I Lazio

By Michael Boyajian

Azi Paybrah said recently that he was going to be interviewed about the Republican nominee for governor, Rick Lazio, but that he had no idea what to say about Lazio.  That is just the problem when you think about it, what can you say about Lazio.

The New York State Department of Labor has released payroll employment and payroll data for New York City and each borough for 2009, along with the change from 2008. I’ve done a few calculations with it and put them in the attached spreadsheet. The data is based on the administrative records of unemployment insurance program, and thus excludes the self-employed, freelancers and contract workers, a growing share of the workforce. Because the City of New York and MTA do not comply with state requirements to report its employment by actual work location (known as the “Bell file”), moreover, the data on government employment is not accurate by borough. Nonetheless some conclusions can be drawn about private and public employment and wages in New York City during the recession.

Citywide, the data show that from 2008 to 2009, private employment fell 3.5% in New York City’s private sector despite increases of 1.7% in the substantially government-funded Health Care and Social Assistance sector, and 1.9% in the tax-exempt private Education sector. Government employment fell just 0.3%. Total private sector payroll plunged 12.3% despite increases of 3.5% in the Health Care and Social Assistance sector and 5.2% in the Education sector, while total Government payroll increased 2.0%. Average (mean) private sector pay per employee plunged 9.1% despite increases of 1.8% in the Health Care and Social Assistance sector and 3.2% in the Education sector, while pay per employee in Government increased 2.3%. The fall in private pay per employee was driven by a 17.7% decrease in the Finance and Insurance sector, due to lower bonuses, which will bring little sympathy given the 2009 average of $231,176 per worker for the sector. But excluding both Finance and Insurance and Health Care and Social Assistance, payroll per private sector worker fell 3.2% from 2008 to 2009 in New York City.

I've said it before; instead of changing parties to run, Levy should have changed states; he has a great future in Arizona.

Dershowitz professes to be a liberal Zionist, saying he opposes expansion of settlements, but in the clutch, he always opposes ever actually doing anything about it. However, I think he has a point here. Still, the question remains: even if it was legal, was it advisable? Israel obeyed international law: Legally, the Gaza flotilla conflict is an open-and-shut case www.nydailynews.com  

Because of the various investigations, the Daily News has called upon Andrew Cuomo to refuse to take the endorsement of the Working Families Party as has the NY Post, which also criticized Cuomo for accepting the Independence Party’s support.

Big Trouble in Little Fishkill:  The Ramifications of a Financial Meltdown

By Michael Boyajian

Most residents of the scenic Hudson Valley Town of Fishkill vote Republican without a second thought taking great pride in the fact that their Republican Town Supervisor Joan Pagones organized some local Teaparty events last year.

EnWhySeaWonk, where are you when we need you?

Metrotech Music: Highlights include Bernie Worrell and Fela's drummer, Tony Allen–BAM indeedR&B Festival at MetroTech www.bam.org

All very nice, but did he ever believe in anything but the next check? A Maker of Mayors Has His Moment in the Spotlight – City Room Blog – NYTimes.com cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com

The jury is still out on this horrible incident, but can we at least rule out that it involved "passive resistance"?Close-Up Footage of Mavi Marmara Passengers Attacking IDF Soldiers www.youtube.com

Got a good price on a lot of Gulf Shrimp–gonna market them under the name "Bubba Gunk"

I’m betting he ends up living happily ever after with Elizabeth Edwards, while Tipper takes up with Dee Snider (how soon we forget)

ROCK HACKSHAW: I have had many a fight with Gatey, and I will be dissappointed if we didn't have many more over the coming years. Gatemouth is unique, and he is also provocative, but all in all to me, his writings, insights, commentary and historical knowledge of New York's politics is worth the ocassional ideosyncratic outburst from him. So he pulls his lil temper tantrums sometimes: don't we all do/lol? I almost stopped contributing once or twice/lol. Remember?

Waxing Nostalgic

By Michael Boyajian

Sometimes I am old fashioned.  I yearn for instance for retro stereo equipment that when you press the power button lights flicker on and power surges through the receiver and thumps the speakers to life.  Now I know things are always better now than before.  I mean how could we live without the internet and email that works to bring the whole world together.

In journalism school they warn you not to publish stuff that isn’t verifiable; since the stuff you publish could be false and the repercussions can be devastating at times. Thus as a journalist you should get at least two good sources before you consider going with any item. Funny thing is I have given this lecture to many a student, and yet I was guilty of this cardinal journalistic-sin recently. You see, I misinterpreted what a source told me about someone’s illness and wrote that the person had passed away. It was an experience for me (to say the least). To this day, I genuinely believe it was what I was told (or heard).