Thursday news-dump

• More on Governor Rendell's budget proposal. Democrats applaud it but Republicans throw stones (this article summarizes the major points in a list at the end). Laptops for schools suggested, amid the plenty. Time to buy stock in IM companies! heh. Dan at YPP gives credit where credit is due.
  
  
• A Pittsburgh-area State Rep. has resigned after being convicted of using his office staffers to do campaign work for him; a special election will be held in April. Best line in the story goes to sentencing Judge Manning: "...egregious lack of remorse." heh.
  
  
• Philadelphia-area State Rep. Babette Josephs is looking at another primary challenge, after staving off two others in recent years. This time the challenger is Andrew Farnese; no word yet on whether Hohns and/or Gillan will have another go, but Josephs has been making some efforts to make her constituents aware of her activities (which are often limited by being in the minority party). [This link also has short notes on a planned Casey appearance before gay-rights groups, and the current business activities of onetime mayoral aspirant Sam Katz.]
  
  
• Also in the world of local State Reps., recently elected Cherelle Parker is up for her first re-election, and Marc Stier puts in a plug for her and for the power of progressive supporters to help shape the views of a young politician.
  
  
• The Philadelphia region is declared third-worst for asthma sufferers.
  
  
• A Daily News opinion piece describes the recent airport-related indictments as a textbook example of local pay-to-play problems, especially in that a woefully inadequate contractor may have won out over a better qualified option. But only by coincidence.
  
  
• SEPTA announces new anti-terrorist measures of both low- and high-tech natures.
  
  
• An article in the new CityPaper looks at West Philly's consideration of creating an Improvement District to fund safety and sanitation efforts. It's getting a mixed reception (and that's even without consideration of arguments like those that Ray made here).
  
  
• Finally, Price at YPP gives an excellent overview of the wage and tax disparities in the Philadelphia area and on how regressive tax policies and economic unfairnesses make such problems worse. Among other points, he argues that this is no time to roll back tax credits for the working poor.