From True News from ChangeNYC.Org:The increasing power and resources of elected officials, the collapse of the political parties and the weakness of the press to pressure dysfunctional government that services only lobbyists and their clients has created a permanent ruling class, which has extinguished the trademark New York anger and healthy skepticism that once made this city the center of the world.
Remember when Joe forced the State to role back planned rent increases for Co-op city? Or took over a firehouse in Brooklyn that the city planned to close? Will anyone ever forget the Joe Queens’ reaction to John Lindsay when the plows never came after a big snow storm? You can remember Joe the cabdriver, he gave you the complete history of American and NY Government and what a bum he thought each politician was before the meter even hit five dollars.
Today’s Joe is more like the middle class who left the city after being pushed out by the developers and lobbyists who pay off the pols. Today's Joe is the New Yorker who sat silently and passively while his/her own twice-cast vote was summarily ignored and denied by the City Council as it did the Mayor's bidding, passing the term limits extension in spite of polls indicating that the public was against it to the tune of 89%.
The infrastructure that gave old Joe the cab driver his fire and skepticism is gone. He had newspaper competition filled with gutsy reports to keep him informed without the impediment of today’s public relations filters, which make reporters into happy-talk mouth pieces for those in power. Old Joe had a political machine that needed his vote to survive. All today’s party leaders need is control of who gets on their ballot lines. Old taxi driver Joe did not have the political industrial complex that was created in the 1960’s to control the ways in which the billions in government funds are spent. Old Joe did not have pols who used the government funds (member items) they control to buy support and votes in their communities.
In 2008 change occurred on the federal level because voters were angry at Bush and the Republicans. If New Yorkers do not get mad we will still have dysfunctional city and state governments in New York in 2030, but there will not be much else left.
16 comments:
So sad. So true.
Look at the angry skepticism regarding A-Rod. Compare that to the dreamy "faith" in Obama's loser plan to spend trillions of our grocery and tuition money on ACORN, on "rescuing" the bankrupt GM and Citigroup while closing hospitals.
But, we read pages and pages of Octo-Mom and A-Rod or the latest naked Hollywood actress.
There are serious people on this planet. We're their laughingstocks.
Wait for these serious folks to stop laughing. Then, they'll have us for lunch.
City of Wusses? Try country.
Joe moved to Massapequa.
You are on target with this Crappy.
Is it not interesting the readership of Crap is called backward yet the blogs regularly features thought provoking stuff like this.
Compare that to the weeklies or dailies.
taxpayer, this is a non-partisan issue...don't even try to tell me that Republicans in power would make anything different
and your discredited reference to Acorn just shows that you're just just as much sheep as the ones you supposedly deride.
this is just one of the many problems that have been created by going to an all volunteer military and ending the draft.
A quote from my favorite historian - "A nation is born Stoically and dies Epicurean."
Some thoughts;
We have become a "Celebrity Society" over the last 40 years media has turned to focusing on itself and creating "in house" persons-of-importance. Barak Obama is one of their first forays away from their naval gazing in years. Nothings such as Britney usually rule.
"Joe the cab driver" has faded from the scene, today the closest you find is a "Jose" -more likely someone from a mid-far eastern country who is here under questionable documentation and "just wants to work".
The older Jewish socialist rabble rousers of yore have also faded (or moved to Bocca Raton) and there are fewer such people with a political or social agenda. Just ask what this has done to formerly influential outfits such as WBAI.
"Will anyone ever forget the Joe Queens’ reaction to John Lindsay when the plows never came after a big snow storm?"
But John V Lindsey got re-elected the same year as that snowstorm (1969).
Alot of the "protest era" has been romanticized and it's effects on society over estimated.
Take 1968, a year of violent anti-war and civil rights protests and political assassinations. What was the net result: Richard Millhouse Nixon -a rightwing scoundrel who tried to subvert our liberties.
Finally, the racial/ethnic components of NYC aren't what they were years ago.
In the post war (WW2) era cities were seen as places to move out of and New York didn't attract as many types from the Midwest and far western areas as it does today. These people generally don't have the hardened views and attitudes one used to ascribe to "natives" and frankly with upwards of half your income going to pay rent or mortgage, you don't have a lot of time for "protessin'"
Right you are. NYC voters were rendered toothless by the strong-mayor form of government introduced through the 1989 NYC charter revision. The current mayor's wealth just amplifies this unopposed power.
First step: Use the political clubs, together with the many effective civics, to lobby legislators to convene a State charter revision commission for NYC.
CityPragmatist
Anonymous said:
"Right you are. NYC voters were rendered toothless by the strong-mayor form of government introduced through the 1989 NYC charter revision. The current mayor's wealth just amplifies this unopposed power."
Toothless voters pulled their own teeth.
No politician, no government, no military, no thugs can take away an iota of power from the people.
Weak, stupid, indifferent, celebrity star struck voters gave it all up willingly, without coercion. TV helped turn brains to cottage cheese, but, who required us to become submissive couch potatoes?
There were less blacks back then too.
With the repeal of term limits, expects more wussiness.
Who will have a realistic chance of defeating mayor Bloomberg and the opportunitistc council members?
What about our Assembly and State Senators, most of whom are reelected for life?
If you're "mad as hell," get our your petition and run for office.
Just don't do it as a Democrat, because the party machine incumbents, and their chief of staff successors, doesn't want you running.
Power to the people
Power to the people
Power to the people
Power to the people
Power to the people
Power to the people
Power to the people
Power to the people, right on
Say you want a revolution
We better get on right away
Well you get on your feet
And out on the street
Singing power to the people
Power to the people
Power to the people
Power to the people, right on
A million workers working for nothing
You better give 'em what they really own
We got to put you down
When we come into town
Singing power to the people
Power to the people
Power to the people
Power to the people, right on
I gotta ask you comrades and brothers
How do you treat you own woman back home
She got to be herself
So she can free herself
Singing power to the people
Power to the people
Power to the people
Power to the people, right on
Now, now, now, now
Oh well, power to the people
Power to the people
Power to the people
Power to the people, right on
Yeah, power to the people
Power to the people
Power to the people
Power to the people, right on
Power to the people
Power to the people
Power to the people
Power to the people, right on
I am an election inspector in Astoria and every year I see the same thing: Elderly people with one lung drag themselves to the poll to vote. God bless grandma and grandpa. Now, when will the rest of the lazy gits drag their heinies to the voting booths?
As my late mother in law used to say (in Russian):
"Big thunder...little rain".
I hear a lot of complaining
but see very few volunteers willing to sweat a little trying to fix things up and even less
turning out to vote!
You get the government you deserve.
And people of Queens...
YOU REALLY DESERVE THIS ONE!
Anonymous says "Power to the people"
I say "www.nra.org"
"Now, when will the rest of the lazy gits drag their heinies to the voting booths?"
They do it already - just only every four years!
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