Category: News and Opinion

Following up on Sunday’s misleading report about voter registration forms, Monday’s New York Post has another misleading story about the identification required to vote.

The Post states that – “at the polls, voters are asked to show some form of photo ID, like a driver's license, to prove their identity.”

As anyone who has voted in New York can tell you, this is not true!

A form of identification is required of some but not all first time voters – only new voters who registered under the Motor Voter Law.

Mayor Bloomberg to the Times in August 2006: “If we enhance the pension system, then we can’t afford to pay as much in salaries…if we enhance the pension system and salaries, we can’t afford to have as many employees or to provide as many services. And that’s what everybody is unwilling to face.” Mayor Bloomberg reported by the Times last week, after he agreed to allow teachers to retire at age 55 with just 25 years working: "Mr. Bloomberg said the changes would be 'cost neutral' to the city for the first five years and would save 'in the tens of millions of dollars' in following years.

There is a fence in Howard Beach Queens that separates the inside of JFK Airport from the outside. On one side of the fence is the Howard Beach Airtrain station. There, a subway rider can board the Airtrain to ride to the airport and freight terminals, to work or to travel. The cost is $5.00. On the other side of the fence, a driver parked in a parking lot can board the Airtrain to ride to the airport and freight terminals, to work or to travel. The cost is zero. Before the Airtrain existed, there was a shuttle bus for both the parking lots and the subway station; it was free to both. They eliminated the free bus when the opened the Airtrain. JFK is a big airport, so the Airtrain transports people two miles from the central terminal area to the subway for that $5.00. New York City Transit then transports them 10 miles to Manhattan, for a $2.00 base fare, but far less with discounts.

Sunday’s New York Post brought us the news that Governor Spitzer has decided that Department of Motor Vehicle offices can not require person provide a social security number before they are given a voter registration form.

Now if before anybody reading the Post is alarmed that Spitzer is now making easy for illegal immigrants and terrorists to take over New York by becoming voters, I feel obligated to inform you that there is now and has been an easier way.

Anybody, with or without a social security number can go to the New York State Board of Elections website and download and then print out as many voter registration forms as they want.

"Well, listen, there is no doubt that Noach Dear … has some history of not exactly being, uh, an advocate of gay rights — that's sort of putting it mildly…He is, however, a religious Orthodox Jew, and just like [for] any other religious group, whether it’s Protestants or Catholics or Jews … crossing over and embracing gays and lesbians is a very difficult chore for them. I can’t think of one elected official that’s religious that has that ability to do it….[Dear] has assured me that as it relates to gay and lesbian rights — and women’s rights — that he will be sensitive and responsive and that he will look upon each case … on its merits."

Back in 2004, Domestic Partner and I made an offer on a house in Windsor Terrace, which was accepted; to make the barely relevant short, the deal fell through. Quite often, I think back wistfully about the driveway and the high quality public school we forsook for proximity to the hip and trendy (and an indoor swimming pool every time it rains). But now I am grateful, for I have no need to ever make a decision on who to support for Judge in the 5th Municipal Court District race between Democrat In Name Only (DINO) Noach Dear and pro-life Republican-Conservative, in name and views (Troglydite), James McCall.

ABC News has declared Rudy Giuliani the “Buzzmaker of the Week”

Against all odds and predictions, the former New York City mayor is holding on to his top spot in the Republican field, leading in polls and the money race

ABC is not the only media outlet that is acting as though Rudy (and Hillary) as the sure winners of the Party nominations.

Back in March, I posted my thoughts comparing early polls to Baseball Spring Training results and stated that it much too early to take them seriously.

Mayor Bloomberg and the UFT have agreed to allow teachers to retire with full pension and health benefits at age 55, pending approval by the state legislature (which has already passed the deal unanimously before, with Pataki’s veto). You find out about that, and not in detail, at the end of articles today in the Times, Post and Sun. The part of the deal that led those articles, and led the city’s press release that was used to quickly and easily create those articles, is that there will be “merit pay,” something that may allow Bloomberg to make a political point. The teachers would receive bonuses if they worked in low-performing schools and those schools improved. But that may be a pilot program, which can be terminated after Bloomberg leaves, and is funded only with private donations, whose future is at best uncertain. The real order of significance can be found in on the UFT website and in the Daily News story, where this part of the agreement is given its proper insignificance. Or more significance than it deserves.

Many black political activists, some black nationalists and even a sprinkling of black moderates, will celebrate Black Solidarity Day on November 5th, 2007; and in keeping with the theme, a large group of blacks intend to endorse Barack Obama for president on that day. Included in that group is NYC councilmember Charles Barron and his wife (and fellow-activist) Inez Barron. The fiery council member from East New York, Brooklyn, intends to put together a group of progressives of all races, nationalities and ethnicities, behind this endorsement effort. He also intends to line up many anti-Iraq-War activists, some veterans, many church and community leaders, and hopefully also a few elected officials of all races, nationalities and ethnicities.

For the next year or so, I will from time to time, give my thoughts on what’s unfolding in the upcoming race(s) for the US presidency. I will try to keep it real, in hope of generating some debate on the threads (something that seems to be waning in recent times). Lately, I have started to wonder if the “blogs” are losing their novelty status; or is it that people are just getting back to their usual spaces of political-disenchantment? In these here parts, there appear to be few lively threads anymore.

As the presidential primaries approach, I am getting the sense that Democrats think they have a lock on the “win” next November; I don’t share that view. Despite the ineptitude of the Bush administration (in too many areas to enumerate here), next November would be a dogfight no matter who the Republicans nominate. Not withstanding the Iraq debacle- which will be still going on then- Democrats need to be very careful that complacency doesn’t set in. Because they are out-raising the Republicans by barrels full of “mullah”, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t lots of landmines between here and the White House. As important as it is, money isn’t everything in politics folks. Just a personal observation, that’s all.