"So This Is How Liberty Dies...With Thunderous Applause."
Those words were spoken by Natalie Portman in "Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith." And while liberty may not have died today, democracy certainly did. And the applause came from supporters of a shell of a man.
After only a month-long debate, the New York City Council passed "king" mayor michael bloomberg's bill to extend term limits, making it easier to run for a third term in office next year. It passed by a vote of 29-22 among the 51 members. Those 29 members no doubt had their votes bought by the billionaire, who will most likely pump $80million into his re-reelection campaign. This will far exceed what any other potential candidate can spend.
Thankfully, and what is hopefully only a start, after the final tally was read, a crowd of protesters immediately voiced their displeasure. I intend to join their ranks in the coming months. You can't change the rules of the game mid way through mikey. It's undemocratic, a bully tactic and simply put, wrong. You cannot override the will of the people who elected you, because they will run you out of this town, and rightfully so.
The law limiting the cities elected officials to two terms was approved twice by voters in public referendums in 1993 and 1996. Today Councilmember David Yassky proposed a similar referendum as an amendment to the bill, and each councilmember was given two minutes to speak for or against. But, it was voted down with 22 supporting it, 28 against, and one abstaining.
Supporters of the moron's bill said allowing the voters to decide for themselves would have been "ideal", but is not practical due to the possibility of a prolonged court battle, which is total bullplop. What they really meant to say is "We know what we're doing is wrong and potentially illegal but king bloomberg filled our pockets with so much cash we don't know how to oppose him because we're to busy rolling around in the money mountain we've built." The majority of the council wastes time on pointless things daily, yet they couldn’t pull this off somehow.
Bill supporter, City Council Speaker and mayoral lackey christine quinn(bloomberg) said she thinks this measure will allow New Yorkers a greater choice. What the spineless shrew doesn't realize is that the choice should have been made before she thought we would have a choice.
Another note is that of the 51 city council members, 35 of them would have been prohibited from running for re-election next year had term limits not been extended. Conflict of interest? Not so says the city's Conflict of Interest Board(yes, it is real) who ruled "the council could vote on the proposal even though they could directly benefit from the change." So the conflict of interest board is about as useless as most of the council itself. Council members are probably afraid they’ll have to go out and look for a real job like the people they claim to represent have to.
This jagoff of a "mayor" is once again acting like a spoiled crybaby. In 2004 when the education board didn't give him what he wanted, he replaced opposing members with ones who sided with him.
In 2005, he fought for a football stadium on the west side of Manhattan. A part of the city that is notoriously clogged with traffic. A stadium would, in all likelihood have created a traffic nightmare unlike any ever seen. This stadium would likely have hosted a proposed NYC Olympic games. When he didn't get what he wanted, he attempted to build another Olympic stadium in Queens, which was also shot down but later turned into the new Mets stadium.
Meanwhile firehouses are closing, teachers are losing students and the poor still sleep on city streets.
And lets not forget about congestion pricing.
Congestion pricing would have fees for cars and trucks entering Manhattan in what the mayor called "an attempt to reduce traffic in the island of Manhattan", yet we all knew it was just a way to try and squeeze more money out of taxpayers wallets to build more of his pet projects. Skyscrapers and townhouses and lavish retreats for the rich and elite, like himself to look down upon the rest of the city from. This, thankfully was shot down by the state assembly.
The re-election nonsense comes from the recent economic recession(i know the press and rest of the people won't say it, but it's true, we're in a friggin recession. Stop tiptoeing around scaring people and say it.) See, "king" bloom-turd thinks he's the only one man enough for the job, when, for starters, when he talks, he sounds like schoolgirl whining about Hannah Montana.
He is a self made billionaire, owner of his own media empire, and yet for some reason the city he claims to care about so much is facing a fiscal crisis the likes of which hasn't been seen since the 1930's. If he is such a smart businessman, how could he not have seen this coming? I know, maybe he'll put some of his money into the city! No...wait...he's just going to implement across the board budget cuts and possible layoffs for essential city services and raise our taxes.
How can city residents afford to pay an 8% tax hike if he's putting them out of work? Those don't sound like the bullet points on the resume` of a great savior to me...
But it's ok, because bloom-turd's got his city council buddies to back him up, because they won't say no to him. Well they did at first, then he probably started writing them all checks and they then collectively smiled and said "whatever you want Mr. Moneybags!"
What was demonstrated today was a clear lack of caring for the people. The hairdresser from Staten Island, the cook from Brooklyn, the painter from Queens, the carpenter from the Bronx. The mayor does not care about what you think. All he wants to turn the city into a police state for the middle class and poor and a playground for the rich.
But there is hope within this madness. You still do have a voice. Come next year you can vote. And I urge you, i beg you, to please, vote for anyone but him. Vote for Anthony Weiner, Vote for Tony Avella, Vote for Bill Thompson.
Bring democracy back to the people. Help kick this piece of crap out of your city.