No posts for a month, and insider oriented gossip sheets still invite Gatey to their parties, insider oriented podcasts still ask Gatey to be their guest and insider oriented columns still run the stories Gatey plants. Publishers even send Gatey review copies.

Life was good.

It was becoming clear that the things people loved most about Gatemouth was not having to read him.

Meanwhile, unfinished pieces concerning Israel, Iran, nuclear arms, Republican insanity, and the continued multi-party abdication from reality by our entire state government continue to pile up on Gatey’s G drive like planes over LGA.

It is why they may be doing it. That’s my take on the recent controversy in Arizona. Recall that in the early 1990s recession, when the U.S. and its states faced a fiscal crisis and the economy was down, the blame was cast on the poor, Blacks, Latinos, Immigrants, and those living in older central cities, their problems and burdens. The "Republican Revolution" consisted in cuts in funding for services for such people — and massive funding increases on everything else combined with tax cuts. Well with crime and the welfare rolls down, I thought that wouldn't be so easy to blame the same people this time around. But if you are desperate to find a scapegoat, anything is possible.

Arizona, Your Cadillac Has Got a Wheel in the Ditch

By Michael Boyajian

Chris Matthews of MSNBC reports that Arizona is now removing ethnic and racial studies programs from its school curriculums.  This follows its notorious racial profiling immigration law.

Many folks complain that I don’t write enough about the happenings (and political gossip) in Queens, Manhattan, Staten Island and the Bronx: they are correct. I had always hoped that some activist type would come up on Room Eight New York Politics (www.r8ny.com) and cover those boroughs for us: but alas, it hasn’t happened yet.  In this “Vines” column I will try to touch on some races in the other boroughs folks; but you all know Brooklyn is where my heart is; after all, Brooklyn is my stomping grounds.

The laborious petition process starts in one month, and you can expect lots of action in the upcoming September primary races all over the city. In the immortal words (well, the gist) of Viola Plummer: Let’s pray that a few incumbents get “assassinated” or “whacked” (of course I am speaking politically/lol). 

Hudson Valley Gay Mobilization

By Michael Boyajian

I remember just a few years back when Marriage Equality New York decided to expand the battle for same sex marriage out of New York City and into the Hudson Valley and elsewhere around the state.  We organized a rally for Riverside Park in Beacon, New York and launched a press blitz to turn out support for the event.

One of the more hotly contested races to keep an eye on this year is once again the battle for State Attorney General.

Not lost on any candidate running for AG:

– The job of New York Attorney General has been national in stature.

– Election to NY Attorney General has been a very successful stepping stone into the Governor’s mansion. Notably Elliot Spitzer and Andrew Cuomo. (should the polls end up being accurate)

And adding to the unpredictability of this race is Cuomo's request for a balanced ticket. Regional balance, (Upstate Downstate) ethnic balance, and gender balance.

A Legal Declaration to Governor Patterson

By Michael Boyajian

As the former labor judge for the State of New York I can tell you this about Governor Patterson’s furlough plan, it is simply an illegal violation of the terms of the collective bargaining agreement between New York State and government workers.  It is a fundamental question of basic contract law that any first year law student can tell you the answer to or predict the judicial outcome of.  No Governor Patterson, contracts are not made to be broken.  People of honor are legally bound by them and to violate this sacred trust with state workers in order to save nickels and dimes is downright nonsensical.  Governor Patterson, rescind this furlough law because it will be the easiest decision any judge can make when ruling on its legal validity and striking it down.

Good Government: Contested Terrain

By Michael Boyajian

Paul Krugman in a recent New York Times column states that we need politicians who believe in good government because there are some jobs only government can do.  Of course he is talking about the Gulf oil spill and preventative measures that could have been taken.

Of Kings and Queens

By Michael Boyajian

I just read a colorful book on the kings and queens of England.  It occurred to me that I would very much like to meet a royal.  Looking at their portraits in the book makes you wonder if perhaps they did not possess some sort of divine authority.

As I picked up from The Daily Politics, the city has released its list of employees with their base salary in 2009, something I believe it is required to do by law. The list is in PDF format, which means it cannot be sorted, summed, or averaged. One cannot find the median pay for a title and/or a department, or calculate one title’s share of the total pay in a department. On the other hand the list is in alphabetical order by name, which means it is easy to find someone's name and cluck about their individual pay. If you're not out to gossip, each individual's name is a useless piece of information. And while the department each employee is in is spelled out, their title is not. I'm not sure if there is a glossary, or where it is.