My response to Mark McDonald's article "3 election rivals mull plan to ax incumbent" in August 28, 2007 Philadelphia Daily News:
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In the August 28th Daily News, Mark McDonald reports that I want to remain the Green Party standard bearer for the 8th District City Council seat but that I am willing to talk about two of us three challengers to incumbent Donna Reed Miller possibly stepping aside.
Ironically, I was the first to file my nomination papers for the general election which I did the Monday before the May primary. Sure I'm willing to talk with Foster and Brown because I've yet to understand their rationale and, more fundamentally, their platforms!
I've proposed treating gun violence like the public health dilemma it is, akin to the 19th century cholera and typhoid epidemics that felled multitudes of Philadelphians. I would introduce legislation to institute a total ban on gun possession in the city outside of shooting ranges, backed by a confiscation program. I back legislation for a living wage, too; it's a crime to pay people an hourly rate the government concludes is short of what is necessary to survive. I would also introduce legislation to impose a three term limit on city council office and legislation for instant runoffs between the two top votegetters in any election when the top votegetter receives less than a majority of the votes.
And. of course, I am always happy to talk about how the Democratic Party' monopolistic stranglehold on city politics is the crux of our democracy's problem.
I look forward to continuing the conversation with my neighbors in North Philly, Germantown, Mount Airy and Chestnut Hill about the issues and our community's goals. It is good to be Green, committed to our party's values of social justice, the environment and non-violence. We are not afraid to declare that the billions of dollars being sucked away by the atrocious and criminal war in Iraq, started on the pretext of that nation's possession of weapons of mass destruction, would be much better spent in defense of health care and education here at home.
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