Re: [UC] Re: Fatimah Muhammad

[Glenn moyer]

Title: Re: [UC] Re: Fatimah Muhammad

"The SRC recently voted to close eight schools, but at the time it acknowledged it would have to close many more in the future. With more than 50,000 students shifting from district schools to charter schools in the last decade, district classrooms now have tens of thousands of extra seats." http://www.philly.com/philly/education/20120424_Phila__School_District_plan_includes_restructuring_and_school_closings.html   As I roamed about New Orleans over the past week, I saw the skeletons of public schools everywhere.  Before vouchers subsidize upper class families, I believe the plutocracy will first use the charter movement to destroy public education in Philadelphia.  They know how to make us demand privatization lite instead of privatiztion final.  (e.g. We condemn Citizen's United and super pacs, but support its twin, local censorship.)  While we support charters over vouchers, is anyone speaking for a society based on humanity and a "Marshall plan" for public education?  I think working class parents would choose schools like the Bloombergs, Duncans, and Obamas attend, rather than vouchers or charters.  Peace, Glenn   -----Original Message----- From: Wilma de Soto Sent: Apr 24, 2012 7:17 AM To: Kimm Tynan , UnivCity listserv Subject: Re: [UC] Re: Fatimah Muhammad Wait until you see what happens today. Forty schools to be closed in Philadelphia, hundreds of personnel to be handed over to private agencies, or fired…should be fun. From: Kimm Tynan <kimm.ty...@verizon.net> Reply-To: Kimm Tynan <kimm.ty...@verizon.net> Date: Monday, April 23, 2012 11:02 PM To: UnivCity listserv <UnivCity@list.purple.com> Subject: Re: [UC] Re: Fatimah Muhammad Here’s another excellent article. http://www.alternet.org/story/155076/right-wing_campaign_to_privatize_public_ed_takes_hold_in_pennsylvania/?page=entire On 4/23/12 12:55 PM, "Amara Rockar" <aroc...@gmail.com> wrote: Found Muhammad's campaign report: http://www.philadelphiacontroller.org/2012Cycle2/Reports/20120114-2012-2-83.pdf  This article does a good job of breaking down the sources of the funding in context: http://www.talk2action.org/story/2012/4/23/21157/2721 On Sat, Apr 21, 2012 at 12:57 PM, Amara Rockar <aroc...@gmail.com> wrote: Muhammad and most of these PACs have not filed their campaign finance reports as required by last Friday.  https://www.campaignfinanceonline.state.pa.us/pages/CFReportSearch.aspx It is looking like the constituents of the 188th won't have the full details of who exactly is funding what until after the primary.  On Sat, Apr 21, 2012 at 1:15 AM, Kimm Tynan <kimm.ty...@verizon.net> wrote: >From Friday’s City Paper: http://www.citypaper.net/blogs/nakedcity/Democrat-backed-by-anti-abortion-rich-people-sends-pro-choice-mailer-decrying-GOP-war-on-women.html?text=xlg&c=y On 4/20/12 1:47 AM, "Kimm Tynan" <kimm.ty...@verizon.net <http://kimm.ty...@verizon.net> > wrote: I have been trying to post this to the other list, where a discussion is ongoing, but I am transitioning between email addresses and can’t seem to post to the other list at the moment.  But I need to post this.  Feel free to forward to the other list. This is fascinating to me.  Disturbing, but fascinating in a kind-of accident-gawker kind-of way. So, after being bombarded all week with Ms. Muhammad’s very expensive flyers in my door (FOUR today!) I started noticing who is sponsoring them.  This week, several have been from “Friends of,” but I noticed a number were sponsored by “Women for Change,” a lame name if ever this lifelong lefty activist has seen one.  So I wondered . . . . I just googled the group, with an Elkins Park address, and came up with surprisingly little, other than campaign contribution reports.  One attracted my interest for reasons I can’t articulate moreso than others.  The link took me to, what appears to me to be, a report from the City Controller’s office on campaign contributions.  It took me a little while to figure it out but it looks to me like it is a report on contributions made by Students First, the provoucher PAC “funded by Pennsylvania hedge-fund managers and American Federation for Children, a Washington, D.C., pro-voucher group headed by Amway heiress and major right-wing donor Betsy DeVos . . . . backed by conservative Bala Cynwyd hedge-fund managers Jeffrey Yass, Arthur Dantchik and Joel Greenberg,” according to the City Paper article Jim cited. I am attaching the pdf of the report, and it can also be found at http://www.philadelphiacontroller.org/2012Cycle2/Reports/2010165-2012-2-70.pdf . If you can open the pdf, search the document for “Women for Change.” I am completely open to being corrected on this, but it looks to me to be a report on contributions by Students First to candidates for Philadelphia office. There are two contributions of 10K each from Students First to Women for Change on March 21, one at page 6, one at page 12.  About when Ms. Muhammad’s promotional materials started appearing.  I had to do a triple take on that – why make two 10K contributions on the same day, rather than one $20K, if not simply to make it harder to track? I am sickened on multiple levels.  First, just that wealthy individuals who have no relationship to this city or state are pouring phenomenal amounts of money into the state – even just the city, but this is where the strongest opposition to vouchers lives – in this election. Which is why she can pay for all of these expensive flyers.  She’s not a grassroots homeless up-by-her-bootstraps lesbian African-American.  Well, she may be a formerly homeless lesbian African-American.  But that does not necessarily say anything about whose interests she is representing now.  She sold her soul to the suburban hedge-fund managers and Amway heiresses who want to eliminate public schools. And I am sickened by the dishonesty.  It would be one thing if Students First was giving $20K to Muhammad’s campaign in it’s own name – at least then we know who they are and what their agenda is.  But to channel their money to astroturfed shell entities pretending to some other agenda – it’s sickening. I am also really, deeply disappointed to see that the Liberty City Democrats endorsed this woman. Kimm ---- You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the list named "UnivCity." To unsubscribe or for archive information, see .