Author: Rock Hackshaw

When you discuss the NYC budget with city council member Charles Barron (East New York; Brooklyn), you come away with the distinct impression that he is one elected-official who spends a lot of time going through the many items listed. He was the only council member who voted against its adoption; and this isn’t the first time he has voted it down.

(I am going to do at least four columns over the next two weeks. One is going to be VERY EXPLOSIVE. So do stay tuned-in: now on to this column.)

I have made many comments about Charles Barron over the years. Some have been written, some have been verbal, and some haven’t been flattering at all.  Many have asked why I slammed the brother so hard -given that I claim to be the one person outside his wife, who was singularly most responsible for him being elected. The answer is simple: I knew of the brother’s political potential going in; and I now fear what it will be when he comes out.

Last week, I informed my editors that after August 31st, 2011, I will no longer be a regular contributor to Room Eight New York Politics. I am taking my columns to a select and semi-public audience. You will just have to subscribe to get them. And there will be no comments-section, since serious readers know how to get their feedback to me: they have been doing it for years. 

Let me explain that further.

It is easy to celebrate political victories. After all, they are generally years in the making; and sometimes they come after many a defeat, pushback and setback. Those who focus on the glamour of politics -the only game in town- often miss the forest from the trees. After all the celebrating, comes the harsh reality:”it (really) aint over till the fat lady sings”. 

So the same-sex marriage bill has passed both houses o f New York State’s bi-cameral legislative body; fine. And Governor Andrew Cuomo has quickly signed it into law: making hay while the sun shines on his kleptomaniac fingers. Cuomo is trying to steal the glory of this political victory; but let me put it this way: Andrew Cuomo is a full of crap on this one. 

The last time we saw William “Billy” Thompson (some call him “Bill”), he was trying to impress everyone that his chances of defeating Mike Bloomberg were way better than most pundits thought. He was absolutely correct: but he lost the mayoral election anyway. You see: a bunch of democrats sold him out. Those modern-day “Judases” drank the mayor’s Kool-Aid with one hand, and took his dirty money with the other.  Plus Billy just didn’t make his case as urgently as he needed to.

For the past six years I have been subject to ridicule, silly personal attacks, not too subtle put-downs, unnecessary critiques, invectives, epithets and the like: from folks who seem not to understand that I am not on the blogs to cuss out folks and enter into verbal tiffs near every damn column. I was invited to join this writer’s colony by the founders: it was their call to make me one of the original contributors. I didn’t ask for the invite. I was reluctant because I suspected that I would be subject to the very abuse I have received.

Donald Trump was invited to address a major gathering of American Indian Nations a few weeks ago in upstate New York. He spoke for almost an hour about his plans for increasing every Native American's present standard of living. He told them that he had supported every Native American issue that came up in the news media. He also stated that he hated western movies since they are politically incorrect. As you can inmagine, he told them near everything he thought they wanted to hear.

In 1993, when New York City voters faced their first referendum on term-limits for local elected-officials, sixty per cent decided on the imposition. In 2010, voters upheld this decision for a third time in seventeen years. The margin was even wider: three to one. The only offices left exempt from term-limits are those of the five district attorneys -one for each NYC County.