Friday, July 6, 2007

Bloomberg holds phony rally

The Mayor got some attention in Times Square yesterday:

Mayor leads Times Square rally for congestion plan

Bloomberg Taps Image of Asthmatic Girl to Promote Traffic Plan

MIKE RALLIES 'ROUND HIS CONGE$T QUEST

Medical studies, including one published in the Lancet medical journal earlier this year, have found links between vehicle emissions and respiratory ailments.

The Bloomberg administration predicts traffic would decrease by 6 percent within the zone, from 86th Street to the Battery, but the city's asthma rates are highest in neighborhoods outside that area.


(And how phony does the rally look?)

Clock ticks for traffic fee

Two teenage cousins from Soundview, Neil Best and Caedon Wade, wore the shirts but didn’t know much about congestion pricing. They showed up because one of the groups was paying $10 an hour.

However, it's cheaper to drive:

Under congest plan, driving still cheaper than bus

Photo from NY Post

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh my God, that's great! Bloomie paid to get people to show up. Expose the nonsense!

Anonymous said...

How about curbing over development which caused all this congestion in the first place ?

You'll never see that happen folks.....a moratorium on over-building!

Although our imperial mayor doesn't have to suck up to developers for funding his political campaigns (he's got his own deep pockets) ......all the other politicos do !

That would put a severe crimp in the pipeline of builders' $$$$$$$$$$$$ that currently flow to full capacity directly into the pockets of many of our "esteemed" politicians !!!

Anonymous said...

How about visiting "asthma alley".....in Astoria & Long Island City, etc. Monarch/Mayor Mike ?

Gasp......heaven forbid !!!

Anonymous said...

What a hypocrite!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkV6yBXHODg

Anonymous said...

"It is true that you may fool all of the people some of the time;
you can even fool some of the people all of the time;
but you can’t fool all of the people all of the time."

Anonymous said...

From the 1010 WINS article: '"The mayor should be applauded for raising this important subject of asthma, but his response seems to be anyone who opposes him wants to poison kids," Weiner said.'

It's not so much that they want to poison kids, but that they'd rather poison kids than take the train with the real working people.

Anonymous said...

sounds like a pro-Ratner "rally" to me (i.e. the crowd being paid), hah. more seriously--

how does Bloomberg dare pull this nonsense in light of the child asthma rates-- if we want to use that as yardstick-- in the South Bronx, East Harlem or Red Hook, where...

the biggest goddamn Ikea is rising, making sure that even when the BQE, Hamilton Ave & the garbage tranfer facilities are quiet on weekends, something like 10,000 (or whatever bullshit # "Gridlock Sam," Ikea's "traffic consultant," lied about) more more & more cars will whip through.

in the Bronx, they tore down a park so we-- taxpayers of NYC-- could help the Yankees build a new luxury stadium. the Bronx Terminal Market is being torn down nearby to make... ANOTHER mall, forget the one going up in East Harlem or the other just up the Bruckner in Marble Hill. yes, please Mayor, let's make "the green city" by encouraging car intensive development almost everywhere.

Ah, but who does Dan Doctoroff know in all these cases, & compare that to the working stiffs who'd get it worst with "congestion pricing"?

I know Queens has it bad in spots also, esp. Astoria/LIC; any coincidence that Queensbridge Houses are there? (even if they're a "failure" now, the intent was arguably laudable.)

ah, but big $$$ Manhattan needs cleaner air! (it does, but so do we ALL, & without the fucking hypocrisy either.)

wwib

Anonymous said...

"Two teenage cousins from Soundview, Neil Best and Caedon Wade, wore the shirts but didn’t know much about congestion pricing. They showed up because one of the groups was paying $10 an hour."

That's the Commissar! Lying about anything. What a moron! Go back to Boston, Liar!

Anonymous said...

As I posted earlier, my video clearly shows the mayor's disrespect for a citizen's concern about the impact of the environment
on the health of the people living in my community. I hope that New Yorkers will take off their blinders and see that the real issue is the $500 million the city stands to gain by implementing this plan.

One thing that confuses me is how these fees are to be paid. Are police officers going to be standing on each corner where the toll is in effect? Seems like a distraction from important duties such as safety, security, and crime.

This plan, as I see it, will not benefit the other boroughs and perhaps even make our air dirtier than it is now. Just another example of the workings of an elitist Bloomberg administration! It's all about the money and not people.

Anonymous said...

If drivers have to pay more to enter New York City then so should transit riders; they should "not a get free ride" so to speak. I propose a $3 subway and bus fare for peak travel use and a $2.50 off-peak fare.

That said, I think we should phase out toll collectors and have all-electronic tolling on bridges and tunnels. Peak usage tolls should apply on the East River crossings just as the Port Authority does on its Hudson River crossings.

Anonymous said...

Are visitors from out-of-state going to be required to pay this tax? Someone needs to read the Constitution again if the answer is yes.

If out-of-state tags will be exempt (as they should be), then what will the Commissar do about the more than 500,000 Queens residents who have cars registered in Florida, Georgia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and so many other states.

And, just asking. How does the city or state verify that these people even have insurance? Or pay for their traffic and parking fines?

Don't believe this? Start looking at tags of parked cars at night in just your own neighborhood. Look at how many people can hit and run and never get caught even if a witness records the plate number. Does a resident of Glendale, whose car is registered in Florida, give his Glendale address? Yeah!

Oh, here's one to enrage you: The police totally ignore cars whose plates and or inspection are expired if the plates are from out-of-state. How many days grace do you get for an expired inspection sticker? Or, for a sticker that's not pasted exactly correctly?

In your tour looking for cars with out-of-state plates, look for expired plate or inspection stickers. Some states don't even have inspection stickers. How's that for comfort?

Where are the greedy, grubby officials on this question? Oh, yeah! No money to be made for themselves. To hell with you!

Anonymous said...

Look guys, eastern Queens has always been used to getting your way.

The hot area is now the East River waterfront.

Eastern Queens is now the backwater and we don't care how many trees you have.

The city is gearing itself for the interests of the most developed areas. And cars are not in the future.

Get used to it and stop whining and bellyacheing.

Anonymous said...

Surpise surprise.

All these rallies are staged, from getting seniors to Albany to immigrants to Washington to getting an orchestrated community board to vote to develop St Saviours.

Where is the surprise?

Anonymous said...

To answer Alan's question about tolls, if the car doesn't have EZPass, the owner gets a bill in the mail.

To answer "Taxpayer"'s question: yes, the people from out of state are going to be charged. Which part of the Constitution are you talking about?

To Steve Anderson: drivers already get a "free ride" on the bridges and roads, while transit users have to pay to ride. Give me a break! We're not the ones filling the air with soot, using up all the gas and crushing teenagers' legs.

Anonymous said...

It is not cheaper to drive than take the express bus. Yes, on paper $8 is cheaper than $10, but the article left out some big factors

Car taxes?
Gas?
Parking?
Car wear and tear?

Mass transit will always be cheaper, and that's why I live in Bay Ridge and don't own a car, and have never had a desire too. That's why I like life in the city...no car to worry about!!

Anonymous said...

Anonymouse said:
" ... To answer "Taxpayer"'s question: yes, the people from out of state are going to be charged. Which part of the Constitution are you talking about? ... "

Article. I. - The Legislative Branch

Section 10 - Powers prohibited of States

No State shall enter into any Treaty, Alliance, or Confederation; grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal; coin Money; emit Bills of Credit; make any Thing but gold and silver Coin a Tender in Payment of Debts; pass any Bill of Attainder, ex post facto Law, or Law impairing the Obligation of Contracts, or grant any Title of Nobility.

No State shall, without the Consent of the Congress, lay any Imposts or Duties on Imports or Exports, except what may be absolutely necessary for executing it's inspection Laws: and the net Produce of all Duties and Imposts, laid by any State on Imports or Exports, shall be for the Use of the Treasury of the United States; and all such Laws shall be subject to the Revision and Controul of the Congress.

No State shall, without the Consent of Congress, lay any duty of Tonnage, keep Troops, or Ships of War in time of Peace, enter into any Agreement or Compact with another State, or with a foreign Power, or engage in War, unless actually invaded, or in such imminent Danger as will not admit of delay.



Bill of Credit
A bill of credit is some sort of paper medium by which value is exchanged between the government and individuals. Money is a bill of credit, but a bill of credit need not be money. An interest-bearing certificate that was issued by Missouri, and usable in the payment of taxes, was thus ruled to be an unconstitutional bill of credit.

Attainder
attainder n. The loss of all civil rights by a person sentenced for a serious crime. [< OFr. attaindre, to convict] Source: AHD

In the context of the Constitution, a Bill of Attainder is meant to mean a bill that has an negative effect on a single person or group (for example, a fine or term of imprisonment). Originally, a Bill of Attainder sentenced an individual to death, though this detail is no longer required to have an enactment be ruled a Bill of Attainder.

Anonymous said...

I still don't get it, "taxpayer." What does that section of the constitution have to do with congestion pricing? I haven't heard anything about a bill of attainder.

Anonymous said...

i think taxpayer is trying to argue that it infringes upon the interstate commerce clause. however, as long as the tax is being levied to residents and non-residents alike, there is no constitutional issue.

Anonymous said...

He has no traffic plan, it’s just a scam to raise money. Will Mayor Bloomberg do anything about Park Ave. being blocked off at 42nd street? If he cares he will.

I think Mayor Nanny Bloomie is a very arrogant man. I also highly doubt he rides the subway that much. He’s the mayor, I want someone driving him around so he can work and make calls and stuff. New Yorkers shouldn’t want him wasting all that time on the subway.

We all have to wonder what Bloomberg is really thinking of with this congestion pricing tax scheme. Maybe he mostly just wants a new tax. Just wrap it up in ‘concern for the environment’, and then people can just demonize those who oppose it.

If he cares so much about traffic jams, congestion and air pollution, why does he let Park Avenue be blocked off? Why doesn’t he do anything about that?

It’s true, Pershing Square Restaurant blocks Park Avenue going South at 42nd St. for about 12 hours a day/5 months of the year! This Causes Massive Congestion and Air Pollution!

But apparently it does not bother NYC’s Nanny-in-Chief Mike “Congestion Pricing Tax” Bloomberg?

It certainly supports his claim that the city is hugely congested.

Check out the map! Tell your friends!

http://whataplanet.blogspot.com
http://preview.tinyurl.com/38obfd

Check it out!

Thanks!

:)