Lip Service

So Americans Elect wasn't a subterfuge for Michael Bloomberg, Colin Powell, or Jon Huntsman after all. Too bad. Americans have demonstrated their desire for an alternative to the status quo. That a large number of us seem open to the idea of voting for a presidential candidate who is not a Republican or Democrat would seem to be supported by voter-registration figures and polling data that document the rise of independents. According to USAToday, from 2008 until the end of 2011, Democratic registration was down in 25 of the 28 states that register voters by party, and Republican registrations were down in 21. Independent registrations were up in 18. In five Gallup surveys in 2012, an average of 42 percent of Americans have identified themselves as political independents (compared with an average of 29.4 percent identifying themselves as Democrat and 27.4 percent as Republican)

Your Sept. 3 editorial "No beds for the unwanted" is to be commended. Mentally troubled teens, young adults and people of every age experience problems with their care. Society would rather pass off the mentally ill, and the mental health system does little more than lip service and spending money for studies in search of solutions. What is wrong with the care of the mentally ill could go on and on, but families who have first-hand experience with the problem know what is needed.

Certain staggeringly large natural wonders lend themselves to the IMAX movie format - Mount Everest, the pyramids, the Amazon, the continent of Africa, etc. Today, at the Franklin Institute's Omniverse Theater, we will have a chance to properly view another of nature's curiosities - Mick Jagger's lips. Jack Flash is the featured attraction in "Rolling Stones at the Max," the first concert film shot in the IMAX format, projected on screens that are four stories high and just as wide, providing a 180-degree wraparound view of the venerable band.

"If you wanna know if he loves you so, "It's in his kiss (that's where it is). " So sang Betty Everett, and later Cher, on the R&B hit "The Shoop Shoop Song. " On Valentine's Day, it may seem obvious, but there's more than a little truth packed in the song's chorus. In a recent study, scientists found that the lowly lip-lock may serve as a better barometer of a relationship than a raucous romp in the sack. A kiss is definitely more than just a kiss. "It's often a way to assess a future mate," said Susan M. Hughes, an assistant professor at Albright College in Reading.

Many recent speeches and articles have put forth the notion that American business has dramatically changed its attitude toward older workers. You could get the impression that all across America, companies that once sought to avoid and retire older workers are now seeking to hire and hold on to them. Not so. Yes, there are companies that formerly recruited only among the young that are now hiring older workers - McDonald's is the best known. But, with rare exception, the jobs being offered are strictly low-wage, entry-level positions.

State environmental officials stood before concerned residents last night to bring them the latest on what's commonly known as "the plume" - a giant pool of petroleum floating atop the groundwater near the Sun Oil Co. refinery in South Philadelphia. Here's the update: They still don't know exactly where it came from. They still don't know precisely how big it is or what it's boundaries are. And they aren't entirely certain how, or even when, they'll get it out of there. But they're working on it. The meeting turned belligerent - as meetings about the plume generally do. Representatives of the state Department of Environmental Protection and Sun Oil Co. projected onto a screen detailed maps of the area, dotted with locations of where they had sunk test wells and soil probes.

Twenty-four years ago at the vibrant age of 24, my brother Robert Sacrey of Abington lay in a coma at Temple University Hospital after his car was hit by a drunk driver. He died four days later. It was 1980, and Mothers Against Drunk Driving was just beginning its campaign to stop people from driving under the influence. The recent DUI charges against Philadelphia Parking Authority official Richard Dickson, who was driving his city-issued car when he was arrested Sunday, was a sad reminder that drunken driving is a subject to which people give lip service but no serious thought.

BIG-TIME kudos to Gov. Rendell for bringing SEPTA and the TWU back to the bargaining table where an agreement was hammered out, thus ending the brief transit strike. I applaud Rendell for employing a take-charge attitude to help solve what could well have become a monstrous problem for the city had the strike dragged on. At least Rendell did something, unlike our so-called mayor who only paid lip service about wanting a settlement and probably didn't give a damn one way or the other since he doesn't have to worry about being re-elected.

David Cohen's commitment to feminism is an aspect of his legacy overlooked in the many tributes to this extraordinary man. He and his wife Florence were among the founding members of the Philadelphia chapter of the National Organization for Women. In 2005, most Philadelphia politicians at least give lip service to women's rights and many are strong supporters of women's equality. It was not like that in the late 60's and early 70's, as anyone doing research on the feminist movement in Philadelphia can attest.

So Americans Elect wasn't a subterfuge for Michael Bloomberg, Colin Powell, or Jon Huntsman after all. Too bad. Americans have demonstrated their desire for an alternative to the status quo. That a large number of us seem open to the idea of voting for a presidential candidate who is not a Republican or Democrat would seem to be supported by voter-registration figures and polling data that document the rise of independents. According to USAToday, from 2008 until the end of 2011, Democratic registration was down in 25 of the 28 states that register voters by party, and Republican registrations were down in 21. Independent registrations were up in 18. In five Gallup surveys in 2012, an average of 42 percent of Americans have identified themselves as political independents (compared with an average of 29.4 percent identifying themselves as Democrat and 27.4 percent as Republican)

SUNRISE, Fla. - With his entire bottom lip sliced open down the middle after being tomahawked by Panthers defenseman Jason Garrison late in the third period last night, Max Talbot was irate. But he didn't have time to ask referee Stephane Auger for an explanation about why Garrison didn't receive a high-sticking penalty. That's because Talbot was too busy searching for the other half of his left front tooth on the BankAtlantic Center ice. "I took a hockey stick right across the face," Talbot said.

LAST JULY, Willie McRae, 77, wearing his trademark Phillies cap and still feeling the effects of a recent shoulder injury, looked at the out-of-control weeds and dumped trash on vacant lots along the Strawberry Mansion block that he's called home for more than 50 years, and felt overwhelmed. The longtime block captain of Dakota Street between 30th and 31st was no longer able to tame the overgrown lots personally with his weed cutter and sling blade, as he had for years, nor lead his fellow senior citizens in bagging the mounds of illegally dumped garbage.

B RADLEY COOPER just signed up himself and girlfriend Renee Zellweger for several months at the Aquatic and Fitness Center in Jenkintown (921 Old York). The "Hangover" star is spending some time in the area with his parents who live nearby. Cooper, a Germantown Academy graduate, and Zellweger, who were in town recently while he shot "The Dark Fields," worked out at the gym before while visiting family. Out and about Mayor Nutter sure works late hours. Nutter and a young blonde talked over drinks at the Happy Rooster (16th & Sansom)

Why do so many otherwise healthy Americans willingly - even eagerly - expose themselves to humiliation, ridicule, and rejection before millions of viewers to make it on reality TV? Survivor, American Idol, and Extreme Makeover promise to transform us from anonymous drones stuck forever in an episode of The Office into one of the celebrities whose bright, shiny lives we study in the tabloids. Social critic Chris Hedges, speaking from his home in Princeton, says the transparent message in reality shows and consumer ads alike is that attaining wealth, beauty, and social standing heals all problems.

AFTER THREE possessions Sunday, the stat sheet for the Kansas City Chiefs read as follows: Fourteen plays, 0 yards gained, one 10-yard penalty, one 5-yard penalty. The Chiefs needed a spark. Something, anything to move them away from their own end zone and open up all the pages of their playbook. Something that would allow new head coach Todd Haley to take a shot, to pick from his own set of trick plays. Across the field stood Andy Reid and that big menu of his. Everything on it seemed to be working: the Wildcat formation, passes to the wide receiver, passes to the tight end, runs.

When he was campaigning for office, Mayor Nutter spoke with passion about the importance of giving a second chance to inmates who want to find a place in society again. He pledged to create opportunities for ex-offenders. "If we want to drive the crime rate down in this city, we have to put these people back to work," he said at a September 2007 forum. John Phillips, a former Graterford inmate who has turned his life around, liked what he heard. He's less happy now. As of Dec. 31, Phillips will be out of a job, thanks to budget cuts Nutter announced last month.

Through the whole run-up to the Olympics, and through these Olympics, U.S. men's basketball players have strived to stay humble, aware of their history, how American hoop teams failed to even reach the title game in the last Olympics and the last world championships. But the United States will be playing for gold tomorrow against Spain, the defending world champions. Last night, after the United States put away old nemesis Argentina, 101-81, U.S. guard Deron Williams was asked for thoughts about the gold-medal opposition.

Hungry children Pennsylvania politicians won't provide public schools with enough money and resources to continue feeding the children in the summer who normally get free or reduced-price meals during the school year ("Summer brings hunger in suburbs," July 9). Yet they willfully spend hundreds of millions of dollars for baseball and football stadiums in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. I thank and recognize the professional sports teams and athletes who help support many worthy causes.

ON MONDAY, this page called on City Council to allow testimony from the general public throughout the budget process, immediately following each department's bid for its budget. On Tuesday, Council President Anna Verna answered. The answer was "No. " Verna said in her statement that she believes that the current process provides enough public input. We disagree. There will be 65 hearings from now until the end of April. Only four of these will be open to public testimony. The rest will be devoted to the perspectives of department heads, administration officials, and other insiders.