Category: News and Opinion

Winning The Gold Medal In Olympic BS

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Various defenders of the indefensible attempt to force New Yorkers to endure the traffic jams, subway delays, police blockades and the wasting of taxpayer dollars that would have accompanied the Olympics here are now trying to explain that the failed campaign was a net plus for New Yorkers. The most ridiculously over the top such effort was a letter sent by former NYC Olympics honcho & Deputy Mayor Dan Doctoroff.

The Windsor Terrace Walgreens

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Although I have a master’s degree in city planning I generally am interested writing about public finance rather than land use issues. But since my neighborhood is wigged out about the closure of the local Key Foods, and future replacement by a Walgreens, I might as well do the usual and write a post pointing out the unsaid, even if I don’t really feel passionately about the whole thing.

Based on the meetings, petitions, and press coverage, one would think the Windsor Terrace Key Food, a successor to a Bohacks that was built in the early 1950s, was a beloved institution. But lots of people who are complaining now were hardly enthusiastic about the place back when it was open. As someone put it “the only thing worse than Key Food is no Key Food.” The chain has a high-low strategy. For certain items, for the weekly specials, and for basic foodstuffs it was a pretty good deal. For other items and for non-food items it was not. We shopped at Key Food for some things, therefore, and not for others, but over the decades that certainly added up to at least $60,000 spent by my family at that store, in today’s money adjusted for inflation. Others presumably spent more. But then the owner, being 80 years old, wanted to retire, and who could be grudge him? Supermarket chains offered to pay over time, but Walgreens offered to pay up front, and that’s what he wanted, I was told. So now what?

Romney’s Taxes…or lack there of for the public to see

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When it comes to taxes, one can't help BUT think Republican candidate Mitt Romney is hiding something. 

What other reason might there be to greatly limit the release of his tax returns. 

We already know one year, his own admission, he only paid about 14 percent in taxes.  We're now waiting for Mr. Romney to release his second year.

What else could be in his returns that we don't know? We tossed the subject around on RNN-TV.