Category: News and Opinion

Many folks complain that I don’t write enough about the happenings (and political gossip) in Queens, Manhattan, Staten Island and the Bronx: they are correct. I had always hoped that some activist type would come up on Room Eight New York Politics (www.r8ny.com) and cover those boroughs for us: but alas, it hasn’t happened yet.  In this “Vines” column I will try to touch on some races in the other boroughs folks; but you all know Brooklyn is where my heart is; after all, Brooklyn is my stomping grounds.

The laborious petition process starts in one month, and you can expect lots of action in the upcoming September primary races all over the city. In the immortal words (well, the gist) of Viola Plummer: Let’s pray that a few incumbents get “assassinated” or “whacked” (of course I am speaking politically/lol). 

Hudson Valley Gay Mobilization

By Michael Boyajian

I remember just a few years back when Marriage Equality New York decided to expand the battle for same sex marriage out of New York City and into the Hudson Valley and elsewhere around the state.  We organized a rally for Riverside Park in Beacon, New York and launched a press blitz to turn out support for the event.

One of the more hotly contested races to keep an eye on this year is once again the battle for State Attorney General.

Not lost on any candidate running for AG:

– The job of New York Attorney General has been national in stature.

– Election to NY Attorney General has been a very successful stepping stone into the Governor’s mansion. Notably Elliot Spitzer and Andrew Cuomo. (should the polls end up being accurate)

And adding to the unpredictability of this race is Cuomo's request for a balanced ticket. Regional balance, (Upstate Downstate) ethnic balance, and gender balance.

A Legal Declaration to Governor Patterson

By Michael Boyajian

As the former labor judge for the State of New York I can tell you this about Governor Patterson’s furlough plan, it is simply an illegal violation of the terms of the collective bargaining agreement between New York State and government workers.  It is a fundamental question of basic contract law that any first year law student can tell you the answer to or predict the judicial outcome of.  No Governor Patterson, contracts are not made to be broken.  People of honor are legally bound by them and to violate this sacred trust with state workers in order to save nickels and dimes is downright nonsensical.  Governor Patterson, rescind this furlough law because it will be the easiest decision any judge can make when ruling on its legal validity and striking it down.

Good Government: Contested Terrain

By Michael Boyajian

Paul Krugman in a recent New York Times column states that we need politicians who believe in good government because there are some jobs only government can do.  Of course he is talking about the Gulf oil spill and preventative measures that could have been taken.

Of Kings and Queens

By Michael Boyajian

I just read a colorful book on the kings and queens of England.  It occurred to me that I would very much like to meet a royal.  Looking at their portraits in the book makes you wonder if perhaps they did not possess some sort of divine authority.

As I picked up from The Daily Politics, the city has released its list of employees with their base salary in 2009, something I believe it is required to do by law. The list is in PDF format, which means it cannot be sorted, summed, or averaged. One cannot find the median pay for a title and/or a department, or calculate one title’s share of the total pay in a department. On the other hand the list is in alphabetical order by name, which means it is easy to find someone's name and cluck about their individual pay. If you're not out to gossip, each individual's name is a useless piece of information. And while the department each employee is in is spelled out, their title is not. I'm not sure if there is a glossary, or where it is.

According to the budget, spending on public schools will barely decline at all, even with pensions tabulated separately. Including pensions public school spending will almost certainly increase. Remember that, and the fact that the city’s non-teacher school expenditures are exceptionally low, when evaluating the education the United Federation of Teachers decides to provide in exchange for your taxes next year. Overall pension contributions will rise by $851 million dollars, taking into account past investment losses and retroactive pension enhancements, according to the budget. “In 2010, however, the pension funds are experiencing positive investment returns which are expected to lower required contributions commencing in 2012.” Those positive investment returns are based on financial assets becoming overpriced. See today’s financial news for a possible market response. The Chief Actuary is reviewing actual pension trends, and the city has set aside $600 million extra to cover the possible findings. It will not be enough, if the pensions are to be actually funded.

As public services are gutted in FY 2011, remember that its debt service will rise by just $340 million (assuming the text is right and not the table on p. 224), followed by an increase of nearly $2.5 billion a year later in FY 2012. That’s also when the federal stimulus spending runs out. And even more pension contributions are required, particularly for teachers, thanks to the 2008 deal that allowed them to retire years earlier. For the possibility of additional federal stimulus spending despite a large deficit, see the market response to conditions in Greece. Reality may wait for FY 2012, but it may also come sooner – after the state elections in November. Even before reality hits, the city will cut spending on libraries by well more than half. In this moment of need, moreover, help for the poor will also be cut. Excluding Medicaid, which is taken advantage of by the health care industry and the middle class and will rise a projected $243 million, not enough for the health care industry to stop objecting to cuts and threatening to let our babies die if they don’t get more. All this despite a series of city and state tax increases already enacted.

Harlem State Senator Bill Perkins is running for re-election this fall, and he could be in serious trouble.

Why?

This situation is a nightmare for any incumbent. There apparently won’t be any split of the opposition vote after Larry Blackmon-a deputy city parks commissioner has backed out of the race, and there’s the question of the role Mayor Bloomberg will play. Directly or indirectly.

Political consultant Basil Smikle –generally a well liked guy known for keeping the pulse of the community- will run against Perkins in the Democratic primary this fall – mainly challenging Perkins opposition to charter schools.

Look, I wasn’t born on the island of Puerto Rico, or on one of those little islands situated nearby (like Vieques for example); so one can say I have no standing on this matter of PR’s relationship with the USA: and that’s fine with me. However, like most things political in nature, I do have a healthy opinion; and the last time I looked, I have a constitutional right to express that opinion: so afford me that luxury here folks. 

I was born in the Caribbean. On an arrogant island -of a little less than two thousand square miles- called Trinidad. It is part of a Republic named Trinidad and Tobago; since it has been historically coupled with the tiny Tobago (116 square miles) situated a dozen miles north. This coupling -like so many things Caribbean and Latin American- was imposed by European colonizers (the British in particular in 1889). It is undisputable that Europeans made the Caribbean islands, plus North, South and Central America their playground of sorts, from the fifteenth century onwards. In fact, as I write this, many of the European nations still attempt to maintain their antics through economics, religion, politics, militarism, one-sided diplomacy, duress, unfair trading arrangements, monetary policy and the like.