Sunday, January 24, 2010

Steve Ratner Pension Mess

As Reported in True News
Steve Rattner the Untouchable

Who's Afraid of Steve Rattner? Everyone?

NY PensionGate Explodes in New Mexico

Whose Guarding the People's Pensions?

Everyone is Covering Up the Pension Scandal for Their Own Reasons

bloomberg pensionMess

The Wolf at Thompson's Door

True News: Wolf at Thompson Door, Part II . Avella Opens A Cut

Who Rob the People's Pensions

Nobody Asked Me, But . . . True News was First Before the Daily News Again Mayor Michael Bloomberg tears into rival Bill Thompson on pensions In this article the Daily News took credit for Bloomberg atacking Thompson on the pension funds because the paper said the mayor was responding to DN article that was written the day before that showed Thompson taking $158,000 from pension fund middlemen who won more than $2.2 billion in business with the city. On April 21, 2009 True News wrote The Wolf at Thompson's Door which exposed how Thompson was getting campaign contributions from former managers of his pension who after leaving his office became money man and received tens of millions from his office the same pension funds that they reorganized Thompson Pensions funds to make it more available to money manager type deals. Since that April story True News has written over a dozen stories about how Thompson has abused the pension funds offering many important leads that have not been follow up by the other papers or the campaigns. From True News "It was reported yesterday in the Times that it was under former top Thompson aide Josh Wolf-Powers’ advisement that Steven Rattner’s private investment firm Quadrangle Group hired the now-indicted Hank Morris as its placement agent. Rattner badly wanted to gain access to investment from the State’s pension fund and according to the Times, “Wolf-Powers told Mr. Rattner that he could not think of any investment firm that had persuaded the city’s pension fund to invest without using a placement agent.” Josh Wolf-Powers was his aid who left Thompson office and formed his own company and recieved pensions funds from the comprtoller. On August 18 the NYT reported that one quarter of the money Thompson raised came from people who do business with his office. On June 3 the Village Voice Robbins wrote how campaign consultants closed to Thompson not only acted as money managers with the city's pension funds but gave campaign contributions to the City Comptroller. The journalist culture which thinks they are the center of the world until your paper prints the story is elitist and in this new emerging Internet world factually wrong Pension middlemen gave $158K to Bill Thompson's campaigns and got $2.2B in city business *** Does anyone believe that dysfunctional Albany does not rig every major big with a contractor? Gov's casino flip stirs fears of rigging (Dicker NYP) There's growing fear that Gov. Paterson is manipulating the bidding process for the long-delayed, multibillion-dollar contract for a massive video-lottery casino at the Aqueduct Race Track *** How does Squier Knapp Dunn communications which has received many of Bloombergs millions get the voters to turn out in a dull mayoral campaign? After spending 65 million Squier has failed to get Bloomberg positive numbers to increase. In the debate this week Thompson will be fighting for his life - Term Limit extension, developers taxes and parking tickets pushing the middle class out. Squier will be trying to paint Bloomberg clam and in charge. This might not be the best debate Strategy to make sure voter turn out which has been in the single digits in the 2009 primary and runoff, reaches the 45% to 50% where experts believe Bloomberg will be easily elected. The non religious Jewish vote is a real question inside the Squier war room *** In New York with a 10% plus unemployment rate Stimulus is not about creating jobs its about paying off the UFT and their members in an election years $1B ed. 'waste'Few new stimulus jobs at DOE (NYP)

Follow the Pension Money: NY Magazine Hangs Morris, Rattner Richardson Not Involved?

The Hidden Pension Blame


McCall

Ferrer Pension

Wall Street Hijacks Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac for Stuy Town Brought with Pension funds

GMAC

House Republicans want investigation of Rattner's handling of Delphi

David Shepardson / Detroit News Washington Bureau

Washington -- Two Republican members of Congress want an investigation into the conduct of former Obama auto czar Steve Rattner.

In a letter to the chairman and ranking member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Reps. Mike Rogers, R-Brighton, and Christopher Lee, R-N.Y., urged the committee to investigate Rattner's conduct.

Rattner, who headed the Obama auto task force from February until July 2009, "has been implicated in an alleged 2005 kickback scheme involving New York State pension funds through his role as a co-founder of the Quadrangle Group investment firm."

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The letter quotes reports as saying Rattner was involved in the "scheme" to steer payments in exchange for a state investment contract.

Earlier this month, Quadrangle agreed to pay $12 million to federal and state authorities to settle the matter. Quadrangle issued a statement criticizing Rattner.

"We wholly disavow the conduct engaged in by Steve Rattner. ... That conduct was inappropriate, wrong and unethical," the company said.

The investigation calls "into question the integrity and objectivity of Mr. Rattner's panel, particularly the decision to allow some Delphi Corp. retirees, including many salaried retirees, to lose their pension benefits through the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation while simultaneously protecting the benefits of other Delphi retirees."

In an interview, Rogers said salaried retirees were treated "horribly."

"It was completely unfair how they were treated," he said. "We need to ask some really hard questions about how this happened."

Jenny Rosenberg, a spokeswoman for the committee chairman, Rep. Ed Towns, D-N.Y., said he had no immediate comment.

Dozens of Congress members have sharply criticized the disparate treatment of Delphi's hourly and salaried retirees.

Earlier this month, 12 members of the House Oversight Committee sent a letter to General Motors CEO Ed Whitacre Jr. questioning whether the company was being unduly influenced by its government owners -- and cited Delphi as an example.

Last July, Delphi abandoned its pension plans in bankruptcy covering 70,000 people, saddling the PBGC with a $6.2 billion liability.

Some of the company's salaried retirees will receive up to a 70 percent cut in the value of their pensions because the PBGC has limits on the amount it can insure.

The average retiree losing pension benefits will see about $850 a month cut, but some will not see any cut.

GM agreed to "top off" the pensions of most of Delphi's hourly retirees at an estimated cost of $1 billion.

Members of Congress have unsuccessfully sought records relating to the task force's decisions to allow the different treatment.

"Many Delphi retirees will lose significant portions of their promised pension benefits while others will be kept whole. This is unfair and unjust," Rogers and Lee wrote.

Delphi emerged from bankruptcy in October after it eliminated retiree health care and life insurance for salaried retirees.

Treasury Department spokeswoman Meg Reilly declined to comment and Rattner didn't return a message seeking comment.


Rattner works for Bloomberg's Non Profits Organizations

Rattner clams up Ex-car czar took fifth 'many times' with SEC: mag (NYP) Former car czar Steve Rattner was mum on several occasions last year when the Securities and Exchange Commission interviewed him under oath about his role in the messy New York State pension "pay to play" scandal, according to an upcoming report. Rattner, the founder of Quadrangle Group, a private-equity firm, has been implicated in a kickback scheme that paid bribes to a middleman in return for his fund receiving wads of investment cash from New York's robust $140 billion public pension fund.(NYP) * Kelly: Mayor's Frequent Flier (WSJ) * NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly took five free trips to Florida on Bloomberg’s private jet last year, the value of which, according to Kelly, are “unknown”.

Saturday, January 23, 2010

weakng Editorial


Editorial Boards Get No Respect

NYT Begs Albany to Change Again and Again At least there doing it on a regular basis now One Star for Ethics Reform The reforms proposed by Senator John Sampson, the Democratic leader in the State Senate, and the Assembly speaker, Sheldon Silver, would inevitably get the best-we-can-do-at-the-moment label. That’s not good enough (NYT Ed) True News has point out that the NYT editorials on Albany always fall on deft ears The Audacity of Bruno's Corruption: Editorial Board Outrage Over the Years Leads Nowhere

NYP Begs for Charter Schools . . . Albany Ignores A special session to act on charter schools ended last night with no action. David Paterson and others ripped a bill proposed by Democratic legislative leaders, but the two houses of the legislature didn’t consider that bill or one submitted by Paterson. (TU/GNS) *Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the application for federal funding could be “undermined by legislative shell games,” and some parents are angry with the lack of action. (NYT/NYP) ** Parents rage at Albany over charter-busting bill (NYP) *** The education gap hits home (NYP) *** Whither Merryl control? (NYP Ed) ***Teacher unions are big spenders on campus *** NY Regents are board stiffs: study *** School Plan for U.S. Aid Gets No Vote in Albany *** Mayor Bloomberg rips charter school bill for insulting Martin Luther King, but signs off on it *** NY Legislature rejects charter school bill (WABC) *** Senate spat as Republicans frustrate adjournment on charter schools (TU) *** The charter school bill has to be passed by 4:30 p.m. today *** Teachers unions spent $5 million lobbying and campaign contributions last year. (NYP) *** Obama will expand the Race to the Top program by $1.35 billion. (WP) *** Paterson accused lawmakers of "elitist sophistry" and scolded them for setting a bad example for the state's school children *** "It's sending a negative message to Arne Duncan and the U.S. Department of Education that we're going to control the growth and location of charter schools, if we allow them to be created at all," said top Paterson aide Larry Schwartz. (Jacob Gershman at WSJ!) *** The Sharpton to Ford: "Get in the damn car." *** Nolan: Charter Bill 'Dead' (Updated)

Daily News Begs Thompson to Change
Throw down the gauntlet, Dave: The budget speech Gov. Paterson should give What the DN does not get is that the gov always changes or flip flops Gov Broken Field Daily Senate Flip Flops Paterson’s Ford flip (Tuesday, Jan 12) Today's NYT Now Paterson Supports a Ford Senate Bid "Paterson says there is no reason why Harold E. Ford Jr. should not run for a Senate seat, two days after suggesting that he find another state to mount a campaign." (Wednesday, Jan 13th) * Paterson Uses The 'C' Word Paterson today referred to former Harold Ford as a "carpetbagger" and suggested

More Broken Field Gov Run: In 2010-2011 executive budget by
the governor who once said he was dead set against more tax increases
and then slowly but surely walked that back.
Taxes, Taxes, Taxes

Ethics


Ethic Battle Continues
Slimeball ethics: Legislators turned ethics bill into just another cynical political ploy *The Governor the Legislature and Reform (Queens Tribune *** Dreams of Taking the N to LaGuardia (Second Avenue Sagas)

Gov Lays A Trap for Albany


The Rules Don't Apply Politics: A Culture of We Can Do What We Want


The Rules Don't Apply Politics
A Culture of We Can Do What We Want


The big picture here is that pols treat government as if it is their candy story. As New Yorkers suffer through the highest unemployment rate in decades, business and stores close and move out to escape high taxes, it seems the culture of Pay to Play among this new generation of pols has not only increased but embolden with a total lack of ethics.

Pay to Play Albany Floyd Flake's friends

Why Are We Electing These Bums? Nothing on Creating Jobs or Attracting Business to the City

Thursday, January 7, 2010

bloomberg pension

Nobody Asked Me, But . . . True News was First Before the Daily News Again Mayor Michael Bloomberg tears into rival Bill Thompson on pensions In this article the Daily News took credit for Bloomberg atacking Thompson on the pension funds because the paper said the mayor was responding to DN article that was written the day before that showed Thompson taking $158,000 from pension fund middlemen who won more than $2.2 billion in business with the city. On April 21, 2009 True News wrote The Wolf at Thompson's Door which exposed how Thompson was getting campaign contributions from former managers of his pension who after leaving his office became money man and received tens of millions from his office the same pension funds that they reorganized Thompson Pensions funds to make it more available to money manager type deals. Since that April story True News has written over a dozen stories about how Thompson has abused the pension funds offering many important leads that have not been follow up by the other papers or the campaigns. From True News "It was reported yesterday in the Times that it was under former top Thompson aide Josh Wolf-Powers’ advisement that Steven Rattner’s private investment firm Quadrangle Group hired the now-indicted Hank Morris as its placement agent. Rattner badly wanted to gain access to investment from the State’s pension fund and according to the Times, “Wolf-Powers told Mr. Rattner that he could not think of any investment firm that had persuaded the city’s pension fund to invest without using a placement agent.” Josh Wolf-Powers was his aid who left Thompson office and formed his own company and recieved pensions funds from the comprtoller. On August 18 the NYT reported that one quarter of the money Thompson raised came from people who do business with his office. On June 3 the Village Voice Robbins wrote how campaign consultants closed to Thompson not only acted as money managers with the city's pension funds but gave campaign contributions to the City Comptroller. The journalist culture which thinks they are the center of the world until your paper prints the story is elitist and in this new emerging Internet world factually wrong Pension middlemen gave $158K to Bill Thompson's campaigns and got $2.2B in city business *** Does anyone believe that dysfunctional Albany does not rig every major big with a contractor? Gov's casino flip stirs fears of rigging (Dicker NYP) There's growing fear that Gov. Paterson is manipulating the bidding process for the long-delayed, multibillion-dollar contract for a massive video-lottery casino at the Aqueduct Race Track *** How does Squier Knapp Dunn communications which has received many of Bloombergs millions get the voters to turn out in a dull mayoral campaign? After spending 65 million Squier has failed to get Bloomberg positive numbers to increase. In the debate this week Thompson will be fighting for his life - Term Limit extension, developers taxes and parking tickets pushing the middle class out. Squier will be trying to paint Bloomberg clam and in charge. This might not be the best debate Strategy to make sure voter turn out which has been in the single digits in the 2009 primary and runoff, reaches the 45% to 50% where experts believe Bloomberg will be easily elected. The non religious Jewish vote is a real question inside the Squier war room *** In New York with a 10% plus unemployment rate Stimulus is not about creating jobs its about paying off the UFT and their members in an election years $1B ed. 'waste'Few new stimulus jobs at DOE (NYP) *** An agressive press are you kidding Mr. Mayor "You should get rid of the public advocate," said Bloomberg, hinting he might try to do just that. "It's a total waste of everybody's money. Nobody needs another gadfly and we have an aggressive enough press." *** It is not the Public Administrator that works for the city's Surrogate Judges that is corrupt it it the court itself Surrogate's Court And Why It Should Go Why go after corrupt lawyers and judges year after year change the court Lawyer eyed by feds in corruption investigation of Bronx public administrator's office More Surrogate Corruption Facts About Manhattan Surrogate Court 2008 , Manhattan Surrogate Judge-Elect Nora Anderson Indicted Dummy down public "New Yorkers who can tell you the precise number of electoral votes in Ohio and Indiana give only blank looks when asked how their own local judges are selected" --Tom Robbins, Village Voice *** Some Battle there has not been a GOPer elected to the City Council in decateds Battle for Brooklyn City Council seats *** Big Losses Put Pensions at RiskOut nearly $1T in investments, governments may cut workers' benefits or take risks to rebuild assets. (Washington Post) *** Gothamist got it very wrong. Star Ledger endorsement of independent candidate for governor, Chris Daggett helps divide the vote for Corzine. It is better for him if the people who think the gov is corrupt vote for Draggett then give Christie the 2 or 3% he needs to win Star-Ledger Delivers F-U To Corzine, Christie (Gothamist)

nobody votes

Nobody Votes, Special Interest Win


WFP: Return to Tammany Hall Power

Ferrer Pension

Ferrer's Pay to Pay Politics NY1 does not ask Ferrer about the 100,000 he made from getting pension funds from Comptroller Thompson After Introduction From Ferrer, Firm Earned $100000 From State ... When Ferrer was questioned by On the Road to City Hall and called on the president to endorse Thompson Freddy Ferrer Calls On Obama To Endorse Thompson For Mayor *** State Sen. Pedro Espada 'should be in jail,' says Dem Neil Breslin *** Ferrer wasn't thrilled by Al Gore's praise of Mayor Bloomberg, either *** The Left Goes For Critics' Jugular - Jeanne Cummings, Politico *** Democratic fundraiser Hsu sentencing today *** Schumer Rakes in Wall Street Cash (Politico) *** WATCH: Dylan Ratigan Rips Evasive Lobbyist: "All You Did Was Play Cable Dodgeball"

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Terror Trial

$200 Million Least of Our Problems It is not amazing that WBCS Pablo Guzmán got this out of Morgenthau it show you how out of touch the New York press is to a great story. The most experienced prestigious prosecutor in the nations says Morgenthau: 9/11 Trial In NYC 'A Huge Mistake' and nobody notices? *Security for 9/11 trial would cost $200M a year: sources The amount is nearly triple the $75M Obama's attorney general, Eric Holder, initially estimated, sources say * Obama owes New York: Feds must pay every security penny for foolish terror trial (DN Ed)

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Albany Pols

McDonalds No: Pay to Play Institutionalized Extortion in Albany Today's NYP says Nearly half of Albany's pols have 2nd jobs. Not to mention wives, children or other family members on the government payroll or working for those funded by government. None of these people are flipping fries at McDonalds. There working at jobs they got by using their elective office as the pleas of Brian Mclaughlin and Tony Seminario and trial of Bruno prove. "Former state Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno allegedly pitched a friend Jared Abbruzzese on a $30,000-a-month consultant job because he saw Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver making big bucks as a lawyer -- and he too wanted in on the side-gig action. "He started talking about Sheldon Silver and how Sheldon Silver was getting paid 40, 50, 60 thousand a month from the trial lawyers association," Abbruzzese, whose relationship with Bruno kicked off a far-flung FBI probe, said on the stand Pal says Bruno wanted his own 'Shel game', Clients really do Shel out $$ , Joe Bruno golf outing with Cablevision's Jim Dolan may have derailed West Side Stadium plan

Espada

Pay to Play Espada
'Gag' reflex by Espada as charity probe heats up Embattled Bronx politico Pedro Espada Jr. is advising staffers at his health-care charity to check with his lawyers before speaking to state investigators probing allegations of financial misconduct (NYP)

Ross Perot

Suckng Sound In 1993 businessman Ross Perot said "NAFTA will cause a giant sucking sound as jobs go south of the Boarder and overseas" New York's leaders not to learn by Perot very accurate prediction of American job loss are not hiring overseas contractors China State Construction nets $100m US subway deal (China Daily) Musical Chairs Permanent Government Same tired shit may run for different offices (Queens Crap) It very dangerous out there

campaign debate

A Broken Debate Caused by Clueless Reporters


Will the Debate Interrupt the Campaign Spin?

Mccall

Pay to Play Liu Already? Carl McCall under investigation by the the AG in the pension scandal is to be named to head John Liu transition team.
McCall firm Convent Capital was subpoenaed in May, because he accepted a money manager fee and was unlicensed by the SEC. McCall received $48,221 for assisting Steinberg Asset Management in 2005 which received 25 million in pension funds from State Comptroller Hevesi. After he turned over the papers McCall said in a statement, that this is the only deal in which he participated involving the fund he once controlled. McCall is the former State Comptroller(1993 to 2002). McCall also admitted that he talk to Mr. Loglisci, who is currently indicted for his role in the pension scandal. In a 2002 article on pensions and politics a New York Sun editorial stated that "The New York Times reported that 35 percent of McCall's $5.2 million reelection campaign fund came from firms that received contracts to manage the state's pension fund. It cited one California firm that received an $85 million contract last December, three days after executives donated $16,000 to McCall's campaign. Two months earlier, the paper made similar charges regarding law firms doing business with the comptroller's office. A glowing Times endorsement was a big help to McCall in '94—he can probably forget about that in '98. The Village Voice in an article by Wayne Barrett also in 2002 reported on how Comptroller McCall ignored using the pension funds for moral causes and playing up to whatever the corporations wanted Queens Machine Thankful for GOP Wins The two candidates who won the democratic primary in the 19 and 20 were long shots and not part of the Queens machine inner circle so it was no surprise that their operatives worked in two GOP council races to regain support in those areas. The machine is rebuilding the type of coalition they had with GOP State Senator Surf Maltese for years Republicans Win 2 Council Races in Queens *** For Quinn, Election Night Was About Shoring Up Queens (City Hall) Wall Street Should Find a New PR guy Some Wall Street Year-End Bonuses Could Hit Pre-Downturn Highs and stops acting nuts New York Businesses Get H1N1 Vaccine *** Living the good life at Goldman Sachs *** On 3 Out Of 5 Days, Goldman Sachs Makes $100 Million On Trading Alone *** Bank Bonuses Up 40 Percent

Liu Cleaning Up Thompson Pension Fund Pay to Play? You would not know it by reading today's NYP that the case Tony Avella and Bloomberg made during their campaign that Comptroller Thompson received campaign contributions from those doing business with his office was true. During his term in office Thompson tripled the amount paid to money managers. It is no wonder that Thompson received a quarter of his campaign contributions from those wanting to do business with his office. The investment expenses of the city's five pension funds ate up $310 million last year, compared with $102 million in 2002. Fees were paid to 229 money managers, up from 74 in 2002. In fiscal 2008, private-equity firms billed NYCERS, the largest of the five pension funds, $33.3 million to manage $1.6 billion. By comparison, managers overseeing $10.2 billion in bond holdings got only $10.7 million. It is clear that incoming Comptroller John Liu is cleaning up the type of corruption that is being uncovered by AG Cuomo with the New York pension funds. The strange thing about the NYP story is that it made no mention of the Cuomo investigation or the pay to play charges made by Bloomberg and Avella. What have convictions in an organised pay to play nationwide RICO type investigations and we have pay to play inside the NYC Comptrollers office which liu is cleaning up before he brings in his own team? Liu set to derail pension-manager gravy train Will anyone connected with the city's controllers office go to jail? Will these changes result in more transparency? Don't hold your breath All In the Family Also not mentioned in the NYP story is that the head of Liu transition team Carl McCall was also on the money manager gravely train recieving $48,221 helping to arrange for investments from the state Common Retirement Fund McCall firm surfaces in probe Leading Democrat, ex-comptroller says he provided advice to company seeking to manage pension funds* Former Comptroller McCall’s Firm Is Subpoenaed in Pension Inquiry (NYT) ***The federal enforcement agency demanded records of any contacts Broidy had with former CalPERS CEO former CalPERS board member Alfred Villalobos, among others *** The federal enforcement agency demanded records of any contacts Broidy had with former CalPERS CEO Fred Buenrostro and former CalPERS board member Alfred Villalobos, among others * After Introducing Alfred Villalobos to Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli in May 2007 Freddie Ferrer, Firm Earned $100,000 From State Pension Fund * Feds investigate ex-CalPERS officials’ possible link with fallen financier *** H. Carl McCall, Freddy Ferrer, Betsy Gotbaum Endorse Liu*** Blue Wolf Exec Joshua Gotbaum to Head U.S. Pension Agency (Joshua Gotbaum is Betsy Gotbaum step son) * This is a good start to understanding Joshua Gotbaum company Blue Wolf The Wolf at Thompson's Door *** True News: Wolf at Thompson Door, Part II . Avella Opens A Cut

Pay to Play Pension Boss McCall As usually it what the NYP does not say in there story about the pension manager firm Ariel Capital Management that is most important. McCall firm skips city biz Ariel an investment company tied to Carl McCall -- and fired by the city last year -- says it won't bid for city pension business while he's the chief adviser to incoming city Comptroller John Liu. McCall's job with Comptroller Liu is that of transition chief that will expire once the comptrollers office is fully staffed. Does that mean the company which was dismissed over disappointing returns and involved in pay to play with the outgoing Thompson ($30,000 to the campaigns contibution) will return once McCall is finish with the transition. After all a lot of people in Liu office will owe their jobs to him. And McCall has done business with more than one company who do New York pension fund business and was no stranger to pay to play when he was comptroller Accountants and law firms Gave to Carl McCall After Getting State Contract *** Carl McCall is also under investigation by the the AG in the pension scandal is to be named to head John Liu transition team * McCall's linked to pension fund mess *** Ex-Comptroller Carl McCall Is Part of New York Pension Inquiry McCall firm Convent Capital was subpoenaed in May, because he accepted a money manager fee and was unlicensed by the SEC. McCall received $48,221 for assisting Steinberg Asset Management in 2005 which received 25 million in pension funds from State Comptroller Hevesi. After he turned over the papers McCall said in a statement, that this is the only deal in which he participated involving the fund he once controlled. What about Ariel Capital Management? McCall is the former State Comptroller(1993 to 2002). McCall also admitted that he talk to Mr. Loglisci, who is currently indicted for his role in the pension scandal. Ariel Capital Management was a big contributor to indicted former Chicago Governor Blagojevich Pension fund firms big donors to gov :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES * The Wolf at Thompson's Door * Everyone is Covering Up the Pension Scandal for Their Own Reasons UPDATE CalPERS probing investment advisor's ties to middleman Documents show Alfred J.R. Villalobos was helping private equity firms win deals with the California pension fund while also working for a firm hired by CalPERS to give it investment advice. Villalobos firm Arvco CapitalAfter Introduction From Ferrer, Firm Earned $100,000 From State Pension Fund

Council Spending

Council Spends Like There No Recession With 6000 less offices since 2001 a terror trial that will drain manpower for the next 5 to 10 years. Problems on the subways Sex Offenses on the Subways Are Widespread, City Officials Are Told and children with guns shooting children should the city be spending a billion and a half on a new police academy City Council approves College Point police academy

Looks like the NYT Does Not Read For years papers have been waring about illegal apartment death traps. Today's NYT says the fire reveals the fire traps Fire Reveals Illegal Homes Hide in Plain Sight Death trap warnings over the years THE BATTLE OF tRICHMOND HILL llegal subdivisions are transforming suburban homes in Queens into modern-day tenements and fire-traps (City Limits 1998) * High demand for illegal Chinatown apartments (May 2007) * Bill Would Increase Penalties For Dividing Houses Illegaly (NYT 1997) * Queens Leads City in Complaints About Illegally Overcrowded Houses (2005)

More Organized Crime: City Council Council members' matche$ burn city That's what a slew of City Council members are doing -- accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxpayer matching funds to mount new campaigns, even though they have virtually no opposition in November *** $3.1M more in tax funds for candidates - even the shoo-ins (NYDN) *** Editorial: Liu and Fidler: gluttons Public Advocate-to-be Bill de Blasio did the right thing yesterday by declining to accept the huge pile of taxpayer dollars that are available to help him run a general election race against, essentially, no one. Not so controller-to-be John Liu (DN Editorial) *** Fidler Prepares for the Worst, Expensively

nyt editorial

Memo to NYT: Albany Has Already Been Convicted Brian M. McLaughlin Ex-Labor Leader Is Sentenced to 10 Years for Racketeering (NYT) * Anthony S. Seminerio Queens Assemblyman Pleads Guilty in Corruption Case Today's NYT could be considered by some in Albany who constantly escape the law to be double jeopardy How Albany Works Is Also on Trial * Bruno pal up for questions on pay

The Audacity of Bruno's Corruption: Editorial Board Outrage Over the Years Leads Nowhere

Memo to NYT: Albany Has Already Been Convicted Brian M. McLaughlin Ex-Labor Leader Is Sentenced to 10 Years for Racketeering (NYT) * Anthony S. Seminerio Queens Assemblyman Pleads Guilty in Corruption Case Today's NYT could be considered by some in Albany who constantly escape the law to be double jeopardy How Albany Works Is Also on Trial * Bruno pal up for questions on pay



Today's NYT Editorial It’s All About the Money Twenty years have passed since a commission report declared New York’s campaign finance laws a disgrace and still nothing has changed in Albany

Times Publisher Compares Print Media to the Titanic


More From the NYT Editorial The Temptations of $126 Billion
"Earlier this month, a California venture capitalist pleaded guilty to helping his company land a very rich deal with New York’s pension fund. In order to manage a $250 million portion of the $126 billion state pension, Elliott Broidy gave nearly $1 million in gifts to officials in the state comptroller’s office. . . Mr. Hevesi resigned three years ago after admitting to a felony. Since then, two of his top former associates are fighting criminal charges relating to the pension fund investments. Four others have pleaded guilty for security fraud, including one of the last political bosses in the state: Raymond Harding, who was a leader of the Liberal Party. And an investigation of New York’s pension scandal by Attorney General Andrew Cuomo and the Securities and Exchange Commission is ongoing. New York’s pension fund desperately needs protection. It needs to be guarded by financial experts and watched carefully by the public. It is about more than the fundamental need for good government in Albany, although that’s enough for most people. If the pension loses ground, taxpayers must make up the difference. The Temptations of $126 Billion. "

Looks like the NYT Does Not Read For years papers have been waring about illegal apartment death traps. Today's NYT says the fire reveals the fire traps Fire Reveals Illegal Homes Hide in Plain Sight Death trap warnings over the years THE BATTLE OF tRICHMOND HILL llegal subdivisions are transforming suburban homes in Queens into modern-day tenements and fire-traps (City Limits 1998) * High demand for illegal Chinatown apartments (May 2007) * Bill Would Increase Penalties For Dividing Houses Illegaly (NYT 1997) * Queens Leads City in Complaints About Illegally Overcrowded Houses (2005)

What the Editorial Boards Thought of Paterson's Effort

bank deutsche

Council Wimps, What Mob? The council ignores the real reason for the death of two firefighter at the Deutsche Bank by passing meaningless laws that will not solve the problem. In the last several months we have been told of organized crime involvement in both the contractors taking down the Deutsche Bank and the NYC Building Department which is responsible for regulation them. What is the council answer to this problem passing a bill that prevents building crews from performing demolitions at the same time as asbestos abatement. In New York is your a legislator it OK to ignore reality, because the public reelects you no matter how you behave. In the city and Albany Not I, Said the New York Senate As New York State’s money supply runs down, its senators need to start taking real actions instead of hiding from reality New York's debt level of $64.8 billion is higher than ever The Capital of the Mob World Former Prosecutor Appointed to Investigate Corruption in Crane Operators’ Union

McLaughlin

Contractor Goes to Jail: Question to the NYT: What did McLaughlin Fix?

morality

NY' s Leaders Have Lost the Values and Morality that Once Made it the Greatest City in the World


The Greatest Generation vs. Today's Take Albany Generation


True News Telling It Like It Is Before the Media and Pols
November 11, 2009 The Greatest Generation vs. Today's Take Albany Generation

Today “When you look at the avoidance behavior and the almost denial that many of the legislators seem to be in, you recognize that they have let their political issues usurp doing what’s right for the people,” Governor Paterson New York Lawmakers Put Themselves Before State, Paterson Says Bloomberg

albany tax

Tax Hell 137 Hikes, 88 New Fees

paterson albany

November 12, 2008

Gov. Paterson blasts three rebel Dems

Friday, January 1, 2010

Kingsbridge

Almost Kingsbridge Armory Last Mall in New York? With the coming commercial crash it could be a very long time before the new mall can be financed and built in New York. Commercial Real Estate Industry Poised For Collapse Due To Lack Of Liquidity * Welcome To The Most Depressing Commercial Real Estate Disaster In America *'No jobs': A promise he'll keep Kingsbridge Armory (NYP) *** Protestors storm Queens Center Mall over living wage *** Julissa Ferreras and Danny Dromm extend the Kingsbridge Armory fight to Queens Center Mall *** The Bronx May be Up But Its Wages Are the Lowest * On the Jobless Front in NYC: Now You Can See How Poorly Your Own Neighborhood is Doing

Gilly

Jelly-brand dummies up Ducks NYP Interview . . . Both Mayor Bloomberg and Gov. Paterson say ObamaCare will be a financial nightmare for the Empire State. disproportionate burdens on New York state and New York City."Burdens, says Paterson, that could cost the state $1.1 billion to $1.25 billion a year in Medicaid funding... a press aide spoke forSen. Kirsten Gillibrand: "The Senate health-care bill is good for New York [because it would] provide health insurance to 2.7 million residents who do not currently have it." . . . and that's a crying shame, because this isn't about passing out a little pork. It's about an inequitable Medicaid funding formula, thanks to which New York has gotten the short stick for decades. Under the Senate bill, other states will see their Medicaid reimbursements rise to an average of 65 percent -- while New York's would remain flat at just 50 percent, the lowest in the nation (NYP Ed) * Gilly's 2nd opinion Defends health bill against gov and Bloomberg (NYP) * Dave and Mike: Med plan would be bitter pill for NY * Schumer mum on health bill that could hurt NY * The Senate health care bill would hurt community care clinics in New York City *** Taken for a huge ride: State's Medicaid mistakes are costing the taxpayers multimillions *** Schumer goes hunting, bags Nelson*** Skelos: Sue the Health Care Bill *** Schumer Says Every State Got Special Treatment in Health Bill (Bloomberg News)

Horse

Horse Head in Bed Message Again In 2007 Eliot Spitzer ruled that that the New York Racing Association (NYRA) continue to do what it’s done for more than 50 years—run thoroughbred racing at Saratoga Race Course, Belmont Park and Aqueduct. Many members in the legislature had their own campaign contributors who they want to run the state's racetracks. This split campaign contributor pay to play perks for New York's elected officials has continued with into the Paterson administration and is the main reason why a vendor for slot machines has not been chosen for Aqueduct, while the state continues to lose about a million a day in need tax revenues . State comptroller chosen by the legislature has delivered the horse head right into the bed of the NYRA, with the hope of removing them from running the tracks. This fight is about serious money, where the only winner are the elected officials on the winning side and they campaign contributors who get the contract. The public spin fight is about control. The NYRA says it was running out of cash and may be forced to cancel the storied Belmont Stakes set for June 5. DiNapoli is skeptical and wants to know what happened to the millions of taxpayer dollars the financially ailing group got while waiting to open video lottery terminals at Aqueduct. New York Racing Association will receive subpoena to turn over books to auditors in Belmont crisis *** State Comptroller Subpoenas Racing Association More Play to Pay for Albany and the lobbyist Hurdles remain for NY tribe's Long Island casino ***PM NYRA responds to DiNapoli

Albany's Pay to Play Collection Agency

Albany's Pay to Play Collection Agency As the new legislative session starts it time for incumbents most who are never challenged to raise money and the lobbyist working for special interests to buy their votes. To bad there is no dysfunctionalism when it comes to raising money, only in governing the state competently Old Habits Die Hard * Schneiderman Raises, With DiNapoli * Tell Congress: Make Fair Elections a Priority in 2010


Incumbent TV
The state legislature will launch C-SPAN style channels in January. C-SPAN has independent journalist that devote a large amount of time to callers opinions. All the pols and jack asses in the clueless good government groups are talking about is increasing what gets covered on the Legislature cable TV station. With there member items Albany has used the government budget to get reelected and for personal pocket cash. Now they are onto corrupting journalism and good government groups who have failed to achieve any real reforms in decades in Albany are waving them in to corrupt freedom of the press. Unreal