TrueNews: Albany's Biggest Crime: Public Expects Incompetence, Corruption and Stupidity

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Albany's Biggest Crime: Public Expects Incompetence, Corruption and Stupidity

Breaking News Judge Acquitted in Campaign Finance Trial Nora S. Anderson, a judge in Surrogate’s Court in Manhattan, was acquitted Thursday on all counts in her trial on charges of campaign finance fraud *** Gov. Paterson: Last Rites for St. Vincent's Hospital *** Man confesses to playing part in Manhattan subway

Albany's Biggest Crime
Public Expects Incompetence, Corruption and Stupidity

The papers have been attacking 24/7 for the past year, but nothing has changed. Is the election system that guarantees incumbents at fault? Are the millions that the pols pure into their district in member items buy them reelection? After all most feel that while Albany is dysfunctional their members are the few good ones. Maybe the public are the real jerks and get the government they deserve?

Is anyone surprised that Albany miss the budget deadline?
Albany's April fools: Missed budget deadline is the least of their sorry failures * April's Fools: Lawmakers Miss Budget Deadline * Albany Misses Its Deadline on the Budget * Rancor Marks Comments Leading to Late NY Budget (WINS) * Public employee unions are warring with Gov. David Paterson * This was not the best time to go on vacation, the TU informs legislators * Paterson pushes for wage freeze *** April Fools' Day Still No Budget, It's No Surprise (Henry Stern, NY Civic *** Facing Deficit, NY Proposes Increased Park Fees

Facebook Joseph Mercurio The Assembly, with nothing to hide, gave up its paperwork long ago, but then they understand the law. Senate Loses First Round in Subpoena Fight - City Room Blog - NYTimes.com

Is anyone surprised that the City eyes own 'Race to the Top' bid for ed funds after Albany screwed up 700 million in race to the top federal funds? NY Education Department wastes hundreds of thousands on unnecessary furniture expenses

And the continuing corruption? Gov aide grilled by commission about free Yankees tix *Johnson's attorney wouldn't say if his client took the fifth during his under-oath testimony * A state Supreme Court justice refused to quash the IG's AEG-related subpoenas of Senate Democratic leaders. * The Aqueduct probe continues.

MTA Incompetence If the MTA had working cameras this guy would have been caught the next day. Cops hunt villain in subway stab *** After 3 Days, Police Give Description of Subway Killer * Cops closing in on suspect in double murder on subway train *** Daly: All we needed were $89 cams to find subway killer * Rev. Jesse Jackson joins rally for federal transit dollars * NYPD launches show of force after Moscow attacks * NYC Straphangers Doubt 'Heightened Security' Claim (WCBS) * John O'Hara blames DA's for the uptick in crime.

MTA is a Fake The pols created the MTA to take the heat off themselves. Everyone attacks them from the pols who underfund the agency and want MTA to fully fund student transit passes to the WFP who is using them as a punching bag WFP starts online petition to round up support for posters making fun of MTA. What nobody proposes is to eliminate the MTA and let the pols run the agency. Not going to happen, because that would mean they would have to take the heat of the poorly funded and run agency.

No Wonder Why NY Teachers Unions Hate Testing New York tops the country in per-pupil education spending -- some $16,000 in 2007, according to Census data. What taxpayers get for that cash: among other things, eighth-graders who ranked 30th in the nation in reading and math last year, according to federal tests. NY schools need a diet * Thousands of teachers will be eligible for a temporary early retirement incentive if the Assembly follows the Senate's lead. * Cash-Poor Cities Take On Unions

Top Bloomberg Aide Will Lead His Charity Board A philanthropy expert questioned Mayor Bloomberg's selection of First Deputy Mayor Patricia Harris to run his family foundation, saying: "It shows poor judgment on the mayor’s part. You have hundreds and hundreds of potential appointees; why pick her?” * Michael Bloomberg didn't seek a new ruling from the Conflict of Interest Board when he changed Patti Harris' tittle at his charitable foundation. * "It does not appear the foundation has established any guidelines on how to keep [Harris'] roles separate." *** Is Bloomberg Gearing Up for 2012? By GABE PRESSMAN *** Bloomberg Foundation Looks a Lot Like Bloomy for Prez Committee

Uproar over 'cozy' relationship between Klein, charter boss *** Foes of charter school CEO Eva Moskowitz offer much ado about nothing

NY Shake Down Economic Melt Down NYC Inspector Accused of Shakedown A city Department of Transportation inspector faces charges of trying to shakedown employees of two businesses in order to look the other way about alleged sidewalk violations. (Fox 5) * Oh Rats! City to Cut Nearly 60 Pest Control Workers * Construction industry asks Gov. for help *** Mount Sinai ends bid for St. Vincent's

Election 2010 Wilson: I'll Overhaul 'Backwater' Comptroller's Office * DiNapoli's Tracker *Cox and Long Lay Down Arms, Briefly, to Unite Behind Wilson * D'Amato a factor in Gillibrand race? - Glenn Thrush - POLITICO.com *** Pumped-up Steve Levy Fires Downtown Volleys *** D'Amato a factor in Gillibrand race? UPDATE - Glenn Thrush - POLITICO.com

N.Y. Repeat Felon Law Is Found Unconstitutional * It could lead to a lot of legal challenges.

Judging a Judge Suspended NYC judge's trial goes to jury

Community boards are protesting Bloomberg's proposed budget cuts.

Dems, GOP gear up for Board of Elections director faceoff
Carpenters union big Brian Hayes named in bar scam

What has become of the House of Solow? Empire Built by Developer Shows Signs of Distress *** Dreier's pal sentenced * Marc Dreier, a Lawyer With a Lavish Lifestyle Accused of Stealing ... * 'Houdini' Dreier, an Aggressive Litigator, Faces Fraud Charges ...

Rangel likens conservative foes of health care to racists * Judas McMahon? A labor leader likened Rep. Mike McMahon to Judas during a City Hall rally held this morning * 'Judas from Staten Island'

New city rules rain on parades, and free speech By Norman Siegel

Eco-activists bash Obama's oil offshore drilling plan

Wall Street Hedge Fund Managers’ Pay Roared Back Last Year *** Restaurants and Institutions magazine reports top-grossing restaurants went from $1.52B to $1.37B

Palin's 'Real American Stories' to premiere on April Fools' Day

1963 Letter Shows Former Pope Knew Of Abuse

iPad CBS, ABC Plan Free iPad Shows *** Laptop Killer? The iPad Comes Close *** NYT: Non-Techies Will Love It... WSJ: Bye Bye Mouse... USA Today: It's A WINNER

NYT Sells Part Of Red Sox Stake * Experts Weigh In: How To Fix CNN? Bring Back 'Crossfire'? * Newsweek BOOTED Out Of Fancy New Offices ** Yahoo! News Adds Gawker Reporter to Ranks *Amazon sparks fresh battle in e-book war

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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