"In terms of development, you can't let one little person that -- one person that owns one little piece of property stop big developments, because otherwise we wouldn't have the housing that we need, we wouldn't have the schools that we need, we wouldn't have the infrastructure that we need." - Mayor Michael BloombergHe was commenting about Atlantic Yards. As if AY will bring needed housing, schools and infrastructure to the city instead of urban chaos.
This represents the general contempt that King Michael has for any of his subjects who dare stand in the way of his buddies' development proposals.
To our mayor, the average Queens homeowner is a "little person."
Actually, the fact that the rights of one little person who owns one little piece of property could potentially stop a big development boondoggle is one of the reasons I live in the United States of America.
Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn reports on censorship of this subject at the Brooklyn PUBLIC Library:
Censorship at Brooklyn Public Library
7 comments:
I thought that we fought a revolution to free us from the grips of tyrants such as the likes of his Majesty Bloomberg! We need another mayor like La Guardia, not the succession of imperial crown-wearing mayors that followed.
Koch fancied himself a La Guardia reincarnation but you can read about his lurid escapades in the book entitled, "City For Sale" if you've got the stomach for it! This is the real history of modern NYC!
We are in the death-grips of the most voracious development wave that our municipality has seen to date. It is fueled by a city council full of "nobles" (barrons & lords) who are owned by the real estate industry. C.M. Katz. as chair of land use, is 2nd only to His Majesty in the power that she wields. This perky bright looking thing is just a bag lady and coutesan for the developers.
These politicos are like cockroaches. Once they're in office, it's near to impossible to get rid of them. In addition, we have an infestation of real estate rats who also feed off this municipal power. They are the middle-men and the various bottom-feeders that we know of as major real estate agents, builders and developers, etc. They, in turn, feed our officials with the candy that they crave....POLITICAL CAMPAIGN MONEY.....and so the cycle continues!
We have to accept a certain portion of the blame as the voters who put these people into their murderous positions in the first place. True, they have money and power and are extremely skillful at manipulating the "dumb" populace.
Well, we're going to have to get a lot smarter and a lot quicker than them! This CAN BE DONE . It takes a lot of reading between the lines of campaign promises.
Don't be fooled, for example, by a district leader who helps your block get a long needed traffic light or helps some old lady out of a jam. Don't assume because of things like this, that he's a great guy! Examine his real connections to the bad guys who will sell you out for 10 cents on the dollar!
I'm totally optimistic that Bloomberg & Co. can be stopped. Unity in this fight is extremely important. Remember the, "UNITED WE STAND" slogun? Do not let your politicos use each of you as pawns, playing one neighborhood against another, permitting one to win while the other looses. That's the very foothold they need to spread their destruction until each neighborhood (as in the Domino theory) falls in succession."A HOUSE DIVIDED AGAINST ITSELF CANNOT STAND"!
Do not be tricked into becoming a part of NYC Incorporated's "divide and conquer strategy". Together we are like a swarm of Mosquitos in Bloomberg's bedchamber! Did you ever try to fall asleep with even a single one of those annoying pests buzzing in your ear? You get the picture. Be creative in adopting new strategies and good luck!
To the previous poster:
good work!
Let me add I am looking forward to the day when activist groups from around the city can start to meet and hammer out a new direction.
Can we all agree to draw the line at the affront going on in north Queens? Let's just say NO to the expansion of the NY Times printing plant before it is too late. An investigation of this situation will reveal inconsistencies and illegalities that will resonate with people throughout the 5 boroughs. Reveal the corporate greed and insider deals for what they are! Every journey, no matter how long, must begin with a first step.
That is some attitude. Let's take the first post and nail it to the door of city hall.
I see our friends in Brooklyn are encountering the censorship that many of us in Queens have faced.
A few years ago a local group was involved in a map for the LIC area. They added a lot of history in the map. It seems that the historical points were 'dropped' - not enough space you know. (Besides, lets not trouble people with embarrassing questions has to what happened to this and what happened to that.)
Try to get something anti-development in the paper. A person wrote a letter critical of Silvercup. It took her three months to get it printed.
Walter Reuther was president of the United Automobile Workers (UAW) from 1946 until his death in 1970. An Internet search will produce information about this very brilliant, hard working and complex man.
My comments here about Reuther will be limited to a successful strike technique he implemented to the benefit of UAW workers: The Whipsaw. If a strike was necessary, he made certain that only two of the three "Big Three" automakers were struck. One automaker always continued manufacturing and selling cars through the duration of the strike. No automaker ever knew in advance who would be struck and who would be left earning.
The pressure to settle was enormous. Two giants would lose money while just one was profiting at their expense.
Walter Reuther never let sentimentality govern his choice of which automaker would be struck. His decision was driven entirely by what was best for the union members.
How does any of this connect to Bloomberg's breathtakingly arrogant remarks about "the little person"? [And, now we learn that Bloomberg sealed off the entire southern part of the public’s Randalls Island Park for two weeks so he could have a private party. You’re right, Bloomberg didn’t invite you or your family; you are too little for him.]
Well, we New York City voters put this fellow into office by allowing ourselves to be driven by such sentimental drivel as: "a guy that rich could never be bought off", or "don't worry that he's running as a Republican, he's really a Democrat." or "anyone who has created and run such a large and hugely profitable business as Bloomberg has would be a great Mayor.".
Yeah! Bloomberg blew coffee through his nose laughing at us for falling for all that!
Did anyone ever consider that "a guy that rich can't be impressed by 'little people', either" or, "a Democrat running as a Republican? The man has no loyalties. Why would he be loyal to New Yorkers (a Bostonian, at that)?" or, "anyone who has created such a large and hugely profitable business as Bloomberg has might have no interest in the contrary ideas of low level people." or, "this guy makes big bucks as a developer, he just might see the city as an ideal location for making more incredibly huge amounts of money - the little people cant resist this steamroller!"
Very few of us considered any of those things. We were all mesmerized by the magic tricks of any campaign.
Many of us designated a party affiliation when we registered to vote. So, now we believe we are “members” of that party. The only effect of party designation when registering is that we get to vote in that party’s primary.
Has any party official ever actually had a serious personal conversation with you for the purpose of honestly asking for you advice on any party or electoral matter? Hardly. Just about any politician has ears only to hold up his or her hat. A politician’s motto is: “I talk; you listen.”
How would campaigning politicians behave with you if they had no idea on earth of your party affiliation? What would a politician do if he or she could not have a map of the district and have any confidence of which way portions of the district would vote? No voters “in the bag”; no voters to be dismissed?
Politicians never want you to know what their next move will be, why should any politician know what your next move will be?
A smart electorate uses Walter Reuther’s “Whipsaw” technique of voting. Bloomberg is a Republican? Or, is he a Democrat? The Republican Gallagher stomps all over a fellow Republican to prevent that fellow from campaigning against a Democrat? Republican Serf Maltese observes Gallagher and does nothing to put an end to the self-dealing. That’s because Republicans and Democrats in this state have a treaty to never permit a competitive campaign to occur in this state. They call this their “non-aggression pact”. New York politicians don’t care that you know this; the result of the pact is that you have no say in what goes on.
Politicians want you to remember your Party Loyalty and vote accordingly, but really have no idea that it is they who must be loyal to the electorate.
First chance to take a kickback, and it’s “screw the electorate!” This disloyalty runs from the nothings we pay to sit on the City Council, up to the even more dangerous nothings we pay at the state and national level.
Politicians all belong to only one party: the Incumocrats.
But, they’re all dangerous. And, it’s our fault that they’re in office. We treat election as sport. The politicians treat elections as serious opportunity to get rich (some see the opportunity to rule without say so from the voters).
You don’t believe that even the local politicians are dangerous to us? Just look around your own neighborhood? Is all the development doing any good for your family? Are your property values helped or hurt? Are the schools crowded? Are the schools effective? Are the schools safe? Are you and your family safe from harm? Are you benefiting from all the truck traffic? Do you like the noise and smells from traffic? How about the planes flying over your home all day?
Is public transportation safe? Is your home safe from these politicians? Do your elected officials and their developer friends have their eye on your property as a place to erect one more ugly, cheap, multi-family “affordable housing”?
Do you actually believe your home is safe from seizure in some developer’s Eminent Domain plan, along with your elected official who will shrug your complaints off as just “little people standing in the way of progress”?
You can re-register to vote, this time asserting affiliation with no party. But, even without re-registering, you can vote as though you have no party loyalty. Whipsaw every politician in sight. The office is not term-limited? Then you can term-limit the incumbent.
It’s time we turned the tables on people who believe that they’re entitled to elective or appointed office and will whisper sweet nothings to us to get there. Once there, they drink and dine on our dime with only their $pecial pals, while all have a good laugh at us.
Vote all officeholders out before they have any opportunity to sink their fangs into our earnings. Pepper all office holders with your questions and comments about their conduct and actions. Hold all officeholders publicly accountable. We never need to be discourteous or insulting. We always need to be skeptical of their words and deeds.
Never let any officeholder get comfortable or believe that the next election will be an easy victory.
To the last poster....my hat's off to you. Your comment may have been long but you cut to the quick of it!
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