TrueNews: True News Sunday Update: Bloomberg "The Do-Nothing Congress?"

Sunday, November 7, 2010

True News Sunday Update: Bloomberg "The Do-Nothing Congress?"

Bloomberg "The Do-Nothing Congress?"

After the GOP won over 50 seats President Truman Nicknamed the Republican-controlled Congress as the "do-nothing" Congress

Bloomy bashes US on China (NYP) * Bloomberg Questions U.S. Inquiry Into China Trade Practices * Bloomberg: People Elected to Congress 'Can't Read' and Don't Know Where China Is * Bloomy: Some in Congress 'can't read'

Bloomberg: I Not Running For President
I just work 24/7 to spin stories for the national media

Results of 2010 midterm elections are mixed bag for Mayor Bloomberg (DN)

Sunday Update Sheldon hears a coup among Andy backers (NYP) * LI Dem 'de-elected' in ballot botch A vote-counting error has thrown a contentious Long Island congressional race into chaos and may put an end to the four-term career of Rep. Tim Bishop.... (NYP) * Long Island House Seat Is Back in Play (NYT) * Rangel's new rush Rangel no doubt fears that if his 13-count ethics trial isn’t over by year’s end, the whole process can be restarted — with Republicans running the show come January. (NYP Ed) * The Votes Are In. Eloquence Didn’t Win Both winners and losers in New York’s statewide contests took the podium with words that rarely soared. (NYT) * Jimmy wants to tell Andy how to do more with less (DN) * Although New York could lose as many as seven Democratic House seats to the GOP, Sen. Chuck Schumer says job one is refocusing on the middle class, not retaking the reins of the DSCC, reports the NYO. * Lots of finger-pointing with in the state GOP, says Newsday.
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Loophole Liu Escapes Part of Poster Fine

Loophole on 400G penalty is 'fine' with Liu A judge has tossed nearly $400,000 worth of viola tions slapped on Comptroller John Liu's campaign for illegal postering because of a minor -- but critical -- goof by a Sanitation Department enforcement agent. (NYP)

Long Live Lady Luck We have dodged several terrorism disasters, but no one should expect that to last. (Friedman, NYT)

* It's a sad last 'bawl' at Coney Island bar They were crying in their beer at Ruby's Bar on the Coney Island boardwalk yesterday as some 200 regulars protested the demise of their beloved 76-year-old watering hole.

Responder snubs 'uncertain' 500G The first sickened 9/11 responder to file suit against the city says he's opting out of a proposed mass settlement. John Walcott, a retired NYPD... The deadline is Monday to have 95% agree to the settlement or their is no deal. 85% agree so far. * World Trade Center heroes set to accept $760M deal (DN)

Cuomo's 21 st CenturyErie Canal

Cuomo says high-speed rail could be the 21st century equivalent of the Erie Canal and New York is ready to spend the money now as a boost to the economy. Cuomo says thousands of jobs would be created as well as a faster route across the state. Gov.-elect Andrew Cuomo wants the federal government to give New York $1.26 billion in rail funds that two Midwestern states rejected for a high-speed train link between New York City, Toronto and Montreal. Andy eyes rejected rail cash (NYP) * NY Gov.-elect Cuomo seeks federal train aid (WSJ)

True News Erie Canal Became NY's First Economic Engine

Governor De Witt Clinton in spite of a lack of public support, funding, untrained engineers, and unforgiving terrain had the vision and leadership skills to build the Erie Canal in the early 1800's. The canal which opened New York’s manufacturing goods to the Midwest markets was responsible for the state overtaking Boston and Philadelphia to become the commerce and jobs capitol of America - increasing the state’s population five fold, in the decade after it was open.

2000 Recount Mess Again?
Senate race now a recount drama Buffalo News * State Senate election heads to court WIVB * 'Bubble' ballots face first test Buffalo News * Tonawanda News *** Sunday Smith: Power-Sharing Is Possible * Race for 60th seat in court

Pension Scandal

Pension scammer Hank Morris will have to pay back $19 million and serve jail time

Cuomo recently branded the pay-to-play scandal "probably the largest political corruption scheme in modern political history." The AG has racked up $140million in fines and settlements with companies caught up in the scandal. * Pension Push With the Cuomo administration almost certain to try to reduce pension costs, Courtney Gross looks at the city's plans to tackle the same issue. (Gotham Gazette) * Cuomo needs to lay thickest punishment upon Hank Morris for multimillion-dollar state pension loot (DN Ed)

Education Scandal Probed for using school funds to renovate 10 houses (NYP) * School janitor has gall to use city workers on his properties (DN) * 'Dirty' custodian's flunky (NYP)

Battery Park City Scandal Battery Park's exec pigs at public trough (NYP) * Battery Park City Authority squandered money: report (DN)

Comptrollers Audit of Cuomo quickly put off (Times Union)

New York Economic Meltdown
Bloomberg Silent Cuts
Bloomberg makes cuts behind closed doors without public announcements as he cuts the budget. The NYT spins that "As a result of New York City’s efforts to streamline its system of delivering food to needy residents, some have fallen through the cracks." Elderly Are Cut From Meals Program (NYT) * Big Book Publisher to Reduce Its Offices (WSJ) * Illegal flophouse in Staten Island site of deadly fire (DN)

NY'S Taxi Fare Increase Dance
Owners ask for a larger increase than they want (19%) and then after the TLC settles on what they will accept as an increase the pols and taxi owners take credit for taking less then the 19% they wanted. The press are pawns in this old time dance story. They even print stories given to them by the taxi lobbyist saying that NY's fare rates are lower than other cities Cab Owners Ask For Large Fare Increase (NY1)

NY & California: Indebted and Unrepentant - Fred Siegel, City Journal

NYC neighborhoods with the most doggie-doo violations (NYP)

Terrorism Aiding and abetting: Anwar al-Awlaki, terrorists turned YouTube into Web of intrigue (DN ED) * Fear of invasion of privacy is a myth; possibility of terrorist attacks is bone-chillingly real (DN ed)

Law and Order Beauty salon slay-try rap (NYP) * Sting zings bling 'con' (NYP) * DA: Petty crime merits hard time (NYP) * 'Law & Order' stalker guilty (NYP) * Pizza man beaten (NYP) * Liquor Authority in bid to ban Four Loko (DN) * Sick thug attacks pizza deliveryman in Queens (DN) * Bronx Father Pleads Not Guilty To Manslaughter Charges (NY1) *Queens Woman Arraigned In Connection With Boy's Fatal Fall (NY1) * Queens Woman Arraigned In Connection With Boy's Fatal Fall * * * Sunday Fatal shooting baffles cops (NYP) * Bronx Family Mourns a Baby and Protests a Father’s Arrest (NYT) * NY'S Taxi Fare Increase Dance

Media and New Tech

Cable TV Have Become the New Political Machines Keith Olbermann suspended at MSNBC over political donations (NYP) * Keith Olbermann of MSNBC Suspended Over Donations (NYT) * Maddow: Keith Olbermann Suspension Proves Difference Between MSNBC & Fox News (VIDEO) * The Company Olbermann Keeps: More Media Suspensions, Firings & Flameouts (Huff Post) * Fox News Wins the 2010 Election * Keith Olbermann's suspension by MSNBC was right - but there's a double standard * Rachel Maddow Defends Olbermann: ‘We Are Not A Political Operation. Fox Is’ (Mediaite) * Howard Kurtz To CNN: “MSNBC Had No Choice But To Suspend Olbermann” * Bill Maher Disses The Daily Show Rally: It’s Better To Have A Rally That’s “About Something”

* Boehner Trifecta! Future Speaker on Covers of Newsweek, TIME, New Yorker

Zuckerman Ends Print: Journalism Sad Future Begins

US News ENDING Print Edition * US News to Discontinue Monthly Print Magazine, Shift Focus to Digital Bloomberg

National Politics Political Funds Remain an Asset for Many Ex-Lawmakers (NYT) * Campaigning for Others, Christie Proves a Star Near and Far (NYT) * Rep. King Sees Power Boost (WSJ) * GOP Claims Lead in Long Island Congressional Race (WSJ) * I want the job! Pelosi eyes minority leadership (DN) * Midterm Losses Take Bite Out Of Blue Dog Democrats (NPR) * Why Pelosi Wants to Stay - E.J. Dionne, Washington Post * Centrist Dems Rip 'Tone Deaf' White House - Jonathan Martin, Politico ** Sunday Throwing the Bums Out for 140 Years Is our politics coming to resemble the stagnation of the Gilded Age? (NYT Ed) * Plenty of Work for the Lame Duck: And Other Urgent Business Taxes are not the only heavy lifting for Congressional leaders in the lame duck session. There is a lot more of the people’s work left to do. (NYT Ed)

National Economy Exporting Our Way to Stability By BARACK OBAMA How a trip overseas can strengthen the economy at home.

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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