Category: News and Opinion

Gus Wagner is an 82 year old World War II veteran who served in Japan where he got jungle rot on his feet as a souvenir of his time there.  His fondest memory of his military experience was returning to America on a ship that crossed the Pacific.  At night he would lay on the deck looking up at the clearest night sky this New York City boy had ever seen with an infinite number of stars shining so brightly. 

Starhawk writing from California the day after the election reports that her state stayed dry above the red tide that swept most of the nation.  Jerry Brown after 30 years returned to the governor’s office and Barbara Boxer was returned to the U.S. Senate following their battles against wealthy opponents who spent fortunes trying to buy the seats.  The prodigal child of the west stood high on the liberal summit.

Mickey Carroll of Quinnipiac and I are in Thursday’s NY Post writing about why New York resisted the Republican wave.

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/unions_made_the_ny_difference_fXoANAW05YY9wnyY2B8RuJ

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/staying_dry_in_gop_flood_NKIL0jcTgWFlARbzWHZl1I

But this is not the first time this happened.

If anyone under 55 thinks the election changes anything for their future, they are pretty much wrong. The details may have changed. They may face even more reductions in their old age benefits, rather than even greater tax increases. They and their children may be living with a deteriorating, third world infrastructure rather than groaning under the weight of more debt. If they choose to work for the government, they may have their pay and benefits cut to fund the enriched retirement benefits of those who went before, while those who went before do less and less work because they are “underpaid.” But one thing has not changed.

Generation Greed will not be asked to give back anything. Neither will producers of public services, who have become richer and richer in total compensation compared with everyone else not on Wall Street. Governor-elect Cuomo proposes scaling back retirement benefits, but only for future public employees, while the public employee unions are allowed to provide worse services. The retired will continue to pay vastly lower taxes on the same income than workers, workers who will later face poverty without retirement in their own old age. Republicans in Congress say entitlements must be “reformed,” but those reforms cannot affect anyone age 55 or over – cannot affect the best paid generations in U.S. history. In fact, they owe their electoral success in part to promising to eliminate the modest restrictions on Medicare spending the Democrats put in place. Will anyone talk about this? Will anyone at least force them to admit it? Will those under age 55 finally wake up, or will Generation Greed be allowed to keep taking and taking – without paying?

FROM: ROSCOE CONWAY

TO: GATEMOUTH

A Statement from President Conway:

"The American people have spoken, and I have heard their voices. Americans demand action and action (*pounds podium for emphasis*) now.

"Therefore, I call upon Speaker-Designate Boehner to submit for Congress' immediate consideration a balanced Federal budget. Each day we wait for his solution tightens the yoke of indebtedness about generations yet unborn.

Let me first extend a heartfelt apology to State Senate Democratic Floor Leader for implying a coupla weeks ago that his shifting of staff into Antoine Thompson's race was ill-advised and ill-motivated.