How Close We Came To Losing Our Privacy

Mike Papantonio talks with Jon Mills about how dangerous the Bush regime was:

Albany, Show Us All Of The Money!

Yesterday we found out, or had the choice to find out the salaries of everyone that works for the New York State Government. Well, almost everyone. See the politicians have their state salaries listed, but those are technically part time jobs and the citizens that elected them are not allowed to see where they have other incomes, especially if it creates a conflict of interest. That is exactly what we are still seeking.

From The Poughkeepsie Journal:

"This should be the top ethics issue going into next year's session," said Blair Horner of the New York Public Interest Research Group. "Right now we have the combination of a lousy disclosure law and nonindependent oversight."

State law requires lawmakers, who are part time even though their government salaries are $79,500 a year (plus stipends), to report any sources of outside income of more than $1,000 to the Legislative Ethics Commission, which is made up of a majority of lawmakers and has never publicly criticized a lawmaker.

Lawmakers also report to the commission ranges of their income, in six categories ranging from less than $5,000 to more than $250,000. The public can see the sources of the income, but not the categories of the amounts.

Keeping such information secret "confirms the worst suspicions of cynics who say that the elected representatives don't work for the people - they have outside interests that have primacy," said Susan Lerner, executive director of Common Cause New York.

And that is exactly how the system works, for the politicians and their outside entities that no one else is allowed to see. Seminerio is only one example of a massive problem we have up in Albany. Lawmakers say that changing the rules will scare good candidates away from running, but does anyone really buy that excuse? Good candidates shouldn't have to be afraid of where they work. What they have done, want to do and their overall record should prove to the people what kind of politician they are. Helping to hide those outside sources only adds to the general taint of what goes on in our state's capitol.

Paterson's State Of The State For 2009

I don't know if you had an hour and change to kill during the middle of the day to see the Governor's State of the State speech, but I did. Gov. Paterson addressed a lot of different items, many of them we know from his earlier roll out of the plan for the 2009 budget. Much of what he said we already know, shared sacrifice, tough times, sugar tax, etc.

What I liked hearing was his mentioning of preventive care funding and getting away from how we currently waste dollars in our state's health care system. Attacking that issue at the root cause is the smart thing to do for the future. So is expanding health care from parents to children from ages 19-29. Also, putting money into education is another great way to invest in the future. New York is in tough times now, and the only way to dig ourselves out is to do it smartly and to prepare for brighter days ahead. They won't come unless you lay out the road to them.

Unfortunately, the Governor is taking away from education by raising tuition for students that are having trouble affording college as it is already. Also, as the People's State of the State addresses, the crisis we are in now is due to the greed of the wealthy in and around Wall Street. Everyone is suffering due to their incompetence and failure. As Mark Dunlea of the Hunger Action Network mentions, the speech in Albany is always (and was) more positive than the realities out there. If the Governor wants to get real about our problems and ways of solving them, we need to have fair taxation for all, not just those that like sugary soft drinks.

Paterson is good at talking with us, now let him know how you feel about what he's offering and what we need to add to the budget to make it work for all of us.

Joe The Plumber In Israel: You Can't Make This Stuff Up

How sad is it that in our culture we laud people like Joe the Plumber and actually send them to report on the situation in Israel. What an insult to the remaining journalists that work to cover the tragic story over there.

Ex-MTA Boardmember Caught Using Police Tags Illegally

While Governor Paterson talks high and mightily about the future of New York State, here in New York City things are business as usual. Paterson briefly mentioned the MTA and building the projects that were proposed eighty years ago, such as the Second Avenue subway line. That certainly sounds exciting, unlike the story of ex-boardmember Alan Friedberg.

From The NY Daily News:

Alan Friedberg left the MTA board six years ago, but he's still tooling around town in his snazzy red Jaguar with a police-issued parking permit.

Friedberg defied an order from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to return an MTA police-issued permit that lets him park just about anywhere.

On Sunday, Friedberg took full advantage of the perk - stowing the $76,000 luxury vehicle in a restricted zone on 43rd St. near Broadway theaters. His traveling party Sunday included his wife, wrapped in a full-length fur coat, and another couple.

"This vehicle is on official police business," states the MTA Police Department placard displayed prominently inside the 2008 Jag.

How is it that an ex-boardmember still has a tag that expires in February of this year is ridiculous. While the MTA asked for the placard back last year, it should have been forcibly taken from him after he initially refused. And when illegally used, police should have towed his car and impounded it for him his fraudlent use of the perk.

Mayor Pressured Out Of Suite-Heart Deal At New Stadiums

Mayor Bloomberg was looking forward to having a free luxury box at Yankee Stadium and Citi Field this year, but that is just not in the cards for him and his staff anymore. Approximately $2 billion dollars has been shelled out or asked for from the city (meaning us, the taxpayers) to finance both new ballparks. Of course that is a lot of money, especially when it could have been used to save programs needed by the poor and to curtail rising property tax rates. So the Mayor wanted to paid in the some fashion. Now that enough pressure has been applied, he is shying away from that pricey perk.

From NewsDay:

NEW YORK - Mayor Michael Bloomberg's administration will forgo luxury boxes at the new Yankees and Mets ballparks, the city said Tuesday after months of criticism about its handling of the stadium projects.

The administration has worked out a new deal with the Yankees to get extra money, instead of a luxury box. A separate and similar agreement is being worked out with the Mets for their new park, a Bloomberg spokesman said.

Senior Bloomberg aides had fought hard to get the luxury boxes, describing the perk in internal e-mails as "a big issue to the mayor" during negotiations with the teams in 2006.

That battle for the boxes only recently came to light as state and federal lawmakers launched investigations into how the teams and the administration went about making those deals.

Of course, Bloomberg is only doing this because he is running for re-election. He doesn't want New Yorkers to see him for who he really is, an out-of-touch plutocrat that cares nothing for the average New Yorker. To him, it is all about image and nothing in terms of actual substance. He'd rather see the ballparks built with our money than people getting real economic relief. As Assemblyman Brodsky says, "This whole thing has been an embarrassment."

Bush And The Blair House, Pettiness To The End

This really is the act of a five year old. Refusing Obama and his family use of the Blair House has been a major pain not only for Barack but the Secret Service and the Hay Adams hotel. Sigh, at least there is less than two weeks to go until the grown-ups are in charge again.

Brennan Center Re-Checks Sheldon Silver

Earlier this week the Brennan Center put out a report showing how broken our state's government is. Speaker Sheldon Silver, being one of the key players in keeping things the way they are, responded to their findings. Unfortunately, the truth is too much for Shelly's attempt at spinning and the Brennan Center comes right back to put him in his place.

From ReformNY:

In response to yesterday’s release of the Brennan Center’s report Still Broken: New York State Legislative Reform 2008 Update, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver issued a statement suggesting that our report misrepresents the legislative process in the Assembly. We thought we’d set the record straight. Our responses to excerpts from Silver’s statement (in italics) are below.

In analyzing the work of the legislature, the Brennan Center report completely omits the state budget, as well as countless bills that pass either house every year.

This is incorrect. The analysis that forms the basis of the report included all of the budget bills listed on the New York Legislative Session Information page for 2006 and 2007 except the Legislature and Judiciary Budget Bill and the State Debt Budget Bill in each year. The statistics regarding substantive floor debate, meaningful dissent, and committee deliberation regarding these bills generally conform to the poor performance of both houses in considering the rest of the major legislation analyzed in this report.

The fact of the matter is that while the budget process in New York has become somewhat more transparent in the last few years, it is still far too opaque. Budget deals are still cut behind closed doors – once the budget bills are drafted, most details of budget reductions, tax increases, and member items are briefed and debated outside of public view.

The response to the response goes on, picking apart all of what Silver has to say for himself and defusing his nonsense. The modus operandi for people like Silver for the longest time has been to pretend things are transparent while working extremely hard to make important documents exceedingly difficult to decipher.

Good government groups try hard to unwind the mess, but because there is so much to entangle, by the time we can see what is going on the damage has already been done. It is important though that things do get untangled and places like the Brennan Center document the opacity of our state government so that people are more aware of the problems created in Albany. Hopefully because of it, the public gets motivated to actually do something about it.

Majority Leader Smith

Well now it's official, Malcolm Smith has come out on top and is our newest State Senate Majority Leader. He announced the news with the Gang of Three in tow last night up in Albany, after hammering out a deal. The infamous three each got their cut of power and lent Smith their vote for him.

From PolitickerNY:

Smith said he would be "conclusively" elected tomorrow, in a session presided over by State Senator Neil Breslin before David Paterson delivers the State of the State address.He was joined in conference by the gang of three, who then emerged by his side to announce details of the deal.

The agreement gives leadership posts to the gang of three -- Senator Ruben Diaz Sr. will chair the Aging Committee, Senator Carl Kruger will chair the Finance Committee and Senator-elect Pedro Espada Jr. will be vice president of the Senate for urban policy, as well as vice chair of the rules committee and chairman of the Committee on Housing Construction and Community Development.[...]

Smith also pledged several rules reforms, including measures that would record votes to discharge bills from committees and that pertain to amendments on the floor will be recorded (they are not currently under a rule known as 'canvass of agreement'). More rules reforms were promised, and will be announced in two months after a commission studying the chamber makes recommendations, Smith spokesman Austin Shafran said.

The people of New York have certainly been treated to a roller coaster ride from these pols and finally this part of the ride is over. Of course, we have plenty of twists, turns, drops and jolts to come. One thing that is still up in the air is the issue of gay marriage and no one is sure where those chips may fall. The budget though will come first and seeing this new Democratic group deal with the Governor's proposal promises many fireworks when programs are actually strapped down on the chopping block for a waiting axe.

So Smith got away with his deal and has the ultimate power (and the highest lu-lu) but at what cost. Each of the three in the Gang got their own sweet deals though this time it was acceptable enough to the rest of the Democratic caucus. If I were one of those other 28, watching this drama unfold teaches one terrible lesson, that if you want power in New York, do your best to steal, connive or trick your way into it.

Congressional Drama In 100 Seconds

TPM knows how to clip the first day back for Congress, and to fit in some Obama and Richard Simmons too:

Dems Take Gender Into Account For New House Rules

It may sound insignificant in the scheme of things, but the House of Representatives did something nice for all those who support gender equality. I'm sure Newt Gingrich and Denny Hastert had too much on their minds when they were Speaker to change the language of the House, but Nancy Pelosi took the time to equal things out.

From ThinkProgress:

In its new package of rule changes, the House has finally decided to make its official language gender neutral, recognizing the growing representation of women in Congress (including as Speaker of the House). Gone are references to “he,” “chairman,” and phrases such as “his duties.” From the resolution:

Read the full list of changes here (gender neutrality language beginning on p. 9).

Of course the actual legislation passed by this new Congress matters far more than a simple rules change for the 435 members of the House. Yet it is still a positive move and frankly, it was always odd to call a woman a Chairman...striking the "man" part works out just fine. Furthermore, it breaks down one of the small institutionalized settings that have helped to favor men over women for centuries.

Justice For The Arabic Language

Despite the high and lofty ideals set forth in the Constitution, all men are not treated equally (even though they are created as such) and because some of us rely heavily on fear, others' rights are taken away in the name of false security. Sometimes the silliest situations make for the best examples, such as what happened to Raed Jarrar at JFK as he was flying JetBlue back in 2006. In response to his wearing a t-shirt with Arabic writing on it, a few passengers made a ruckus and JetBlue forced him to change and sit in the back of the plane. Not a bright idea on their part, now it's payback time.

From The ACLU:

NEW YORK -- In a victory for constitutional rights, two Transportation Security Authority (TSA) officials and JetBlue Airways have paid Raed Jarrar $240,000 to settle charges that they illegally discriminated against the U.S. resident based on his ethnicity and the Arabic writing on his t-shirt. TSA and JetBlue officials prevented Jarrar from boarding his August 2006 flight at New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport until he agreed to cover his shirt, which read "We Will Not Be Silent" in English and Arabic, and then forced him to sit at the back of the plane. The American Civil Liberties Union and the New York Civil Liberties Union filed a federal civil rights lawsuit on Jarrar’s behalf in August 2007.[...]

On August 12, 2006, Jarrar was waiting to board a JetBlue flight from New York to his home in Oakland, California, when he was approached by two TSA officials. One of them told Jarrar that he needed to remove his shirt because other passengers were not comfortable with the Arabic script, telling him that wearing a shirt with Arabic writing on it to an airport was like “wearing a t-shirt at a bank stating, ‘I am a robber.’”

Jarrar asserted his First Amendment right to wear the shirt, but eventually relented to the pressure from the TSA officials and two JetBlue officials who surrounded Jarrar in the gate area and made it clear to him that he would not be able to get on the plane until he covered up his shirt. Terrified about what they would do to him, Jarrar reluctantly covered up his shirt with a new t-shirt purchased for him by JetBlue. The lawsuit later revealed that JetBlue and the TSA officials did not consider Jarrar to be a security threat. Nevertheless, even after he put the new shirt on, Jarrar was allowed to board the plane only after JetBlue changed his seat from the front of the plane to the very back.

JetBlue and the TSA should be ashamed of themselves for this behavior. While ordinary passengers are entitled (unfortunately) to their ignorant fears, representatives of airlines and a government agency should know (or at least act) better and respect people's rights. A t-shirt with Arabic is just as threatening as one with English, Spanish, French or Farsi. It is time that Americans start to understand that.

Obama In D.C., Ready For Business

We are still a little over two weeks away from the Obama Administration's official start, but now that the President-Elect is in Washington, it is time to get down to the business of working on our fiscal calamity:

Burris Denied Entry By The Senate

Today is the first day of the 111th Congress and already we are seeing fireworks, unfortunately the unnecessary kind. Instead of getting and focusing on action that the American people deserve, we have the drama that is Roland Burris. The ethically tainted and disgraced Gov. Blagojevich appointed him, yet he is not officially certified by the Illinois Sec. of State. Burris also went there knowing that a majority of the Senate (the Dems that is) made it clear they wouldn't seat a Blagojevich choice, even before that choice was made. And now the drama begins.

From TPM:

Burris just made a brief statement to reporters, after his credentials were rejected by the Secretary of the Senate. "Members of the media, my name is Roland Burris, junior Senator from the state of Illinois," Burris said, in an effort to establish his legitimacy. "I presented my credentials to the Secretary of the Senate and was advised that my credentials are not in order, I will not be accepted, and I will not be seated, I will not be permitted on the floor."

He then added that he was not seeking any kind of confrontation -- but did not expressly rule out any lawsuit. Instead, he said he would be consulting with his attorneys on what his next step will be.

It is ridiculous that as a country have to be subjected to this nonsense. Now there'll be lawsuits, multiple press conferences and missing Senators from the chamber that will impede the business of the people. And this is just the beginning, already we have DiFi and Rockefeller protesting the Panetta pick for CIA head and Reid and Pelosi have already proven themselves as weak leaders in the previous Congress. Barack certainly has his work cut out for him if he is to have a successful start to his Presidency.

So Much For Change In The State Senate

It seems that Malcolm Smith has completely forgot about his little speech after the first deal with the Gang of Three fell through. Back then he and his members were ready stay in the minority instead of making self-interested deals for the Gang. Senator Smith said it was supposed to be about reform and changing the government *cough* bulls**t *cough*. So much for that, Albany is clearly going to stay exactly the same, just with a (D) instead of a (R) controlling the strings in the Senate.

From The NY Daily News:

One source said that Sen. Carl Kruger, a Brooklyn Democrat and a leader of the rebel Democrats, would become chairman of the powerful Finance Committee, and Sen. Ruben Diaz Sr., a Bronx Democrat and another so-called Gang of Three member, would become chairman of the Aging Committee. Bronx Democrat Sen. Pedro Espada Jr., who under a previous deal that fell apart was to become majority leader, would receive an "influential policy position," sources said.

"Espada will come out the most senior and influential Hispanic in state government," one source said of the Bronx Democrat.

Unlike the previously aborted deal, the positions of president pro tempore and majority leader will not be decoupled. Smith (D-Queens) will hold both titles.

Also, Kruger's Finance Committee will not get a separately funded staff, a source said.

So there are a few changes, limiting some power from the original deal, but the fundamentals stay the same. Basically, Smith is foregoing any appearance of having principles to attain power by giving unearned power to three Senators who threatened his lust for becoming Majority Leader. From now on, if a Senator wants to rise up in the ranks, he or she will know that it is best to make threats at the expense of the institution and their party instead of, you know, actually deserving it.

The Coal Truth Is Being Hidden In Tennessee

The traditional media won't report more than what TVA spokespersons tell them, so why don't we just go around and see what the coal sludge disaster actually did to Tennessee's rivers, valleys and people.

Sandra Diaz, National Field Coordinator for Appalachian Voices, Hurricane Creekeeper John Wathen and Watauga Riverkeeper Donna Lisenby paddle up the Clinch and Emory Rivers to record the conditions after a 5.4 million cubic yard spill of coal waste from the Tennessee Valley Authority's Kingston Coal Plant.

Bush Cites His Failed Attempt At Privatizing Social Security As A Success

Up is down and left is right in the Bush Administration. Even when George Bush isn't using outright doublespeak, what he says makes absolutely no sense at all. Two of his ever-lasting cheerleaders, Fred Barnes and William "The Bloody" Kristol went to interview him and extolled his greatness, even if the examples of it were disastrous failures.

From ThinkProgress:

Speaking of Bush’s legacy, Barnes reports that the president cited his push to privatize Social Security as his biggest domestic policy accomplishment:

On domestic policy, Bush was asked if he made progress in some areas for which he hasn’t and probably won’t get credit. Topping his list was his unsuccessful drive in 2005 to reform Social Security. Bush said his effort showed it’s politically safe to campaign on changing Social Security and then actually seek to change it.

He also said it was important to have raised private investment accounts as an attractive option in reforming Social Security.

It seems odd that Bush cited an unsuccessful effort as his biggest domestic policy achievement, but understandable given that he doesn’t have much else to consider. But not only was Bush’s drive to privatize Social Security an utter failure, the concept is also widely unpopular with the American public and if enacted, it would have had disastrous consequences for Americans’ retirement funds.

Billions upon billions, even trillions of dollars could have been lost had Bush won that legislative battle. Highlighting that episode is even stranger because it marked a turning point in his Presidency. It was only a few short months after being re-elected and his popularity plunged when he tried to privatize the third rail of American politics. His response to Hurricane Katrina did him in, but this was what started his long decline.

Term Limits Debate Gets Its Day In Court

Bloomberg got the City Council to vote against the wishes of the people this past October and extend term limits, but the fight over the issue is hardly over. While the Mayor is still deciding on whether to ask the Feds to give their seal of approval, the courts are looking at whether what the Mayor and Council did was legal. The key question of course is, if the Council can overturn the referendum that the people passed twice in a row without having their consent.

From The NY Times:

Each side tried to make its case, and the judge, Charles P. Sifton, acknowledged how difficult a decision this might be for him.

“We’re talking about different interests,” said Judge Sifton, whose ruling will essentially decide the makeup of the citywide ballot. “It’s difficult to convert into some common denominator.”[...]

Overturning the law extending term limits would most likely cause chaos in the city’s political world, compelling politicians who would be forced out of office to come up with new plans and candidates who had given up running against entrenched officeholders to rethink their strategies.

Judge Sifton, who last month denied a city request to have the case moved to Manhattan and combined with another lawsuit challenging the law, did not set a date for his decision. “I’ll issue a written opinion as fast as I can,” he said.

Sifton certainly has a lot on his plate here. Even though he denied Bloomberg's attempt at making these lawsuits go away faster, the Judge's opinion is far from being known. He is certainly aware of the stakes here and most likely his decision will be appealed one way or the other. Regardless, Sifton represents the judicial branch of government here in the city, and he must act as a check on the Executive and Legislative sides that have clearly run amok of the will of the people.

Whether it be denying Bloomberg outright or demanding a special election (there'll be quite a few coming up for newly-vacated City Council spots anyways), something must be done to stop the travesty committed just two months ago.

Can You Guess Who's Getting Ready To Slow Obama's Stimulus For America?

Well Mitch McConnell for one, but the many of the Republicans remaining in Congress will do their best to stop money going to the middle class instead of the wealthy that have benefited so well over these last eight years. If Mitch wants a fight over that, he'll get one.

Caroline's Support Dropping Faster Than A...

Insert your comparison here, it looks like Caroline's attempt at getting herself installed the next Senator Kennedy is not doing so well. Despite her "listening" tour upstate and new found fondness for diners, New Yorkers are not buying her excuses for Senatorial chops. When her name was first raised to take over for Sen. Hillary Clinton people loved her for her name. Now that we're all getting acquainted (or not) with her things aren't looking so good for the future of the dynasty.

From TPM:

The last month's publicity hasn't been kind to Caroline Kennedy, with a new survey from Public Policy Polling (D) showing that she's now being trounced by state Atty. Gen. Andrew Cuomo as the choice of New York voters.

Cuomo now leads Kennedy 58%-27% as the one that voters would like to see Gov. David Paterson appoint to the Senate, with a 54%-34% spread among Democrats only. In last month's poll, which tested Democrats only, Kennedy had a 44%-23% lead. So a 21-point Caroline lead among Democrats has turned into a 20-point Cuomo advantage.

Wow, that is some quick movement on the polls. Once we start seriously looking at the potential appointees' credentials, it is easy to see that Kennedy, although a great woman, is clearly not ready to represent New York in the Senate. While Cuomo comes from a political dynasty himself, he has at least proven himself as a competent Attorney General that has actually won a state-wide race before.

Time For Malcolm Smith To Stick To One Of His Remarks

The United States Congress starts up tomorrow, nearly all set to go. Here in New York however, State Senators have until Wednesday and no one knows how things will turn out by the opening gavel. One thing is for certain is that the Gang of Three is still in business and is looking for the best deal possible for themselves, regardless of their constituents, their party or their state. The power they seek though, will either come from one of two men, Democrat Malcolm Smith or Republican Dean Skelos.

From The NY Daily News:

Senate Democratic leader Malcolm Smith - heir apparent to the leadership spot - met face-to-face with the so-called Gang of Three on Sunday night in the Bronx.

It was his first meeting with the renegade Democratic trio since a power-sharing deal brokered by Gov. Paterson imploded and imperiled Smith's standing with his fellow Dems.

The highly public death of the deal created a significant "trust issue" between Smith and the three senators - Ruben Diaz Sr., Pedro Espada Jr. and Carl Kruger - that Smith has yet to resolve, a Gang of Three source said.

"No one has a great deal of faith in [Smith] until this check clears," said the source.

"They've been down this road before. The old Clint Eastwood line comes to mind about your mouth writing checks your body can't cash. They're prepared to bury him if that's the case."

What "bury" means exactly here is still unclear. Skelos would love it if he could hold onto the reigns by having Espada, Kruger and Diaz caucus with him, but people who elected them are mostly Democrats and with the right messaging, will have nothing to do with those turncoats in two years time.

Smith clearly wants to be the Majority Leader but it won't happen the way he wants it with these three schmucks. If he were smart and could look further than right in front of him, he'd stick to a line he uttered when the first deal went kaput. That is, he should stick himself in the minority for another two years and do it right with a stronger and more principled Democratic party in 2010. With the Gang of Three viciously pursued out of office, it'll teach any other potential miscreants to be good Democrats instead of the selfish brats that make up the Gang.

So Malcolm, please, no deals, be a man and wait it out. Giving in to the gang's demands will sour Albany even more than it is now...and that is no short order.

And The Golden Duke Winners Are....

I saw this a week late, but the winners are all so deserving....as well as many of the runners up:



Hopefully 2009 will bring about less competition for these infamous awards.

Does The NY Times Think "Gay" Is A Beeping Word?

Censorship is generally never a good thing, unless you have some sort of family broadcast and a host inexplicably starts cursing and doing all sorts of inappropriate things. That is besides the point though. "Beep," "beep" and "beep" are good substitutes for "F**k," "s**t" and "a**." But the New York Times has added another beeping word to their mobile service that is either ridiculously careless or just plain stupid, homophobic and ignorant.

From Towleroad:

A bad word?

Text message someone an article with the word "gay" in the title from the New York Times' mobile website, and they may be a bit confused as to what you're sending them.

That's because the service replaces every instance of "gay" in a headline with the word "beep".

My friend Al sent a message to me on New Years Eve containing a link to Frank Rich's recent column about Rick Warren, and it arrived with the headline "You're Likable Enough, 'beep' People."

I wonder if Pastor Warren had anything to do with it? And how could the Times allow that to be censored, or was it the spitefulness of someone that works at their mobile server? Either way, someone in charge needs to do something about it or "beeping" heads will roll.

Galt Co. Continues To Profit After Deutsche Bank Indictment

It is absolutely sickening that events transpired the way they did in the Deutsche Bank building fire and subsequent deaths of two firefighters. There was plenty of blame to go around, to the Fire Department, the City, LMDC and the contractors. The John Galt Co., which is being held primarily responsible for the tragedy, especially after being kicked out of the demolition site and their eventual indictment. Yet, justice isn't that simple here in NYC and a few tricks by Galt President Greg Blinn shows how easy it is to get around such things as the deaths of Robert Beddia and Joseph Graffagnino.

From The NY Daily News:

The company quickly became a target of a criminal probe. On Dec. 22, Galt was indicted on manslaughter charges in the deaths of firefighters Robert Beddia and Joseph Graffagnino.

All of this has had little effect on Galt's president, Greg Blinn. Another of his companies, Regional Scaffolding, is still working at the Deutsche Bank and other public works projects across the city.[...]

After the fire, the agency barred Regional from future contracts, said spokesman Mark Daly.

The state has taken no such action with Regional. Ten months after the Deutsche Bank fire, the NYPD gave Regional a $4,700 contract to fix a sidewalk in front of a Bronx precinct.

Its nice that some agencies have realized the crooks they are dealing with and taken appropriate action, but obviously many have not. It is unacceptable that Galt and anyone associated with the negligence at the infamous site be allowed to work on any public project. Those who are culpable deserve jail time, not a state or city check.

A New Year, An Old Fight

The Sunday shows, like last week, were all about the conflict in and around Gaza:



Sadly, there's no end in sight here and the fighting will continue to worsen....and darken the hopes for the future.

Reid Talks Tough On Bush...But Where Was The Action?

Sen. Harry Reid went on Meet The Press yesterday with some harsh words for the outgoing Commander in Chief. At the beginning of the 110th Congress, Reid said Bush will go down as the worst President ever. The preceding six years (at that time) were horrific for our country and the Republican-dominated Congress was eager to let Mr. Bush have free reign over the nation. Well, dear old Harry was not about to back down for David Gregory's "tough" questions.

From ThinkProgress:

GREGORY: Before you go, do you have any regrets about the way you have publicly battled with President Bush?

Over the years you’ve called him a liar, a loser, and you’ve described him as, quote, our worst president ever.

REID: I wrote a book and I said that in the book several times. David, I am who I am. I’m going to continue being who I am. I think you just have to call things the way you see them.

I really do believe that President Bush is the worst president we’ve ever had. I think his efforts to destroy Social Security were very bad. That brought about one of those statements.

Gregory continued to pressure Sen. Reid on the statement, but the former boxer didn't waver, saying he was who he was. Well, words are great but his actions.....are a different story. As the Leader of the Senate for the last two years, Reid has bent over backwards to appease the President and in the spirit of "collegiality" has let a (close) minority of Republicans in the chamber to block crucial bills without an inkling of a fight.

Reid may sound strong on MTP, but "Give em' hell Harry" he certainly is not.

NY Legislature Claims Top Honor As Most Dysfunctional

Not that this is a big surprise to those that follow state politics here in the Empire State, but NY has the most crooked legislature in the country. The Brennan Center did the statistical and factual compilations and shows us just how bad things are in Albany. Last year was just another repeat of a broken system where personal greed is encouraged next to nothing gets done for the people.

From The NY Daily News:

Almost five years after nailing the Assembly and Senate as partners in America's worst legislative branch, the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University Law School has compiled a fresh set of scandalously damning data:

• The state's 212 lawmakers introduced 18,239 bills and resolutions in 2008 - triple the number introduced in the next-highest legislature and half again more than introduced in Congress.
• More than 90% of the bills made it only as far as press releases and then they vanished without serious consideration.
• Legislative committees - which should move the bills to up-or-down votes - existed in name only. They held almost no hearings and produced exactly zero detailed reports on major legislation.

And the list goes on and on. In a nutshell, bills brought up by individual members have no chance at all unless given a go by the Speaker of the Assembly and the Majority Leader in the State Senate. Nothing has changed in a long time in our capitol and without a lot of hard work on the people's part, Albany will continue to be the scourge of the nation.