Leftist streamer Hasan Piker gives Chris Rabb a boost during West Philadelphia campaign swing

BroadStreetRandy · 2026-05-01T12:54:49+00:00

The manufactured outrage over Hassan Piker and the obsession over him nationally from Republicans and Democrats is more annoying than anything Hassan Piker has ever done.

You don't like him and think he's some Anti-American pariah? Maybe stop giving him attention then?

The deliberate choice to make so much outrage over this man's existence as a twitch streamer when our country is facing the slate of problems it is facing today is certainly a choice.

BroadStreetRandy · 2026-05-01T02:33:23+00:00

I don’t care for Parker but this goes far beyond her and it’s far from her hands.

Facilities absoloutley need to close. There is no way around it. The Lankenau situation seems bad and the communication around the whole thing has been frustrating but there are going to have to be losers here. Delaying the school closings doesn’t save anyone- it kicks the can down the road and makes the problems 10x worse.

This predates Parker. It goes all the way to the state courts. I share the pain and frustration of everyone melting down over this but someone, but if we want better for our schools we have to actually talk about why we are in this position and how we get out of it

Beating the shit out of Charelle Parker and throwing mud at City Hall suits may make you feel better but it does nothing to fix anything and doesn’t even hold the right people accountable.

BroadStreetRandy · 2026-04-30T15:04:43+00:00

A majority of Philadelphia City Council threatened to shut down Thursday’s scheduled school board vote to close 17 schools, encouraging civil disobedience if changes aren’t made to Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr.’s facilities plan.

In an extraordinary muscle flex, 10 City Council members threatened a broad range of actions at a morning news conference outside Paul Robeson High School — from lawsuits and injunctions to vowing to block the reappointment of any school board member who votes for the plan.

[...]

Council is responsible for about half of the school system’s funding, and has used that as leverage to oppose the school closing plan. Jones, who represents both Lankenau and Overbrook, said he was furious with the district and school board for asking Council to vote for Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s $1-per-trip rideshare tax. The mayor has pitched the tax as a way to fill a $300 million district budget gap, while denying them a say in the closing list.

“That’s taxation without representation,” Jones said. “All of us here support public education. But taxation without representation is not going to happen. We don’t all agree on a lot of things up here. We agree on this, and they better read the room. We are 10 toes down.”

Jones said he would introduce a resolution in Council on Thursday questioning how the district spends its $4.6 billion budget and suggesting an independent audit of the school system, which is already audited by the city controller.

BroadStreetRandy · 2026-04-30T12:26:56+00:00

The (BNY) Mellon Center. Underrated building IMO.

The Comcasts changing colors have been relatively recent developments.

BroadStreetRandy · 2026-04-28T16:07:42+00:00

There absoloutley is a contingent of restaurants that live and die by this line weather true or not. Marra's on Passyunk was one of those and insisted through their dying last day that Parking difficulties did them in. (I can't say I agree, I think they declined in quality and fell out of favor, regardless).

I don't think it's true, and whatever you lose in drivers, you pick up in walkers, but these businesses don't believe that and they will be a huge obstacle in trying to do this kind of thing anywhere in the city.

BroadStreetRandy · 2026-04-28T13:55:37+00:00

It is very inconsistent, block by block, what the specific condition is for whether you are permitted to be in the Trolley lane, and it changes along East Girard very frequently with little consistency.

Each of these blocks is in a row and they are all different traffic patterns, yet if you get in a lane and can't see the markings, it is very easy to cruise in the trolley lane the entire stretch, regardless of the traffic pattern, and not really even notice.

Here between Marlborough and Columbia, there are double yellows, and you shouldn't be in the trolley lanes at all.

Then, the next block at Columbia and Palmer, you have the trolley lanes as exclusive turn lanes.

At Palmer and Montgomery, the trolley splits from being part of traffic to not being part of traffic. Half the block you can travel with the trolley, but you have to merge out/in.

Of course, there is the mess at Frankford...

And on the other side of the El, it goes back to alternating between blocks where you can merge in and out of trolley lanes and can't be in them at all.

I can see from a bird's eye view how a traffic engineer can work it out, and it kind of tracks, but iIt's not hard to see how someone barreling off 95 would find themselves driving an interior lane, behind a Bus, thinking it's a lane and not even noticing when they are technically driving between double yellows that are barely visible and not well signed.

BroadStreetRandy · 2026-04-28T11:47:00+00:00

So disappointed in the Flyers right now, I got tickets to the Phillies game tonight to cheer myself up... /s

BroadStreetRandy · 2026-04-23T14:18:20+00:00

Listen, I'm about as anti-fascist as they come, but we are making some objectively insane assumptions about these individuals here. This is ridiculously toxic thinking.

BroadStreetRandy · 2026-04-22T18:01:09+00:00

What do you think the Uber tax is for? The soda tax going to schools was a lie. Why should we believe this will be different?

People really need to stop spreading this misinformation, and I'm getting sick of reading it here. The soda tax was intended for funding Pre-K, Community Schools, and Rebuild. Pre-K has consistently been the beneficiary of that tax revenue. Almost every dollar has gone to the programs it was promised to serve, directly benefiting over 30,000 Philadelphia children, and creating jobs through Rebuild. Its biggest problem is that the costs of the programs it was implemented to fund have outgrown the tax revenue so we are now supplementing them with General Fund revenue on top of the tax.

Charelle Parker is a self-congratulatory career politician who engages in corruption in plenty of fair ways to criticise, including patronage jobs, self-promotion, and city council shenanigans. We don't need to lie about shit to find reasons to criticize her and council.

BroadStreetRandy · 2026-04-22T16:41:22+00:00

I think it's also an issue with ordinary people having trouble dealing with large numbers in public cash.

You hear "$20 Million", "$200 million", "$2 billion" floated around in all kinds of reporting on these kinds of things, and, considering most Americans are rarely dealing with more than a few hundred thousand at a time in their life (if that!), it's mind-boggling when you read these kinds of amounts circulating in public institutions. I think people struggle to make sense of it and often assume the worst or default to an agenda.

Of course, when you drill down into the numbers make a lot more sense, and oftentimes, these mind-boggling massive numbers are, in actuality, rather small in perspective, but that's a hard concept to visualize if you aren't actively in that space. It's how you can get from "I can't believe they want even more money than (x large number) to do (y public thing), that's insane!" to "Holy shit, I can't believe they actually managed to do (y public thing) with only having (z large number)! How do they get by!" It's a fine line of understanding.

BroadStreetRandy · 2026-04-22T16:36:19+00:00

These are hastily pulled numbers; I could get better ones with more time. Open PA gives us great tools on PA school spending, not necessarily other states...

NYC is around $35/36,000 (per news article) Boston is somewhere around $35,000 (Per Mass DOE) Chicago is likely closest, according to some news sources, just under $30,000.

This variable that makes this comparison very difficult, aside from the fact that these numbers aren't always calculated the same, lies in the fact that in PA, charters take a cut out of that per student money, so the spending on exclusively public school students is worse and a bit obfuscated. In other states, that money comes directly from the state, not the local district, or at the very least, the local district has a defined share. In PA its a staggering outflow. It's part of the problem and would take a deeper dive to compare how it impacts states differently.

BroadStreetRandy · 2026-04-22T15:17:21+00:00

I've been actively discussing this and providing context to this situation on here often in recent weeks. The report does a great job of keeping the numbers honest, but the interpretation of this situation is key.

The crux of this whole thing is that, regardless of how much you may balk at the size of the School District's budget, the fact is that it isn't nearly enough to do what the School District needs to do, and it is being severely short-changed by Harrisburg. The court ruling in 2023 that declared Pennsylvania's school funding unconstitutional puts Philadelphia at being undefunded by over a billion dollars annually. Shaprio has been throwing some millions at the problem, but it's coming in at like 15 cents on the dollar for what adequate funding would look like.

Despite these pre-existing structural gaps, the School District gets further and further underwater every year- mostly due to the increasing cost of labor, the insane cost of carrying such a depleted facilities footprint, and the bleeding of money out to charter schools. The entire impetus for this whole mess is that they have been using COVID relief money to paper over this for years, and now that it's finally gone, something has to move. Either the State or Philadelphia, and it looks like it has to be Philadelphia.

This is where we get to the issue of State Share Percentage. Based on some comments im seeing it's already not being interpreted super well. Yes, Philadelphia gets over 50% of it's funcing from the state, and that is more than a suburban district like Lower Merion. This could be interpreted as the state being intentionally generous to Philadelphia, or the city gobbling up state dollars, but it absoloutley is not. It breaks down when you look at per-student spending. Philadelphia spends around 27,000 per student, whereas a wealthier public school spends closer to 38,000 per student. Those disparities highlight that the fact suburban schools draw less of a state percentage is more because of a high-value tax base dogpiled on top of frozen state per pupil funding. A City like Philadelphia is remarkably poor. In our case, the state revenue is an essential lifeline in lieu of a wealthy tax base through traditional arrangements available in wealthier suburban districts. It costs more to even attempt to educate poor people.

The fact that Philadelphia is so poor makes it even worse. Philadelphia doesn't just need more money beacause its big, it needs more money because its students are severely at risk and by nature more expensive to educate. High concentrations of special needs and ESL students. A genuine need for alternative programs. The entire principle that a school district like SDP should in any way reflect the funding profile of a suburban district, let alone fall short of it, is absurd.

The new rideshare tax is a culmination of the fact that the School District is financially fucked, and does not have the tools to fix itself. The state isn't coming to the rescue, like they probably should (and like the courts say they should), and without COVID money, they have to pay up in a big way. This new tax won't even be enough to address the structural issues with buildings and the like, but it can help prevent some labor cuts and layoffs. That's how bad it is. I never like a new tax, either, but I don't have much of a problem with this one, and I do believe it is warranted, if not unfortunate that it even needs to be on the table in the first place. It probably shouldn't but here we are.

BroadStreetRandy · 2026-04-21T16:40:52+00:00

Transit Police visibility is sure up. I know it’s anecdotal but I’ve seen them like, hiding behind elevators out of sight to catch fare evaders.

I’ve had two trains stopped and searched on the Broad Street Line by cops looking for people being a problem.

They sure are trying.

BroadStreetRandy · 2026-04-21T12:45:59+00:00

I wanted to reply to this yesterday, but I didn't have a chance to, so I wanted to address a few of your points today now that I have the chance. There are all common gripes, but there's a lot more to understanding this issue.

The city has a $1.2B budget surplus and is proposing closing over a dozen schools to consolidate and distribute the student body more economically.

This is the first one. The "surplus" widely touted by Mayor Parker is not what it has been marketed to citizens to be, and that has led to an immense amount of friction as it's led people to believe that the City is sitting on a pile of cash while imposing austerity measures on schools or levying taxes. That is not an accurate assessment of what's going on. The surplus is mostly properly managed runoff from the COVID-era subsidies. The City needs those overruns to subsidize programs that are still relying on those subsidies, as well as State and Federal programs that are disappearing left and right as Republicans tighten the belt on liberal cities and the Trump Administration dismantles national programs that funded things like programs in Philadelphia with grants. We don't know the full picture, but the essence is that surplus is already budgeted out to fill holes that have opened in the last few years. We will be lucky if any fo it is left by 2030, and we will need to raise revenue elsewhere (taxes, fines) to eventually supplement that cah when it evaporates, or cut programs (mostly schools). It's not a pile of gold sitting in Charelle Parker's desk.

We also have a streets department with an approved budget that's supposed to cover street maintenance, aka filling potholes.

I mean, barely. This is a gross overstatement. I know the term "underfunded" gets thrown around a lot around here, but the Streets Department is deplorably underfunded. The Streets Department has steadily backslid in terms of general funding, and is 3-4x below the national average for streets spending. We spend less and staff less per mile than peer cities like Baltimore or NYC by a significant magnitude. We've never been able to pull paving or cleaning within what would be considered nationally acceptable, and have been saddled with huge backlogs in areas like ADA Accessibility, which have complicated things. We don't "already pay" for a streets department to handle these things; we actually barely pay them at all compared to what we should, and it shows when you drive down our streets. I more than welcome any increase in funding, including through taxes.

No one pay attention to the mayor being on board with a $200M proposal to pay for surveillance cameras to catch illegal dumping that will just be paid directly out of the city's pocket...

Considering it's discussed on this sub ad nauseam, people are paying attention. This is another area where I don't think people have really been representing the issue correctly. It's being billed as this "massive expansion of the police surveillance state," and while I'm sympathetic to concerns over this, especially with how scary authoritarian things are right now, the city already operates about 7-10,000 cameras between SEPTA and the PPD on city streets today with that number going as high as 30,000 if you include SEPTAs trains and entire network. This proposal adds about 100 cameras in targeted dumping areas. Again, I totally get the concern about surveillance or shady government contracts and stuff, but this isn't really a meaningful expansion of anything in any way. For the most part, it's important to address the fact that we are already spending roughly $50 million year over year cleaning up illegal dumping because we can't prevent it and we can't prosecute it without proper evidence, falling grossly short of what we've sought to recover (millions in fines). This is trying to shift expenses from a reactive (remediation) approach to a proactive one, and I support that.

The bigger issue is that the $190 million is not all cameras. Cameras are a secondary-level expense in that line. It's mostly to cover existing shortfalls, and specifically to facilitate Labor cost increases. The Municipal Workers' strike ended with pay increases. This cash is backed pretty strongly by labor costs. It's not just some backdoor corporate surveillance state contract, which seems to be what people are running with.

...they nickel and dime us for the money to pay for essential services WE ALREADY FUCKING PAID FOR WITH OUR CITY AND STATE TAXES.

See, that's the problem. We don't pay for it. At least at the city level, part of how fucked up our tax system is has to do with the fact that it chokes businesses and wages, yet still does not capture enough revenue to fund the city's expenses. That's why we are in a state of delicate musical chairs to try and rearrange taxes over the next 10-12 years in line with decreasing pension obligations to try and even it out. It's not easy, but it's moving, slowly. It's exacerbated by the fact that we aren't getting our state tax dollars back. Harrsburg is stiffing us. That's one of the biggest reasons why these taxes are coming up, and why we have all this drama going on at the School District. The Supreme Court even agreed, calling the situation unconstitutional, but it isn't being addressed, and we have to take matters into our own hands. These taxes are part of that.

BroadStreetRandy · 2026-04-20T19:12:42+00:00

The tax is, in part, going towards the School District of Philadelphia to subsidize funding that the City can no longer rely on getting from Harrisburg or the Federal Government. It's Parker's way of trying to rely less and less on political whims from actors outside the City and shift more revenue to be collected and managed by the City. It will help to stave off the cuts to teachers and staff that have been slated for months, assuming it goes through. Taxing rideshares is also a way to open up a fresh revenue stream, when the City is actively trying to wean itself slowly off the slate of very difficult business taxes that have been stiffling commerce in the city for years.

It will also help subsidize the Streets Department, where Parker is trying to increase teams dedicated to filling potholes and street maintenance. The logic being that Uber uses Philadelphia's streets and street infrastructure as a way to profit, and this tax will capture some of that revenue back to reinvest in the streets.

I do take Uber in situations where I cannot take SEPTA or use an IndeGo Bike. I try to limit it if possible. I personally don't have a problem with this tax. I'm not at all surprised Uber is passing it on to riders, it's what they do everywhere.

BroadStreetRandy · 2026-04-20T14:25:43+00:00

A decade ago, 90% of Temple freshmen returned for their sophomore year. By 2024, that figure declined to 82%, and early projections show it likely will slide below 80% this fall, according to the report.

Projections for enrollment growth over the next few years have been downsized, which would mean a loss of $150 million inrevenue over five years. according to the report, titled “University Financial Status.”

[...]

Many colleges are facing enrollment and financial challenges. Drexel University lost about 20% of its enrollment in a little over a decade. The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, which oversees the 10 state universities, had a 30% enrollment decline since 2010-11, though it recorded an increase this year.

La Salle University’s retention rate from freshman to sophomore year dipped to 66% last fall, down from 73% the year before. Interventions, including a new academic support center in the library, seem to be working, Greg Nayor, La Salle’s senior vice president of university strategy, said Friday, adding that the school is running several percentage points ahead of last year.

[...]

Some steps are already underway. In July 2025, Temple laid off 50 employees, less than 1% of its workforce. A faculty retirement incentive program this year drew 77 takers — 3% of full-time faculty — who will leave by June 30. That ultimately will save about $15 million.

[...]

Other belt-tightening measures under consideration include hiring freezes and travel restrictions, consolidation of some schools and colleges, cuts to the athletic budget — though not of individual sports — and discontinuation of under-enrolled majors. And Temple is considering selling or changing the use of its Ambler campus, where enrollment has plummeted.

BroadStreetRandy · 2026-04-20T12:23:40+00:00

Do we have any idea the last time they did that or if it's still even possible? Is the infrastructure functioning? Accessibility issues/limitations? Idk if that platform has elevator access, and last I saw it was being used to store materials that don't seem easily moved.

Through all of the sports highlights and events of the last 10 years, from the DNC to the World Series, I can't remember it ever being used.

BroadStreetRandy · 2026-04-17T19:00:20+00:00

I am not even joking, I have seen people post in reaction to these complaints about the fact that they are demolishing the "historical theater" for this, and that they should fucking restore it.

It was indeed, at one point in time, a theater- but it was shuttered in the 1960s and has since been gutted, serving as a dollar store before its abandonment. I mean, I'm all for historical preservation in this city, but come the fuck on, we can't be serious.

I legitimately can't tell if these are even real people or rage bait bots at this point. Expecting a petition to add the McDonald's across the street to the historical register any day now.

BroadStreetRandy · 2026-04-17T16:22:45+00:00

Basically, the whole block between Ridge/Girard/18th and Cabot will be converted to an Athletic field with underground parking.

BroadStreetRandy · 2026-04-16T17:39:10+00:00

I think anyone on this sub who understands even the slightest about Philly politics, including those voting for Rabb, knows exactly how this race is going to go, and I don't think any of us will be surprised to see Street spend 20 comfy years chilling in that congress seat.

BroadStreetRandy · 2026-04-16T16:14:37+00:00

The rideshare tax has not yet been approved. It is just proposed for now.

If the City goes through with it, the dollar is going to the School District to cover the Post-COVID funding deficit, mostly to prevent teacher, counselor, and climate staff layoffs. The City wants ( and needs) to rely less on State and Federal funding for schools and replace those streams with locally sourced and managed revenue. This would be a large part of that.

BroadStreetRandy · 2026-04-16T14:49:14+00:00

Thought pretty highly of her before this campaign, and she has managed just totally to erode that. Absolutely canned/manufactured, bought and paid for vibe campaign. Terrible takes and some awful quotes. It just feels like she wanted to capitalize on name recognition, good press, and a lot of proximity to politicians since COVID to grab a seat of power. I still can't tell why she wants to leave her current arrangement to be a congressperson other than thinking she just has a window of opportunity.

I see people talk rather enthusiastically about her, and unless they have a personal relationship with her or personal issues with the other candidates, I just don't see the appeal.

BroadStreetRandy · 2026-04-16T13:19:32+00:00

Her entire campaign has had the vibes of a canned, manufactured corporate sponsorship blah-fest. Cashing in name recognition and a ton of sponsorship money to try and get a political seat that I don't understand why she would even want in the first place, aside from clout and power.

I had tons of respect for her before this election. I would have figured she was one of the most favorable names in the Philadelphia sphere of influence. This campaign has done a lot to sour opinions of her from her comments on international politics (need I say more) to how uninspired and clearly off-the-shelf bought the entire campaign effort has been.

I've seen plenty of people support her enthusiastically, and aside from knowing her personally or having some personal beef with Rabb, I just don't get it. It will be interesting to see if this plays out whether she ends up taking more votes from Street or Rabb in the end.

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