Albany Leaders Near Deal on a Budget - New York Times

Albany Leaders Near Deal on a Budget - New York Times

According to my sources, Spitzer's budget opposition (1199 SEIU) have halted their statewide operation. It looks like Spitzer has come to a compromise, State Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno realized the budget had to be cut somewhere, Speaker Silver was already pushing for a middle ground. The budget cuts to healthcare will affect 96, 000 healthcare workers compared to the 300,000 as originally feared.

Muslim cab drivers tell airport they won't bend in alcohol dispute - International Herald Tribune

Muslim cab drivers tell airport they won't bend in alcohol dispute - International Herald Tribune

Private business people making decisions based upon their personal religious beliefs to turn down who they provide service to. One side of the ideological aisle outraged by that fact that personal religious beliefs are being imposed on the general public. Am I writing about taxi cab drivers turning down fares... or pharmacists refusing to fill Plan B (emergency contraception) and contraception prescriptions.

A wide range of conservatives have worked themselves up into a fury about Somali Taxi cab drivers in the Twin Cities turning down fares from the airport because of their religious belief in following Sharia law that forbids them to be in the even near alcohol. So Rush Limbaugh, Glen Beck, Michelle Malkin, and paleo-bloggers filled to the rafters have taken aim at these people of faith (just not the right faith in their eyes) with outrage exclaiming "how dare you force sharia law onto us!?!"

Why wouldn't these same paleo-thugs come out and defend the general public in the case of radical christianity being imposed on the general public? The answer: because they are basically dishonest, and lack any integrity. The same way that private businesses cannot deny their products or services based on gender, color, creed or national origin, the taxi cab drivers do not have the the right to withhold services due to their personal belief. If the cab drivers cannot perform the duties that could reasonably be expected of them (until prohibition comes back into fashion includes carrying people after they have stopped in at the airport duty-free shop with a bottle of wine) they should not seek out employment that conflict with their beliefs.

An observant jew should not expect to get a job at Burger King and refuse to touch a cheeseburger or a egg & bacon croisanwich and to continue to hold that job. A Catholic medical student should not do a rotation at a Planned Parenthood with expectation that they can deny their professional obligations to provide less than Pro-Choice medical service. A muslim truck driver cannot be chosey as to what cargo he is hauling (as long its legal). A budhist cannot apply for to be a waiter at Peter Luger's Steakhouse expecting to only be serving tofu.

New York City's Taxi and Limousine Commission has spent the last 10-15 years cracking down on taxi drivers that pass on African-American fares, and the same type of crack down should occur in the Twin Cities of Minnesota.

Spitzer Eases Up on Tough Talk of a Shutdown - March 27, 2007 - The New York Sun

Spitzer Eases Up on Tough Talk of a Shutdown - March 27, 2007 - The New York Sun

Coming to his senses a little bit Governor Spitzer turns down the steamroller rhetoric, admits the possibility there can be compromise from his plan of take nearly all the money from healthcare and give it to middleclass property cuts and suburban schools, and Senator Joe Bruno's plan giving away the store as if money grows on trees. In my honest estimation I do believe closing the government would play very well in the press for more than 2-3 days. The NY GOP needs some issue to make Spitzer look like the bad guy and the healthcare workers getting screwed by the Governor's budget would be able to mobilize school districts that depend on the budget being on time to form their budget that goes to people to be voted on in late May. When everyone is trapped in their own hyperbole of how horrible the other side is problems never can get solved and Spitzer being the most visable face he will get most of the blame. Joe Bruno and Speaker Silver will never win a popularity contest statewide but they do not need to, they only need half their conference (in the Senate and Assembly repectively).

Spitzer closing up shop to show he has big huevos

IT'S ELIOT'S MOVE - Editorials - New York Post Online Edition

The difference between Clinton's government shut down in 1994 and Spitzer's threat of government shut down next week; they are on opposite sides of the same issue. Spitzer fearful of raising taxes on corporations or the wealthy (which he is) boxes himself into a corner and forced to make the argument that the large aspects of social service are not necessary. Clinton's government shut down showed how much we did need a government which made Newt Gingrich kowtow back to Clinton and open up the government with new taxes on the wealthy that led to the budget surpluses in late 90's. Spitzer should have never made the campaign promise that he would never raise taxes since he has four years in which babyboomers retiring and going to all need social services like Access-a-ride, prescription drug benefits, Medicare and even Medicaid.

Enough with the Ivy League bravado, Eliot, tax the wealthy and give the people of New York the government we deserve.

Charles Hynes is a screwup

Editorials - Opinions - NY Daily News

NY Daily News jumps on the bandwagon to justifiably blame Charles Hynes for not doing his job to protect and serve the people. Hopefully the black establishment backs someone that is more capable than State Senator John Sampson to run against Hynes in 2009. Paul Wooten who had been a candidate in 2005 seemed more than capable to take over the DA's office from Hynes, and he would not be hindered by the traffic on the Marine Parkway Bridge in the morning since he lives in Fort Greene. Brooklyn needs a new DA in 2009, and the demographics of the Democratic Primary almost ensures that the next DA will be black.

P.S. State Senator John Sampson maybe a good senator and if wanted higher officer he probably should run for Brooklyn Boro President, but for god sakes this man should never be a public prosecutor. I saw him on the campaign trail 2005 he never really could speak in complete sentences, and he advocated that if he were elected as DA he would open grand juries to the public. Opening up grand juries to the public is not what a competent lawyer or law student who has taken Con Law would ever propose, since it is clearly stated in the constitution and precedence of common law.

WHAT DID JOE HYNES KNOW?

WHAT DID JOE HYNES KNOW? - Editorials - New York Post Online Edition

Charles "Joe" Hynes incomptence cost the life of young woman who was being stalked by a mentally deranged rapist who had a history of threatening his victim so as she would not testify in court about the rape.

Walsh targeted over war vote

Walsh targeted over war vote

Edwards Campaign to go on despite wife having a recurrance of cancer detected this week

The New York Observer Politicker: Edwards' New York Crew

This probably was quite a relief to latest staffers added just a couple of days ago all from NY

Do OVER!: Candidates file for Brooklyn City Council seat again

Ledger3-21at12am.pdf (application/pdf Object)

These are the candidates that filed for the second special election to fill the Congresswoman Yvette Clark's city council seat.

Mathieu Eugene

Harry L Schiffman

Darly Brutus

Marie Gina Faustin

Wellington Sharpe

You may ask yourself why is there a second special election? The Febuary 20th Special Election for the 40th City Council District was won by Mathieu Eugene to become the first Caribean born elected official in NY and possibly the nation, but he had not actually lived within the district by election day. So now we have the Extra Special election on April 24th. Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes broke precedent and donated $250 to Mathieu Eugene's campaign, which directly the opposite of what he did to John O'Hara in 1996 when his address came into question.

John O'Hara had run against the Brooklyn Democratic establishment in the early 90's and became an annoyance to Charles Hynes so the District Attorney decided to prosecute Mr. O'Hara with misdemeanor of perjury for living at his girlfriends while being registered at an apartment he was still paying rent on several blocks away. Both addresses were within the Assemblyman Brennan's district (the district he ran to represent in Democratic primaries) and yet the Breazy Point, Queens, NY resident DA Hynes felt that O'hara deserved prosecution.

Latest poll may dispel fears of Clinton losing the general

Ohio (OH) Poll * March 22, 2007 * Clinton, Obama, Edwards Run Be - Quinnipiac University

This latest poll of 2004 ultimate battleground state O-HI-O, has former first lady leading America's Mayor Giuliani by 3%. Though within the MOE it shows a big get in the general election for Hillary, since Giuliani is leading the pack of Republicans running for Prez. Ohio along with Arkansas, and maybe Colorado* could all go Hillary's way that didn't go for Kerry or Gore.

*With hosting 2008 Dems Convention and Congressman Mark Udall running for the open US Senate and likely will win due to lack of a bench for the GOP in Colorado.

Sleepers: Life imitates Film

Texas Senate Votes to Fire Youth Board - New York Times

How is this not making it onto cable news for their regular repetition of stories. This far more interesting and affects far more people than Anna Nicole Smith or last year's never ending story Natalie Hollawell disappearing in Aruba. 250 children being molested while being held in juvenile detention. The Texas Youth Commission (TYC) holds 2,700 youth prisoners, 9% of the prison population were repeatedly raped and molested by the prison guards! I am guessing the story is not being reported as much because the children that are being molested are poor and non-white. The news rooms of this nation are entirely off their rocker. The catholic priest scandal that truly broke in the summer 2002 didn't any where nearly as many children sexually abused and certainly not all in the same state.

Republican Jim Walsh: loves when our soldiers are killed

Daily Kos: Republicans fail to learn the Vote Vets lesson; still voting to kill troops


Republicans like James Walsh voted to send our troops to war without proper body armor. Dan Maffei didn't seem to be the guy to take him last November, but in CNY has to do the right thing on behalf of our brave soldiers and send him packing in 2008.

Memory like a Goldfish

President Bush just had press conference stating that the White House will not allow any staff to testify under oath regarding AG Gonzalez firing 8 US District Attorneys for political reasons. Bush stated that the only way protect Executive privilege is never allow White House staff to testify under oath.

Bill Clinton testified via video conference to Whitewater investigation under oath, as well as a good deal of his White House staff. Executive privilege is still intact.

It was in the first months of the Bush Administration that Vice President Cheney chaired the Energy Committe compromised of... right the administration says they have to have unfettered access to people's opinion so they cannot even let out who was actually on the committee or the fragile executive privilege would disappear forever.

If you lived your life as if everything you did or said would appear on the front page of the New York Times, you would never do anything that would embarrass yourself. What does it say about the Bush administration that seems to never want anything it ever does to be in the public light.

If we were to put the Bush administration under the same moral metric that the president puts on the victims of the Patriot Act, that if you do not have anything to hide and nothing improper was done then why be concerned about your staff telling the truth under oath.

Putting Students First - March 19, 2007 - The New York Sun

Putting Students First - March 19, 2007 - The New York Sun

So after being endorsed by 1199 just about a year ago, Spitzer is willing and able to leave the union and its members out to dry. You think that SEIU 1199 would have been so eager to push Spizter had they known that they would have made out to be the enemy in Spitzer's very first budget.

What of the rest of organized labor's bretheren? No other union is even attempting to put the squeeze on Spitzer or other state elected officials. This New York Sun article spells it out succinctly that next year the teachers union will be on the chopping block as Spitzer builds his street cred for being brass-balled-take-no-prisoner-tough. Spitzer for all his ivy league bravado fails see that weakening the bulwarks of the progressive establishment in New York State, weakens his own base.

To paraphrase Martin Niemöller
When Spitzer came for the Healthcare workers,I remained silent;I was not a I did not work in hospital. When Spitzer locked out the teachers, I remained silent; I was not a teacher.When Spitzer came for me,there was no one left to speak out.

United Press International - Consumer Health - Report: College substance abuse rampant

United Press International - Consumer Health - Report: College substance abuse rampant

23% of full time college students abusing illegal drugs and the mindless Rockerfeller Drug laws should mean that District Attorneys all across New York State should find some chutzpah and bring it home to lily-white suburbanites parents that it is their kids and their money that fuel the drug trade. Rockerfeller Drug Laws would fall within a week if New York County DA Morgenthau arrested & prosecuted the Olsen twins, or Albany County DA David Soares arrested 20% of the SUNY Albany campus. Soares being a strong opponent of the Rockerfeller drug laws should be looking at this as a great opportunity push this issue to the forefront of public policy.