Tuesday, February 17, 2009

New Yorkers Have Lost Their Anger, Soul and Cockiness



Culture Change
New Yorkers have lost their anger, soul and cockiness

The increasing power and resources of elected officials, the collapse of the political parties and the
weakness of the press to pressure dysfunctional government that services only lobbyists and their clients has created a permanent ruling class, which has extinguished the trademark New York anger and healthy skepticism that once made this city the center of the world.

A Change in the City’s Culture: Neighborhood Jo(e)
Remember when Jo(e) forced the State to role back planned rent increases for Co-op city? Or took over a firehouse in Brooklyn that the city planned to close? Will anyone ever forget the Jo(e) Queens’ reaction to John Lindsay when the plows never came after a big snow storm? You can remember Jo(e) the cabdriver, he gave you the complete history of American and NY Government and what a bum he thought each politician was before the meter even hit five dollars.

Today City Jo(e) is more like the mother of a child killed by a gun who said after a meeting that she would give New York’s new senator the benefit of the doubt that she would help in the effort to control guns. She's referring to our new 100% NRA-rated senator who sleeps with guns under her bed. Today’s Jo(e) is also more like the middle class who left the city after being pushed out by the developers and lobbyists who pay off the pols. Today’s Jo(e) is more like the parents who year after year send their children to failing schools and don’t vote to remove the pols who created the system that is destroying their children’s future. Today's Jo(e) is the New Yorker who sat silently and passively while his/her own twice-cast vote was summarily ignored and denied by the City Council as it did the Mayor's bidding, passing the term limits extension in spite of polls indicating that the public was against it to the tune of 89%.

The infrastructure that gave old Jo(e) the cab driver his fire and skepticism is gone. He had newspaper competition filled with gutsy reports to keep him informed without the impediment of  today’s public relations filters, which make reporters into happy-talk mouth pieces for those in power. Old Jo(e) had a political machine that needed his vote to survive. All today’s party leaders need is control of who gets on their ballot lines. Old taxi driver Jo(e) did not have the political industrial complex that was created in the 1960’s to control the ways in which the billions in government funds are spent. Old Jo(e) did not have pols who used the government funds (member items) they control to buy support and votes in their communities.

In 2008 change occurred on the federal level because voters were angry at Bush and the Republicans. If New Yorkers do not get mad we will still have dysfunctional city and state governments in New York in 2030, but there will not be much else left.

The City Federal Court Upholds City's Calorie Posting Rule *** BLOOMBERG GIVES CITY DIRE FORECAST: WATER LEVELS, TEMPS WILL RISE *** Report Predicts 'Significant Risks' to City's Climate *** New York Must Prepare for Global Warming, Mayor’s Panel Says *** Global warming's cost to NYC? City only to get hotter, rainier *** Despite U.S. Offer, City Stands Firm on Food Stamps *** Class Size Makes Biggest Jump of Bloomberg Tenure *** Class Size Has Growth Spurt *** East River tolls likely DOA From AM-NY *** City to park Brooklyn's 1st pay toilet in Grand Army Plaza *** After Two Years of Trying, Owners Give Up on Selling Starrett City *** Court Upholds the City’s Rule Requiring Some Restaurants to Post Calorie Counts *** CALORIE-MENU WIN *** Four Buildings Clear Big Step Toward Landmark Status *** LANDMARK CRUSADE $$ HOLY WAR AT W. SIDE CHURCH *** RATNER BIDS FOR FED $$ *** After Two Years of Trying, Owners Give Up on Selling Starrett City *** 510 Madison’s sole office tenant may bolt *** Mort Zuckerman's triumphs turning sour *** Times Square-area tower put on hold *** Astoria fears exit of film industry *** Bronx Jury to Continue Deliberations in Case of Firefighter Deaths *** Veto ends city worker residency battle *** Politicians, straphangers rally to protest G train service cuts *** Deadbeats' $2B no big deal: Bloomy


Road to City Hall Why Is Anthony Weiner So Quiet? *** Republican Queens Leader on Bloomberg's New Hire for Communciations: 'Is She From New York?' *** Bloomberg Hires McCain '08 Spokesperson for '09 *** Bloomberg Goes Bi-partisan With Campaign Team *** Weiner Takes In Cool 207G *** STATES HAVE GOV'T WORKERS IN FIRING LINE *** Bloomberg just dying to run on a party line From the Daily News *** Bronx boro prez bound for D.C. *** Bloomy gave big bucks to state GOPers - but they still lost.


Albany Poll Shows Paterson Being Trounced By Cuomo In Primary *** Q poll: Cuomo over Paterson, 55-23 *** Q Poll: Paterson Continues To Slide, Now Trailing Cuomo; Gillibrand Still Unknown Paterson: Doesn't pay attention to polls *** Paterson Pounded By 32 Pts. Vs. Andy: Poll *** 2010: Gov trails Cuomo by 32 pts. *** Caroline goes public again, mum on Gov *** Gov rises in defense of staff's raises *** Despite federal stimulus, Albany must take smart, drastic action to save New York's economy - DN Ed *** WHY THE GOV IS IN FREE-FALL - Dicker *** CHAOS IN CLUELESS ALBANY AT WINDFALL *** DAVE HAS SECOND THOUGHTS ON PAY HIKES *** The Top 115 Individual Donors: Bloomberg, Soros, Catsimatidis *** NYPIRG: $94 million for 2008 legislative races *** Video: Phony news from the Senate Democrats *** VIDEO: State Senate Launches 'One New York News' *** Lotto and Mega Millions losing out *** Raises: A new explanation from Paterson *** Kaye, Ex-Chief Judge in New York, Joins Skadden, Arps


"We can't build our economic future on the transportation and information networks of the past." - Barack Obama


President Obama WAR: Obama OKs 17,000 more troops for Afghanistan... *** Obama To Increase Troops In Afghanistan *** O'S AFGHAN 'SURGE': 17,000 GIS ***
Doubling Down on Afghanistan
*** Obama Signs Stimulus Package *** Obama Gets Rail Rolling With $8B Stimulus *** Obama Takes On Auto Crisis Without a ‘Czar’ *** An $80 Billion Start The energy spending in the stimulus package should not be confused with a global warming bill - NYT Ed *** $50B Obama Plan Aims to Give Homeowners Options *** He's just 'Barack' in notes to slain G.I.s' kin *** Obama Takes on Foreclosures *** White House’s Covert Actions ***
Promises, Promises Soaring expectations collide with harsh political realities. How Barack Obama looks from Chicagoland *** Rethinking The Clinton Transition *** PAPER: CHENEY fought BUSH to pardon SCOOTER LIBBY... *** Cheney and the Goat Devil - Dowd, NYT


"I have made an effort to be as transparent as I can, and I'm willing to take a further step as I have nothing to hide."- Sen. Roland Burris

Congress Sen. Burris tried to raise funds for Blagojevich... *** Senate Ethics may investigate... *** McCarthy Threatens Gillibrand *** Gillibrand's Bed Is Now a Gun-Free Zone
Burris As Untrustworthy As He Seemed *** Roland Burris Actually As Untrustworthy As He Seemed *** Chicago: Burris Tried To Raise Money For Blagojevich Before Senate Appointment *** Washington Post, Tribune, Local Democrats Call For Burris Resignation *** 2 Investigations Into New Illinois Senator Are Begun *** Sen. Burris Denies Any Wrongdoing *** Burris sought fund-raiser for Blago; probe deepens *** Burris Must Quit THE HILL: Fundraiser for Murtha may have broken campaign finance rules *** Fraud Financier Stanford Spent Millions On Lobbying Congress, Campaign Contributions *** The Trillion $$$ Stimulus Bill That Nobody Read *** Dodd does damage: Connecticut U.S. senator jeopardizes bank bailout by pandering on bonuses - DN Ed *** Senate Centrists Hold House Dems Hostage *** 1,500 Bags of Pork Rinds Sent to Senator.


International AIDS 'top killer disease' in China last year... *** Russian stocks tumble, trading suspended... *** Why Hillary's Asia Trip Is Upending Geopolitics *** Asian Stocks Slide in Wall Street’s Tracks *** Pakistan Lends Support for U.S. Strikes *** Crisis Dents Russian Leaders' Ratings *** Assad Positive on Obama *** Clinton in Jakarta, Eye on Muslim World *** Clinton seeks to improve US image with Muslims *** Why India Is One of the Few Global Economic Bright Spots *** The Decline of the Petro-Czar *** N Korea Launch Could Be Ready In 2 Weeks *** NATO Cautions Pakistan Over Taliban.


Global Plunge Panics Economists
"If you go back six months or so, there was a hope that some parts of the world will escape the downturn from the US economy," said one economist in London. "That hope has now faded. We're seeing a downturn in virtually every area of the world." - Washington Post


Wall Street Mess GM NEEDS UP TO $30B IN AID TO AVOID FAILURE... *** G.M. to Cut 47,000 Jobs; Chrysler Plans to Slash 3,000 *** CHRYSLER ASKS FOR $5B MORE... *** Automakers Seek $14 Billion More in Aid *** A Painful Departure for Some G.M. Brands *** GM, Chrysler Ask for $21.6 Billion in Aid.


"We have continued to see an unprecedented decline in the automotive sector."- Chrysler CEO Robert L. Nardelli


Photos: Wall Street's Biggest Losers *** Dow nears 10-year low... *** Greenspan Backs Nationalization *** 400 banks in 47 states have received government aid... Developing... *** OBAMA MOVES TOWARD 'SWEDISH MODEL' FOR BANKS *** BOOM: WAL-MART's global sales break through $400B... *** The Downturnaround: Hopeful Economic News *** Defending Tim Geithner *** California Budget Stalemate Sets Up Fiscal Calamity *** Video: Already, a stimulus ad! *** Smash Bernard Madoff (The Doll) For $99.95 *** At Last, a Way to Smash Bernie’s Balls *** The Newest Madoff? Sir Stanford Charged By SEC For Fraud ***SEC Accuses Texas Firm of ‘Massive’ Financial Fraud *** BusinessBANKRUPT: Trump Entertainment Files For Chapter 11 *** A Bailout Aimed at the Most Afflicted Homeowners *** U.S. Accuses Texas Financial Firm of $8 Billion Fraud *** Governor Seeks to Furlough New Jersey State Workers *** Searching the Madoff List *** NYU $LAPS BERNIE'S HEDGE PAL *** Merkin warned that ‘Madoff returns smelled’ *** SEC charges Texas billionaire Allen Stanford with 'massive' fraud *** STATES HAVE GOV'T WORKERS IN FIRING LINE *** Goldman Sachs' president to retire *** Morgan Stanley exec charged with embezzlement *** JetBlue offers refunds for laid-off workers *** Treasury: Banks slowed lending in 4Q of '08 ***Opinion: Democracy Ruined Bailout *** Court Blasts Through Foreclosure Cases *** Wall Street's biggest losers *** Trump in trouble? Trump Entertainment files for bankruptcy *** No One Can Escape the Crisis Slate's today's papers *** The "Cheaper" $21 Billion Option A summary of what's in the major publications *** LOTS OF PENSION NEWS — pretty much all of it bad — at PensionTsunami.com *** MOE LANE EMAILS: “Did I somehow miss that Rahm Emanuel was on Freddie Mac’s board during the fraud period?” *** Why You Can't Buy a New Car Online *** What Is Unemployment? -Atlantic


POLITICO’S BUSINESS MODEL vs. The New York Times’: “Exit question: which newspaper’s business model consists of handouts from a shady Mexican oligarch, a tapped-out credit line, and a new mortgage on their office space. Hint: It’s not Politico.”


Media Meltdown PUBLISHERS SEE RED, MAG AD PAGES DOWN 22%... *** MEL MAGIC: LIBERTY deal staves off SIRIUSXM bankruptcy... *** Politico Is Not the AP or the New York Times *** New York Paper Websites Kicking Butt, Taking Domain Names *** Malone Scoops Up Sirius XM *** Karmazin's Miscalculation *** Sirius strikes deal with Liberty Media, avoids bankruptcy *** WHAT TO BUY? A Sunday New York Times? Or a share of NYT stock? The stock’s cheaper *** Barbara Walters' Evening News Prediction - the only programs that will still be there as they are now in 10 years are the morning shows. Everything else you can TiVo and watch later or read about on the internet *** Hundreds of television stations cut analog signals *** CNN: Facebook Backs Down after User Outrage.


"I knew we weren't taking Tic Tacs."ALEX RODRIGUEZ, third baseman for the New York Yankees, on his use of performance-enhancing drugs.


Health Care For Uninsured Young Adults, Do-It-Yourself Health Care.