New York State of Mind - Police Blotter Edition

Let's see, where do I begin? It's been a tough couple of weeks for our local, state, and federal elected officials in New York. Investigations, indictments, arrests, and just plain old stupidity.

Local: Following up on my report on New York City's controversial "Stop and Frisk" policy. As I have reported in the past, Ray Kelly, our beloved Police Commissioner, has been spending much time defending his department. For a few years, the police have been showing a heavy presence in high crime areas by stopping and frisking people they observe may be carrying guns. Of course, the ACLU got their panties in a twist because as it turns out, most of the people the police stop and frisk are minorities - Black and Hispanic. And as you can well imagine the accusations of racism have been loud and proud. But recent reports shed some light on why Kelly and his police force are targeting certain neighborhoods and "minorities".

As reported in the the NY Post on September 6:

"Blacks and Hispanics account for 96 percent of city shooting victims...while comprising 86 percent of murder suspects and 94 percent of robbery suspects.

Just in case one may think that these statistics are skewed by the conservative Post, the NY Daily News went a step further and published colorful pie charts and graphs to support these findings which strangely do not appear in their online version for easy access...

Overall Population
33.3% White
28.6% Hispanic
22.8% Black

Victims - Murder Robbery Rape
Black - 64% - 33% - 41%
Hisp - 25% - 36% - 38%
White - 7% - 18% - 18%

Suspects - Murder Robbery Rape
Black - 55% - 70% - 54%
Hisp - 31% - 24% - 32%
White - 10% - 5% - 11%

Draw your own conclusions. I must point out that even though we have a large Asian population, once again they are not included in the statistics. I can only conclude that the incidences of crime among Asians is insignificant. They are not included as "minorities" in graduation and reading/math score statistics either...

Now moving on to crimes against the taxpayers -

State: It's been quite the month for our state legislators and not in a good way. For the past few years, New Yorkers have had a slew of our elected officials under investigation, indicted, or currently serving sentences for on various charges. But August 27, 2012 was a big banner day. On this day, the NY Post reported a "three-fer" on one page. Yes, we had three of our elected officials caught in one day (four if you count the alleged cover up):

1. Assemblyman Vito Lopez (D/Brooklyn), has been doing double duty as an Assemblyman for a valuable Brooklyn district since 1986 AND as the Assembly's Chief Serial Sexual Harasser. Who knew? Well, Sheldon Silver did. Sheldon "Shelly" Silver (D/Manhattan), head of the Assembly for years now, and THE most powerful man in Albany after Gov. Cuomo, paid secret taxpayer-funded hush money ($103,000) to a woman to cover up for his good buddy Lopez. It appears the the esteemed Assemblyman Lopez (I stress the "ass") has a long history of roaming hands and other parts. At first Ol' Shelly supported his friend, then he tried to urge him to resign, then he begged, conjoled, pleaded, and threatened him with official sanctions and rebukes. Shelly was doing anything to keep the heat (and local MSM) off of him during the DNC Convention for which he was to play a central role. Up until yesterday, our Attorney General went along with the powerful Shelly Silver and declined to investigate his involvement. The State Ethics panel also declined. However, a state court judge in the very red Staten Island didn't declined and decided that an investigation was in needed and ordered a Special Prosecutor to investigate.

2. State Senator Shirley Huntley (D/Queens) - As reported by the local news outlets - Sen. Huntley has been indicted for "conspiring in a scheme to use state grants to benefit associates in a nonprofit group she founded....Huntley had secured a $30,000 grant in 2006 for the group, which was formed to help parents work effectively with the New York City school system." Problem is that her group never actually used the money to "help" one parent.

3. State Assembly-member Naomi Rivera (D/Bronx)- Our State Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE) "is looking into claims that the Bronx assemblywoman put two lovers on the public payroll and used her nonprofit as a personal piggy bank". Her publicly funded non-profit - the Bronx Council for Economic Development - has been allotted about $1.2 million taxpayer dollars to presumable fund activities for her non-profit However it looks like she was using the funds to pay, wine, and dine her boy toys. Now, if the two lovers were qualified to administer or develop programs then she chooses her lovers wisely. However from all accounts, her lovers are her "personal trainer" and a gym teacher already on a very lucrative payroll as a NY City school teacher. So the best she could have hoped for were better developed glutes. But, she comes by her alleged graft and nepotism honestly. Her father Jose Rivera was ousted as Bronx Dem leader in 2008 for doing pretty much the same thing minus the boy toys.

You see, our Legislators get what I call a "slush funds" - taxpayer dollars to pass out to worthy organizations that they wish to support. Unfortunately, the worthy organizations they wish to support are turning out to be non-profits that our Legislators set up to better the lives of their families and friends, and not to help better the lives of their constituents on bit.

Just so you do not think these are isolated events, here's a sampling going back to 2004:

Sen. Hiram Monserrate (D & R/Sing Sing) - 2 years for misappropriation of campaign funds
Sen. Carl Kruger (D/Sing Sing) - 7 years for bribery
Sen. Pedro Espada (D/Sing Sing) - convicted of stealing thousands of dollars
Sen. Larry Seabrook (D/soon to be Sing Sing)- recently found guilty of fraud and conspiracy; awaiting sentencing.
Sen. Joe Bruno (R/Sing Sing) convicted of bribery
and since the list is going way too long - Sen. Guy Velella, Ass. Clarence Norman, Ass. Diane Gordon, Ass. Brian McLoughlin, Ass. Anthony Seminerio - all found guilty of crimes against the tax payers of NY.

It has gotten so bad that I suggest that we just move the state capital from Albany to Sing Sing Prison in Ossining [see photo above] just to save the taxpayers time and money.

And finally, this is just a crime against humanity...

Federal: There is a saying (that I am making up now) that says "If you are a really stupid politician and have no sense of humor do NOT go on Stephen Colbert's Show!" This segment is an "interview" with Rep. Yvette Clarke (D/Brooklyn). I will assume that the "D" in this case stands for "dumb". Well judge for yourself starting at 01.40m...



Okay by now you are thinking to yourself "Wah???? This woman is voting on legislation that will effect my life, liberty and pursuit of happiness? How can this be?" Stop shuttering uncontrollably and remember that she will probably be re-elected! Okay, you can start shuttering again...

FYI - I am travelling today and will jump in as I can...

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New York State of Mind and the First Twitter President

It has been a very long time since I have updated you on the happenings in New York. It's not that nothing has been happening. It's just that so much is going on, it's hard to know where to start! So let's start at...

Sports: Okay, the New York Rangers are battling the New Jersey Devils for something or another in the Stanley Cup playoffs. That's hockey for you non-sports enthusiasts.

In other sports new so far - the Yankees suck; the Mets don't suck so much and in basketball news, Brooklyn is getting its first professional sports team since the Dodgers moved to L.A. in the '50's! The New Jersey Nets will shortly be the Brooklyn Nets.

Local: Two issues have been making the headlines in the past few months involving our long-standing Police Commissioner Ray Kelly. First, the AP reported a few months ago that our very competent Joint Terrorism Task Force headed by Commish Kelly may have been fighting terrorism for real by violating the rights of terrorists by monitoring and thwarting the plans of terrorists to plan and execute acts of terrorism in NYC. Imagine that! The task force is accused of monitoring activities in mosques and Islamic-related organizations, websites, followers and neighborhoods with dense Muslim populations in the tri-state area. So far they have thwarted several potential terrorist attacks on bridges, subways, and trains on our fair city. All done legally within the confines of all local, state and federal civil rights laws. But since it targets a single group, then that is bad according to the ACLU and Muslims in the city. Incidentally, the AP won their Pulitzer this year because of their reporting on this issue.

In addition to that, Commish Kelly has come under fire for our long-standing "Stop and Frisk" policing too. This is where the police can stop, question, and frisk anyone that they suspect is up to no good. Since they instituted this policy in early 1990's under the Guiliani administration, murders have declined by about 75% - over 2000 murders at the peak in the '80's to 410 as of 2009. But here is the problem as the New York ACLU et al. see it - 54% of the people stopped are young and black, 34% were Hispanic, and 9% were white and almost all of the stops were in the very high crime/high minority areas of the city. It is no matter that 64% of the violent crimes committed in the city are by young, black men. That must just be a big coinci-dink. Fortunately, Commissioner Kelly and most of the grateful population are not buying any of the outrage. Kelly admits there are problems that can be addressed and updated, however he adamantly defends the policy as highly effective and successful. Interestingly, even the black community, with the exception of the usual race-baiters like Big Al Sharpton, are siding overwhelmingly with Commissioner Kelly.

Federal: Well, there must be a snowball having a high time in a very hot place these days! The Congressional Primary in New York is on June 26 and Charlie Rangel may finally be in big trouble. Since he was elected to the House in the '70's, Ol' Charlie has gone virtually unchallenged, but not anymore. Because New York lost two Congressional District in the last census, District 15 has been expanded to include a large swathe of Hispanic voters in the Bronx. So, now Rangel is now being challenged by the other major minority group in New York - the Hispanics - who are running their own very popular candidates. Respected candidates without the baggage of censure to weigh them down and, surprise, they are leading. It has not helped that Rangel has not been seen in D.C. since February due to a "back injury". He refuses to concede that he may be in trouble, but stated recently that he may consider dropping out if the Dems can find a viable candidate that could defeat him. Of course that came after Obama declined to endorse him and Bill Clinton publicly endorsed his former aide who is running against Rangel. This is definitely a district to watch.

Other Stuff: And finally. I have just joined the Twitter-verse and I just had to follow our Twit-In-Chief. I just couldn't help myself, but for the record, Twitter is a huge waste of time. Maybe it's my age, but seriously, it's stupid, but it's here and not going away. Well, not unless there is a massive solar flare that knocks out all electricity or a giant asteroid hit. But now that I'm here, look what's up...

If you thought that Hollywood was the only place that the entertainment elite meet to pay homage to their favorite Man of the People.

Your chance to join the President and First Lady at Sarah Jessica Parker’s home in NYC—airfare included: OFA.BO/vQCrw3

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) May 19, 2012

Yes, Sarah Jessica Parker waxed poetic:

"This November's election will determine whether we get to keep moving forward, or if we're forced to go back to policies that ask people like my middle-class family in Ohio to carry the burden -- while people like me, who don't need tax breaks, get extra help."

Of course, it is the same backward policies that allowed an actress with third-rate acting ability and an even worse singing voice to become a very successful superstar of stage, screen, and television with multiple multi-million dollar residences and women who she can pay handsomely to bear her children so she doesn't have to disfigure herself and who can ask 50 of her other wealthy friends to pony up $46K without batting a eye-lash. Think of what $2.3 million dollars could do for some local arts/music program or how that money could help some other middle class family in Ohio! But, hey, that's just me.

And not all of Obama's Twitter followers are supporters. I thought this was pretty clever...

@BarackObama Hey, a new show: "Socialists in the City"!

— Jim(@prepresscolor) May 19, 2012

Next time: The long, long list of elected officials who are currently on trial or have been convicted of graft, greed, and embezzlement of public funds this month... [+] Read More...

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New York State of Mind 2011

Nassau Street and Maiden Lane
NYC 12/27/10

Well, it has been many weeks and many snowstorms since my last report. We have a new Governor and a new Legislature and, so far none have been accused of any actionable crimes! But sadly, we have the same Mayor of NYC, but I'll get to that later. So let me get everyone up to speed...

Sports - The New York Jets, who play in Giants Stadium in New Jersey, will play the Pittsburgh Steelers tomorrow for AFC Championship. The Mean Green haven't been to the playoffs since...oh who cares. Go Jets!

Local - Well, I was going to lead off this segment with the botched snow job we got after Christmas, but the really, really BIG news is that there's one more to add to the NYC unemploymment statistics. The self-styled "Joan of Arc" of the Liberal/Progressives Keith Olbermann has been let go (or quit) MSNBC. There is much speculation as to why and how, but he gave his final performance on "Countdown" last night with his final parting words of gratitude to his audience. Let me tell you, HuffPo'ers were shocked and grief-stricken yesterday. Who will speak their truth to Power! But don't feel sorry for KO. He was seen dining last night at Gramercy Tavern with 4 friends and was reported to still have $14 million left on his contract. Maybe he can do an "Oprah" and start his own TV or radio station! Okay, enough about that.

Snow, snow, and more snow has hit the Northeast. As you may have heard, there was a little brou-ha-ha a few weeks ago when it was discovered that no one really cares what happens to us NY'ers on the weekends or holidays. On December 26th a big snow storm, which had been predicted the week before, came barrelling though the Tri-State area closing airports and roads, and halting all public and private transportation and vital services like police, fire, and EMT services. Now normally, when there is a prediction of 15-18 inches of snow, we silly citizens were almost sure that our taxes were being spent to pay for the proper defenses against a total shutdown, including, but not limited to, executive decision-makers, salters, sanders, plows, and all other necessary equipment and personnel to keep the City's vital services running. Apparently, we didn't read the fine print which we have discovered goes something like:

"When the Mayor is AWOL and the Deputy Mayor is AWOL and the Deputy to the Deputy Mayor is AWOL, and all of their respective Commissioners and staffs are AWOL, no one will be responsible for making any decisions and chaos shall ensue".

At first, the Mayor, bless his heart, was mad at the citizens for complaining. Hey, snow happens. I mean, we were just concerned that people were dying because the EMT's couldn't get through because no one bothered to send out the plows or put chains on the bus wheels or send out the plows for the trains or even bother to declare an weather emergency. Seriously, passengers on a stuck "A" train had to spend the night on the train because no one could figure out how to get them off the train! And then, in politically expedient turnaround, Mayor Mike "felt our pain" because he decided it wasn't his fault, but a defiant Sanitation Department "slowdown", the union rats! But, then one of the citizens asked Mayor Mike where he had been, so he got mad at us all over again. It is none of our business where he goes. It turns out that Mayor Mike is gone quite a bit. He goes to Bermuda every weekend and it also turns out that when he is gone, there is actually no competent chain of command.

So, the City Council called the Mayor and his Deputies and Commissioners to appear in front of the City Council and explain themselves. A meeting for which the Mayor declined to attend. It was concluded that the Commissioner of the Department of Transportation Janette Sadik-Khan had been left "in charge" that day, but had declined to make any decisions. Only she neglected to tell anyone she was declining to make any decisions, and no one bothered to call and confirm. Though she must have been doing something because all of her newly installed bike lanes interspersed across Manhattan and Brooklyn had somehow been miraculously hand-shovelled (more on that one day). Well, then, she blamed Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, for what, I do not know and then everyone decided to blame the Commissioner of the EMT's for not having the foresight to buy cross-country skis, snowmobiles, and packs of St. Bernards with brandy barrels around their necks. (So far, he is the only one who has been officially reprimanded).

As a result, the City Council has decided that the Mayor must now publish who is in charge when he is not "in residence". As you can imagine, this did not sit well with our Mayor/President wannabe at all and, though I am just guessing, I bet that Mayor Mike is kicking himself for insisting on that third term. As for the Sanitation department, they are under local and federal investigation. All I can predict now is...more snow.

State - YEY! We finally have a new Governor. As I predicted, Andrew Cuomo won handily on Nov. 2 and is now our new Governor. Though a Democrat AND the son of former three-term Governor Mario Cuomo, he may turn out to be a tough-on-spending Governor. At first blush, Cuomo may be taking his budget cues from New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. Our state budget is due in April and he is talking really tough about slashing the budget. It was reported yesterday that Cuomo will be proposing cutting 12,000 jobs to start, if the legislature and the unions cannot come to agreement about pension cuts. We now have a $12-15 billion deficit at the very least and it's only growing larger.

To help him is our newly elected Republican-led Senate. To our great surprise, the State Senate Dem leadership was one of the many casualties of the Republican whacking in November. It took a while for all the final votes to be counted and recounted, but by the end of December, two vital races were concluded, and the Republicans took a slim lead (32-30) in the Senate. The Assembly is still in the evil clutches of Sheldon Silver and his Democrat cohorts, but, if Gov. Cuomo can stay strong and true to his promises of reform and accountability, well, so far, so good.

Other stuff - Okay and I can't get away without news of Charlie Rangel. With the gall that can only come from Charlie Rangel, he was part of a group of liberal do-gooders who were protesting a newly approved homeless shelter that will open in a tony Upper Westside neighborhood. Not only is there a Not-in-my-neighborhood-ness about the protest, but, in his indignation, Rangel demanded that the city needed more housing for the middle class, not homeless shelters! Now remember, this is coming from the guy who was just rebuked by the House of Representatives for holding leases on four rent stabilized apartments, three of which could have housed middle class families.

And finally - I cancelled my subscription to the New York Times. After reading the Editor's explanation why the NYT rushed to judgment to accuse "the right wing radical Tea Party movement" of murder and the attempted assassination of a member of Congress, I decided enough is enough and I no longer want to give them my money. So, this is how the conversation went...

2-1-2...blah, blah, blah....
{Ring...ring...Click...}
NYT Circulations Office: Hello. This is Matt [not his real name], how can I help you today.
Me: I would like to cancel my subscription to the NYT, please.
{Skip name and address verification}
NYT Matt: Is there a reason you are cancelling?
Me: Yes. Paul Krugman.
{silence, silence, silence, silence, silence, silence}
NYT Matt: Who's that?
Me: A columnist at the New York Times. This is the NYT office, right? [okay, I didn't say that last part, but I thought it...)
NYT Matt: Oh, okay, was it something he wrote?
Me:  Yes, it's pretty much EVERYTHING he writes. I no longer want to pay his salary.
NYT Matt: Well, okay. You know if you cancel you will no longer have access to the Sunday Crossword puzzle or the website.
Me: Yes and I am okay with that.
NYT Matt: You know, if you keep your subscription, I can give you the Weekender for half price.
Me: No thank you. I called to cancel my subscription.
NYT Matt: Okay then, is there anything more I can do for you?
Me:  No, that will be it.
{click}
Maybe the problem with the NYT is that not even people who work for the NYT want read it... [+] Read More...

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New York State of Mind

Okay, I needed a break and, well, every once in while there is an event in NYC that is just so wonderfully imaginative, that it makes me glad I live here and jealous that I wasn't in that moment. The following was filmed on October 8th on a B train while crossing the Manhattan Bridge. Using only Iphone applications and a speaker, the Brooklyn group Atomic Tom entertained a subway car full of commuters with their soon-to-be hit "Take Me Out" -



They wanted something to happen, so they made it happen. It only cost the price of Iphones, the apps, subway fare, and a month's worth of practice to get it just right. Then 3.5 million hits on YouTube later, they are on their way. Totally cool... [+] Read More...

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New York State of Mind

Okay, let's just get this out of the way now... THE RANGERS HAVE WON THE PENNANT! THE TEXAS RANGERS HAVE WON THE PENNANT!!!! And it's doubly sweet because they beat the Yankees doin' it and triply sweet because the last out of the game was on A-Rod (Alex"$125million Baby" Rodriguez), former Texas Ranger!! And to think the Rangers were fighting for their life in the bankruptcy courts this summer. The new owners including Nolan Ryan just finalized the paperwork in August. The ink's not even dry yet, and THE TEXAS RANGERS ARE PLAYING IN THE WORLD SERIES!!


Okay now that I've gotten that out of my system...

State - Okay, so we had our one and only debate with all of our Gubernatorial candidates which was described alternately as "a circus" and a long lost episode of "the Gong Show". The seven participants not in any particular order:

Andrew Cuomo, the Attorney General and scion of the Cuomo/Kennedy Democrat Dynasty;

Carl Paladino, the colorful Buffalo Republican and self-annointed Tea Party candidate. He has made many inflammatory (but honest)statements and even sent out garbage-scented fliers to play up the "stink in Albany";

Jimmy McMillan, from "The Rent is Too Damn High" Party. On Gay marriage - 'If you want to marry a shoe, I'll marry you'. Oddly, he was the candidate who has been picked on the most by the press because his monthly rent (a paltry $800) is well below the norm for the NYC area...;

Howie Hawkins, of the Green Party who inexplicable sported a Southern accent even though he was born in California and grew up in Vermont;

Charles Barron, the Freedom Party candidate, former Black Panther, and current New York City Councilman from Brooklyn. The less said about him, the better;

Warren Redlich, the low-key Libertarian candidate who described himself in his opening remarks - "I'm not your typical New York politician. I've never been caught with a prostitute. My dad wasn't governor and I've never been convicted of a crime.";

AND, last but certainly not least, and also voted the most at ease -

Kristin Davis, the Anti-Prohibition Party candidate and former Manhattan Madam to Client #9 Eliot Spitzer. Her best comments - "...the career politicians in Albany are the biggest whores in this state. I might be the only person sitting on this podium qualified to deal with them." and "The key difference between me and the MTA is I operated one set of books and I offered on-time and reliable service."

A wonderful cast of characters right out of Broadway slapstick comedy, but, well, let's just cut to the chase. John Podhoretz of the NY Post summed it up pretty well in his post-debate analysis - "The..person who seemed in his element, Andrew Cuomo,...will be the next governor of this state unless a comet strikes the Earth and renders us all extinct before Nov. 2."

[UPDATE] A new Rasmussen poll published today has the Cuomo/Paladino race tightening up slightly - 51%-37%.

Other races of note -Unfortunately the Republican Party is not doing any better in other state-wide races either. They are all good candidates, but they just are not well funded or exposed:

House -
Charles Rangel (D/NY15) against Michel Faulkner (R) , a Harlem-based minister and former New York Jets player among a long list of accomplishments and degrees - there has been absolutely no reporting on this race, no polls, no articles, no nothing. The last poll I saw from August had Rangel leading in the 65-70% category.

[UPDATE] Rangel has apparently stopped campaigning and is now holding a fundraiser on Monday to solicit donations for the defense fund for his upcoming ethics trial. Wouldn't it be cheaper for people to just vote him out?

Senate -
Charles "Chuck" Schumer against Jay Townsend (R) - Schumer has all but disappeared from the state. He has made himself actively unavailable for townhall meetings or debates with his opponent, so he does not have to stand on his record or have to defend President Obama. Since, Rasmussen has him leading 59% to 31%, I guess the strategy is working. So unless that Podhoretz comet hits, Schumer is in. And furthermore, if Harry Reid loses in Nevada and the Democrats retain the majority in the Senate, it is rumored that Schumer will be first in line to take over as Senate Majority Leader.

Kirsten Gillibrand (D/NY) against Joe DioGuardi (R) - This race is a little tighter, but not by much. Rasmussen has her leading by 54% to 33%. And since the only issue that has been reported on in the last week is Sen. Gillibrand's weight loss and "hotness", I doubt DioGuardi has much of a chance either. Comet anyone?

My predictions for the November 2, 2010 Elections, but I leave you with this video in anticipation of the coming Tuesday, November 2, 2010 election. If you need any more proof as to why you need to vote on Tuesday, November 2, 2010, please watch this, hopefully before Tuesday, November 2, 2010:



Did they shoot this in a Capital Mall video booth?



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New York State [Out] Of [Its] Mind - UFO Edition

As if New Yorkers don't have enough to worry about, now this? Yes folks, there was near panic in Chelsea this week. And no, it wasn't Carl Paladino shooting his mouth off again, or even anything to do with Al Sharpton. This time it was... a UFO! Yes, you read that right. On Wednesday October 13 at around 3pm, a UFO was sighted hovering over Chelsea...see for yourself, if you don't believe me.



Okay, before you panic, this time it turned out to be a bunch of metallic balloons that escaped a childrens' party, but this isn't the first time a UFO has been sighted over New York City. Don't get me wrong. I believe in the possibility of other, more advanced life forms out there, but I really doubt that space aliens are going to land in broad daylight in midtown Manhattan in the middle of a sunny afternoon. If they are truly intelligent lifeform, they would know that Mayor Bloomberg would be forced to levy a hefty commuter tax or just ban them outright because space aliens flying around midtown Manhattan can't possibly be good for anyone's health! But then again, we are a designated Sanctuary City...

Anyway, this got me to thinking about a public access T.V. talk show I saw years ago. The host and a guest were having a very sincere discussion (at 3am) about how good and benevolent space aliens from beyond the Plaeides were on their way to Earth and would be landing around 2012 purportedly to save us from some other bad space aliens who were on their way to Earth to destroy us. I am not sure how the guest obtained this information, but I seem to remember human/alien hybrid babies and bodily probing may have been involved!

So, here's a Commentarama Probing (tee-hee) Question: What do you think President Obama, Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi and/or Harry Reid will do if/when the space aliens land in 2012? [+] Read More...

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New York State of Mind

I know, I know, you have all been frantic with worry about what is happening in New York these days. Well, we just had our state primary on September 14 and, now that the dust has finally settled, the political landscape is becoming clearer. Over the next few weeks I will try my best to keep you up-to-date on the very contentious races in the Northeast, the tax-payer money being wasted, the growing list of politicians under indictment, and the ongoing trials and tribulations of living on Planet Big Apple...

Sports: No update is complete without the mention of the New York Yankees. The Yankees are so close to winning the World Series that Mayor Bloomberg is talking tickertape parade! I mean, they have only 194,000 games left in the season, right? Not to rain on his parade (no pun intended), but the Yankees may have to beat the Texas Rangers first! Can you believe that? Let me repeat that - the Texas Rangers! The Mayans may have been right - the Universe is turning upside down!

Local News: Finally! Another problem that has been haunting this city for generations has finally been resolved. What problem could it could be, you ask? Could it be we have finally won the War on Poverty or sheltered all the homeless? No, it was something much more insidious – those killing machines known as “street signs”. Thanks to the Federal Highway Administration and their fabulous work updating the Uniform Traffic Control Devices manual, the Federal copy editors are demanding all of our 250,900 street signs from the Bronx to the Battery be upgraded from the barely legible ALL CAPS signs to the much more readable and safer Only the First Letter Capitalized models [see above photo]. Oh, did I mention that it is costing $24 million? At least, we know that the street sign makers and installers will have a happy Christmas this year!

More local news: It is hard to tell which side of the fence Mayor Michael Bloomberg is going to land on any specific issue, but we can all rest our heads easy at night knowing that Mayor Mike is looking out for our health. He is so concerned with our health that New York City should be renamed 'Bloomberg-ban-istan'! In the last few months, he has called for a ban on smoking in all parks, beaches, and open spaces and has already banned drinking beer and hard liquor (but oddly not wine) at concerts at public parks, banned driving in certain areas like Time Square, banned transfats from our restaurants, and banned fund-raising bake sales from our schools. And just this week, he petitioned the US Department of Agriculture to get permission to ban recipients of food stamps from using their money to buy soda and other sugary soft drinks. Well, maybe that last one isn’t so bad, but we all wish that he would concentrate on more pressing matters like well, say the rising crime rate, the tanking local economy, unemployment or…the MTA fare hikes!

Did someone say MTA fare hike? Oh, yeah, me. The MTA (Metropolitan Transit Authority) just voted to increase the bus and subway fares for the fourth time in five years. It seems every time they say that this will be the last fare hike for awhile, we find out that “awhile” only means 8-10 months. Of course this last hike comes after drastic cuts in service of underused routes that took effect this summer including the cut to my beloved X90 bus (for which now I must travel by sardine can…I mean, subway to work every morning, but I’m not bitter…). Of course many of those underused routes are because of the widespread unemployment in the Wall Street/Financial sector, but why dwell on that…

Which brings us downtown for an update on the NY Ground Zero Mosque/ Park51/Cordoba House/whatever-they-are-calling it this week: Elie Weisel, Nobel Laureate and Holocaust survivor, put forth a possible solution to an otherwise very contentious issue. He went public with a proposal that, as a show of good faith, the mosque project should opened up to include all religions and should be expanded into an interfaith center to bring Jews, Christians, and Muslims together. And in that spirits, he said "Let's do it together. Let's finance it together. Let's do programs together. Let's promote religious understanding together." So far there has been no response from Imam Rauf or any other Cordoba House et al officials to Mr. Weisel’s proposal. And just in case you were wondering, the present location of the project is about 200 steps from Ground Zero. Really, I walked it…

On to the political news – Okay, so as I stated above, we had our Primary on September 14th. And in race for Governor, we have Andrew Cuomo, current Attorney General and son of the former three-term Governor Mario Cuomo, running against Buffalo multi-millionaire businessman and political outsider Carl Paladino. Before the primary, I was certain that Cuomo would win with no problem and the Republican challenger would just be there as window dressing. Well, as it turns out, Cuomo is having a tougher time than I thought possible. There are so many issues at play in this election year, that it is not so preposterous to think that Paladino could defeat Cuomo.

First of all, Cuomo is considered the political insider and a NYC dweller. So it's now shaking out as the NYC dwelling, arugula-eating, Obama supporting Albany insider versus the business-savvy Upstate, self-proclaimed Tea Party candidate, outsider. It’s making for great drama and Paladino is playing up these difference for all it is worth. Trust me, he is not running a very pretty campaign. It's turning out to be more of a one-sided, bareknuckle brawl. Just this week (and to everyone's horror), Paladino called the longtime leader of the State Assembly, Sheldon Silver, a “criminal”. Paladino called him a "criminal" because of Sheldon's refusal to put forth any ethics or tort reform legislation while at the same time being on the payroll of the largest plaintiffs’ firm in the state and refusing to divulge what exactly he does for them and how much he is being paid. Not very PC of Carl, but as NY Post reader Charles Compton of the Bronx put it in his letter to the editor today, “Silver might not technically be a criminal, but that’s probably because he writes the laws”. And the fallout is in the direction of Cuomo. Cuomo has up until now refused to challenge anyone about anything, and is looking weaker and more “insider-y” with each passing accusation. So who knows what will happen on Nov 2. At this point Cuomo leads Paladino 55% to 36% in a Sienna Poll. In May it was 64% to 23%.

Next week, House and Senate races - Rangel, Gillibrand and Schumer with a little O'Donnell and McMahon thrown in for good measure...

Okay, I can't leave without saying something about New Jersey. I mean, New Jersey is so close it could almost be New York if it really wanted to…

Very Republican New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is not kidding about cutting the state budget and getting New Jersey back on more solid financial footing. This week, he put the brakes on a proposed new commuter train tunnel under the Hudson, by stating that…get this…the State of New Jersey doesn't have the money! He withdrew his support for the project after learning that it would cost at least $2.5 billion more than the original price tag of $8.7 billion and New Jersey would be responsible for the cost overrun. They just could not afford it. Have you ever heard such ridiculous excuse? Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood was not pleased and came to Trenton to talk some sense into Christie. According to LaHood’s people, the project is back on the table, but Christie said otherwise. More on Christie next time too… [+] Read More...

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It is so hot here in NYC that you could probably fry an egg right on the sidewalk. As a matter of fact, I had to escape to the cool breezes of South Texas last week just to get away from this oven. But the heat is not the only news...

Sports: It has been a sad week for baseball and especially for the New York Yankees. On July 11, Bob Sheppard, long time Yankee announcer known as the Yankee's "Voice of God" passed away at the age of 99. He announced the play by play for all the home games from 1951 to 2007. For you baseball buffs, the first game he called in 1951 against the Boston Red Sox included baseball legends Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Johnny Mize, Yogi Berra, Phil Rizzuto and Bosox great Ted Williams.

Sadly, Mr. Sheppard was joined two days later by George Steinbrenner, long time owner of the Yankees who died suddenly of a heart attack at age 80. Steinbrenner built the Yankees into a winning-est team in baseball (while at the same time repeatedly firing and rehiring legendary manager Billy Martin) in the 37 years as owner. He had recently turned over the everyday operations to his son. Both of these great men will be missed.

Local: So, a few week ago I reported that the MTA was going to cut my bus line, but some free-enterprising young man with a small bus company was going to pick up the route privately for the same fare and everything. I think my exact words were "Take that you, Marxist scum". Well, this industrious young man did take over the bus route and, just as we were working out the kinks and barely two weeks in service, the City Legal Department filed an injunction to shut the operation down and with no real explanation as to why. The New York Daily News reported that the Transit workers' union was not happy that someone would get paid to drive a bus and they wouldn't get a cut of the action. A hearing was held this week on the injunction, but to my knowledege, the judge did not make any final decision on the fate of this new little busline. But, at this point, it really doesn't matter. Even if the judge were to rule for the bus line owner, the damage has already been done. The young entrepeneur's opportunity to slide right in and expand his business, hire additional employees, and with an already willing customer base has all but slipped away. The delay and uncertainty in service has already forced the would-be riders to make other, more concrete arrangements and are much less likely to want to change back. Once again, the small businessman is denied an opportunity because of stupid, short-sighted Government bureaucrats in cahoots with Big Union thugs.

Terrorist Updates - In November 2009, I reported about Lynne Stewart, former Civil Rights Defense attorney who was convicted of conspiracy for helping her client Egyptian cleric Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman, had just lost her appeal and had been immediately remanded into the care of our state Penal system to await final disposition. The Appeals Court had upheld her conviction, but sent the case back down to the sentencing judge for reconsideration because they felt his original sentence of 28 months was too lenient for such a serious crime amongst other considerations. Well, this week the judge finally weilded that hammer of justice and sentenced Ms. Stewart to a hefty 10 years in prison. He attributed her arrogance and unrepentent attitude about her earlier sentence (for which she told the judge that she could do the time "standing on her head") to his new, much harsher decision. Needless to say she was shocked by her sudden change of fortune and threw herself on the mercy of the court boo-hooing that she was just too old to be in prison and wouldn't survive. The judge was unmoved and, well, the air in NYC got a little bit sweeter...

In other terrorist news - Protests continue around the proposed building of "Cordoba House", a new Islamic Cultural Center to be built two blocks from Ground Zero. Daisy Khan, executive director of the American Society of Muslim Advancement along with her husband, Feisel Abdul Rauf made an offer on a 100+ year old building damaged on 9/11 that they want to convert to a cultural outreach center where all will be welcomed and swear on a stack of Korans that it will not be a mosque. In May, they passed one of many hurdles by winning a ringing endorsement for the very liberal local Community Board. This week they presented their case to the Historical Preservation Board which has been stalling for years on an application to give the former coat factory building historical status. Depending on which way the Board decides, this could possibly be the last hurdle the Khan-Raufs have before they can actually become the owners of the property. Everyone waits with bated breath for the Board to render its decision and, as you can imagine, many people in NYC are upset by the prospect of an Islamic anything just 200 feet from the WTC site.

And finally in State related news - Governor Patterson has been furiously vetoing 6000+ new bills that our worthless Legislature passed right before the summer break and against all common sense. Patterson stated that "...[r]ather than act in the interests of the people of New York state, they have engaged in legislation that is in self-interest and presented us with a series of bills that have the same gimmicks, chicanery and avoidant conduct that has characterized fiscal management in this state for far too long." He is making good on his promise to veto any bill that did not reduce the budget. And now he has until the middle of August to complete the veto process which includes reading and signing each and every bill personally. This job is made doubly difficult since Patterson is also legally blind, but he determined he will complete his task. As of July 4th weekend, I believe he was about a quarter of the way through. I can't wait to see what the Legislature will do next since who knows which legislator will be sent to prison next, but that is for the next installment. [+] Read More...

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Yea! We’re saved!! Well not “we” exactly, but the New York acting community. It has been rumored that “Law and Order: SVU” is leaving its home in New Jersey and moving into the now empty studio of its cancelled parent “Law and Order”. As for the rest of us, well, things aren’t quite as good. It has been awhile since I reported on what’s happening in New York, so let’s catch up…

Sports - We are in the midst of football fever here in NYC. Not the American kind, but as long as the US World Cup soccer team is the game, every bar in the city will be open for business. Go USA! Also, if you are into the American kind of football, NY will host the 2014 Superbowl, so get your tickets now!

Local - The Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA for short), the governing body for all public transportation matters in NYC began massive bus and subway cuts at the end of this week because of a budget shortfall in the billions. The MTA board promised over and over that if we let them raise fares “just this once”, this would never happen. Of course that was three fares hikes ago, but who’s counting. Now I admit that most of the cuts are justified because there were bus and subway routes that were redundant anyway, but why my bus?

I should be really upset, but actually I learned a couple valuable lessons during this process. You see, I signed all the petitions and wrote my Councilperson to voice my opposition to these cuts. But then I made an interesting observation. The fact is that cuts had to be made and something was going to have to give. As convenient as my cushy X90 bus was, it is not my only option, just the most convenient. Lesson #1: We all understand that sacrifices have to be made; we just don’t want to be the ones to make them. So, I stopped fighting it and all cuts went into effect on Friday. Frankly, they always were going to no matter how many letters I wrote or petitions I signed because they are necessary.

But now comes Lesson #2 (Obama take note): If government will get out of the way, private industry will pick up the slack. So as it turns out, because of one government-run option that I lost on Friday, on Monday, I will have two private options. Options that I would not have had if the cuts had not been made. A private bus company will pick up the bus route at the same price and the same schedule and a new private share-a-cab service only a few blocks away. See, free enterprise works. Take that, Marxist scum!

In other city news - Just when we thought NYC was beginning to show signs of life, the new banking bill has everyone nervous again. Soon to be ex-Senator Christopher Dodd admitted that no will know how exactly what the new law will do until it is implemented. Does this sound vaguely familiar? Well, we will see what happens on Monday when the markets open again, if this is the last rally or the dawn of a new era. Unfortunately what is good for Wall Street has always been very good for New York City and State coffers, but like I said, we all want someone else to make the sacrifice.

State - Governor Patterson has now finally laid down the law, and has given the state legislature until Monday at midnight to pass a budget or he’s going to shut the state down. For months now, our state has been on the brink of bankruptcy. We are over $9 billion in debt and still our politicians refuse to pass a state budget. A few weeks ago the Governor threatened furloughs, but the unions won that round, no budget was passed, and we only got a two week reprieve with an “emergency” budget. Now, we’ve come to the brink again and Patterson is having his showdown. No really, he is serious this time. His proposed budget includes a new tax on clothing, new tax on online hotel reservations, and tuition hikes for state colleges and universities. But just so you don’t think that Patterson is your typical tax and spend Democrat, there are a few cuts – cuts to education and cuts in tax exemptions for charitable giving. Hey, at least he gave up that stupid “soda tax”. I will let you know what happens. My prediction – nothing.

In other state news – In separate conventions in May, both parties decided officially who would run for Governor. So as predicted the Democrats chose Andrew Cuomo, current Attorney General and son of former Governor Mario Cuomo, and the Republicans will run Rick Lazio, businessman and former Congressman from Long Island. Rick Lazio is also known for running unsuccessfully against Hillary Clinton in her first bid for the Senate. Sadly, I think Lazio has about as much chance of beating Cuomo as he did with Clinton, but we will see. As I have said before, our primary is not until September, so a lot can happen this summer.

Federal - Chuck Schumer is hoping to fill the vacuum that will hopefully be left when Harry Reid is defeated in Nevada. Sadly, there is still no one brave enough to run against ol’ Chuck, but I still keep holding out hope that George Pataki, our former Governor, will pick up the gauntlet. He just might have a shot. In the mean time, Chuck is putting his name to every hare-brained legislation he can. His latest is the Disclose Act that just passed by the House.

On a finally note – All is not lost in the Northeast. New Governor Chris Christie is getting serious in New Jersey and had his first major victory last week. The Democrats in the New Jersey state Legislature decided that they didn’t like some of Christie’s harsh budget cuts, so they passed a “millionaire’s tax” bill in an attempt to raise funds to reinstate some of the cuts. Christie immediately vetoed the bill which prompted these same Democrats to try and override the veto which they failed to do and the new tax is now dead. Well, not really 'cause if you can't win, then just spin. So now the Dems are saying that they were knew exactly what they were doing and were just trying to set Christie up. These new taxes were to reinstate cuts to programs for “the elderly and children” and they just proved that Governor Christie hates old people and children. Sadly, their grand scheme did not work as planned and Christie is as popular as ever.

Next time - Mayor Bloomberg makes stand on immigration and did you hear that the Luv Guv Eliot Spitzer will have his own primetime show on CNN? [+] Read More...

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It's a wrap - After nearly 20 years on the air, NBC announced this week that they were cancelling "Law & Order"! Sadly, not only will the show not get to make television history as the longest running drama ever, but they won't even have a traditional final episode.Unfortunately, this means more job losses for NYC too. It is really hard to find an actor in the Tri-State area who has not appeared on L&O. But who wants to speak of losses when we can talk about Obama's visit this week, so on with the show...

Sports – Yankees lost to the Tigers. And SC nominee Elena Kagan’s favorite team…the Mets!

Local – Speaking of Elena Kagan, NYC is beaming with pride that we may have a possible third native daughter sitting on the current Supreme Court. With the announcement of Kagan’s nomination, three of the five boroughs of NYC will be represented. Ginsberg was born in Brooklyn, Sotomayor in the Bronx and now Kagan is from Manhattan’s Upper West Side. And if you count Stevens who grew up in Queens, we actually have four out of five boroughs represented. It must be something in the water. Sadly, poor Staten Island is once again left out…

More Local (and Federal) - You remember last week we had an attempted “Islamic terrorist attack”. I put it in quotes because AG Eric Holder has not yet determined whether Faisel Shahzad was actually an “Islamic terrorist” yet. [insert **sigh**]



We will not hold our breath waiting for him to decide because we got the answer from President Obama.

As I reported last week, Mayor Bloomberg appeared before a Congressional panel to discuss our lack of terrorist gun laws and to beg for help in fighting terrorism aimed at our fair city. I am happy to report that this week because of Bloomberg’s heartfelt plea, President Obama announced deep cuts to the city’s anti-terror funds. I bet you didn’t see that one coming, did you? Neither did Bloomberg. And to further the humiliation, Obama arrived on Thursday afternoon during rush hour, tying up street, air, and water traffic for hours to personally thank the police officers for their efforts in thwarting another attack. NY's Finest were even kind enough to give Obama his own NYPD windbreaker with “POTUS” on it! But as we are learning each and every day of this Administration, as one astute NYer put it, Obama “speaks out of both sides of his mouth". This is what he had to say to say to our Finest even as he cuts their funds-

"And we want to make sure that we continue to work with you to get the resources that are needed for you to continue to be effective…”

At least Rep. Anthony Weiner (D/NY), who is otherwise a Obamaton, had this to say -

"Some of the funding decisions made by this administration have been mind-numbingly, insanely wrong.”

I think we can agree that there hasn’t been a more true statement made by a politician in the last 15 months.

And as if one hypocrisy wasn’t enough (and the real reason for his appearance in NYC), Obama attended a $15K - $50K a-plate fundraiser attended by all those overpaid bankers and Wall Street fat cats that he has been incessantly railing against for weeks. Though someone was quoted as saying “they ARE the only ones with money right now”. Well, at least for the next few weeks anyway.

State - As I reported last week, Governor Patterson was pushing for a one day-a-week furlough for all state employees because of a massive budget deficit. This week, he managed to push the necessary legislation through by cleverly attaching his plan to an emergency budget bill that had to be very reluctantly passed by the Legislature for the state to stay in business. The furlough requires that about 100,000 state workers take one unpaid day off a week thereby saving the state millions of dollars. However Patterson, fearing that he might be thought of as an effective leader, immediately gave his own staff a raise! I am not kidding. So now, instead of just bunch of whining state workers, we have about 100,000 righteously indignant state workers. Fortunately for them, they had a state judge who signed an emergency order staying the furloughs until further review. I wonder how the order will stand, as the judge was to be a furloughed state worker too...

And finally, Obama made his last stop in Buffalo, New York on his much touted "Main Street" tour this last Thursday. His surprise visit was used to pitch his stellar performance creating and saving jobs and curtailing another Great Depression. For a place like Buffalo that has suffered double digit unemployment for at least a decade, I think they were kind of surprised by the good news.

And talk about perfect timing, this billboard appeared in Buffalo just days before Obama even announced he was would be stopping there. Actually there's a funny story that goes along with this billboard. Through the journalistic thoroughness for which we have grown accustomed from The Left, a writer named "Karoli" of Crooksandliars.com, seeing a possible conspiracy, made a phone call to the billboard company and found out that someone named Scott Baker had paid to put this ad on the board. Not wanting to miss a scoop, Karoli rushed to attribute the billboard to the only Scott Baker he/she could think of - Scott Baker of the Breitbart.tv's webcast “The B-Cast”. By noon on Friday, the DailyKos had pick up the scent and both websites were savagely condemning the billboard as just another smear campaign against the Obama Administration being subversively funded by the notorious Andrew Breitbart.

Well, if they had done just a few more minutes of basic internet research before they published their findings, they would have found that it was not Breitbart's Scott Baker, but actually Akron, Ohio factory owner Scott Baker and his unemployed brother Buffalonian Jeff Baker who were behind it. Both are members of a new grassroots movement "I Need A Freakin' Job" at INAFJ.com which has started using the internet and other means to vent their frustration at the Obama Administration. I can understand the confusion. I mean, what are the odds that there would be two people named “Scott Baker” on the world wide web, right? To their credit, by the end of the day yesterday, Crooksandliars had published two retractions. I just checked the Daily Kos and they haven’t gotten the news yet...

Next week - New Jersey's new Republican Governor Chris Christie is kicking butt and taking names...

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So you might have heard about a little dust-up we had in New York City's Times Square this week. And according to Mayor Bloomberg's astute assessment this is the face of a potential terrorist...

I know you probably have heard and read Bloomberg's statement before, but I feel it bears repeating often. He publically pondered and I quote:

"If I had to guess 25 cents, this would be exactly that. Homegrown, or maybe a mentally deranged person, or somebody with a political agenda that doesn't like the health care bill or something. It could be anything,"

Oops. A few days later, we found out he was wrong and he had to apologize.  And there were some in the media who were actually disappointed that it turned out to be exactly who any reasonable person would have suspected - an Islamic terrorist. Faisel Shazhad.

This is what Contessa Brewer of MSNBC has to say:

"I get frustrated...There was part of me that was hoping this was not going to be anybody with ties to any kind of Islamic country...There are a lot of people who want to use terrorist intent to justify writing off people who believe in a certain way or come from certain countries or whose skin color is a certain way. I mean they use it as justification for really outdated bigotry."

Sorry to disappoint your Neo-bigoted minds, Mike and Contessa, but it wasn’t a crazy, redneck, racist Tea Partier. It was just your average, ordinary, run of the mill, predictably cliche-ish Islamic terrorist trained in some bomb-making camp in Pakistan hosted by the Taliban.

Mayor Bloomberg appeared at a Congressional hearing inexplicably whining that our gun laws allow terrorists to buy guns.  With the exception of the Mumbai terrorist last year and Major Hassan in Texas, there has been very little gunplay involved. Common and legal items like cars, fertilizer, and propane tanks, yes; guns, not so much.  So, as a result of his appearance, we now will have 800 new police officers walking the streets and every square inch of Manhattan will be covered by video cameras.   But maybe someone can explain why, even after all these years, we can't even stop a known terrorist from getting on a plane after buying ticket at the last minute with cash and with no luggage.

But, let’s be honest, we dodged a huge bullet on May 1st and not because of anything that the Federal Government did or didn't do.  If not for the quick thinking of a military veteran t-shirt vendor, the NYC police, firefighters, bomb defusers, and, most importantly, one incompetent Islamic terrorist, it could have been catastrophic. The very heart of NYC would have been crippled for years. So for now, the people here are a little jittery and are seeing terrorists in every shadow. As a result, Times Square was shut down twice this week because of unattended “suspicious packages”. One turned out to be a discarded water dispenser and the other was someone’s discarded lunch. Life goes on.

Moving on…

Local – We were visited by another terrorist this week. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was in NYC to attend the U.N. Nuclear Nonproliferation conference. He gave a speech berating the US for “acts of terror”. As he went on his much publicized rant, the US delegation walked out along with delegates from other rational countries. He went on to explain that, and I quote:

"The sole purpose of nuclear weapons is to annihilate all human beings. Its possession is disgusting and shameful."

Okey dokey, Mahmoud. We will take all you say under advisement. BTW, would you be so kind as to stop developing nuclear weapons too. No rush.  Actually he came and left without the usual fanfare or invitations to speak to the students at Columbia University. It was finals week on campus, so I am guessing no one had the time to “speak truth to power”.

State – Well, Luv Guv Eliot Spitzer screwed us again. In the very short time he was governor, he brokered an agreement with the Service Employee Federation that if they would make a few concessions in 2006, he would guarantee raises of up to 7% -  3% of their cost of living raise, plus 4% on top of that – in 2010. Well fast forward four years and $2 billion deficit later, and now the SEF members are demanding their 7% raises and Governor Patterson is saying “No! We're broke.” What part of “$2 Billion deficit” don’t they understand? If they don’t back down, Patterson has threatened to furlough all state workers. And we can’t count on our elected representatives to be too helpful either. They refuse to approve the new state budget that was due April 1st until Patterson reinstates some of the massive cuts he had to make to try to dig the state out of a hole. Everyone wants money, but no one understands we do not have any. We can only hope that the trees that Mayor Bloomberg has been planting around town can grow money.

Federal – There are more people coming out of the woodwork to challenge Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand. As you may remember, Sen. Gillibrand was appointed by Gov. Patterson to replace Hillary Clinton. This week, the fourth Republican has thrown his hat into the ring. So far now it’s Orange County Executive Edward Diana, Ex-Westchester Representative Joe DioGuardi, former NY/NJ Port Authority Board member Bruce Blakeman, and David Malpass, an economist. I do not know any of these men, but I will do a little research and report back.
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Happy May Day! Rallies are being staged in Union Square and across the world today to celebrate Union Labor (and to march against Arizona's anti-illegal immigration laws). I believe this was originally a Socialist holiday.  At least that’s what I remember from grade school when I did a report on the Soviet Five Year Plan. So fly the flag of the nation of your choice and praise “spreading the wealth [as long as it isn’t yours]”! Anyway, on with New York...

Sports – Yankees are winning. Mets are winning. So what’s new with that?

Local – Mayor Bloomberg jumped into the Arizona Illegal Immigrant debate by declaring that “we love immigrants here!” And, as one more example of misinformation about the new law attacking ALL immigration, dear Mayor Bloomberg goes on point out that “we are committing national suicide" and "...don’t have doctors, and we’re not allowing people who want to come here and be doctors to come here”.  Anecdotally speaking, my doctors are from Russia, Brazil, India, and the Bronx. All highly skilled and highly trained and not one of them is originally from Manhattan. But seriously, I really don’t think Mayor Bloomberg fully understands the gravity of the situation on our southern border. One would be hard pressed to find a time our northern border patrol found a semi-truck full of undocumented Canadians starving, dehydrated, and left to die in the deserts of Messina, NY. Or an incidence where Canadian drug lords were murdering and kidnapping innocent people in Buffalo or shooting deputies who tried to stop them in Cooperstown. But, like San Francisco, we are a sanctuary city and where would we be if we didn’t have illegals here to “take those jobs that no one else would do” like mucking out Bloomberg’s stables full of thoroughbred show ponies or cleaning his many toilets.

Speaking of jobs, here’s a sight we probably haven’t seen in New York in awhile. Hundreds of people were camping out last weekend to get a chance for one of the 750 applications for 75 elevator maintenance apprenticeships with Local 3. And today the line was around the block for 200 hotel jobs. Are you listening, Mr. President???  Probably not.  He's probably rehearsing his one-liners for the White House Correspondents' Dinner tonight or accepting more campaign donations from Goldman Sachs employees.

State - Well, our November 2010 election races are heating up in New York. Though no one has come forward yet to definitely run for anything, lots of money is changing hands. We expect that in the coming weeks, the races for Senators, Governor, and other prime political spots will become more clear. As I have pointed out before, our Primary is not until early September, so we still have the whole summer to flesh this out.

BUT, it is official, Governor Patterson is now the lamest duck ever. No one will listen to a word he has to say, but at least he has Andrew Cuomo’s back. This week, former Luv Guv Eliot Spitzer criticized AG (and maybe, gubernatorial hopeful) Andrew Cuomo for being “too political” in his selection of targets for prosecution. As you may remember, Cuomo is currently investigating Gov. Patterson for various alleged criminal activities. But Patterson came to Cuomo’s defense saying…well, who really cares. Not only does no one care what Patterson has to say, but they REALLY don’t care what Spitzer has to say because well, Spitzer left us with Patterson. But, if Cuomo has his way, all of his competition will be in jail anyway.

Why, just last week, Cuomo, filed a civil suit on behalf of the State of New York against our State Senate Majority Leader Pedro Espada, Jr. (D/Bronx). According to the New York Post, Cuomo accuses Espada of “stealing $14 million from the taxpayer-backed Soundview Health Center to fund a lavish lifestyle that included $20,000 in sushi delivered to his Mamaroneck home and family trips to Las Vegas, Puerto Rico and Miami." This prompted the FBI, IRS, and other three-lettered officials to swoop down in a coordinated raid on the Southview offices this week for evidence. Espada shot back accusing Cuomo of using these "falsehoods" for "political payback".  If any of this sounds vaguely familiar, Cuomo also just won a criminal conviction of our last Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno.  He is currently awaiting sentencing even as I write this.

BUT, just so you don’t think that all we do here in New York is arrest and convict our political leadership, our Legislature has been hard at work. Oh, not passing a new budget or trying to figure out how to close our massive debt or anything. But they have been busy.  Just this week, Assemblyman Richard Brodsky (D/Westchester) introduced a bill to make organ donation mandatory in New York. Fortunately, he did include an “opt out” clause, but otherwise, if you don’t opt out, they can just rip those suckers out. [I haven’t read the bill, but I am just assuming that one has to be legally dead first.]  Now it makes sense why our legislators are introducing these other laws toban smoking, salt, transfats, and to implement new taxes on sugary beverages. As a friend observed, they are trying to create a herd of local, organically grown “free-range people” to use for harvesting disease-free organs.

Federal - Adam Clayton Powell, IV officially announced his candidacy for House of Representatives. He will be running against former Ways and Means Chairman Charles “why pay taxes” Rangel. Interestingly, Powell is the son of Adam Clayton Powell, III who was defeated by Congressman Rangel in the early ‘70’s. More on this as it develops.

And finally –
Just in case you were wondering what kind of people live in New York, here are two stellar examples:

- This is a quote from a young woman on an Oxycontin bender who struck and killed a recently retired doctor while the older woman mowed her lawn - "The thing that made me not feel so bad was, she was old".

- And, a homeless Guatemalan immigrant saved the life of a young woman who was being beaten early one morning last week. Both the attacker and the woman ran away but, during his intervention, the 31 year old homeless hero Hugo Alfredo Tale-Yax was stabbed and left bleeding on the street. For an hour, Mr. Tale-Yax laid on the ground bleeding as at least seven people who were caught on a surveillance camera walked passed him and did absolutely nothing to help him. By the time an ambulance arrived, it was too late and the poor man had bled out. The police still have not found the woman who he tried to save.

Yes, we love our immigrants in New York, don’t we, Mayor Bloomberg? [+] Read More...

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New York State of Mind

It's been a big week for New York City. There were a few victories, a couple of arrests, a big protest, and lots and lots of naked men. If you don't recognize this building, it will become very familiar to you in the weeks to follow. This is the recently completed new home of Goldman Sachs at least before they are sent to jail. But more about that in the weeks to come. Let's get to victories and other naked truths about the city first....

Local - I don’t think I’ve ever told you about the New York Board of Education reassignment centers or “rubber rooms” as they are commonly called. These are holding facilities for NYC teachers who have been pulled out of the classroom for various and sundry reason from incompetence to assault. Since the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) protects teachers from being summarily fired without a fair hearing, the accused are parked in these rubber rooms with full pay until they have been either cleared of any wrong doing or in the most agregious cases, convicted of the most heinous crimes against children. They are pretty much paid to sit all day and stare, though one guy who's been in the rubber room for years has quite a lucrative real estate business. All the while, the City (and taxpayers) must foot the bill to the tune of $30 million a year. Yes, they continue to be paid while in these “rubber rooms” and it can take years for these cases to work their way through the system.

Well, we finally won a big victory this week for our school and our students when the head of the UFT, Michael McGrew and Joel Klein, Chancellor of the Board of Ed., came to an agreement to shut down the rubber rooms and streamline the hearing process. Instead of uselessly parking the accused indefinitely, the DOE will now have a limited amount of time to either formally charge a teacher. If no charges are filed, the teacher can get back into the classroom in a matter of few months rather than years. If they are to be further investigated, the Union has agreed that they should now have to work for their salaries in non-teaching positions until they are cleared or convicted. It’s a real victory for the teachers, the students and the taxpayers.

However, the NYC homeless may not fare as well. Mayor Bloomberg is floating the idea that the city should charge the homeless families for shelter. He wants to require that at least one member of the family have a job before the city will provide vouchers for housing. This is to encourage the homeless to participate in their economic recovery. Fair enough, but in our present economic climate, I am not sure what I think about this. The city has double digit unemployment and finding a job is hard enough for thoses who have a permanent place to live and money in the bank. Asking someone to get a job before they can get help seems unnecessarily harsh. And if there are that many job openings, why are there so many out of work.  I think this will be a no-go for Bloomberg.

Life in the Naked City (WARNING: Naked men ahead, approach with caution) – Bronze statues of anatomically correct naked men have been popping up all over Manhattan lately. Well, this week, one appeared on a ledge of the Empire State Building. It was just high enough to look like a real person and caused panicked pedestrians to dial 911 to report a possible jumper. The police rushed to the scene only to find that it was just a statue. The pedestrians had every reason to panic since only two weeks ago, some poor young soul actually did jump from the building’s observation deck to his obvious death. Though I don’t mind anatomically correct statues of naked men, I would think that an artist would have been a little more sensitive.

And as long as we are talking about anatomically correct naked men, New York had yet another first. The Museum of Modern Art introduced a new “performance art” piece comprised entirely of live naked people. As you can imagine, these nude “statues” were positioned throughout the museum to evoke various calculated responses from the observers. Yippee for art. But wait, that’s not the “first” part. In a museum first, a “piece of art” has filed its (his, her?) first sexual harassment complaint against one of the more overly enthusiastic observers. As a result, a long time museum patron was stripped of his membership and told never to return after he fondled the anatomy of one very shocked piece of art. This is probably the first piece of art to complain about a patron.

And finally – Tax Day Tea Party New York style -

We came, we chanted, and we rejoiced in the Constitution of the United States. There were about 10-12K of us, but who’s counting. So, enough about the Tea Partiers, I want to talk about the “anti” tea partiers. This was the first event where we actually had a real counter protest, so let me tell you what they look like.

Amazingly, they looked exactly like the Tea Partiers only more so. There were about 20 or so people from various liberal groups from around the city – some group from “BailOutCitizens.org”, a few sweet Coffee Party members, and one very misguided 911 conspiracy theorist who would not shut up. Not to put too fine a point on it, they were all upper middle class white people. But don’t let them know that or they may have to call themselves “racists rednecks” and that would make them feel bad about themselves, so they'll give up and stop protesting.

So anyway, I volunteered to be a “marshal” for our group [shameless plug] Teaparty365.org. This means that many of my fellow volunteers and I manned the frontlines for problems and directed attendees to the protest area. My little trio was first stationed at the corner of 31st and 8th Ave.  Lucky for us this was also the same corner where all of the counter protestors had to pass through first. I have to say it was a little scary when they all started moving towards us, but the cops were very close and ready to jump in, if necessary.

The “BailOutCitizen.org” people were the most vocal and strident. They were expecting us to try and stop them, but we just smiled and let them pass do what they were going to do.  They came ready to rumble and were disappointed that for the most part they were ignored.

My personal favorites were were the five very sincere “Coffee Party” people from Brooklyn handing out little cards. One very sincere guy pleaded with me to “keep an open mind” and beseeched us to“dialogue more” and protest less. I asked him why he assumed that I didn’t have an open mind. He responded that I was obviously sadly misguided and uninformed to be a part of such a mean spirited movement. Well, let’s just say I was polite and he left saddened that he couldn't inform me. For the most part, everyone was respectful and as far as I know I was involved in the only “police action”. One of the BailOut people who was obviously drunk got a little belligerent and had to be escorted away by a group of New York’s Finest. And as a follow up, Our Dear Leader once again leveled his scorn upon us.


As I stare in disbelief, I can only hope that he'll change his mind in November. [+] Read More...

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New York State of Mind

Now that the March flood waters have receded, the sun is shining, and the Cherry Blossoms are blooming at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens [see photo]. Spring has sprung in New York City.  It’s been a few weeks since my last report so let’s just dive right in…

Sports – Okay, baseball season started again. The Yankees first home game is Tuesday.  They've played three games and are well on their way of winning the World Series, Just remember you heard it here first!

Local – Our transit system is the best in the world and also the most expensive to run. The MTA Board of Trustees (which includes former Beatles Paul McCartney’s millionairess girlfriend Nancy Shevell) cross-our-hearts-and-hope-to-die-promised in early 2009 that if we let them raised the transit fares with no fuss just this one more time, that all of the budget shortfalls will be met for years to come or at least until 2011. Well, they must have had their fingers crossed behind their backs because in March, the Board announced that they would have to make major cuts in bus/subway routes and service and raise fares again to close a $378 million budget deficit.  The deficit has just been exacerbated by a 4% raise in wages that our Transit workers negotiated after their last strike in 2005 and state funds the Board was counting on that haven't materialized because of major state budget deficits.

Of course, the Board can’t possibly rescind the pay raises nor is the Transit Workers’ Union willing to make any concessions to  the wage increases or the nearly $500 million worth of ridiculous overtime rules. For example, if a transit worker is assigned a duty outside their normal paid function they get paid overtime. So, if a bus driver is assigned to shovel snow or put snow chains on tires for an hour, they get paid time and half for the whole day plus their regular time for driving the bus that day!

So what’s new? The bottom line is that, once again, the tax payers are caught in the middle. We have not choice, but to submit to whatever the Board and the Unions decide.  Though personally, I say let the Board cut wages and let the Union strike.  Neither will get any sympathy from the rest of us.

State - The State of New York just blew a chance to bring in $700 million from Obama’s contest for Race to the Top funds. Applications for these education funds needed to be submitted with a detailed proposal of how each dollar would be spent by the end of February. Each application was evaluated by a group of judges and awarded points for Obama friendly policies and achievements. There were a few qualifications that had to be met to win those some of the highest points awarded.

As only our famously dysfunctional Legislature could do, they failed to vote in legislation to meet some of the major qualifications - raise the cap on the number of charter school allowed in the state and tying teacher evaluations to student performance - and missed the deadline. The very influential Teacher’s Union was dead set against either of the changes, so no changes.

As a result, when the list of recipients was published at the end of March, New York was embarrassingly second to last. Fortunately, the state has a second chance to reapply by June 1, but the Legislature is noncommittal. Though the cap and the merit evaluations are just one of many points of evaluation that lost the bid, we, the tax paying public, later learned that we had points deducted for  fund allocations to buy administrators new fancy $500 desk chairs and $3000 desks –Oops! The State Education Commissioner David Steiner has promised to fix the "office furniture blunder the next time around”.

Federal – I can’t have an update without some reference to Charlie Rangel. Our esteemed former House Way and Means chairman had the ways and the means to make a pretty penny off of the healthcare bill. For his efforts to bring ObamaCare to a doctor near you, Mr. Rangel was allegedly awarded almost $4 million from the healthcare industry for which to enrich his already bloated coffers. No wonder, San Fran Nan has been dragging her heels on those “alleged” ethics violation investigations against Charlie!

New York Politicians Under Investigation – Remember in my installment in early March , I reported on a host of New York politicians in crisis. Well, it just keeps getting worse for them. As I reported, Rep. Gregory Meeks (D/Queens), former Rep Rev. Flloyd Flake, and State Senate Malcolm Smith (D a/Queens) along with Governor Patterson were under investigation for a shady state contract deal which included a lucrative slot machine contract at Aqueduct Raceway.

Well, now two of the cast members are under investigation for another alleged misdeed. Meeks and Smith unselfishly raised almost $31,000 for victims of Hurricane Katrina and pledged every dime would go for those poor unfortunate victims. After a recent internal audit, it seems they can only account for only $1,391 of those dollars being disbursed to any Katrina victims. Quoted in the NY Post, Meeks was “shocked, just shocked” and stated that “I, like you, want a full accounting of those funds.”  I, on the otherhand, am not “shocked” at all. I’ve said this before, but at the rate our elected officials are going to prison, we’ll have to open up a new branch of government at Sing Sing prison. Here’s more if your interested ...

New York Tax Payers Who Are Not Under Investigation – A sweet, elderly Brooklyn couple has been raided by the police 50 times since 2002. Because of a “computer glitch” that flagged their address as a hotbed of criminal activity when in reality, their address was used as a random address the IT department used to test a new program when they set up the computers. So for the last eight years, this poor octogenarian couple has been rousted out of their bed in the middle of the night to armed police officers screaming at them. The couple had been guaranteed that the problem had been solved in 2007, but they were soon raided again. Police Commissioner Ray Kelley went personally to apologize to the couple and swears it won't happen again. Let’s hope so.

For those interested - The New York City Tax Day Tea Party will be held  on 4/15/10 at 31st Street and 8th Avenue.  For more information go to http://www.teaparty365.org/  [+] Read More...

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