The Rules Don't Apply Politics
A Culture of We Can Do What We Want
The big picture here is that pols treat government as if it is their candy story. As New Yorkers suffer through the highest unemployment rate in decades, business and stores close and move out to escape high taxes, it seems the culture of Pay to Play among this new generation of pols has not only increased but embolden with a total lack of ethics.
Pay to Play Albany Floyd Flake's friends
Pay to Play Rangel Lawyers do well in scandales Rangel gift$ to lawyers *** Rep. Charlie Rangel spent $574K on lawyers last quarter - most of his campaign spending
Pay to Play Bloomberg, Quinn and Dept of Ed Rules are made to keep insiders out, insiders can get away with anything. Fine' hire for Ed. Dept. Former Bloomberg campaign aide Maura Keaney landed a six-figure city job yesterday, right after being fined $2,500 for making fund-raising calls in 2007 for City Council Speaker Christine Quinn while serving as her deputy chief of staff -- a violation of the City Charter.Ethics Panel Fines Ex-Aide to Speaker *** After being fined, Maura Keaney was hired by the city's Education Department. She also provided more information to investigators than to The New York Times about the fund-raiser she organized *** She'll be paid $143,000 per year *** Fined Aide Lands on Her Feet
Pay to Play Council Their word, their bond: City Council members should shun corrupt lulus (DN Ed) *** The Rev. Al Sharpton and Councilman Charles Barron will call for "ethics charges" against Council Speaker Chris Quinn today for removing Barron from the Higher Education Committee chairmanship. (No link).
Pay to Play Gerrymandering To the carver goes the spoils: Dems seize on one kind of gerrymandering while doing another
Pay to Play Espada Embattled Espada claims Cuomo using 'smear campaign' *Senate Majority Leader Pedro Espada Jr. accused Cuomo in legal papers of running a "smear campaign" against him and "prosecutorial misconduct."** Sen. Pedro Espada Jr. compared Cuomo’s prosecution of him to Mike Nifong’s handling of a rape case against Duke University lacrosse players. (DN)
Pay to Play Albany Ethics Ethics watchdogs raise eyebrows with 5G donations
*** State Sen. Cathy Young wants quick action against Hiram Monserrate. (Politics on the Hudson)
Pay to Play Campaign Funds Campaign cases on Soares' desk DA to review alleged finance law violations from 2008
New York's Tea Party Keep the hell out: White House is waffling, but 9-11 terror trial can't be in N.Y. (DN Ed) *** Now Justice Dept. official says NYC terror trial 'not off table' *** Obama's Poor Judgment on Terrorism - Richard Cohen, NY Daily News *** The Post suggests Community Board 1 Chairwoman Julie Menin should run against Gillibrand (or, as the ed board prefers, "Tweety")
Huge Deficits May Alter U.S. Politics and Global Power (NYT) *** The head of SEIU 1199 is calling for a 50 percent banker bonus tax. (HuffPo)
Assemblyman Richard Brodsky is having a forum about a Constitutional Convention. (THR)
No JFK Moon Landing The Next Man on the Moon Will Be Chinese - Colin Pillinger, The Guardian *** Axing Moon Program a Giant Leap Backward for Science - Times of London *** Obama's 2011 Budget Scraps Manned Lunar Missions
Election 2010 Poll: Gilly has lead but one in four voters undecided *“If you’re for politicians who are static in thinking, I’m not your guy,” Harold Ford Jr. told Stephen Colbert. (NYP)*WATCH: Colbert Grills Harold Ford On Gay Marriage, Abortion* Comic floors Ford Colbert hits hopeful Harold over 'flip-flops' * Ford floored by Colbert's sharp punch lines** Andy MIA in Albany: Lazio *** Republicans fell into line behind Rick Lazio, who Monday took a shot at Andrew Cuomo. (TU/DN) *** The battle for the Upper East Side has begun. (Observer) *** Harold Ford, when asked if he got a bonus from Merrill Lynch: "I can say that I fulfilled the contract and was paid per the terms of the contract." *** Amy Siskind and Marcia Pappas hit Ford for being sexist, and hiring Davidson Goldin.
Gov of La Mancha Albany Paterson vows $8M boost to battle Cuomo *** Gov's cash barely more than pols running unopposed ***A new round over wine plan *** A plan to give the City University of New York and the State University more autonomy is being praised by the chancellors of those schools. But many worry the proposal represents a step toward privatization
Paterson's Plan for CUNY and SUNY Draws Criticism
Inside City Hall The Bratt's back! Ex-commish return spurs political buzz *** UFT suit rips city's school ax *Teachers Union Files Suit Against DOE Over School Closings** City plans to overhaul schools' special-ed services *** Teachers' Union and N.A.A.C.P. Sue to Stop School Closings *Educrats, UFT in dispute over possible $1B fund *** Survey: School lunches, full of processed foods, still get failing health *** Bloomberg: No Love for Labor?
New York Economic Melt Down O again paints bull's-eye on pro-NY program *** Why Silverstein is insecure *** St. Vincent's hires restructuring firm *Paterson is giving a $6 million life line to St. Vincent’s Hospital. (DN)** Hudson rail yards start date postponed*** City Fire Department Braces for Cuts *** Use stimulus cash to halt MTA cuts, board bigs urge *** Bloomberg's budget cuts slash FDNY, NYPD, schools and services *** The New York State Theater Institute begged the state for money. (Troy Record) *** The city's plan to close 20 firehouses will require the FDNY to undertake its most massive reorganization since the 1970s financial crisis*** The Decline of St. Vincent’s Hospital *** M.T.A. Fails to Honestly Rate Contractors’ Work, Report Says M.T.A. Is Too Easy on Contractors, Investigation Finds
Law and Order Blue wall falls at sodomy trial Officer testifies against cops in assault *** Missing boy's mom 'a liar' *** Pol: Bar sex-fiend supers *** B'klyn precinct cooked crime stats: cop *** Officer’s Testimony Supports Abuse Accusation *** Jim Crow Policing The fact that a certain percentage of crimes are committed by Hispanics or blacks is no reason for the police to increasingly harass individuals from those groups (Herbert NYT) *** Columbia Laptop Theft Puts Students, Alumni At Risk *** Brooklyn's 81st Precinct probed by NYPD for fudging stats; felonies allegedly marked as misdemeanors *** Video shows man leaving scene of fire that killed 5 *** Scammers who target elderly eyed in burglary string *** Key DNA Evidence To Be Presented In Brooklyn Sodomy Trial
Terrorism Bam firm on US 9/11 trial *** As Marines Move In, Taliban Fight a Shadowy War *** Father Of Terror Suspect To Be Arraigned In Brooklyn *** Intelligence Chief Says Cyberattack Threat Is Growing
White House Top Defense Officials Seek to End ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell *** ’Prez will tax rich to debt *** Obama to Skip European Union Summit in Madrid *** China Warns U.S. on Meeting With Dalai Lama *** Mr. Obama’s New BudgetPresident Obama’s priorities in the $3.8 trillion budget were mostly right. Now it’s up to Congress to do what is needed to get Americans back to work (NYT Ed) *** WATCH: CNN's Kiran Chetry Spars With Orszag Over 'Middle Class' Tax Cut *** Obama meeting with Dalai Lama would harm China-U.S. relations, Beijing warns *** Obama Tries to Balance Vision With Need - Alec MacGillis, Washington Pos *** We're Making Tough Choices - Peter Orszag, USA Today *** Deficit Balloons Into National Security Threat - Gerald Seib, WSJ *** White House Blames Bush for Budget Woes - Mike Madden, Salon *** One of the Greatest Spend-While-You-Can Documents in History - WSJ *** $30B in TARP funds to go to small-business lending *** Gates to announce review of military gay ban
Congress Scott Brown to be sworn in as senator on Feb. 11 *** New York labor commish clears D.C. hurdle *** The DNC ran ads defending Nebraska Sen. Ben Nelson. (Politico) *** Ending Don't Ask, Don't Tell - Senator Carl Levin, Politico *** The Scott Brown Brand - Eugene Robinson, Washington Post *** New Hampshire is Scott Brown Country - Michael Graham, Boston Herald *** Volcker Presses Hill for 'Volcker Rule'
Political Parties WATCH: Chris Matthews Likens Far Right Republicans To Cambodian Regime *** WATCH James O'Keefe On Hannity: 'This Is A Huge Misunderstanding' *Right Rallies Behind ACORN 'Pimp'** Reagan Fails GOP Purity Test *** Republicans attacked Barack Obama’s proposed $3.8 trillion budget. (WP) *** Politicians in Wonderland - Thomas Sowell, RealClearPolitics
Wall Street Business howls over Obama tax bites ***Citi rights checking fee wrong *** Ex-Madoff CFO surrenders home *** FHA Defaults Foreshadow A Crush Of Foreclosures *** Deficit Hawks or Dodos? - Michael Lind, Salon *** Stuck with Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac
International Near Quake’s Epicenter, a City Ready for Business *** Hacking for Fun and Profit in China’s Underworld *** Seven Myths About Iran - Bret Stephens, Wall Street Journal
National The Caucus: White House Eyes Illinois Primary
Environment Pachauri: The UN's Enviro-Activist in Chief - National Post *** A panel convened by Bloomberg and Quinn issued more than 100 recommendations on how to make the city's building code greener.
Media and New Tech CBS locks in commercial slots before Supe kickoff *** Amazon's e-book dust-up draws industry ire *** Newsday harder-pressed *** Newsday up against pay wall pittance *** CBS sells out of Super Bowl ads *** NBC News Dominant Despite Network Woes *** Grammy's Ratings Highest Since 2004 *** Shep Smith Hits 100 Consecutive Months #1 In Time Slot *** Apple's Jobs Spurns Intel, Qualcomm With A4 Processor for IPad *** TMZ: Conan Pays Own Crew *** Oscar Nominations Announced *** 'Avatar' Doesn't Beat 'Titanic' In Oscar Nominations *** Photo of Apple's next-generation iPhone in the wild - sources
Page 6 John Edwards' sex tape not for sale ***Sen.-Elect Scott Brown gets his own action figure ***Star mistook home-like bank for own house *** Breaking News > Punxsutawney Phil predicts six more weeks of winter *Staten Island Chuck Says Spring Is Coming; PA Groundhog Disagrees** Mel Gibson has doubts Obama can 'fix' nation