Angry New Yorker |
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Semi-Daily Rants from New York City's Angry Man
"As I know more of mankind I expect less of them, and am ready now to call a man a good man, upon easier terms than I was formerly."
- Dr. Samuel Johnson, Boswell, Life of Johnson, Sept. 1783
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Monday, October 25, 2004
Bill Clinton Proves He's An Ass With a Cigar To think I voted for him the first time. Well, fool me once I suppose. Today he disgraced himself and his now utterly discredit party with even more comments unworthy of an ex-class president, let alone prior president of the U.S. Question to the democrats: If you do *shudder* win the election, how the hell do you think you're going to govern at all when you've done *nothing* for the last year but demonize and bad mouth Republicans? What?? I couldn't hear anything. And this choice bit from the Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler -- truly classic. Iraq Missing Explosives, Kerry Missing Brains "John Kerry is whining like a two-year old over the 380 tons of conventional explosives missing in Iraq.
Earth to John. The Iraq Survey Group said 'In searching for retained stocks of chemical munitions, ISG has had to contend with the almost unbelievable scale of Iraq's conventional weapons armory, which dwarfs by orders of magnitude the physical size of any conceivable stock of chemical weapons. For example, there are approximately 130 known Iraqi Ammunition Storage Points (ASP), many of which exceed 50 square miles in size and hold an estimated 600,000 tons of artillery shells, rockets, aviation bombs and other ordinance.' The amount Kerry is screaming about is 0.063% of the total amount, less than 1% of the round-off error in the estimates, a number eerily similar to the odds of his getting three Purple Hearts in four months without a scar to show for it. Saddam's stockpile of conventional explosives exceeded that of all other countries except the US, and he had the stuff all over the place. But instead of debating all this let's just act like the moonbats and claim that these explosives never actually existed." Does this suprise anyone? From today's NY1.com
New York City’s mass transit system is in crisis, according to a group of transportation and economic leaders. In a letter to Governor George Pataki and Mayor Michael Bloomberg, five leaders, including the heads of the Straphangers Campaign and the Transport Workers Union, called the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s budget deficits a “potential disaster.” They are urging the state and city to provide more aid. [ed. note -- where does this magical "aid" come from, Mr. Russianoff? The transit tooth fairy? ] “In the long run,” said Gene Russianoff, the head of the Straphangers Campaign, “the only answer is for Governor Pataki and Mayor Bloomberg to devise a plan. Otherwise, we’re talking about a fare hike in 2005 and 2006 in 2007, coupled with service cuts. And that’s intolerable.” Bloomberg, however, has said that the city cannot afford to boost its subsidies and that the MTA has to run more efficiently with the money it has. Next year, the MTA is planning to raise the prices of unlimited-ride MetroCards, commuter rail tickets, bridge and tunnel tolls and express buses to reduce a steep shortfall. (The base fare of $2 would remain the same.) And more increases could come in 2006. “If they’re going to be increasing fares, they probably shouldn’t be cutting service,” said one straphanger. “I don’t know how the budget works, but hopefully they can budget better.” * * * At a committee meeting Monday, MTA board members weighed two options for next year, raising fares a lot (including boosting the price of monthly MetroCards from $70 to $84 ) or smaller hikes ($76 monthly cards) with service cuts. “It just seems to me that if we’re going to go to our riding public and say to them we’re going to raise your fare, and while we raise it, we’re going to cut your service, you’re looking for problems that need not exist in the year 2005,” said Barry Feinstein, an influential board member. Public hearings will be held next week on the fare hikes proposed for next year. Sunday, October 24, 2004
With only 8 days until the election the desperate left is pulling out every stop, every dirty trick, every slur and accusation they can. Here's a collection of examples: --------------------------- Regular Guardian columnist Charlie Brooker writes: "John Wilkes Booth, Lee Harvey Oswald, John Hinckley Jr - where are you now that we need you?"Mr. Brooker may be reached at charlie.brooker@zeppotron.com. Complaints about Guardian content may be sent to the Readers' Editor, Ian Mayes - reader@guardian.co.uk --------------------------- Campaign Violence in Oregon
The Democrats' campaign of violence and intimidation has spread from coast to coast. Now it's hit Oregon: Someone smashed the windows of the Multnomah County Republican office in Southeast Portland on Thursday, perhaps the latest sign some Oregonians have tossed out civility in their zeal to put their man in the White House. In Oregon, as elsewhere, responsible Democratic officials refuse to condemn the spreading violence: Oregon Democratic Party officials said they do not condone smashing the windows of Republican offices and discourage such acts. In other words: We're Democrats, so violence is OK. That is the attitude that has swept across America, leaving our democracy more threatened than at any time since 1861.
All around the country, voters who express support for President Bush are being subjected to harassment, bullying, and sometimes outright assault. One of the lesser manifestations of the Democrats' penchant for violence is the constant theft of Bush-Cheney lawn signs, which has reached epidemic proportions in many areas. We have heard about this problem from countless readers, some of whom have come up with ingenious ways to deter lawn sign theft. This photo, though, summed up our own attitude toward the problem of Democrat vandalism very well. Click to enlarge:
Tuesday, October 19, 2004
The Elite at The New Yorker -- All Hail I've come close to cancelling our subscription to The New Yorker a dozen times this year, because of its relentless Bush and Republican bashing, but have always waited to see what fresh outrage the NY elite fixates on. But I think I've finally had it. When I started out as a writer many moons ago it was a dream to be "published in The New Yorker." But that was in a different time, with a different New Yorker, and, of course, a different me. While David Owen's article in the current Oct. 18th issue, "Green Manhattan - The environment needs more big cities", makes many absolutely true and factual observations on environmental thought, and examines how densely-populated, vertically-oriented cities that heavily rely upon mass transit are actually very environmentally-friendly in per capita energy use, the folks at The New Yorker overlook several major points: apartment life is horrible if your neighbors make trouble. And then no one, and I mean no one enjoys commuting on the subway. And more places should be like NYC? which I read to mean crowded, taxed highly and in a chronic state of denial and union give-me's; perhaps from a kilowatt use per capita, but otherwise God forbid. But in this week's Oct. 25th issue, on page 36, there's "A Reporter At Large - Not Poor Enough", by Susan Sheehan, who has written frequently about welfare and poverty. She chronicle the case of Cassie Stromer "a petite seventy-six-year-old woman" living in Alexandria, Virginia who, as luck would have it, has $300 more in annual income than the poverty line allows, thereby making her ineligible for Medicaid. To which I retort, too bad. Heartless?? I don't think so, because the first paragraph also says "[s]he has good memories of a colorful past -- three husbands, numerous boyfriends, five children, lots of jobs...." Where are her five children? And I won't even touch the "numerous boyfriends." Yet, I assume, the liberal reader is suppose to feel sorry for Mrs. Stromer's situation, and decry the heartless system that keeps Mrs. Stromer down. The article relates that she pays $45 a month for cable as "[t]elevision is Cassie's primary form of recreation." I pay $24.99 a month for Dishnetwork's basic offering. Mrs. Stromer pays $72 a month in rent. We pay roughly $1263 a month on our mortgage, and that, friends, is shockingly cheap by NYC standards. Bottomline - I wish everyone could have an easy and satisfying life (sheez, I wish I could have one), but how much should someone be insulated from their past bad mistakes? I say this with no small touch of irony, as I've been wallowing over the past week over the consequences of my own past mistakes. But I'm not asking anyone to pay for my mistakes [though my wife might disagree on this point]. And neither should Mrs. Stromer. My advice: Mrs. Stromer one of your kids should take you in, and I'd earmark in particular your "'oldest daughter [who] was awarded a full scholarship to Barnard and later graduated from law school." Why is her mother living in "poverty" when her daughter's doing well in D.C.? This morning I spent an hour on the phone with a first cousin of mine, who lived in the apartment next to ours when I was a kid, basically trying to answer his computer-related questions. During our conversations he mentioned he's leaving New York, proffering the reasons "I'm tired of the subway, the congestion, the cost of real estate, the taxes, the weather, and the liberal bent of New York city, which will never change." That's a quote. Where's he moving? Phoenix, Arizona, where he says he'll set up a western base for any exploratory searches of our own. Something to consider. Monday, October 18, 2004
Useful or just idiots?? Tim Blair's amusing look at misguided peaceniks and their sappy sandal-clod ilk. Dudes, peace is everyone's goal, but lying down in the road isn't going to convince the terrorists to do anything but eagerly run over you. Observe the confused firsthand at: The Terrifying Face of Forgiveness at http://timblair.spleenville.com/archives/007772.php and the amusing sequel, Faces of Forgiveness II - The Staring at http://timblair.spleenville.com/archives/007776.php  2004 Voters Self Defense Manual The 2004 Edition of the Voters Self Defense Manual is now available. Order your Free Copy of the Voters Self Defense Manual online or call our Voters Research Hotline at 1-888-VOTE SMART. You can also obtain a copy by Downloading the Voter's Self-Defense Manual. Friday, October 15, 2004
The stupidity never fails to amaze... Today's news media is filled with stories about the flu vaccine shortage -- all, of course, skirting the real story as to why we have a shortage and have to source our vaccine from the U.K. (but that would involve an indepth report of U.S. govt fixed-pricing for vaccines and tort liability, so it's much better simply to run pictures of people waiting in lines for shots). Most years you can't give flu shots away. Mayor Bloomberg today noted in past years he repeatedly urged people to go get flu shots to no avail. Now, suddenly, it's a case of reverse psychology -- we're short of vaccine and so everyone predictably wants a shot. Essh. Maybe being a hermit isn't such a bad thing sometimes. "Mr. Wilson, where are you!!!" Investigate the MTA!!!! Call your councilperson, the governor, and Attorney General Spitzer's office to immediately launch an investigation into the MTA. Why? This is why... NY1.com reports that: "MTA Considering Raising Transit Fares, Tolls To Close Budget Gap"
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority's subway and bus fare and toll hike proposals are still on the table, and could make their way to commuters by next year.One word is appropriate in response: outrageous!!  The Winner of the Annual "Angry New York Dumbest NY Representative" Award is...
Charles B. Rangel, who personally beat out a huge crowd of candidates and half-wits to win the Annual AngryNYker's "Dumbest NY Congressional Representative" award. Mr. Rangel topped the others by winning extra points from our judges for his bald attempt to make a draft that would never happen an election issue, while simultaneously playing the race card. Sweet. Lucky for Congressman Rangel, however, he wasn't forced to compete against the likes of Sen. Joseph Biden (D. De), or Representative Nancy "facelift" Pelosi (D. Ca). So, enjoy the honor, Congressman! Thursday, October 14, 2004
Another Strong Bush Debate I began watching the debate with a bit of trepidation last night. After a rough weekend and start to the week, I was looking for some good news and didn't think the debate would be the form it arrived it. But Bush racked the table. With a few exceptions his answers pounded Kerry back to Cambodia, and Kerry's constantly flaying hand motions hinted of Mumenshanz gone bad. My wife commented Kerry looked like he was a sign-language interpreter. In addition, Kerry never looked more cadaver-like. In split screens of Bush and Kerry Bush looked healthy and ruddy, and Kerry looked sallow, jaundiced and ready for an autopsy. Very scary. And Kerry's dispicable reference to Mary Cheney has rightly brought much blow-back upon him. But as to substance over style, Bush finally nailed Kerry on terrorism as nuisance, his sitting on the far left bank, the global test and voting against the first Iraq war coalition, government as the answer to every problem, Kerry's record, spending, religion, abortion. While I'm always disappointed with politicans' response to illegal immigration, and last night was no different, at least Bush "as a border state Governor" brought a real-world perspective that Kerry's lack coming from Mass, far from any border. I'll be glad when this election is over and Bush is hopefully back in the Whitehouse. Monday, October 11, 2004
Saturday, October 09, 2004
The Big Debate -- Bush Wins Granted I'm biased, but it's amazing that the mainstream press is portraying this as a Kerry debate win. Maybe in their narrow world that's the consensus, but in the broader country, for those who actually watched, I believe Bush was the ass-kicking winner. First, he connected with the audience more effectively and gave his answers from the heart while not letting Kerry weasel away from anything. Gone were the exasperated facial expressions, and in their place was an energy to hit Kerry head on. Bush also did very well at describing the task and responsibility of being president and why he was the better man for the job. Kerry tended to drone into pretzel-twisted details, which Bush played off when he said "I'm trying to decipher that." Nice. Kerry's Tactic - Insult Americans - Aside from the numerous jawdroppers Kerry laid, perhaps his most unconsciously revealing comment, displaying his view of the average people in America, was when he insulted the entire audience by saying: "Now, for the people earning more than $200,000 a year, you're going to see a rollback to the level we were at with Bill Clinton, when people made a lot of money. How the f*!& does he know that every person in the audience makes less than $200K? I would have loved it if Bush said in comeback "The difference between me and Senator Kerry is his doesn't think any of you can make more than $200K a year. I'd like to give you all the opportunity to make as much as you can by keeping taxes low." Baaa-da-BOOOM! Kerry's Record - Kerry tried to run from his record like a cat with his tail on fire -- and was just an unsuccessful in getting away from it. Kerry associated both himself and his pretty-boy running mate lawyer with one of the most despised groups in America, laywers, by stating "I'm a lawyer, too." Not a big selling point with Joe America. Kerry's Confusion - Kerry's internal polls must show he's trending down; why else would he have name dropped so many Republican to support his position? Latching on to the opponent's team isn't a sign a strength in one's own philosophy and position. Also, Kerry's asking us to make him the commander in chief on the war on terror. Yet he didn't even know when the first World Trade Center bombing occurred. He said "1993 or so". This is the guy we want in charge? I don't think so. Bush's Comfort Level - Further, Kerry look tired, while his "I have a plan" mantra began sounding strained. In comparison the President in the first half looked positively supercharged. His answers were clear and to the point: "No draft period." "Tell Tony Blair we're alone." "A strong president doesn't make decisions because they'll be popular." And the President often winked at people in the audience while Kerry was speaking. I found that amazing, thinking "here's a man who's in perhaps the most important debate of his life, and he's confident enough in himself, and able to not only track what his opponent is saying, but to make enough eye contact with people in the audience to send them a wink." Kerry couldn't do that in a million years, and yet he's the "intellectual." Please. Hands down a Bush win -- don't let anyone tell you differently. Thursday, October 07, 2004
Don't get too excited, yet, as these "backs push" situations have a dismal tendency to fizzle out, but at least Albany is recognizing the increased public pressure, and that's a start... From today's New York Times "State Senator Backs Push to Overhaul Albany's Ways By AL BAKER http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/07/nyregion/07spano.html Published: October 7, 2004 ALBANY, Oct. 6 - An influential Republican state senator from Westchester has endorsed efforts to overhaul state government, a sign that more legislators are finding themselves vulnerable to political attacks over the gridlock in Albany. The senator, Nicholas Spano, facing what allies and opponents say will be a tough re-election fight in November, has been voicing support for ideas to make state government more responsive. On Friday, he said he would be pushing to change some of the Senate's rules and to overhaul New York's system of public authorities. On Wednesday, he appeared at a news conference with a Westchester Democratic colleague, Assemblyman Richard L. Brodsky, to back Mr. Brodsky's call for constitutional amendments that would, in part, change budget procedures." Read the entire article here. Being the political wonk I am, I was scanning the tentative 10/06/04 list earlier of New York candidates for every race being held in the coming November general election, and to my disgust, my Assemblyman and State Senator's are both running unopposed. One's a Republican, one's a Democrat, and while I'm a staunch Republican I don't think *any* candidate should head into an election unopposed. That's not democracy in action - that's democracy by default, which isn't the real deal. (The NYC Board of Elections Candidates list is available here http://vote.nyc.ny.us/candidatesList.jsp Let's end the cause of these one-horse races: political Gerrymandering. Only by ending safe district Gerrymandering can we bring vigorous races for office back to the people of New York! Tuesday, October 05, 2004
"I'd say if you live in the United States of America and you vote for George Bush, you've lost your mind." --John Edwards So much for reasoned discourse. THE NEW CLIMATE OF FEAR IN AMERICA HAS SPREAD TO KNOXVILLE: An unknown suspect fired several shots into the Bearden office of the Bush/Cheney re-election campaign Tuesday morning. The headquarters are located at 4618 Kingston Pike, next to Nouveau Classics and in the same shopping plaza as Long's Drugstore. According to Knoxville Police Department (KPD) officers on the scene Tuesday, it is believed that the two separate shots were fired from a car sometime between 6:30 am and 7:15 am. One shot shattered the glass in the front door and the other cracked the glass in another of the front doors. |
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