Wednesday, December 10, 2008

It's deja vu all over again

Resolution 6 - 2002

Resolution condemning former Mayor Giuliani for his surreptitious negotiation with the City’s baseball teams, granting them huge financial concessions and the promise of 1.6 billion dollars in new ball parks, and, in so doing, leaving our City’s taxpayers with crushing obligations to wealthy enterprises at a time when the City is in fiscal crisis.

By Council Members Jennings, Foster, Monserrate, Barron, DeBlasio and Sanders Jr.; also Council Member Boyland

An excerpt:

Whereas, The City, already taken aback by this news, endured yet another surprise upon discovering that the former Mayor also provided the Yankees and the Mets with 60-day escape clauses from their lease if the teams believe that the City is not intending to build the new stadiums as “tentatively” promised by the former Mayor; and

Whereas, The City also discovered at this time that the Mayor had released the Mets from a $83,000 debt to the City, leaving it with all that much less revenue; and

Whereas, The former Mayor provided these fiscally burdensome deals to these very wealthy and profitable teams at a time when the City is in recovery from a massive and heartbreaking disaster that has placed its budget in a 4 billion dollar deficit; and

Whereas, These deals were negotiated while the City’s 4 billion dollar deficit has threatened the scope of vital services, such as the Head-Start programs, fire and police protection, health care to the poor, and library service; and

Whereas, By attempting to saddle the City with this hastily crafted sweetheart deal for building new stadiums, the former Mayor has engaged in a reverse Robin Hood syndrome by robbing from the poor and giving to the rich; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the Council of the City of New York condemns former Mayor Giuliani for his surreptitious negotiation with the City’s baseball teams, granting them huge financial concessions and the promise of 1.6 billion dollars in new ball parks, and, in so doing, leaving our City’s taxpayers with crushing obligations to wealthy enterprises at a time when the City is in fiscal crisis.

City Council Stated Meeting - April 5, 2006: The New York City Council approved a plan to build a new Yankee Stadium in the Bronx by a vote of 45 to 2. Barron and Foster were the only two members who voted no. The Mets proposal passed 48-1 with only Barron opposing.

"Little kids will no longer have to play in parks that are dilapidated," said Councilmember Joel Rivera. That's right, now they'll have to play in the street...

They can swap the name Giuliani for Bloomberg and reintroduce the same resolution today (which didn't pass the first time around). But no one will have the balls to do it (except maybe Barron).

Photo from Daily News

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

During the "vote" for term limits Barron was also the only one who stood up to bloomie and said what a sham this cute move was.As far as citizens speaking there mind bloomie had to listen to a 13 year girl reminding him on the laws but he probably wanted to fall asleep like he does at firefighters memorials.

Anonymous said...

This site now supports Charles Barron? The racist, destructive Charles Barron? Sad . . .

Queens Crapper said...

This is how things work: When you do something wrong, you are criticized and when you do something right, you are praised. Charles Barron stood by his principles and voted against this money and land grab by sports teams that could more than afford to pay for their own stadiums.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for another misleading comment Crapper. Do you have any idea how much of their own money the teams are using to construct the stadium. Unlike other teams, the NY teams are spending billions of their own money. The private investment we are getting as a result of the much smaller public money spent is a huge benefit to the city. Try to know what you are talking about before you make comments.

Anonymous said...

So I guess you would have praised Hitler if he said something that you liked. Again, sad . . .

Queens Crapper said...

It's been all over the news how much we are getting fleeced by both teams. Thanks for invoking Godwin's law so early in your argument. That means you lost.

Anonymous said...

The Yankees and Mets should have been left to figure it out on their own. They could have taken turns using each other's stadiums as they constructed new ones. Instead they get public assistance. Biggest welfare queens going.

Anonymous said...

Newspaper articles? A couple of liberal journalist editorials is your basis of fact? I guess anything I see in the Daily News editorials is also indisputable.
Godwin's Law doesn't dispute the appropriateness of the comparison.
Thanks for more clueless debate Crapper.

Anonymous said...

So I guess you would have praised Hitler if he said something that you liked. Again, sad . . .

Whoops, it looks like the mods on astorians.com have struck again.

Crappy, why can't you confine your comments to the wonderful food of portable taco trucks and lousy service on the W line?

Anonymous said...

This is going to make the Tweeders perk up. They cannot run the FBI. I'll bet Bloomturd was huddling with cronies real early today (and breakfast was on us as usual.)Thx Crapper for lucidly laying out the issues and facts. Patterns are what matter here. The whole modus operandi of the city in not dealing openly and fairly with us,THAT is the issue. Do we want another term of this? It's a city for sale, to cite the name of a book about another one of the mayors. (As for the critics, Barron's was not the only name on that motion.And, yes, he did stand up to the mayor. There should have been others.)

Anonymous said...

**So I guess you would have praised Hitler if he said something that you liked. Again, sad . . .

Yes thanks crapper for bringing up Godwins law and some persons arm chair knowledge of politics who crys wolf about Barrons past.Let me guess?Someone is referring to the reckless driving and rude insular behavior from Hasids who look down on anyone who isnt in Crown Heights as well as driving over a black neighborhood kid on the sidewalk and then wondering why there was tension because the city protected Hasids and they had there own laws with no prosecution brought against them for killing the kid.Not the only case either in that area at all.So if someone wants to say Barron is racist you better know what the whole spectrum of the story is.Comment 2,Tell me how your so eager to cry anti semitism or racism about Barron and show me the court documents from when these Hasids where actually prosecuted for the 1991 incident and a more recent attack last spring by two chasid kids against a black neighborhood kid and then how he was attacked by two adult Hasids who beat him with a bat.Also read the recent Village Voice story about the other Hasid who crys racism when his meat packing company is charged with writing millions in bad checks and violently intimidating competitors as well as bad meat being sent out and illegal immigrant labor.Guess what? His followers from the Labavitcher community cried racism even though the evidence was well documented from the FBI he had broken numerous laws.He also tried to flee the country.

Next time comment 2 explain why you scream hes racist and not tell what your refering to so then there can be a conversation or debate about it with substance.The black community hasnt been marginalized in NYC??Give me a break.
And yes the astorians.com cant have a serious uncomfortable conversation because there not concerned with critical thoughts just feel good topics like a new hot spot.

Anonymous said...

Yes the Hasids are racist towards anyone not Jewish and dont like other people in there neighborhoods at all.Maybe buying up all the buildings in the neighborhood when the black community doesnt have the same grants or money handed to them from overseas might make for tension also.

But back to the topic, the teams should pay for their own stadiums and not get corporate welfare from the public.We have fiscal debt rememeber?Close some child care facilities instead and raise our taxes.Sad