Category: News and Opinion

It is a full year before civilians like myself should really be bothered about the 2008 Presidential election, and I’m already sick of it. I’m sick of Rudy, sick of Hilary, and in particular I’m sick of Mayor Bloomberg’s independent non-campaign. Now comes word from the Mayor’s “friends” that he plans to run, spending up to $1 billion, (gasp!), if he merely believes he can “influence the national debate.” Although this is way outside my area of expertise, with everyone writing about nothing else it seems, if I have to listen to it I might as well put my two cents in. If the Mayor wants to come up with a plan for a theoretical campaign he isn’t guilty of, I believe he shouldn’t run by himself in a reprise of the Perot, Nader and Golisano 15 minutes of fame. That would strike many as an ego trip. Instead he should recruit independent candidates for the House of Representatives throughout the country, who agree with his platform and agree to vote in a block for Speaker if they win, to run with him. Win enough seats to swing control of that body, and he’d really be in a position to “influence the national debate.”

With State Senate Republicans spending money like it’s going out of style and certain Democrats moaning about high taxes on our poor middle class citizens, those unfamiliar with New York State may wonder what the state’s predominant political philosophy is. As recent events once again demonstrate, that philosophy is a modern version of feudalism. Under capitalism, you get what you earn, at least in theory. Those who believe that people need an incentive to work and innovate can agree with that. Under socialism, you get what you need, at least in theory. Those who believe that we are all part of one human family can agree with that. But over time, when you have the same group of people in power, both capitalism and socialism degenerate into feudalism, under which the privileged expect to continue to get what they have been getting, and perhaps a little more, whether they need it or not, deserve it or not. For those who have real needs, and who produce real earnings, it’s just tough luck. The latest example of feudalism in action: congestion pricing.

Most of the political press in New York have apparently decided that they must interpret everything Mike Bloomberg does is part of a campaign for President.

In Saturday’s NY Times, a story about Bloomberg speaking in Houston began:

Sounding a lot like a presidential candidate, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg laid out the framework for a national energy policy on Friday and accused Washington lawmakers of “passing the buck” on meaningful energy reforms.

In a final post on Local Area Personal Income data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, I will summarize where different parts of New York State get their money. The spreadsheet was attached to the prior post. Given that people often live in one place and work in another, there are two ways to answer that question: what sectors are bigger parts of the economy in different places based on their share of money earned at work; and from where do residents of different places receive their money money? Given that this is a blog read by political types, I’ll stick to the answers that could be politically interesting.

Local Area Personal Income data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis includes both personal income and earnings data (the CA05 series) and employment data including (unlike other series) the number of self-employed proprietors (CA05). A spreadsheet with a summary of this data for 2005, including three worksheets of output tables ready to print, is attached. I’ll discuss this information in more detail in a later post, but here I’ll just make the point that excluding the high-paid Finance and Insurance sector, with its insane bonuses and hedge fund traders, the average private-sector earnings per worker (wages and benefits) in Downstate New York (New York City plus the suburbs) continues to be one-third higher than the national average (or 134 percent of that average in 2005). The higher earnings are primarily due to Manhattan, where earnings per worker was double the national average even with Finance excluded, though Westchester workers are also well paid. There is a rough correlation for broad areas (Upstate, Downstate), between what private sector workers get paid, relative to their U.S. counterparts, and what local government workers get paid.

Local Area Personal Income data for 2005 was released by the federal Bureau of Economic Analysis at the end of April, and the data shows the continuation of longstanding trends and conditions in New York City and State. Nationally, per capita income for the year was $34,471, but for New York City it was 21 percent higher (despite our high poverty rate), for the Downstate Suburbs it was 49 percent higher, for the New York Metropolitan Area as a whole it was 31 percent higher, and for New York State as a whole it was 16 percent higher. The dataset, which begins (for some series) in 1969, shows that all of these areas suffered a substantial decline in income, relative to the national average, in the 1970s and staged a recovery in the 1980s. Changes have been less dramatic, but still significant since then. It also shows that Manhattan and the Downstate Suburbs are really wealthy, but most of the rest of New York State is relatively poor, with Upstate not doing as poorly compared with New York City’s outer boroughs as the relative level of complaint would suggest. Spreadsheets are attached; the discussion continues after the jump.

According to PLANYC2030, “our density, apartment buildings, and reliance on mass transit means we are also one of the most carbon-efficient cities in the United States; New Yorkers produce 71% less CO2 per capita than the average American.” I certainly agree with that concept; the specific number for carbon savings, however, is probably too high. Much of the world’s energy is used to make consumer goods and bring them to their point of consumption, and to produce the fuels needed to do so and meet other energy needs. But New York City doesn’t produce its own fuels, and doesn’t produce many of its own consumer goods either. These are made across the country, and across the world, and then bought, used, and disposed of here. Some of that coal being burned in China and diesel fuel being burned to move massive container ships, therefore, is needed to produce and ship goods that will be used in New York City. Properly counted, you can’t tabulate the city’s contribution to greenhouse gasses without asking “what about the stuff?”

As I discussed in my last post, PLANYC2030 is focused on finding the money to maintain the existing transportation system, shifting new development to locations near subway and commuter rail stops, and improving travel to and within the Manhattan Central Business district, New York State’s most important economic asset. I agree with most of what was said. In this post, however, I’ll discuss what wasn’t talked about in much detail — trips to the Central Business District from areas beyond walking distance from rail stops, and trips outside ones’ one neighborhood (where one can walk) to locations outside the Central Business District (where you can take transit). My suggestions, over and above those in the plan, follow. If you are not interested in planning and transportation issues, you might want to give this post a pass.

Am I the only one amused by the fact that the punishment for Assemblyman Michael Cole, who says the reason he slept at an intern’s apartment was because he was too drunk to drive was removal as ranking member of the Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Committee?

Some impatient people are betting that New York governor Eliot Spitzer will disappoint his many fans, who were so optimistic for his political agenda, after his landslide victory last fall. They are saying that given Spitzer’s rocky start as governor, it is imperative that the democrats control the Senate in two years. They are saying that Joe Bruno and Sheldon Silver may batter Spitzer into submission unless he pulls this off. They are also saying that the powers behind the leaders of the Senate and Assembly are so entrenched that Eliot has bitten off more than he could chew. They are suggesting that he change his approach since most of the members of the two legislative bodies are spineless. I hope like hell that he continues the good fight for political reform and the like. I hope like hell that he stands strong, stands his ground and stays the course.