City of Philadelphia charging bloggers hundreds, robbing citizens of opportunity
by Travis Hughes on Aug 23, 2010 12:49 PM EDT
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Editor's Note: We don't get into politics on this blog often. In fact, I don't believe we ever have. This, however, is an issue that could directly impact this blog and, honestly, any one of you. We want your opinion, but don't let it get out of hand and please, don't use any labels -- liberal, conservative, Democrat, Republican, etc. Just debate the issue on its merits.
This site might not exist if a new law being enforced by the City of Philadelphia were in effect a few years ago.
An article in this morning's Philadelphia City Paper (h/t @dchesnokov and @emcerlain) details a new decision by the city to charge bloggers a $300 fee for a "business privilege license," even if said blogger makes no money off of their blog.
That's right. Do you run a small, nobody-reads-this-anyway-so-I'm doing-this-just-for-fun blog about how many different ways you can tie your shoelaces into clever little knot-puppets? Do you happen to have little Google ads on the side, perhaps there only for the sole reason of paying server costs?
Oh, well, City Hall wants your money. A lot of it.
After dutifully reporting even the smallest profits on their tax filings this year, a number — though no one knows exactly what that number is — of Philadelphia bloggers were dispatched letters informing them that they owe $300 for a privilege license, plus taxes on any profits they made.
[...]
Even though small-time bloggers aren't exactly raking in the dough, the city requires privilege licenses for any business engaged in any "activity for profit," says tax attorney Michael Mandale of Center City law firm Mandale Kaufmann. This applies "whether or not they earned a profit during the preceding year," he adds.
I'm not going to sit here and argue that the City doesn't have the right to tax legitimate business within their limits, but that's not what this is about. Do kids have to get these licenses and pay these taxes on their allowances, now? After all, they're providing a service in exchange for money -- isn't that a business?
They've made the decision to tax people out of money they don't even have.
And the idea of a "business privilege" license -- I should feel privileged to operate a business in thee great land of brotherhood and love! -- is absolutely ludicrous. I know, every city has business licenses in one form or another, but that name just irks me.
I don't live in the Philadelphia proper, nor do any of the other bloggers who write at this site, but if we did, it appears we would be subjected to this law. (Actually, I suppose SBN would, and since they're not a Philly-based company, it likely wouldn't matter. That doesn't mean this isn't a big deal, however.)
A lot of people might say something like, "well, it seems unfair, but every business is subjected to this, no matter the size, and if you're not making money anyway, just take down the small, meaningless ads."
When I started blogging two years ago, I wouldn't have been able to afford a $300 fee. Yet at the same time, I needed to keep ads on my pre-SBN site to earn enough to cover the server costs and the domain registration. None of the money went into my pocket. It wasn't a lot of money and the small ads were enough to cover costs, but without them, I wouldn't have been able to run the site.
I wouldn't have been able to run my site, build that up to the point where I could apply to be run a new Flyers site at SB Nation, build that Flyers site into what it is today and ultimately become hockey manager here. It wouldn't have been possible.
By enforcing this law on bloggers who make little-to-no-money off of their sites, the City of Philadelphia is robbing its citizens of the opportunity to create. It's robbing them -- and the city itself, really -- at a change to innovate.
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I’m not going to say this is a good thing, because it’s not. It’s awful. But I will say that the city’s financial position, at no real fault of Michael Nutter, is pretty bad. And I think enforcement of this is probably being banked on as an alternative to laying off more city workers.
Contributor at The Brotherly Game, SBN's Philadelphia Union blog
what they need to do is start trimming the fat
City Council has way too many bureaucrats with far too many assistants making way too much money. Cut some of those staffs down and we’re in a much better place.
Nutter isn’t the reason for our financial but he hasn’t taken any effective, though very difficult due to internal politics, measures to try and fix things in the long term.
He talks the talk but has yet to walk the walk.
Nutter has learned the hard way that one cannot try to reason with the citizens of Philadelphia.
I love Philadelphia. I grew up here and will defend it until I die, no matter where life takes me.
But too many citizens here complain about EVERYTHING. And no, Phila-cuse, I’m not talking about you here.
Nutter came out a couple of years ago and said that the City would have to shut down some unused libraries and everyone complained. I actually know people who worked at some of the libraries being discussed… and those folks actually agreed with the mayor. They said that the only people who came into these libraries were junkies looking to shoot up, or homeless people looking for somewhere to sleep. In other words, these libraries were not being used for their intended purposes. Yet people complained and complained, and Nutter acquiesced.
I do agree with you that he needs to get tougher and try to enact more things, but I suppose his hands are tied by City Council as well.
Do you see what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps?
I also read recently that every time they try to develop anything in the city of Philadelphia, the neighborhood organization meets with the council and developers and demands that the developers “give them something” in order to approve the development. i.e. you want to build here? we’re going to need a park or new streets or new lighting. Payola is still very much in play in this city.
Lex clavatoris designati rescindenda est.
Absolutely. It may not be quite as egregious as it was under Street, but it’s still there.
Do you see what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps?
Yeah, in the story the people in one particular neighborhood said to the developer, “Well, we don’t really need anything but I have to ask you for something.” Basically, even when the neighborhood doesn’t even want/need anything, they are taught to ask anyway because that’s just how it’s done.
Lex clavatoris designati rescindenda est.
Always has been done that way, to some extent.
Do you see what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps?
This is the downside of the information highway—cities/gov’t want to make money off of it any way they are able and are grasping at straws here. Ever read your telephone or cell phone bull; absolute BS some of the “charges” you absorb.
If the state would just sell their state liquor stores to private enterprise and get out of the liquor game, they could make all the money they need and then some to get out of debt.
Lex clavatoris designati rescindenda est.
LOL. That’s so asinine that cities are trying to do that—are they going to call it the “fat tax”?
Lex clavatoris designati rescindenda est.
It was based on the fact that if you don’t work out and eat well, if you drink one can of non-diet soda a day for a year, you “would” gain 10 pounds that year.
Yeah, it was a fundamentally flawed bill. But at least it was, you know, addressing an actual issue.
And that issue is…? Hey, I realize people have a weight problem in this country, but taxing people doesn’t solve it. It’s not the food that causes the issue; it’s the behaviour. All things in moderation. It’s not up to the feds (or whomever) to legislate what people eat.
Lex clavatoris designati rescindenda est.
The issue is the ridiculous cost of treating the obese, and how it taxes the financial rights of those who don’t engage in certain behaviors. I’m not saying this is the way to do it, but it is one of the many reasons for the high cost of healthcare, something we have to address without addressing the systemic problems (which the insurance lobby will fight tooth and nail, and has thus far successfully turned away).
Anyway, that’s off-topic.
GD special interest groups and their lobbyists are the ones with the real power in this country.
Lex clavatoris designati rescindenda est.
good thing the current administration is remaining true to its promise of cutting down on lobbying and special interests.
Eat what the monkey eats, then eat the monkey. -U.S. Navy survival guidance
There’s very little that could be done, and it’s a very hard task. And, honestly, it’s not the top priority.
This is the one issue I’m willing to give a pass on.
if there was very little that could be done, they shouldn’t have promised
would you take that from a doctor who told you they could cure your disease, and then did nothing about it?
shit, i went off topic here. sorry.
Eat what the monkey eats, then eat the monkey. -U.S. Navy survival guidance
The tax is a way to dissuade costly behaviour. Unhealthy people cost the government money. It’s the same reason cigarettes and liquor are taxed.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
Like reading thoughts confined to 140 characters? I'm on Twitter too.
Actually in NY they are debating adding a “Soda Tax” to help the state’s bad financial situation and also make us “healthier” since drinking a lot of soda apparently makes you fatter and unhealthier. The law hasn’t passed yet but I think it will.
This idea about charging bloggers that much is insane! Really, your story says it all Travis and I’m glad it doesn’t affect this site, but others out there shouldn’t pay 300.
#1 Flyers Fan in New York
Good bye #12, you will always bleed Orange and Black.
by Lindbergh 31 on Aug 23, 2010 1:26 PM EDT up reply actions
Ahh good I’m glad they dropped it. I thought I would have seen that in the paper, but I must have missed that day’s news.
#1 Flyers Fan in New York
Good bye #12, you will always bleed Orange and Black.
by Lindbergh 31 on Aug 23, 2010 2:30 PM EDT up reply actions
Isn’t the theory of a city business license that you benefit from the resources—people, traffic, etc—of that city? That is not clearly true of a blog.
Anyway, does the city have the resources to treat this any differently than a parking violation? Spending money going after small change from bloggers seems inefficient in the first place.
Enforcement?
Wouldn’t they only be capable of going after bloggers that have either A) their address located in the city proper or B) their website registered in the city proper?
Or will this effect any bloggers that represent themselves anywhere in the city proper?
It looks like they’d go after them based on people who filed tax reports.
Dominik signed me for 20 years, and all I got was a press conference and a voided contract...
Contributor to Lighthouse Hockey not sure if I'm the Sniper or the Enforcer.
I wonder
If this is more about shutting down blogs that aren’t exactly popular with City Hall (or any other representatives within Philly) or even shutting down local news blogs to help the papers.
And plus how would you define a blog? Or as someone else pointed out, what if your server is located somewhere else.
This is flat out one of the craziest proposals I’ve heard, and I hope it doesn’t catch on.
Dominik signed me for 20 years, and all I got was a press conference and a voided contract...
Contributor to Lighthouse Hockey not sure if I'm the Sniper or the Enforcer.
If this is more about shutting down blogs that aren’t exactly popular with City Hall (or any other representatives within Philly) or even shutting down local news blogs to help the papers.
Oof. That’s going a bit far, methinks. I think the problem is that this isn’t a proposal where there can be public debate. It’s a situation the city, apparently on its own, has now determined falls under the business privilege license requirements. So all of a sudden, this notice is being sent out.
Contributor at The Brotherly Game, SBN's Philadelphia Union blog
I don’t live in the Philadelphia proper, nor do any of the other bloggers who write at this site
No surprise there. Philly’s punishing people for trying to do business has at the very least pushed most people/companies out of the city limits. In best case scenarios, this just means the suburbs, but more often than not it leads to people leaving the area entirely.
I love our town, but if you want to run a business or be creative (from bloging to building new skyscrapers), the city government will try to screw you.
this is why i refuse to ever live in the city again.
hell, even when i lived there and had a decent job i still stated that my residence was with my folks out in the burbs.
Eat what the monkey eats, then eat the monkey. -U.S. Navy survival guidance
whats real depressing
Is that people like Carchidi get paid to be a complete dumb-ass. they should tax the shitty beat writers(excluding San-Filippo, who is actually very, very good) extra to do the crappy job they do.
- Huey Freeman
The laws of alchemy dont justify murder........but the laws of murder justify being a cowboys fan :P
What's next? The City go out and close Philadelphia Firehouses to "save money"?
5. NO RINK IS AS BEAUTIFUL AS OURS
6. NO COACH IS AS ORANGE-TIED AS OURS
7. NO SPORTS TEAM ON THE FACE OF THIS EARTH HAS MORE HEART THAN THE PHILADELPHIA FLYERS
Philly is not business friendly because they are a democratic city that has a hard on for corporations. But by law they can apply all those same taxes and laws to anything that generates income.
My family business very small 5 employees was a bread delivery business based in NJ. Had to pay something similar to be permitted to deliver bread and do business in the city or face serious fines. I think you had to display the permit in your vehicle and cops would check it as I was stopped make deliveries downtown.
If they would just make the city more business friendly you have more spending and more jobs earning more tax revenue through the standard income tax and sales taxes. But that is democratic party politics, BIG BUSINESS ARE EVIL.
… and please, don’t use any labels — liberal, conservative, Democrat, Republican, etc. Just debate the issue on its merits.
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Broad Street Hockey - SBN's Philadelphia Flyers blog. 2010 Eastern Conference Champions.
by Travis Hughes on Aug 23, 2010 1:50 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
It’s not that the city is anti-corporate. It’s that the city is, and has been for quite some time, totally ineffective. Getting anything done around the city drives everyone away. The unions hold so much power they can literally drive people away by by the mountains of bull they force them to deal with. But it’s not just them.
"In fact, it is probably safe to say, the statement "I am a hockey fan" is the same as "I hate gary bettman."- bfrank27
Before this becomes a flame war
This has nothing to do with Democrats or republicans, left wing or right wing. This has to do more with the greed of the fat cats at city hall. Bills that would make them money get passed around like yo-gi-o cards on a school playground, and someone on either party will get down on both knees in front someone from the other party for 50 cents now a days. They fill their campaigns with empty promises, and prey on the people who are to dumb to realize that they are being lied to. So before you start blaming another party for being incompetent, look at what your party has done first.
The laws of alchemy dont justify murder........but the laws of murder justify being a cowboys fan :P
The fact that the city is broke as piss hasn’t crossed your mind? Not to say I don’t think that some city government employees aren’t greedy, but a lot of this has to do with the fact that the city itself as no money.
No crap the city is piss poor:
A) we are one of the least modern major cities in the world
B) We have one of the highest crime rates
C) Taxation is awful in this city
D) The local government doesnt do jack shit for major cooperation’s
E) we are one of the fattest cities
D) We have one of the worst school systems
Maybe if we tried to fix these problems, instead of half assing, low budgeting them, we can advance as a major city. The politicians are stuck in the past, and are trying to blame the citizens that elected them, instead of trying to improve the city.
The laws of alchemy dont justify murder........but the laws of murder justify being a cowboys fan :P
O.o
Damn… And I thought Philly was place to be. Guess I should think that over… eh?
I love the Lightning AND the Flyers... go ahead, preach me!
Dare to follow my childish, biased, petty and cheesy alter ego.
American Cheese, B!tch! ... #1 mission? Kill Holmgren.
exactly!!!!!
Thank you. This is what our government needs to see, people who are looking to come here to live or work or stay and what not will change their mind if they do any kind or research about the city, and thats why we cant make any damn money.
The laws of alchemy dont justify murder........but the laws of murder justify being a cowboys fan :P
Unfortunately this country is run by the two party system. Few to zero politicians dare to go against their party’s ideals and that is how Democrats handle business tax tax tax. There hasn’t been a Republican mayor in Philadelphia since 1952. I am a registered independent and hate what the system has become but that what it is. If you are unhappy with the city wage tax and all the other business taxes, licenses and fees that hamper our city from developing and drive many of its young professionals to more business friendly cities like NYC and CHI then I suggest voting Republican next time around
But what we’re trying to say is that in the long run, simply voting Republican will not address the real issue. It will still be corrupt, just in an entirely different way because one party will still be in total control.
Lex clavatoris designati rescindenda est.
yup.
basically, if there is one thing the last few years have taught us is that they are all crooks.
Eat what the monkey eats, then eat the monkey. -U.S. Navy survival guidance
at lest the republican corruption in this case favors big business partners not personal friends the best of the two evils
or as in South Part Turd Sandwich vs. Giant Douche
Ok, there is seriously no need to keep going into party politics.
But you’re kidding yourself if you think “big business partners” and “personal friends” are mutually exclusive.
Man-crushin' on Boucher since 1999
Broad Street Hockey - Makin' it look mean since 1967.
by Geoff Detweiler on Aug 23, 2010 5:19 PM EDT up reply actions
But then were stuck with the republicans who are just as bad and just as greedy. Im not saying we need a republican mayor just for sake sake of having one, Im saying we need someone who is actually going to give a flying frick about the people.
The laws of alchemy dont justify murder........but the laws of murder justify being a cowboys fan :P
I am a registered independent and hate what the system has become but that what it is.
I think a lot of us hate what the system has become. But we also realize that neither party is the solution.
Having a Republican city government may lead to lower taxes but it would lead to other problems as well. So switching from one party to the other is not the answer, I’m afraid.
Do you see what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps?
Well… over here, we have lots of parties. Now I believe we have 5 in the Parliament. BUT… if you look at it closely, there are only two big rival parties in the end that need those small parties only when they need to make a coalition so they would have the majority.
I love the Lightning AND the Flyers... go ahead, preach me!
Dare to follow my childish, biased, petty and cheesy alter ego.
American Cheese, B!tch! ... #1 mission? Kill Holmgren.
True, but those minor parties at least have a voice in the coalition (even if a minor one). There were 5 parties represented in the Chamber of Deputies prior to the latest round of elections – CSSD, ODS, KSCM, KDU-CSL, and SZ.
The last elected third party candidate to a national office in the US (as opposed to an independent with no party affiliation) was James Buckley, who was a Senator from 1971-1977. Since then, 4 independents have been elected, and 1 third-party Senator has been appointed by a Governor.
Honor is no substitute for victory.
You’re right about that. That the minor parties have a voice in the coalition. And not that small one actually. For a simple reason… They usually want to have things their way or they leave the coalition and thus break the Government. So there always tough negotiations withing the coalition and the smaller parties usually lay demands.
I love the Lightning AND the Flyers... go ahead, preach me!
Dare to follow my childish, biased, petty and cheesy alter ego.
American Cheese, B!tch! ... #1 mission? Kill Holmgren.
ANSWER: NONE OF THE ABOVE
And just imagine what COULD HAPPEN if there was a spot on every office on
every ballot where you could check off “None of the Above”!!!
And if “None of the Above” came in first, they would have to have a special
election like they do when a congressman dies or resigns or something…and
only NEW CANDIDATES could run…instead of the bozos that got rejected the
first time.
Think of the possibilities. We already vote “yes or no” on judges.
Do you think Rehnquist and his creepy crew would be so sadistic towards our
daily lives if we got to vote “yes or no” on them every four years?
In a little-known Gallup Poll in the 1988 election, 30% of the people that
actually voted said that they would have voted “No confidence” on both Bush
and Dukkakis if there had been a place on the ballot to do that.
And guess how many people, in a CBS Exit Poll, said that they were
dissatisfied with existing nominees: SIXTY-FOUR PERCENT (64%).
So this is not such an unpopular idea… — Jello Biafra
"In fact, it is probably safe to say, the statement "I am a hockey fan" is the same as "I hate gary bettman."- bfrank27
Why the paragraph on the Supreme Court? That doesn’t fit in at all.
Man-crushin' on Boucher since 1999
Broad Street Hockey - Makin' it look mean since 1967.
by Geoff Detweiler on Aug 23, 2010 7:29 PM EDT up reply actions
Personally
I don’t think the argument for “None of the Above” works. If you figure that the normal turnout for non-presidential elections are 20-30%, 10% are always the most hardcore members of each party.
The idea that having “None of the Above” on the ballot would actually get people who weren’t going to vote anyway to the polls doesn’t make sense. People who aren’t motivated at all to vote wouldn’t suddenly go out and vote because they can now vote for “None of the Above”.
In reality, voting none of the above and forcing the two current candidates out of the race will lucky result in two new candidates that are even more unpopular with people due to the fact that they wouldn’t have even won their parties primary.
Dominik signed me for 20 years, and all I got was a press conference and a voided contract...
Contributor to Lighthouse Hockey not sure if I'm the Sniper or the Enforcer.
The real problem in Philadelphia is lack of competition between political parties.
No matter what your political affiliation, it’s always a good thing to have a marketplace of ideas in politics. It makes leaders accountable.
The fact that the Democrats have basically had free reign of the city for the past 50+ years has resulted in an insane amount of patronage jobs and corruption. But before Republicans get too self-righteous, they ran the city political machine before the Democrats did, and were just as bad, if not worse. Most politicians are corrupt… that’s how it goes.
I’ve worked downtown during summer jobs, and most of the city service departments could stand to be cut down by about 50%. Most of the people that work there literally do nothing, but they are sitting on the city payroll because they’re friends with their councilwoman or something. The wasted money is ridiculous.
What Philadelphia needs is a true opposition party to keep the majority party honest. When a primary is the de facto mayoral election, you know there’s a problem.
We almost had Sam Katz a couple of times but as you say somehow a mayor facing corruption investigations wasn’t enough to get people from voting for “the other party.”
Contributor at The Brotherly Game, SBN's Philadelphia Union blog
Have you seen the documentary ‘The Shame of a City’? It’s about that election, and it’s really well done.
I haven’t, but thanks for mentioning it. I’m putting it on my list.
Contributor at The Brotherly Game, SBN's Philadelphia Union blog
See, now we’re getting to the meat here: Two party systems don’t work. One party gets blamed for the problems and so gets outsted until the next party gets in and runs unchecked for years and the cycle renews. But you can’t introduce any new parties because it will take away from one of the others and therefore muddy the “system”. It’s fundamentally flawed. It’s why they have 3 parts to our government, to avoid the risk of dictatorship or tyranny. You need a third party.
Lex clavatoris designati rescindenda est.
At the risk of starting a politics discussion, I’d also add that there’s a need for more differentiated parties. If you compare the actual policies enacted by the two parties we have, there’s much less of a gap between them than there is between the major parties in other democratic nations.
Honor is no substitute for victory.
But Parties mean nothing anymore. Nobody stands for anything, and its more of a popularity contest then it is actually trying to solve anything. Im in the small minority, but I still think that belonging to any party is asinine. Like people who only vote democrat or people who only vote republican without even bothering to look at the other administrations views. Vote for whoever you want to, not for whoever your told to.
The laws of alchemy dont justify murder........but the laws of murder justify being a cowboys fan :P
Absolutely Ridiculous...
What is the point of this tax on bloggers? Raising revenue? If that’s the case, and there are 500 independent bloggers that qualify the city would raise $150K. That won’t even pay to buy one trash truck.
Honestly, if I was a blogger, I would get a PO Box outside the city and change the address for the registration on the domain to the PO Box location.
Washington Capitals 2009-10 = Quebec Nordiques 1994-95
--- D'ohboy
Some individuals have avoided paying city wage tax of Philly by doing very same.
Lex clavatoris designati rescindenda est.
And if they’re worried about using a Post Office PO Box, you can rent a mail box at a UPS store, which would have a real address on it. I imagine there in the Philly suburbs like they are in the DC suburbs (meaning every strip mall…)
Washington Capitals 2009-10 = Quebec Nordiques 1994-95
--- D'ohboy
by MikeL-Pivonka on Aug 24, 2010 10:18 AM EDT up reply actions
As cities lose more and more money, they will find more creative ways to dig deeper into our wallets. Next thing you know, they will charge us for the air we breathe.
Makes you wonder how they know who in the city is and isn’t blogging and has ads on their site. Is there really a city worker just sitting around surfing the web looking for Philly bloggers to send an invoice to?
Ever get the feeling we are on a collision course with reality?
"They who would give up an essential liberty for temporary security, deserve neither liberty or security" -- Benjamin Franklin
As a Philadelphia resident I believe a trash collection fee was also discussed of 20 per month. Be prepared for more trash dumping in the rivers because many people aren’t going to pay that on principal. What do my Property Taxes pay for exactly certainly not the schools.
And nothing justifies dumping in the river—I don’t care about principal. You’re going to pay a lot more in fines (and rightly so) and possibly prison time for dumping your trash than you would if you just paid the trash collector.
Lex clavatoris designati rescindenda est.
Yeah, damaging nature and an enviroment on principal is twisted.
I love the Lightning AND the Flyers... go ahead, preach me!
Dare to follow my childish, biased, petty and cheesy alter ego.
American Cheese, B!tch! ... #1 mission? Kill Holmgren.
Yeah, I don’t think the original post was well thought out, as the city gets its water supply from the Delaware and Schulykill.
Which, if you believe stories, are already pretty polluted by the local companies who dump in them.
Lex clavatoris designati rescindenda est.
(sigh)
I love the Lightning AND the Flyers... go ahead, preach me!
Dare to follow my childish, biased, petty and cheesy alter ego.
American Cheese, B!tch! ... #1 mission? Kill Holmgren.
Well… I obviously had no idea. It’s sad…
I love the Lightning AND the Flyers... go ahead, preach me!
Dare to follow my childish, biased, petty and cheesy alter ego.
American Cheese, B!tch! ... #1 mission? Kill Holmgren.
Actually , the water isn’t that bad. I’m not saying go drink it straight, but after it’s filtered, the water that’s delivered to your tap is clean.
I’d worry more about that Marcellus Shale natural gas mining, as the run off will filter into the headwaters. Then the city will tax you $3hundy to blog about how the bad it is. :D
Oh, I know, I was just making a joke. Of course, it’s filtered before it reaches the tap and it’s not cheap to offer that service, but I believe water prices in Philly (and state of PA) are fairly cheap compared to other cities/states. But you won’t hear angry guy comment on that; just how he has to pay someone to take away his trash. The horror.
Lex clavatoris designati rescindenda est.
Oh, I know. Philly, like any city in the world, has its downside. I love it here warts and all. It truly is entering a renaissance right now and considering its size, there are good things about it. For instance, housing costs a lot less than other big cities. You’d pay 3 to 4 times more for a similar house in NYC.
Lex clavatoris designati rescindenda est.
I can imagine that there must be some positives. As you said, Philly, like any city in the world, has its downside. But also its good things.
I love the Lightning AND the Flyers... go ahead, preach me!
Dare to follow my childish, biased, petty and cheesy alter ego.
American Cheese, B!tch! ... #1 mission? Kill Holmgren.
what city(or closest city) do you live near, if you dont mind me asking.
The laws of alchemy dont justify murder........but the laws of murder justify being a cowboys fan :P
My city (if you can still call it a ‘city’) is called Zlin… southeast of the Czech Republic.
I love the Lightning AND the Flyers... go ahead, preach me!
Dare to follow my childish, biased, petty and cheesy alter ego.
American Cheese, B!tch! ... #1 mission? Kill Holmgren.
Technically, yes, it is a city.
Birthplace of your best friend ever, Roman Čechmánek!
Do you see what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps?
Don’t.Even.Get.Me.Started! _
I love the Lightning AND the Flyers... go ahead, preach me!
Dare to follow my childish, biased, petty and cheesy alter ego.
American Cheese, B!tch! ... #1 mission? Kill Holmgren.
You’re forgiven. For once.
I love the Lightning AND the Flyers... go ahead, preach me!
Dare to follow my childish, biased, petty and cheesy alter ego.
American Cheese, B!tch! ... #1 mission? Kill Holmgren.
I’m gonna go a bit silly and say that I always liked Čechmánek. He was the reason I supported the Czech Republic at many world champs and Olympics
Backing Backlund for 2010-2011
Mourning Gagne forever.
I loved Cechmanek too, why do people hate him?
The laws of alchemy dont justify murder........but the laws of murder justify being a cowboys fan :P
‘Cause I’m from Zlín and he played for Vsetín. It’s like… It’s Flyers vs. Penguins. Well it was… Vsetín is not in the ELH any longer. Suckers. Tehehe.
I love the Lightning AND the Flyers... go ahead, preach me!
Dare to follow my childish, biased, petty and cheesy alter ego.
American Cheese, B!tch! ... #1 mission? Kill Holmgren.
So you live in a kind of mid major city. Kind of like a mix between urban and suburban.
The laws of alchemy dont justify murder........but the laws of murder justify being a cowboys fan :P
Yeah, I think you could say that :) Here, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zlin this is where the magic happens. Eh… not really. Haha.
I love the Lightning AND the Flyers... go ahead, preach me!
Dare to follow my childish, biased, petty and cheesy alter ego.
American Cheese, B!tch! ... #1 mission? Kill Holmgren.
haha I was already there. Not as big as I was hoping for though. But an interesting concept of a city, especially since it seems like it was built by this Bata company.
The laws of alchemy dont justify murder........but the laws of murder justify being a cowboys fan :P
Oh yeah, it is small. But we have a hockey team! Most hated hockey team in the country. Sounds familiar? Haha…
I love the Lightning AND the Flyers... go ahead, preach me!
Dare to follow my childish, biased, petty and cheesy alter ego.
American Cheese, B!tch! ... #1 mission? Kill Holmgren.
like the Canadians???
The laws of alchemy dont justify murder........but the laws of murder justify being a cowboys fan :P
Obviously she’s comparing her team to the Lightning, since everybody and their brother wants to contract Tampa out of the league :P
Honor is no substitute for victory.
Or maybe the Flyers, whom everyone hates?
Do you see what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps?
BTW, I just looked at this cost of living calculator: http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/
It was interesting.
Lex clavatoris designati rescindenda est.
I think Philly is entering more into a dark age, then it is making a renaissance. Like I said on the top of my list, We are so under modernized then the rest of the country, or world, that we are going to be left in the dust.
The laws of alchemy dont justify murder........but the laws of murder justify being a cowboys fan :P
Renaissances are usually culturally driven, which is true about Philadelphia. Art, food, music, that sort of thing. Modernization will follow only when politics and science can meet and agree on a course.
If you think this is the dark age of Philadelphia, you obviously were not around in the 70s-80’s. The youth infusion, development of Olde City, downtown, etc., has the city buzzing in ways it hasn’t in a long, long time.
Lex clavatoris designati rescindenda est.
We should be like Japan, and have a ferris wheel in every major city right by the port to act as a directions point haha
The laws of alchemy dont justify murder........but the laws of murder justify being a cowboys fan :P
Also, it should be noted that Modernization often means higher cost of living…is that something that Philly (or Philadelphians rather) is ready for?
Lex clavatoris designati rescindenda est.
I’ve seen spots in the Delaware that were colors nature never knew. I know a few cops who jumped in to the Schulykill chasing a suspect. They were sent to the hospital for a full round of shots and got these incredible rashes.
"In fact, it is probably safe to say, the statement "I am a hockey fan" is the same as "I hate gary bettman."- bfrank27
This is a tax on the Honest
There s no way to prove, other than your own admission, that you perform those services in the City limits. So only those who claim income from a blog and are also paying the residential wage tax are getting hit. How many people are there? This can’t be anything but de minimis revenue for the City.
Seriously, if theyre reporting income on their blog, why not just re-incorporate in DE, or better yet, off shore. There is no reason anyone should be paying this fee.
If the issue is a $300 tax on blogs with advertisements on them vs. $0.00 taxes on blogs with no ads on them, why not just ditch the ads and chalk up the roughly $68.87 you pay for the domain name ($8.99) and hosting ($4.99/month = $59.88/annually) to a hobby that costs you…$68.87 a year?
If you’re making $1,000 or more annually by blogging, I don’t see why you shouldn’t have to pay some sort of tax on it. It’s income at that point, right?
For my daily hockey thoughts, visit http://ronnybrook.wordpress.com
by ronnybrook.blog on Aug 23, 2010 4:36 PM EDT reply actions
This is why all locally-focused blogs should be written from over a hundred miles to the south.
The Daily Forehand -- SB Nation's Tennis Destination.
Broad Street Hockey.
Wait, there’s for-profit blogs operating?
I thought that was the first thing anyone did once they left Xanga/livejournal/etc. was to file a quick non-profit form and be done with it.
Sorry, if you’re dumb enough to be caught with your pants down, you’ve got my sympathy, but not my outrage.
by BroadStreetBully on Aug 23, 2010 11:33 PM EDT reply actions
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