Inside the Big Apple

Monday, January 31st

Miller Misses His Opportunity

MILLER MISSES HIS OPPORTUNITY.

It actually took me a day or so to think of this point. That is how stagnant the political debate in this City has become during the era of term limits and Mayor Billionaire. And in some respects there are a number of reasons to blame. But in the end, last week’s budget announcement was a missed opportunity for Speaker Gifford Miller and any other Democratic Mayoral hopeful.

Mayor Billionaire announced his budget with the usual fanfare. It was a good times budget, the first of his term. Revenue projections were up and a large surplus was projected for the next fiscal year. The Mayor included various goodies in his budget, including his $400 property tax rebate proposal.

And the amazing thing is no one really challenged the Mayor’s budget. Yes, there was criticism, but there was no fundamental challenge. And considering the events of three years ago, this had to be considered remarkable.

What happened three years ago? Do you recall the Mayor’s proposed 25% increase in property taxes? The one that the Council negotiated downward to 18.5%? Do you recall Miller’s counter-proposal last year to the $400 rebate for property owners? Remember his across the board 2% cut, with some groups (for example, seniors) getting a complete rollback of the 18.5% increase?

Oh yeah, now you do.

And pray tell, why hasn’t anyone criticized the Mayor by stating that the basis for the 18.5% increase was that it was needed to keep City services going in the wake of 9-11? That need has now been eliminated or at least obviated. Simply put, the City has now recovered, and is anyone discussing reversing course on this tax increase? Miller, after challenging the 25% increase and trying to differentiate himself with the 2% cut, has now abdicated the tax cut discussion. And no other serious Mayoral candidate has raised the issue.

This failure points out a few things. First, the political attitudes of the Mayoral candidates. Miller is very liberal. Weiner is very liberal. Fields is very liberal. Barron is very liberal. Even Ferrer, whose record is moderate, is running as a liberal. It reminds me of the 1977 Mayoral race when everyone was liberal except Ed Koch. And Koch went onto become Mayor for 12 years. There is no Ed Koch in this race (sorry Tom Ognibene, Republicans with no name recognition don’t count).

Second, if you are a conservative Republican, it certainly adds gist to the argument that don’t ever trust the liberals to raise your taxes temporarily to get through a crisis. They argue that that increase will always become permanent. Well, they can make some hay here. And justifiably so. Once again, the liberals failed to keep their promise. Unfortunately, I don’t think this matters in New York City.

Now, Miller, Mayor Billionaire and all their candidate counter-parts can argue that the City’s budget in the out years is still fragile. Frankly, I don’t buy it. When good times start, they continue for a few years. And I can see the beginnings of a spending orgy. But let me take their argument at face value. If this is the case, then simply have a one-year cut, sunset it for next year, and re-evaluate matters under the new or re-elected Mayor in 2006. If the budget is good, then continue the decrease.

Of course, this will never happen. But at least someone could say this issue should be explored. First candidate to do so picks up a swath of voters, and credit for raising the issue.

jameseugene@empirepage.com">jameseugene@empirepage.com">JamesEugene on 01.31.05 @ 08:58 AM EST [link] [No Comments]

Thursday, December 23rd

Scroogey for the Holidays

SOME SCROOGE THOUGHTS FOR THE HOLIDAY.

I know, I should be generous but I read the headlines and I just get these nasty thoughts in my head. I can’t help it. Besides, it is usually more fun to be nasty rather than nice.

Here are some thoughts on miscellaneous subjects.

THE WESTSIDE STADIUM LAWSUIT.

You knew this was going to happen and the only question was when. I mean it was predictable. This is New York, there is a big project, there is a lawsuit. I am sure you expected it because I sure did.

The plaintiffs are suing based upon an improper environmental review. Now those who did the review had to know this was coming and had to know that all their t’s had to be crossed and all their i’s had to be dotted. All I can say is if they are not, then they don’t deserve a stadium and shame on them.

KERIK GOES BYE-BYE.

Stoneface resigned from Prosecutor Partners. Now this doesn’t work for Mayor Prosecutor either way. If Mayor Prosecutor kept Stoneface, I would chide him for keeping a loyal comrade who lied to him. If Mayor Prosecutor dumped Stoneface, I would chide him for disloyalty. And forget about the technical resignation. Freezing out a partner is the same as termination.

But rather than take those two tacks, I am not going to criticize Guiliani (see I can be nice) at all. It was a lose-lose situation and I only attack in situations where there is a viable alternative that is not taken. There was none here. It was sad for all parties. And Kerik may be a good administrator with some flaws. But if he is still good, there is a place for him. I wish him well.

SPITZER BLANKS OUT.

Mr. Clean was pretty foolish for announcing so early.

Now there are problems with the MTA… so what is your plan Mr. Clean? The schools need money… so what is your plan Mr. Clean? Taxes are increasing… so what is your plan Mr. Clean?

Because Mr. Clean announced, he is now obligated to weigh in on these issues and provide viable alternatives. If he did not announce, he could still study his options and take this year to devise positions and plans. But he announced, so he needs to say something each and every time a major issues arises.

But then again, maybe that’s a good thing, since…..

HOW TO RUN AGAINST GOVERNOR PATACUOMO.

I read a line in the paper today that went something like this. Kalikow proposed tax increases to support the MTA’s capital plan. The Governor’s spokesman commented that the Governor had no comment and was away on vacation.

Like that is any different from any comment I have heard for the past two years on any issue. “The Governor has no comment and is away on vacation.” I am tired of hearing that. Or, when the Governor wants to sound weighty, “The Governor is reviewing the recommendations and has no comment at this time.” The only problem is the Governor never has a comment!

The fact is when was the last time Governor Patacuomo actually governed. I mean rolled up his sleeves and did anything. Does New York even have a Governor?

Governance in its grittiest, guttiest form is about two things. Governing (oh you knew that already) and taking care of your friends (a fact of life you knew already and hate admitting). Governor Patacuomo has abdicated the governance role. And you know that he has been doing a lot of fundraising for others and trying to make more friends for a move somewhere (pity anyplace that he goes). So the only thing he must be doing is taking care of his friends.

Let’s face, the past two years, governance has been done by Sheldon Silver and Joseph Bruno. At best, they have done a fair job and at worst, a mediocre job. New York needs a governor. It doesn’t have one. Give the Lieutenant Governor a shot, even if you don’t resign. I mean if Patacuomo doesn’t want the indignity of resigning at least he could let someone else do the job. I don’t care that what’s her name is a Republican. Who knows, she might be good. But at least she will try to govern. Patacuomo doesn’t care and doesn’t try.

Governor, resign now and allow for some leadership.

If he doesn’t resign and runs for re-election just remember to take out all the press clippings that say, “the Governor has no comment, he is away on vacation,” string them all together and just ask, “have we had a Governor for the past four years?”

jameseugene@empirepage.com">jameseugene@empirepage.com">JamesEugene on 12.23.04 @ 01:11 PM EST [link] [No Comments]

Tuesday, December 14th

MUSINGS FROM THE EDGE

MUSINGS ON THE MTA, THE WEST SIDE STADIUM, MAYOR PROSECUTOR, AND GOVERNOR PATACUOMO.

I have been so busy the past few weeks that I have not had the opportunity to write any blogs. I know, I know, you almost died without them.

In the interim so many topics popped up, all of which I wanted to write full columns about. But time is short and the holidays are upon us so a quick blurb on a few items.

THE MTA IS LOST.

The agency is outright arrogant. The quotations from the press agents are combative. The statements from the Chairman are inane. (“The public supports fare hikes”…. Umm, what planet do you live on?) It takes a surplus, doesn’t use it to reduce fares and creates a rainy day fund. And a past history of cooking the books is not to be forgotten either.

Ultimately, the MTA does not get it or maybe it does. The alternatives to mass transit are actually worse and more expensive than mass transit. Trying to move about the metro area by car during rush hour is insane. It takes longer, is tiring and is more expensive. Unless you are really an automobile addict or if you have less than half a brain, you are taking mass transit or have a chauffeur (or you are the Mayor, with a chauffeur, helicopters and police escorts at your beckoning). So the MTA knows it can do what it wants and it still has the fastest and cheapest alternative.

Still the politics of mass transit have changed. A chart today (12-14-04) in AM New York listed new State capital contributions over the years. In the past four years, the amount is equal to zero (that is not a typo). And with the capital budget the fastest growing part of the MTA budget, you would think the State would kick in something.

But more on the fare hike later.

MSG, DOLAN AND BEDFELLOWS.

Much has been made about James Dolan’s personal advertisements on the West Side Stadium. And everyone views it as a great Mayoral boon for Mayor Billionaire’s opponents. But to those who would go to bed with James Dolan be very wary.

The Dolans own Cablevision. Cablevision is a utility. People hate utilities. But people especially hate Cablevision because it played games with the Yankees. Moreover, if you compare Cablevision to Time Warner, I think you will find Time Warner to be a superior service.

The Dolans own the Knicks and the Rangers. Or should I also say, the Dolans have destroyed the Knicks and the Rangers while increasing ticket prices to astronomical levels. Sports fans revolt.

I ask every politician against the West Side Stadium who is looking to join in with James Dolan as a means of beating the Mayor in 2005: do you really want to be in bed with this guy?

THE SONS OF MAYOR PROSECUTOR

So Bernard Kerik has all this garbage in the closet. An illegal nanny, inappropriate gifts, extra marital affairs and harassment, questionable stock options. Not a pretty list, especially the gifts and stock options part. Am I surprised? Absolutely not.

The great farce of the Mayor Prosecutor administration is that it was a bunch of choir boys. Far from it. Kerik had problems. Harding had problems. And trust me, there are probably more. How and when will we find out? Whenever a Giuliani minion attempts to get a higher office. Then the national press and other big-time politicians will strike some blows.

Mayor Prosecutor could bully this City for eight years. His intimidation kept people quiet and/or obsequious. On a national stage, that is not quite the case. Maybe he can bully a City Councilman from Brooklyn or the Bronx, but a Senator from Minnesota could care less about Mayor Prosecutor and his tough mindedness. And maybe the Times will keep quiet on certain issues, but national publications and web blogs won’t.

Mayor Prosecutor will face unbelievable scrutiny when he runs for President. He will have friends as he has campaigned nationally and made some. However, his underside will make just about everyone else appear like a saint. He won’t get very far.

GOVERNOR PATACUOMO’s MISCALCULATION.

It would be so nice if New York had a Governor. Unfortunately, Governor Patacuomo never took my recommendation to resign and give New York its first female governor as his legacy (what is her name again?).

I really wonder if this guy is living in the real world. He proposes more gambling to fund the school settlement when he doesn’t even have the casinos that he has planned for other reasons. He is totally disengaged from the MTA fare hike matter even though Mayor Billionaire has already instructed his appointees to vote no. And he spends lots of political capital for Bush the Second, and then we receive nothing for his investment (and does Patacuomo receive anything… if he does I have not seen…. Hold it, did he spend a night in the Lincoln Bedroom?).

The MTA is proposing a $211 million contribution to a rainy day fund. I can now tell you exactly when that fund will be used….2006. How can I be so sure? Because that’s the year of the governor’s race. (Notice I do not say the Governor’s reelection because the Governor will not be reelected.)

But the rainy day fund won’t help. Some fare hike in 2006 will still be needed. A State capital contribution to the MTA is not in the cards given that the school aid settlement will drain the State of most of its money over the next few years. A fare hike for three years out of four will hurt Patacuomo not only in the City (hey, we aren’t voting for him anyway), but in the increasingly Democratic suburbs.

Here is an early goodbye Governor, and don’t let the door hit you on the way out.

jameseugene@empirepage.com">jameseugene@empirepage.com">JamesEugene on 12.14.04 @ 09:37 AM EST [link] [No Comments]

Thursday, November 11th

THE TRIAL OF THE CENTURY

One of the things you are not hearing about today is the trial of the century. Am I talking about Martha, Scott Peterson, OJ (oops that was last century), or Kobe? Am I looking at the future Enron trials? The insurance scandals? The Wall Street mess?

Of course not. This is a column on City governmental affairs. The trial of the century is the Allan Jennings disciplinary trial at the City Council which is occurring before the Standards and Ethics Committee.

You don’t even know who Allan Jennings is? Shame on you, because you should. He is impacting City government in ways you are not even aware of.

Jennings is a Council Member from southeast Queens. He represents an African-American district and is African-American. He is bright (the main stream press won’t tell you that), but at times his behavior borders on bizarre. Okay, it doesn’t border on bizarre, it is bizarre.

A few examples. Jennings voted against the 18.5% real property tax increase a few years back (not bizarre). As a result, he was stripped of his chairmanship of the Civil Service and Labor Committee, a perquisite he received because he was in Queens and he was on the winning side of the fight for the Speakership by Gifford Miller. Now he was on the winning side by virtue of the support of the Queens County Democratic machine.

When stripped, the Queens County Democratic machine made no effort to save his chairmanship. It is not as if the machine loved Jennings. He had been the maverick in the prior season’s primary battle for the seat he held, beating machine choice, Tony Andrews, another bright young man, but a bit less bizarre in his behavior.

So at the meeting where he lost his Chairmanship what did Jennings do? He compared himself to Jesus Christ. I kid you not. But you already knew this.

And you already know about the advertisements in the Asian press where he declared his love for his new Asian girlfriend (it seems as if Jennings has a prior wife who is Asian and who he has divorced). Now the media made this out to be a big deal. Frankly, Jennings can love, marry and divorce whomever he wants. But full page ads are a bit much.

And you know that Jennings has been accused of improper actions (both sexual and racial). The idiocy of it is that the accusing person is a lawyer who is one of the Council’s leading experts on equal employment. Let’s face it, if you are going to harass someone, you would tend to avoid the legal expert types. But this legal eagle is not one to avoid the issue and Jennings picked the wrong person to engage in bizarre and potentially illegal acts.

So now let’s face it. Jennings is a bit flaky, if not, much worse. But how is this impacting you?

Well, he has called forty witnesses for his Council trial contesting the charges. And this is taking up a lot of time at the Council. The trial is taking multiple days, all day and Jennings is going through his witnesses quite slowly. The entire Committee on Standards and Ethics is wasting their time on this trial. And who sits on this Committee?

The Chair, Helen Sears, is little known enough. But the rest of the Committee has some power. The other members include Gifford Miller, the Speaker, David Weprin, Chair of the Finance Committee, Melinda Katz, Chair of the Land Use Committee, and Madeline Provenzano, the Chair of Housing and Buildings (these may be the four of the five most powerful people in the Council). Even other members are not lightweights, including Joel Rivera, the Majority Leader, Peter F. Vallone, Jr., Chair of the Public Safety Committee, and Bill Perkins, Chair of the Governmental Operations Committee.

Two or three days a week, all day, these Committee Members trek on (we can add to the list above, Diane Reyna, Andrew Lanza, and Philip Reed since they are experiencing this torture as well and should be sent condolence cards as well). It is not done and it is distracting them from their Council duties.

Jennings is not going to change the outcome of his punishment with his trial and he has alienated himself from the rest of his fellow members. His effectiveness as a Council Member has been severely compromised. He is up for reelection next year. Last time around, his constituents gave him the benefit of the doubt and voted him back in. This time, they might want to think twice.

AND WHEN YOU SAY YOUR PRAYERS.

I saw this morning in the papers that the Prime Minister of Iraq had three relatives kidnapped. Despite what you might think of Allawi, I think most people would concede that he is trying to shape a democracy. Moreover, while we get casualty counts of Americans killed to date, we rarely get casualty counts of Iraqis killed to date.

I know we can be cynical about certain Iraqis, but most are hoping for something better and fighting to achieve it. Innocents are being killed for this. And they are fighting the terrorists due to US policy (let’s face it; if the terrorists weren’t there before, they are there now). So as our men help fight this war and you pray for them, add to your prayers the people of Iraq who want peace and democracy. They need your prayers as well.

jameseugene@empirepage.com">jameseugene@empirepage.com">JamesEugene on 11.11.04 @ 10:05 AM EST [link] [No Comments]

Tuesday, November 2nd

SOME THOUGHTS FROM LINCOLN ON ELECTION DAY

I wrote this for the 2003 election, but reviewing the Gettysburg Address is always a worthwhile endeavor. Remember to VOTE!

On November 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln delivered, in my opinion, the perfect speech, the Gettysburg Address. As we exercise our democratic rights this week, it is appropriate to reflect upon his thoughts.

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth, upon this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that "all men are created equal."

Lincoln talks about our founding fathers and the nation they founded "conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that 'all men are created equal.'" Lincoln specifically states that there was a philosophy behind the framework of the founding fathers. He knew that our founding fathers were influenced by Locke, Hobbes, Rousseau, Montesquieu and other great political philosophers. All too often today, our leaders fail to tell us who influenced their lives and what their view of America is. Like the founding fathers, Lincoln had a vision. All too often today, I cannot determine the vision of our leaders.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived, and so dedicated, can long endure.

The Gettysburg Address was written early in our nation's history - a mere 87 years after the Declaration of Independence and only 74 years after the ratification of the Constitution. America was still young. The concepts it was espousing and implementing were still new and curious to the rest of the world. We were struggling to realize the ideals of democracy and the rest of the world wanted to know where the struggle would lead.

In the early 1840's, a French writer, Alexis de Tocqueville, came across the ocean to view this struggling democracy and describe it for the European community. So the Civil War was not only a war between states, it was a battle over American democracy and how it would function. The doubts that some had over the Civil War were greater than slavery and states' rights. They were doubts over the essence of democracy itself.

We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of it, as a final resting place for those who died here, that the nation might live. This we may, in all propriety do. But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate, we can not consecrate, we can not hallow, this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have hallowed it far above our poor power to add or detract.

Lincoln pays tribute to the men who died at Gettysburg. He notes that they died for the American concept of democracy, and that their deaths in defense of freedom were greater than any act that the living could bestow upon them.

Those of us who live in the political world have an obligation to pay tribute to those who have fought and in some cases died or were wounded in defense of our democracy. All too often, our political leaders hide behind others to save their political skins. Is there any reason then to wonder why the public has become skeptical about politics when soldiers risk their lives for democracy and freedom, while our leaders fail to risk a few points in a public opinion poll?

The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here; while it can never forget what they did here.

Lincoln understood that that those who fell at Gettysburg gave the ultimate sacrifice, not for gain, but for their country and the principles for which it stands. When our leaders deprive others of their rights in the name of saving democracy, they are forgetting what was done there.

It is rather for us, the living, to be dedicated here to the great task remaining before us -- that, from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they here, gave the last full measure of devotion.

Lincoln now turns from the dead to the living, to our obligation to promote that democracy for which the men at Gettysburg died. But sometimes our devotion is not even present, let alone increased. All too often, our country supports foreign leaders who have no dedication to democracy. If a foreign leader happens to be a despot, we forgive him, as long as he provides us with a resource that we need. We pay lip service to the ideals that Lincoln espoused in the name of simply keeping American democracy safe. In the process, we lessen our devotion to democracy itself and diminish our own respect for it.

[T]hat we here highly resolve these dead shall not have died in vain; that the nation, shall have a new birth of freedom, ...

Lincoln knew that the nation was in crisis. He knew that it would need healing and he looked forward to the war's end and a "new birth of freedom." Without that freedom, he knew that those who died would have died in vain.

As we fight terrorism, it is important to remember what we are fighting for and not lessen our democracy, not lessen our freedom, lest our fighters die for a principle that no longer will no longer exist in practice. We must not destroy democracy to save it.

[A]nd that government of the people by the people for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

In the end, Lincoln sums up the very essence of our democracy: "government of the people, by the people, for the people." Lincoln did not say government for the liberals or for the conservatives, for the rich or for the poor, for the secular or for the religious. He said government for all the people.

Today, we have leaders who play to constituencies who vote for them and purposely neglect those who do not. It is one thing to try to do the greatest good for the greatest number. It is another to purposely discount whole groups. Moreover, our pillars of government too often lately seem to respond only to people who have influence... a betrayal of the Lincoln version of democracy.

In this and every election period, it is appropriate to ask your candidates what will you do for all the people, how do you intend to help all the people, rich and poor, white and of color, liberal and conservative, straight and gay, young and old. Maybe, just maybe, they might stop and think about why they are running (and trust me, too many politicians have no philosophical idea why they are running for something other than it is the next highest office).

Legend has it that Lincoln wrote the Gettysburg address on the back of an envelope on the train ride from Washington, DC to Gettysburg, PA. In fact, this is only partly true. History tells us that Lincoln started writing the speech in the White House (wouldn't it be nice if a President was required to write just one speech for himself during his term) and wrote the remainder on the train on lined paper - not the back of an envelope.

Legend also has it that Lincoln was disappointed in his speech and as he left Gettysburg remarked that no one would ever remember his address. I would love to know what he would have considered a great speech.

jameseugene@empirepage.com">jameseugene@empirepage.com">JamesEugene on 11.02.04 @ 01:23 PM EST [link] [No Comments]

Friday, October 29th

LEGISLATION AND REALITY

LEGISLATION AND REALITY

I always love when legislators pass a law, hail themselves and then fail to even think about the logistics of the legislation. As a case in point, I will now discuss the much ballyhooed carbon monoxide detector legislation.

First of all, the recent passage of the carbon monoxide detector legislation should not be trumpeted. After all, the rest of the state had had the requirement for almost two years. Moreover, consider a tremendous gift to the carbon monoxide manufacturers. With 2.8 million potential household, this requirement was a $100 million bonanza for the industry. I would love to see their donor list.

But in talking to a landlord the scope of the legislation and how it is implemented amuses me.

For example, every unit of housing must have the carbon monoxide detectors if the building the unit is in contains a fossil fuel burning furnance. The interesting thing is that carbon monoxide rarely goes more than a few floors up, so even if you are twenty stories up with virtually no chance of having a carbon monoxide incident, your unit requires a carbon monoxide detector. Overkill number one.

Overkill number two is the time to install the detectors. Everything has to be done by November 1st, but the regulations with the standard for the detectors were not finalized until the first week of October. And now the market has to supply 2.8 million detectors. I am sure the CO manufacturers have all these units handy. And I believe in the tooth fairy.

Next, a building owner or manager has to actually install this stuff. If you have a lot of units, this can take some time. If you have 500 units you can get an extension, but less than 500 units, and you need show cause why you can’t get the units in on time.

Now I believe the City bureaucracy actually understands that these things will take longer than November 1st to install, after all, if you want to request an extension, you don’t even need to get the request in until December 1st. But the City might be skittish in granting extensions because the Council set the November 1st date, even though it was impractical because it wanted the detectors in by the heating season when the chance of carbon monoxide poisoning, low as it may be, is highest. More importantly, the recent incident on Staten Island where three people died of carbon monoxide poisoning will make the City loathe to risk a negative incident where it granted an extension and then someone died. The chances of that happening are slim, but already, the City is getting grief for its Housing Authority receiving an extension for some 41,000 units that it operates.

The fact is the deadline was a deadline to make the Council look good and even better for the Council it had a reasonable basis. Sometimes, I think the Council believes that humans are super-human and fails to legislate for reality. But then again, no one ever accused the Council of living in the real world.

AND CONSIDER ME A FORTUNE TELLER.

Prediction: Next year’s Rent Guidelines Board hearings will be a bigger zoo than usual.

The pressure will be on next year to raise rents for rent stabilized apartments. First reason: Council legislation. The Council passed various bills that add to the expense of building operations. For example, the installation of a carbon monoxide detector. Tenants may need to pay $25 of the cost, but the equipment cost is higher and there is an installation cost. Moreover, and more importantly, the lead paint law will be felt. And it will be an expensive bill. Since the Rent Guidelines Board must review the whole cost of building operations, they must pass along the cost of lead paint remediation to the tenants.

Second reason, energy costs. The costs have gone through the roof, especially heating fuel, and the cost must also be passed on.

This will lead to much bashing of the Mayor by Council Speaker Gifford Miller and other potential Mayoral candidates. Why? The Mayor really controls the Board and Miller will use the opportunity to rally tenants against the Mayor. Next year’s Rent Guidelines increase will not be the Board’s increase but Mayor Billionaire’s increase.

Which is ironic because if there is any politician to blame for the increase, it would actually be Miller and others who supported the lead paint law.

Who said politics was fair?!

jameseugene@empirepage.com">jameseugene@empirepage.com">JamesEugene on 10.29.04 @ 02:21 PM EST [link] [No Comments]

Friday, October 15th

WHAT A LITTLE MONEY CAN DO.

WHAT A LITTLE MONEY CAN DO?

One of the issues in this Presidential campaign has been trust. And as my five readers may know, I wrote an anti-war column devoted to the issue before the Iraq war. And since I did not support going to war because I did not trust the President or any of his statements or figures (remember the argument how the war would pay for itself with cheaper oil prices… sheesh), I figured that I would try to determine what we could have done with the $200 billion or so Bush’s war will probably end up costing you and me.

I am going to solve a host of issues with $200 billion. Almost all related to New York City.

Let’s start with the homeless. There are approximately 9,000 homeless families in New York City. So I want to house these families. New York City has about 3% of the nation’s population so although there are vast regions that do not have the same homeless problem as New York City, I am going to assume the proportion of homeless families are uniform throughout the country. Thus, I want to take care of approximately 300,000 homeless families nationwide.

Now building a unit of housing costs about $100,000 in New York City. I am going to assume that is the same throughout the country (it is not but I am willing to use inflated figures). A home for each one of those families would cost us $30 billion. Throw in an extra $10 billion for homeless singles (for whom housing is less), and I have still have $160 billion left. But I have ended homeless.

Now is the time where you say “thank you” to James Eugene. But save the kudos, I have more yet to do.

New York City hospitals constantly complain of having to take care of the uninsured. And the uninsured are a big issue in this campaign with about 40 million Americans without health insurance. I am going to assume a good chunk of them are in families so let’s buy family coverage for 12 million families and single coverage for 10 million individuals.

Now John Kerry said it cost $7,700 to cover his family. I was willing to use a higher figure, after all, I am in New York City. However, I must figure that D.C. has expensive medical coverage too. So for the families, let’s use a figure of $8,000. And for individuals, it is never quite half, so let’s use a figure of $4,500. The family coverage would amount to $96 billion and the singles coverage would amount to $45 million, making a total of $141 million.

Now that everybody has a health insurance, you might expect me to take a break from all this heavy lifting. But I am not done yet. I have $19 billion left.

Every New York City politician will complain about the high cost of heating this winter and talk about how more relief is needed for the poor and seniors. (Do any of you doubt me on this?) My guess is an extra $300 to defray the increased cost of heating would be a great help.

Now I am going to assume that about 20 million households will need this help, which is around 20% of the nation’s households. And the cost? A mere $6 billion.

Okay, we have made it through the winter. And President Bush loves education and everyone was talking about those Pell grants in the last debate. And you know the cost of CUNY and SUNY will be going up. We have $13 billion left. I am in a generous mood and want to give 100,000 college students $10,000 towards their tuition because as Dan Quayle said, a mind is a terrible thing to lose. Cost of this generousity, $10 billion.

We still have $3 billion left. And goodness knows, we have seen Christopher Reeve and Michael J. Fox and even Nancy Reagan push for stem cell research. But the idea is too controversial and I must figure that the ideologues in the House and Senate will filibuster me to death. So let’s pick something on which they can agree. Let’s set up the Ronald Reagan Alzheimer’s Memorial Research Fund. I think $2 billion should do it.

Okay, I’m done.

Wait you say, there is a billion left.

Consider it my consultant’s fee.

jameseugene@empirepage.com">jameseugene@empirepage.com">JamesEugene on 10.15.04 @ 10:07 AM EST [link] [4 Comments]

January 2005
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						1
2	3	4	5	6	7	8
9	10	11	12	13	14	15
16	17	18	19	20	21	22
23	24	25	26	27	28	29
30	31