TrueNews: MTA Spins New Programs to Get the Public and Media Mind Off of Serious Service Cuts

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

MTA Spins New Programs to Get the Public and Media Mind Off of Serious Service Cuts

MTA Spins New Programs to Get the Public and Media's Mind Off of Serious Service Cuts

MTA spin doctors are working overtime to pump out positive stories before the June 27th bus and subway cuts. The media looking for stories because their own budget crisis has cut the number of writers; has printed every MTA positive spin press release or event. While staying away from stories that ask New Yorkers the effect of the cuts which takes some reporting.

The MTA June 27th Cuts
Able-Ride Users See Services Cut, Now Must Find Alternatives * MTA Workers Protest Service Cuts outside Of MTA * Hundreds of Angry Riders Protest MTA Bus Cut

The MTA Postive Spin Machine
Upstanding room only New buses rely on honor system (NYP) * Fare-beaters face $100 tickets from extra inspectors * MTA, NYPA roll out solar panels at Coney Island station to help reduce fossil (DN) * Smart Cards Coming to City's Subways and Buses WNYC * Bus-Only Lanes Coming to Manhattan's East Side

More Cuts
One Assemblyman grumbled Paterson's move was "gubernatorial blackmail."

Bull Shit
Paterson is giving the pols cover by taking heat for the cuts. In the long run the public will blame all over them when the cuts begin to hurt.

First Round of Albany Cuts
Pols OK $385M in state health cuts (NYP) * Cut$ hit suicide hot line (NYP) * Local nonprofits feeling gov't pinch * Albany Lawmakers Pass Big Cuts in Health Care * NY Senate hampered, helped a year after coup

First Round of City Cuts
School Lunches on Chopping Block (WSJ) * AIDS Budget Faces Reduction Prevention Efforts by Community Groups Face Cuts (WSJ) * Fireworks Fizzle on Budget Woes (WSJ) * Risks Seen in Bloomberg's Budget Plan (WSJ) * Pols blast Mayor Bloomberg over housing aid (DN) * NYCHA’s Section 8 program is running out of cash * Uniformed workers cost NYC an average of $190,000 a year.

New York's Political Parties Controlled By Insiders who Sell the Ballot Line
Liberal Party Head Convicted Saying Ballot Line . . . WFP Under Federal Investigating . . . Now Bloomberg Missing 700,000 Given to the Independence Party
Top Queens Republican Is Said to Be Mired in an Inquiry Into Bloomberg Campaign Funds (NYT) The investigation, which has been going on for months, has already raised questions about the unusual way Mr. Bloomberg’s campaign directed the payment, using personal checks from the mayor rather than the campaign’s official account. . . Mr. Bloomberg paid the state Independence Party, whose endorsement he had won, $1.2 million last year. . . Mr. Haggerty has been described as deferential to his political mentors. He is now working on the insurgent campaign for governor of Carl Paladino. John Haggerty "lives, breathes, and dies politics," but couldn't be reached by The Times.

Bi Party Al
If you want to know why Gillibrand is not being challenged by a serious GOP candidate, blame Al D'Amato.

D'Amato king of lobbyist$ Former US Sen. Al D'Amato led all individual registered state lobbyists in political-campaign donations last year, giving nearly $60,000 to candidates, parties and political-action committees (NYP)

Reid defeat = luck for Chuck (NYP)

Elections 2010 Cuomo Running Mate Is a 'Double Dipper' Mr. Duffy, a 55-year-old former police officer, earns $127,694 as mayor and draws an annual, lifetime pension of $70,000 (WSJ) * AG Andrew Cuomo is campaigning on a reform platform, but accepted $320,540 worth of campaign cash from lobbyists in 2009 * Carl Paladino tapped former NYC Council Minority Leader Tom Ognibene as his running mate * Como Flips Decision, Will Challenge Addabbo * Bronx Democrats brokered an uneasy peace agreement * Start your engines, primary petitioners.

Who tests the tests? The next time a state or city official claims that public school kids are doing better, don't believe it. Not if the claim's based on state test scores (NYP Ed)

Law and Order Revenge of (fired) nerd (NYP) * Brooklyn teen arrested in Central Park sexual assault (WSJ) * Cops hunting for accomplices in Central Park sexual assault (DN) * Livery driver shot to death in Bronx by two passengers (DN)

Terror leader Anwar al-Awlaki, who lures Westerners to wage jihad, had N.J. suspects under spell Terrorism NY Beware of sack rats: FBI Empty-bag terror (NYP)* Jersey 'jihadi' school ordeal (NYP) * Jersey jihadis (NYP Ed) * Web of Shell Companies Veils Trade by Iran’s Ships (NYT) * 2 New Jersey Men in Terrorism Case Go Before a Judge (NYT) * Two Arraigned in Terror Plot (WSJ) * Dominicans Surprised by Alleged Terror Plotter's Roots * Jihadi Web site asks supporters to plant fake bombs (WSJ) * Jerked from jihad: Good, old, solid police work stops homegrown terrorists (DN Ed)

Media and New Tech Radio storyteller, 99, signs off (NYP) * HOT COMMODITY: Cable News Courts Spitzer * Getting with the Times: Nate Silver's hip FiveThirtyEight blog joins the New York Times (DN)

We Are All Witness
Jay-Z, Jeter Refuse to Woo LeBron James (WSJ) * C'mon New York, LeBron's No Fool Surely the world's greatest city could do better. (WSJ)

Primaries to Watch From Coast to Coast (WSJ) * Of Primary Importance: All Eyes On Races In Arkansas, Nevada And California

One Ass I Like to KickWATCH Obama: I'm Talking To Gulf Experts 'So I Know Whose Ass To Kick' Oil Leak O lamer on oil than Bush on Katrina: poll (NYP) * Rate of Oil Leak, Still Not Clear, Puts Doubt on BP (NYT) * President Obama setting sights on 'whose ass to kick' in BP oil mess (DN)

Wall Street and the Economy DealBook: Swiss Lower House Blocks UBS Deal * What Is Goldman Hiding? The Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission has finally subpoenaed Goldman Sachs. It can’t stop there. (NYT Ed) *‘A Very Deep Hole’ Last month’s jobless numbers are the latest evidence of the severe threat the unemployment crisis poses to the well-being of the U.S. (Herbert, NYT) /////8 Schumer says hiking taxes on hedge-fund managers won't hurt the city.

More Thomas Fall Out Cohen: The Jews couldn't just 'go home' (DN)

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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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