Treated with little respect, the City’s bloggers are beginning to fill the role of Tom Paine who fought to inform citizens of what their government was really doing during America’s Revolution. Today bloggers use the Internet to inform the public where politicians, judges, Wall Street and the media have all formed a permanent government of self interest. Bloggers who are not part of a main stream media organization are looked down on and denied NYC Press Passes *** Lawsuit Takes on NYPD Press Credential Policy City's Media: A Private Club The basic idea and even a quote in one story in today's New York Times first appeared in this True News blog almost a week ago. Today in the Times: When It Comes to Political Corruption, New York Can Hold Its Own xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxTrue True News Blog December 11, 2008 - "Who is Looking at New York's Pay to Play? More than one-fifth of campaign donations in 2005 came from special interests like city contractors and lobbyists - NYU Wagner Center Report . . . Shake-down Brothers: Blagojevich - Children's Memorial Hospital Seminerio - Jamaica Hospital$1M favor-selling scam - Veteran Assemblyman Anthony Seminerio was indicted for fraud ,. . . Ex-union big and Assemblyman Brian McLaughlin takes plea in theft of $2M . . . Assemblywoman Diane Gordon of Brooklyn was found guilty of receiving bribes . . . Clarence Norman Jr, former leader of Brooklyn Democratic Party, sentenced to prison for extorting money from judicial candidates . . . Senator Guy charged in 2002 with a 25-count indictment for steering public-works contracts to those who paid bribes from 1995 to 2000 . . . Comptroller Hevesi's political consultant was paid millions as much as $25 million - in fees from companies that won business with the state pension fund . . ."
December 16, 2008 - "Perhaps the most serious blow to New Yorkers’ morale is a sense that we have been thoroughly outclassed in an area where we have always excelled. We’re referring to corruption and other forms of wrongdoing by public officials. . . Hevesi, Velella, Norman, Spitzer, Bruno, Rangel . . . Then along comes Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich of Illinois, he of the implausible hair and the hard to pronounce name. The damage that he has done to New Yorkers’ self-esteem cannot be overstated."
True New Quote from last week's post: "Once legendary Chicago newspaper columnist Mike Royko proposed changing the motto for famously crooked city from city of gardens to:"Ubi est mea, which translates to 'Where's mine?'"
Today's New York Times Quote: "So yeah, Illinois, give us your best shot. New York will go toe to toe with you any time. We might even claim a motto in Latin that Mike Royko proposed for Chicago four decades ago. It works for us, too: Ubi est mea. Where’s mine?"
Wall Street Greed: The Most Hated Man in New York *** Robert Chew: How I Got Screwed by Bernie Madoff *** Senate Democrats Return Thousands In Madoff Contributions - Schumer returns $6,000 *** SEC missed Madoff warning signs. Madoff Victims List *** A Look Back at Charles Ponzi the Schemer *** 60 Minutes - Second Mortgage Disaster Looming On The Horizon
The Surrogate Court Cash Machine $$$ AG seeking payback on estate fees charged by Louis Rosenthal, former counsel to the Brooklyn public administrator, appointed by disgraced Brooklyn Surrogate Judge Michael Fienberg
- - - - - - -"The Surrogate Court is a political tool booth exacting tribute from widows and orphans" Senator Robert Kennedy, 1966
"The Surrogate Court is the bank of the political machine" Mayor Fiorello H. La Guardia, 1938
- - - - - - -Commission on Judicial Conduct removes Feinbert in 2005 ***Jack Newfield on New York's Court Corruption *** Jimmy Breslin on the Brooklyn Surrogate Court *** Surrogate Court And Why It Should Go *** Audit of the Brooklyn Surrogate Court *** Daily News Editorial: Dead on arrival: Indicted Surrogate-elect Nora Anderson cannot take the bench *** Manhattan Surrogate-Elect Nora Anderson was in Manhattan Criminal Court yesterday, arraigned on charges of accepting excessive campaign donations from her boss, Brooklyn trusts and estate lawyer Seth Rubenstein *** Ravi Batra is pleased he sounded the alarm on Anderson
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Pay to Play Chicago Illinois Legislature voted to start impeachment proceedings for indicted Gov. Blagojevich *** Obama admits aides spoke with Illinois Gov. *** Blago Attorney Says He's Not Guilty, Not Resigning *** Chicago Sun-Times: Who will Blagojevich drag down with him?High Noon II: State's Budget Battle Heats Up Gov. Paterson's proposed new cut-to-the-bone state budget will slash more than $620 million in badly needed funds to New York City *** Banging the drum for lower spending and smaller government while raising taxes only as a last resort *** Governor to Unveil a Low-Cost Student Loan Program *** Layoffs or givebacks may be in state's plan *** Paterson signed into law a bill enforcing the collection of excise taxes on cigarettes sold in Indian-owned stores *** State for decades has unsuccessfully tried to force the Indians to pay the taxes owed *** Empire Zone tax breaks may be cut *** Set to aim budget ax at New York City schools *** Class sizes in the city's public schools have gone up in almost every grade compared to last year *** MTA PUTS BRAKES ON BUS CAMS *** Maybe Governor Paterson should just cut to the chase and tax anyone who isn't living a perfect lifestyle.
New York’s “Secret Government” Public Authorities Are Out of Control and Threatening the State’s Fiscal Health.
City Budget Gets Hit By State and the Economy Bankruptcies are on the rise in New York *** Tough times Hurting Local Car Dealerships *** New York City Unemployment in 2009: The Emerging Crisis - could rise 120,000 in the next year *** Westchester Square Medical Center merger off - hospital has 6 months to live *** Bloomberg will not rule out reinstating the clothing tax ***A group of hotel owners, appraisers, and consultants noted that after a number of record years, hotel occupancy levels and average daily room rates are falling and are no longer out-performing the prior year's record results *** Broadway Has a Devil of a Time Finding Angels (Ticket Buyers, Too) *** Does the Council still want to increase the hotel tax? Hotels say tax increase will cost the city visitors and money
Is Paterson Being Boxed In? The Kennedy Machine is Awakening . . . NY Post Endorses Kennedy for Senate *** APPLIES FOR SENATE JOB *** Caroline Kennedy Is Seeking Seat Held by Clinton *** Daily News Editorial - Kennedy must show Paterson why she's best to replace Hillary in Senate *** Rev. Sharpton thinks Kennedy's qualified *** Résumé Long on Politics, but Short on Public Office *** In 1957 before he was president John Kennedy said if he had a daughter I would want her to go into politics - Video *** The spirit of JFK
Opposition to before they became U. S. Senators: In 2000 Hillary Clinton called a carpetbagger, In 1964 Robert Kennedy attacked as a carpetbagger In 1999 Hillary supporters use the attack on Bobby to support Clinton's candidacy
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"I do think you have to not only be willing to be milking cows at the state fair, but you've got to like it or at least be very good at acting like you like it." - Rep. Anthony Weiner *** Bloomberg: Kennedy "very competent" to fill Senate seat
City Hall Politics - Bloomberg loses ruling on combining term limit lawsuits *** Fox 5 Investigates: Councilman's Como House of Violations *** Hot Bronx BP race if Carrion goes to D.C. *** No Moonlighting for City Elevator Employees
Washington - O Take train to DC inauguration following Lincoln's route *** O has hard work ahead, the Man who threw shoes at Bush, Muntadhar al Zeidi, is Arab hero
Media Meltdown: Detroit papers set to announce major changes.
