Monday, December 17, 2012

The Electoral College is meeting — and the Board of Elections still hasn't finished counting

When the Electorial College Representatives Cast Their Ballot In Albany Today It Will Be Illegal Because the NYC Voter Count is Not Certified
NY's Soviet Style Election System

It Ok not to have a final vote before NY casts it Electoral College votes.  It Ok that over a million New Yorkers either waited on line for hours or left the polls before voting on election day.  This is because the NYC Board of Elections purpose is not to assure democracy to the city residences but to server as a gatekeeper for the city's incumbent elected officials and machine backed candidates. The media (except the Daily News), the city council with their fake hearings last month and all our elected officials are all in on preserving this corrupt of the city's election system. The BOE worked aound the clock this weekend and still will not finish in time for the Electoral College vote today at noon. They are counting every paper ballot they can to avoid the embarrisment of the election day count which has them down from the 2008 totals by 22.3% over a half of million votes less*  Electoral College makes it official (CNN)

The BOE Serves Incumbents and the Political Machines
The News chides the city Board of Elections for dragging its feet in certifying the November 6th election results so New York’s votes for president can be cast in the Electoral CollegeIt’s been nearly six weeks since Election Day, and true to  form, the most incompetent Board of Elections in the nation — that would be New York City’s — has managed to bungle a most important duty. That being to certify the Nov. 6 election results so New York’s votes for President can be cast in the Electoral College. The board, which has been counting and counting, still had nearly 100,000 ballots to go as of Friday. That means, as of yet, the panel cannot provide official results for the presidential race.

Missing Outrage At the Board of Elections Violations of New Yorkers Right to Vote
With the Electoral College required by federal law to “meet and give their votes” on Monday, the board was reduced to telling state election officials that we all know President Obama won, so go ahead and declare him the victor — without an accurate accounting of the final tally. Still, having failed to perform this key function, the gang that couldn’t count straight did manage to complete one official act last week. It okayed a raise from $89,000 to $115,000 for lawyer Raphael Savino, who just happens to the brother of Bronx GOP boss Jay Savino. Sheesh.*NY Electoral College to vote for pres in Albany(WSJ) 
* BOE History of Corruption and Incompetence 
 
BOE Employee CFB Deadbeat
Robert A. Hornak The Board of Elections Director of Machines and Queens GOP’s executive director, Robert Hornak was fined by the New York City Campaign Finance Board  for $5,528 for Failing to report and document in-kind contributions, Failing to respond to the Draft Audit Report, Failing to respond to the Initial Request for Documentation, Failing to file two disclosure statements and filing two late disclosure statements.

 

More Chumps Than Champs in 2012

Albany on a loser streak(Dicker,NYP)
Winners 
Cuomo, Bronx Sen. Jeff Klein, MTA Chairman Joseph Lhota,


Losers
Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, who was badly damaged by the revelation that, without public notice, he agreed to pay $103,000 in state funds to two women who had accused Brooklyn Assemblyman Vito Lopez of sexual harassment. 

Vito Lopez, of course, was another big loser. While he managed to win re-election to the Assembly, the revelations forced him to give up his position as Brooklyn Democratic leader, as well as his chairmanship of the powerful Housing Committee. Senate leaders, Majority Leader Dean Skelos and Minority Leader John Sampson, are both big losers. 



Guns Must Be Solved On the Federal Level, Mental Health Must Not be Cut On the State or Local Level




Gun Shops In the South Have More to Do With Shooting In NYC Than the Changing the State's Gun Laws
Fix the Problem Not Just Public Relations Most of the Guns In NY Come From Out of State Making NY Guns Laws Stronger Solves Nothing The breakaway Independent Democratic Conference leadership could face pressure from Senate Democrats to pass a gun control measure after the mass shooting tragedy in Newtown, Connectitcut, the News’ Ken Lovett writes: * Will gun control be the issue that splits the IDC from the GOP in the Senate? More here.  * ATF: Out-of-town guns overrunning NYC streets; mayor and NYPD ...



 Breaking: New Leader of the Senate Dems
BREAKING: Andrea Stewart Cousins, Westchester, wins leadership battle, ousting Brooklyn's John Sampson asSen Dem minority leader.*  Andrea Stewart Cousins is now 1st woman to lead a legislative conference in NY!
Senate Dem Leadership Battle Brewing(YNN)
Sampson vs Stewart-Cousins  

Officials in the 46th State Senate District will count 125 votes from Greene County today in a Fonda court house. Republican Assemblyman George Amedore’s lead shrunk from 111 to 47 votes after similar counting on Friday. The next step will be legal appeals. (TU) * Skelos Congratulates ‘Senator-elect Amedore’, Dems Will Appeal (Updated)(YNN) * Senate GOP: It’s About Illegal Guns(YNN) * The NRA’s Year In New York Political Giving(YNN) * Sen. Kevin Parker, D-Brooklyn, was not present for the vote, Diaz said.* Diaz said that the dissenters, who backed John Sampson, include himself, Bill Perkins, Adriano Espaillat and Eric Adams. * My full write-up on Sen. Andrea Stewart-Cousins' election to lead Democrats:   * UPDATED: NY Senate Democrats Choose Westchester's Andrea Stewart-Cousins To Lead *Democratic Senators Embrace Andrea Stewart-Cousins as Their New Leader



New York State Has Cut Mental Health Services
New York has one of the largest mental health budget, but between 2011 and 2012, New York cut its by $95.2 million. *States-make-deep-cuts-in-mental-health-funding - Chicago Sun-Times
President John F. Kennedy’s 
Role in Community Mental Health Care 50 Years Ago
Congress Never Provided the Funds For Kennedy's Program

In 1963, John F. Kennedy envisioned a system of care that would allow individuals to seek mental health treatment in their very own communities rather than an institutional setting. Since then Americans do dot want emotionally disturbed half way houses and mental health centers in their neighborhood. Which have left those with problems like the shooter in Sandy Hook on their own. .Special Message to the Congress on Mental Illness and Mental Retardation. Feb 5, 1963 * JFK and People with Intellectual Disabilities * Mass Shootings: Maybe What We Need Is Better Mental-Health Policy(MotherJones)

Hollywood postpones violent shows and movies after Newtown shooting


 The Stavisky Crime Family
A family affair for NY Dem$(NYP)Queens Democrats sure know how to keep it all in the family. State Senate Democrats steered more than $1.5 million in campaign money this year to the Parkside Group, the political consulting firm of Evan Stavisky — son of state Sen. Toby Ann Stavisky (D-Queens).Records show that Parkside also conducted polling for the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee. The firm scored a 2010 contract guaranteeing itself 80 percent of all DSCC business. How Corrupt Parkside Get Away With It(True News)


The Boyland Crime Family
The flimflam family (NYP) Folks were puzzled Thursday when state and federal officials raided the offices of a housing charity run by an upright upstate priest just outside Albany.
William Boyland Sr. spent two decades in the Assembly before bequeathing his seat to his son, William Jr., in 2003.Over the years, the Brooklyn duo sent $1.2 million in member items (taxpayer-funded pork) to Albany’s Altamont Program. Wouldn’t you know it, when Senior left office he got himself a job as a “housing coordinator” at one of Altamont’s Brooklyn shelters — even as the taxpayer money kept pouring in, an upstate newspaper reports.

The Diaz Family
 Senator's daughter pleads guilty to harassment The NYPD daughter of state Sen. Ruben Diaz -- sister of the Bronx Borough President -- pled guilty today to harassment for keying her ex-boyfriend’s car in August when he wanted to end the relationship. Sgt. Damaris Diaz, 43, who has been with the..



 Most of the Media Covers the Horse Race Not the Issues
Campaign 2013  John Lisyanski, a staffer for Council Speaker Christine Quinn, announced his bid to replace term-limited Councilman Domenic Recchia in his Coney Island-based district.* IDC Sen. Malcolm Smith could be a wild card, David King writes. (Gotham Gazette) * Top union operative headed to Quinn’s staff (CrainsNY) * Democratic Contenders Pile Up in Queens Borough President’s Race | The Forum Newsgroup




Will New York City Elect A Latino Mayor?(Huff Post)







Why Don't the Feds Go After Hevesi and Other Pols Pensions Who Have Done Time?
Feds aim to seize mob cops' pension money(NYDN)Federal prosecutors are going after the disability pensions that disgraced NYPD Detectives Louis Eppolito and Stephen Caracappa have been collecting while rotting in jail for murder


These Tragedies Must End
President Obama pledges action to prevent more mass shootings(NYP) * ‘These Tragedies Must End,’ Obama Says(NYT) * ‘Newtown, You Are Not Alone,’ He Tells Mourners at Vigil(NYT) * President Obama vows action on gun violence: 'These tragedies must end'(NBC) * Obama Joins In Mourning Victims(WSJ) * Obama: ‘These Tragedies Must End, And To End Them, We Must (WCBS) * Here’s the full transcript of Obama’s speech, which he delivered after meeting with the families of the victims and first responders.* NYTimes: Do We Have the Courage to Stop This? * Obama talks Newtown aftermath with aides, Cabinet:




Since the Assault Weapons Expired in 2004 Congress Ignored the Killer Weapon Until 20 Children Were Killed Friday
NRA's 'Shooting Illustrated' rifle of the year for 2011: Bushmaster ACR

Federal ban on assault weapons expires * Assault-weapons ban: What happened to 12 attempts to reinstate it ...
Mayor Bloomberg calls on President Obama to take action on gun control(NYP) * In Newtown, a Stiff Resistance to Gun Restrictions(NYT) * Rifle Used in Killings, America’s Most Popular, Highlights Regulation Debate(NYT) * In Town at Ease With Its Firearms, Tightening Gun Rules Was Resisted(NYT) * Cuomo: Gun Control A Federal Issue(YNN) * Some Unlikely Democrats Join in Push for New Gun Laws(NYT) * Silver: Gun Control Can Be A State Issue, Too * Connecticut school shooting: two US Senators call for assault weapons ban * It's been 6 years since the ATF has had a confirmed director. Imagine if that happened @ the Dept of Homeland Security * Mayor Bloomberg Releases Videos Demanding A Plan to End Gun Violence (Video) *
Mayor Bloomberg laid out a three-pronged plan for legislative action on gun control. *
NY assault weapons ban pocked with loopholes(NY World)


Senator Moynihan Said 20 Years Ago to Limit the Bullets
* Obama may consider a ban on high-capacity magazines, aides said. (WSJ)
*  Calls for Gun Limits(WSJ) * Town supervisor calls for gun show to be canceled(WSJ) * High court fight looms over right to carry a gun(WSJ) * Bloomberg Calls For Stricter Gun Laws; Newtown Church Gets Death Threat(NY1) * Will Newtown Massacre Lead To Any Answers On Gun Control(WCBS) * New push to ban assault weapons(WABC) * Newtown itself is home to a number of unlicensed firing ranges and was the site of a fierce debate over gun control. Later today, the mayor will make an announcement with the victims’ families from “Tucson, Aurora, Oak Creek, Virginia Tech and from Daily Violence.”* NRA has deactivated its Facebook page and stopped other social media  * Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he would push to tighten the nation’s gun laws, and said revisions are needed to state gun laws. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, appearing on “Meet the Press,” did the same. (TU/DN) * What Cuomo Said On Gun Control(YNN)
* What Are Congress's Options on Gun Control?(Mother Jones) * CBS News poll tonight shows 57% of those surveyed favor more strict gun control laws, 9% less strict, 30% remain as they are. But CBS News poll also shows 50% believe stricter gun laws would have had no effect on the Newtown shootings.


Group of terrified first-graders tried to escape from crazed gunman Adam Lanza - but they didn't make it(NYP) * Media Spotlight Seen as a Blessing, or a Curse(NYT) * The Nation Heads Back to School With New Worries(NYT) * Town United by Grief Looks for Answers(WSJ)* Questions of why and how at churches in Newtown(WABC) * Newtown students may be moved to Monroe school(WABC) * RT : Our interview w/ the family of Victoria Soto, teacher killed in the shooting at Sandy Hook school  * Teacher's aide 'who wanted to help people with autism' was due to get engaged on Christmas Eve * Adam Lanza Had No Known Connection to Sandy Hook(NYMag)
Newtown plans victims' burials as school's future debated(NYP)*Crushed by guilt because they survived(NYP)* Governor Delivered Tragic News to Sandy Hook Parents(WSJ)*  School shooting: How do you tell a child his protectors are dead? (LA Times) * Funerals set for those killed in Newtown(WABC) * The first funerals for the victims will be held Monday and (Fox 5) * 25 Lessons About First Graders(NYT) * Newtown Begins to Bury the Victims(NYT)


No County For Children - The funerals start today
Some victims' funerals will be held at gunman's church(NYP) * New Yorkers ‘in solidarity’ with Conn. neighbors(NYP) * Painful Duty: Finding Words for Grieving Parents(NYT) *A Painful Duty: Consoling a Town Preparing to Bury Its Children(NYT) * Portraits of Victims(WSJ) * Little Girl Killed In Newtown Massacre Had Wanted To Be veterinar (WCBS) * The eulogy for 6-year-old Sandy Hook shooting victim Noah Pozner(NYP) * The eulogy for 6-year-old Sandy Hook shooting victim Noah Pozner(NYP) * The eulogy for 6-year-old Sandy Hook shooting victim Noah Pozner(NYP)
Mother devoted her life to Adam Lanza – then he ended it(NYP) Gunman Took Big Supply of Ammunition to School After Killing Mother at Home(NYT) * Shooter Drew Concern at School (WSJ) Adam Lanza caught the attention of Newtown High School staff members, who assigned him a high-school psychologist, while teachers, counselors and security officers helped monitor the socially awkward teen.

Told ex-babysitter to never turn back on future gunman: report(NYP) * Friends: Newtown Gunman’s Mother Home-Schooled Son, Kept(WCBS) * More details are emerging about the shooter, Adam Lanza, who left a very light footprint behind.* Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy confirmed Lanza was alive when police first arrived at Sandy Hook on the day of the shooting.* Nancy Lanza's friend: Adam was a "troubled child" (Today) * Divorce papers of Conn. shooter's parents made public. (NBC) * Former classmate of Adam Lanza talks to  


Education
Reading, ’Riting and Race(NYP Ed)The case involves a 16-year-old lawsuit, a handful of unqualified teachers who tried to cast their own failures as a civil-rights violation. Would-be teachers in New York must pass a state exam called the Liberal Arts and Sciences Test, or LAST, to demonstrate a basic grasp of English, math, history and science.* NYC students face tougher state exams in april(NYDN) * Kids in grades 3 to 8 will face much tougher questions on state math and English exams in April and May — and education officials expect scores to nose-dive. * Education Commissioner King sent an e-mail to superintendents Friday advising school leaders to be alert for students or staff who might be struggling in the aftermath of the national tragedy. * Schools in New York City were encouraged to review safety measures, which include posting security officers in lobbies and requiring identification from all visitors.



NYU’s Langone Medical Center will receive a $114 million grant from the federal government that will help the hospital reopen and restore full service by January after it was damaged by Sandy
Cuomo: $150M In Federal Funds To Aid NYU Langone Recovery * Schumer Visits VA Hospital Damaged By Sandy * Schumer Visits VA Hospital Damaged By Sandy(NY1) * Cuomo: $150M In Federal Funds To Aid NYU Langone Recove (NY1) * Cuomo Hopes Sandy Relief Package Will Help NYU Hospital  * Cuomo Hopes Sandy Relief Package Will Help NYU Hospital(WCBS)* Cuomo delivers $154 million in federal Sandy aid(Fox 5) * Cuomo Announces Release Of First Federal Aid For Damaged NYU Langone Medical Center (NY1)

In the Post, Russell Sykes, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, gives New York credit for exploring changes to its Medicaid program by providing financial incentives for patients to live healthier lives: * New York requires Medicaid patients to get some prescriptions by mail. It's not working out so well

 Cuomo has roughly 30 bills on his desk from the legislature that he must sign or veto by today, including one bill that would reinstate the state-funded health insurance for retired employees of the defunct New York City OTB, the Times-Union reports:

MTA repair speedup to slow overnight trips(NYDN)

Thruway Authority Says Fiscal Plan Will Avert Toll Hikes(YNN)
Judge rules Coney Island wooden boardwalk to be replaced with plastic planks(NYP)


Casino advocates and their opponents already are stepping up their political efforts in advance of the Jan. 9 kickoff of the state legislative session.







Gov. Cuomo Vetoes Bill To Let Catskill Regional OTB Operate In NYC(NYDN)Gov. Andrew Cuomo has vetoed a bill to provide health insurance to retired OTB workers, and to let Catskill OTB operate in New York City. 



Sandy 7 Weeks After
Staten Island, Hurricane Sandy And The Impact Of New Homes In Storm-Ravaged Areas(Huff Post)  * Stingy City Hall(NYT) Why is Mayor Michael Bloomberg making it so hard for people affected by Hurricane Sandy to get emergency food stamps? * Brooklyn Resident Brings Christmas Cheer To Sandy Victims(NY1) * Nurses will picket the home Bloomberg’s home this morning. (Crains) * R train back to Brooklyn by end of week(NYP) * The Senate’s Sandy recovery bill includes cash for salmon research and new cars for the FBI. * SUNY students forced by Sandy to withdraw from their studies can get tuition refunds thanks to a Board of Trustees resolution allowing university presidents to give back the money.* Brooklyn shoreline residents who want food stamps after Sandy must travel to downtown Brooklyn(NYDN)  * Mayor's Fund To Donate $1.4 Million To Sandy Recovery


'Civic Virtue's' momumental move to B'klyn(NYDN)


 Another Promise of Tax Relief for Co-op and condo Owners


 
Cuomo & Silver promise tax relief to city co-op and condo owners. Again. Tempted to just run the same exact story I wrote in July but won't.


State chooses cheapest Tappan Zee bridge replacement(NYP)
The Thruway Authority Board has approved a builder for a new Tappan Zee Bridge.

 Extell's Chief Thinking Tall for Midtown(WSJ)Gary Barnett, one of New York's leading developers, is planning a new Midtown skyscraper that could rise 300 feet higher than the Empire State Building, and he's has hired the architect who designed the world's tallest tower.


NY Times staffers are betting on how long their new CEO Mark Thompson will last.(Fishbowl)
We’ve told you how New York Times staffers aren’t too thrilled about their new CEO, Mark Thompson. They’re upset that the Times hired him when he’s embroiled in a scandal from his last spot at the BBC.
Now, according to The New York Post, Times staffers are putting cash behind that anger, as they’ve started placing bets on how long Thompson will be employed by the paper. The idea came after two big meetings with Thompson were pushed into 2013.* NY Times staffers pooling how long CEO Mark Thompson will last, sources(NYP)


 Washington
 Nixon to China? GOP Poses Millionaire Tax-Rate Increase
Talks Highlight a Structural Divide(NYT) * Kerry Is Expected to Be Named Secretary of State(NYT)
* GOP Proposes Tax-Rate Increase For Millionaires(WSJ)
Groping to Explain the Inexplicable - John Kass, Chicago Tribune
Obama: "These Tragedies Must End" - Landler & Baker, New York Times
Will Obama Seize the Moment on Gun Control? - Eleanor Clift, Daily Beast

The Mainstream Media Vultures Gather - Hugh Hewitt, DC Examiner
GOP Unreason on Health Care - E.J. Dionne, Washington Post
The Bureaucratic Nightmare That Is ObamaCare - Mark Steyn, NRO
CA Dems Begin to Make Plans w/Supermajority - Adam Nagourney, NYT
Time to Own the Election, America - Joseph Curl, Washington Times
2010 Midterms Coming Back to Haunt Blue Michigan - Molly Redden, TNR
Feds Dawdle as States Tackle Fiscal Problems - Michael Barone, Examiner
GOP Preps Assault on Electoral College - Reid Wilson, National Journal
God Help Us: There Is Evil in the World - Ben Stein, The American Spectator
We Need More Gun Regulations - Nicholas Kristof, New York Times
U.S. Must Change Culture, Not Gun Laws - Chris Selley, National Post
Federal Reserve Rolls the Dice - Robert Samuelson, Newsweek
America's First Big Digital Defeat - Gordon Crovitz, Wall Street Journal
No Flying Cars, But the Future Is Still Bright - Virginia Postrel, Bloomberg
Sunday Show Panels: This Week | FOX News Sunday | Meet the Press
Bob Schieffer's moving commentary on Newtown tragedy(CBS)

BREAKING: Breaking News: South Carolina Governor to Name Rep. Tim Scott to Empty Senate Seat, Republican Officials(NYT)
 Rep. Tim Scott to be appointed to succeed Jim DeMint in Senate, per news reports 
Nikki Haley to appoint Rep. Tim Scott to Senate On Guns & Violence, America Is a Failed State - The Guaridan * The GOP Is About to Have the Only Black Senator in the Country

South Carolina governor appoints Representative Tim Scott to fill Jim DeMint's Senate seat, he believes we should ‘never’ have ‘any’ gun regulation. * Conservatives thrilled by Tim Scott, via :

Dems Target Guns
After Newtown, and Before It - National Review
Shinzo Abe's Sumo-Sized Win - The Economist
Of Liberals and Loopholes - Wall Street Journal
Senate Democrats Closing In On Filibuster Reform(Huff Post)
Scarborough: Newtown Made My Previous Gun Views 'No Longer Relevant'
Meet The Press: No Pro-Gun Senators Would Agree To Come on
On his way to retirement, Sen. Joe Lieberman calls for term limits for senators 
Joe Lieberman backs term limits(Wash Post)
Pro-Gun Rights Senator: 'It's Time' For Gun Control Debate
Shooting May Cool Washington’s Partisan Passions(NYT)
Congressman Picked for South Carolina Senate Seat(NYT)
Tim Scott and the changing face of the Republican party (Wash Post)
Where the Senate stands on guns -- in one chart (Wash Post)
MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough launched today’s “Morning Joe” with a ten-minute address in response to Newtown, and called for a fresh look at gun laws – an about-face for the former Republican congressman.
President Obama and House Speaker John Boehner held their third face-to-face talk in eight days – a sign of acceleration in the negotiations that seek to prevent the country from going over the fiscal cliff. 
BREAKING: 88-year-old Sen. Daniel Inouye, the President Pro Tem, died from respiratory complications
Honor the Victims -- With Action - David Gergen, CNN
Connecticut, Dostoyevsky & the Loss of Innocents - Ross Douthat, NY Times
Bracing Political Reality of Gun Control - Jonathan Chait, NY Magazine
Let's Have That Conversation About Guns - Kurt Schlichter, Townhall
Tim Scott, a History Maker Twice Over - John Fund, National Review
The U.S. Budget & the American Dream - Reps. Hoyer & Johnson, Politico
Ring of Truth Behind 'Obamaphone' Complaint - Ana Marie Cox, Guardian
Hillary in Hiding - Daren Jonescu, American Thinker
What If Nothing Is to Blame for Sandy Hook? - Ron Fournier, Natl Journal
God Help Us: There Is Evil in the World - Ben Stein, The American Spectator
India Will Displace China as Growth Engine - Gary Shilling, Bloomberg
Inouye's last words, according to staff: "Aloha" (Wash Post)
In 2013 Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) will be the last remaining World War II veteran in Congress.
Washington Post obituary for Hawaii Sen. Dan Inouye.


Benghazi report out today(NYP)


Big Bank Admits Criminal Wrongdoing(Huff Post)







Law and Order
Innocent man free after year (NYP) In another black eye for the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office, a judge dismissed all charges against a 65-year-old man who had spent more than a year in jail.

SI father fatally stabs daughter's boyfriend(NYP)
Bravest’s new squeeze: strangle-case transgal  (NYP)Now they’ve both been acquitted of throttling transsexuals. Kinky FDNY hunk Taylor Murphy, who successfully fought off felony strangulation charges brought by his jealous, blond, pre-op transsexual ex-girlfriend, is now dating another woman wannabe with a far more serious strangulation on her rap sheet.

 Con trying to boot ex, kids from B'klyn apartment (NYP) A heartless Scrooge wants to give his ex-wife a lump of coal for Christmas — by booting her and their kids from a rent-stabilized Brooklyn apartment.

DA reopens unsolved 1992 case involving the 'saint of gay (NYDN)

Two men, including a Staten Islander, arrested on gun (SI Advance)

Car renter denies link to shooting(NYDN)