Thursday, December 27, 2012

Can the New State Senate Leadership Coalition Survive the Coming Gun Control Fight

The Democrats Biggest Hope for Regaining Control of the NYS Senate are Guns
NYS Senators Hunting Season Thomas King, president of the New York State Rifle and Pistol Association, said his organization will activate phone banks after Christmas asking gun owners to bombard Cuomo and legislators with phone calls and emails opposing new restrictions on firearms. NY's biggest gun lobby takes aim at gun control push    What the GOP senators worry about is that the gun lobby dollars targeting them in the next election.  Their worst nightmare is that gun owners will seek revenge on Senate Major Leader Dean Skelos and individual GOP senators for allowing a gun control bill to be voted on on the floor of the senate.  Although it appears any gun control bill can pass the senate with the democrats who are part of the GOP coalition voting on the bill the Republican senators fear that the gun lobby will take it out on them in the next elections for allowing their leader allow a vote on stronger controls on guns. On the federal level it is widely know that the Tea Party is putting presser on the congressman they control to dump on speaker Boehner; it will soon be known that the gun lobby is putting pressure on NYS senators to dump Skelos.
Gov. Cuomo and state legislators appear unlikely to hold a special session on new gun regulations, while Democrats and Republicans work towards a compromise on gun control legislation that could be adopted early in the legislative session, LoHud reports *   Democratic senate candidate Cecilia Tkaczyk is appealing a Montgomery County judge’s decision to invalidate 333 absentee and affidavit ballots in her race against Republican Assemblyman George Amedore, the Times-Union writes: *  Newly elected state Senate Democratic Conference Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins have signed on to a Daily News petition backing a ban on assault weapons * The News calls for a sane assault weapons ban in the wake of shootings in Newtown, Connecticut and Rochester, citing Cuomo’s statement that a real ban must account for the millions of assault weapons already on the market: * Stewart-Cousins join drive against assault weapons(NYDN) * Tkaczyk Appeals On Technical Grounds(YNN) * Cuomo and legislative leaders appear unlikely to reach an agreement on new, tougher gun laws before the year’s end. (The big storm did not help matters).* GOP Rep. Tom Reed said he would consider an assault weapons ban if that were part of a broader debate on gun control that includes mental illness and cultural issues.* Bernard Lusk, president of the Empire State Arms Collectors Association, said that despite recent shooting tragedies in Webster and Newtown, he doesn’t expect much to change at his group’s gun show in Gates Jan. 5 and 6.* Breakaway Democrats form a coalition with Republicans to rule the state Senate. In Olympia, Wash.(NYT)

  *  Assault Weapons Behind Few New York Murders 

  Official NYState : 2011 murders:769. Killed with ''assault-style'' rifles: no more than 5! With knives,161.(Mostly illegal) Handguns:393
 


The Mayor Understands that Bloomberg Bucks Would Increase the Perception that Quinn is His Puppet
Mike ‘cashing out’ of next mayor race (NYP) Fat chance Mayor Bloomberg’s vast wealth will influence the competitive race to replace him in City Hall next year. The billionaire mayor has told people that he’s almost certain not to throw his cash into the mayoral race*  Big Apple political scene will get hot and huge in 2013: Experts(AMNY)
Joe Lhota Would Make a Great Mayor of New York City (Avlon, City and State)
 

 Bloomberg Feels This Is a Bermuda-Worthy Storm(NY Mag)
Snow? Not Much Expected. Bloomberg? In Bermuda(WSJ) New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has been spotted in Bermuda - again - as a Christmas-week storm heads to the Northeast.


Here come the tax hikes — and they’re going to hurt like New Yorkers Like Hell
New York — over the cliff(NYP)  For City Hall, it means a tighter budget.That could — and probably would — mean fewer cops, firefighters and teachers. Frankly, even the late Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan, who first spotlighted the enormous inequality between what New Yorkers pay in federal taxes and what they get back from Washington, would be scandalized by what’s occurring.  And they are especially going to hurt New Yorkers — who live in a high-cost-of-living town, where salaries are disproportionately high, and so are tax bills.  A couple earning a mere $50,000 annually will get socked, too, losing more than $2,000 a year — or $170 a month, or just a little bit less than the cost of two monthly MetroCards.  The average family with an annual income of $150,000 — hardly a king’s ransom in New York City — would see its taxes go up $6,616.


We Love Robbed New York
In 2012, New York remained a leader in political corruption says
A Perp Walk of Outstanding New York Politicians (NYT)With 2012 just about over, we in New York have reason to hold heads high. We showed over the past year that we remain a leader when it comes to political corruption. It’s not easy staying at the top of your game. But we New Yorkers proved, once again, that we have what it takes.* Silver Weighs In On Disclosure, Election Reform(YNN)

 

Here We Go Again
 NYC could be heading for its own fiscal cliff (NYT) * The NYC Independent Budget Office released a cloudy assessment of the city’s fiscal outlook, noting “significant challenges” caused by the cost of rebuilding after Sandy and the lack of current contracts with nearly every public union.

 


NYT Reporter Roberts Tweets About BOE Slow Count While the Paper He Writes for Refuses to Cover the Scandal


    It's almost 2 months since Election Day. Electoral College has already met. Yet NYC Board of Elections has yet to certify the results. * Electorial College Vote Update Noting About the BOE Unfinished Count (True News) * When the Electorial College Representatives Cast Their Ballot In Albany Today It Will Be Illegal Because the NYC Voter Count is Not Certified (True News) * A Tammany Hall Fixer Tries to Save the BOE for the Bad Guys(True News)

This is the Last Story the NYT Wrote About the BOE Slow Count - Date November 6, 2012
Chaos at New York City Polls Amid New Rules and Voting Machines(NYT)

 

Woman allegedly shoves man into path of train in Queens: Cops(NYP)

 



Katz comes out of the woodwork to run for BP(Queens Crap)
From the Queens Courier: In an effort to reintroduce herself to Queens, former Councilmember and Assemblymember Melinda Katz has been making her way around, preparing to run for the borough president nomination in a crowded Democratic primary field.“We’ve been to the civics and the precincts and community boards,” Katz told The Courier at the December Community Board 9 meeting. “I’m not trying to go to every community board, I’m trying to go to every community.”Katz served in the Assembly from 1994 to 1999. From there, she oversaw all the community boards in Queens when she worked under former Borough President Claire Schulman for three years. Going back to the community boards nearly 20 years later, Katz has run into some familiar faces and reminiscing on some of the work done for the borough during that time.“It’s nice to see that when you leave elected office and come back that people welcome you,” she said. Katz left politics in 2009 after she was term limited out of City Hall. She subsequently lost a bid for City Comptroller to incumbent and fellow Queens native John Liu. Between leaving office and announcing her candidacy in November, she worked for Manhattan law firm Greenberg Traurig, where she specialized in government issues and land use. Yeah, see, if you really cared about the welfare of Queens residents, you would have stayed involved civically instead of just crawling out from under a rock to make the rounds once you decided to run for another office.


More Examples How Blogs Like City and State and Politicker Dish Out Sensationalism Crap Ignoring Their Journalist Mission of Educating the Public on What Pols are Doing or Not Doing On Real Issuses That Affect Their Lives
Díaz said that he is tired of people using black and Hispanic pain for their own benefit (C&S)
911 Conspiracy Theorist Runs for Mayor (Politicker)
In his "What You Should Know" column yesterday, the email blast authored by state Sen. Rubén Díaz, Sr., the Bronx senator ticked off his top ten wishes for the New Year, a list that jabs at everyone from the Senate Independent Democratic Conference to Gov. Andrew Cuomo. But Díaz directed his most inflammatory statement at Sen. Malcolm Smith, who recently defected from the Democratic conference to join the IDC, writing that he wishes, "For Senator Malcolm Smith, to find another minority to join him in order for him not to be the only Uncle Tom in the house.” When asked about his comments, Díaz said that he is tired of people using black and Hispanic pain for their own benefit, and suggested that Smith is being exploited by the IDC and Senate Republicans simply to have a minority face in their leadership coalition. “I know the game, I know how they play. [The Senate leadership] need[s] to show that they care [about minority issues] and for that they get one or two [minorities],” Díaz said. 

“An enlightened citizenry is indispensable for the proper functioning of a republic” - Thomas Jefferson 
“They give a little piece of bone to Malcolm, and they say 'we have the minority we love'." Smith did not respond to a request for comment.  (City and State) Ruben Diaz Rings in the New Year With Jabs at the State Senate and ‘Uncle Tom’ Malcolm Smith(NYO) * Conspiracy Theorist Jeff Boss Launches Mayoral Bid(NYO)




 911 Foundation Costs
9/11 Foundation's Costs Rise(WSJ) Tax records show that labor costs at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum at the World Trade Center Foundation rose 58 percent in 2011 and the organization’s expenses tripled to $35.6 million as revenues fell* 9/11 foundation labor costs rise(WSJ) * According to its tax records, the World Trade Center Foundation’s labor costs at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum rose 58 percent in 2011.*9/11 foundation labor costs rise 58 percent(WABC)*9/11 foundation labor costs rise(Fox 5)* Fire at WTC site(NYDN)



Sandy Update
The odds of securing mental health treatment in a crisis have worsened significantly since Hurricane Sandy as the storm’s surge knocked out several of the city’s largest psychiatric hospitals and disrupted outpatient services
Storm Exposes Fragility of Mental Health System in City(NYT) The odds of securing mental health treatment in a crisis in New York City have worsened significantly since Hurricane Sandy knocked out hospitals and disrupted outpatient services.* NYC hospital closed after superstorm set to reopen  * Video: A Red Hook Church Rebounds After Hurricane(NYT) * Moreland Commission Hearings Postponed Due To Weather (NY1) * Mayor's Press Secretary Defends Rapid Repairs Program(NY1)  * Lip service won’t fund mental health (Riverdale Press) * Mental health funding gets the chop; New York(NYDN 2011)

City Hopes Money Grows From Fallen Trees(NYT)* Winter Storm Raises Concerns In Flood-Prone Areas(NY1) * Officials: Bellevue Hospital Receiving Ambulances(NY1) * Many Prisoners With Mental Illness To Get Shorter Sentences Under New City Initiative(NY1) * Drivers with Sandy-destroyed cars zapped again with DMV (NYDN)  *NYC hospital, shut down by Sandy, set to reopen (Huff Post * Special Storm Debris Collection To Stop At Year's End(NY1)


Donald Trump and state parks officials have killed the developer’s proposed and controversial $24-million Jones Beach catering hall-restaurant because of extensive damage to the park from Sandy.* Sandy QuikStart electrical program is suspended because(SI Advance) * Sandy Relief Center Looted on Christmas(NBC) * Winter Storm Brings Flooding, But Nothing Close To Sandy (NY1) * Residents Say Despite Little Flooding From Storm, More Work Must Be Done (NY1) * Bronx Woman Heard About Newtown Massacre, Decided It Would Be a Good Way to Make Money(NY Mag)* Assemblyman William Colton is urging the Cuomo administration to waive extra DMV registration fees for New Yorkers who lost vehicles in Sandy. * Along Coast, Hurricane Left Housing Market in Turmoil(NYT) * Unemployment Deepens Storm’s Loss as Businesses Stay Closed(NYT) * NYU Langone Reopens for Surgery as Its Recovery Moves Ahead(NYT)



You Think Your A Little Late Daily News?
Daily News op-ed: "The danger of closing 'asylums'"

Creedmoor tweeding project revision(Queens Crap)

From the Queens Chronicle: The Indian Cultural and Community Center has revamped plans for building senior housing on the campus of the Creedmoor Psychiatric Center. The project has been embroiled in controversy since it was first proposed. Now that the group wants to add an extra 17 apartments to the mix has civic leaders and at least one elected official furious. “The ICCC continues to amaze me,” state Sen Tony Avella (D-Bayside) told the Chronicle Wednesday. “There are two open investigations. The community and elected officials are dead set against this plan, so why the ICCC continues to pursue this is beyond me.”
 

Top Queens stories for 2012(NYDN)

Which Train’s Coming Next? Strangers, Take Your Positions!(NYT)


Bklyn Murders Down Robberies Up In Flood Zones
Brooklyn murders down; robberies in Sandy-ravages nabes(NYDN)* Homicides Down for 2012(WSJ)


Harlem foster child finds A GUN in Christmas gift donated at SoHo church(NYP) * Outcry Over a Newspaper’s Map of Handgun Permit Holders(NYT) * Cuomo and state legislators appear unlikely to hold a special session on new gun regulations, while Democrats and Republicans work towards a compromise on gun control legislation that could be adopted early in the legislative session, LoHud reports 

 NBC host may have broken law when using gun prop on 'Meet the Press' -- and cops say network was fully aware it was illegal(NYDN) * When it comes to firearms Killers still prefer pistols for their crimes(NYDN) Despite all the attention swirling around assult weapons, reports from the Division of Criminal Justice Services reveal handguns are still the No. 1 killer * Some of the police officers who responded to the Sandy Hook shooting are so traumatized they haven’t been working, but they have to use sick time and could soon be at risk of going without a paycheck.

Feds arrest NYC woman in fake Newtown charity scheme(NYP) * Blogger Retaliates Against Gun Map, Publishes Addresses Of Newspaper's Staff * David Gregory gun trouble (NYP) * Blog turns tables on gun map paper(Politico) * RT : Poll: Record number of Americans against ban on handguns *
Federal investigators have identified the buyer and seller of the illegally owned weapons used in the Christmas Eve shooting that left two firefighters in the Western New York town of Webster dead. They have turned over the information to New York State Police. *  Why and How We Cover Noah Pozner's Death(Forward) * Bronx Woman Posed As Relative Of Newtown Victim For Fundraising Scam, Authorities Allege (NY1) * Teachers Flock to Gun Training(ABC) * Many celebrities have joined Mayor Bloomberg’s efforts to pressure Washington to pass gun control legislation in the wake of the Sandy Hook massacre.* Woman Posed as Aunt of Newtown Victim to Commit Fraud, the F.B.I. Says(NYT)
Feds trace fire freak’s illegal gun(NYP) * For Fire Victims in Upstate Ambush, a Chance to Grieve and Survey the Destruction(NYT)*2 Webster firemen thankful for surviving 
ambush(WABC) * Criminal charges are reportedly imminent against one, or perhaps two, women who helped the Webster shooter, William Spengler Jr., procure the guns he used in the attack. * Smoking out trouble in Van Nest(NYDN) Police officers smoked out a gun-toting criminal in a Van Nest apartment house known for rampant drug dealing and use.*DN: The fact that Spengler got his psycho hands on a Bushmaster speaks volumes about why assault weapons be banned.

The TU criticizes Cuomo’s veto of a bill that would have taken unclaimed bottle deposits and put them into an ever-shrinking fund to pay for environmental initiatives.

Who knew Tom Cruise would dance with a person from Queens?!(Capital)


NYT Travels to Queens
NY Times' Queens coverage is in travel section(Queens Crap) So the NY Times’ Metro desk is supposed to cover Queens, but they have it in their travel section. Twice.36 Hours? In Queens, Enough Frugal Options for a Week * 36 Hours in Queens, N.Y. OMG, everything is so exotic and ethnic there!

The EPA announced a proposed cleanup plan for Brooklyn’s Gowanus Canal that includes removing some of the contaminated sediment and capping dredged areas.

McDonald’s trips cost city high school secretary $9,000(NYDN) * Chain reaction leads up, up, uptown!(NYDN) From Applebee's and Starbucks to Dunkin' Donuts and Costco, national brands are flocking in record numbers to uptown ZIP codes

Queens 'High Line' Moves Closer to Reality with $467K Grant(DNAINFO)


M.T.A. Challenges the City Over Billboard Restrictions(NYT)
The city wants to remove 12 billboards in a fight against visual pollution, but the Metropolitan Transportation Authority says revenue from its signs helps subsidize commuter fares. New York City officials say that 12 MTA-subsidized billboards next to highways in Queens and the Bronx violate zoning regulations, while the transportation authority is challenging the Buildings Department on the restrictions in court


‘Nothing We Can Do,’ Rescuers Say, for Whale Beached on Queens Shore(NYT) * Ill Whale Comes Ashore(WSJ) * Fin Whale Beached Near Breezy Point(WABC) * Update Beached Whale in Queens Presumed Dead(NYT) * Whale Found On Queens Beach Has Died (NY1)



Washington
Ex-President George H.W. Bush in intensive care(NYP) * George H.W. Bush in Intensive Care(WSJ)* The ailing 88-year-old former President George H.W. Bush has suffered a “series of setbacks,” and is now in intensive care in a Texas hospital.*  RT : George H.W. Bush's World War II service + Distinguished Flying Cross > * Ex-President George HW Bush in Intensive Care - TIME



Over the Cliff We Go

Nearly all the major players in the fiscal cliff negotiations are starting to agree on one thing: A deal is virtually impossible before the New Year. Boehner says "the lines of communication" with the Senate & WH remain open and House willling to work on key problem "which is spending." "The Senate first must act," said Boehner in a written statement yesterday, before the House takes any further action on 'fiscal cliff.'
President Obama returns from Hawaii vacation to face fiscal cliff deadline(NYP)
Folks freak at size of tax hikes if fiscal cliff isn’t averted in the coming days(NYP)
* Senators to Return With 5 Days Left and No Clear Fiscal Path(NYT) * Fiscal Endgame(NYT Ed) * Debt Ceiling Nears as Talks Are Stymied(WSJ)
Obama's Tax Raising Obsession - Charles Gasparino, New York Post
The Message Starbucks Should Put on Its Cups - Jonathan Cohn, TNR
Obama's Legacy: $20 Trillion in Deficits - Paul Roderick Gregory, Forbes
Republicans Rejecting Their Own Ideas - E.J. Dionne, Washington Post
Geithner's Warning Nothing But Politics - David Harsanyi, Human Events
Holiday Doldrums for Republicans - Charles Blow, New York Times
Romney Never Inspired Voters to Vote - Michael Barone, DC Examiner
After 2012, Tea Party's Clout Diminished - Trip Gabriel, New York Times
The Tea Party Has Not Yet Begun to Fight - Joel Pollak, Breitbart.com
Don't Nickel & Dime Our Seniors - Rep. Jerrold Nadler, USA Today

The Collapse of Public Policy - Daniel Henninger, Wall Street Journal
Deficit Isn't as Bad as They Want You to Think - Evan Soltas, Bloomberg
The Lessons of Benghazi - Sen. Marco Rubio, FOX News
Newtown and Toulouse - Cecile Alduy, The New Yorker
Cautionary Tales of Gun Control - Joyce Lee Malcolm, Wall Street Journal
Top Science Stories of 2012 - Berezow & Pomeroy, RealClearScience
The Door-Opener to America - George Will, Washington Post
Fiscal Endgame - New York Times
State Dept's Benghazi Baloney - New York Post
Kerry Well-Suited for Secretary of State - Washington Post
Hard Newtown Questions - Wall Street Journal
Fiscal Cliff Gets A Little Steeper: Geithner Tells Congress U.S. Will Hit Debt Ceiling Limit On Dec 31
Poll: Most back tighter gun laws but oppose re-instating federal assault weapons ban(Poll)
The Five Hosts Take On Republican Pessimism, Greg Gutfeld Compares GOP To ‘Vampire-Killers
Hawaii Governor Names New Senator -- And Rejects Legend's Dying Wish(Huff Post)
Lisa Jackson to step down as Environmental Protection Agency head(NBC)
The new Hawaii senator says global warming is "the most urgent challenge of our generation" (Buff Feed)
FiveThirtyEight: House Divisions Sharpen as Swing Districts Decline 
Harry Reid: We’re headed for cliff and it’s GOP’s fault(Politico)
MSNBC Panel Shockingly Defends Hagel's Anti-Gay Comments: 'It Was A Different Time' 
Boehner spokesman: 'Reid should talk less and legislate more'
E.P.A. Chief to Step Down, With Climate Still Low Priority(NYT)
Some D.C.-Area Starbucks Baristas Are Ruining Operation Come Together, and Consequently, America(NY Mag)
The Countdown to John Boehner’s Rocking Fiscal Cliff Eve! (Vanity Fair)
Breaking: Congressman Ed Markey WILL run for John Kerry's US Senate seat, he tells the Globe: 
House Called Back Sunday Evening . . .  to Vote on Something Maybe City Room: New York City Agency Warns of Local Fiscal Problems Ahead(NYT)
The House will come back on Sunday, and report
BREAKING: House of Representatives to reconvene on Sunday -  
BREAKING: House Majorirty Leader Eric Cantor announces the House will reconvene at 6:30 p.m. Sunday night  
House members advised that the chamber may be in session through Wed., January 2. The new 113th Congress convenes noon Thurs., Jan 3.
Boehner says he’s “not interested” in passing a fiscal cliff deal with “mostly Democrat votes"(Politico)
* Exasperated Candy Crowley Asks: Why Isn't Obama 'Dealing With Boehner?' (VIDEO)* Stocks on Wall Street fell more than 1 percent this afternoon after Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said that the country was unlikely to break the fiscal impasse in Washington before the end-of-year deadline.
[image] Senator Reflects on Long Career (WSJ)Only a few of Sen. Joseph Lieberman's colleagues attended his final speech on the Senate floor, during which he reflected on his 24-year career in Congress and called for increased bipartisan collaboration.


Pol outrage at bogus State ax (NYP) Congressional leaders were up in arms yesterday after learning that senior State Department officials remained on the payroll after the agency said they had resigned over the botched security at the Benghazi consulate “* State’s Benghazi baloney(NYP ed)
* Egypt’s Flawed Constitution(NYT Ed)
 \
Galleon Group insider trader Raj Rajaratnam to pay $1.45m in civil suit settlement(NYP)

Retired Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf dies(NYP) * U.S. Commander in Persian Gulf War(NYT)



‘Dognapper’ was in jail three days before heist: DA(NYP)
Prosecutors Eye Doctors' Prescriptions(WSJ)  * NYPD looking for 2 suspects in 6 robberies(WSJ)
* Record suit $lap at NYPD(NYP) The number of lawsuits against the NYPD jumped by 10 percent in the 2011 fiscal year, with cases involving alleged misconduct leading the way, according to a report by Liu’s office. * Hit-by-own-bullet cop fires suit at city(NYP) * NYPD looking for pair of suspects in 6 robberies(WABC)* Man Stabbed on Pike Street on Christmas Night(DNAINFO)

Suit Settled Over Claims of Sex Abuse at Poly Prep(NYT)

Woman Fends Off Sex Attack in LES Park: Police(NBC)

Woman allegedly shoves man into path of train in Queens: Cops(NYP) * Man Pushed To Death In Front Of Subway Train; Police Search For Suspect

Man Pushed to His Death in Front of a Subway Train Yet Again(NY Mag)