Category: News and Opinion

On Wednesday, March 12, 2008 a meltdown occurred on my hard drive destroying a nearly complete 600 page manuscript documenting my life and times in the world of New York City political blogging. Simultaneously, a meltdown of far less significance to my daily life occurred in Albany, as New York Governor Eliot Spitzer announced his resignation from office.

The origins of both these events, each of which I consider to be tragic (but surely regarded by many others with glee), stemmed from similar sources. My hard-drive contracted a virus probably acquired from visits to venues mostly frequented by naked women. The origins of the Governor’s meltdown had a similar pedigree, although my disabling virus was contacted at sites where the admission was free, while the Governor’s problems seemingly stemmed from a misunderstanding of the Albany concept of “pay to play”.

Don’t ever say that some of the female members of Brooklyn’s city council delegation are soft: they aren’t. There was a raucous public hearing last Wednesday evening at the Brooklyn Museum (near Grand Army Plaza), that was aimed at getting the general view on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s proposed service cuts in the next fiscal year; at this event, NYC council members Darlene Mealy and Tish James -both from Brooklyn- made outstanding oral presentations which captivated the loud crowd of attendees. Throughout the procedures scores of teenagers outnumbered the elderly, in openly expressing their disenchantment with the proposed cuts by the MTA’s board members. Eventually four arrests were made amongst the spirited -but at times rowdy- youngsters; as police officers had to be called in to help maintain order. 

I should really make this title: “OF DREAMS AND DRIVES AND PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT”, since it highlights the importance of parental involvement in young children’s lives. This column deals with two black female attorneys and their two kids; and in both instances these kids were raised in single-parent households. Too often these types of situations are frowned upon; but I always caution folks not to stereotype: you will be surprised or contradicted quite often.

I know both parents involved here. They are both good friends and are also politically active. They have devoted their lives to developing their kids properly. They have also invested extraordinary amounts of time, effort, energy and money in their children’s overall development. Their combined goal has always been to maximize the potential in these kids. They both need to be commended. Maybe some organization could jointly award them the “Mother of the Year” award at some event, later this year.

The New York State Department of Labor has rebenchmarked the Current Employment Survey data for the last couple of years, using more detailed data that comes in later, and reported annual average statistics for 2009. The data, in an attachment, gives an indication of why New York State is having a budget crisis. From 2008 to 2009, excluding the substantially government-funded Health Care and Social Assistance sector, New York City lost 117,700 private sector jobs (4.4%) while the rest of the state lost 152,700 (4.6%). Even so the Health Care and Social Assistance sector, which claims funds from the city and state budgets via Medicaid and health insurance premiums for public employees, added 10,700 jobs in the City (1.9%) and 14,300 jobs (2.1%) in the rest of the state. Local government employment in New York City inched up by 1,600 (0.3%) from year to year, while local government employment in the rest of the state surged by 9,100 (1.4%). Looking at one year of data, one might conclude that the problem is that we are in recession and yet government spending has carried on much as before. Looking at 20 or 40 years of data, one reaches other conclusions.

The Sociological Aspects of CB Radio

By Michael Boyajian

I am a real radio freak going back to my childhood when my late father and I would peruse the now non existent Radio Shack catalog.  We would find and purchase radio kits, shortwave radios, marine radios, police scanners and the new at that time FM radios.

I guess it was just too much for me to hope that the quality of black and Hispanic electeds will get better in a post-Obama USA. After all, there was really nothing to base that on. And after years of frustration with the quality emerging from New York, I guess I was just grasping at straws, in hope that we could elect people, who are not only intellectually developed to tackle real issues facing the polity, but also possessive of the moral character and courage to do the right thing when the right time comes.

Look, there are no perfect politicians. In fact there are no perfect human beings anywhere. If we were all perfect, we would have nothing to strive for; so hopefully we keep reaching for the good within, hoping that one day we get to become the best we can be. I know that I am not perfect, but I do strive to be a better human being every day of my adult life. I also try to learn from my mistakes and not repeat them: to me, this is basic; this is fundamental for trying to live a decent life.