TrueNews: NYS Government: The Unknown Era

Thursday, July 9, 2009

NYS Government: The Unknown Era

NYS Government:

The Unknown Era

"We cannot allow for any further exposure to uncertainty at risk at a time of unparalleled fiscal difficulty." Gov. Paterson

Economic Problems Mount DEFUSE THE PENSION BOMB NEW York's public-pension system has become the epicenter of an influence-peddling scandal that has attracted the attention of the SEC as well as state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo. But the millions in shady "placement fees" pocketed by a few politically connected middlemen are small change compared with the mushrooming cost of lavish pension benefits for state and local government retirees *** Manhattan apartment rentals, rents drop steeply

Hear Comes the Judge GOV IN A BOLD POWER PLAY * NAMES LIEUTENANT TO BREAK SENATE TIE * GOP BLASTS 'UNCONSTITUTIONAL' MOVE (NYP) *** TROUBLESHOOTING NUMBERS CRUNCHER BECOMES NO. 2 *** POOH-BAH PATERSON FLOUTS LAW (Dicker) *** Paterson Picks M.T.A. Figure as His No. 2 (NYT) *** Baseball War Was Practice for Senate’s (NYT) *** Paterson Names Dick Ravitch Lieutenant Governor [Updated] (NY Magazine) *** Paterson: Lt. Ravitch, please clean up this mess (NYDN) *** Not so fast, Dave, the law may trip you up, experts warn (NYDN) *** Paterson's robocall: 'Look what I did!' (NYDN) *** Paterson Names Former MTA Chair As New Lieutenant Governor (NY1) *** Senate Republicans say this will delay a resolution to the Senate stalemate *** More details about how lawyers are getting paaaaaaaid to litigate the Senate stalemate *** Proclamation, but no Assembly tomorrow (Times Union) *** Senate GOP: Gov’s action creates more chaos *** Paterson's Hail Mary (politickerny) *** Republicans Use Cuomo As Their Shield *** Dems Still Split on Operating Agreement *** Local state senators experiencing Albany odyssey *** Paterson Robo-Campaigns on the Ravitch Appointment

Legal Battle Begins The Legal Battle Over Ravitch Begins (Updated)The Legal Battle Over Ravitch Begins (Updated)

Editorial Reaction PATERSON'S RAVITCH OPTION While it's hard to make a sound legal case for Gov. Paterson's appointment of Richard Ravitch yesterday as lieutenant governor, it's easy to understand the frustrations that drove him to such extraordinary action (NYP Editorial) *** The Governor’s Mr. Fix-It The lawyers will start dueling about Gov. David Paterson’s legal right to appoint a lieutenant, but first he should be applauded for his wisdom and assertiveness (NYT Editorial) *** Great going, Gov In a bold and masterful stroke, Gov. Paterson is moving to end the madness in Albany by appointing Richard Ravitch as lieutenant governor. This move is an all-around winner, and thank goodness he had the guts to make it (NYDN Editorial) *** Paterson's bombshell is questionable legally and politically (Newsday)

Road to City Hall Not much campaign news, again Koch not too sick to endorse 2 pols *** High Line robbery, says Thompson *** Schumer says he won't be asking Maloney not to run

More City Bloomberg & Quinn's developer bailout From Crain's:A $20 million pilot program designed to turn unsold condominiums and stalled residential construction sites into as many as 400 affordable housing units for moderate- and middle-income families was unveiled today by city officials (Queens Crap) *** City Raking In Ad Revenue By Renting Out Pedestrian Plazas
Photo taken by The Juicer on flickr *** New York hospitals were relieved by the Obama administration's decision to reduce Medicaid and Medicare cuts by $70 billion.

Washington Cities Lose Out on Road Funds From Federal Stimulus *** Allies Sour on Health-Care Effort (Washington Post) *** PAPER: Billions in aid go to areas that backed Obama in '08... *** Hillary Clinton Plans To Raise Profile With Major Speech *** The Outsider: Where Is Sarah Palin Going Next? (Time) *** Can Democrats Pass Real Health Care Reform on Their Own? (Time) *** Obama: Getting Down to the Hard Choices

Pay to Play Promises to Keep Having done his damage to a severely damaged campaign finance system, President Obama now has a clear responsibility to fix it (NYT Editorial)

International Poorer Nations Reject a Target on Emission Cut *** Mexican Army Accused Of Torture in Drug War (Washington Post) *** The G-8 Speaks Softly on Iran's Nuclear Program (Time)

Wall Street Mess Swiss Vow to Block UBS From Providing Data to U.S. *** Director of SEC Inspections Office Resigns (Washington Post) *** Buffett Compares 1st Stimules to Viagra Candy Combo... *** Feds uncover mini-Madoff

Media Inquiry Begun on Hacking Cases at Murdoch Papers *** Blowout Ratings for a Farewell, Online and Off *** NYT Pulls Photos Over Charges That They Were Photoshopped

Blog Report Wall Street Insider Sounds Off On Madoff (Broke and Broker) *** Patterson Move Gets Attention (Politicker NY) *** Brooklyn Home Prices In Freefall (Bay Ridge Journal) *** Council Inactive On Asthma Act (Brooklyn Rail) *** Jamaica Store Sells Lucky Ticket (Your Nabe)

Why Donate to True News Keep Real News Alive. Put simply, True News -- and the truth – cannot do more and could even end without financial help from the people who want to hold the government accountable for their actions. As you know True News, without any support, has fought to keep the real NYC’s investigative and analysis reporting era of great journalism alive. True News is a living memorial to publisher John Peter Zenger who was jailed in 1733 by the King for reporting to New Yorkers what was going on in their city. It is also in the tradition of the Ben Bradlee generation that believes that all reporters would not be doing their job if they did not follow the story until they got to the truth. Today’s reporters copy press releases from elected officials and lobbyists hired by the special interests who want to control the message. The lost circulation of newspapers has created a generation of young reporters who not only rely on elected officials and lobbyists for stories, but don’t even Google to find the historical context or, more importantly, the truth behind the stories they write. In this era of sell-out journalism, the public has become disconnected, powerless and trapped by a permanent government that has turned against them. The media blames an apathetic public for not voting even after democratic consultants act like an Orwellian 'Big Bother' threatening them to vote or be looked into. True News reports that the reason for the decreasing turn-out is the public no longer feel their votes matter. If you value hard hitting Investigative Journalism, don't let True News go the way of the Passenger Pigeon. The Newfield, Barrett, Kempton, Hammel of yesteryear are no more. Local TV news limits itself to good looking women and men reading about breaking fires and crimes, with few exceptions. What's left that isn't tabloid is a wasteland of superficial news, driven by political and corporate PR machines, sowing the fertile seeds of corruption public and private hand in glove. Despite the soft news we see, standard bearers play a significant albeit vestigial role. Newspapers constantly pick up stories from True News (without crediting us of course) avoiding the costs to investigate themselves. Without True News, the New York Press and this blog's over one and half million readers will be utterly lost in the wilderness. Only True News is explaining: How Blacks, the Poor and the Middle Class are Being Pushed out of Brooklyn Because of Albany's Tax Breaks for Luxury Developers and Apartments Gives Details How Lobbyists and Developers Run A Secret Shadow Government that Also Controls Elections With Big Money and Their Control Over the Media Investigates How Political Party Bosses Have Been Replaced By Lobbyists' Privatization of the Tammany Hall Machine Reports How the WFP and the Elected Officials Who Are Supported By Them Have Abused and Aggressively Broken Campaign Finance Laws. True news is not funded by special interests like the other news blogs. True News has been self-funded all these years. True News does not make nice with sitting politicians, developers, lobbyists to fund it or to provide its young clueless reporters with story ideas. True News wants nothing more than to scratch out a modest living in its aim to investigate, connect the dots, and get to the truth of every newsworthy story. To carry on in this mission, True News needs funding from people like you -- People Who Want Better Journalism in order to learn what is really going on in their government and fight the corrupt politicians. It's been written about True News Those of you who have an involvement in the dangerous game of politics, it may be of interest to know who’s telling the truth these days, and, whether the articles we read are real or imagined disinformation, emanating directly out of a governmental PR department. No genuine journalist would ever rely on such a source for the truth. As publisher of the SoHo Journal, through personal experience, take it from me that it is possible to become a political target for simply writing about the truth. And the mainstream media and writers eat their own for sales— as well as take orders from their masters— corporate, financial and political masters. Always pay attention to the agenda. Read between the lines. That is the basis of real reporting and political comprehension. Not the rehashing of a press release. OWS had a handle on this reality as well. Pay attention to the current daily blog written by Gary Tilzer. His True News is one of the few remaining sources for political investigative reporting. His fearless reporting of the truth in political circles is worth noting. Contributors names are confidential

Other Views

On October 15, 1958, veteran broadcaster Edward R. Murrow delivered his famous "wires and lights in a box" speech (VIDEO) The Last Lion of Tammany HOW JIMMY McMANUS, MANHATTAN’S LAST GREAT TAMMANY DISTRICT LEADER, HELPED TO REVIVE HELL’S KITCHEN AND THE THEATER DISTRICT c By James S. Kaplan f On January 13, 2011, the law firm of Proskauer Rose moved into 11 Times Square, which is located on 42nd Street between 7th and 8th Avenues. In moving west to the final building of the City’s Times Square redevelopment, the Proskauer firm joined such other major law firms as Cravath, Swaine & Moore, Covington & Burling, Roberts & Holland, and the advertising firm of Ogilvy & Mather. That such major professional firms, along with a number of newly constructed luxury apartment buildings on 42nd Street from ninth to eleventh avenue and trendy restaurants and off Broadway theaters would be located west of 8th Avenue in midtown would have been almost inconceivable fifty years ago. Tammany Last Stand Continued

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