What is a "fair price" to charge for a subway ride?

Before I start to answer that question, let me preface my remarks with this: I am not letting the MTA off the hook for their colossal waste of money on everything from their offices at 2 Broadway, to their interminable "construction projects" on, among other things, the #7 line I ride every day, to any other waste, fraud or incompetence. This is not about fixing that problem; this is about what's a fair fare. Got it? Good. Now...

Historically (for the last 25-30 years, anyway), prices have, up until the introduction of the MetroCard, varied more or less with inflation. Some fare increases have outpaced inflation, while others have fallen short.

Today, an average fare of about $1.75 would be in line with historical levels, after adjusting for inflation. Clearly, the $2.00 top price is too high, and even the "15% bonus" cards cost about $1.79/ride, slightly above historical averages. While that price is not far off from the average, any increase in that price, which the MTA is threatening, would be out of line.  read more »

From the Norm Siegel Campaign:

New Yorkers for Norman Siegel will be holding a birthday bash for civil rights attorney Norman Siegel as we rev up the campaign to elect him NYC Public Advocate in 2009. The celebration will take place at Azza Restaurant & Lounge on 137 East 55th Street (between Lexington and Third Ave) from 6:00-8:30 PM on Monday, December 1st.

The program for the evening features guest speakers State Senator Eric Adams, former ACLU Director Ira Glasser, Vanessa Ramos, Deputy Director for Policy at the Committee for Hispanic Children and Families, and Connie Steensma, Chair Emerita of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. There will also be a performance by the New York Granny Chicks of the Granny Peace Brigade. The event has already attracted a wide array of hosts and sponsors from all five boroughs, reflecting the diverse, grassroots, citywide campaign that New Yorkers for Norman Siegel is ready to wage.  read more »

Chalk one down for Bronz bigot Ruben Diaz: in his bid to keep gay people down and unwed, he seems to have carried the first round: Democrats won't introduce marriage equality legislation for the time being.

But now, party leaders have sent strong signals that they may not take up the issue during the 2009 legislative session. Some of them suggest it may be wise to wait until 2011 before considering it, in hopes that Democrats can pick up more Senate seats and Gov. David A. Paterson, a strong backer of gay rights, would then be safely into a second term.

Of course, all that could change the instant there's a special election for a Senate seat. Stay tuned, because there will be special elections this cycle.

Apparently (and not surprisingly) some of those sales pitches you get about switching your energy provider are actually scams. I want to pass along a warning on the scams and pass along my own view of a legit energy choice.

From Concerned Citizens of Greenwood Heights (a group I was not previously aware of, and thanks to Park Slope Neighbors for pointing them out) comes this info on a scam hitting New Yorkers (PDF):  read more »

Been watching the terror attacks in Mumbai and I keep thinking of how Bush has accomplished NOTHING in his time in the White House. Terrorism is still on the rise worldwide. The Mumbai attacks seemed targeted at business intersts, Americans, Brits, and Jews.

Among the dead are a NYC Rabbi and his wife, Rabbi Gavriel Noach Holtzberg and his wife, Rivka. They were killed in the attack on Nariman House. Their infant son was smuggled out to safety.

(Picture of Moshe Holtzberg being rescued, from Chabad Info)

For more coverage of the Mumbai attacks from someone in India, go to this Daily Kos diary. Or check out BBC coverage.

Sign the BoroughVoter.com petition asking elected officials to abide by the term limits voted on by the voters. The link is www.boroughvoter.com/?cat=55

The petition text is as follows:

We the undersigned ask all affected Staten Island elected officials to abide by the Term Limits law voted on by the voters of New York City in 1993 and 1996. Without a voter-approved referendum, we ask all Staten Island elected officials affected by the recent Term Limit extension to not abide by the City Council's vote. If it is true that elected officials represent their respective constituencies, then the unanimous vote by Staten Island City Councilmen against this measure should speak loud and clear on the behalf of all Staten Islanders.

Therefore, we ask all affected Staten Island elected officials to abide by the term limits voted on by the voters in 1993 and again in 1996.

My regular readers will know that I usually give my thoughts on the ambiguous meanings of Thanksgiving, and this year is no different. I think, though, that the election of a black man named "Barack Hussein Obama" to the Presidency gives us a bit of a good feeling this year that the often ambiguous ideals of America, celebrated in holidays like Thanksgiving, are closer to fulfillment than ever before. This year my thoughts on Thanksgiving are not that much different than last year's (unlike my recent Columbus day diary, which had some new info), but my thoughts this year do have a certain sense that America has taken a huge, historic step forward in fulfilling the ideals it was founded on. The election of Obama as President has caused even people like Black Nationalist Muhammed Yungai to reassess his generally angry feelings towards the US:

And now we have a President Obama! The mold has been irrevocably broken! The possibilities of opportunity in American life have been exponentially expanded.  read more »

Oh, horrendous - what a disgusting fat pig, right? With the drooping, open mouth that hints of imbecility, no less? Who can this person be?

Stay tuned.

One aspect of the likely nomination of Hillary Clinton to be Secretary of State has been completely overlooked: at a stroke, it removes Barack Obama's only serious, high-powered opposition within the party.

Consider the murmurings during late summer and early fall: that Hillary, if Obama didn't make it, or even if he did, could engage in another run for the top job next time around. That's not going to happen now. By offering her the senior cabinet office, Obama has effectively neutralized his main intra-party rival.

Or consider the question of money. As a Senator, Hillary could raise money to pay off her 2008 campaign debt; as a cabinet officer, she can't.

Then, look at the fate of Secretaries of State going back to Reagan: they get replaced after a single term. Bill Clinton, for example, replaced Warren Christopher with Madeline Albright.

If Hillary takes the job, she's going to wake up one morning in 2013 with no Senate seat, no power base, a big pile of debt, no Secretaryship, in short, nothing at all. Her big issue of healthcare reform, which she could have shaped from the Senate? Somebody else is going to take care of that.

You have to wonder if that's the point.

Among the recent anti-science, ignorant drivel from right wing Republicans was the tirade by radio talk show host Michael Savage. In the same tirade where he showed his ignorance and insensitivity towards children with autism, Savage also attacked children with asthma:

"[W]hy was there an asthma epidemic amongst minority children? Because I'll tell you why: The children got extra welfare if they were disabled, and they got extra help in school. It was a money racket. Everyone went in and was told [fake cough], 'When the nurse looks at you, you go [fake cough], "I don't know, the dust got me." ' See, everyone had asthma from the minority community."

This is just stupid. Really literally stupid, as well as mean-spirited. There is real science out there regarding the asthma epidemic and related allergy epidemic.  read more »

As part of their fare hikes, the MTA wants to double the price for Access-a-Ride, from $2 to $4.

People with disabilities already face many challenges, including a generally lower ability to earn a living. The MTA wants to hit them harder than everyone else with the new fare hikes.

Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, joined by other elected officials and advocates, will call on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to withdraw a proposal to double the current $2 fare for Access-A-Ride service for riders with disabilities as part of its budget for the next fiscal year, charging that the increase will be an increased burden on the most vulnerable riders, while producing minimal additional resources for the MTA budget.

WHERE:
Broadway and West 72nd Street
Outside the 1/2/3 Subway Station

WHEN:
SATURDAY, November 22, 2008
12 Noon

File this under stupid: the Bush admin wants to move the FDIC out of Lower Manhattan.

New York, NY: Elected officials will gather at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) regional office in Lower Manhattan on Sunday to protest the agency’s proposed move away from the Financial District, a move that would undermine our nation’s financial center, further erode investor confidence in the financial industry and unnecessarily increase the FDIC’s operating costs at a time of depositor need.

WHERE: Outside FDIC headquarters, 20 Exchange Place (east of William St.)

How about they, like, fixing the freaking economy instead of moving? Priorities, anyone?

There are still the usual caveats, but apparently, Senator Clinton has decided to serve in President Obama's cabinet as Secretary of State.

Hillary Rodham Clinton has decided to give up her Senate seat and accept the position of secretary of state, making her the public face around the world for the administration of the man who beat her for the Democratic presidential nomination, two confidants said Friday.[...]

Mrs. Clinton came to her decision after additional discussion with President-elect Barack Obama about the nature of her role and his plans for foreign policy, said one of the confidants, who insisted on anonymity to discuss the situation.

Mr. Obama’s office told reporters on Thursday that the nomination is “on track” but this is the first word from the Clinton camp that she has decided.

“She’s ready,” the confidant said, adding that Mrs. Clinton was reassured after talking again with Mr. Obama because their first meeting in Chicago last week “was so general.” The purpose of the follow-up talk, he noted, was not to extract particular concessions but “just getting comfortable” with the idea of working together.

All right, all you Clinton-haters: get control over yourselves.

The Develop, Don't Destroy Brooklyn (DDDB) website lists, just in time for the holidays, all the businesses that have been supportive of their efforts to preserve Brooklyn. Here's that list below:

RESTAURANTS AND BARS:

7th Avenue Donuts Luncheonette (Park Slope)
Diner fare and fresh baked donuts.
324 Seventh Avenue (between Eighth and Ninth Street)
(718) 768-0748

Al Di La Trattoria (Park Slope)
Park Slope’s perpetually packed, widely-acclaimed Venetian institution.
248 Fifth Avenue (Near Carroll Street)
(718) 852-1572
www.aldilatrattoria.com
(I can personally vouch for this one. Absolutely excellent! The sage butter gnocchi and the saltamboca (sp?) are among the best as is their frozen cappuccino).

Antonio's Pizzeria (Park Slope)
Pizza since 1950.
318 Flatbush Avenue (between Park & Sterling Place)
(718) 398-2300

Bacchus Bistro (Boerum Hill/Cobble Hill)
French bistro.
409 Atlantic Avenue (between Bond & Nevins Street)
(718) 852-1572
www.bacchusbistro.com

Beast Bar (Prospect Heights)
A unique take on Spanish tapas, and bar.
638 Bergen Street (at Vanderbilt Avenue)
(718) 399-6855  read more »

As you may have heard, Attorney General Mukasey (and New York native) Michael Mukasey collapsed during a speech yesterday. There's video.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery.

I've resisted writing about the budget crisis for a while, in large part because it's just so god-damned embarrassing. New York is the third-largest state in the union, with a population of nineteen million people, one of the largest economies in the world, a uniquely deep talent pool, and a budget, if you add it all up, of $200 billion. Pretty impressive, all told.

The problem is simply that forecasts suggest that the state will be spending more next year than is expected in revenue - a lot more. We can't borrow that money - there's no money to be borrowed anywhere, nor should the public borrow to meet current expenses. We've done that before, it didn't work out so well. So we need to either raise revenue, cut expenditure, or find some happy balance between the two.

If that seems reasonable and doable - we're talking about a cut of $5 billion out of, as noted, $200 billion - you don't know New York. The unions are already screaming at the top of their lungs that whatever cuts need to be made need to come out of a slice of the pie that is not theirs. The Senate republicans dragged the legislature to Albany, threw a hissy fit, and sent everyone home. Our friends at WFP have an answer as well, and it's the familiar one: raise taxes on millionaires. Meanwhile, Bigoted Shitbag - that's Ruben Diaz to those unfamiliar with the loving nom de guerre - is holding the entire state hostage to his fear that the Democrats may give the queers basic civil rights.

Okay, fine. So cut three billion in spending and raise another three with higher taxes on the moneyed elite. Simple, easy, and everybody feels some pain. Is that going to happen? Probably. But first, we're going to have weeks of dysfunction until the new Senate is seated, and in those weeks, everything is going to get worse.

Exciting, huh?

At last night's Independent Neighborhood Democrats meeting Assemblywoman Joan Millman gave us a grim outlook for next year's state budget. I hear the same issue was discussed at Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats as well. This comes the same day the MTA forcasts an equally grim picture (but in their case we always have to question the numbers of an agency that keeps two sets of books depending on whether they want to show a surplus or a deficit). And from Governor Paterson we are hearing ideas like raising CUNY and SUNY fees and cutting education and health programs (our biggest outlays).  read more »

ChangeNYC.Org was created to empower New Yorkers. As citizens, we all feel like we’ve been disconnected from our government for too long. That’s why ChangeNYC.Org is taking a strong stand to support a lawsuit brought by civil rights attorney Norman Siegel on behalf of a City Hall blogger and two other online journalists denied press passes by New York City.

We’ve begun an online petition calling on the City to reform its press credentialing system to assert and protect the First Amendment rights of bloggers. Norman Siegel’s lawsuit is so important because our City’s bloggers consistently do a better job of covering their neighborhoods, community issues, and local politics than the mainstream media. New Yorkers depend upon our online media to report the news as they see it, free of corporate bias and control. If our bloggers don’t have access to the halls of government, the people of New York won’t have access to the truth about City politics.

Please sign the petition below and forward it to everyone you know who cares about protecting democracy:

http://www.petitiononline.com/12151791/petition.html  read more »

Maybe it’s time for me to take off the kid gloves again. Maybe it’s time for me to start going after the many mistakes that Barack Obama makes; mistakes which some in mainstream media (and also in alternative media) tend to be lenient about. The campaign is over now, so those of us who didn’t want to negatively impact on his chances for victory can return from that hiatus from objectivity. He won.

I am quite perplexed by the many problems that Barack Obama often seems to create for himself: there is a pattern here. And because the media tends to be relatively lenient it doesn’t mean that he will forever get away from full scrutiny. Many times I have wondered if Obama really understands what he is getting into. Has this always been about raw personal political ambition? Is this about some death-wish for martyrdom? Or is this truly about “change”?

We don’t need just another ordinary American president right now: we don’t. We need an exceptional one: like yesterday. Barack Obama is inspirational, and that’s great; he gives many of us hope, and that too is great; since inspiration and hope often brings outstanding outcomes. But that’s not a given; we have got a long way to go.

Look; to many (myself included); re-cycling ex-officials and workers from the Bill Clinton administration is not quite our idea of change. Floating Hillary Clinton’s name for Secretary of State, when Bill Richardson offers him a chance to appoint the first Hispanic in the role, is nothing short of ludicrous. Especially after the many things the Clintons said about his foreign policy ideas during the primary. How do you square this? Are we still at politics as usual? Is this the change we can believe in? Or is “change” only a word? You know: “just words”? Words that gets you to the White House? And then what: same old same old?  read more »

Since I posted about the possibility of Congressman Vito Lopez a few hours ago, I have gotten bombarded with interesting emails from people with various opinions on the subject (most of whom apparently prefer to comment off the record for fear of retribution).

The most interesting tip I've received concerns a move Vito appears to be orchestrating behind the scenes to clear his path to Nydia Velazquez's Congressional seat. The Optimist's source, who claims to have inside knowledge of the dealings, says that State Senator Carl Kruger of Brooklyn, one of the three remaining members of the now infamous Gang of Three, has abandoned his push for State Senator-elect Pedro Espada Jr. of The Bronx to become Senate Majority Leader and now favors Senator Martin Malavé Dilan of Brooklyn for the job.

While no one seriously thinks right now that Marty Dilan could bypass Minority Leader Malcolm Smith and get elected to the State Senate's top post, the fact that these moves are even being made casts a fascinating light upon Vito's skillful maneuverings. If Dilan became Minority Leader, Vito would be rid of his chief potential rival for Velazquez's seat.  read more »

Please join organizers and activists for a Town Hall - The Future of Marriage Equality in New York State - this Monday at the LGBT Center.

Monday, November 24, 2008
Time: 6:00pm - 7:30pm
Location: LGBT Community Services Center
Street: 208 West 13th Street
City/Town:
New York, NY

On Monday, November 24th, we will join with Marriage Equality New York for a town hall meeting to discuss impact of the election results, not just in California, Arizona, Florida, and Arkasas, but also right here in New York State. We'll have a full update on the New York State Senate, the situation with Senators Ruben Diaz, Sr. and Malcolm Smith, and a discussion of next steps for achieving marriage equality in the Empire State.

It's really interesting to notice how the vote on Proposition Eight in California has galvanized and mobilized the LGBTQ community and its allies. Apparently, people are sick and tired of being shit on.

Lorraine over at Fingerlakes Wanderers Blog reminds everyone that today is the anniversary of the Gettysburg Address.

Gettysburg in late April is purple and green, the stone gray of the monuments interspersed along the paved roads that guide the tourists in their cars from blood-soaked field to blood-soaked field. The grass of the killing grounds has an emerald richness to it; blood is a great fertilizer, and the bits of brain, bone, and gore blasted into the earth those three days in early July of 1863 have left behind a tapestry of shades of green.

The Address, written by Lincoln on the back of an envelope on the train to the battlefield, has served ever since as a distillation of the ideas of citizenship and sacrifice for a common good. During a time when a significant slice of the population still suffers from discrimination, old and new, it calls to us to remember that all men are created equal.

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

There won't be any grandiose celebrations today, I'm sure. So raise a glass with friends and family to the better angels of our nature, and the great and enduring legacy of Abraham Lincoln.

All this talk about Hillary becoming Secretary of State has my head spinning.

If Hillary does take the job, she could single-handedly start a chain reaction that could change a good portion of the political landscape of Brooklyn overnight.

It all starts with the open U.S. Senate seat. As Liz Benjamin reported last week in The Daily News, Governor Paterson would likely appoint Brooklyn/Manhattan Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez to replace Clinton. The rationale behind the move makes sense. Paterson is under fire by a duo of rogue Democratic State Senators from the Bronx for the dearth of Latinos in leadership positions - a sharp thorn in Paterson's side given that the two State Senators are threatening to keep the State Senate in Republican hands if the Democrats don't make concessions. Elevating Velazquez to the Senate seat could go a long way to diffusing this criticism, while at the same time scoring points for Paterson with women voters.

Here's where things get crazy. If New York suddenly has Senator Velazquez, who is most likely to run for her Congressional seat?

(drum roll)

Vito Lopez!  read more »

"It is a function of government and politicians to invent philosophies to explain the demands of its own convenience." - Murray Kempton

A couple of weeks ago New York City’s term limits law was extended legislatively by the New York City Council and Mayor Bloomberg based upon the rationale that the City needs consistent leadership to get us through the coming economic crisis. The editorial boards of all the city’s daily newspapers made this exact case to their readers and our elected officials echoed their argument. Council Speaker Quinn said “given the level of economic tumult that exists, I have decided to change my position [opposing the extension of term limits] because I believe the potential of consistent leadership by this council and this mayor would be in the best interest of the city during these hard economic times."  read more »

I remember doing a column earlier this year which dealt with the Fox News Network’s (FNN) unfair and unbalanced handling of the election coverage; I don’t think it got much attention, although it should have. You see, from my perspective FNN had a vendetta against Barack Obama. I know that their response to this column will be, that other mediums were in the tank for him; and as such, they weren’t about to go down the same highway.

I am not going to sit here writing this without admitting that Barack Obama charmed the pants off of many a journalist’s/reporter’s typewriter: he did. And he did it with brilliant speeches, surprising (to them) primary and caucus victories, a high-quality political organization, his decorum, temperament, intellect and more. His reassuring calm -especially when under fire- was as admirable a trait as seen in any presidential candidate in contemporary times. It is possible that mainstream media gave him the half-decent treatment he deserved; something that he earned; and not their usual ferocious pit-bull attacks. Despite his mixed-race (he is a mulatto) they treated him like the full human being he is; something admirable coming from mainstream media.

When you tally the newspaper endorsements shared between Obama and McCain, you find that Obama got more endorsements than his rival by about two to one. At university campuses you could easily double that spread. Some early studies are showing that Obama also got more favorable stories (reports) than his rival by about the same two to one margin. To analyze the reasons why will take a dissertation, so I wont try to do that here.

Yet, during the entire election season -including both primary and general election campaigns- you found that Sean Hannity, Bill O’Reilly, Ann Coulter, Michelle Malkin, and other right-wingers who troll the shows on FNN, perpetually attempted to demonize Barack. They attacked his patriotism, character, associations, positions, affiliations, ideas, vision, and the like. And they did this relentlessly; in fact: almost non-stop. It was way above and beyond the pale. In my recollection, this was abnormal for any presidential campaign I have experienced first hand.  read more »