The Future Of MetroCards

According to news reports, New York City's transit system is looking to implement a new commuter payment system that will make the current MetroCard obsolete. The former head of the MTA (who's tenure with the MTA recently ended), is quoted as saying that the new E-ZPass-like system could be in effect as early as 2011. It would consist of using a "contactless device" instead of a MetroCard. [SIDEBAR: Does a "contactless device" = A big brother like chip?]

The announcement that the MTA will likely be installing a whole new payment system that will require the replacement of the currently used turnstyles and Metrocard machines, comes in the wake of the MTA crying broke and requesting that the government provide them with taxpayer-funded bailout money. The MTA will also be increasing their fares soon.

I'll dare to ask the obvious question: How can the MTA afford an expensive overhaul of their payment system? [STATING THE OBVIOUS SIDEBAR: Something's not right.]

More Proof That This Recession Is A Sham

According to The Gothamist, the MTA has revealed that approximately $500,000,000 in federal stimulus dollars will be used to assist in the construction of a transit center in New York City. The total price tag on the project, which will possibly include a glass-domed edifice, is allegedly $1.4 billion. The "Fulton Street Transit Center" will reportedly be a stop for the 2, 3, 4, 5, A, C, E, J, M, Z, R, and W trains.

Over a billion dollars is being earmarked to be spent on a fancy train station; amidst cuts and lay-offs galore. This bailout is becoming a bad joke/nightmare. SMH,

[SIDEBAR: With all of the proposed MTA cuts, will some of the train lines that are supposed to run through the new transit station even exist by the time the structure is built.]

Shouldn't Somebody Be Getting Indicted For This?

According to a revealing New York Daily News article, there is proof- via e-mails, that Mayor Bloomberg's aides covertly "pressured city tax assessors to inflate [the] value" of land under which the new Yankee Stadium sits.

The mayor's aides allegedly did this so that the New York Yankee's team owners could qualify for nearly $1 billion in tax-free bonds. The Daily News states: "In March 2006, the city's chief tax assessor put the market value for the stadium site at $27 million, far lower than the Yankees wanted. A Finance Department official ordered him to redo the report. Within hours he jacked it up to $204 million."

Despite the incriminating evidence, Bloomberg's aides are adamant that they did nothing wrong. What do you say? I say, "Shouldn't Somebody Be Getting Indicted For This?" (Or, at the bottom-of-the-barrel least, investigated?)

[SOURCE]

[SIDEBAR: See what I mean about this fake "recession." How could the city not be financially sinking with unethical (and, probably criminal) maneuvers like this from "City Officials"?...All of this from the administration of a mayor who wants a third term?!]

[CLICK HERE for a past post on the building of the new Yankee Stadium, entitled, "It's A Recession, Yet This Is How New York's Officials Choose To Spend Taxpayers' Money..."

Why Does This Reek Of Extortion?

Since this phony, forced "recession" hit, it seems like those least in need have gotten their cups out and are waiting for the free coins to drop. Bailouts for corporations and municipal entities seem to be all the rage amongst the white collar schemers. While the average working person continues to get bilked, this country's corporate interests are slickly filling their coffers. Guess who's next to stand in the bailout line hoping for a handout? The MTA.

The MTA has stated that if New York City doesn't provide them with a bailout soon, fares will be raised and service will be deeply cut.

This is coming from the same MTA that:
1) Had a billion dollar surplus just a year ago,
2) Makes beaucoup bucks from corporate advertisers, and
3) Has a very high ridership- which translates into more dollars.

This recession/bailout farce is slicker than corporate welfare in the 80s & 90s.

George Bush Says "No" To Free Nationwide Internet Access

The George Bush run White House recently rejected the FCC's proposal to implement free, nationwide wireless internet access. I guess all of the internet service providers that have been gouging us, breathed a collective sigh of relief. However, their comfort may not last long since President Elect Barack Obama has already announced that he plans to make the internet easily available to all Americans. Let's hope that he sticks to his pledge, and isn't persuaded by corporate interests to do an about face.

[SIDEBAR: I'm still not sure how safe all of this technology is healthwise.]

Is This Really Real?...You've Got To Be Kidding Me!

New York's Governor, David Paterson, reportedly has a new Turkish rug in the Governor's mansion that has a five-figure price tag attached to it.

In the midst of an alleged multi-billion dollar city deficit, the Governor's executive mansion has apparently been able to afford a new (approximately) $20,000 show piece.

According to New York news source, The Gothamist, the rug was purchased from Democratic gubernatorial sponsors, Stark Carpeting.

The Gothamist also states that, "A spokeswoman for Governor Paterson revealed that the governor only yesterday [November 20, 2008], learned of the high price tag antique rugs bought for the Executive Mansion over the summer. His administration also denied all requests from the press to see the [$20,000 rug], that now has been revealed to be one of five purchased- for a total of just under $38,000. Assemblyman James Tedisco has already called on the Governor to return the expensive carpeting. But once again the Office of General Services was defending the purchase saying, 'We have to keep that mansion in the kind of condition it's in because it's a treasure to the public.' And the general manager at Stark Carpeting, where the first rug was discovered to have been bought for over $20,000 defended the governor for actually being a spendthrift by not purchasing a $150,000 carpet, 'They could have had the Bentley instead of the Ford.'"

New York Politicians, and their staffs, keep showing what they're made of.

[SIDEBAR: "...A treasure to the public?" I wonder if they'll let me have a holiday meet & greet on it? SMH.]

Propaganda At Its Finest...

I spotted the above "Believe It Or Not" ad on the train the other night. Between the options of believe it or not, I choose "not." A note to the MTA: The people of New York still aren't buying it.

The MTA has to be making money hand over fist from all of the corporate advertisers wallpapering the trains and subway stations with marketing materials; yet they want to bleed their riders with another fare hike. Plus, if you're so strapped for cash, shouldn't you stop spending money on making cutesy ads that nobody believes?

[SIDEBAR: $1.17, in what 1902 dollars?]

Mayor Bloomberg Announces Huge Budget Cuts

Just a few days shy of forcefully implementing a controversial new law that will grant city politicians the opportunity to serve for three terms, Mayor Bloomberg has announced some more unpopular decisions.

According to The New York Times, Bloomberg plans to slash 3,000 city jobs and suspend property tax rebates in an attempt to salvage the city's budget. The budget has been hemorrhaging dollars during his tenure as Mayor.

The Mayor's fiscal plan also calls for: Drastic cuts to education ($181 million this year and $385 million next year), a reduction in subsidies to libraries and cultural institutions, and an abbreviation of training for specialized city workers- like firefighters.

Detractors to the Mayor's financial plan are noting the lack of parity in it; stating that it unfairly targets the pockets and well-being of the average worker. In response to Bloomberg's new budget the Municipal Labor Committee has voiced their displeasure by saying, "The city and its workforce did not cause the problem and therefore should not be left on its own to resolve it."

[SIDEBAR: I wonder if Bloomberg was listening when Obama said, "Let us remember that if this financial crisis taught us anything, it's that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers. In this country, we rise or fall as one nation; as one people." Maybe he had his tv turned down for that part.

I hope the political parties have viable mayoral candidates lined up for NYC's next election!!!]

How Unscrupulous Politicians Can Cash-Out On Big Budget Construction Projects

By virtue of their position, politicians are privy to a wealth of information. Some unsavory members of the political profession have unscrupulously used their access to knowledge, to line their pockets.

When public works and major construction projects are being planned, politicians are right in the thick of things. They are either major participants in constructing the blueprints, or at the very least, they have a ringside seat that grants them insider information. If the politician lacks integrity, they can use their inside position to benefit economically. They can also use their knowledge to barter favors with other powerful entities.

The below excerpt from, "The Power Broker: Robert Moses and The Fall of New York" By: Robert A. Caro, tells how politicians can personally benefit from the construction of parkways. From this excerpt, it is easy to see how a money-lusting out-for-self politician can cash-out on any high budget construction project.

[SIDEBAR: Think about how this ties into gentrification and all of the "development" that is going on in the major cities- particularly New York.]

"The construction of parkways- like the construction of conventional highways- was a potential source of great wealth to politicians. Parkways meant construction contracts. Politicians who had a say in which firms received those contracts could expect financial remembrances from a successful firm, if indeed they- or a relative or a trusted associate known in political terminology as a 'big man'- did not actually own a piece of it. Parkways meant real estate transactions, generally either purchase or condemnation, both methods under which landowners could expect to do well financially; state public works officials, anxious to begin construction and not too concerned about price because the money they were offering was not their own, were traditionally more generous than private buyers.

If politicians were the landowners- if they brought the land at pre-parkway prices, from owners who didn't know the parkway was coming, and then sold it to the state at right-of-way prices- they could expect a large profit. It took longer to get one's money through condemnation, but the rewards could be even greater; the success of politically well-connected attorneys in winning high condemnation awards from Court of Claims judges who also had risen through the ranks of political machines was an open secret in legal circles in New York State during the 1920's- as it would be in the 1960's.

Parkways meant development: Sleepy countrysides long static because of their inaccessibility suddenly became desirable locations for factories and housing developments when a parkway brought them close to a large town. Land in these areas bacame suddenly valuable. Land near the parkway's exits, automatic focal ponits for development, became particularly valuable.

The politician who brought this land at pre-parkway prices and sold it as or after the parkway was being built could reap great profit, and the politician who brought the land but instead of selling it developed it himself, buikding himself the houses and factories, could reap a fortune. Moreover, in terms of development, the impact of a parkway spread in ever-widening ripples: stores and laundries and gas stations and insurance brokerage firms for the residents of the houses, subcontractors and material-supply houses for the factories. This meant a burgeoning in land sales, insurance premiums, legal fees- in all the areas in which politicians grow fat...

To take advantage of the financial opportunities provided by a parkway, a politician had to have foreknowledge...And polticians had a weapon they could use in obtaining such advance information; if they did not get it, they would not approve the buildindg of the highway." -From, "The Power Broker: Robert Moses and The Fall of New York" By: Robert A. Caro

We Are NOT In A Recession!

The word "recession" is being used by financial pundits, politicians, and journalists to describe the current economic status of many areas in the United States-particularly New York City. However, I feel that this label is a misnomer- especially as it pertains to New York.

I would describe the city's current financial position as one that is being adversely effected by a deliberate mismanagement of funds.

The city does not appear to be depleted of cash. Proof of this can be found in several construction projects that would not be possible in a cash-poor municipality.

Exhibit A: The building of the new Yankee Stadium, with a reported 9-figure contribution from the city's public funds.
Exhibit B: The $7.2 Billion project that is currently underway to extend the Long Island Railroad's service to the east side of Manhattan.
Exhibit C: The city has enough money for certain members of the city council to ravage budgets without explanation.

Despite all of the evidence of the existence of large sums of public money in the hands of city officials, the public is being sold on the idea that their economic hardships are due to a "recession." The orchestrators of societal conditions want us to focus on this term. It is an iron mask for what is really going on- the gross misdealing of our hard-earned tax dollars.

Doesn't The MTA Make More Than Enough Money Selling Ad Space To Corporations?...

Riders can not step into a MTA train station, train, or bus without being inundated with ads. (Check out the swanky Target ad pictured above (courtesy of flickr), that allows train riders to plug their earphones into the billboard attachment and preview music). The passer-byers on the street are also not immune to this. Outdoor bus stations, and the outside of train stations, are currently being outfitted with new, flashy, high-tech advertisements. So my question is this: With so much advertising space being hawked to deep-pocket corporations, why is the MTA constantly raising the fare?

Why are the mostly working class and middle class commuters being saddled with the responsibility of filling in the MTA's supposed budget gap? Aren't the MTA's cups overflowing with marketing dollars from corporations? I smell a rat? Don't you?

[SIDEBAR: Aren't some of the MTA ads a little over the top with raciness? (I have some flicks, I'll post one day...Just remind me).]

Who's Up For A Game Of: Pocket The Buck, Pass The Buck?...Apparently Some NYC Council Members Are

According to news sources, like The Gotham Gazette, approximately $4.7 million of NYC taxpayers' money was allocated by city council members to fictitious organizations. Funds were embezzled via fake non-profits like, "The New York Foundation for Community Development" and "The American Association of Concerned Veterans."

This revelation comes amidst a time when the city is already at least 9 figures in the red. With such a deficit in the city's balance sheet, you would think that city officials would be extra vigilant about how every alloted dollar is being spent. However, despite very tough financial times, some elected officials have been playing fast and loose with discretionary funds. Two council staffers have already been indicted on embezzlement charges.

It is bizarre that such a fiasco would unfold under the gaze of a billionaire mayor who specializes in finance. The fact that the administration of a financial wizard would let millions of dollars slip through the cracks (especially during a fiscal crunch), rings of either: gross incompetence and negligence, or a case of "the fox guarding the hen house."

As of yet, no one has taken responsibility for dropping the ball on watchdogging the funds. The buck is being passed as to who is to blame. However, some government officials who are appalled by the theft of funds, are asking that the Council Speaker, Christine Quinn, step down from her position. This request is due to the fact that the "missing" funds were parceled out to various council members and organizations solely at her discretion.