New York State of Mind

What a week we’ve had in New York City. It is so scary here that I do not want to go outside anymore! I know, you think that it might be terrorist threats or crime, but it is worse. Smoking, salty snacks, sugary drinks, oh, my! Yes, Mayor Bloomberg is up to his old tricks again and our State Republican Senators have just gone off the rails, but before we get to that…

Sports: Well, forgetaboutit! After waiting almost forevah, the Mets finally have their first “No –Hitter” last night. Yea…

Local: Okay, let’s just get this out of the way. No doubt you have heard that Emperor….er… Mayor Benito Bloomberg has decided that it is his right and/or job to save us poor schmucks from ourselves. Now he is waging a war on large sugary beverages and the schmucks are not pleased. I think he just can’t help himself. First it was a smoking ban. Then it was his war on transfats in our French fries and salt content in our prepared foods, and now it’s Big Gulps. His new cause would ban the sale of any sugar-laden beverages over 16 ounces sold at any establishment that gets a grade from the NY Health Department. These “establishments” include local corner delis, restaurants, movie theatres, sports venues, and food carts and would include fountain drinks as well as bottled drinks. So, now that would mean no more liter bottles of Coke or Snapple, no salt on your popcorn, and none of that “butter flavor” either. The good news is that those establishments that are designated as grocery stores would be exempt. Of course, the irony is that the new 7-11’s cropping up all over the place – the inventors of the 64-ounce Big Gulp, Super Big Gulp and the Slurpee - would be exempt because they are designated as “grocery stores”.

But, on a positive note, Mayor Bloomberg did one good thing this week! He vetoed the City Council’s misguided “Living Wage” bill. The bill would have raised our local minimum wage from $7.25 to $10 an hour with benefits and $11.50 without benefits for any business that gets any city subsidies or tax breaks over $1million. The Council just does not get that one of the reasons we have so much empty commercial space in our city (and higher than average unemployment), is not because of the lack of businesses wanting to open. It is the high cost of doing business in the city that keeps potential businesses from opening.

But, then came the bike lanes. Yes, our Dept. of Transportation Commissioner Janet Sadik-Khan, one of the most loathed members of the Bloomberg Administration, decided that there should be less motor traffic and more bike traffic around our fair city. And to that, she has systematically shut down large swathes of New York City for the use of…well, no one knows exactly. To date, 250 miles of bike lanes have sprouted up like weeds around the city since 2008, but no one has been consulted. It has gotten so that you could go to sleep at night and without any warning, you could wake up to a new “Pedestrian Plaza” permanently closing down your street, or new bike lanes that block off parking. It’s a pedestrian’s nightmare. It has gotten so bad that the City Council had to pass a bill that the DOT now has to give a presentation to the Council and get Community Board approval before they can install or remove (hah!) any new bike lanes or pedestrian plazas. Let Freedom ring or at least walk down the street without getting hit by something...

The end is in sight though. Our Mayoral elections are coming up in November of 2013. With the newest round of “bans” from His Majesty, the collective “Enough!” has been shouted, and the countdown clock for the end of Bloomberg administration has begun to tick – 19 months to go and counting. But I have to go on record to say that the only thing I fear more than “Mayor Bloomberg” is a “Private Citizen Bloomberg”.

State - The State of New York made it to the top of yet another list! Yes, we rank #1 above all other states in population decline! Yea…oh, wait, maybe that is not a good list to lead, but according to the 2010 Census report, New York has lost 3.4 million residents in the last ten years. That accounts for the loss of about $45.6 billion in gross income. It could be related to the other list in which New York leads – Highest taxes of any other State! Some attribute the decline to seeking “better weather” since many of our citizens have moved to Florida. Of course, “more favorable taxes” are probably a better reason. For the record, California is second on the list losing their population to more favorable “climate” in Texas. I can personally attest to this since my brother whined a few years ago about all the “foreigners” moving into Texas. When I asked how he could tell, his response was “Well, all I see are California license plates everywhere!”.

And we’ve already discussed this early this week, but it bears repeating over and over. Perhaps our Republican State Senators should concentrate on ways to keep people in New York rather than introducing bills that would require full disclosure to comment on blogs – the “Internet Protection Act”. Just when you think that Republicans “get it” they go and do something that is just stupid.

In Memorium –

The man who invented the creamy center of the Oreo cookie passed away this week at the age of 76 in Toms River, New Jersey. Sam J. “Mr. Oreo” Porcello worked as the chief food scientist for Nabisco for 34 years and is credited with inventing the filling for the Oreo, the Double Stuf’ Oreo, chocolate-covered, and white chocolate-covered Oreos too. As a matter of fact, Mr. Porcello held five patents related to the Oreo cookie. Rest in Peace, Mr. Oreo and thank you for all the sweet and tasty treats. However, Mayor Bloomberg, mortal enemy to all fun and tasty foods, most likely will not send flowers…

And finally, it is worth noting this week marks the first anniversary of the beginning of the end Anthony Weiner's political career - One year ago this week, Anthony "The Weiner" Weiner decided to display his Wee Willie Winky on Twitter. After a newspaper's headline writer's field day, he resigned. Fast forward to today and he's pushing a baby carriage and having a hard time deciding what to do next. Maybe he can get a talk show on MSNBC like Al Sharpton or CurrentTV like Eliot "Client #9" Spitzer. One thing is for sure, no one is knocking at his door just yet. Thank goodness his wife is so forgiving and still has a job.