May 1, 2015

GW Bridge Indictments are in

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/01/chris-christie-bridgegate_n_7190020.html

NEW YORK, May 1 (Reuters) - A former ally of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie on Friday pleaded guilty to criminal charges related to the George Washington Bridge closure scandal, delivering another blow to Christie's image at a time when he is trying to get his presidential campaign off the ground.

David Wildstein, who had been a senior Christie appointee to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy at a U.S. district court in Newark. He was released on his own recognizance on a $100,000 bond. The judge in the case cited his cooperation with prosecutors for the release term. Sentencing is set for August.

The judge was also expected to unseal indictments against Bill Baroni, former deputy executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and Bridget Anne Kelly, a former deputy chief of staff to Christie, according to the New York Times.

They were the first charges stemming from the September 2013 incident, which created four days of traffic snarls on the Hudson River crossing into New York City.


snip
U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Paul Fishman will hold a press conference at 1 p.m. ET (1700 GMT) at his office.

Wildstein's attorney, Alan Zegas, could not immediately be reached for comment.

May 1, 2015

No amount of federal money can cure poverty in big cities

... at least in the current way we do it... When federal money comes into cities. It comes to the leaders who then get to decide HOW the money gets spent.

People are poor because they have no money ….. They have no jobs of any consequence because rich folks closed up the factories that used to employ them. The jobs that do remain are mostly service jobs that cannot sustain a family…and to use services, you still have to have money..which they mostly don’t have.

They rent in substandard buildings because those are the only places they can afford. If money goes into rehabbing those buildings (in the form of grants to owners or tax credits), the owners will probably sell the building or raise the rents. It’s called gentrification..and it’s the modern-day “urban renewal”.

The Mom who chased down her son, has 6 kids. And probably has a hard time finding a place big enough for all those kids. Her choices of rentals is very limited. There are many people in her same situation.

The ONLY way that would work would be to set up a minimum income for all poor folks and just give them the money..without strings. Many would probably pool the money and just move to a cheaper place to live.Some might start their own small businesses...Some would not get supplemental jobs, but many would...

If every poor family got a decent subsidy, they would automatically bring up the economy of their community because they would have money to spend. It might also deter the younger folks from risking their lives to sell drugs.

The way our government works, this will never happen though, because we refuse to believe that any of us are complicit in the problem, and the last thing our government wants to do is to pay people who do not “deserve it”. The group think is that people are failures ( i.e.poor) because they do not try hard enough or they did it to themselves.

Poverty is multi-generational because children DO learn what they live. By the time a child is 9 or 10, they pretty much know how their life will be, based on what they see in their family. If they are a poor child (urban or rural) most probably know that their “big job” might be clerking at a store or in an office locally. College is a pipedream for most.

If FREE college was at the end of high school for all poor students with a B average, school might be more appealing, and might break the cycle…but we are pennywise and pound foolish, so we will do nothing…just like we always have done.

Except for cutting assistance, closing schools, and locking people up in jail

April 30, 2015

3 easy steps to "fix" our police problem

1. body cams that are live-streamed to an outside-the police- data collection site..and cannot be turned off..

2. cameras on "suspects/pick ups/arrestees" at ALL TIMES...in the van/ in the car/ in the booking/questioning/cells..everywhere...

3. 1 month mandatory suspension WITHOUT PAY for ALL responding officers if the detainee is injured/killed. During that month an OUTSIDE investigation should be done, and if they are truly vindicated. their pay is returned to them..

Cops would think twice if they knew they would have to explain to their wives that there would be no paychecks for a month..

April 19, 2015

Shit.. It's "that" time of year here already

http://abc7.com/news/300-homes-threatened-as-prado-dam-fire-spreads/669013/

300+ people are desperately trying to get horses, pets & valuables out of their homes.. Our fire engines have been blaring past our back street as they go to help out..

The area where this fire is , is in horse country..Most people in this area have horses, goats, chickens, peacocks, etc.

One more just screamed past at 2:25 AM..

April 2, 2015

Conservatives spend 25 hours a day looking for "work-arounds"

25 hours is NOT a typo...

They are a dinosaur party that refuses to accept their impending demise. The poor old real dinosaurs at least might have claimed that they could not have known what was headed their way, but republicans/conservatives KNOW why they are failing, and instead of accepting/embracing change, they rabidly fight it in every Machiavellian way they can.

In the 60's they were told that they could no longer hang onto Jim Crow laws, so they fled to suburbia (taking the tax base/jobs/good schools with them).

They invented a whole new language so they could still denigrate at will, with a dog whistle here or there...and then feign ignorance if anyone noticed.

When abortion was made legal, they created a whole new industry of legislatively curbing the application of the law whenever and wherever they could.

Now they have re-focused their attention to same sex marriage, even though many (most?) of them have gay family members/friends . They claim "tolerance", but suddenly appear to be overly "fearful" of hordes of wild-eyed gays "attacking" their faith.. ..

Their legislatures work feverishly trying to deny people they do not like, the vote.. They don't even want gay people to have cake

They proclaim that they are only trying to be "tolerant"..but even that word "tolerant" bugs me. It always reminds me that the one GIVING tolerance is automatically superior, and is being magnanimous to someone who "really" doesn't deserve it..

They are just lucky that I am not all-powerful and that I do not have a magic wand..