The Larry Kane Report

This had to be an anxiety-filled weekend for the world’s dictators. Hugo Chavez, the Venezuelan strongman comes to mind along with the Castro brothers in Cuba, the military chiefs in the former Burma, the despotic rulers of some of the Middle East kingdoms, and yes, even the autocratic leaders of Iran.

The Cairo Syndrome could spread fast. After all, Egypt’s unraveling followed a short time after the government collapse in Tunisia, a mere 18 months after the regime in Iran faced down, with force, an internal rebellion. This is not a case of religious fervor, as the Iranian leaders would have you believe. This is a case of a regime who has paid little attention to the economic needs of its people. That is a recipe for disaster.

SCHOOL BOARD FOLLIES -

Either the School Reform Commission needs to be reformed, or it is looking the other way. This week’s new revelation by the INKY : a contract has been ordered to be re-bid for School Headquarters, after allegations of bid-rigging, allegations leveled  by none other than Philadelphia’s  legal guardian Carl Singley. This is just another example of a regime that needs oversight. Singley doesn’t mess around. He represents a firm that may have been cheated out of a contract. All this on the heels of the suspension of two school district executives because of questions about the awarding of another contract, this one for surveillance cameras. The list of questions surrounding School District operations is growing. Will the School Commission start paying attention? Singley is one determined lawyer. He deserves credit for exposing this alleged case of bid-rigging. Meantime, Republicans in Harrisburg are salivating. they can’t wait to investigate school board use of state money.

The victims in all of this : the students of Philadelphia, of course!

A cancer survivor was snubbed trying to get an autograph from Green Bay QB Aaron Rodgers. I saw the video. It was a snub. The same woman was quick to forgive Rodgers for the slight. So, maybe he had something else on his mind. Other players were much more available to the woman. One thing I can tell you – The Philadelphia Eagles organization would never stand for that. Ed Snider would never allow that kind of conduct at the Sixers and Flyers. Period. But Rodgers is not alone. Many pro athletes feel they are too big to stop for fans, especially baseball players.  There are exceptions, but baseball players can be testy, and rude. On the other hand, Charlie Manuel may be the the most classy manager in all of sports.

So, how about Rex Ryan? His soaring Jets are the most trash-mouth and offensive team in football. And the coach leads the way. Rex’s dad, Buddy, could be outrageous, but he never trashed his opponents. In fact, I knew him . He was a class act. The Jet’s behavior, maybe a hit on Broadway, is a disaster on Main Street USA. Millions of kid athletes are affected by styles they see on TV. Rex Ryan, like his counterpart at the Giants, Tom Coughlin, is just not good for football. He may be a great coach, but that doesn’t make him a great person

It’s enough to make you root for the Steelers in the upcoming championship game, which is very hard to do for an Eagles fan.

Bill Batoff , who died Saturday, was a Philadelphia businessman who loved politics, so much that he helped raise big money for the elections of Frank Rizzo, Bill Green, Wilson Goode, Arlen Specter, Tom Ridge, Bob Casey, and most of the campaigns of Ed Rendell. Batoff was no stranger at the White House, financing and serving the hopes of Jimmy Carter, Walter Mondale, and Bill Clinton. There are so many other candidates that Batoff helped to fund – too numerous to mention. In the prime time of his fund-raising life, and that would be in the seventies, eighties and early nineties, Bill was probably the most prolific fund raiser in the area. Most of his support went to Democrats, but he also supported Tom Ridge, and for awhile, the Presidency of George W. Bush.

Bill was a tough no-nonsense Philly guy, who disdained the usual political bull, and cut right to the chase. How could he raise so much money? Well, he was a tough persuader, who made it clear to potential donors that early money was the best money. Early money was the funds that came in the early life of a politician. Early money meant a REAL COMMITMENT, taking a risk on a candidate early. EARLY MONEY also meant that candidates would display an enormous loyalty to their early contributors. Bill was a colorful and skilled political operative with a great love for Philadelphia.

TASTY “BREAK” -

The people who run TASTY BAKING Company, led by Charles Pizzi,  got a break from their lenders, a five and a half month reprieve to get their act together and make the company solvent, find a buyer or seek a merger. Whatever happens, it would be folly and bad business for any new or merged company to lose the name. Sometimes, in the ego of corporate identity, brand names go by the wayside. Tastykakes is a valued and storied name in Philadelphia life. Sometimes really good things go away. There is no reason for the brand to vanish, whatever the outcome of the current crisis.

I’ve seen a lot of reaction to the tragedy in Tucson. There’s also a decent amount of blame going around. The truth is that the Tea Party, Sarah Palin, extreme Republicans nor extreme Democrats put the gun in the hand of the lunatic killer. And there are those blaming the media. What a joke! The media gets blamed for everything in this country, as if we would have a real Democracy without it. We don’t manufacture the quotes. News people do not cause hate. Haters do. And when the haters make hateful statements, we will report what they say. You know why? Because ignoring bad news is bad news, for everyone. What you don’t know can hurt, and sadly, sometimes kill people.

Instead of looking for scapegoats, society would be better served by sending a message to our leaders to set a better example as they discuss the pressing issues facing us.

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Congrats to the Eagles on an exciting season. Did we have thrills? And no, I am not one of those people who believes life as know it is coming to an end because the Birds didn’t look do good against the Cheeseheads. It was a heart-thumper and nail biter of a year. Greatest memory? The miracle comeback against the Giants. For those of you who simply can’t fathom the loss, chill out. Fast.

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Arlene Ackerman has now ordered an “investigation” to find the courageous whistle-blowers who outed her deal to give a contract to a firm that was deemed not qualified by the state. This contract was for security, which we know is not the School’s chief’s strong suit. Does anyone remember South Philly High? Ackerman now wants to spend a small fortune to hire lobbyists. Who needs lobbyists when she has already irritated the Republican leadership in Harrisburg who controls the purse strings? Why are they upset? All of the above. With a huge budget shortfall, it’s important that Dr. Ackerman start accenting education. Her quest for total power seems to be getting in the way. Maybe she will soon blame the messenger, the media, for uncovering her controversial conduct. Messages to the schools chief: be transparent. Be more open with the media. You have an open invitation to appear on my show VOICE OF REASON to air your side.

All the best for a Happy NEWS Year, but let’s face it – unless greatness reigns in the Capitol, don’t bet on it.

The GOP has a real tightrope act, looking progressive in tax cutting, without appearing to be a demolition crew. Can the moderates put the brakes on the Tea Party? Can Obama regain the momentum? Will the Republicans ever find a real frontrunner? How about the three new GOP Congressmen from this area, Meehan, Fitzpatrick and Runyan? Will they be peacemakers? Or could they join up with the Palinist extremist fringe that may  drive the Republican party into its own “shellacking” in 2012? One thing is for sure – the country needs leadership from all sides of the political divide.

In Philadelphia, Michael Nutter, who joins me on VOICE OF REASON next Sunday night, on the Comcast Network, will soon find out if he gets some competition in the Democratic Primary. Tom Knox is considering. Bill Green, the councilman-at-large, is reluctant to take the run without promised financial support. He’s looking for union help, a promise ahead of time of big financial backing. Of course, it is possible that no one will run, although leaders of the Democratic party (anonymous) are hoping for some kind of competitive election. A one- man show rarely brings out a turnout, and Council members are worried about some young upstarts sneaking in during the primary. Stay tuned!

Alarms. Key Republican supporters of Governor-elect Tom Corbett are upset with the slow pace of the transition. Maybe there’s a method to Corbett’s careful analysis of possible cabinet members, or maybe the system is flawed. But, in any event, time is running out.

Oprah started her own cable network. Some “financial experts” forecast that there is no scenario in which the OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network) can succeed. They are wrong. Don’t ever bet against Oprah Winfrey.

Finally, I have received dozens of emails congratulating me on ending the “letters-response” section to this site. I ended that section with deep regret. But the emails were so full of filth, prejudice, and personal attacks, that I decided to finally end it. I’m not the best writer in the world, nor am I someone who always has to be “right”, but I felt that many of the letters were not in the least bit helpful to create any decent dialogue.