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CHARLES BARRON/Part Two

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When you discuss the NYC budget with city council member Charles Barron (East New York; Brooklyn), you come away with the distinct impression that he is one elected-official who spends a lot of time going through the many items listed. He was the only council member who voted against its adoption; and this isn’t the first time he has voted it down.

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Progressive Insanity [ADDED BONUS: The Progressives Lamely Respond]

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There’s a special election for Congress in New York City in a District the Republicans could win, which would cause tremendous embarrassment to the President and our party, and massively set back even the most minimal hopes for any progress on anything even slightly resembling a liberal agenda.

The last time the GOP held the ancestral seat of the 9th Congressional District was 1922. The last time a Republican held any small portion of the district in its current form was 1982 (anyone remember John Leboutlier?).

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The Gateway (Geshray of the Wild Koch Edition)

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"I have a sense of anger…I don't forget, I get even…I always like to tweak people if I can. Especially if I don't like them. There is something vicious in me."

In his book “Mayor,” Koch writes at great length to illustrate how he will always avenge a slight, no matter how long it takes.

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Is Obama in trouble

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The good news for President Obama, or any sitting president, the power of incumbency is very tough to win against, and Republicans are having a tough time with their field of candidates.

However the bad news: the worst kept secret is Obama’s base is not energized (he will need each and every single vote) and consider the horrible jobs report Friday which shows history is not on Mr. Obama’s side.

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CHARLES BARRON ELOQUENTLY SPEAKS TRUTH TO POWER (Part one of two)

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(I am going to do at least four columns over the next two weeks. One is going to be VERY EXPLOSIVE. So do stay tuned-in: now on to this column.)

I have made many comments about Charles Barron over the years. Some have been written, some have been verbal, and some haven’t been flattering at all.  Many have asked why I slammed the brother so hard -given that I claim to be the one person outside his wife, who was singularly most responsible for him being elected. The answer is simple: I knew of the brother’s political potential going in; and I now fear what it will be when he comes out.

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Generation Greed and the Family

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Those of you who have read my posts on Room Eight over the years, and/or might have read essays I produced previously, know that generational equity in public policy has been a recurring theme – and a theme that in my view has been virtually ignored in political discourse and the media. For 30 years, I find, virtually every major fiscal decision has provided more benefits in good times, and no reduction in benefits in bad times, for older generations – those now 55 and over. And every reduction in benefits and well-being has applied to future generations only. When I write about generational inequity, I don’t write about policies that transfer resources from working age adults to the elderly in a broad general sense; these can be justified as long as the transfers are sustainable and those who sacrifice when young can expect to receive the same benefits when old. As I showed in my general overview of what the government does in August 2007, in fact, the majority of U.S. government activities transfer resources from working age adults to the young (public schools and universities) and the old (Social Security, Medicare, nursing home care under Medicaid). I called this the lifecycle of need. When I write about generational inequity, on the other hand, I refer to public policies that have left younger generations worse off than those who came before at every point in their lives, from childhood through middle age, with the worst damage likely to occur when they themselves are old.

That is public policy. I have also noted that in the private economy for most (the non-rich) earnings per worker peaked nearly 40 years ago, with the effect on the typical standard of living covered over first by more hours worked (as women entered the workforce), then by the loss of compensation to be paid out in the future (pension and retiree health insurance) which did not affect current spending, and then by borrowing. This post is about the family. Like our federal, state and local governments, families transfer well-being from working age adults to dependent children and seniors. How have the collective personal decisions of those now age 55 and over, whom I have come to refer to as “Generation Greed,” differed from those who came before, and how do they compare with their collective decisions in public policy? How have those coming after been affected? And, returning to public policy, what will happen as those in Generation Greed reach deep old age when many will require custodial care, which is either extremely personally draining or extremely expensive to provide?

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