Politicians used to despise Hip Hop but now it has become quite popular for them to lobby the Hip Hop generation for votes. First, President Barack Obama utilized social networks to galvanize young professionals into rallying behind him and ultimately vote on his behalf.
Now New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg has disseminated a letter asking for the support of the city’s “Hip Hop generation” in his campaign to remain mayor for a third term.
In his letter, Bloomberg stroked the egos of the Big Apple’s large urban professional population and outlined his due diligence in improving the public school system.
Bloomberg is a phony whose push for an extension on term limits is evidence of his power-hungry nature. Sure enough, if reelected he’ll continue to make New York more expensive to live in while he and his corporate cronies line their pockets like fat cats.
The Big Apple needs change like the entire country needed change with Obama. To read Mayor Bloomberg’s letter click here.
Not since the days of Robert Moses has the use of eminent domain been such a relevant issue amongst residents of New York City. The controversial New York state and municipal official who determined public works projects of the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, helped transform the urban setting of New York City, constructing such public works projects as the Triborough Bridge, the West Side Highway, Shea Stadium and Lincoln Center; but not without scrutiny.
Though Moses erected numerous important parkways, bridges, and tunnels linking the boroughs of New York City, as well as building hundreds of new playgrounds and parks that we now appreciate, by the late Fifties, there was a strong public reaction to Moses and his aggressive urban reconstruction. He resigned from his city positions in 1959.
Through condemnation and eminent domain, planners, architects, engineers and investors are able to attain pre-occupied land in agreement that it is for “public use.”
Condemnation is the declaration of land as being exchangeable to public use under the right of eminent domain. Eminent domain is the right of a government to take private property for public use by virtue of the superior dominion of the sovereign power over all lands within its jurisdiction. In other words, the government has the ability to seize land as long as the public has the ability to benefit from it. Resistance is futile.
New York City has a reputation for being a tough city and Mayor Michael Bloomberg is definitely reinforcing that sentiment. In an attempt to alleviate the city’s budget, the Bloomberg administration has been buying airline tickets for homeless families to leave the city and never return.
The program, which has been in effect since 2007, has shipped out about 550 families since its inception. It cost around $36,000 yearly to keep a family in a New York City shelter. City officials claim that there are no limits on where a family can be sent and that a family can reject the offer. So far, families have been sent to 24 states and five continents, mostly in Puerto Rico, Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas.
What does a bailout of $1.8 billion from Albany secure for you if you’re a rider of New York City’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority? An increase of 7.5 percent in fares for the 2011 and 2013 fiscal year, the elimination ofup to 596 subway station agents and the closing of 42 booths.
On a lighter note, the bailout plan did manage to eliminate an entire 25 cents on single ride Metrocards, 75 cents on express bus fares, $4 on 7-day Metrocards, $7.50 on 14-day Metrocards, $14 on 30-day Metrocards and an entire $1.50 on bridge tolls.
Cab drivers and individual pursuing licenses and vehicle registrations have not been spared either because licenses and registrations are also going to increase. The good news is that I just saved money on my car insurance.
The horribly managed MTA is still going to need an extra $200 million to get out of the “red zone.” It’s obvious that there is no consideration for the citizens of New York City when public officials allow the MTA to blatantly manipulate the public.
In 2002 the State Comptroller’s Office discovered that the MTA kept two sets of books regarding there finances. The discovery shed light to the MTA’s distasteful practices of hiding more than half a billion dollars in order to claim a deficit and solicit more funds from the state.
Until this entire organization is dismantled and reorganized the riders of mass transit in New York City will continue being held hostage. It’s our turn to tell the MTA “stand clear of the closing door.” PLEASE!!!!
According to AskMen.com, New York City ranks 6th in the website’s 29 Best Cities (for men) to Live In for 2009. Yes, unfortunately “health” and “the good life” are the main reasons why the Big Apple ranked behind San Francisco, Sydney, London, Barcelona and the number one city, Chicago.
While New Yorkers gave the city a mediocre grade as a place to live, tourists gave the city a high grade. Chicago got the nod as the best place for men because it “strikes the perfect balance between cosmopolitan and comfortable” as well as its “affordable lifestyle and down-to-earth” personality.
Other American cities which made the list include Portland (#22), Los Angeles (#19) and Miami (#16). If you want to see the entire list click here.
