Category: News and Opinion

Reading the Hemlock Cup a book about Socrates and Ancient Athens our first democracy one realizes how much things have not changed. For instance the Greeks had a show trial and killed Socrates and we had McCarthyism.

One might say this is an inevitable symptom of democracy and we should just accept it because the benefits of our system outweigh the adverse side effects.

This is truly a foolish acceptance of a wrong doing that must be corrected by both ethical rules and legislation.

If Governor Cuomo agrees to allow school districts outside New York City to not pay required pension contributions in excess of 8.6% of payroll, even as New YorK City’s pension contributions for teachers soar above 30% of payroll (and that probably isn’t enough), he’s just like all the rest. In two years, those school districts would claim they couldn’t pay the pension funds back without “devastating” cuts. And the legislature would offer Cuomo two options. Raise taxes, some of which would be collected in New York City, to pay for the pensions of those who worked outside New York City (even as city services are gutted to pay for its own, separate pension system), or cut New York City’s share of state school aid to pay for the pensions elsewhere.

Over the past 20 years, while local government employment has fallen in New York City, it has risen by 130,000 plus future pension recipients in the rest of the state. New York City public services are already being cut back due to is own irresponsibility, and the irresponsibility the state government forced on it, and now the even more irresponsible local governments in the rest of the state want New York City to pay for that too. And the members of the state legislature who proposed this are the moral equivalent of the federal government’s Paul Ryan, who wants even more spending on senior benefits for those 55 and over with massive cuts for those younger. They are members of Generation Greed, and among its worst members.

A legal symposium on Bob Dylan and the Ruben “Hurricane” Carter case. The keys point for me were denial of due process and Scarlet Rivera's violin.

Multiple sources report that, encouraged by strong southern Brooklyn performances in recent elections, the State Senate Republicans are planning to take advantage of the much anticipated death of <

In my previous posts on the MTA, I suggested that the subway and commuter rail systems should break even on an “auto equivalent basis.” That is, fares and other operating revenues (from advertising in the cars for example) should cover the cost of buying, maintaining, and operating the subway and railcars, and collecting the fares. I also suggested that “rent” paid by drivers, in the form of tolls, in exchange for transit riders giving up their share of the street should cover the cost of the rail infrastructure. And local government contributions and station operating revenues (in store rents and station advertising) should cover most of the cost of the stations.

But what should be included in the costs to be covered as described? In particular, pension contributions, according to MTA consolidated budget documents, are expected to equal 20.7% of payroll (including overtime) in FY 2011, rising to 22.7% (and probably more (in FY 2014). Is that part of the cost of transportation today? And what about retiree health care? Yes and no.

Andrew Cuomo’s line, that he's a "progressive Democrat who's broke," is a fabulous, witty and insightful gem.

So Ryan is coming out with his proposal to eliminate Medicare and Medicaid. The details are sketchy at this point, and I’m not someone to deny that something has to be done and thus dismiss a proposal out of hand. Nor am I a Democrat looking for partisan advantage, or someone unconcerned with the deficit or the cost of government.

But I already know Paul Ryan and the Republicans are a fraud because no sacrifices will be imposed, and no changes will be required, for those age 55 and older. Which means those born in 1956 or earlier. Which means means those who were 17 in 1973, the year wages peaked for most American workers. The richest generations in American history, the first to leave those coming after worse off in the private sector, the ones that created all those deficits and debts and unfunded pension obligations in the public sector, the ones who wanted more senior spending and less in taxes, Generation Greed, gives back nothing. And there is a barely an acknowledgement of what this means in a moral sense. The plan is for the distinction between those under and over 55 never to be acknowledged, discussed and justified. With a help of the same media that is run by the same generation as government — and even the Tea Party. So entitled is Generation Greed that it is demands not only to get more benefits at the expense of those coming after, but also to have this hidden so they don’t feel bad about it. I’ll bet they’ll even say they are “doing it for the children.”

The Odd Couple: The two State Senate Democrats who voted against every budget bill were Tom Duane and Ruben Diaz.