"The Same Old Song and Dance?"

Have the residents of the 180th District had enough of the drama, race baiting and in-fighting among elected officials?
Are you sick & tired of being neglected when it comes to the services that are NOT being provided to you?

While "politics as usual" is alive and well in the 180th district, everyday citizens with real problems and concerns are being ignored and left behind by "politicians" who are more interested in fighting with each other than they are in fighting to attain the services that this community so desperately needs.

Are you going to allow the race of a candidate determine your future?  If your current elected officials are not doing the job that YOU elected them to do, they need to be "fired"- VOTE THEM OUT!  Yes, the 180th district IS 68% Latino, but that leaves 32% of a community that is NOT being represented properly.  This is not about race, but residents can no longer afford to sit idly by and allow people who are not for the "greater good" of an entire community to run their politically corrupt games and continue to fight each other at every turn.  It is time to UNIFY the community, not continue to tear it apart.

What the future of the 180th district must have is an elected official who is dedicated to serving the needs and concerns of ALL of the residents of the district and not the same old song and dance- It is time to leave "politics as usual" in the 180th district's past.   If elected, Anthony P. Johnson is an individual who will be working for you and not the "special interests" who do not represent you or your specific needs.

Anthony P. Johnson is a progressive candidate who is leading a grass-roots campaign to protest the lack of government responses to the issues of the neighborhood.

“Our community is plagued by unemployment, high-school students dropping out, violence on the streets, and drug dealers intimidating the good people who want a positive quality of life here. The current politicians have brought nothing to our area. It is time for us to stand together as unified citizens and demand better for our families and future generations. I am not a politician—I am a Human Services professional who is dedicated to changing the quality of life for the people in this community."

-Anthony P. Johnson, Candidate for State Representative
180th Legislative District

Terri L. Willmott, Campaign Manager
Communications Director

Friends of Anthony P. Johnson 4 State Rep. PA 180-2012

"Here we go- AGAIN!"

Here we go- AGAIN!

by Friends of Anthony P. Johnson 4 State Rep. PA 180-2012 on Tuesday, February 21, 2012

April 24, 2012-- Primary Election Day!

Citizens of the 180th District will go to the polls April 24, 2012 with the task of choosing between current state representative Angel Cruz that has a 12 year track record of faithfully failing the people of the 180th District, or the candidate, Jonathan Ramos that has no track record of serving the community other than as a 20-year veteran of the Philadelphia Police force and myself, Anthony P. Johnson.

I am not a politician—I am a Human Services professional who is dedicated to changing the quality of life for the people in this community. It is time for us to stand together as unified citizens and demand better for our families and future generations. I work endlessly on a daily basis in the community to mentor our youth and provide access to a better future for all.

What significant changes has Angel Cruz brought to the 180th district over the past decade? Has the quality of life, education, safety or employment for you and your families improved? Has he made himself available to ALL of the citizens of the district when they reach out to him for help? I think not.

Jonathan Ramos has no track record of creating any type of grassroots programs that have proven beneficial and productive to youth, adolescents, adults, senior citizens or families to combat the plethora of social maladies consuming our community. He shows up every 2 years at election time, where is he and what has he done in the past 2 years besides build allies against Angel Cruz?

You should vote--and you must vote!


As one of my political science instructors used to jokingly say, “Anthony, vote early and vote often. For if you do not, you do not matter, but when you do—you can change the world.”

When you don't vote, your concerns fall upon the ears of elected officials who could care less about your needs and those of the community. When you do not participate in the electoral process, candidates that serve their own interests are elected and proceed to destroy the great Republic’s political process.

Once again, you DO NOT have to choose between Angel Cruz and Jonathan Ramos as State Representative to address your needs, when in fact, up until now neither one has ever made you a priority.

Let's get it right this time- I am here to serve YOU.


Anthony P. Johnson, Candidate for State Rep.
180th Legislative District, PA

Terri L. Willmott, Campaign Manager

___________________________________________________________

*"When retired police officer Jonathan Ramos took on incumbent State Representative Angel Cruz in the Democratic primary, he knew he was in for a battle. But he said what he witnessed on Election Day was sickening."

    “The conduct that I seen was thuggerism, intimidation,” said Ramos.

This is Philadelphia politics, so this story isn't clean and simple. Cruz partisans say that, while Ramos is complaining about irregularities, he's working with some of the city's sleaziest politicians.

Ramos has the support of Marge Tartaglione, Democratic leader of the 62nd ward and a living emblem of machine politics. Tartaglione's son-in-law is Carlos Matos, a longtime ward leader and sworn enemy of Angel Cruz, and a man with a truly checkered history. He was recently released from prison after serving nearly three years for bribing Atlantic City Councilmen.

Ramos said Cruz is talking about political alliances to distract attention from his Election Day conduct.

“The Tartagliones and the Matos and that whole family,” said Ramos, “their name was not on the ballot. The name on the ballot was Jonathan Ramos. He's responsible for his own actions, just like I'm responsible for my own actions.”

EXACTLY!   Thank you for making our point, Mr Ramos! Neither yourself nor Angel Cruz possess the character or integrity to represent the residents of the 180th District.

Terri L. Willmott, Campaign Manager

**Rough and tumble North Philadelphia primary sparks criminal probe | WHYY News and Information | WHYY

 http://whyy.org/cms/news/government-politics/2010/06/04/rough-and-tumble-north-philadelphia-primary-sparks-criminal-probe/39495

VOLUNTEERS--WE NEED YOU!

If you live in the 180th district, contact us to Volunteer!
We are looking for VOLUNTEERS to distribute campaign fliers and get involved in working upcoming events and fund-raising efforts. Thank you!

Please contact:  campaign@apj2012.com

“Good Citizens Begin in the Classroom"

I. Introduction:

As Americans we are constantly reinforced to believe that through hard work, sacrifice and personal effort we control our own destiny.  George Washington bequeathed part of his estate to create a system of schooling that would "do away with local attachments and state prejudices." James Madison acknowledged in the Federalist Papers that we need to develop a new kind of citizen through our schools. Unless we could educate citizens and leaders who could rise above personal ambition and special interest to seek the common good, our new republic would fail as had all prior republics in history. But increasingly, the fundamental institutions of American society function unfairly, restricting access and opportunity for millions of people. The greatest example of this is the present-day criminal justice system.

II. Incarceration:
In 2010, a panel of federal judges ordered California to cut its prison population by more than 40,000 inmates because the medical facilities are so horrific that it violates the inmates' constitutional rights.

In PA, Graterford's Correction Facility is so overcrowded; some of the inmates are transferred to serve their time in New Jersey and Michigan’s penal system. Overcrowded prisons are not a phenomena, but a steady increase of new inmates and repeat offenders in America is cause for great concern.

In 2009 more than 82% of males that are incarcerated in the U.S. are African Americans ages ranging from as young as 16 years old - 36 years old.  Furthermore, the rate of incarceration for African Americans is significantly higher than for the overall prison population of Latinos, Native Americans, Caucasians, Asians, and Mexicans. In fact, in 2008, 1 out of every 9 African American men between the ages of 20 years old and 34 years old was behind bars. For African American  women ages 18 years old to 39 years old, 1 in 100 is imprisoned, compared with 1 in 355 Latinos, Native Americans, Asians, and Caucasian women of the same age.

What are the practical political consequences of the mass incarceration of more than 2,300,000 Americans? In New York State, for example, the prison populations play a significant role in how some state legislative districts are drawn up. In New York’s 45th senatorial district, located in the extreme northern corner of upstate New York, there are 13 state prisons, with 14,000 prisoners, all of whom are counted as residents. Prisoners in New York are disenfranchised unable to vote and yet their numbers help to create a Republican state senatorial district. These “prison districts” as they are called now exist all over the United States.  

The most despicable paradox of the national compulsion to incarcerate has been the deliberate criminalization of African American youth and adolescents with the construction of a “school-to-prison pipeline” or the rise of "incarceration over education: the new racket." Even the states where crime is evaporating--the numbers of imprisoned continue to grow.

What is hauntingly disturbing is that the United States is the world leader in the rate at which it convicts and places its citizens behind bars. An analysis using state-by-state data concluded a record 2,319,258 Americans were in jail or imprisoned at the start of 2008. In essence, 1 out of every 96 adult Americans is incarcerated. The aforementioned data estimates that those numbers will double by 2012.

According to the Pew Center, a record increase in financial support for incarceration, with the 50 U.S. states spending more than $49 billion on prisons in 2007, five times more than the $11 billion spent more than 20 years ago. California alone will spend more than $7 billion on 9, 000 new correction facilities for 2009-2010, although California has one of the biggest financial deficits in America.

In 2008, the rate of increase for prison costs last year was six times higher than the rate of increase for public schools and higher education spending. There is a higher premium on promoting prison life rather than education.

In 2009 with many of America's states feeling the effect of the recession and budget shortfalls, the increased spending for prisons and jails has led to a disproportionate decrease in spending on education and other social needs that would aid in preventing the increase of prison rolls.

Further, state after state is reducing its investments in education, while expanding its expenditures in correctional facilities. Today, for the first time in recent history, Connecticut, Delaware, Michigan, Oregon, and Vermont there are spending more state money on prisons than on public colleges. The unfortunate reality is there are those of us that would rather incarcerate than educate.

III. Addressing the issue:

• The first 2/3 of a prisoner's prison sentence, she/he is doing labor daily in the prisons.

• For the last 1/3 of his/her time, she/he is in an education and training program five days a week learning basic skills and advanced skills. Life skills need to be built into that training as well.

• When the prison sentence is completed, the ex-offender will spend 2 years doing either community service at an assigned location or depending on age, join the military for 2 years with full military benefits.  

• For every $1.00 that is spent to build a prison in the U.S., $5.00 will be spent on the construction of a new innovative public school.

• By 2020, the United States will cease the construction of future prisons for approximately 15 years, after which an evaluation will be conducted on the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of eliminating the construction of new prisons.

•  By 2025, all public schools in the United States will have no less than 15 students and no more than 20 students per classroom.

• Eliminate the "No Child Left Behind" Act and reallocate the federal funding that's been used to promote its implementation to low performing public schools and construction of new innovative education programs to increase students academic and social progression.

• By 2015, public and after schools funding will henceforth no longer be cut or reduced from budgets at the local, state and federal level.

IV. Final Analysis:

Conversely, Horace Mann, the father of public education, said it well: "The spread of education, by enlarging the cultivated class or caste, will open a wider area over which the social feelings will expand; and, if this education should be universal and complete, it would do more than all things else to obliterate factitious distinctions in society."


Anthony P. Johnson, Candidate for State Representative- PA District 180


education.change.org/.../moratorium_on_new_prisonsfund_education_instead_of_incarceration

"A Great District and Republic"

For three-weeks I personally knocked on more than 500 doors and spoke with more than 1,000 residents in the 180th District and although some of the residents could not sign my petitions for political affiliations, we all share the same theme; the 180th District is badly broken and sorely lacking basic resources. As a Human Service professional who is dedicated to changing the quality of life for the people in this community, I will effectively obtain the resources to create a thriving 180th District.

We are a great community and nation, but we can and we must do better. Democracy isn't free and it does not come cheap. We are a community of one--however, we are multifaceted--spiritually, ethnically and culturally.

Now is our time to reshape the 180th District and the Republic into a community and a nation that constantly seeks justice and a basic level of human dignity for all. It is for this reason that we are determined to vanquish injustice, political corruption, and unethical business practices; these are the culprits that have destroyed great communities and nations over the millennium. We must not be added to the list of the fallen. For if we fail to hold steadfast to our integrity, the 180th District will continue to "limp" along and the Republic will continue to dissipate.


"Progressives will bring balance to the Republic"

Anthony P. Johnson for State Representative, 180th District-2012

"Vote for the Candidate--Not the Color"

I've been told that an African American will never represent the 180th District as an elected official in any capacity.

It has been mentioned to me that the Latino community in the 180th District, which accounts for about 64% of the population, will never elect an African American against a Latino American because it would be considered an "act of betrayal."

If we continue to make an individual's ethnicity a prerequisite and the deciding factor in electing public servants, we will continue to receive the type of corrupt, incompetent and weak government the 180th District has endured for decades. Continuing to vote for Angel Cruz, the incumbent State Representative from the 180th District or Jonathan Ramos who has lost to him on two occasions based upon his being Latino is as flawed as Mitt Romney's view that a corporation is an individual or the misguided opinions that say Barack Obama is not fit to lead the Republic because of his African American heritage. This kind of thinking has held the 180th district back for far too long; we can do better.

Fact: As a resident I've witnessed very little of the legislative successes of Mr. Cruz and I'm deeply troubled by his lack of effective governing. One thing is clear however--Mr. Cruz has won re-election several times, so defeating him will not be an easy task.

Since his second straight defeat to Mr. Cruz, (2008 and 2010) Jonathan Ramos has been nonexistent in the community. He hasn't produced any plan on how to revitalize the 180th District. Mr. Ramos, as you will remember in 2010, was involved in attempting to unseat Angel Cruz by cheating. He received resources from Ms. Renee Tartaglione, a city worker which she and Mr. Ramos knew was "highly inappropriate." Tartaglione would eventually resign from her post.

In my opinion, neither Mr. Cruz or Mr. Ramos represent the needs and concerns of more than 50,000 residents composed of Puerto Ricans, Colombian Americans, Dominican Americans, Mexican Americans, Asian Americans, Caucasian Americans and African Americans residing in the 180th District. It appears that the only action plan that has been acted upon has been based on "unethical violations and arrogance".

I do believe as an African American, a resident of the 180th District and a candidate for state representative in 2012, I can win. I have a plan--a written initiative that can improve the 180th District. There those who may not agree with my "Vision" plan and "Feed the Children" bill and that is to be expected. However, there is a stark contrast between empty rhetoric and policy that will garner results.

Conversely, I issue a challenge to the incumbent, Mr. Cruz, candidate Jonathan Ramos and anyone else seeking the office of state representative for the 180th District to a series of public debates and let the residents decide which one of us is worthy to lead the community to prosperity.

I am also asking that the residents of the community in which I wish to serve carefully weigh the character, integrity & willingness to work for the people as a measure of standard when voting in the 2012 primary election for state representative. It is time we vote for an individual, not an ethnicity. I am committed to serving my community, not my own self interests.

"Progressives will bring balance to the Republic"

Anthony P. Johnson, Candidate for State Representative 180th District, 2012

“Leadership That Will Lead the Residents of the 180th District”

As I travel throughout the 180th District, there is a deep-seeded distrust of elected officials that are supposed to represent the community. As I speak with fellow residents about the "Vision" Plan that I want to implement in the district, they ask, "Anthony, are you going to be like them." When I answer them, I mean it; “Absolutely not!” I am enjoying canvassing the 180th District, knocking on doors and talking to the residents because they speak from the heart and they know what they want in a leader.

What I love most about my travels is the fact that the citizens in the 180th District are concerned and compassionate for the entire community. Of course they want to protect and provide for their families, but they also care about their neighbor’s family and the family several blocks away. In essence, if you're from the 180th District; you are "family". For so long there have been many empty promises, hype, cheap gimmicks and political corruption from those that were running for office and those who have been elected who were supposed to represent us—the citizens of the 180th District.

The 2012 election for state representative of the 180th District isn’t about me, Mr. Cruz, Ms. Lozada or anyone else. This election is about the residents and the entire community of the 180th District and rewarding them for their patience while they have been ignored for far too long. It is time for all of the residents in the community, our “family”, to be treated fairly—and if elected as your next leader, I plan to do just that.

“Progressives will bring balance to the Republic”

Anthony P. Johnson, Candidate for State Rep. 180th District-2012

“Rise

I'm running for STATE REP. in 2012. I've spoken and written extensively about how elected officials continue to fail us and how you and I have lost confidence in those that suppose to represent the will and needs of the people. I will be a new breed public official-the kind that will provide effective results--not arrogance and hype.

I'm ready! Are you willing?

“Progressives will bring balance to the Republic”

Anthony P. Johnson