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.

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

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).

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

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?