stability.  People with good jobs buy houses, have families and become productive, law abiding citizens with an incentive to keep their neighborhoods safe.

Ignore the problems, and you have a powder keg ready to explode. With nothing to lose, all bets are off --- and society takes a hit.
Anything less than real solutions will make flash mobs more than just a flash in the pan, but an unfortunate part of everyday city life. 

An accredited member of the media, Chris Friend is an independent columnist, television commentator, and investigative reporter who operates his own news bureau, www.FreindlyFireZone.com

Readers of his column, “Freindly Fire,” hail from six continents, thirty countries
and all fifty states. His work has been referenced in numerous publications including
The Wall Street Journal, National Review Online, foreign newspapers, and in Dick
Morris' recent bestseller "Catastrophe."

Freind, whose column appears regularly in Philadelphia Magazine and nationally in
Newsmax, also serves as a frequent guest commentator on talk radio and state/national
television, most notably on FOX Philadelphia.  He can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Who makes the best Bloody Mary in the city? Where is the best brunch?  Freindly Fire has no idea.  Thankfully, though, there are much smarter folks who know the best things in and around the nation’s fourth-largest market. For those gems, see the “Best of Philly” awards in this month’s Philadelphia Magazine.

There are, however, some other non-politically correct Best and Worst Awards that should be bestowed on very deserving winners…and losers.  Following is Freindly Fire’s List:

Best Of Philly

Best snowfall removal: Anywhere but Philadelphia. The streets were absolutely deplorable, with significant snow and ice on major city roads days after the storms, not to mention that many side streets were simply impassable. How did city residents react?  Almost 80 percent voted for Mayor Nutter in the May primary. In comparison, Chicagoans kicked out their Mayor for similar incompetence in 1979.   Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow…just don’t complain when you can’t get to work. He’s your Mayor.

Best Political Comeback: IBEW 98 boss John Dougherty.  After losing a bid for the state senate and coming up short in clashes with Democratic party powerbroker Bob Brady, Doc came roaring back.  He garnered huge headlines by trying to reform the DRPA, but most significantly, orchestrated big wins in City Council races.  More than anyone, Johnny Doc has positioned himself to be kingmaker in deciding who the next Mayor of Philadelphia will be.

Best “It’s All About Me” Moment: City Council’s refusal to abolish the DROP retirement program for city employees --- you know, the one that makes elected officials rich when they “retire” for a day after being re-elected.  So while the folks who actually foot the bill are struggling just to survive, city lawmakers keep cashing in at the public trough.  Often forgotten in the criticism, though, is Council’s stellar stewardship of Philadelphia. Its leadership has produced the highest rates of taxes, murder, violence, and poverty in the nation, an education system that, by all accounts, is a colossal failure, and a city that is perpetually ranked as one of the dirtiest.  But give ‘em a break.  We’re not Detroit. Yet.

Best “I Don’t Recall” Moment: No, it wasn’t a political corruption trial, but the just-revealed grand jury testimony of Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua as he weaved his way around prosecutors’ pointed questioning regarding the ever- widening Church sex-scandal.  The Cardinal’s memory lapse was an oh-so-convenient backdoor for covering his own derriere and evading discussion about his role in the cover-up, leading the grand jury to label him as “untruthful” and “not forthright.” Church officials need to be reminded that sins of omission can be just as bad as sins of commission, and that ignoring the 8th Commandment is not a prudent way to go through life. So much for always standing behind the kids….

Best Sports Move: Bringing Cliff Lee back. The Phils have been transformed from an organization that made the playoffs only three times in 26 years (and that’s with the wild card), to being perennial contenders. But being “very good” wasn’t good enough, so they brought back pitching Lee.  With Lee rounding out one of the best rotations in baseball history, the Fightin’s are fully expected to win the World Series, and that has them hanging out in hallowed Yankees territory, at least for the present.  Like the Bronx Bombers, the Phillies are now in the elite world where a season that culminates in anything less than total victory will be viewed as a failure. Tough as it will be to swallow if the Phils aren’t World Champions again, that expectation of perfection is rarely seen in any sport, and was nonexistent in Philly. Tip of the hat to the best --- and only--- sports braintrust in the city that has shown the resolve to do whatever it takes to win.

Best Thing About Philadelphia: Its people. It’s a blue-collar town, through and through, and that makes it as real as it gets. People wear their emotions on their sleeves, and it’s rare to not know where someone stands. Politics? Rough and tumble ---- sometimes literally.  Sports fans? The most dedicated, if not always educated, in the country. Run out every play, and you’ll be a Philly Hall of Famer, but cop a ‘tude,  pout, dog it (no Vick pun intended) or just plain suck, and you’ll be run out of town on a rail.  Everyday people? Not nearly as rude as we like to think we are.
That salt-of-the-Earth, you-know-what-you’re-getting character is innately Philly, and, while maddening at times, is beyond refreshing in an increasingly shallow world. Yo Philly, don’t ever change.

Worst Of Philly

Worst Way To Earn A Living: Dealing with the dead.  Not funeral directors, coroners, and grave diggers (although all have been quite busy with skyrocketing murders). They all earn an honest living.  We’re talking about Michael Meehan, the city GOP boss and lawyer extraordinaire who gives the famous movie line “I see dead people” some real-life meaning.

Seems that a dearly-departed soul --- a year after dying --- retained Meehan as legal counsel to challenge the petitions of people running for Committee posts --- in his own Party. Meehan didn’t fare much better with the living, as many of his other “clients” signed affadavits stating that they never met or heard of Meehan, and that the signatures in Meehan’s possession were not theirs.

The Philly GOP led by Meehan may be dead, but the criminal investigation into the matter by the District Attorney isn’t. And who said lawyers couldn’t get any lower?

Worst Sports Move: Yes, it was last year’s move, but it’s been so devastating that it bears repeating. Getting rid of Donovan McNabb.  Life is now so boring without Number 5 around.  Just look at all there is to miss: throwing up in the huddle during the Super Bowl, laughing jovially when his team was losing, not knowing the rules of overtime, making racially-charged comments where they had no place, and always connecting with his favorite receiver --- the turf ---when the game was on the line. Sports in Philly just aren’t the same anymore, especially with Michael Vick being so dog-gone….normal.  Without McNabb’s drama queen theatrics over which to obsess, Philadelphia is on the verge of becoming, dare we say it, a civilized sports city.  Bring him back!

Worst Empty Promise: Philly’s pension will be OK. Anytime a politician admits that something is bad, it’s always worse. So when the Mayor says the city’s pension fund is 45 percent funded (less than 50 percent is considered somewhat catastrophic), you know there just won’t be a happy ending. With no more state or federal money to bail out the virtually insolvent pension, and no possible way Nutter can keep his promise to write an $800 million check to the pension (to make up for several years of deferred payments), look for retirees to start getting pennies on the dollar in just a few short years. Think it can’t happen in America?  Given the fact that the nation came within hours of default --- despite its magical power to print money out of thin air--- can anyone seriously believe that?

Worst Thing About Philly: Its people. Or more accurately, the people’s complacency. What can you say about residents who, despite the knowledge that things are going the wrong way, time and again reelect the very same people who created the mess? Philadelphia has the potential to be a world-class city, with not one but two major rivers (neither developed). It is ideally situated within a day’s drive of more than half the country.  As a major gateway for overseas travelers, it should unquestionably be a destination rather than a layover stop.  And with major ports, railroads, airports and interstates, it be should a no-brainer for companies to locate their operations in Philadelphia. 

Philly’s stagnant position stems from a lack of leadership. It’s time for Philadelphians to wake up and demand that their city take its rightful place as one of very best. But that mantle simply can’t be claimed until the people show the will to make a change.

Given Mayor Nutter’s virtually guaranteed re-election, though, that may have to wait another four years.  How ‘bout them Phils?

Chris Friend is an independent columnist, television commentator, and investigative reporter who operates his own news bureau, www.FreindlyFireZone.com

Readers of his column, “Freindly Fire,” hail from six continents, thirty countries
and all fifty states. His work has been referenced in numerous publications including
The Wall Street Journal, National Review Online, foreign newspapers, and in Dick
Morris' recent bestseller "Catastrophe."

Freind, whose column appears regularly in Philadelphia Magazine and nationally in
Newsmax, also serves as a frequent guest commentator on talk radio and state/national
television, most notably on FOX Philadelphia.  He can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

You have to give credit where it’s due. 

Thanks to Mayor Nutter, folks have laughed more over the last two weeks than at any time in recent memory.  If laughing is good for the soul, Philadelphians are in great shape.

What was so funny?

Watching Nutter keep a straight face while proposing another ten percent hike in property taxes (which would be in addition to last year’s “temporary” ten percent increase and the 100 percent increase in the city portion of the state sales tax), higher parking fees, and yes, the resurrected sugary drink “soda” tax, which would  impose a two-cent per ounce tax on sugary drinks.

But Philadelphians’ collective rage at the Mayor’s ideas was downright priceless.

If it wasn’t so funny, it would be pathetic.

*****

The fact that there is any outrage or surprise is inexplicable. What did these people expect? 

“These people” being  the 80 percent who just voted for Nutter in last month’s primary election.

No, that’s not a typo.  A whopping eight of ten Philadelphia voters ushered Nutter back into the Mayor’s office (a done deal, since he cannot lose in November), welcoming him back for a second term with open arms.  

To those folks, a suggestion: stop doing drugs.  They make you hallucinate.

What part of The Nut’s sham did you buy?  That he would make the city’s business climate better so that it could attract more companies, thus creating more jobs?  Freindly Fire is no economist, but it knows that when you want less of something, you tax it.  That’s fact, not opinion.  So based on the crushing levies being proposed, how exactly the Mayor plans to incentivize companies to stay in the city, much less locate here, remains a mystery

.

But how could anyone oppose the soda tax, since its objective is to combat obesity? Oh wait, that was last year’s pitch, which was so disingenuous that the proposal landed in the drink.

This time, the Mayor is taking a different tack, presciently pointing out that no businesses --- even the beverage retailers --- will really be harmed by the tax.

"These are individual business people who will make individual business decisions," Nutter said.

Of course, the Mayor failed to explain how paying a mandated soda tax --- a certifiable job-killer --- would be an “individual business decision,”  since failure to comply would unleash the city’s Gestapo Tax Squad.

When asked if businesses would leave the city, he stated, "No, that's laughable. I mean, that's just a cruel joke… they're trying to scare people with these tactics."

Spoken like a career politician who has never held a private-sector job in his life, and has absolutely no clue how devastating the soda tax would be on the city’s businesses.

Here’s what the Mayor doesn’t want you to know: a soda tax, while a burden to all, would be especially harmful to the poor, who can least afford another tax. Remember, these people are already living in what is, cumulatively, one of the highest taxed cities in the nation.

More important, there’s no such thing as a “tax on soda.”  It’s a tax on people. Period.

Which is why the Mayor is dancing the Philadelphia Two-Step, doing everything in his power to distract the voters and avoid the real issues --- such as taxpayer money going into the city’s coffers every time someone drinks a cold soda on a hot summer day.

Mayor Nutter incorrectly believes that government and “government money” creates jobs and wealth, when in reality, the exact opposite is true. 

Government creates nothing, nor should it.  Rather, it’s free people in a competitive environment who are the engine of a thriving democratic society.   Government should be there to serve the people, not the other way around.  Nowhere is that more apparent than in once-great cities like Philadelphia, where the economic lights are on their last flicker.

Math doesn’t lie.  Two plus two will always equal four --- whether one chooses to admit that or not.  Out-of-touch politicians like Michael Nutter can promise an empty bill of goods to our citizens. But just because he chooses not to acknowledge the real problems doesn’t mean they’re not there.

*****

The ball is now in City Council’s hands.  They have the sole power to approve or reject the Nutter tax proposals.  While conventional wisdom says the votes aren’t there for passage, nothing is certain, especially with so many retiring Council members with “nothing to lose” if they anger the voters.

Sure, the city is facing fiscal problems, but breaking the backs of citizens to fix problems not of their making is simply wrong.  Retiring or not, what politician really wants his or her only legacy to be a tax-raiser who presided over a violent, insolvent city with vastly deteriorated city services? 

It is rare that a City Council vote holds so much importance.  In this instance, the significance is  not just whether a sugary drink tax is passed or defeated, but the message behind that vote:  

Will Philadelphia continue its decline by engaging in more of the same failed policies? 

Or will it finally turn the corner, firmly stating that it will no longer look to the state and federal governments for bailouts which only serve to pass the buck on accountability? And that, instead, it will pull itself up by its own bootstraps, embracing the spirit of its citizens rather than crushing it?

*****

Here’s the truth. Residents are leaving Philadelphia in droves--- some to make purchases across county or state lines to avoid city taxes, and hundreds of thousands who are just leaving altogether.

If Philadelphia is to ever put the brakes on this exodus, and begin the long road back to respectability, it is mandatory for City Council to step up and resoundingly reject the Mayor’s sugary drink tax proposal. 

Anything else will just be “sugar” coating a tragic situation --- forcing residents to pour a drink much stronger than soda.

City Council, your fifteen minutes are upon you.

Chris Friend is an independent columnist, television commentator, and investigativereporter who operates his own news bureau, www.FreindlyFireZone.com

Readers of his column, “Freindly Fire,” hail from six continents, thirty countries

and all fifty states. His work has been referenced in numerous publications including

The Wall Street Journal, National Review Online, foreign newspapers, and in Dick

Morris' recent bestseller "Catastrophe."

Freind, whose column appears regularly in Philadelphia Magazine and nationally in

Newsmax, also serves as a frequent guest commentator on talk radio and state/national

television, most notably on FOX Philadelphia.  He can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

In 1979, Chicago Mayor Michael Bilandic didn't effectively plow the streets after a snowstorm --- and as a direct result, he lost his primary election several months later. After similar snowstorms in Philadelphia this past winter, the streets were in deplorable shape --- and that’s being generous.

The result? Almost 80% of voters just told Mayor Nutter "job well done" in last month’s primary.

That's the difference. Chicago is "the town that works." Philadelphia is completely dysfunctional.

Apathy gets you what you deserve. That passive neglect by city residents has led to Philly’s very deserved reputation as a city of colossal failure, with virtually no promise of a renaissance-like turnaround.  And the numbers bear that out. 

A recent study by the Pew Charitable Trust says it all: those who have the means to leave the city do so --- as evidenced by 263,000 white residents (one-third of that population) who fled over the last 20 years.  Those who can’t flee get further crushed by an abusive and incompetent government.

Since voters keep sending leaders like Mayor Michael Nutter back to City Hall by overwhelming margins, the rest of the state --- particularly non-city state legislators --- have increasingly been sending a message to Philadelphia: “We don’t care about your problems any more. You’ve made your bed --- now lie in it.”

It’s about time.

                                                                              *****

Up until the 50’s, Philadelphia was the last major city to be run by Republicans.  The GOP had become wildly corrupt, and eventually lost power to the Democrats reformers, who have been calling the shots ever since.

The transformation can be summed up this way: Philadelphia went from competent but corrupt Republicans, to incompetent and corrupt Democrats, to what we have today: just incompetent Democrats.

Sure, there is still corruption, but, to be fair, Nutter seems to be cleaner than some of his predecessors.

That’s simply not good enough.  Truth be told, it’s probably a safe bet that the majority of residents would rather have corruption and competence than just plain incompetence.

                                                                              *****

Nothing works in the city.  Services are poor and unpredictable, despite the staggering costs that residents and businesses pay for them.  Opening a business is fraught with bureaucracy, red tape, and, many privately say, extortion--- both “legal” and otherwise.

The education system not only is in the hole $600 million, despite 70,000 vacancies in the School District’s capacity, but violence is commonplace, making it a deathtrap for many students.  Year after year, its “product” is so bad that a huge number drop out of school, and the rest have virtually no skills to perform even the most menial jobs after graduation.  Only about one-third of its 11th graders are proficient in math, and slightly more than 40 percent proficient in reading, according to standardized tests.  Yet those dismal figures were “earned” despite massive educational spending and smaller class size.  The truth is, the percentages are significantly lower, since the dropouts are not included in the scores.

The pension is catastrophically underfunded, so much that the Nutter has deferred payments for two years, promising to make it up by stroking a check --- after his reelection --- for $800 million.  There is simply no money for that, so, sooner than later, it is a mathematical certainty that pensioners will begin to receive reduced payments, and, possibly, no payments at all.

Crime is still rampant, yet the Mayor acceded to the Police Commissioner’s implied threat to leave, giving him a $60,000 raise --- making him the highest-paid employee in the city.

But rather than embark on a course that would clean up the city and reduce the tax and regulatory burden so that businesses and families would actually want to locate in Philadelphia --- thus increasing tax revenue --- the Mayor and City Council have done what they always do: put the screws to the residents who can’t afford to vote with their feet.

Philadelphia is, cumulatively, one of the highest-taxed cities in the nation.  From the job-killing wage tax to the 100 percent increase in the city portion of the state sales tax, and from the (“temporary”) ten percent hike in property taxes to the business gross receipts tax, taking more of the residents’ money is the only solution known to Philadelphia’s leaders.

And yet, it’s still not enough.  So Nutter has gone back to the tax well yet again, this time resurrecting his soda tax proposal and pushing for big fee increases in parking rates. Oh, and he’s lobbying for another ten percent property tax increase.  Remember, that would be in addition to the ten percent increase passed last year.

Good move.  That’s sure to bring in new businesses. 

Mayor Nutter’s governing strategy is predicated upon only one thing: handouts from the federal and state government. In fact, he admitted that the city would have been unable to pay its bills last year without federal stimulus dollars.

Up until now, his feeding at the public trough has paid off, as the state always came to the rescue with big bucks.  But the game has changed, as neither the state nor the feds have any money left to give. And now that those welfare checks to the city have dried up, the Mayor doesn’t have a clue how to govern.
This should come as no surprise, though, as he has virtually no experience in the private sector.  How often has he ever had to meet a payroll, or navigate the bureaucratic minefield when trying to open or expand a business? When was the last time he stayed up at night, worrying about covering his employees’ health care costs? And has he ever had to look someone in the face while handing him a pink slip --- because the city tax burden was simply too great to keep that valued employee on board?

Career politicians who sit in their ivory towers, insulated from reality, govern from the only “experience” they know: academic theory. And as the exodus of Philadelphians shows, that simply doesn’t cut it.

Philadelphia doesn’t have the luxury of being Washington or New York, where being downtown is a necessity.  Very few businesses have to be in the city, so the margin of error for Philly’s leaders is extremely small. And for those empty nesters and white-collar types who enjoy living in Center City, they are one mugging away from packing it up and moving back to the suburbs.

The lesson is simple: a government that overreaches yet remains incompetent results in a vastly reduced tax base --- which in turn leads to a death spiral.  It’s a concept any high schooler could grasp, but tragically, is completely lost on this deer-in-the-headlights Mayor.

After years of misguided policies, there are no easy answers, but the future is easy to predict because there is absolutely no political will to affect real change.  Contrary to the fairy-tale fluff spewed forth at nauseating press conferences, nothing will improve, more folks will leave, Philadelphia will continue its sad decline --- and the Mayor will retire on an enviably-large pension.

Perhaps only then will he finally reap the whirlwind of his disastrous policies --- when his own pension check bounces. 

What a legacy.

Chris Freind is an independent columnist, television commentator, and investigative
reporter who operates his own news bureau, www.FreindlyFireZone.com

Readers of his column, “Freindly Fire,” hail from six continents, thirty countries
and all fifty states. His work has been referenced in numerous publications including
The Wall Street Journal, National Review Online, foreign newspapers, and in Dick
Morris' recent bestseller "Catastrophe."

Freind, whose column appears regularly in Philadelphia Magazine and nationally in
Newsmax, also serves as a frequent guest commentator on talk radio and state/national
television, most notably on FOX Philadelphia.  He can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Philadelphia has the highest rates of murder, violence and poverty in the nation.  Its school district, which spends over $17,000 per student annually, is a dismal failure, with a massive dropout rate and a $600 million deficit.  Corruption is rampant. And, cumulatively, it is the most taxed city in the country.

Why? Because it is a one-party town.  It’s that simple.

Democrats have been in control for sixty years.  And before that, Republicans dominated the city for six decades.

When there is no competition --- and in Philly’s case, there is no political counter-balance whatsoever --- the tools necessary for an open and efficient government go out the window.

Accountability, transparency, reform?  Foreign concepts, for there is absolutely no impetus for the Democrats to change.  When your Party is guaranteed the Mayor’s office and City Council, why rock the boat?  It’s nice to be King.

The resulting corruption --- both criminal and institutional --- eventually becomes so unbearable that the other Party finally topples the Old Guard with reformist leaders --- exactly what happened to the GOP when Joe Clark and Richard Dilworth were swept in to cleanse the filth in the 1950’s.

So Philadelphia’s current malaise would undoubtedly indicate that it’s due for such a change, right? 

Wrong.

To make Philadelphia a two-party town, you would actually need…a second Party. But there isn’t one.

The GOP Boss in the city is Michael Meehan, who, as a third-generation leader, has decided that holding onto the crumbs of political patronage is all the power he needs.  Heading a political party is simply a means to keeping the status quo intact. 

And that tells you everything you need to know about why Philadelphia isn’t changing for the better.  When the leader of the opposition Party is in bed with the current regime, protecting Business as Usual rather than fighting it, you know you have problems.

From not waging credible campaigns to withdrawing GOP judicial candidates --- who won the Republican primary but were replaced by Party bosses with Democrats in 2009 ---  the Philadelphia Republican Party is in shambles.  It has given residents no reason to support it, since it advocates no ideas and possesses no vision. 

Oh, and it merits noting that Freindly Fire’s column last year led to a criminal investigation into Meehan.  It seems that Meehan was allegedly representing people trying to kick Republicans off the ballot.  Eliminating your own Party members from the ballot is bad enough, but when over thirty of the petitioners claim that they never heard of Michael Meehan, and that the signature on the petition form wasn’t theirs, that’s a problem.  And he is even listed as representing a dead person, which is pretty remarkable, even for Philadelphia.

But taking the cake is whom the GOP endorsed as a mayoral candidate for the May 17 primary election. Despite the early-established candidacy of tried-and-true Republican John Featherman, the Machine decided they would endorse a “better” candidate. 

So they turned to Karen Brown, a former school teacher with a history of personal financial problems who, by the way, was a Democrat just weeks before the deadline to switch Party registration. 

So in other words, the Philadelphia Republican Party, rather than stand behind one of their own who has long believed in GOP principles, instead chooses a recent Democrat to represent them in the primary, with the “hope” that she could topple the beleaguered Mayor Nutter.

One of two things seems painfully obvious.  Either Meehan and Company are completely incompetent, or the “fix” is in, deliberately backing a candidate who won’t make waves and will roll over to Nutter.  Hey, as long as the patronage jobs continue, life is good.

There are powerful upstarts, to be sure, who are trying to reverse decades of decline in their Party so that the city they love can finally get back on the right track.  Featherman and City Commissioner candidate Al Schmidt embody the spirit of that movement, and without a doubt, are making inroads.  And the chairman of the Republican State Committee has called for leadership change in the city GOP, but to no avail.

But meaningful --- and quick --- change to the Philadelphia Republican Party will only come with the aid of the state’s top GOP  leaders. U.S. Senator Pat Toomey is on the right track, having sided with the true Republicans on several occasions, a course of action which will pay dividends for the Party, and by extension himself, in future elections.

Governor Tom Corbett is a different story. As the person who, by far, holds the key to reforming the city GOP, and most important, could stop the half-million vote deficit that Philadelphia produces for every statewide Republican, he has done absolutely nothing.  If fact, he continues to ally himself with the still-under-investigation Meehan, a puzzling move since Corbett describes himself as a law-and-order Governor (and is a former Attorney General).

This was a golden opportunity for the Governor to show leadership.  He could have demanded that a real Republican be endorsed, and could have actively supported that candidate in the primary and general elections. Sure, with a 6-1 voter registration disadvantage, the odds are against a Republican winning in the fall.  But if Corbett had weighed in when it counted, it would have symbolized that things were dramatically changing in Philadelphia --- that the Republicans would not be rolling over anymore.  The GOP would actually be fighting to win.

He could have sided with the state party chairman in calling for change to the city GOP leadership. And he could have laid the groundwork to stop the hemorrhaging of votes out of Philadelphia that the Republican presidential nominee will face in 2012, since the Democrats cannot win the White House without Pennsylvania.

But none of that has happened.

So John Featherman and his well-organized band of loyal opponents to the Meehan Machine are on their own.

But given the expected low-turnout, and a very volatile electorate, Featherman may yet beat the odds and emerge victorious.

And if that happens, expect the fireworks to begin, for not only will Featherman run against Nutter, but against the “other Democratic Party,” led by Michael Meehan.

Just as a parent can’t keep a child in line by threatening to take away toys he doesn’t have,
Featherman isn’t beholden to the city GOP in any way.

And that’s the best thing that could happen --- for ALL Philadelphians.

Don’t forget to vote!
 

Chris Freind is an independent columnist, television commentator, and investigative
reporter who operates his own news bureau, www.FreindlyFireZone.com

Readers of his column, “Freindly Fire,” hail from six continents, thirty countries
and all fifty states. His work has been referenced in numerous publications including
The Wall Street Journal, National Review Online, foreign newspapers, and in Dick
Morris' recent bestseller "Catastrophe."

Freind, whose column appears regularly in Philadelphia Magazine and nationally in
Newsmax, also serves as a frequent guest commentator on talk radio and state/national
television, most notably on FOX Philadelphia.  He can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Stupidity isn’t a crime.  But neither is it a particularly endearing trait.

Just look at some voter stupidity displayed this past election:

-In Nevada, the people returned Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to Washington for six more years.  Despite being the second most powerful elected official in the country, with sizable Democratic majorities in his chamber and the House, as well as an ally in the White House, Reid has presided over --- and directly contributed to --- the worst recession in 80 years. 

What happens in Nevada stays in Nevada --- and given the voters’ choice, they should expect their unemployment rate, the highest in America, to be staying, too.

-California is a on a direct collision with an iceberg --- one over a half-TRILLION dollars thick.  That’s right.  The Golden State’s state pension obligations alone are over $535 billion.  Which, by the way, has contributed mightily to the state being bankrupt.  Literally bankrupt.

Yet whom did the people choose to lead them to safer waters? Jerry Brown --- again.  Yes, THAT Jerry Brown, who was Governor in 1974, and no, that’s not a typo.  Californians decided that the answer to their prayers was a blast from the past… 40 years past, a man who also ran for U.S. Senate, President, Mayor and state Attorney General. Nothing like going to the well for a creative, innovative leader. 

Californians’ collective stupidity will get them exactly what they deserve, and no Hollywood director could have scripted a horror movie any better.

With so many examples of throwing one’s vote down the toilet --- and the repercussions of doing so --- common sense dictates that others would learn from such mistakes and choose wisely.  But don’t count on it.

*****

Take Philadelphia, the fifth largest city in America. 

Will its citizens heed the message that sending Old Guard politicians to clean up the very mess that THEY created won’t work? 

Specifically, will Philadelphians allow themselves to get hoodwinked by Mayor Michael Nutter --- again --- as he seeks re-election next spring, pontificating about how great things are, and what a fantastic legacy he has already left on the city?

No to the first, and yes to the second.  

And they will get exactly what they deserve, too.  So get ready for misery, melancholy, and massive unrest.

*****

During an interview on FOX 29 this week, Nutter, for the first time in his career, actually articulated his vision coherently --- that handouts from the state, courtesy of his political pals, are the cornerstone of his Administration, and the lifeblood for Philadelphia’s future.

Fortunately for the Mayor, it will be enough to get him re-elected, most likely without even an opponent. Unfortunately for the people, it is a vision that has failed time and again, but this time it will be different.  The results will be catastrophically worse.  And Philadelphians will have no one to blame but whom they see in the mirror.

*****

Nutter’s huge push this week was for the re-election of Philadelphia State Representative Dwight Evans as Appropriations Chairman in the Democratic caucus . 

Why?  Simple: “Any bill that has anything to do with money has to come through the appropriations committee, and that is where Evans … has made sure Philadelphia’s voice and concerns are being addressed,” Nutter said.

Translation:  Oh my God! The spigot is about to be turned off by the Republicans, and I might actually have to…(gulp)….govern!  What will I do without my bailouts and pet projects from Dwight, courtesy of the 11 million other Pennsylvanians who don’t live in Philadelphia?   Does this mean I will actually have to do what I was elected to do…. trim the massive fat from city government, fund the pensions (even just a little), make the streets safer and not turn my head away from our deathtrap public schools?

The Mayor has every reason to be concerned, because even if Evans wins, he will be only be minority chairman, since the GOP thundered its way into an astounding 10-seat majority in the Statehouse on election day --- a thirteen seat swing.

And what exactly has Evans done for the city?  Well, according to the Mayor, he “delivered” economic development, and funded countless “projects and programs” to maintain Philadelphia’s role in Pennsylvania “time and time again.”

But now, Nutter is at a loss as to how he can “continue the growth and opportunity we’ve seen in Philadelphia” should Evans lose his fight. What he doesn't understand, and never will, is that the fight is already over, the arena is clearing out, and the lights are flickering.

Growth and opportunity? Granted, we’re heading into a mayoral election year, but isn’t that just a bit over the top?

Here’s the real deal, absent the Mayor’s feel-good but empty rhetoric:

There is ZERO opportunity in the city to live and prosper, because the environment is so hostile to residents, students and businesses --- an environment Nutter helped create as both City Councilman and Mayor.

As for growth, it must be admitted that the Nutter does have a point here in one regard.  Taxes have grown at an extraordinary rate, since the Mayor has demanded and/or signed into law the following taxes in just the last three years:

Property tax (a 10 percent hike--- but hey, it’s only “temporary!”)

City portion of the state sales tax (a100 percent hike)

Soda tax

Trash tax

Cigar tax

Pipe tobacco tax

Chewing tobacco tax

Blogger tax

One has to ask why the need to impose all these taxes in what is already the highest taxed city in the country, especially if the Mayor had been doing his job.  A job which, in his own words, is to increase educational achievement, attract businesses to the city, and to “maintain city finances, get people jobs and make Philadelphia a safer city.”

Here’s the answer: because he hasn’t accomplished any of those things.

The only “shared sacrifice across the board” that has taken place under Mayor’s reign has been the taxpayers’ backs breaking under the load of an utterly failed Nutter Administration.

The city is insolvent because the state bailouts and the federal stimulus are done, the pension will be bankrupt in less than four years (a situation accelerated by Nutter deferring pension payments for two years), the wage tax remains second-highest in the nation, educational attainment is on par with third-world nations, and Philadelphia still has one of highest rates of murder, violence and poverty in America.

But no worries.  The Mayor has a solution --- the (possible) state minority appropriations chairman will save the day.

And if you believe that, you’re one of those still waiting for Titanic: The Sequel.

Nutter, in begging for more state handouts, explained his rationale: “If you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu.”

For decades, Philadelphia’s mayors, including Nutter, have shown their terrible table manners by pigging out at the public trough.

Finally, that slovenly feast is coming to an end.  But if Philadelphia is to ever regain its former glory, if it is to become a lean-and-mean center for innovation and prosperity, then its citizens must first shed their defeatist attitude that an ingrained Business As Usual Mayor can lead them there.

Anything less is just…stupidity.

Chris Freind is an independent columnist, television commentator, and investigative reporter who operates his own news bureau, www.FreindlyFireZone.com

Readers of his column, “Freindly Fire,” hail from six continents, thirty countries and all fifty states. His work has been referenced in numerous publications including The Wall Street Journal, National Review Online, foreign newspapers, and in Dick Morris' recent bestseller "Catastrophe."

Freind, whose column appears nationally in Newsmax, also serves as a guest commentator on Philadelphia-area talk radio shows, and makes numerous other television and radio appearances, most notably on FOX.  He can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

In a recent speech, Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter urged college students to stay in the city after graduation, stating, “we have a more knowledge-based workforce here."

Too bad we don’t have a “knowledge-based government.”

Nutter boosted Philadelphia by saying the budget was balanced, praising the federal stimulus bill for keeping the city solvent.

"We would be in a depression (without it). There's no question about that,” he said.

Wrong verb, Mr. Mayor.

Since Philadelphia is already insolvent, there are only two explanations for Nutter’s incoherence:

1)      He has no idea how dire his city’s situation has become, or

2)      He absolutely knows, but will use smoke-and-mirror tactics to get re-elected next year, passing the buck to his successor four years down the line.

Here’s betting on the latter.

*****

Nutter’s 2007 election was met with great fanfare from business leaders, city residents and even suburban folks. They naively believed Nutter would usher in a new era by cutting taxes, slashing bureaucracy and playing hardball with out-of-control union leaders.

Uh…hello?  

This was Michael Nutter we were talking about, after all.  As a City Councilman, he voted for bill after bill which sunk the city further into the abyss, increasing the mass exodus of companies and people --- and their revenue --- from the City of Brotherly Love.  

As a result, the city achieved the distinction of having the highest murder, violence and poverty rates, while leading the way in school drop-outs.

As Mayor, Nutter’s track record hasn’t been more of the same. 

It’s worse.

Crime is rampant (such as flash mobs wreaking havoc in Center City), the unions are getting contracts the city can’t afford, public schools are deathtraps where survival is the ONLY order of the day, the government workforce has swelled, and the city pension is bankrupt.

Yes, bankrupt.

And we’re supposed to expect college grads to actually stay here? 

Nutter’s own twisted logic tells us everything we need to know --- the stimulus staved off a depression.

And now that it’s gone, what’s the plan?  He’s on his own, the bailouts are over, and the rent is due. 

But if he can hold off a challenger next year, life is good.

Until the Molotov cocktails start flying.

*****

Whenever a government official admits something isn’t good, the reality is always worse.

In Philadelphia’s case, the Mayor has conceded that the city pension is somewhat underfunded.

Translation: it is insolvent.  Officials state that the pension is 45 percent funded, meaning that for every dollar owed, the fund has 45 cents in its coffers.

That level is considered catastrophically low, and anyone with one eye open knows accounting gimmicks can easily inflate that number.  In reality, it’s most certainly lower. 

According to last week’s Financial Times, of all American cities, Philadelphia has the most immediate cause for concern because “…current pension assets for plans sponsored by Philadelphia can only pay for promised benefits through 2015…”

So in a few short years, with not enough money coming in to pay those owed pensions, the city will be forced to send out letters that could read something like this:

“Dear Retired Police Officer,

Sorry, we didn’t exactly manage your pension very well.  Actually, we bankrupted it by paying for our pet projects and not funding it when we should have.  But hey, stuff happens!  Here’s 40 percent of what you’re owed.  We hear Wal-Mart may be hiring greeters, so good luck to you, and thanks for your service….”

Think it can’t happen?

It did in Greece, and riots shook that country for months on end, bringing the government to the edge of collapse.  Only when the European Union and International Monetary Fund stepped in did Greece somewhat stabilize, although it is still in an extremely tenuous position.

But there’s no bailout in Philadelphia’s future.

What Nutter and the political insiders don’t yet comprehend is that the rules of the traditional game are over --- period. In years past, Philly always looked to the state and the feds for bailouts, and usually got them.  

But this recession is different, and things will get considerably worse before they get better.  That means Business As Usual handouts won’t be coming.

Pennsylvania, facing a deficit of over $5 billion, is out of the bailout business.  And forget the U.S. government, with its $14 trillion debt; under soon-to-be Republican control, it too will be taking a pass.

Hence the riots that inevitably will sweep through the city. 

While our men in Blue are honorable, don’t count on them aggressively stopping their retired brothers who received the short end of the stick, especially since current city workers ---including police --- will have virtually NO retirement benefits coming their way. 

*****

Nutter’s answer to reverse this crisis?   Raise revenue by hiking the city portion of the state sales tax 100 percent and defer pension payments for two years.  In Year Three --- conveniently after he is reelected --- the Mayor will write a check for $800 million to bail out the pension.  Or so his plan goes.

The only problem is that there’s not a snowball’s chance of that happening.  None.

To recap: there will be no bailout, and the pension will implode, leading to massive unrest. 

Short of the city officially declaring bankruptcy --- which is much easier said than done, and would lead to a host of other problems --- Philadelphia will further descend into chaos, being rightfully viewed as a Third-World city.

And to think all of it could have been avoided.

Mayor Nutter and City Council, like so many politicians, incorrectly believe that government and “government money” creates jobs and wealth, when in reality, the exact opposite is true. 

Government creates nothing, nor should it.  Rather, it’s free people in a competitive environment who are the engine of a thriving democratic society.   Government should be there to serve the people, not the other way around.  Nowhere is that more apparent than in once-great cities like Philadelphia, where the economic lights are on their last flicker.

The beauty of math is that it doesn’t lie.  Two plus two will always equal four --- whether one chooses to admit that or not.  Likewise, out-of-touch politicians like Michael Nutter can pretend that all is rosy in Philadelphia, promising an empty bill of goods to our children. But just because he chooses not to acknowledge the real problems doesn’t mean they’re not there.

Amazingly, many residents, especially those expecting their pensions, still haven’t caught on to his Philly Two-Step. They too, are equally at fault for not demanding more accountability of their leaders, preferring to live in a Fantasyland belief that, at the end of the day, their pension ---their lifeblood --- will be there, intact.

How wrong they are.

And no amount of rioting is going to change that fact.

Here’s an idea.  Wake up, and send Mayor Nutter a message next year that the pillaging of his citizens is coming to an end.  Send him packing and elect a bold leader willing to right the ship, regardless of political fallout.

Anything else is just bad math.

Chris Freind is an independent columnist, television commentator, and investigative reporter who operates his own news bureau, www.FreindlyFireZone.com

Readers of his column, “Freindly Fire,” hail from six continents, thirty countries and all fifty states. His work has been referenced in numerous publications including The Wall Street Journal, National Review Online, foreign newspapers, and in Dick Morris' recent bestseller "Catastrophe."

Freind, whose column appears nationally in Newsmax, also serves as a guest commentator on Philadelphia-area talk radio shows, and makes numerous other television and radio appearances, most notably on FOX.  He can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

(This column first appeared in Philadelphia Magazine)

On a recent weekday at Annunciation B.V.M. Church in Havertown, a Mass was celebrated to pray for and honor police officers --- both those on the front lines and those who have fallen in the line of duty.

It was an emotional service, especially given the number of police who have been brutally slain in the last several years.  The thought of a lonely and distraught spouse raising young children --- including some unborn who never even glimpsed their father--- was so heartbreaking as to be unthinkable.

The worst part is that there’s no rational way to explain, let alone overcome, the absolute senselessness of why these officers were slain.
Where is our country headed when cops are being killed with abandon? 

While all innocent human life is sacred, there is something different about shooting a law enforcement officer. It breaks down the last barrier of respect, and it violates the code that most criminals follow - you don't take shots at police. Period.

Like anything else in life, once that taboo is broken, all bets are off.  In Philadelphia's case, it is now obvious that cops are fair game. The breakdown of the city is virtually complete.

With civility and respect quickly becoming a faded memory, further imperiling our children’s future, people are increasingly asking what, if anything, can be done to reverse this deadly course.

The answer is simple.  It’s just not easy:

School choice.

                                                *****

We have just witnessed the murder trial of cop-killers Eric Floyd and Levon Warner.  Both owners of long rap sheets, they heinously gunned down Officer Stephen Liczbinski in 2008. These animals deserve the death penalty, plain and simple, but that doesn’t answer how you stop such an atrocity from occurring in the future.

If you’re looking to politicians for help, you’ll be blind before that happens.

Every time there’s another crime in the headlines, Mayor Michael Nutter spews the same monotonous babble that the violence epidemic will be curtailed.

But nothing has changed. In fact, despite all the resources put into fighting crime, it's only getting worse.

Whether its flash mobs, citizens getting gunned down, brutal subway attacks ---or cops in the crosshairs, it’s clear that respect for authority is non-existent, and no one is off-limits to the predators.

Philadelphia’s murder, violence and homeless rates are among the highest in the nation, and there’s absolutely nothing to indicate that the situation will improve anytime soon, if ever.

Three things have become readily apparent:

1) The way we did things in the past hasn't worked.

2) What we're doing now isn't having an impact.

3) Unless a bold leader takes steps to institute true reform and eschew band-aid solutions to gaping wounds, the city ---and the region ---will continue its plummet into the abyss.

Here's the part no one wants to admit. There is NO short-term solution.

                                                  *****

We can talk all day about fairy-tale feel-good “solutions” by invoking vague rhetoric: community partnerships, town watches, more police, and of course, the ultimate panacea, banning guns.

But since we've been hearing that for decades, ad nauseum, here's a newsflash to our leaders: none of these things work. And they're not going to, either, because they are tactics without the benefit of a strategy.

Enter school choice.

The dire situation in which we find ourselves boils down to our horrendously bad educational system, and, as a direct result, the lack of hope in our young people.

With no possibility of receiving a quality education, and the prospects for a decent job virtually nonexistent, many of our youth see the dream of a stable and prosperous life as nothing more than an illusion. Faith is lost.

At that point, when people feel they have nothing to live for, or to lose, they resort to risk-taking criminal activity. The end result is despair, fear, violence and murder.

Even though our public schools are in shambles, and many are deathtraps for student and teacher alike, most parents have no options.
When education is trumped by survival, everybody loses.

So why doesn't the system change?

Greed.

Greed to keep the status quo the way it is because it immensely benefits a narrow few. And greed to keep the truth out of sight, buried behind 30 second sound bites.

And the greediest offender of all?  The teachers’ unions.

The unions are terrified of school choice because it would inject competition into our schools, which would 
expose incompetence, and the masses will finally see that the system's failure has nothing to do with a lack of money.

But since so many of our politicians, especially in Philadelphia, are in bed with these unions, school choice programs continue to be thwarted.

Without a doubt, the union leadership wields immense political power because it reaps millions in forced union dues, which are used for partisan political purposes. But how long can we --- and our “leaders” --- be held hostage to them?

Break the stranglehold of the unions, and you break the violence, both in our schools and our city.

When parents have a choice in their children's education, schools that perform will attract more students and succeed, and those that continue with the status quo will lose students and fail. The free market system that has served us so well will have the same effect on our educational product.

For the first time in generations, school choice will allow our students to actually learn the skills necessary to succeed in life.

Because of a quality education, they will have hope for a better tomorrow, understanding that it is better to live in a stable environment than be part of a criminal world in which the lifespan is shorter than those in third-world nations.

Criminals today don't fear the crossfire because they feel they have nothing to live for anyway. Until that mentality is changed, Philadelphians will continue to be held hostage, and more people - including children and police officers - will die.

But instead of action on choice, all we hear are empty promises.

To Mayor Nutter, Gov. Rendell, much of the state legislature and the union leadership who have perpetuated this senseless violence because of their deliberate failure to act, shame on you.

We can only hope that the next Governor and a new legislature will have the political will to do the right thing.

If not, how much more blood will be spilled?

Chris Freind is an independent columnist and investigative reporter who operates his own news bureau, www.FreindlyFireZone.com
Readers of his column, “Freindly Fire,” hail from six continents, thirty countries and all fifty states. His work has been referenced in numerous publications including The Wall Street Journal, National Review Online, foreign newspapers, and in Dick Morris' recent bestseller "Catastrophe."
Freind also serves as a weekly guest commentator on the Philadelphia-area talk radio show, Political Talk (WCHE 1520), and makes numerous other television and radio appearances.  He can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

City Council Up For Re-Election Must Take A Stand On Huge Cash-Outs and One-Day Retirements

Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter has stated his desire to leave the city better than he found it.

Fat chance.

Nutter’s  unwavering --- and incredibly naïve --- belief that he can tax Philadelphia out of its cataclysmic financial crisis has plunged the city further into the abyss.

Perhaps the greatest example of the city’s peril is the pension bomb that is about to explode.

Any pension funded at less than 50% --- money currently in that pension to pay for future retirees -- is considered “severely distressed.”  That’s insider-speak for the brink of insolvency, where there isn’t enough money to even meet bare bones requirements.

And what is Philadelphia’s pension?

45% funded.  In other words, it’s underfunded by a staggering 55%.