State Of The Union: ‘An America Built To Last’
Obama Calls for Economic Fairness(NYT) * President Urges Government to Help Bridge Wealth Gap(NYT) * Obama focuses on economic inequality (Wash Post) * Prez lays out election-year agenda before divided Congress in State of the Union (NYP)
First, stop stealing(NYP Ed) How about waiting until that esteemed body goes two straight years without one of its members being indicted? True, they may never get a raise in that case — but it’d sure be a welcome goal.
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Some Even Get Per Diems Without Showing Up
For 66 days of work in Albany legislators get a base pay of $79,500, but more than 150 — 70 percent — get “lulus,” or stipends, for leadership positions. Those range as high as $41,500, putting the average lawmaker’s salary at $90,000 to $100,000. On top of that, they also receive per diems — stipends for food and lodging — of $165 for each day they’re in Albany. Sweet. * GOPers say nay to pol pay hike (NYP) * You Paid For It Boyland Per Diem Abuse : WRGB Channel 6 News
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Koch Lets Lawmakers Who Promised Redistricting Reform Off the Hook
Koch Should At Least Stick Around and Tell Us Who Broke Their Promise
Ed Koch Says Albany Reform Is "Dead"(NBC) Hope for redistricting reform may have died with a Supreme Court ruling, Koch says. “In the light of the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision,” he told me, “this crusade is dead.”* Senate Republicans appear to be carving out a 63rd seat for Assemblyman George Amedore
Not one word to the press was issued to the press by any of the pols about any of the 10 elected officials in the last few years that when to jail. No moral leadership. Most local pols are not using the talking points that include let the voters decide. Not one comment about what they feel about Weiner's actions. It is like the bad old days of the police department's "Blue Wall of Silence," before the Rev. Sharpton and others caused at least some good cops to speak out against the bad cops. To this date there been no pressure by the press who was lied to to force to ask other city pols what they think about Weiner. In the 70's Rev. Sharpton said the fact that cops did not go after their lawless partners was the leading cause of corruption in the Police Department. No less can be said about the pols who fail to speak out against their corrupt or colleagues who lie.
Pols Blue Wall of Silence Enabled By the Media (True News)
The Pork Slush Funded Bus
Because Council Leaders Escaped Incitement in the Slush Fund Investigation the Member Items System is Still Operating
The City Council’s ‘free’ cash (NYP) City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer’s plan to ease service outages on the 7 train with member-item grease is fraught, to say the least. But he wasn’t volunteering to cover the $250,000 tab himself; he wanted to use part of the council’s $49 million member-item slush fund, a pot of money that’s been a breeding-ground for corruption. * GOPers say nay to pol pay hike(NYP) * MTA won’t stand for seat hogs(NYP) *MTA Dismisses Rep's Proposal For 7 Train Shuttle Bus(NY1)* MTA Rejects Councilman's Bus Offer(Foxn5)
Badly Injured Liu Fights On
Liu Aiming at Cuomo's Budget Plan (WSJ) Liu will criticize Cuomo today for proposing to bypass NYC in a funding package for municipalities across the state * Liu flunks Ed Dept. tech tool (NYDN) More than 40% of public school educators are not using a key tech tool designed to boost lagging test scores * John Liu is expected to testify in Albany today that Andrew Cuomo is short-changing the city with his budget.
No Awkward run-ins between Bloomberg and City Comptroller John Liu at the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association yesterday during the Lunar New Year’s celebration, despite Bloomberg’s quotes in the Sunday New York Post predicting Liu’s legal troubles would prevent him from running for mayor in 2013. Asked about the Democratic field for mayor, Bloomberg told the Post, “You never know, ’cause things change. Who would have thought John Liu being out of it? I assume he is.” On Monday, Bloomberg delivered his remarks while Liu, looking festive in an embroidered maroon jacket and a healthy dose of glitter in his hair, listened from the back of the room. Asked for his reaction to the mayor’s prediction, Liu smiled as he headed toward the exit. “Did he make a comment?” Liu said. “I suppose he knows best.” (C&S)
Bloomberg Tells Dummy David Weprin To do You Job
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4True News Wags Daily News' Hammond on Teacher Evaluations
DN's Hammond Another True News Copy Kat Reporter
With Their Normal Allies Ducking The UFT Looks Ready to Negotiate
Seven schools on city hit list got high grades(NYP) Of the 33 schools that Mayor Michael Bloomberg wants to shut down, lay off staff and reopen under a new federal program, seven earned high “A” or “B” school ratings from the city * Albany Lawmakers Visit Stalemate Over State Teacher Evaluations (NY1) * City, teachers in a talkative mood (NYDN) UFT President Michael Mulgrew has vowed to reach a deal on a new teacher evaluation system, signaling that high-level negotiations could soon resume * Education Commissioner Proposes More Aid for Poorer Districtss(NYT)
UFT is Still Attacking Bloomberg Not the Popular Cuomo Who Pressure on the UFT Seem to Moving the Negotiations to Settlement
The UFT is taking its teacher evaluation war with Mayor Michael Bloomberg to the airwaves, releasing a 30-second ad (http://bit.ly/yzQuVn) today excoriating the mayor for his “failed educational policies.” The ad references ex-chancellor Cathie Black, test score controversies and the mayor’s plan to cut half the teachers from 33 struggling schools. The UFT spot appears to be the first volley in a forthcoming ad war between the teachers and City Hall that education sources have been predicting since last week. No word on whether the mayor or his allies in the education reform movement plan on firing back with their own ad. The spot, produced by Shorr, Johnson and Magnus Strategic Media, will run from today until next Monday, Jan. 30, and is projected to reach over 8 million viewers on broadcast and cable television. "This is our way of saying, 'Enough with this already,' " said UFT President Michael Mulgrew. “Let's try to do something based on actual research that is going to work, instead of whatever your political ideologies are."* UFT Ad Takes Mayor To Task On Teacher Evaluations(NY1) * Bloomberg Gets A Bit Snippy On UFT Negotiations(YNN)
It is So Easy To Kill A Hospital
City Planning Commission Unanimously Passes St. Vincent's Rezoning Plan(NY1) Hospital Site's Plan Advances Plans to remake the St. Vincent's Hospital site in the West Village into an $800 million residential project were approved on Monday by the City Planning Commission.*City Rezones St. Vincent's Site(Fox 5)
No city $$ for 3 WTC: Mike(NYP) * WTC Developer Downplays Rumors Of Reduced-Size Tower (NY1) * Bloomberg Praises New Laws For Local Construction Safety (NY1)
Council Panel Upholds a Historic Skyscraper District in Brooklyn(NYT)
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4Bronx Publisher Says Engel, Koppell Helped Secure Loan, But Denies Political Bias (C&S)
It Not Just the Bronx Pols Who Own Local Papers Queens Also
A Takeover Of Journalism by Lobbyist and Politicians (True News) Soviet Queens Pravda In queens the local newspaper, the political machine and government all work together. The paper do not preform the role of checks and balances that Founding Father envisioned to protect the people from the government and ensure a working democracy. Instead Queens local newspapers have gamed journalism to operate as a co-machine in Queens. They work in campaigns and are lobbyist to the same elected officials they help elect or reelect. The papers operate as the house organ for the Democratic party to controling who becomes gets elected or becomes a judge in Queens county. The judges in turn send the legal ads worth tens of thousands dollars to the local papers. * Chicago Sun-Times will stop endorsing candidates to increase appearance of impartiality
Exclusive: ‘Digital DNA’ May Soon Be Required To Take SAT(WCBS)
Don't Know Much About Arithmetic . . .
In for a bad spell (NYP) ‘School’ paint flub The Post puts the blame for city contractors' poor street-sign spelling on Marta Valle HS school officials
Occupy Protesters Build Igloos in Switzerland(NYT) * Occupy Wall Street lawyers drop legal challenge, judge says no camping at Zuccotti (NYP) * Occupy Wall Street Drops Suit on Zuccotti Park (NYT)
Governor Cuomo has replaced close friend Jeffrey Sachs on the Medicaid Redesign Team with Joseph Belluck – you may remember Cuomo was heavily criticized for putting Sachs on the board last year.
JFK's final secret recordings are made public (NYP)
Mean is better than clean in politics(NYDN) Good. Because the dirtier the politics, the better prepared our candidates will be for the down and dirty business of being President of the United States. Democratic boss Meade Esposito, who reinvented dirty politics. When he first ran for district leader
Romney Tax Returns Show 2-Year Income of $45 Million(NYT) * ‘Super PAC’ for Gingrich to Get $5 Million Infusion(NYT) * Confident Obama Knows Wild Cards Can Loom Large(NYT) * A Counterweight to Obama, but So Far Just in Speech Response(NYT) * The Power Broker (NYT Ed) Newt Gingrich’s tax returns show how much can be made peddling influence and access to the leadership in Washington.* Romney made $45 million in 2 years – Reports (CNN) * 5 things we learned from Monday's debate (CNN)* Most expect President Obama’s State of the Union to be an unofficial kick off to his re-election campaign * Roughly 200 members of Congress will continue the tradition of bipartisan seating today – which began in the wake of the attack on Rep. Gabrielle Giffords* The tax returns also show that Romney recently closed a Swiss bank account and has other holdings in Bermuda and the Cayman Islands.* During the debate Romney introduced an odd new phrase in the immigration debate, saying he favored “self deportation” or eliminating ways for illegals to get jobs, so they will go back home. * Despite decades in Congress, Newt Gingrich has only 11 Capitol Hill endorsements—versus 72 for Mitt Romney. * Miss the debate last night? Searchable transcript available here.
The Strangely Silent Debate - Paul Begala, The Daily Beast * Can Romney Turn It Around Again? - George Will, Boston Herald * Rise of the Hoi Polloi: The GOP Is Changing - Craig Shirley, Politico * The State of Our Politics - Carl Cannon, RealClearPolitics * Mitt Romney's "Charlie Crist" Problem - Andrew Henry, Newsmax * Romney Goes on Attack Against Gingrich - Scott Conroy, RealClearPolitics * Why Gingrich Could Win - Michael Walsh, National Review * ewt's Troublesome Lack of Prudence - Michael Gerson, Washington Post * President Obama Needs Fighting Words - Michael Tomasky, The Daily Beast * Time for Obama to Lead - Miami Herald * The President's Solyndra Moment - Washington Times * Mewt Gromney (Slate) Romney and Gingrich trade places in the Tampa debate. * From Jefferson (1801) to Taft (1912), the State of the Union message were lengthy written reports. * Gingrich leads Romney 31 to 27% in national Gallup tracking poll. Romney had 23 point lead in early January. How do you spell volatility? * Our Florida forecast is starting to stabilize a bit. Now Newt 41, Romney 34 (NYT) *Newt 1968: Gingrich led protests against nude censorship(reuters)
Romney bloodies Newt in Fla. debate with Freddie Mac blows(NYP) * Romney Levels Attack on Gingrich as Sole Target(NYT)
Jon Stewart Flips Out At Gingrich’s Nerve In Attacking John King’s ‘Open Marriage’ Question
Sarah Palin: Newt Gingrich Got Chris Christie’s ‘Panties In A Wad’ * Palin Has a Few Choice Words for Christie(NYT)
Is The NYPD Experimenting With Drones Over The City? Evidence(WCBS)
