Good opinion piece about the current fiscal crisis in the School District by Brett Mandel of Philadelphia Forward. In it he argues for a more open and transparent budget process that involves citizens, so there are no more nasty surprises like the ones that keep cropping up for Philadelphia schools. A change of process is the only real solution to Philadelphia’s School District woes, as well as a host of other city problems. It’s a powerful idea to involve the entire citizenry in the budget process. Just think how the world might change if citizens debated and set budget priorities, not just in cities, but for states and even the nation. It’s time to embrace the “trickle up” theory of public policy.

The U.S. Army’s plans to transport, treat and dump over a thousand tons of VX nerve gas waste into the Delaware River has been put temporarily on hold while the Government Accounting Office conducts a costs-benefits analysis. There is a much safer method for destruction of this deadly chemical which yeilds no toxic residue requiring dumping into waterways. Read my article about it, and contact Delaware Riverkeeper for more info.