The quality of life in Philadelphia is slowly desegregating. Aside from the rising murder rate, there are still plenty of abandoned buildings and job loss in Philadelphia.
Currently, about 22.9% of the population and 18.4% of families in Philadelphia are below the poverty line. 31.3% of those under the age of 18 and 16.9% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line. We need real solutions to help them.
Even though my economic programs will help, we still need something to help in the mean time. So I am going to implement the following:
MORE SERVICES FOR THE POOR:
If elected, I will actually establish a new Department of Poverty to focus on the poverty situation in Philadelphia.
We need more places in Philadelphia that will give a helping hand to those in need, so I will offer the Salvation Army, Goodwill, and any other non-profit organization that specializes in human services tax breaks to build or buy places in Philadelphia to build new offices dedicated to helping the poor.
THE HOMELESS:
Philadelphia has a massive Homeless problem. We have some 1,000 people living on the streets today. The reason for homelessness ranges from person to person, but I want to do something to help solve this problem.
If elected, I have a plan.
I want to have a job placement program for the homeless. Anyone who wants to better themselves and a job will be given information to apply for a job in the many Municipal Service buildings, working as janitors, the mail room, and many other rolls. This same program will be extended to anyone living under the poverty line.
We need to reform the current homeless shelter system. We need to make sure those who do go to a shelter are safe and protected. I will create a new police patrol to work at shelters and make sure everyone is kept safe. Instead of having those on Welfare being forced to abdicate their funds, I will seek funding from the federal government and the state to ensure that the quality of life in these shelters is kept to an excellent level.
YOUTH SERVICES:
Most gun-related crimes are not gang or drug related, but caused by disputes. So instead of someone talking this problem through with the other person, their first instinct is to shoot that person.
We can't fix that overnight, but we can do something to help!
ANGER AND EMOTIONAL CRISIS MANAGEMENT HOTLINE:
The City of Philadelphia needs a dedicated hotline to help the Hot-Heads of the city; A Toll-Free 1-800 number for people to call. If they're angry about someone or something, they can talk to someone and tell them how they feel. Simply having someone to talk to when you feel angry usually helps to calm a person down and realize the reality of what's going on.
At the same time, many people suffer emotional problems that could easily be helped by having someone to talk to. The youth of this city may not have someone around to listen, so a toll-free hotline of caring people would greatly help.
SAME-SEX MARRIAGE:
Philadelphia has an incredibly large homosexual population, and I believe in the right of two consenting adults being allowed to marry if they please. If elected, I will allow the City of Philadelphia to marry same-sex couples. For those of you oppose this plan, think of this; Philadelphia will see an expanded revenue base thanks to more money from marriage licenses, marriage taxes, and the like. I rather call it marriage, though; Civil Unions doesn't really have the same benefits and it almost makes homosexuals seem like second-class citizens, and I don't like that. The City Government will recognize these marriages and give them full benefits.
SKATEBOARDING:
The Street Administration has put a horrible clinch on skateboarding in Philadelphia and many local skateboarding shops and tourist dollars have been lost to the closing of LOVE Park to skateboarders. If elected, skateboarders will have free-access to the park from 5PM - 6AM on weekdays and full-access on weekends and the summer time. This same law will be put in place of Delworth Plaza. To help pay for this, a 2% Skateboard tax will be put into effect on all skateboard-related purchases in the City of Philadelphia that will be put on before the sales tax. Also, we will have a donation fund to help pay for this program.
