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“Riders of the Lost Cause” Starring Harrison Fraud–RATED X BY AN ALL LEFT JURY!

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(WARNING: THIS PIECE WAS DEEMED TO BE UTTERLY WITHOUT REDEEMING SOCIAL IMPORTANCE BY THE BLUE-NOSES AT "THE DAILY GOTHAM"–PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK!) 

NY 13 : One of only Six Republican from New York, and one of only two without a challenger, this district showed a bigger Bush swing than NY 3, but also went for Gore by a similar amount. Vito Fossella represents Staten Island and Brooklyn. Steve Harrison on an extremely small budget held Vito to only 57% and therefore the right challenger should be able to win.

News Flash: Steve Harrison is Not Mentally Ill (A Mea Culpa)–REVISED

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 “There is more to be said about Gatemouth's piece…particularly about the unsubtle allegations that Harrison is mentally ill, a homophobe, and a rightwinger….please don't complain about rough handling when you accuse people of being mentally ill…you have a track record…that places all of this into a context, and that context is that Gatemouth will say whatever comes into his head as long as he thinks it's of some use, and the more over the top, the better. Why stop at mental illness when you can go for child molestation and drug addiction? Seriously, why?”  

The Daily Fiscal Doom

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From Bloomberg: “The Florida agency that manages about $50 billion of short-term investments for the state, school districts and local governments holds $2.2 billion of debt cut to junk status…Florida may not be in a position to bail out its funds, given how the construction slowdown is affecting its revenue and it has no income tax. ‘Where are you going to make this up? It has to come from the taxpayers, or spending cuts, or a combination.’” I’m shocked, shocked that politicians followed the advice of experts campaign contributors and invest in securities with a little extra promised short-term yield and a whole lot more long-term risk. “Florida isn't the only government whose short-term investments have been affected by rising mortgage defaults in the U.S. and investors' diminished appetite for the securities tied to them.” What’s in our public employee pension funds?

A Pension Subway Strike

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With people living longer and expecting to live better, the burden of retirees is becoming unmanageable throughout the developed world. The response has often been to preserve, or even enhance, benefits for older generations and those with power, while drastically increasing what must be paid in and reducing what will be available for younger generations. Few in my generation and those after have defined benefit pensions. Most do not even have 401K plans, or if they do have such plans, have been unable to save given their diminished circumstances. The retirement age for Social Security will be 67 for us, not 65, under a broken promise made 25 years ago; candidates are now proposing reduced benefits, or higher taxes, for us – but not for their generation. Yet in the face of this, there are those who feel entitled to work just 20 years, stop working at age 50, and live off the work of others for the rest of their lives. These people have a monopoly of an essential service — mass transit in a major, transit-dependent city — and are prepared to use blackmail to get what they want for themselves at the expense of others. Already entitled to a pension far more generous that others, they have already gone on strike recently and have indicated they will do so again, this time indefinitely.

The 1960s: Barack Obama is Right

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There I was in the subway handing out flyers as part of my Don Quixote run for (or rather against) the state legislature. It was 2004. I was running, with no chance of winning, to try to call people’s attention to decision after decision the state was making to diminish our common future while providing up front benefits to those who matter in Albany, and the complicity of both political parties in those decisions. One day, someone asked who I supported for President. I said I certainly wouldn’t be voting for Bush, or any national Republican, on generational equity grounds, but for reasons I was prepared to explain I might not vote for Kerry either. “How could you even think of voting for that Benedict Arnold,” he screamed at me. “You’re a Benedict Arnold if you won’t vote against that draft-dodging war monger” a woman passing by screamed at me. Then they started screaming at each other, something that went on for a long time. About Vietnam. For them I had disappeared, and state and local government issues, the future, questions of fairness and fair value in public services and revenues, even current foreign policy issues didn’t matter. All that mattered was the time of life that mattered for the generation that mattered.

A Question For Bloomberg Backers

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I have a question for those people who think Mayor Bloomberg is running for either President or Governor and who would support him if he does.

Presumbably one reason you like Mike is because you think he's an honest guy. But if he is really planning to run, isn't he a dishonest guy since he keeps saying he won't do it?

No Idea (It’s a Pun!)

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Attorney Reg #: 2621670
     Judge: No
Current name:
 NOACH  DEAR   
Status:
Currently registered
Year admitted:
1994
Dept:
2

 Continuing Legal Education
(as reported on registration forms)

  Registration
Period
Credit Hours
Completed
Signature Date Carryover
Credits
Exemption
Signature Date
Waiver/Extension
Signature Date
   2000-2001            11/11/2000    
    2002-2003            10/14/2002    
    2004-2005            11/14/2004    
    2006-2007            10/17/2006    

“A principal reason Dear lacks the fitness to be a judge is that he has had little experience practicing law since he was licensed in 1994. Over the past eight years, he has filed sworn statements with the state courts reporting that he is a nonpracticing attorney. His last affidavit was dated Nov. 4, 2006…..But then Dear set his sights on becoming a judge, a position for which it's helpful to have a solid résumé as a lawyer. All of a sudden, he began filing official statements describing himself as an active attorney-at-law.